Another Flu virus has garnered the national and local media spotlight. By now you have heard of the Swine flu - now being spun as the H1N1 flu.

Question: What about the “G1 flu”? It is perhaps the oldest strain known to man. It affects all of society, and for some reason it thrives in the church. It is referenced almost 30 times in the Old Testament and Jesus taught us how to cure it in Matthew 18.

So what is this “G1 flu” affecting society and the church? The G stands for Gossip and it is the #1 virus crippling churches today. Yes! by every sense of the definition gossip is a virus!

Medically speaking a virus can’t live without a host cell. In and of itself, it can’t sustain life. In order to survive, it must attach itself to a healthy, living cell. Once that happens it attacks the cell; altering the structure and disfiguring the healthy cell to take on the characteristics of the virus.

The same is true with gossip. It can’t survive without a host. In order to continue it must find another person in which to attach. Once this happens, the gossip alters the information of the host; disfiguring the truth and causing it to take on the characteristics of the gossip.

Just as globalization has increased the spread of viral infection, so too has the internet increased the spread of gossip. No longer is the gossip infection process limited to one-on-one conversations. Now, through e-mail and social networking programs like facebook and twitter, gossip can be propagated globally to countless thousands in the time it takes to click send.

Whether it is done through modern technology or old fashioned “face time” gossip is still gossip. If you are talking to someone about someone else, it’s gossip! If you are listening to someone tell you about someone else, it’s gossip!

There is nothing good about gossip. If you are the one talking to someone about someone else - than you are functioning as a virus.

If you are the host - listening to gossip is perhaps the fastest way to disfigure and stunt your spiritual growth.

Bottom line: If no one listens to gossip - gossip will cease to exist. So don’t listen!

If you are drawn to gossip, follow this prescription. Remember that your sins aren’t any better than the people you are talking about, they’re just different.