Speaking to Please God

"but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children." (1 Thessalonians 2:4-7, ESV)

Saying what needs to be said from the pulpit is one of the joys and curses of ministry. I'm sure that anyone who has ever preached has had an argument with themselves when they are faced with speaking words that might offend. I know I have. There have been times where I was to speak about something that was sensitive subject matter and I had to determine in my heart... do I speak what I believe God wants me to speak or do I skirt the subject and go on to something else? In these situations I am reminded of the words above written by Paul to the Thessalonians when speaking from the Word of God. "so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."(vs. 4)

We need to be reminded that preaching is not intended to please people. Hopefully the words we do speak from the pulpit do please people not because the pastor spoke with eloquence or tcreativity but because the truth was preached. The sad truth is he gospel message is offensive to many and if pastors continually preach it they will offend. Since this is the case we cannot let that affect the message we preach. Pastors have the great privilege to preach from God's Word, yet we are also held to higher standards in what we say BECAUSE we are "approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel."

However, this does not give us permission to be abusive or manipulative in the words we speak from the pulpit. We are to be "gentle" in our delivery and let the Word of God speak for itself. Our job is to deliver the Word of God to the people and if it offends some realize it's not because of us. They are offended by God and there is nothing we can do about that.

In conclusion, whether you are a pastor preaching from the pulpit or a believer who has been commissioned by Christ to preach the Word (As all Christians are commanded) then remember "Speak not to please man, but to please God..."