Are There Mean People in Your Church?

Some of the meanest people on earth can be found in churches. Isn't here something wrong with that statement? No, in fact, it should be expected.

Mean people are rejected by any other organization they try to attend. The most loving people in the world attract the most mean. Loving Christians love, overlook and forgive mean people. They tolerate the meanness. They make excuses for them. They say things like, "We don't know what has happened in their past. We don't need to judge them." No one needs to judge. Meanness can recognized without judgment.

Satan seeds churches with mean people. Mean people won't make it in a mega-church. Mean people will have very little impact in such a church. They are found in churches that have great potential but can't seem to grow. A few mean people can disrupt a whole church. They can run off a pastor, stop a needed expenditure, shipwreck a new program and run off potential members.

They are like cancer. Their influence grows, weakens the church and eventually puts the church on life support. Satan doesn't really want to kill the church. He wants the church to have a bad witness or no witness in the community. Churches do not grow when meanness prevails. They become a stench to the non-Christians. Satan would much rather have a church like this than one that no longer exists.

Many mean people do not know the Lord, however, they do know how to answer anyone who asks them of their faith. They will tell you that they are "washed in the blood," have "received Christ as Savior" and have "given my soul to the Lord." They may even believe that they have done all these things. Satan loves to make saved people believe that they are going to hell and lost people believe they are going to heaven. Yet, the Bible tells us that we shall know them by their fruits. Bad things come from bad trees and good things from good trees. Mean people are lost no matter what they tell me.

Mean people often influence others in the church. They sometimes use intimidation. Most people don't want to go to church and fight. They avoid conflict. Mean people stir up trouble. Lots of good people stay home when they know a fight is brewing at church. Mean people win many battles because they are unopposed.

Mean people often attack the character of any person making a positive difference in the church. They bring doubt on what the person is doing by questioning their character. They will make others appear selfish or even devious so that they can sabotage what good people are doing. Mean people are afraid of losing control of the church. A growing church will lessen the influence of mean people.

Good people must stand up to mean people. Good people have to agree that this influence will no longer be tolerated. Good people must attend business meetings or any other organizational decision making group to do what is right.

Good people must commit themselves to prayer. They should pray for the mean people to be saved. They should pray that the Lord will remove the mean people from their church. Hopefully, the mean people will get saved and become part of those who love the Lord and His servants. If not, you put the mean people in the Lord's hands.

Many churches grow after there is a mass exodus from the church. Mean people leave churches when good people stand up to them. They tell everyone the church will die after they leave. They will be shocked when the church grows like crazy.