Criticizer or Encourager?

Verse 10 in the book of Jude talks about those who “speak evil of whatever they do not know.”

Criticism, many times, stems from ignorance. People tend to criticize things they do not know anything about.

A number of years ago, a man came up to me after a service. He had never been to our church before, but he was pretty upset. I had taught that particular night about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and what the Scripture had to say about speaking in other tongues.

He told me, “This church is really off-balance. You overemphasize speaking in tongues.” I asked, “Really…how many services have you been to at our church?” His reply was, “Just this one.”

So I asked him, “How many of my recorded messages have you listened to?” His response was, “None.” I told him, “That seems a little imbalanced. Why don’t you stick around for a while and find out what we’re about, then see if you feel the same after staying here for a few months.”

He said, “Okay, I will.” He ended up staying and loving the church.

Too often we are quick to criticize, even when we don’t know the whole story. Be careful about criticizing others. Too often what you hear is just rumor.

Do not be a criticizer. Be an encourager. Be a person who is known for always seeking to lift and bless, not speaking evil of whatever you do not know.