Hearing from God

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[Godtrumpsall]

there was a topic started last week titled  "hearing from God"  I can't find it anywhere....anyone else see it.  I would like to find it.

[Godtrumpsall]

On that thread that I cannot find anywhere, I posted about 20 or so verses on what the bible says about gossip.  Some were debating what constitutes as gossip...so I said the Word of God has much (a lot) to say about gossip.  Then I was told that I was acting elitist for posting verses and did not know how to "interpret" scripture, and that often in scripture there are cultural principles (for example women wearing head coverings) and life principles.  That was someone's response to these verses.  I would say read everyone one of these verses.  If your heart is soft, some of these should sting.  For every Christian, myself included.

2 Corinthians 12:20
20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

Ephesians 4:29
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Exodus 23:1
1 “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

James 1:26
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

James 4:11
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

Leviticus 19:16
16 “ ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people. “ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.

Proverbs 10:18
18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.

Proverbs 10:19
19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.

Proverbs 11:9
9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

Proverbs 11:13
13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

Proverbs 16:28
28 A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 17:9
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 18:8
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

Proverbs 18:21
21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 20:19
19 A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.

Proverbs 26:20
20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.

Psalm 34:13
13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.

Psalm 41:7
7 All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying,

Psalm 141:3
3 Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 18:6-7
6 The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. 7 The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

1 Timothy 5:13-14
13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.

1 Timothy 3:9-11
9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

Proverbs 26:20-22
20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. 21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. 22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

Romans 1:29-32
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Titus 2:2-5
2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Romans 1:28-32
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

[Godtrumpsall]

   There are so many warnings about our tongue...

James 3:8 ESV /
But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

[Godtrumpsall]

we could argue all day about what is true and not true, but the Word of God stands forever. 


Ephesians 4:31 ESV
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

[GodisFaithful]

You sure have a lot of words on this forum for someone who is preaching about not having a lot of words.

[Digital Lynch Mob]

Actually that would be God's word not GTA's word.

[GodisFaithful]

"Whoever restrains his lips is prudent."

Remember the adage, "practice what you preach?"

[1Peter3:15]

God trumps all aren’t you gossiping yourself when you say “yesterday someone said,...” by your own standard you’ve contradicted yourself by bringing up a conversation and speaking for the parties that are not able to correct or defend his or her self.

[1Peter3:15]

I wasn’t talking about Mark (I agree with you about that) I’m talking about when you said “Then I was told that I was acting elitist..” that person who told you that is not on this thread and cannot defend that comment so it by our own standard (and the Word of God) is gossip is it not?

[1Peter3:15]

As someone who has left the Rock Church Minneapolis I would ask those on this forum who have left a GCC church, to read over what I believe to be a great guide to Biblical guidelines in expressing hurts one has felt in order that it does not become slander by Pastor John Piper. Please do not read into this as me “taking a side.” I am not for I am simply trying to be a peace maker because I love my fellow brothers and sister in Christ from our old Church.

When someone slanders another to us, we must remember that we are not mainly fighting flesh and blood, but spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). Satan knows that slander deadens and splits churches, poisons friendships, and fractures families. He knows slander quenches the Holy Spirit, kills love, short-circuits spiritual renewal, undermines trust, and sucks the courage out of the saints. So our goal, particularly in the context of the church, is to help each other shed demonic weights and avoid satanic stumbling blocks.

So how do we do this? The best way is to become people who are not safe to slander around. We must ask each other questions like:

Have you shared your concern with this person directly? I’d be willing to go with you to talk to him.
Just to be clear, is this information I should know? Do you want me to help you pursue reconciliation?
Are you doing everything you possibly can to put away “all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander?” (Ephesians 4:31)
How can I help you guard this person’s reputation like a treasure? (Proverbs 22:1)
In other words, friends don’t let friends slander. Friends don’t let friends act like God-haters (Romans 1:30). The more we love people, the more we hate slander, because a slanderer hates his victims (Proverbs 26:28).

Let us remember that we are stewards of the treasure of each other’s good names. Let us resolve to avoid sharing information that is unnecessarily damaging to another person’s reputation and to repent to everyone affected if we do. Let us seek to silence the sin nature slanderer within and graciously give and receive others’ help when one of us slips, perhaps unaware, into slander. Let us do damage to Satan’s forces by speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Let us lay aside the destructive sin-weight of slander.

