Acts 11:1-18 | the Church Will Criticize You. Don't Criticize It.Sample

Up to this point in Acts’ storyline, opposition has been largely from outside the church. Now through Acts 15, we see it coming from inside. Jesus promised that persecution would come, but when criticism comes from the inside, it feels like betrayal. Criticism hurts.

Some people in the church have mastered the “spiritual gift” of criticism. They think it’s their God-ordained purpose. Watchdog sites, angry blogs, judgmental comments, false witness, gossip, mischaracterizations, and a spirit of suspicion seems to pervade certain people’s lives. History is filled with godly men and women who have been on the receiving end.

What do you do in these kinds of situations? Listen and reflect. When you find you’re in the wrong, be quick to repent. And when you’re in the right, be quick to forgive.

Criticism is like a paper-cut—objectively superficial in its own right, but man, does it hurt! Unfortunately those paper cuts continue to come, and before we know it, we can find ourselves destroyed by 1000 paper cuts.

What’s the healing balm? Many flee at the first sign of criticism. They just don’t want to face it, and it seems easier to insulate from it altogether. That path leads to isolation and loneliness. Jesus has another way. Forgive. Forgiveness is the hallmark of what the church is supposed to be. While not always the case, it ought to be. And you might have to lead the way. Because you carry your wounds with you. Better to heal relationships through the power of forgiveness instead.

When you get criticized, hopefully you’ll experience what Peter did in Acts and things will come around. But don’t criticize the church back. Let God do his work among them. Just be obedient and prepared.

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