What is gossip and how to avoid as Christian being in a trap of Gossip?
What is gossip and how to avoid as Christian being in a trap of Gossip?
The purpose of this biblical message is to put more clarification in what we already know about Gossip in order to be more efficient and powerful in the way to deal with the spirit of gossip. We all know that gossip is bad but yet in some occasions we find ourselves in the trap of Gossip just because we do not exactly know how the spirit of gossip operates or generates from one mouth to another. At the end of this reading, you will surely know by the grace of God what exactly gossip is and how to avoid it. Brethren, remain edified and blessed as you read this message in Jesus name, amen.
In this message, we will quote the bible in the New International Version
- What is Gossip?
In my understanding according to the word of God, gossip is a spirit that exposes any information about someone in the intention not to build but to destroy the victim. It is an ungodly act that kills a confidence and love to give place to hatred and division.
I can list here two types of gossip according to the bible.
I place gossip in two main categories:
A gossip that shares false information and a gossip that shares true information.
- Gossiping through a false report
A person may come to give you a false report against a brother in order to defend himself and when you support that person you become both a tool of the spirit of gossip, how do you know if what that person is saying is true or not without any verification?
Exodus 23:1: “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.”
Leviticus 19: 16 “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord”
John 7:51“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
- Gossiping through a true report
Brethren, we all know the truth about the lives of our brothers and sisters; you may know the truth about the life of your sister or brother in Christ. Our concern here is to know how we deal with that truth. What we know may not be good in the life of our brother or sister. We need at this level to show love and to use the truth that we know to change personally the life of our brother/sister through love. We should not use the truth we know to disgrace our brothers and sisters. There is an obligation as Christians we are to put our positive impact in changing the live of our brothers and sisters, not to mock at their failure.
Proverbs 11: 13 “a gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret”
Proverbs 20: 19 “a gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid anyone who talks too much”.
- How to avoid being in a trap of gossip?
In this world where we hear everything even when we do not want to hear, gossip has become a tool of the enemy to divide children of God, many members in the church of Christ have given up on God because of gossip, they believed in their pastors, deacons, mama pastors and ushers and could not stand still because they might have heard in a wrong way the truth about the servants of God in their church. Do you see? God is so wise that is why He told us about the danger of gossip.
Let us see below how we can avoid gossip.
- Confront your brother who has done wrong
If the person has done wrong, meet first him personally and speak the truth to person with love. We need to know how to deal with sins among ourselves as Christians, we are all one in the body of Christ who is our Head, all of us we belong to one church whom Jesus Christ is the Leader, let us forget about the denomination, it is not your local Christian church that matters but what matters is that we belong to one Church, the Church of Christ as we serve Him in truth and in Spirit. So therefore, a brother being member in our local church or not, should be treated with love and consideration, his weakness should not be a subject of gossip but rather a reason to exercise our love in the intention to conquer the soul for the kingdom of God.
Let us read Mathew 18: 15- 18
15 “If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c]17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.”
We understand now that when following this order established in Matthew 18: 15 – 18, there is no reason to be called a gossiper and this way brings peace, only a non believer will not change in this manner because pride will make him not to fear the truth of the word of God, such a person must be abandoned and let God take care of him.
- Confront gossip politely or keep quiet
When a brother or sister comes to see you narrating information which may not be true until you verify it, avoid commenting. Your desire should be to bring together both the gossiper and the victim of the gossip in order to know the truth and assist whoever is wrong. Matthew 12: 36-37 tells us that by our word we will be acquitted or condemned, and Matthew 5: 9 confirms that a true Christian is a Peacemaker.
- Do not associate with a gossiper
When we have tried to follow but in vain Matthew 18: 15-18, we have no other option is to stay away from the person who does not want to change or follow the truth of the bible.
The book of Proverbs 20: 19 is very clear in this matter, do not associate with a gossiper, because a gossiper is a fool ( Proverbs 10: 18 ) and he can contaminate Christians.
We can also read more in Romans 16: 17-19
17 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. “
My brethren, we have to rebuke gossip in prayers, those are evil tongues pronounced against us, the bible in Isaiah 54:17 has given us the right to rebuke any evil tongue against us, God will deal with all liars in Jesus name.
In conclusion, I can say, above everything I have mentioned, gossip is very bad, if we do not gossip, we participate in gossip, we still gossip. Gossip is a spirit that produces a sensational talk which we pass on or share because it makes us feel that it is a “Juicy” nature or normal to talk whether true, rumor or slander.
Rumor is any unverified information while slander is false or malicious information with the intent to harm.
In gossip, people share truth, rumor and slander. No matter how the information is true, once it is shared in the way of gossip, it becomes a sin and that type of sin disobeys Mark 12: 31.
I pray by the grace of God, let everyone who reads this message be touched and moved by the power of God to deliver those who are under the spirit of gossip which is a tool of the enemy to scatter children of God. Let our devotion of deliverance be fruitful in Jesus name, Amen.
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