“That wouldn’t work here!”

Jim Applegate, January 2026

Acts 20:27 “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”

I have heard the phrase “That wouldn’t work here!” more times than I can count.

I’ve heard it in California and Tennessee. In Africa and across Europe. It surfaces whenever leaders begin to press toward biblical obedience and cultural resistance pushes back. Sometimes it’s said defensively. Sometimes it’s said wearily. Almost always, it’s said sincerely.

But sincerity does not make it harmless.

At its core, the phrase often functions as a quiet veto—not against a method, but against a biblical command. And if we are not careful, cultural realism replaces pastoral courage, and pragmatism displaces discipleship.

The Pattern Beneath the Phrase

Consider the biblical mandate of generosity. When leaders raise the subject, familiar explanations quickly emerge:

• “People here don’t have enough.”

• “People here don’t trust the church.”

• “People are afraid to give because they’re unsure their own needs will be met.”

These concerns are not imaginary. They are grounded in real stories, real wounds, and real pressures. But when leadership absorbs these explanations without discernment, something subtle happens: we begin to retreat from teaching what Scripture commands.

We tell ourselves we are being pastoral, when in reality we may be becoming selective.

Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders confront us here: “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole will of God.” The danger is not that we teach falsehood, but that we omit truth—especially the truths most likely to provoke resistance.

Is there a better way forward?

Asking Better Questions

When leaders encounter cultural resistance, the task is not to retreat or to bulldoze, but to discern. That begins by asking a different set of questions:

1. What is the biblical mandate God is commanding?

2. What is the cultural resistance, and where does it come from?

3. What fear does this resistance awaken in me as a leader?

4. What gospel-centered discipleship opportunity is being presented?

These questions slow us down and reorient us. They keep Scripture primary, culture secondary, and leadership accountable.

Step One: Establish the Mandate

Faithful discipleship always begins with clarity about what God has actually said. We do not start with feasibility studies or cultural forecasts. We start with revelation.

The primary question is not, “Will this work here?” but “Has God spoken?” If Scripture is clear, then our responsibility is not to edit the command, but to shepherd people toward obedience with wisdom, patience, and courage.

Step Two: Understand the Resistance

Next, leaders must become careful students of their context—not to excuse disobedience, but to disciple people through it.

In many Western contexts, resistance to generosity is rooted in fear. Life feels fragile. Expenses are high. The margin feels thin. People worry about rent, mortgages, tuition, retirement, and unexpected medical bills. Over time, that fear often expresses itself as distrust: “I don’t trust the church.”

But wise discipleship asks a deeper question: What is the sin beneath the sin?

Could it be that beneath resistance to generosity lies a more fundamental fear—that God will not take care of us? Beneath “I don’t trust the church” may be the quieter confession, “I don’t really trust God to provide.”

This is not condemnation; it is diagnosis. And good discipleship always begins with accurate diagnosis.

Step Three: Confront the Leader’s Fear

Cultural resistance does not only reveal the idols of a congregation; it also exposes the fears of its leaders.

So we must ask ourselves an uncomfortable question: What am I afraid will happen if I teach this clearly?

Am I afraid of being misunderstood? Criticized? Accused of being insensitive or self-interested? Am I afraid people will leave?

When we name these fears honestly, we often discover that leaders, too, are tempted toward unbelief. The gospel must address us before it can flow through us.

Step Four: Disciple with the Gospel, Not Just Demands

Finally, we ask: What is the gospel-centered discipleship opportunity here?

The answer is never simply, “You just need to obey.” That approach tends to produce either despair or legalism. God does not disciple his people that way.

Scripture reveals a God who always goes first. We love because he first loved us. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We give because God has already given—lavishly, sacrificially, and joyfully.

When leaders understand the idol beneath the resistance, they can speak the love of God directly into it. Obedience then becomes not a threat, but an invitation into freedom and joy.

The Hidden Cost of “That Wouldn’t Work Here”

Biblical commands are not burdens meant to crush God’s people; they are pathways into life. When leaders excuse silence by saying, “That wouldn’t work here,” we may be protecting ourselves from conflict—but we may also be withholding freedom from the church.

Paul’s confidence before the elders did not rest in outcomes or reception, but in faithfulness. He had proclaimed the whole will of God.

May we have the same courage.

Let us dig deeper. Let us ask better questions. Let us proclaim the whole counsel of God—for his glory, and for the joy of his people.