Hi. I hope it's ok for me to post this here. I want to post it in all the other Christian guilds i'm in.
And, I will warn you all right now.. Yes this is a tangent i'm on. I was incensed by a statement i read recently. I feel like I cannot just sit there and say nothing. I feel this is an important issue in the body of Christ, and it is one every member needs to be conscious of. Gossip.... let's face it... noone likes to own up to this ugly monster.. people would rather admit to lying, cheating and stealing rather than own up to being a gossip. They probably feel like that because of the shameful reactions to gossip that come out. Most of the time, people will start gossip in the church along the premise of "i'm just telling them so they know what to pray for." urrrr! that is total crap. i better not ever hear anyone say that ever. I'll so like have to beat them with the nearest thing i can find.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR GOSSIP. Seriously.. gossip is an ingenious weapon created by the devil which was passed on to people... and people use it and just do it to each other... and all the while... the only thing the devil was guilty of was giving them that tool... gossip will destroy churches, families, and friendships. Many great and awesome churches have been brought to their knees through the destructive force of gossip; because gossip sews discord. And, not sure if any of you realize this, but the Lord Almighty
HATES [and i do mean
EXPLICITLY HATES ] discord. That is a serious offence.
Pastors and leaders alike need to start taking a stand against this. Think about this! Would you feed your child vomit they just threw up? Well, everytime someone talks about another person's private business or talks about them in a backbiting way, they are doing just that to the body of Christ. Every word that is backbiting is like spiritual vomit from the church.. and everytime you pass it on to someone else.. you're feeding right back into the body.. thus infecting it and making it even more sick. It is an evil practice. And, I'm here today to say that >
I< AM TAKING A STAND AGAINST IT!!! That's right. If i am anywhere and catch wind of it in any of these christian guilds.. i will be in the face of everyone who has anything to do with it. IT's wrong; plain and simple. this is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with.
I know people around here don't seem to be like to be told what to do ... or corrected for that matter.. but, take this as a word from the Lord. If you disagree with what i say, I challenge you to pray to Jesus that he reveals to you the truth in this. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he'd support this.
When those men were selling their crap in the temple, he threw them out.. He said his house should be a house of prayer.. not a den of theives. Likewise, his house should be a house of unity and support: not of gossip and discord.
Ok. if you're still reading this thinking, "ok, ok... we get it already." I really hope so. I really do mean I'm taking a stand against this.
My old home church pastor who passed away several years ago used to preach out against this all the time. Any time he ever caught ear of a rumor, he'd pull into his office everyone involved. he put a stop to it and would preach about it from the pulpit the next time. He hated gossip. He was right.
It's not ok to take the attitude, "Well.. I don't think there's really any way to prevent it... people are just gonna do it. So, Im not even gonna bother trying to stop them. just let them do as they please..." that kind of passive behavior would just have the church ran right into the ground... That is not the kind of church and bride we should be presenting to Christ. Is that really what he bled and died for?? Is it?? Did he suffer in agony unimaginable just so people can run around tearing each other down behind their backs??? If you think it's ok.. you really need to reexamine what you're even doing in the body of Christ and if this is really where you want to be.
