A few years ago I heard the account of a pastor whose family and ministry were destroyed by the tongue of a church busybody.

This person made the remark to another member of the church that their pastor was certainly good-looking, and it would probably be easy for him to have a physical attraction to certain women in the church.

As happens so often, this idle bit of chatter was retold and grew with each retelling. Finally, the story emerged that the pastor was having sexual affairs with several  women in the church.

I'm sure you can imagine the story was devastating to the pastor's wife and children. The wife, being a somewhat nervous person had an emotional breakdown, took the children and left, and if my memory serves me correctly, later committed suicide.

The pastor, of course, was ruined and quit the ministry. When the stories were finally traced back to the source, the woman who started all the gossip wondered why people were angry with her. "After all," she said, "I only said something like that could happen."

Gossiping individuals have to be the meanest people on earth. They can ruin a life, a family, or even a whole church, and never get caught. They usually preface their vicious story with, "Now, please don't tell anyone what I am going to tell you, I'm just sharing this with you so we can pray about it!"

To get somewhat of the idea of the destruction of gossip, you might obtain an old style feather pillow, take it to the highest building in town, cut it open and shake the feathers out on a windy day. After you have done this, go throughout the town and see if you can collect and retrieve every feather that was shaken from that pillow. It will be impossible no doubt. The same is true with destructive gossip. The story you thought was so cute can never be retrieved, and many times innocent people are hurt.

A few years ago I was visiting in a member's home. When the people there asked me if a certain story was true about another church member, I immediately said, "I don't know, but I do know how we can find out." I picked up their telephone and began to dial a number. They asked me whom I was calling. I told them I was calling the member they had mentioned, and that we were going to find out if the story were true. Immediately they began to plead with me to put down the phone and not to make the call. This is the best way to get to the bottom of gossip.

The scourge of the holiness churches are the long-tongued people inside of them. What the world, the flesh and the devil cannot do from the outside, they unwittingly, but gleefully, do from the inside.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Galatians 5:13-15

One of the most hideous and destructive sins is the sin of gossip. People who never smoke a cigarette, or put alcohol to their lips, constantly fall into this subtle trap of Satan.

Often I have heard someone in describing a holiness woman say, "Her hair is long, her sleeves and the hemline of her dress is long, and her tongue is just as long." Let me hasten to say that men can be just as guilty, and so can men and women from liberal, compromising churches, as well as the non-churched. Since, however, we are writing on the subject of holiness, let's deal especially with those in the holiness movement.

Some find that because of their possessing high personal standards of holiness, it is a great temptation to gossip about those who have lesser standards. The reason for such conversation must surely fall into one of the following three categories:

One: Immaturity

Two: Ignorance

Three: Lack of love

Actually, none of the three categories speaks very well of the perpetrator of gossip. Some sincere, well-meaning folk gossip because of the embarrassment of having an immature brother or sister in the church who has not "measured up" to the standards of the other members. If only we could remember where we were when God found us. I find that after 48 years, God is still working on me.

Others gossip to unbelievers because they want the world to know the conduct of the person not measuring up to high standards of holiness is not approved of by their church. Many members of holiness churches are fearful that the conduct of someone attending their church will give the church a bad name.

If someone from a holiness church shows up at the local bank and robs it at gunpoint, being recognized by the public at large, this will not destroy the reputation of the local church the bankrobber attends. What will destroy the local church are the long-tongued people in that church who insist on talking to everyone they meet about the robbery and the robber.

The element that is needed among members of a local church that has sinning members (and what local church doesn't?) is a deep love for that member which causes us to say, "Yes, I know that person is not perfect. No, I do not approve of what he has done, but we all still love him."

Too many church members are fearful that showing love, or even common courtesy towards a wayward brother or sister means approval of what the wayward one is doing. We need to rise above this feeling brought on by our own immaturity to a place of unconditional love, to where we love wi th no strings attached.

The sad but true fact about many gossips is this: they are just plain mean. I have never been able to comprehend how someone can say he lives a life of holiness, and then be vicious with his tongue.

Let's take a few minutes to see what God's Word says about gossip.

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people... Leviticus 19:16

The word talebearer here is taken from a Hebrew word meaning a peddler, or merchant of scandal. One who obtains the secrets of others and retails them as gossip wherever he goes. And remember, gossip can be the truth as well as a lie.

Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son. Psalm 50:20

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Psalm 52:2

A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. Proverbs 11:13

He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. Proverbs 20:19

The sad thing about a gossip is that he usually feels he is more spiritual than most because he can see the faults of another, when the truth is the gossip is the meanest of persons, and usually the least spiritual one in the church.

I have always been impressed concerning how God stood up for his servant Job against Satan.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Job 1:8

What made Job so different from the average religious man? What was there about Job that God could refer to him as being perfect?

Do you remember the verse of scripture we used to open this chapter?

...If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. James 3:2

I am persuaded we cannot truly lay claim to living the life of holiness until we are at work controlling our tongue.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:29, 31-32

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Hebrews 12:14,15

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. James 1:26