write a short essay on how Gossip can break the Church
Answers
Answer:
Gossip doesn’t only destroy the credibility of the gossiper, but it destroys relationships, so here’s how to stop it.
Bible Verses on Gossip
The Bible teaches that “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends” (Prov 16:28). What will break up a friendship more quickly than gossip? I can’t think of anything that will drive a wedge between Christian brothers or sisters and friends more than spreading gossip, and as the Proverb says, “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered” (Prov 11:13). This Proverb is spot on. When we reveal secrets about others like prayer requests that are given to us in trust and confidence, we are in effect slandering that person. The “trustworthy” person will keep it zipped. Gossipers “learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not” (1 Tim 5:13), and not only do some spread gossip, they go “from house to house.” Today, this may be by the means of phone calls, emails, Facebook posts, or even Bible studies, but Paul was clear that they are “saying what they should not.
Explanation:
Gossip does more to destroy a church than just about anything else that I can think of, so what are ways you can stop gossip in its tracks? The first thing pastors should do is to remind people that gossip is sin and then define for them. From the world’s standpoint, gossip is just as normal as surfing the Internet, having a cup of coffee in the morning, or sitting down to watch TV. It happens in the break room, in the restaurant, and just about anywhere that there are people and this includes church. The world sees no problem with gossip, but God does. Most people might think it’s “normal” but it is one of the worst things that can come out of a believer’s mouth. To those who don’t know Christ they see nothing really wrong with it. It’s just idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, and they believe it’s just what everybody does, however listen to this serious and very frightening warning given by Jesus about idle words in Matthew 12:36-37 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Notice that Jesus wasn’t speaking only to believers but He insinuated that all “people will give an account,” and so it’s not just those who are Christian! That includes me and you. Every single word, carefully or carelessly spoken, will be judged by or justified by them. No one’s off the hook on this one. The world might think it’s just idle talk but that is certainly not what God thinks about it, so what are some other ways that you can stop gossip before it starts, or it its already been spreading, how do you eliminate it?
Explanation:
The nine ways gossip destroys a church are:
It’s evil.
It’s idolatrous.
It’s self-centered.
It’s divisive.
It’s often deceptive.
It harms reputations.
It destroys trust.
It indicates hypocrisy in the church.
It risks God’s judgment.