No Whiners!

I read a wonderful article today, from Bob Perry, called How to Sabotage Your Church. It was pure dynamite! I would LOVE to print it out, circulate it in church, and make it mandatory reading. My heart has been hurting for my church. We have endured much and still the whiners, the complainers, those with chips permanently attached to their shoulders, those that are divisive and those saintly ones that are 'only trying to help' by giving their opinion are running rampant. They are like the prowling lion that circles it's prey waiting to make their move to destroy and divide God's family.

Mr Perry had a selection of scenarios and caricatured examples of ways people can sabotage their church. I've found that the church has many more saboteurs that have yet to be named. Here I will speak to a few that I have encountered.

***Please note that all truths must be held up to the Word of God. If it can't be backed up in scripture then it won't be listed here.

The Lip Serviced - Find something to be dissatisfied with and run to the Pastor or a church leader and dump it on them.
We all have things that we may be dissatisfied within a church. That's fine. But when your dissatisfaction bleeds over into whining and complaining to the Pastor or leaders of the church and you offer no solutions or give offers to help fix the problem, then that is when your mouth needs to shut.

Now...let's take it to the Word!

Ephesians 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Eph 4:3 - Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Now, if you are whining and complaining then I think that falls into the 'unwholesome talk' category. Did your verbalizing your dissatisfaction help, build up, benefit or fulfill a need? If you really think so then read verse 3. Now, can you honestly say that you made every effort to fix the problem? Did you make every effort to unify the body, keeping peace?

Ask yourself – Did I get up off my blessed assurance and DO something to help? Did I volunteer to work to fix the problem? Did I offer to be the solution?

Christian – if you cannot answer yes to those questions then you are not keeping the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. I speak this truth, in love.....Put up or shut up.