Stop the Spread
…he who spreads slander is a fool.
Proverbs 10:18 (AMP)
Back during the coronavirus pandemic, we were all wearing face masks. Government leaders mandated it. Businesses required it. Why? To try to stop the spread of a potentially deadly virus.
But there’s another deadly virus that has been plaguing the church for generations. I got a glimpse of its spread this week.
In one of my coaching groups, I sensed a heaviness in one particular pastor. Attempting to probe it, I asked him what was going on. He mentioned that, like so many others, he was experiencing the pressure and resulting weariness of having to lead in an utterly unique season.
Then he added, “But the real pain is that now there’s gossip arising and spreading as it relates to my leadership and the decisions I’ve been making.” Even as he shared this, I could see his shoulders slump.
Gossip.
Gossip. The very word hisses, doesn’t it? It’s actually mentioned in one of the most pointed lists of sins in Scripture.
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. – Romans 1:28–29
When I see a list of the sins associated with abandoning God, I expect to see things like wickedness and murder. I don’t expect to see gossip and slander. Why? Maybe because they’re so commonplace – even in our churches.
Because we tend to use information as a commodity when we’re building relationships and alliances, gossip gets woven into the foundation of most human communities. The truth is, it’s a cancer that ultimately eats away at the core of a community’s security until there’s nothing left.
Identifying what is and isn’t gossip can be difficult. Here are some definitions that might prove helpful:
Rumor: any unverified information
Slander: false or malicious information with the intent to harm
Gossip: sensational talk passed on because of its “juicy” nature, whether true or not
All of these practices are sin and have no place in the Body of Christ. So, let me encourage you to become freshly sensitized to these “brotherhood busters” and to do your best to stop the spread of this virus.
How? First of all…
Don’t be a gossip starter.
Take a look at these biblical warnings:
And he who spreads slander is a fool. – Proverbs 10:18
He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter. – Proverbs 11:13
A perverse man spreads strife and a slanderer separates intimate friends. – Proverbs 16:28
Like a mask that covers your mouth, prevent the spread of gossip, rumor, and slander by putting a guard on your tongue. Catch the words before they come out and do damage that is difficult to repair.
Secondly, let me encourage you to…
Be a gossip stopper.
The only reason gossip is gossip is because there is someone who listens to it. Gossip needs at least one other person for it to survive, so stop it in its tracks whenever you hear it. Put your hand up and say, “Hey, this sounds like it’s none of my business. I don’t think I want to hear this. And I would challenge you cease and desist.”
Proverbs 26:20 says, “For lack of wood the fire goes out and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” The analogy of fire is appropriate because gossip, like fire, can destroy. But if there’s no one to throw any more wood on the fire of gossip, it goes out quickly. Stop feeding it and “it will eventually go out.”
The Evil One is looking to do everything he can to attack our churches and their pastors. Fear, frustration, and fatigue certainly are prime weapons. But these take on even greater power when we give in to gossip.
I encourage you to recognize the threat it poses and commit to stopping the spread of this deadly virus.
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