A Weapon of Mass Destruction - The Tongue

WEAPON of MASS DESTRUCTION

We Christians are quick to point out the sin of others. Especially when that sin threatens our family, our friends, and our way of life. And we should stand up for our faith and fight against corruption, perversion, and lifestyles and issues that threaten the very heart of this nation. In these things, I am very vocal and exercise my right to speak out to try to persuade change.
Having said that, I take a step back and examine not what I say, but how I say it. You see, the Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, our speech, our words, and how destructive they can be when misused. The tongue is capable of doing irreparable damage to individuals and even groups of people when used virulently and viciously. Verbal abuse of children is just as damaging (and in some cases, even more damaging long-term) than physical abuse. The tongue can break up marriages, alienate friends, destroy hope, stir anger, crush fragile egos, incite violence, and worst of all, ruin a Christian witness.
Case in point: Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka Kansas. This is the guy who calls himself a man of God, but goes to funerals of homosexuals and holds up signs that say “God hates fags”. A quick visit to his website reveals:
1. His Gospel is a false gospel of hate and hyper Calvinism
2. The love of God is absent from his “preaching”
3. He’s no more Baptist than Saddam Hussein.
Does God hate sin? Yes. Is homosexuality an abomination in God’s eyes? Yes. But God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and loves the world (John 3:16) and everyone it in. [Yes, even Fred Phelps] And God will save whosoever comes to Him in repentance (Acts 3:19), because He’s the savior of all mankind. (I Timothy 4:10)
So with their tongues, the Fred Phelpses of the world give Christianity a bad name…and the truth if it were known is probably that Fred Phelps is not even saved himself – because he’s put his faith in his “election” instead of Jesus Christ and because he hates (1 John 4:20 ). And because of vicious hateful words, many lost individuals will assume Fred Phelps is a Christian and reject Christ before ever finding out the truth of God’s love.
We Christians need to continue to speak out and fight for this nation’s soul, but we need to take heed to the words of James 1:26: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”

Scripture References:

Acts 10:34:” Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
I Timothy 4:10 “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”
1 John 4:20: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”