Messy Church

This morning I was reading Galatians and came across this verse - 2:11-12, ^"When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.  Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group" (TNIV).  Wanting the approval of others is a powerful thing.  I'm not sure why it's so powerful.  I suppose it's because of our own insecurity that we love "fitting in" or "pleasing others."  I mean, here is Peter, the same guy who stood up in front of the religious leaders in Acts 4 and told them that not only did they crucify the Messiah, but that he would not listen to their command to stop teaching about Jesus.  Now he's avoiding Gentiles because he's afraid of a certain group of influential people.  Maybe he was just trying to keep everyone happy.  I guess that's the thing about being part of the body of Christ.  If the aim is truth and authenticity, you can't keep everyone happy.  Because we're all a mess.  Not to mention, following Jesus can be messy.  At times I can be easily swayed or influenced.  We're all a work in progress.  I need people in my life like Paul who will not only give their lives to help build me up, but will oppose me when I'm in the wrong.  I think we all do.  The question I need to wrestle with, and perhaps you might too, is this: Am I more in love with following Jesus or pleasing people.  If it's Jesus, I need to embrace the mess, be open to rebuke, be willing to speak truth, and surround myself with people willing to journey with me.