Thursday, July 7, 2011

Throw The First Stone

While I was in the doctor's office yesterday I heard an evangelist's son speaking on the radio of how he had left God and church and Christians behind when his parents fell from grace and lost their ministry. He had spent years 'living it up' and not caring about the opinions of the ones who had hurt his family so much. He said that while the Saturday Night Live spoofs of his parent's troubles hurt, what hurt him the most was how the Christian community and fellow evangelists attacked his parents. People who had once been friends now turned on their family and shunned them. They were alone.

After years of rebelling against God, he repented and returned to God but he didn't go back to the Christians who had such an unforgiving attitude, instead he began his own ministry in the back room of a bar. He went to people who were not saved and who knew it. He went to un-churched people who accepted him even knowing who his parents were and what they had done. They had the attitude that what had happened in the past should stay there and not be held against them.  Go figure..... they had a very Christlike attitude whereas the Christians didn't. Over the course of his ministry he has seen many come to a saving knowledge of Christ who are eager to live with true faith. They remember where they came from and because they had been forgiven of much they were willing to show forgiveness.

Later that day I saw the Facebook status of a friend which said: " Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7 I don't think it was a coincidence that in the same day I heard the same message: let's not throw stones at each other, let's not judge each other, let's not hold someone's sins against them, let's not forget what we have been forgiven of.

It has been said that the army of the Lord is the only army which kills their wounded and that's sad and worse, it's not Christlike in the least. When the woman who was caught in adultery was brought to the feet of Jesus, He saw the unforgiving attitude of the 'church people' and it saddened Him and probably made Him angry as well, but either way He told the woman to go and sin no more. He forgave her sins. He didn't hold them against her, but you can probably guess that the church people did.

When we forgive we need to treat the person like the sin had never happened because that is how Christ treats us. It's hard to do sometimes, I know, but if we keep reminding ourselves that Christ looked at our repentant heart and forgave us so who are we to judge another, it just might help us from setting ourselves up at judge and jury. After all who are we that we think we are so perfect that we can't forgive someone who Christ Himself has forgiven? I believe we will be judged by our Heavenly Father for our unforgiveness.

When we see the wounded, those who have fallen into sin and have repented of it, let's look for ways to restore them and help them heal. That is a Christlike spirit, one that the Father would be well pleased with.



2 comments

  1. " Yes Laurie I can relate very well with this young man....{ not the same situation } but the same hurt& condemnation put upon me by other " christians " It was one of the most horrible times of my life !!!! However, God in His mercy & grace kept me & brought me through. God taught me
    a very important lesson....whenever I even think of judging and/or not forgiving someone else...He quickly brings to my remembrance the horror, aloneness & abandonment etc. that I suffered & the Lord gives me the grace to forgive....who am I to throw the first stone ???? This is a very important lesson to learn but I hope others can learn it without having to be on the receiving end first !!!! Thanks for sharing this very important truth Laurie....I've always been Sooo Thankful that God does not treat us like some " well- meaning " Christians do. God Bless you & yours.... ~ Pat ~ xo

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