Gossip!

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.  

Has anyone ever said to you, "did you hear about..." or some other similar phrase? Then they proceeded to tell you some juicy tidbit about a mutual acquaintance. If you then tell someone else, that becomes what is termed, gossip. Gossip, whether true or not should never be uttered by a Christian. If you must talk about someone else, tell it to your pastor or to the Lord Jesus. The Bible says in John 21:21-22 when Peter asked about what John would do, The Lord Jesus responded "...what is that to thee? follow thou me." The message here is don't worry about someone else. Gossip can spring from jealousy. I remember one oldtimer saying to a group of Bible college students that if you removed the jea from the word jealousy all you had left was lousy. He was right!

Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-34 "...Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." The Lord was speaking of being jealous of those in the world who seemed to have everything. If they don't know the Lord Jesus they are paupers and need to be prayed for. Apostle Paul had much also to say about gossipers. In 1st Timothy 5:11-13 he said, " But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;  Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." In 2nd Thessalonians 3:11 The apostle further said, "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies." The word he used in the Greek was, "περίεργος  periergos (pronounced) per-ee'-er-gos From G4012 and G2041; working all around, that is, officious (meddlesome, neuter plural magic): - busybody, curious arts. Total KJV occurrences: 2"

The Apostle Peter is even more explicit. He said in 1st Peter 4:14-15,  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. It is interesting to me that the Strong's Hebrew-Greek dictionary uses a Greek saying to explain the meaning. The saying is, "ἀλλοτριεπίσκοπος allotriepiskopos (pronounced) al-lot-ree-ep-is'-kop-os From G245 and G1985; overseeing others' affairs, that is, a meddler (specifically in Gentile customs): - busybody in other men’s matters. Total KJV occurrences: 1" Peter put gossip in the same category as murderers and thieves and in general evildoers. Are we guilty of any of this? We like to think of women being the primary culprits in these sins, but men are as a subject as women are. As Christians these things ought not to be. 

My friends if ever you find yourselves being engaged in gossip be quick to repent and ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you and don't do it again.