by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
I grew up in California. I have worked and lived in several states across the U.S. over several decades. And I have found this consistent pattern: Christians are good people. They are loving, giving, and striving to do what is right. None that I know claim perfection. But they want to please God and serve others. I am reminded of what Jesus told His disciples in Mark 10:28-31. In Christ, we have so many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and homes. I have experienced this firsthand many times, and I thank God for it.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, social media can be a platform for complaints about God’s people, and sometimes those complaints come from those among God’s people. Again, God’s people are not perfect. There are sometimes thorns and weeds in the garden. But we need to lift each other up, helping and serving, encouraging and strengthening. Grumbling and complaining ought not to characterize our interactions (Philippians 2:14-16).<\/p>\n
We don’t ignore problems. But if you have a complaint against someone, go to that person. Talk it out. See if there are misunderstandings. See what can be done to alleviate the stress. Treat others as you want to be treated. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend<\/em>” (Proverbs 17:6), but that requires being a faithful friend first.<\/p>\n Know this: “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another<\/em>” (Galatians 5:15).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer I grew up in California. I have worked and lived in several states across the U.S. over several decades. And I have found this consistent pattern: Christians are good people. They are loving, giving, and striving to do what is right. None that I know claim perfection. But they want to please…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1039,1420],"class_list":["post-67103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-complaints","tag-grumbling"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63764,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-is-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":67103,"position":0},"title":"Who Is Lost?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 12, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Thessalonians 1:3-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Whenever I\u2019ve published material which is read by people who claim to be Christians but are not living by God\u2019s word, I\u2019ve received complaints. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhy are you bothering with this issue? You should be seeking the lost instead. All you are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55253,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/grumbling\/","url_meta":{"origin":67103,"position":1},"title":"Grumbling","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford We don't often think of it this way, but one of the most significant moments in the Pentateuch occurs in Exodus 16:2. By this point in time, the Israelites have seen one of the most impressive displays of God's power in the entire Bible. He rescued\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/complaint-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":84025,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/better-than-complaining\/","url_meta":{"origin":67103,"position":2},"title":"Better than Complaining","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Leslie Diestelkamp via Think, Vol. 2, No. 5, July 1971 Instead of always whining and complaining about the morals of the world about us, God's people would do better to just demonstrate, in the pulpit and the pew, the qualities that are desirable. Let us say and do, preach\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62746,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/horns-of-destruction\/","url_meta":{"origin":67103,"position":3},"title":"Horns of Destruction","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 15, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Zechariah 1:18-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Zechariah, at the end of Judah\u2019s captivity, was given a vision of four horns \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Horns are used symbolically to represent power. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In particular, the horns represented the power of the nations around Judah (see verse 21) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0II Kings 18:11-12 - Assyria pulled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60876,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/compassionate-and-merciful\/","url_meta":{"origin":67103,"position":4},"title":"Compassionate and Merciful","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford There are many different opinions about the point of the Book of Job. Some say that it proves that man will serve God for nothing. Others posit that it is about the incomprehensible nature of suffering. Personally, I am partial to the explanation provided in James\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82273,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/stop-the-anonymous-complaints\/","url_meta":{"origin":67103,"position":5},"title":"Stop the Anonymous Complaints","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Brad Harrub How can we strengthen our local congregations? Stop allowing members to hide behind the elders and instead encourage reconciliation. Teach members how to confront other members in the spirit of humility, mercy, and love. I cannot tell you how often I've heard elders confront members or the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67103\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}