Throwing Stones

Some of you who read my blogs may think I am trying to be controversial at times. While they may be that, I can assure you that this is not my objective. It is my desire, no I believe I am called by God, to both seek truth and then to share it with others. God has put it on my heart to be a person who challenges Christians to become more like Christ everyday and to be a defender of the truth of the Word. Yet I am only an imperfect human and I know that at times I may fall into the traps of Satan and let my opinions slip in. I guess it is fine to have my opinion, you, too have that right, but it is my hope that, I can make a distinction when I write and speak, about when things are opinion and when things are God’s truth. The best advice I can give the reader is to follow Biblical command and do these two things from 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (NKJV): “Do not despise prophecies” and “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” Take all I say and search the scriptures then go to God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth.

Just this week a young woman was arrested for enticement of a minor and coercion as she was caught in a plot in which it appears she was intending to have sex with a 13 year old boy. This young woman was an attendee of my church. I do not know her and I am incapable of knowing if she truly was a born-again believer or if she was just attending church because she was deceived into thinking simple church attendance was the path to heaven. Maybe she was seeking God and just hadn’t reached the point where she could give her life to Christ. We could speculate on her motives for all time. I leave that to God for you see the Bible teaches this about us in 1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) “…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

My question today is this: What is our part in this as the Body of Christ? I suspect that many of you out there are angry. Nothing worse than a child predator we say. Let her rot in prison and burn in Hell, some might declare. But today I would like us to explore what God wants us to do.

I was praying this morning for the 3 elders of my church, one of which is my pastor. They are on a small sabbatical if you will, taking the day to fast and pray. I know these men well and they are committed to leading my church as God calls them to, so they are humbling themselves before God and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Their jobs are far more difficult than most church attendees realize. They will be held accountable in a higher degree because they are teaching and guiding us. What shall their response be to this situation? What if they are asked by the media to comment?

As I was praying God spoke to my heart through scripture, putting this text in my mind:

John 8:1-12 (NKJV) But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

You see we are not really called to be God’s executor’s of justice. God has put all authority in place to accomplish that. Romans 13 tells us that “…there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” He goes on to say that those He has put in authority are “…God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” 1 Peter 2:13-14 (NKJV) continues to explain, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” God has put a process in place to ensure that this young woman will be dealt with and justice shall be served.

But what does God call us, who are called in 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV) to be “…ambassadors for Christ…”, to do? First of all we are not to get too worked up and be filled with anger. Proverbs 24:17-22 (NKJV) instructs us to “…not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.” God has this guys…He is in control.

Now certainly all would agree that child predators are our enemy. What does Jesus say about our enemies? Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” In Proverbs 25:21-22 (NKJV) he says this: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you.”

Now maybe you aren’t going to run down to the jail and take this woman gifts. But I believe this is what we must do. Listen to the Word from 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NKJV). “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,…”

Let me draw a quote out of that verse. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth…” God desires that even those who do wicked and evil things come to Him. We are called to take the Gospel to the very ends of the earth. Sometimes we are so long-sighted we forget that the lost are right in front of us. But let us consider the missionaries who travel to the ends of the earth. Many of them go to tribes of people and those tribes are often filled with all kinds of violence and bizarre rituals which often include sexual deviated behavior. Those missionaries don’t forsake these people and deny them the Gospel; they know that the answer to the wickedness of the world is the Gospel. Jesus, Himself said that "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

We know that Jesus did not come the first time to condemn, but to save us from our sin. While certainly as Christians we do not condone sinful behavior and we do have authority to judge believers and to go to them in love to rebuke and correct them, that does not mean we do not pray for even those who have not yet bent their knees to our Lord. Jesus tells us to even think sinful thoughts make us guilty. Her sin has been made public. Maybe yours hasn’t, but don’t think that makes you innocent. Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) reminds us "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” I can answer that question, God knows it.
So I say we pray for this young woman to serve the sentence she is given but also that we pray for restoration and forgiveness in her life. Pray that if she is not saved that the Holy Spirit will bring her into the fold. Pray for her family and pray for the family of the offended party, particularly the young boy. Let God serve justice and let the light of Christ shine out in you. Pray for me and for each other. Lift up God in praise and worship to a level you have never done before. None of us deserve His love or mercy. We all deserve to rot in Hell, but praise God for His undying love and mercy.

I leave you with scripture.

John 3:14-21 (NKJV) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."