My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. (Ps. 145:21)
Marketing experts say that it takes roughly forty positive reviews to undo the damage of a single negative review. One negative review left for the local ice cream shop must have been trying to win a world record! “We came in on a hot day craving something cold and now we know we’ll never come back,” it opened. The reviewer cited poor service, long wait times, limited in-stock quantities, and expensive prices as marks against the place. The only positive things she had to say was the store was clean and in a convenient location.
Have you ever noticed that when people have negative feelings about the church, it centers on what people have done and not what God has done? Imagine what would happen if the people of God spent more time praising him instead of giving bad reviews of the church and the people in it! The mouths of believers should be overflowing with praise to God—so much praise that it drowns out all negativity.
Our society is trending toward the “consumer” approach, where people want to have things their way. But God will not conform to societal standards or cultural preferences. He will be praised by his creation no matter what. Don’t waste your words criticizing the church; spend your words praising God for all He has done so that others will join in.
Focus more on praising God and less on criticizing his church.
Chris McFadden is a doctoral student at Wesley Seminary and an ordained minister, serving Lakin Wesleyan Church in Kansas. He is married to Suzanne and has two beautiful daughters.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
