Understand the Battle and the Ammunition
Sometimes throw stones, not what you expected from a podcast title I know. Christian today are put in the box of being “passive.” Many in the church would teach never to ruffle feathers or take a hard stand against anything. For this reason, the church has fallen prey to the entrapment of sin. No longer does the church call sin out, or call it what it is, sin. This weak mindset has allowed Satan to creep into the church and disarm believers from the spiritual battle we are called to fight.
Let me state this first. We do not fight a war of flesh. Paul was very clear that we are in the midst of “spiritual warfare.” Ephesians 6:12 states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
So we are in a battle, not of the flesh, but spirit. That being established, we are gifted weapons to fight in this battle. This is not a podcast about the Armor of God, but that may be coming very soon. In the example of the armor of God, offensive weapons are listed. One is the word, and that is the stone that we will throw.
I have found myself staying away from just saying I am a Christian. I follow Jesus Christ, and he is my Savior, God, Truth, and Life. The Holy Bible is God’s word, and that is uncompromisable. I have an opinion, you have one also, and they are both worth the same, nothing. God’s word is the standard from which we glean truth.
Sometimes Throw Stones
To build on the introduction, let us look at King David. David is relatable to all of us because he was a mess. He was a man after God’s own heart, but yet he was indeed a sinner. David was faced with a battle and threw a stone in his battle. So why did he do this?
David was a worker and shepherd boy. He watched his father’s flock and defended them from the varmints that would try to steal the sheep when needed. He came prepared with ammunition to take to task any lion or bear who threatened his father’s flock. Friend’s, we are called to the same battle.
Today’s world wants the church to be malleable to social whelms that only Satan desires and ideas that smell like the stink of Hell itself. The destruction of the family is one great example. The battle may be small or gigantic, as it was in David’s example. Enter Goliath.
Goliath, a Symbol of Today’s Culture
Goliath represents the world in our spiritual battle. Boastful of self, blasphemous to God, and a mocker of all things good, Goliath represents what society is today. In Samuel 17, Goliath stated, “Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
The world wants to draw our most unprepared into the fight to shackle our core beliefs, and Satan has used this tactic since the Garden of Eden. Christians are much like the Israelites of David’s time, and they fear losing a job, losing friends, or being “cancelled.” We need to have the heart of David. In 1 Samuel 17:35, David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
David selects five smooth stones and meets this satanic man in battle. David did not walk in this epic battle scene but ran towards Goliath, rock in the sling. It’s important to note that David did not think he would miss, and if he had missed on the first shot, Goliath would have killed him. More on that topic in just a moment.
David threw the stone directed by faith in God, and Goliath was killed. One-shot, one kill. As followers of Jesus, we need to sometimes throw rocks in the spiritual battles we encounter. When Satan uses society to mock our moral or spiritual standards, we should run to the battle and fire in faith. So why did David choose five stones?
Goliath had four brothers, and David was prepared to take them all out if necessary that very day. One of our most significant faults as believers is we take just enough ammunition to fire and retreat in the spiritual warfare we face. In other words, study your Bible. The ammunition we carry is not a physical rock, of course, but the truth in the word of God, the Holy Bible. Studying and knowing God’s word keeps us instant in season and out of season.
Should We Always Throw Stones?
To put it simply, no. Someone may listen to the first part of the episode and think, man, that guy is looking for a fight. I promise that is not the case. I am fallible, as you are also. We must understand our sin before we are prepared to throw the first stone.
Enter the Parable of Jesus and Casting Stones
The Pharisees and scribes had caught a woman in adultery. The punishment of adultery was stoning, and they were ready to execute the sentence. The group gathered together and had stones ready to throw, and in steps the Master.
Jesus was teaching in the temple. Satan would take the same tactic and try to destroy and stop Jesus’ ministry. He uses the “religious leaders” of the day as a tool in his attempt at this time. These sinful folks brought a woman caught in a sin, and they were overlooking their faults to pinpoint hers.
Here is why this is important. These leaders were not really about doing what was right. If that were the case, there would have been humility on their part. Today, many in the church find themselves in the place of the woman caught in adultery. Those in the church are reasdy to stone them, forgetting their sin.
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
John 8:7
After a long speech by the Pharisees about the law, Jesus shuts them down. In John 8:7, Jesus states, ” He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Mic drop. He then writes on the ground. Although debated among scholars, what he wrote is not essential to me as he calls them out.
What was their response? They were convicted, knowing they had sinned and dropped their ammo. Sometimes don’t be so quick to throw stones. It is important to note that one person left that day clean, and many did not. Jesus did not excuse her sin but told her to go and sin no more. All were sinners, but Jesus, many left in their stank of corruption, one left clean.
Sometimes Never Attack, Sometimes Fire Away
If you are like a follower of Jesus like me, know this. We all have sinned, and it is only through Christ that we have any semblance of being clean. When we mature in this understanding, we are ready to sometimes throw stones. Until that time, hold off on casting. You may find yourself fighting a Goliath you were not prepared to fight.
