Ephesians 4:29 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( NIV).
Recently, I read the post of a supposed believer who claimed she stopped supporting her former local church because her senior pastors were living large on church money. She spoke ill of them on social media and others supported her. She said she'll give missionaries her money instead. Very wrong reason to support a missionary.
People who talk like that don't even give missionaries anything because they don't honour any minister be it their pastors or missionaries. They are stingy entities. When people are stingy, they always look for every reason not to give. If their pastor drives a good car which may be a gift, they suspect he is using church money. If he lives in a good house and his children attend good schools, they cry foul.
Have you not read in the bible where it says, "...Yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant"( Psalm 35:27 KJV). While God hates greed and materialism among his ministers, he takes pleasure in their well-being and prosperity. Why should you hate what God loves for his servants?
In fact, I won't encourage anyone to support missionaries because they hate the style of their local church pastors. Giving should be done out of love and understanding of our stewardship of money not because you want to prove a point.
Unknown to that lady, I know a little about her former pastors. They have a thriving side business and from there they are making some money to live their lives. I am not holding brief for them but I know her claims are malicious and defamatory.
The demonic entity, which harbours disdain towards ministers of God, has propagated a culture amongst youths to disrespect their elders under the guise of being "woke". This insidious force was unleashed upon our world approximately four years ago and regrettably, many believers have succumbed to its influence.
I am seeing a trend, a negative one that may cut-short the life span of so many young people in the immediate future. In the decalogue, "The fifth commandment says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).
Our kingdom figures, who are also parents, should be held to the same standard. Though I acknowledge that there may be flaws within our community that must be addressed in order to prevent negative behaviours from being mimicked by younger generations, I firmly believe that the most effective approach is one grounded in love and a reaffirmation of sound doctrinal teachings. Publicly shaming God's servants on social media and resorting to name-calling is not an appropriate means of achieving this goal.
The Almighty is summoning a battalion of youthful individuals who will conquer territories on His behalf. I am privileged to be counted among them. Regrettably, the Evil One is also enlisting those who lack wisdom into his ranks from within the church - both men and women who harbour no positive sentiments towards the institution, scrutinize every aspect of it with disdain, bear animosity towards preachers and are stingy when it comes to supporting Christian missions. It behooves you not to align yourself with their misguided agenda.
The street of social media is becoming toxic daily, be careful of what gets into your mind from it.