Her approach following the service communicated determination; she was a woman on a mission. She informed me that she was uncomfortable with how the message might be perceived by outsiders or by Christians on the fringes of the Faith. It wasn’t her first time to register her concerns—she confronted me at least once each month. After a few years, and gaining no traction, she ceased attending our services. She seemed distressed that she could not get her way on the issue. Her idea of the pastoral role was that the pastor must make everyone happy and never make anyone uncomfortable. Frankly, she was ignorant of the Word of God.
If our concern is primarily how the world sees us, our message can be muted before individuals who despise Jesus our Master. However, I recall Someone who said when He had forgiven a woman of her sins, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little” [LUKE 7:47]. If we love the praise of men more than we love the smile of Heaven, we will be silent in the face of vicious attacks against the Saviour.
