Why does Les refuse to give people ear-tickling messages?
He refuses because he fears the eternal consequences of misleading people, viewing the eternal destiny of souls as an awesome responsibility. He will not stand before people giving warm soup or ear-tickling messages that merely please them, lest he frivolously lead them astray.
Les explains that if he were behind the sacred desk and had any inkling he was misleading several hundred or seven thousand people, he could not sleep at night, because it is an awesome responsibility to take the very eternal destiny of people and frivolously lead them astray. He shares an illustration of a pastor who preached one way on Wednesday night but would not preach that way Sunday morning, saying, “I don’t dare.” Les says he could never stand in front of people and give them a bunch of warm soup, just something to tickle their ears, because he is afraid of the consequences. He notes that people are afraid to give the truth, afraid of losing that big giver or having some people get disgruntled. In contrast, Paul was not afraid of anybody and did not care what anybody thought of him. Paul loved everybody, loved his Jews and Romans, but would not back down from preaching and declaring his gospel because he knew the consequences.