Tearing the Church Down One Word at a Time
One of the fastest ways to tear a local body of Christ apart is with your mouth. If you want to split the church, use harsh words. Negativity is one of the worst things that can come upon a family of believers. If you engage in negative talk about a brother or sister in Christ, you should be ashamed.
I have been guilty of this sin myself. It is easy to get pulled into this pit by your closest friends in Christ. It starts innocently, with just the remarks about a person’s habits or weaknesses. But before you know it, you stop looking for the good in people and you accentuate the bad.
Consider how negative communication affects:
1. The elders. They have the most difficult position in the church. They usually only get to hear the bad stuff. People don’t as often come to them to say “Great job!” or “What can I do to make your job easier?” Instead, they usually say, “Why did you do that?” or “I don’t like it when….” or “You all need to do something about…” And what about what might be said to others, in disagreement with their decisions that the elders never get to hear? Negative talk about the eldership is hurtful to the ones who serve, and it discourages younger men from ever desiring the position. A constant critique of the eldership will eventually cause division in the church.
2. The preachers. If you want to get a new preacher or youth minister every 2-5 years, then be highly critical of their activity. Try not to understand the anxiety and stress of their job. Spread a rumor about them. Pick them apart. Correct them whenever you get a chance. Challenge their work ethic. Preachers are involved with the members at a high level. When they are the objects of negativity, it always gets back to them. They begin to lose confidence, feeling that they are ineffective or unwanted. Negative talk about the preacher will do more than pack his bags, it will take him out of the pulpit for good.
3. The members. In order for families to be healthy, every member needs to find their place and purpose. When members of the body of Christ feel unloved, judged, or inadequate, the whole family will be in turmoil. On a daily basis, members of the family of God gossip, complain, note weaknesses in brethren, and dismiss the viability of certain people within the body of Christ. Not only is this sinful, but it contributes to Satan’s most important work – the attempt to destroy the work of Christ. The church is often in more danger from within than from without. Every child of God must take responsibility for how they treat fellow Christians.
May God help us to avoid tearing the church down one word at a time! The world is watching. Let the reputation of the church be love, not hate. Let it be peace, not war. Let it be kind words, not hate speech. Let is be a gentle and quiet spirit that is precious in the eyes of the Lord.
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” ~ Ephesians 4:29
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AUTHOR: Jeremiah Tatum
