People pleasing vs. people pleasing: What’s the difference?

(Photo: micaeltattoo)

People pleasing is good.

People pleasing is bad.

The key is knowing the difference. Make sense?

At first, Paul the apostle seems to contradict himself like I did just now:

People pleasing is good…

“I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many…” -1 Corinthians 10:33

People pleasing is bad…

“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” -Galatians 1:10

It can seem confusing. And the church in general reflects that confusion in practice.

  • Some congregations are all about pleasing people and helping them enjoy the Christian experience. We even have names for this perspective: we often call it “seeker sensitive.”
  • On the other end of the spectrum, we have congregations that seem to condemn the “seeker sensitive” movement. We might call these people “fundamentalists.”

Ironically, both of those terms, seeker sensitive and fundamentalist, are derogatory depending on whose company you’re in. But taking the words by themselves, they each can sound pretty good too:

Seeker sensitive? Yeah, I want to be sensitive to anyone seeking Jesus.

Fundamentalism? Yeah, I want to hold the basic principles of the gospel regardless of what others say.

So what’s the difference? Where’s the difference? Which way are we supposed to go?

People pleasers or not?

Let’s look at those verses I just quoted with a little more context:

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all thing, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” -1 Corinthians 10:31-33

Key words there: “…do all to the glory of God.”

“As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.” -Galatians 1:9-11

Key words there: “…if anyone preaches any other gospel…”

So…

We’re called to please people. Sometimes.

We’re people pleasers to lead people to God and so God will be glorified, not so you and I will look amazing. <<The motivation matters.

We stop pleasing people if it distorts the gospel or leads anyone out of alignment with God’s nature. <<The result matters.

For more on serving God and others and the difference between them, start here…

Serving Suggestions:

(1) Before you try to please someone, consider why you’re doing it. Are you doing it to show off yourself (or even someone else), or are you doing it to show off God?

(2) Before you try to please someone, consider if you have to sacrifice any part of the gospel message to do it. Specifically, are you downplaying issues like righteousness, justice, and sin, or are you staying consistent with the full nature of God?