I Don't Think We Can Improve on His Message or Strategy

The Apostle Paul evangelized a city rampant with sexual immorality and sin, proclaiming an uncompromising message ~

"Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT)

Proclaiming the truth of the Gospel, his ministry changed lives ~

"Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."  (1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT)

He knew who the enemy was ~

"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."  (2 Corinthians 4:4)

That determined his strategy in ministry ~

"We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ."  (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT)

He had learned from personal experience ~

"Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus."  (Ephesians 2:1-6 NLT)

I don't think we can improve on his message or strategy.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday message - May 19, 2013

The Body of Christ, the church, is the only organism (institution) spiritually equipped to engage the satanic forces behind abortion. Paul says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood."

The people doing the abortions; the people having the abortions; the people who are the proponents of abortion; the legislators, the governors, the presidents who are defending abortion - they are not the enemies, they are the victims.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of Christ..." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Therefore the church must take the lead in the efforts to end abortion. 

Abortion is first and foremost a gospel issue... 

Two years ago, I spoke at the Rally for Life outside the Federal Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale.  I did not speak to the government. I did not speak to the politicians. I spoke to the church. And these were among my closing remarks,

Ultimately, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the solution to America’s abortion crisis. Innocent blood has polluted the land and profaned the name of the Lord. But there is a greater blood shed at Mount Calvary that can transform the heart of a mother so she will choose life for her child, that can cleanse the guilty forgive, heal and restore those involved in abortion. 

What America needs to hear is God’s Truth about abortion wrapped in the Grace and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, when the church sees abortion as a Gospel issue, we will win the battle for life!

Church we can win this battle! Christ has won the victory!              

  

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:9-10)

Paul goes on to say, verse 15, "...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

This is how we respond to 40 years of legalized abortion. Unashamedly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unashamedly proclaim the gospel of life, the value of life, while responding with compassionate and practical help to those at risk for abortion.

The above are excerpts from my message, Abortion, the Devil & the Church - Exposing the Spiritual Forces Behind Abortion, given on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday at New Hope Fellowship in Palm City Florida on May 19, 2013.

You may watch the message online at: Sanctity of Human Life Sunday message

You may view the PowerPoint slides that accompany this message online at Microsoft PowerPoint Webb App at: PowerPoint slides Abortion, the Devil & the Church

But It's a social and political issue.

"But it's a social and political issue." Really?

"So the Lord said to the serpent (the Devil)...
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he [Jesus Christ] will crush your head."

Fast forward - "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. (1 John 3:8)

"...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:15)

Continuing - "...and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)

"He [the devil] was a murdered from the beginning..." (John 8:44) who came to "...steal and kill and destroy." (John 10:10)

IT'S A GOSPEL ISSUE!

Did George Washington Speak Prophetically?

In light of the facts showing that guns are not responsible for murder, people are, one should be concerned about the real agenda behind the Left's gun control efforts. Apparently it has nothing to do with loss of human life.  

Many of these same gun control advocates, willing to trample 2nd amendment rights, avidly support state sanctioned murder of the unborn, which constitutes a denial of the most fundamental of all constitutional rights, the right to life. The Left's consistent denial of transcendent truth and moral absolutes is clearly the greatest threat to America, not only to the individual personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, but the dignity and intrinsic value of human life itself. 

It is increasingly clear that there is not enough political will in either party to turn the ship. While there is a political fight to be fought, it should be clear that without a spiritual awakening, the battle will be lost. The 2012 presidential election is evidence of that.  

The gospel is our only hope, for it alone can change the heart and dispel the deception that is now so deeply entrenched in every institution of our society. When the gospel has lost its influence on a culture, as in America and the West today, it is inevitably replaced by secular humanism and moral relativism. When that worldview prevails, the experiment of America's representative form of government (a Republic) is doomed to fail.

Was President George Washington speaking prophetically when he said the following in his Farewell Address on September 17, 1796? 

"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

Preach About Abortion?

On May 15, 2013,I brought a Sanctity of Human Life Sunday message at New Hope Fellowship (Nazarene) in Palm City FL, "Abortion, the Devil & the Church - Exposing the Spiritual Forces Behind Abortion." You can read or watch that message HERE.

Can one preach about abortion in the church? Should one preach about abortion in the church?

I say an emphatic yes to both questions.  You can preach about anything if you wrap it in the gospel. In fact, we fail our people if we don't deal with everything they face from a gospel perspective, especially abortion since about 40% of women in the American church are post-abortive and annually 250,000 women in the evangelical church choose abortion. (Focus of the Family heart link.org) That's two good reasons to preach about abortion.

