Our Scripture reading today is Galatians 1:10, "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."
The Apostle Paul was not striving to first and foremost please the unbelievers or believers in Galatia. His message was for an audience of One. He was set on doing everything possible to please God and not on shaping his message to please men. It would only have been natural for him to want people to like what he had to say.
We have a responsibility to speak the truth. The lost world does not need us to try and make them feel warm and fuzzy with our words. They need us to deliver God's message in a way that pleases Him and brings them to a place of faith and repentance. Yes, we need more love and compassion, but this does not mean watering down the Word of God. “There have always been preachers who have sought popular acclaim above all else, and there are some still. It is part of fallen human nature that even those charged with the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel can fall into the trap of trying to be popular rather than faithful.” (Morris)