When the Crowd Gets It Wrong: Faith Over Approval | Acts

Would you stand for truth if it cost you the crowd’s approval? Buddy Foy Jr looks to Acts for a challenge to groupthink, social pressure, and leadership driven by popularity.

Peter and John face pressure to stop speaking. Saul’s transformation shows how quickly approval can disappear when convictions change. Buddy connects those stories to leading a business, a family, or a team without surrendering your values.

In this episode:
• Crowd psychology and workplace groupthink
• Courage when truth challenges authority
• The cost of changing your mind
• Choosing conviction over applause

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This is the Buddy For Junior Show — where faith, truth, and courage come together. Join us as we explore life’s deeper purpose and carry the torch of conviction. The show begins now.

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Transcript

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Welcome And The Crowd Question

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome. Welcome to the Buddy for Junior Show. Thank you for joining me. Okay, gang. I have a question for you. When was the last time the crowd was right? When was the last time the crowd was right? We're going to unpack this, folks. 250-year-old country, the great American test, our biblical foundation. And God we trust. State constitutions required you to be a biblical or a man or a woman of faith in order to run for office. And this is an epitolytical podcast. This is about crowds, the Uber Eats, Instacart generation, and the crowd. Because it's expanded. The crowd's ability to influence is everywhere on our fingertips, all over TV, social media, influencers, but folks, right here, the truth. Leadership in the Bible. That's what I'm working on. That's my Jesus gym. And I want to unpack when was the last time the crowd was right? Okay. The deeper I'm getting into Acts, I've been on Acts for the last month, and I'm going backwards. And this is good. I'm taking steps back and I'm touching base again on some powerful scripture. So we're going to go today, and we're going to talk about how the crowd wanted Jesus crucified. The crowd chose Barnabas. The crowd wanted Peter

When Crowds Choose Wrong

SPEAKER_00 2:07

silenced. The crowd wanted to kill Paul. The crowd wanted to stone the woman. The crowd follows emotion. And we can't. As leaders, we can't follow the crowd. Okay. Acts 9, 4, 3. Not necessarily in that order, but I want to make the point on going backwards to things we already talked about that we're going to drive home here today. I think one of the greatest leadership lessons in the entire Bible so far is Acts. Let's say Acts 3. The crowd chose a murderer. Peter heals a lame man. They're amazed. Then he says something shocking. You disowned the holy and righteous one and asked that a murderer be released. Think about that. Peter's talking about Barnabas. The crowd literally chose a murderer over the savior. And even if the crowd didn't believe he was the savior, they chose a murderer over another man that threatened their power. Now, before we judge them, don't we do the same thing? How often do we choose comfort over truth? How often do we lead for comfort versus truth? Emotions over wisdom. Peter's confronting crowd psychology. And that's leadership. And this is something that we, as leaders, have to start preparing ourselves for and having discernment because we could be catching ourselves in the act of leading for the crowd. Because we're being filmed, we've got cell phones everywhere, our employees on social media. But are we leading for truth in the true vision, the true mission? Are we leading based on the crowd and fearful of what the crowd might say? Okay. Acts four. The crowd wants Peter quiet. Peter and John heal a man. The evidence is the standing, the standing man is the evidence.

Silencing Truth In Acts Four

SPEAKER_00 5:12

And what does leadership do? Acts four, eighteen. Then they called them in again, commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. The religious order, the power structure, the board of directors of the city of the Jewish order, do not speak or do miracles in his name anymore. The miracle isn't dispute it. They don't even bring it up. They know it's the truth. There's witnesses. The truth is disputed. The response? Silence them. Boy, does that sound familiar? People don't always attack because you're wrong. You're not necessarily being attacked in your position of leadership because you're wrong. Sometimes you're attacked. You're being attacked because you're right. And the truth, it threatens someone. It threatens the existence of a power base that you're disrupting. Now, lesson number two. Being criticized is not evidence you're wrong. Sometimes, if you're being criticized, it's evident that you're on the right track. Now you have to discern that. We, as leaders, walking or trying to be this biblical value system. We have to discern it. Now Saul joins the other side. This is a part of the Bible I love. Saul's hunting Christians, folks. He was on fire to imprison,

Saul Becomes Paul And Pays

SPEAKER_00 7:32

murder, and silence the Christian Jews of the time, the converts, the people converted to the Jesus followers. He was the enemy. He was almost the Hitler of his time. Jesus knocks him off the horse on his way to Damascus, hunting down Jewish Christians. Scales fall off his eyes in Acts 9. Everything changes. And now Paul is preaching for Christ. He's on fire. He becomes one of the biggest authors of the New Testament. He never walked with Jesus per se. He had an encounter with Jesus after Jesus is crucified. And Paul's hunting down to satisfy the crowd back home, to bring back these Jesus believers and take care of them. Now, that same crowd that he was hunting for hunt him. After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him. To kill Saul, who becomes Paul. So think about that. The same people who loved him are now hunting him. Why?

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Because he changed sides. He chose truth. He chose truth over tribal loyalty.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Why? If this isn't resonating with today. So the crowd loves him, or they love you until they stop agreeing with you. And this is where your conviction will be tested. This is where our conviction as leaders will be contested. Now, acts isn't really about politics. It's more, in fact, it's not even about crowd emotion. It's not about reactive crowds or tribal crowds or power structure or seeking approval.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Truth requires you to stand alone. That's why puts that's why Paul

Leadership Means Standing Alone

SPEAKER_00 10:12

stood alone. That's why Jesus stood alone for truth. Now, as leaders, what crowd are we trying to please? Our employees, our customer base, our board of directors, our investors, our shareholders, friends, family. How about industry peers? Industry peers. Folks, if your leadership depends on pleasing the crowd, you will compromise the truth. That's the test. And only you know, only I know what's driving my leadership, what's holding me back, what's pushing me forward. When am I truthful? When do I hold back? Paul didn't, Peter didn't, Jesus certainly didn't. So the lessons the lessons of Acts keeps teaching me simply. Crowds chose Barnabas. Crowds silenced Peter. The crowd tried to kill Paul. Crowds are wrong. Again and again and again. Maybe leadership isn't learning how to follow the crowd. Maybe leadership is developing the standards to stand against it. Now, standing alone, that's a true test. Lies don't become truth because people carry picket signs and scream and yell from megaphones. Doesn't make it the truth, folks. So as we are more and more into this world of power structure, spiritual warfare, in crowds becoming louder through mechanisms. They're cell phones, social media, influencers, we have to ground ourselves. Don't take debate. God bless. We'll see you next week.