Human Approval or Jesus Approval
Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem's depiction of Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, an incident which has often been compared to the Qur'anic narrative of the "Companions of the City" (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) If we are always concerned with what people think about us, we will always be reluctant to tell them about Jesus . Perhaps the single most significant hindrance to Christian witness in the world today is our hunger for human approval. By nature, we think more about what people think of us than about what they think of Jesus. We crave acceptance and dread rejection — which inclines us toward whatever might improve others’ perception of us. And that will very rarely, if ever, lead us to call them to repent from their sin and believe the gospel. The apostle Paul lived differently. Apparently he had been liberated from the need to be liked, or even respected. He moved from town to town, in and out of crowds, anchored in the safety and satisfaction of knowing Jesus (