ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
August 26, 2021
Scripture: Galatians 1:10
Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Thought for the Day: I am a people-pleaser. Most clergy, deep down, are people-pleasers. We tell people what we know they want to hear, and avoid conflict wherever possible. It is thought that people-pleasers lack self-esteem or personal conviction. As a pastor, that is painful to hear. Yet I know I’ve preached sermons that were soft and warm simply because I didn’t want to get 12 emails and 5 text messages telling me I shouldn’t get political or cause people to feel so bad. Though my avoidance might have been for the purpose of seeking human approval or maybe just to evade the wrath of emails and texts, it often means faithfulness to Christ was disregarded. More than a dozen years ago, I preached a sermon that was very scripturally based, though had a political (not partisan) edge to it. Clearly it made folks uncomfortable. A couple left the church over it (though came back a year later), but amidst that turmoil, I received one of the best indirect compliments I have ever received. A long time member of the church said to me, “I didn’t like your sermon at all. I think you stepped over some lines, but I also have to consider that it might have been God speaking through you to tell me something I didn’t want to hear.” Maybe I did step over the edge, or maybe it was exactly what God wanted spoken. It is a tough call, and I struggle daily between my ego’s need for human approval and my faith seeking to live a life and preach a Gospel that has God’s approval.
Prayer: May we all, not simply the preachers, seek to live a life that honors you, Lord God. It is not always clear, and it requires us to know ourselves, our fears, our insecurities. Continue to build our faith so we can both hear the Gospel and live the Gospel, not simply a watered down people-pleasing Gospel. Amen.
