Tomorrow morning, I'll be preaching Acts 4:19. In Acts 3, Peter and John are hanging out at the temple, and there's a crippled man begging at the gates. Instead of pocket change, Peter heals the man- life change instead of pocket change (I just thought of that...maybe I'll use it tomorrow...) Then, in chapter 4, the religious rulers have Peter and John arrested, and tell them to quit teaching, preaching, and healing in the name of Jesus. After all, they had just killed Jesus to prevent an uprising, so now they had to squash this movement. What I'm preaching is Peter and John's response. They say:
"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
One of the earliest pieces of advice I was given about preaching and preparing sermons was that many of them would come from my own lessons from the Lord. Actually, the man who gave me the advice called it "personal overflow." In other words, it's ok to preach about whatever God's teaching me, because it's likely that others are dealing with the same issue. And lately, God has been dealing with me about who I'm going to please- him or man (I include myself in the latter category).
I have this need to be a people pleaser. I want everyone to like me, and I want everyone to think I'm doing a good job, and I don't want to make anybody mad. But there are a couple of problems with that.
1) I can't please everyone all the time. People are fickle, and it just won't happen.
2) Often, pleasing people means displeasing God. When "Joe Friendo" wants "a" to happen, but God wants "b" to happen, I'm going to have to disappoint somebody.
Last week, I had someone approach me because 3 people had approached him about something I had done at church that they didn't approve of. (By the way, none of them had approached me, which I pointed out, and asked that in the future he ask them to call me.) The event in question was not an issue of theology, morality, doctrine, ethics, etc. It was minor, miniscule, teeny tiny. I did something that needed to be done, but it upset a few people. I think God is using that minor event to prepare me for some bigger things on the horizon. I've been praying about, thinking about, talking about some pretty major changes to take place in our church. Things that, if they take place, may upset some people. But I have to decide- am I going to please man or God? Am I going to make them happy, and therefore keep myself happy, or am I going to be obedient to God even when people don't like it?
Part of the reason I'm sharing all of this is accountability. I think that by letting you (whoever you are) in on all of this, it will help me to make the right decisions. And hopefully you'll be encouraged to do the same. I think this is a pretty universal struggle, and maybe in reading this you'll be encouraged to please God, not man (yourself included).
Learning to be obedient,
-Jared
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This is Brooke Dinsmore. I'm glad I read this because I was just discussing Peachtree with my mother-in-law the other day and how it is growing. I was talking about how excited I was because of new leadership and how the 3 of you (dad, you and Paul) make a good team. I was just telling her how I can see differences when I come home to visit and how I'm very excited for Peachtree. She was telling me of past experiences from her old church and how right about the time things started to grow and change for the better the devil really rode in and started trying to mess it all up! She said that someone told her, "If the devil is attacking, you must be doing something right!" :) He only attacks if you are a threat! So I have begun to pray for Peachtree (being my home church) but more so because I'm excited for all of you and the things that are happening. Good things are going to happen there!! Keep pleasing God!!!!
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