Who Are They Trying To Keep Out? - Day 16 of 40 Days For Life

For me the hardest part of the prayer vigil is watching those who have just had an abortion exit the facility.

Today, after I had been there for a while, a man who looked to be in his mid thirties drove his late model 3.5L high output muscle car into the parking lot and entered the clinic alone. About fifteen minutes later he came out accompanied by a woman with a troubled look on her face. After helping her into the car, the African American couple drove away.

As they pulled out onto Commercial Boulevard, I was overcome with emotion, tears came, then loud sobbing as I thought of what I had just witnessed. Two apparently successful people had just terminated the life of their child.

It's painful to think of their loss - they would never look into the eyes of that child, never hold him/her in those early months of infancy, never hear their first words, take their first steps...
And then there's the thought of what lies ahead for these two parents as they face life changing and often life-long post-abortive problems.

Just before they pulled out, another car pulled into the parking lot, a couple in their early twenties, also African American, with a silver fish emblem on the back of their SUV. The young girl got out and entered the clinic and the young man began to pull out of the parking lot. His window was down, so I asked, "Which one of you is a follower of Jesus?" He was amiable but I could not hear his response due to the traffic noise. I said, "You have a Jesus sticker on your car." In our brief exchange, he said he had never killed any children and I understood him to say that the young woman he had just dropped off at the clinic was not there for an abortion.

I had been there going on two hours when another African American couple, perhaps in their mid twenties, came out of the clinic and walked passed me to the parking lot to the west.

Could all of this been prevented? Earlier, after the man in the muscle car pulled in, I had wondered if he and his companion had ever heard their pastor preach about abortion? Then the SUV with the Jesus symbol pulled in.

What's troubling is that most pastors avoid speaking about abortion from the pulpit. Perhaps the greatest danger to America's unborn will prove to be the silence of the American pulpit. So I pray for pastors while I'm at the vigil.

For the past five years, I have spent most of my time as a pro-life advocate, working in the local African American community.

During the two hours I was at the clinic today, everyone that entered or exited the clinic were African American. Most of the other days I have been at the vigil, I have noticed that about half of the clients are Black. Today I realize I had a front row seat witnessing what Black pro-life leaders call Black Genocide.*
Here's why they use of that term:
- 16 million black babies killed since Roe v. Wade (1973)
- 452,00 per year (2005)**
- 1,238 killed per day**
- Black women are 06% of the population
- Black women have 30% of all abortions
  (Allen Guttmacher Institute 2011)
  (**National Vital Statistics Report, October 2009)

The result of these starling numbers is that in Black America, death outpaces life, in other words there is an annual Black life deficit. The African American birthrate is now below replacement level. Blacks are the only minority in America declining in population. I wish pastors would come and see with their own eyes what I witnessed today.

As I stood and paced back and forth in front of the ten foot black steel spiked fence that surrounds the parking lot of the clinic, I wondered, "Who are they trying to keep out?" After all, the killing is going on inside.

Jesus said of the devil,
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full."
(John 10:10 NIV)

Today, as every day since 1973, the Architect of Abortion is having his way and equally tragic is the fact hat I was standing alone for most of those two hours.

James 1:27 came to mind.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  (NIV)

There are no greater orphans than the unborn who are abandoned by their mother and father to a gruesome death. Equally tragic is the "religion" of the American church that remains absent and largely silent in the face of America's greatest holocaust.

(You can join the prayer vigil by going to www.40daysforlife.com/fortlauderdale to register and sign up on the vigil schedule.)

* For documentation on Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry's targeting of Black America,
see "Maafa 21 Black Genocide in 21st Century American" free online at www.maafa21.com and visit www.toomanyaborted.org, my friend Rev. Clenard Childress' www.blackgenocide.org or my friend Rev. Arnold Culbreath's www.protectingblacklife.org

"Do You Understand This?"

It was busy Monday at the All Women's Clinic (AWC) during the two and a half hours that I was there to pray. During my vigil I watched as two women, accompanied by individuals who had been waiting for them, exited the clinic after having, to use the words of AWC's website, "the contents of the uterus" removed.

AWC is where Theodor Lehrer, M.D. plies his trade. According to his website (http://www.allwomensclinic.com) he runs a "full service OBG practice" that is "licensed by the State of Florida and is also accredited by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), the Women's Emergency Network (WEN) and by other women's networks."

Dr. Lehrer is "...a Board Certified M.D., Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and  Gynecology and is a recognized expert in his field." But that is not all. His impressive credentials include membership in the Florida Medical Association, the Broward County Medical Association, the William Little Obstetrical and Gynecologic Society, the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, the Society of Laparo-Endoscopic Surgeons, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, and "other medical organizations." In addition he has "unlimited active hospital privileges in major Obstetrics and Gynecology" at Broward General Medical Center.