The post-abortive desperately need to hear that there is a way to resolve their guilt and shame through the gospel. This was part of my message introduction on Sunday,

If your life has been touched by abortion, while you cannot escape the truth about abortion nor some of the consequences of your abortion, please know that there is forgiveness, there is healing and restoration in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is a way to resolve the guilt, shame and hurt that abortion will bring to the human experience. And I want you to know that you are in the right place to hear that Good News. No one is here to condemn or judge you. On the contrary, we are here to extend love and compassion and a message of hope, healing and restoration available to you by faith in Jesus Christ. You are in a safe place in this church.

Later in the message, I shared these words posted on a Facebook discussion several years ago by a woman who had three abortions in her past,

“The consequences to women who have had abortions (and men as well) cut deep into the soul…The post-abortive women sitting in church on a Sunday morning need to hear about forgiveness for ALL SIN through Jesus Christ,….abortion is not the unforgivable sin so many think it is...women need to know there is healing and hope in Christ - that they may also forgive themselves.”  

That is why we in the church cannot afford to be silent on this issue. I hope you will take the time to watch the message on YouTube.

Responding to 40 Years of Legal Abortion

Please go to the Pines Baptist Church media link http://www.pinesbaptistchurch.org/media and listen to the message entitled "Responding to 40 Years of Legal Abortion" I gave on Sunday January 27, 2013. (Click "James McGarvey - Sanctity of Life" and download or listen online)

Here's a part of the message,
"I want to acknowledge that I understand that abortion is a controversial subject and may even be difficult, perhaps even painful for some to think about...As followers of Jesus Christ, we must be willing to address this subject from the authority of Scripture. But, as we take this journey, we must do so in the context of two very important Biblical truths...we must communicate what God says about abortion in the context of God's grace and God's truth...

We will never understand God's grace apart from God's truth. But God's truth will always lead us to God's grace. And as we begin this morning, let me impress this upon you. If you life has been touched by an abortion, while you cannot escape the truth about abortion, nor some of the consequences of your abortion, please know that there is forgiveness, there is healing and restoration in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is a way to resolve the guilt, shame and hurt that abortion will bring to the human experience. And I want you to know that you are in the right place to hear that Good News. If your life has been touched by an abortion in any way, you are in a safe place in this church. No one is here to condemn or judge you. On the contrary, we are here to extend love and compassion and a message of forgiveness, restoration and hope, available to you because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on your behalf. We believe the gospel is the solution to America's abortion crisis...

The Gospel is our worldview. That's why abortion  is a gospel issue. God created man in His image and likeness for his purposes. And because He values each human life, He sent His Son to the cross in an obedient act of sacrificial love to pay the penalty for our sin, that by faith we might be forgiven, justified and adopted into His family where we will spend eternity in the presence of He who is both our Creator and our Savior!...

This mindset [humanism & Darwinian evolution] not only denies the inherent value of each human life but it denies any notion of purpose to his existence. After all, if man is the product of random chance he exists in the absence of any transcendent truth or moral compass that would assign purpose and meaning to his life. This worldview has had a significant impact on the fate of the unborn...

When man is considered to be nothing more than the product of a meaningless, random evolutionary process over billions of years or the result of a cosmic accident - when he is no longer assigned the intrinsic worth given to him by His Creator, he therefore becomes expendable in the struggle of the survival of the fittest. Might becomes right.

And when the Supreme Court gave women the right to kill their unborn children the inevitable has taken place. The stronger, in every case the mother, has used her power to take the life of the weaker, her unborn child, allowing millions of mothers and fathers to sacrificed their own posterity to further their own convenience. The denial of transcendent truth has come at a very high price to our society. When man becomes his own god, all hell breaks loose in society and the civility of a civilization is lost...

'A propitiation is a blood sacrifice that covers sin, so that God’s wrath and judgment will be averted! You see, Jesus died in our place. He paid the penalty for our sins - your sin and my sin, any and all sin - the sin of abortion, the sin of pushing a girlfriend, wife or daughter or granddaughter into an abortion; the sin of paying for an abortion; the sin of performing an abortion; the sin of doing nothing about abortion - it matters not what sin it is. We can be forgiven and justified, declared righteous in God's sight, our sin no longer being held against us...

On January 20, 2011, Rev. Flip Benham of Operation Save America, issued the following statement in a press release.

"Abortion will come to an end when the Church of Jesus Christ makes up her mind it will come to an end - not a second sooner. The responsibility for ending abortion in America rests squarely upon the shoulders of the Church of Jesus Christ."