A Word About Slander and Abusive Situations

There are times when it is necessary and not slanderous to discuss or share information that is damaging to a person’s reputation. Remember, slander is untrue damaging information. But sometimes a person’s real sins are of such a nature that they must become public for the sake of justice and individual safety. Here are just a few sample scenarios:

Reporting confirmed, documented sin and abuse to appropriate people in positions of authority who can do something about it.
Participating as an appropriate person in spiritual, and in some cases civil, authority in an investigation such as a report of someone’s sinful, perhaps abusive, behavior with the intent of either confronting that person or clearing their good name.
Discreetly, and without unnecessary details, informing others of another’s confirmed sinful or abusive behavior because, without this knowledge, someone might suffer real harm.
Seeking pastoral counsel regarding how to navigate a complex and ambiguous situation, doing everything you can do to guard the reputation of a person in question from unnecessary damage.
Jesus’s instructions in Matthew 18:15–17 must guide us in such difficult cases. And Jesus expects us to behave circumspectly in them, always seeking to preserve others’ reputations as much as possible, knowing that gossip and slander are always temptations crouching at our doors.

In an age of social media, that lacks the functional information-spreading restraints of past eras, let us be all the more slow to post (“slow to speak” — James 1:19) analysis, speculation, and commentary on information about another person or group, even if it has become public in our slander-saturated culture, that might eventually prove slanderous. All the serious biblical warnings about slander still apply, which should make us all, especially those of us with “platforms,” tremble.

[jeromydaviddarling]

As someone who has left the Rock Church Minneapolis I would ask those on this forum to read over what I believe to be a great guide to Biblical guidelines in expressing hurts one has felt in order that it does not become slander. Please do not read into this as me “taking a side.” I am not for I am simply trying to be a peace maker and I still love my fellow brothers and sister in Christ from our old Church.

When someone slanders another to us, we must remember that we are not mainly fighting flesh and blood, but spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). Satan knows that slander deadens and splits churches, poisons friendships, and fractures families. He knows slander quenches the Holy Spirit, kills love, short-circuits spiritual renewal, undermines trust, and sucks the courage out of the saints. So our goal, particularly in the context of the church, is to help each other shed demonic weights and avoid satanic stumbling blocks.

So how do we do this? The best way is to become people who are not safe to slander around. We must ask each other questions like:

Have you shared your concern with this person directly? I’d be willing to go with you to talk to him.
Just to be clear, is this information I should know? Do you want me to help you pursue reconciliation?
Are you doing everything you possibly can to put away “all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander?” (Ephesians 4:31)
How can I help you guard this person’s reputation like a treasure? (Proverbs 22:1)
In other words, friends don’t let friends slander. Friends don’t let friends act like God-haters (Romans 1:30). The more we love people, the more we hate slander, because a slanderer hates his victims (Proverbs 26:28).

Let us remember that we are stewards of the treasure of each other’s good names. Let us resolve to avoid sharing information that is unnecessarily damaging to another person’s reputation and to repent to everyone affected if we do. Let us seek to silence the sin nature slanderer within and graciously give and receive others’ help when one of us slips, perhaps unaware, into slander. Let us do damage to Satan’s forces by speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Let us lay aside the destructive sin-weight of slander.

A Word About Slander and Abusive Situations

There are times when it is necessary and not slanderous to discuss or share information that is damaging to a person’s reputation. Remember, slander is untrue damaging information. But sometimes a person’s real sins are of such a nature that they must become public for the sake of justice and individual safety. Here are just a few sample scenarios:

Reporting confirmed, documented sin and abuse to appropriate people in positions of authority who can do something about it.
Participating as an appropriate person in spiritual, and in some cases civil, authority in an investigation such as a report of someone’s sinful, perhaps abusive, behavior with the intent of either confronting that person or clearing their good name.
Discreetly, and without unnecessary details, informing others of another’s confirmed sinful or abusive behavior because, without this knowledge, someone might suffer real harm.
Seeking pastoral counsel regarding how to navigate a complex and ambiguous situation, doing everything you can do to guard the reputation of a person in question from unnecessary damage.
Jesus’s instructions in Matthew 18:15–17 must guide us in such difficult cases. And Jesus expects us to behave circumspectly in them, always seeking to preserve others’ reputations as much as possible, knowing that gossip and slander are always temptations crouching at our doors.

