by Lysle Burrows: Given on June 21st at The Greatest Gift’s Little House of Hope & Prayer

1. Introduction
   1. I remember reading about the little boy that cried wolf. He was guarding the sheep and was bored, so he screamed “Wolf, wolf!” Everyone came with pitchforks to head off the wolf.
   2. But when they got there the boy was just laughing. After a few of these occasions, the whole town knew that the boy was just making it up.
   3. Then when the wolf did come, he screamed “WOLF, WOLF” but no one came and the wolf instead of eating the sheep, ate the boy!
   4. Another example is Chicken Little. He got hit on the head with an acorn and he screamed “The sky is falling. The sky is falling!”
   5. He then went and told all of the barnyard that the sky was falling. Even the doubters could look at his head and see where the acorn hit him. The whole barnyard believed that the sky was falling.
   6. 1^st Timothy 5:13: And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
   7. This verse means what it says and it says what it means. This verse is about the women that were idle, and were busybodies.We will see that it also applies to men.
   8. Proverbs 20:19: He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
   9. Proverbs 26:17-22: He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport? Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
   10. Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out, so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases.
2. My 90-year-old Neighbor.
   1. My neighbor at that time – a 90-year-old woman, went to the heart doctor.
   2. The doctor said “I won’t let you keep on chopping wood. Your heart is going to stop.” The 90-year-old woman said to the doctor, “What time?”
   3. The doctor said, “I don’t know when your heart will stop!” “No.” she said,” What time are you coming by to chop my wood?”
   4. Romans 1:29-30: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
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3. The Mystery Unfolds.
   1. Now let’s look at that 90-year-old woman, my neighbor. There were 2 ambulances & 2 police cars at her house. Pastor Tim asked me if she had died.
   2. Knowing that her heart was so bad. I said I’m not sure. I don’t know. I would not announce it yet. He announced that she died.
   3. A lady named Mary went to her house. She had a box of food for the family. She knocked on the door. The woman, alive, opened the door!

1. They both screamed! Shocked, Mary drove off and told all of her friends to stay away from there because there was a ghost in that house.
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4. How do you think that gossip can change the story?
   1. Matthew 12:36-37: But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
   2. Again here it mentions men, but also women can take heed to these verses also.
   3. Ephesians 4:29: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
   4. This is how Gossip changes the story. Because Mary didn’t stay to see if it was really her or a ghost, everything changed.
   5. People saw the ghost chopping wood at night. The talebearers and gossips changed the chopping wood to chopping up little children.
   6. It got worse. Doubters would come in the driveway and flash their headlights and honk their horn. They did this until they saw more than one ghost looking out the window that looked exactlyu like her.
   7. 2^nd Timothy 2:16: But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
   8. This verse mentions “babbling”. There are some churches that believe that if they “babble” in the language of angels they become more righteous than anyone else. Here it shows it’ll increase unto more ungodliness.
   9. 1^st Timothy 6:20-21: Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
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5. Back to Our Story
   1. Back to the story. You can see how gossip and talebearing changed the chopping of wood at night to chopping up children.
   2. Also when people went to the house they saw for themselves the woman in the window. The bravest people would call out to the ghost to hear for themselves.
   3. She would come out and they knew that no little 90-year-old woman could have that foul dirty filthy mouth.
   4. She would swear and curse them. I won’t say the police were afraid to investigate, but if they weren’t called in, they weren’t going to go. How could this get worse?
   5. 2^nd Thessalonians 3:11-12: For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
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6. The Plot Thickens!
   1. Each person that investigated for themselves about the supposed ghost started their own stories. Talebearers and gossips made everything worse.
   2. It seemed that the whole town believed that there were more than one ghost of the 90-year-old woman because of so many stories and exaggerations.
   3. By Sunday morning, things got so bad! Pastor Tim got up and apologized for saying that she was dead. No one would believe Pastor Tim.
   4. With so many stories of fact all over town by so many people how could she now be alive? Now what did he do?
   5. James 4:11: Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evli…
   6. Galatians 6:7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
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7. The Ghost Comes to Church
   1. The church was about to find out what a filthy mouth this woman had. The only way to prove she was alive was to bring her to church.
   2. This would be an impossible job because I knew how much she hated the church and the people.
   3. I decided to go to her and try to convince her to go to church. I told her that the only way people will leave her alone is for her to come to church.
   4. She finally agreed, even though she thought the church would fall down on her.
   5. When she got to the church and walked through the door, people thought they were seeing a ghost. Especially with her foul mouth swearing and cursing the people.
   6. They saw me touch her and show that she was real. As she walked down the isle people reached out and touched her to be sure.
   7. This is how gossip and talebearers can change what the simple truth is to something totally different. If you tell someone something in gossip, you’ll never know what the end result will be.
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8. Conclusion
   1. Sometimes God puts something there in our lives to bring one more to Jesus. God may have allowed all of this to bring this woman to church. How far will God go to reach you?
   2. You may be like this woman and there are so many stories against you that people are believing that you don’t know what to do. It may simply be that God is reaching out to you.
   3. Sometimes God will move heaven and earth to reach that one that he loves so much. You may not see what God sees in a person. You might believe that there’s no hope that that person will ever change.
   4. No one believed that this woman would ever go to church but she did. Her life was changed.
   5. How far will you run from God when God is right there and Jesus is calling you home?