(24) GOSSIP IS CHARACTER ASSASINATION

(John 8:3-11)- The Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus, saying she had been caught in the act of adultry. Moses says she should be stoned to death, what do you say? Jesus stooped and wrote on the ground and said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone". (We can only guess what Jesus wrote on the ground, but I'm sure it brought some sins to light) After they all walked away, Jesus said to the woman, "Go and sin no more". As christians, we should have a forgiving attitude. To secretly try to destroy another christians character is sin. We are sinners too. If we are like the Pharisees with a 'Hollier than thou attitude', having little or no compassion; Jesus will judge us as harshly as we judge others.-(Matt.7:2) If a person wants to spread some juicy gossip, someone should suggest they wait until that person is present so they can defend themself. That would stop the 'Character Assasination' about to take place. The second greatest commandment is to 'Love your neighbor'. To break a commandment means one more thing to be judged for at the 'Judgement Seat of Christ' when we get to heaven.-(2 Cor.5:10) There is a saying, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes, when one person misjudges another person, it could be said, Evil is in the eye of the beholder. We should give others the benefit of the doubt and build up a person rather than destroy his character. Many churches keep records of their members, and when they move their membership, a secret letter follows them. This is unscriptural and should never be done. If this is being done, why doesn't the member get a copy. It must contain 'Gossip'; otherwise, why is it secret. I read an article about a man, who was moving and told his minister, "If you say anything against me in that letter, you will have to prove it in court". At his new church, his new minister mentioned to him that his letter was unusual because they didn't say anything against him. It seems that his previous minister took his warning seriously. Church leaders need to watch out for wolves that creep in and scatter the flock.-(Acts 20:28-29) Pastors will be held accountable to God. They have a lot of responsibility, but it would be better if they confronted a person face to face, than to be a partaker of gossip. Courage is OK with God, sin is unnecessary. To clear the air, others are concerned about this also, the congregation should be told that they can go to the office and see their letter at any time and call for a meeting with the minister & elders, if they choose to do so. Con