In an age of social media, that lacks the functional information-spreading restraints of past eras, let us be all the more slow to post (“slow to speak” — James 1:19) analysis, speculation, and commentary on information about another person or group, even if it has become public in our slander-saturated culture, that might eventually prove slanderous. All the serious biblical warnings about slander still apply, which should make us all, especially those of us with “platforms,” tremble.

 actually the best way to deal with situations like these is to not post Anonymous letters on a website because that's nowhere in the Bible. That is not on any conceivable level a path to Healing. It's gossip, slander, backbiting, bitterness, all the things we are to avoid

[1Peter3:15]

Jeremy are you holding that same standard to Godtrumosall, Iamnotafriad, Ricketroll, etc.. who I’m assuming are fellow rockers or evergreen church goers? Have you asked them to post their real names as well? My post was simply quoting Pastor John Piper from Bethlehem Baptist. Was there anything unbiblical about what he said, or are you just saying that because I haven’t posted my real name I’m unbiblical? If that’s that case than I ask you hold fellow rockers on this site to the same standard.

[jeromydaviddarling]

Jeremy are you holding that same standard to Godtrumosall, Iamnotafriad, Ricketroll, etc.. who I’m assuming are fellow rockers or evergreen church goers? Have you asked them to post their real names as well? My post was simply quoting Pastor John Piper from Bethlehem Baptist. Was there anything unbiblical about what he said, or are you just saying that because I haven’t posted my real name I’m unbiblical? If that’s that case than I ask you hold fellow rockers on this site to the same standard.

They are not the ones posting accusations against the church or a man!  if you think John Piper would encourage this kind of behavior when you have a problem with the church or a man, then you might need to listen to some more of his teachings

[jeromydaviddarling]

Jeremy are you holding that same standard to Godtrumosall, Iamnotafriad, Ricketroll, etc.. who I’m assuming are fellow rockers or evergreen church goers? Have you asked them to post their real names as well? My post was simply quoting Pastor John Piper from Bethlehem Baptist. Was there anything unbiblical about what he said, or are you just saying that because I haven’t posted my real name I’m unbiblical? If that’s that case than I ask you hold fellow rockers on this site to the same standard.

Also when we know for a fact that Jason has been sending threatening and harassing emails and likely has more than one account on this website I don't blame anyone that's defending my father for not wanting to expose themselves to that kind of online terrorism anymore than they have to

[1Peter3:15]

Jeremy I said clearly I wasn’t taking a “side” and I am not posting accusations about the church or your father either. I was simply posting a article and praying for the Holy Spirit to convict anyone who may want to post and I’m hoping after reading Johns Article they would reconsider based on Biblical truths that are laid out in it. If you are saying that simply reading posts on a forum like this is unbiblical than again I would ask you hold fellow rockers who have read and posted to the same standard you are claiming I am not following. It doesn’t mater though and it was a mistake trying to be a voice of reason (Isaiah 1:18) with who I thought were fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so glad we are away from all this now at a new church that speaks life. Sadly our time at the rock caused great pain spiritually and it’s time we permanently avoid forums such as these and avoid contact with any former acquaintances. Walls have been created on both sides and reason appears to be gone and replaced with emotions. I will pray daily for all of you.

[jeromydaviddarling]

Jeremy I said clearly I wasn’t taking a “side” and I am not posting accusations about the church or your father either. I was simply posting a article and praying for the Holy Spirit to convict anyone who may want to post and I’m hoping after reading Johns Article they would reconsider based on Biblical truths that are laid out in it. If you are saying that simply reading posts on a forum like this is unbiblical than again I would ask you hold fellow rockers who have read and posted to the same standard you are claiming I am not following. It doesn’t mater though and it was a mistake trying to be a voice of reason (Isaiah 1:18) with who I thought were fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so glad we are away from all this now at a new church that speaks life. Sadly our time at the rock caused great pain spiritually and it’s time we permanently avoid forums such as these and avoid contact with any former acquaintances. Walls have been created on both sides and reason appears to be gone and replaced with emotions. I will pray daily for all of you.

