In his essay, “The Audience of One,” Christian writer Os Guinness writes, “Only madmen, geniuses, and supreme egotists do things purely for themselves.  It is easy to buck a crowd, not too hard to march to a different drummer.  But it is truly difficult – perhaps impossible – to march only to your own drumbeat.  Most of us, whether we are aware of it or not, do things with an eye to the approval of some audience or other.  The question is not whether we have an audience but which audience we have.  This observation underscores another vital feature of the truth of calling: A life lived listening to the decisive call of God is a life lived before an audience that trumps all others – the audience of One.”

For what audience are you living your life?

Guinness provides an example of someone who lived for an audience of One: “To live before the audience of One, truly makes a demonstrable difference.  The character and life of the great nineteenth century Christian soldier, General Charles Gordon, sometimes known as ‘Chinese Gordon’ or ‘Gordon of Khartoum,’ is a striking example.  In his book on the recapture of Sudan, Winston Churchill described General Gordon as ‘a man careless alike of the frowns of men or the smiles of women, of life or comfort, of wealth or fame.’”

Gordon wrote about his perspective in life: “The more one sees of life, the more one feels, in order to keep from shipwreck, the necessity of steering by the Polar Star, i.e. in a word, leave to God alone, and never pay attention to the smiles or favour of man; if God smiles on you, neither the smile or frown of men can affect you.”

Guinness adds: “After Gordon’s death John Bonar, a Scottish friend, wrote to Gordon’s brother, ‘What at once and always struck me was the way in which his oneness with God ruled all his actions, and his mode of seeing things.  I never knew one who seemed so much to “endure as seeing Him who is invisible” [cf. Hebrews 11:24-27].’  ‘Gordon,’ he concluded, ‘seemed to live with God and for God.’” *

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10 NIV

Seeking to win the approval of men will bring great disappointment and anxiety, because people can be fickle, critical, and even cruel.  No one can please everyone.

Living for an audience of One is quite liberating.  God has revealed His will for us in His Word.  And though we sin and fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23), He has made provision for our sin through the gift of His Son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins (Ephesians 1:7).  Although we are sinners, God loves us and wants to save us (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4).

The Apostle Paul wrote, “So we make it our goal to please Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV).  He made it His aim to live before an audience of One.

So should we.

It pleases the Father for us to accept His offer of salvation and eternal life by placing our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  It pleases the Father for us to continue to seek to walk in the light of His Word faithfully, for He has promised that as we do so, He will continue to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

Won’t YOU live before an audience of One?  To do so brings peace, joy, salvation, and eternal life – blessings which can never be found in trying to please men.

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from Steve Wocker at https://stevese100.wordpress.com/the-audience-of-one/

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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