but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:4 -- ESV)
The phrase, "approved by God" means tested or evaluated by God. That thought is emphasized twice in this verse, you can see it again near the end, "... to please God who tests our hearts."
Through God's testing process, Paul and Silas (and Timothy) have been entrusted with this message of good news. This has motivated them to not be people-pleasers, but God-pleasers with their message. If you pastor, or the preacher of the word that you follow, adjusts his message in order to please a crowd, this is not someone you ought to be listening to.
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