Brother, all that makes sense until your own father is being publically, DAILY, accused of being a sexual predator and your own mother is being accused of being his accomplice. The day that happens to you, you'd be doing the same thing as me and have the Biblical authority to do it.

[iamnotafraid]

Jeremy I said clearly I wasn’t taking a “side” and I am not posting accusations about the church or your father either. I was simply posting a article and praying for the Holy Spirit to convict anyone who may want to post and I’m hoping after reading Johns Article they would reconsider based on Biblical truths that are laid out in it. If you are saying that simply reading posts on a forum like this is unbiblical than again I would ask you hold fellow rockers who have read and posted to the same standard you are claiming I am not following. It doesn’t mater though and it was a mistake trying to be a voice of reason (Isaiah 1:18) with who I thought were fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so glad we are away from all this now at a new church that speaks life. Sadly our time at the rock caused great pain spiritually and it’s time we permanently avoid forums such as these and avoid contact with any former acquaintances. Walls have been created on both sides and reason appears to be gone and replaced with emotions. I will pray daily for all of you.

I'm confused..."who you thought were brothers and sisters in Christ?" Are you questioning our salvation? Your words have weight don't you see? If you had issues at the Rock did you talk to Jeromy about them? Did you sit down and pray together with the people who you
felt wronged you and work through these hurts? I've done that dozens of times with people and we came to a place where we could each ask for forgiveness and move on with grace. It bothers me that a few people cause you harm in a church and suddenly the entire church gains a reputation.  I will admit, there are a handful of people at The Rock that I've struggled with but when it comes to something personal I've addressed it. We are not cookie cutters with the exact same convictions. I've never known some of these folks to be judge mental or hold ungodly standards on others. I'm not a part of every single relationship but I do know there are always 2 sides to every story and pride seems to like to butt heads with itself. I've seen people leave because they were "not allowed" to be leaders but that makes no sense to me. Why not continue to love your church and in time let God open that door instead of insisting you become a leader in the timeframe that you see appropriate. That's bitterness brother. I could care less if I'm a leader. The greatest of all is the servant of all. We get all puffed up about how we think a church should be run and we miss "love." We miss the very thing God asks us to do and become bitter...all for what? The role of a small group leader? The fact you weren't chosen to be in the band? I've witnessed these things so often.  It's sad.

[iamnotafraid]

Jeremy I said clearly I wasn’t taking a “side” and I am not posting accusations about the church or your father either. I was simply posting a article and praying for the Holy Spirit to convict anyone who may want to post and I’m hoping after reading Johns Article they would reconsider based on Biblical truths that are laid out in it. If you are saying that simply reading posts on a forum like this is unbiblical than again I would ask you hold fellow rockers who have read and posted to the same standard you are claiming I am not following. It doesn’t mater though and it was a mistake trying to be a voice of reason (Isaiah 1:18) with who I thought were fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so glad we are away from all this now at a new church that speaks life. Sadly our time at the rock caused great pain spiritually and it’s time we permanently avoid forums such as these and avoid contact with any former acquaintances. Walls have been created on both sides and reason appears to be gone and replaced with emotions. I will pray daily for all of you.

I'm confused..."who you thought were brothers and sisters in Christ?" Are you questioning our salvation? Your words have weight don't you see? If you had issues at the Rock did you talk to Jeromy about them? Did you sit down and pray together with the people who you
felt wronged you and work through these hurts? I've done that dozens of times with people and we came to a place where we could each ask for forgiveness and move on with grace. It bothers me that a few people cause you harm in a church and suddenly the entire church gains a reputation.  I will admit, there are a handful of people at The Rock that I've struggled with but when it comes to something personal I've addressed it. We are not cookie cutters with the exact same convictions. I've never known some of these folks to be judge mental or hold ungodly standards on others. I'm not a part of every single relationship but I do know there are always 2 sides to every story and pride seems to like to butt heads with itself. I've seen people leave because they were "not allowed" to be leaders but that makes no sense to me. Why not continue to love your church and in time let God open that door instead of insisting you become a leader in the timeframe that you see appropriate. That's bitterness brother. I could care less if I'm a leader. The greatest of all is the servant of all. We get all puffed up about how we think a church should be run and we miss "love." We miss the very thing God asks us to do and become bitter...all for what? The role of a small group leader? The fact you weren't chosen to be in the band? I've witnessed these things so often.  It's sad.