Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "Gossip" in this Sunday morning celebration.
Gossip
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, February 5, 2012
www.mylifegatechurch.com
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Song of Solomon 2:15 “Catch us the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vineyards are in bloom.”
James 3:2 “…if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”
The Book of James teaches us that, like the rudder of a ship, our tongue determines our direction. James asks how blessing and cursing can flow from the same mouth. How can we praise God and then turn around and curse God’s supreme creation? Our words can either bring life to others, or release death; our words can be set on fire in hell, or fueled by the passion of Heaven. We can never expect to live in charge if our tongues are not under God’s control. We were created by God, FOR God. Until we understand that and incorporate it into our lives, we will never find fulfillment or satisfaction. We are made in His image, created in His likeness, and given dominion over His works: We are to express His personality, exhibit His power and extend His Kingdom. Any part of our lives not placed under His control is robbing us of our destiny and fulfillment, and shortchanging Him on His investment in us. His most powerful tool is His Word. Satan distorts this as the Prince of the Power of the Air. Our words can either be a life-giving tool in the hand of a mighty God, or a destructive force unleashed by hell itself.
Today, I want to talk about being a church that is as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents. I want to talk about being a No-Tolerance Zone for Gossip.
The Bible teaches that there are three things God treasures more dearly than all others:
- People
- The Church
- The Family
Those 3 are the biggest targets of gossip. Nothing will stop a church in its tracks faster than gossip. That’s why the Bible treats gossip on a different scale when it defines church discipline. For all other matters, adultery, fornication, greed, etc., the Bible defines a 4 step process. (Matthew 18:15-17). For gossip and slander it is a 2 step process. (Titus 3:10) You can’t play around with something this explosive and life-threatening. It is like an insidious virus that will quickly infect all those who come into contact with it. The Bible tells us in at least 4 places to treat it like an infectious disease: Stay away from it!
A Kingdom View of Gossip:
1. The Kingdom of God is “…first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17-18. The Holy Spirit produces “…this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23. Obviously, nothing is more contrary to the Kingdom than gossip. Lucifer used it to deceive angels into leaving their posts in Heaven and following him. Then he used it to deceive Adam into leaving his and her posts in Eden to follow him. Paul tells us in Romans 1:30 that those who gossip and backstab are “haters of God.” Jesus died to give us the Kingdom, and gossip lives to steal it from us!
2. Gossip is a major weapon in the arsenal of hell. God has given us the victory over hell, and in fact we are to prevail against it as His church, never vice-versa. It is important that we have a clear understanding of this satanic tactic so we never fall prey to it.
a. Gossip: a whispering; secret slandering; of the magical murmuring of a charmer of snakes; speech injurious to another's good name; speak against; speak evil of; backbiting; to defame or to belittle
John 18:20 “Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.”
Mark 4:22 “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.”
b. The Bible also defines gossip as not only those who say it, but those who listen to it. Proverbs 17:4 “…the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip…”. A great example of why God is so down on gossip is found in 1 Samuel 24:9. Saul, as God’s anointed king, is listening to gossip about David. The end result is the destruction of Saul. God was warning Saul about the dangers of gossip because it was robbing Saul of his God-given destiny! Listening to gossip is like letting somebody vomit on you intentionally.
c. 2 Timothy 3:8 (AMP) “Now just as Jannes and Jambres were hostile to and resisted Moses, so these men also are hostile to and oppose the Truth. They have depraved and distorted minds, and are reprobate and counterfeit and to be rejected as far as the faith is concerned.” Gossip distorts. Satan distorted the image of God and tricked Eve. Gossip continues to distort His image and the image of those He created. The Truth becomes so distorted it is hard to determine if it is the Truth. People refuse to believe the simple Good News of Jesus Christ because of the distortions. Every time we participate in spreading gossip, we continue the work of satan to drive people away from God.
