Many of us have not thought that complaining was such a bad thing. We have regarded it as one of our important rights in order to express our dissatisfaction. But complaining is full of unbelief. It lacks trust in God. It gives no godly answer to the problem. It centers only on the negative. We need to understand the serious consequences of complaining so we will repent of it. It is a deadly sin.

Problems always have a positive side to them. The real men are problem solvers. They are men of prayer. They look upon every problem as another opportunity for God to reveal His wisdom. They find it challenging and exciting. They know God has an answer to every problem, no matter how large or small.

The wimpy complainer is rarely on his knees before God, expressing joyful expectation that God will soon answer his importunate prayer. This he knows nothing about. He finds it much easier to throw up his arms in hopeless despair and complain. Prayer is too much like hard work for the complainer. Besides, he is not sure that God will answer his prayers and so he thinks it is a waste of time.

Most of today’s church splits could be eliminated or resolved if we could only eradicate this complaining spirit. Church complaining is one of the biggest problems we face these days. Oh how relishing it is to spice the Sunday lunch with complaints, criticism and gossip about how the preacher spoke and what brother or sister so and so said or didn’t say. There is too much church hopping. Many people are mere connoisseurs of churches rather than stable, active, helpful members who will go through hell and high water and still remain faithful.

Pastors are not God. They are imperfect men and are likely to make mistakes just like the rest of us. How often we hear people complain, “nobody speaks to me at church” or ‘nobody invites me out to a meal.” This is a selfish attitude. We should go to church to be a blessing. Church should be a place of giving. The question of “who takes notice of me” should never enter our brains. We should go to church to impart a blessing to as many people as possible. We should ask God to lead us to pray for someone.

Many people need to be encouraged and God wants us all to reach out to one another with a word of encouragement. Do not wait for others to invite you out. Forget yourself and your needs and begin immediately to meet other people’s needs. It is time we realized that the church that God would most likely have us attend is the church with the greatest needs so that we can be a missionary to that church.

Church complaining is wimpy and carnal. We all need to get to that early Morning Prayer service before the main service begins to pray and then go into the service to give, to give to God and give to His people. The real man of God is not a complainer; he is a giver. Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Get ready for Part 2 on “The Wimp is a complainer!” We will discuss the Ten Temptations of the church in the wilderness.

COLIN CAMPBELL

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Colin does not have time to dialogue on the computer, but is open to take phone calls. Phone: 615 948 5958