"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."-Bill Cosby
Bill hit things on the head with this one. If we are going to be successful winning souls to Christ and changing the world around us, we simply are not going to be able the please everybody.
For one, sinners may not be happy. If you are reaching people far from Christ, you are going to be disrupting other peoples' lives. You may be hurting their business(think alcohol, drugs, prostitution, gambling, and the list goes on), you may be disrupting their "social life"(no more illicit sexual relationships), and they may be feeling convicted over their own sin(which causes the fight or flight response). That's not news right?
If you are really going full out for God, you may find just as much fight against you from other Christians! Now this is crazy and should never be the case, but it is true. If you hold to the standard of holiness the Bible calls us to, people may say that you are being judgmental and legalistic. However, if you ascribe to reach everyone there will be those that have a problem with you because you are not, "doing things the way they should be done." This usually comes about if you are doing things out of the tradition or culture of what "they" are used to. It makes them feel uncomfortable, so how could it be from God?
The question then is, why are we doing this for ? Is it about you or me? No, it is about fulfilling God will so that as many people that CAN accept Jesus WILL. So what if I don't like someone's preaching style, singing style, their choice of cloths? As long as nothing is un-biblical about it and they are reaching people for Christ, it might be best for me to keep quiet because I might learn a thing or two from them. And, for the record when I say un-biblical, I mean unless I can literally show them in the Bible that is wrong.
Acts 5:29
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Who are you busy trying to please?
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