Busybody Bible Study

Transliteration: allotriepiskopos Phonetic Pronunciation: al-lot-ree-ep-is'-kop-os Vine's Words: Busybody overseeing others' affairs, i.e. a meddler :- busybody in other men's matters. "If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." — Leonard Ravenhill This quote by Leonard Ravenhill is my disclaimer. I pray that God will use me to say the things other people might not say. There are many people who will not say the truth of the bible because they are afraid of offending someone and the numbers in the church might suffer because of the offense taken. I believe that if we do not offend someone sometimes then we are not using the Word of God and we are watering down the scriptures. I want to be like Jesus. First I want to love like Jesus and then I want to be as bold as Jesus was. I want to tell the World about Jesus. I want to tell people how to obtain salvation and then I want to tell people how the saints are suppose to live. This is what God has put on my heart. I also believe that if we do not get offended sometimes then we do not stand on anything and we are lukewarm. God’s word is true and when I hear someone watering it down and using it for their lack of willingness to submit themselves 100% to God’s commands , it really gets me upset. GOD IS GOD give him EVERYTHING not what you think is enough. Today’s study is on being a busybody. As we can see in the translation above a busybody is someone who is in another person’s affairs or someone who is a meddler. We are all guilty of this and I want to go over a few scriptures to see what the bible says about this. A busybody can also be someone who gossips. 11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 2 Thess 3:11-12 (KJV) The people here are too worried about other people’s business to get anything done. What is the solution? The busybodies need to eat their own bread or make their own living so that they do not have the TIME to be busybodies. 12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. 13 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. 1 Tim 5:12-13 (KJV) This scripture is about some women that have too much time on their hands that they have become idle and are busybodies. We must not be idle because this is what causes us to get in to so much trouble. We must work hard and steady at whatever we do. We must stay busy at being Christians not people of this world. 17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. Prov 26:17 (KJV) How many times have we thought it was our business to meddle in strife not belonging to us? I have some good examples of this but I will not use them here. I will say in these example that none of them turned out good and all of them destroyed relationships because someone thought it was their business to defend someone else who should have defended themselves. This is one example of meddling in strife that does not belong to you. We are warned here what will happen. It is like grabbing a dog by the ears. If you grab a stray dog by the ears what is going to happen? YOU WILL GET BIT!! 3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. Prov 20:3 (KJV) Here we are told that it is an HONOUR to cease from strife but we still think we know more than God. We are doing the work of God right? NO!! We are to cease from strife not be a mediator. Are we fools? 13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. Prov 11:13 (KJV) We do not need to go about saying everything we know even if it is the truth. The truth can bring strife if it is used wrong. 28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. Prov 16:28 (KJV) Lets stop whispering. This is what separates chief friends. If you are sowing strife remember you will reap what you sow. If you can’t say it in the open in front of everyone then it probably shouldn’t be said. Here are some examples if what you are saying is probably gossip and you are being a busybody. "I probably shouldn't even be telling you this but … " "Sarah would kill me if she knew I told you this … " "You won't tell Bob I mentioned this, will you?" Things like this are dangerous. Sometimes we gossip because we want to be accepted by someone so we think that if we tell them a secret they will trust us more. Does this sound right? Oh, I will tell you a secret about so and so but I would never tell a secret about you. Yeah right. Sometimes gossip is used just to hurt someone. Whatever the reason GOSSIP IS EVIL. The Brooklyn Tabernacle takes gossip very seriously. New members hear this charge as they become members of the church. And now, I charge you, as pastor of this church, that if you ever hear another member speak an unkind word of criticism or slander against anyone—myself, another pastor, an usher, a choir member, or anyone else—you have authority to stop that person in mid sentence and say, ?Excuse me—who hurt you? Who ignored you? Who slighted you? Was it Pastor Cymbala? Let’s go to his office right now. He will get on his knees and apologize to you, and then we will pray together, so God can restore peace and unity to this body. But we will not let you talk critically about people who are not present to defend themselves. New members, please understand that I am entirely serious about this. I want to help resolve this kind of thing immediately. And meanwhile, know this: If YOU are ever the one doing the loose talking, we will confront you. Imagine if every church could be this stern about something that causes so much strife. People would think twice about opening their mouth and saying something that should not be said. We need to not be afraid of hurting someone’s feelings if it will BRING THEM CLOSER TO GOD’S WILL. Here are a few quotes I found about gossip. Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray! For prayer is a great deterrent. Leonard Ravenhill Gossip is the devil's radio. Anonymous Samson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. I have destroyed as many relationships with the same weapon. Anonymous 15 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. 1 Peter 4:15 (KJV) Being a busybody is being compared with murder, being a thief, and an evildoer. Oh but I’m not really hurting anyone. YES YOU ARE!! Being a busybody is the same as being an EVILDOER. Gossip is one of Satan’s favorite tools in his toolbox. I challenge everyone this week to not be a busybody. Why don’t we just focus on God. Lets look in God’ s word and find out how he wants us live. Lets quit looking at the world as our measuring stick and lets start using the life of Jesus as our measuring stick. We need to take the words of the Paul, Peter, James and everyone else that was used by God to relay his will to us, and let these words be written on our hearts as though they were written in stone. I want to be a child of God. I want to be ready when Jesus comes in that Eastern sky to get the people called by his name. I do not want to be a pleaser of men and I do not want to be a busybody.