Busybodies in the church . . .

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“No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness.” — Matthew Henry

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Yes, you read me right, I meant to say nags. Almost every church has one or two usually more of these busybodies lurking around in the shadows gossiping, nitpicking and faultfinding.

The music is never right; it's either too loud or too contemporary. Pastor's sermon is not up to par, either. It's either too long or just plain boring as far as they are concerned. Heaven forbid if Miss. Busy Body or Mr. Know-it-all should get the sniffles and not receive a call from the pastor or at least one of the staff members. Never mind that he is not clairvoyant or hasn't mastered the fine art of reading minds.

You get the picture.

These folks can get under a good pastor’s skin—that’s for sure. Well, the big question is, “What do we do about it?”

First of all, may I say that not to do something is the absolute opposite of what you should do as a pastor or leader of any sort. Confrontation in these cases is—believe it or not—not a dirty word. Hostility is. Resentment is.  I can think of a host of others also like bitterness, anger, hatred, cynicism, animosity, dislike—need I include more?

Incidentally, confrontation is precisely what the author of Hebrews prescribes when he writes,

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12)

Really? Yes, really.

Notice he prefixes his admonition with “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.” Sitting by idly is not making any effort at all. Discussing the problem with every Tom, Dick and Harry, spreading your disgruntlement around may be an effort but certainly not one that will lead to either peace or holiness. Praying about it is a step in the right direction, but in the long run it is just that—a step, one step in the right direction; but most definitely not an end in and of itself. 

I am yours for the journey,

Jim R/~ 

P.S. You are a vital part of this ministry and in all honestly we could not—nor would we want to continue—without you. Please continue to pray for and support our ministry in the former Soviet Union and in Southern Asia. 

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