If I am devoting my energies and investing my wealth on foolish pursuits like supporting ball teams and traveling to distant cities for meaningless sport, let the pastor ask us, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” And let him care not one whit whether half the congregation gets angry at him. In eternity, they will rise up and bless him.
Pastors have bigger goals than pleasing a congregation, larger aims than job security and a higher priority than a great reputation. The Apostle Paul who “got” this, said, “If I should please men, I would not please God” (Galatians 1:10).
Every pastor has to choose.
One final word. Consider this a call to churches to grow up and free the preacher to declare the whole counsel of God, letting the chips fall where they may.
Let the deacon leadership keep reminding one another and the entire congregation from time to time, “If a preacher does his job well, people will sometimes be offended. If you get offended by our minister’s preaching, do not come running to us with a complaint. We thank God for such a faithful pastor.”
Every church has to choose whether it is willling to hear from God or to be rocked to sleep by the Lord’s messenger. The first can be painful, the second is scandalous.
“Lord, bless your church please.”
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/246599-sermon-offended-good-supposed.html&media=https://churchleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/CL-default-featured-image.jpg&description="Pastors have bigger goals than pleasing a congregation, larger aims than job security, and a higher priority than a great reputation."){kind=link}