Whose approval?
Paul defends his gospel to the Galatians
Paul's gospel was under attack in Galatia, and his critics had a charge that stings any leader: that he softened his message to win a crowd. Paul throws the accusation back as a question that exposes the whole game. Am I now seeking human approval, or God's? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
He names a fork that every leader stands at, often daily: you can answer ultimately to the crowd or to God, but not to both. The approval of people and the approval of God will eventually pull in different directions, and when they do, one of them has to yield. A leader who has not settled whose servant he is will be quietly governed by whoever is loudest. Courage begins with choosing your true audience.
“How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don't seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
— Jesus, on seeking glory — John 5:44 (WEB)
You cannot ultimately serve God and please the crowd at once. Courage begins with settling whose approval you finally answer to.
“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ.”
Paul had decided whose servant he was, so the charge of crowd-pleasing held no power over him. A leader formed here settles his true audience, so the pull of approval cannot quietly govern him. The inner work is choosing God as the one he answers to before the pressure comes.
Decide whose approval is final, and let it govern when people-pleasing and faithfulness diverge. Help your team tell the difference between serving people and pleasing them. Lead for an audience of One when the crowd pulls the other way.
Leaders who have not settled their audience are governed by whoever is loudest, while believing they serve a higher aim. The blind spot is unnoticed people-pleasing overruling genuine conviction.
Identify one place you are working mainly for human approval. This week, redo that decision as a servant accountable to God, not the crowd.
The approval of the crowd and the approval of God eventually pull in different directions — and a leader who hasn't decided whose servant he is will be governed by whoever is loudest.
Whose approval are you actually working for — and where is people-pleasing quietly overruling your call to serve God?