Sunday, March 3, 2019
ON BEING GHOSTED!
John
6:66-67
66 From that time many of his
disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away?
I am a bit
slow in keeping up with current terms,
but I’ve just learned a new one. It is called being “ghosted.” You may not know
the term but you know the action. It is being suddenly shunned by friends
without any explanation.
Jesus
experienced it when he presented a teaching that
was difficult to understand. Huge crowds followed Him when He was distributing
food but they “walked no more with Him” when he presented challenging truth.
Pastors
should be immune to the emotions associated with
being “ghosted” but we are not. It happens frequently. A couple will have
marital trouble and the pastor, and often the church, will be “ghosted” by both
parties. The pastor and church are the very ones who can help to provide
healing but those who suffer “walk no more with us.” It must be a form of
insanity.
Being
“ghosted” is simply being rejected without
any indictment and without rebuttal. Christians – church members – are not
supposed to act this way. Jesus said: Moreover if thy brother shall trespass
against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall
hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Matt
18:15
Ps
27:9-10
9 Hide not thy face far from me; put
not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither
forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother
forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
Dear Lord, let me be a true friend
to my friends and let me not hide myself from you. AMEN
Sadly it is all too common in churches. Not only are you ghosted, but the ghosters gossip about you in the form of Christian concern by sharing prayer requests about the sinner in question who must be avoided lest the contamination be contagious.
ReplyDeleteHappened to us at Victory, I never found out why. The staff weren't in on it but various former friends would avoid us. Once I got over the sting of it it was rather funny seeing how they would literally trip over their own feet to avoid our family.