Our example of a faithful church must be one free of conflicting values. Notice our two verses for today. “Murmuring” here means “grumbling” or “complaining.” The idea is a low-key type of whispered whining.

“Disputing” is a stronger word. It refers to a verbal expression of disagreement, which stirs up suspicion, distrust and doubt. We are to “do ALL things” without a negative, griping attitude. Certainly, no one should ever hear us complain or dispute about our church. 

However, no one should ever hear any form of “complaining” or “disputing” about anything. Whether in the workplace, school, home, or neighborhood, such words are almost always destructive of our Christ-like example.

“Blameless” basically means “without hypocrisy.” Anytime you point out the flaws in a church or in a person, your flaws become more apparent. “Harmless” literally translates as “unmixed.” Sometimes, good wine was mixed with bad wine making the good wine taste bad. We are to be “unmixed” with sin.

“Without rebuke” comes from a word that referred to unblemished sacrificial lambs. In other words, our testimonies should be untarnished. Paul says rightly that we live “in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.” I love the way Ray Stedman said it, “Ours is a world of crooks and perverts!”

Against such a dark backdrop, we ought to “shine as lights in the world.”