Impressive credentials for a professional abortionist, considered by the state and medical community to be  well qualified to remove "the contents of the uterus" from those seeking to benefit from his 38 years of medical experience and expertise.

A young African American woman, perhaps still in her teens, walked down the sidewalk approaching the AWC from the west. She walked right by me as I held a sign that read,

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you"- God

Ten stunning words from God, defining a relationship between the Creator and the prophet Jeremiah even before there was any physical manifestation of the prophet in the womb. A bold statement affirming the unique and distinct personhood of the unborn.

She took a few steps past me, and then just before walking through the gate of the clinic, turned and took another look at the ten words on the sign accompanied by a photo of a first trimester fetus (Latin for "young one").

I found myself asking her, "Do you understand this?"

She said yes, and proceeded to enter the AWC.

Ten or fifteen minutes later she left the clinic and walked past me heading west down the sidewalk.

I pray Scripture at the vigil. One appropriate to this encounter is printed on the Prayer Guide I prepared and made available to the prayer vigil volunteers, Hebrews 4:11-12 (NIV)

^"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

According to their website, the AWC recognizes that it "...has the ethical and legal responsibility to ensure that...patients receive true and accurate information and make their decision voluntarily and without manipulation, coercion or misinformation."

I have yet to find any information on their website that identifies exactly what "the contents of the uterus" is. That is one reason, as the Church, we pray and bear public witness to God's truth regarding life in the womb in front of this facility where human life is routinely eliminated by a well credentialed abortionist.

"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." James 5:11 (NIV)

Prayer Before Politics

Today was day 7 of 40 Days for Life Fort Lauderdale. Based on statistics provided by the Florida Agency For Health Care Administration, 6,480 unborn children lost their lives to abortion in Broward County in the first six months of 2012.

That translates to the loss of 243 unborn babies in Broward County since the 40 Days for Life campaign began seven days ago and 243 mothers and fathers that will live the rest of their lives bearing the guilt, shame, sorrow, regrets, and any number of other emotional, psychological and spiritual problems traced back to the decision to kill their own young.

When you stand in front of these "death houses" praying and watching the clients coming and going, it puts a "face" on the statistics.

Today, again, I prayed alone for almost an hour until the two other volunteers (pictured) came to pray around noon. The first client I saw was a young woman - perhaps college age - who exited the clinic and walked to a car parked next door where an older woman (her mother?) was waiting. The face of the young woman was conflicted. I saw at least three other women, two accompanied by men, enter the clinic during my vigil.

In speaking to someone about the prospects of his pastor supporting the 40 Days for Life campaign, I was told his pastor would not deal with abortion because it was too "political."

While acknowledging there is a political side to abortion, since it was legalized by  U. S. Supreme Court in 1973, and a political fight to be fought, I wish pastors using that excuse to sidestep the issue, would stand in front of a clinic for an hour and look into the eyes of those who become the victims of this "political" issue. Perhaps then their pastoral (shepherding) instinct would kick in as they witness the human tragedy that is endemic to abortion.

Taking the liberty to speak plainly here, I can't think of any "issue" that is more spiritual than abortion. The transforming power of the gospel is what will end abortion and if pastors don't get it, we have a problem. The delay and difficulty pastors and the Church have had in coming to terms with abortion for the last 40 years, is the reason abortion is still alive and well, continuing to take the lives of over 3,300 unborn children every day in the USA.

We believe through prayer and fasting we can access God's power to end abortion. Can you imagine how God would respond to the church lining the street, in humility, compassion and faith, fasting and praying for the end of abortion, the salvation of abortion providers and forgiveness, healing and restoration of those who have been touched by an abortion?

Jesus exposes the devil's role in abortion, contrasting it with his mission,

"The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."   (John 10:10  NIV)

And the words of John declare the ultimate outcome,

"The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." 1 John 3:8  (NIV)

No mention of politics, only a spiritual battle with sin and the devil, a battle that 

has been won through the gospel,

"...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." 

(Colossians 2:15 NIV)

You can go to www.40daysforlife.com/fortlauderdale to register and sign up to join the prayer vigil. Put prayer before politics and see what God does.

(You can find information regarding 40 Days for Life campaigns in over 300 other cities by going to www.40daysforlife.com)

I'm Hoping History Repeats Itself

"In the 1830s, American abolitionists, led by Evangelical Protestants, gained momentum in their battle to end slavery. Abolitionists believed that slavery was a national sin, and that it was the moral obligation of every American to help eradicate it from the American landscape by gradually freeing the slaves and returning them to Africa."

