“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass [sin] against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” (Matthew 18:15)
There was a cordial gathering of four preachers. "Our people come to us and pour out their hearts, confess certain sins and needs," a pastor stated during the conversation. Let's follow suit. Confession is beneficial to the soul. They finally came to an understanding. One admitted that he enjoyed watching movies and would sneak out of church to do so. The second admitted to enjoying cigar smoking, while the third admitted to enjoying card games. When it was time for the fourth preacher to speak up, he resisted making a confession. "Come now, we confessed ours," the others urged him. "What is your vice or darkest secret?" He responded, "It is gossiping, and I can hardly wait to get out of here."
One of the most harmful yet frequently ignored sins in the Church today is gossip. In the body of Christ, nothing can splinter relationships and cause division more quickly than gossip. The dictionary describes gossip as idle conversation or hearsay, particularly regarding another person's personal or private matters. The Bible's depiction of this kind of speech is found in Ephesians 4:29, which states, “Let no corrupt communication [talk] proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying [building up], that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
The body of Christ is not the place for gossip. When there is gossip, the Church will never be what God wants her to be and nothing will eliminate our witness more quickly. Christians speaking harshly about one another is instantly repulsive to non-Christians. In John 13:35, Jesus warned His followers that people would judge them by how they treated one another. This still holds true today because gossip is not loving; it needs to stop.
I recently came across this acronym, which is useful for quantifying what we say.
T - Is it True?
H - Is it Helpful?
I - Is it Inspiring?
N - Is it Necessary?
K - Is it Kind?
This is a terrific formula for us to use as we consider our words carefully before speaking them.
Prayer: Loving Father, please help me speak in line with Your Word. May I always speak words that build up and not tear down. In Jesus' name, Amen.
