MURMURING, BACKBITING, GOSSIPING, BEING A
BUSYBODY, AND DISCOURAGING THE BRETHREN:
Five
Things That Destroy The Church
II
Corinthians 12:19-21
Mar
19, 2000 AM
Murmuring:
Persistent,
selfish, faithless complaining (I Cor. 10:10; Matt. 20:11; Lk. 5:30; Jn. 7:12;
Phil. 2:14).
Backbiting:
False,
charges and misrepresentations that defame and untruthfully damage another’s
reputation (II Cor. 12:20; Jas. 4:11; I Pet. 2:1, 11).
Gossiping:
To
reveal intimate secrets about another for no other reason but to embarrass or
harm (II Cor. 12:20; Rom. 1:29).
Being A
Busybody:
Being
meddlesome, minding everybody’s business but one’s own (II Thess. 3:11; I Tim.
5:13).
Discouraging
The Brethren:
To
dishearten, rob of enthusiasm, and break the spirit (Deut. 1:28; Num. 32:7).
Applications:
1. We are
not to be whiners and constant complainers.
2. The
truth is never to be slanted to “enhance” our position or to bring a brother or
sister down.
3. Certain
embarrassing, intimate things we know about others are to be kept to ourselves.
4. We
must not meddle into things that are none of our business.
5. We must
encourage well-intending brethren, rather than disheartening them.
ESJ
3/19/00
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