3. Let’s look at some major types of gossips:
a. Justifiable Gossip: “I know its wrong and I either don’t care who I hurt, or I intend on hurting them because I have the right—I have been hurt, I am disappointed, betrayed, rejected, disillusioned. They have allowed their pain, hurt or brokenness to distort the God-image in them. Their hurt has become infected and is spreading poison everywhere. The distortion has become their habit, their ‘image’—part of who they are. They will spread the poison with anyone, anywhere. It is a lifestyle. It is sometimes deemed “justifiable” usually because of a previous circumstance or incident that inflicted injury, but it is usually because the gossip has allowed a distortion of God’s image and now they are just downright mean or plain ignorant. Romans 3:14-16 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They are quick to commit murder. Wherever they go, destruction and misery follow them. They do not know what true peace is."
b. Innocent Gossip: This gossip is skilled at making gossip seem harmless. They distort the true intended purpose of our words, our prayers, our curiosity--turning innocence into vindictiveness and cynicism. These are the “secret agents” or the “booby traps” of gossip. “Bless their hearts”, “a prayer concern”, “Did you hear about poor Jack”, etc. Words, given to us by God to create, are distorted by agendas and manipulation to become destructive.
Then there is the Jezebel spirit: the questioning spirit: “What did you think about today’s message?,” or “ I was just wondering…”. A question that calls for a negative response. Another Jezebel tactic is the “we vs. they”. “I had a great idea, but they squashed it.”
Watch out for the “sway of they”—Note that Moses put more stock in what “they” said than what God said. That attitude had to be overcome before Israel could be set free. Remember, Jezebel can’t be successful unless there is an Ahab: a man-pleasing, coveting, jealous spirit.
c. Situational Gossip: I only gossip in certain locations, circumstances or around certain people. These are like your terrorist cells. Groups of normally innocent people who suddenly become dangerous when they interact with other members of the cell or in certain locations where gossip is deemed acceptable. They would be considered social, or recreational, gossips. Good people end up distorting their image, the image of God, and the image of others because of a lack of self-control. Their witness is distorted and the enemy uses their ‘credibility’ to destroy others.
d. All gossips are Self-Haters. Not only are they hurting others, they are destroying themselves. Hurting people hurt people. Gossip is a symptom of a distortion of who we are in Christ. We don’t see ourselves as winners in Christ, so we tear down others because we view ourselves with a distorted mirror.
Deuteronomy 27:24 “Cursed is anyone who attacks a neighbor in secret.”
Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”
e. It might be gossip if:
1. You feel a need to whisper and there are only you and the people you are talking to in the room.
2. The person you are telling the problem or complaint to has no power to address it. Are you manipulating someone cause you don't have the guts to go to the person who could do something about it? "Did you know so and so got their feelings hurt when THEY did ..."
Conclusion: Another distortion of gossip—it makes us feel helpless. “There’s nothing we can do about it.” “They won’t change or listen.” “It’s not fair that they get away with it.” So we begin to use distorted words to express our helplessness.
There are 2 ministries taking place at the Throne of God: Intercession and Accusation. Gossip turns us from intercessors—those with the power to stand in the gap and pray for God’s best—to accusers of the brethren—those who complain and criticize. Intercession is the ministry of Jesus. Accusation is the ministry of satan. We are born again into the image of Jesus and gossip distorts us into the ugly image of satan. We are not helpless in any situation. We are ‘more than conquerors’ if we simply stay true to the image of God.
4 Keys to being a No-Tolerance Zone for Gossip:
1. Treat gossip as life-threatening. Leviticus 19:16 Message "Don't spread gossip and rumors. Don't just stand by when your neighbor's life is in danger. I am GOD.”
2. Replace jealousy with rejoicing with others. 1 Corinthians 12:26 “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.”
3. Live your life as if there are no secrets. Romans 6:15 Message “…But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!”
4. Be bold and proactive. Proverbs 10:10 “People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace.”
C.S. Lewis once said, "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations."
We as a church, and as individuals, must use the words we speak to help each other toward our destiny just as Jesus did with the woman caught in the act of adultery when He refused to condemn and instead challenged her to go for glory. Our words can aid in the further destruction of lives ravaged by sin, or they can remind us, and those around us, of whose image we reflect and to whom we belong!
Pastor Michael Adams continues the series "Really?" with part 2, "The Mirror" in this Sunday morning celebration.