("I Will Be Heard!" Abolitionism in America, Cornell University Library)

According to the historical accounts, a spiritual revival, the Second Great Awakening of the 1820's, had a great impact the efforts of Christians to end slavery.

"Although antislavery sentiment had existed during the American Revolution, and abolitionist Benjamin Lundy began his work early in the 19th century, the abolition movement did not reach crusading proportions until the 1830s. One of its mainsprings was the growing influence of evangelical religion, with its religious fervor, its moral urgency to end sinful practices, and its vision of human perfection. The preaching of Lyman Beecher and Nathaniel Taylor in New England and the religious revivals that began in W New York state in 1824 under Charles G. Finney and swept much of the North, created a powerful impulse toward social reform—emancipation of the slaves as well as temperance, foreign missions, and women's rights. Outstanding among Charles Finney's converts were Theodore D. Weld and the brothers Arthur Tappan and Lewis Tappan." (http://www.us-civilwar.com/abolitionist.htm) 

In other words, spiritual regeneration through the gospel of Jesus Christ transformed lives in such a way that their faith drove them to not only oppose slavery but led to efforts to abolish slavery.

According to History.com,

"...the abolitionist movement did not coalesce into a militant crusade until the 1830s. In the previous decade, as much of the North underwent the social disruption associated with the spread of manufacturing and commerce, powerful evangelical religious movements arose to impart spiritual direction to society. By stressing the moral imperative to end sinful practices and each person's responsibility to uphold God's will in society, preachers like Lyman Beecher, Nathaniel Taylor, and Charles G. Finney in what came to be called the Second Great Awakening led massive religious revivals in the 1820s that gave a major impetus to the later emergence of abolitionism as well as to such other reforming crusades as temperance, pacifism, and women's rights. By the early 1830s, Theodore D. Weld, William Lloyd Garrison, Arthur and Lewis Tappan, and Elizur Wright, Jr., all spiritually nourished by revivalism, had taken up the cause of 'immediate emancipation.'"

(Abolitionist Movement, History.com)

History shows that the end of slavery was linked to this spiritual revival that impacted our nation in a profound way and "nourished" Christian leaders to respond to the morally repugnant institution of slavery.

Could there be a lesson here for 21st century America? Perhaps America will not get serious about ending abortion until there is another spiritual awakening.

Maybe it will take another spiritual awakening for the church to end it's preoccupation with entertainment and "cultural relevance" and apply the gospel in its response to state sanctioned killing of unborn children.

Maybe it will take another spiritual revival to awaken the conscience of America's clergy to the impunity with which the unborn are routinely slaughtered in the communities where they live and minister.

Maybe it will take another Great Awakening to prompt the church to respond in practical compassion to those at risk for abortion and to offer the gospel message of forgiveness, healing and restoration to the millions of post-abortive in and out of the church.

I'm hoping history will repeat itself. That is one reason I am participating in 40 Days for Life Fort Lauderdale prayer and fasting campaign to end abortion. God can end abortion in America. We are calling out to Him for His intervention.

Join us by going to www.40daysforlife.com to locate one of the 315 cities across this nation where prayer vigils are in progress. 40 Days for Life goes through November 4.

This Really Matters!

On average, 1,200 African American unborn babies are aborted every day in America - 16 million since abortion was legalized in 1973.
As a result, African Americans are the only minority in America that are declining in population because their birthrate is now below the replacement level.

If this trend continues, it is only a matter of time before there are no more Blacks in America.

This is the goal of the eugenists behind the abortion cartel. Before you dismiss this as another conspiracy theory, watch the documentary, "Maafa21 Black Genocide in 21st Century America" free online at www.maafa21.com.

You owe it to America's future.

Why We Pray - Day 3 of 40 Days for Life Fort Lauderdale

According to the Florida Agency For Health Care Administration, 12,001 unborn children were aborted in Broward County in 2012.

That is an average of 33 children a day. AHCA reports that 6,480 unborn have been aborted in the first six months of 2012. That is why we are holding a prayer vigil in front of the All Women's Medical Center located at 2100 E. Commercial Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Pastor Randy Alcorn has written,

“According to the Scriptures, there are spiritual beings present here, righteous angels and fallen angels, and we are under attack. There is a battle for our minds, and a battle for our souls: It’s not fiction, it’s not imagination; it’s revealed reality. There is great spiritual warfare associated with the issue of abortion.”  (Pro-life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments, pg. 353)

He's right. The struggle between light and darkness, life and death, the devil and the church began thousands of years ago, as recorded by Moses,

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15 NIV)

As Eric Holmberg has said,  

“In the battle for life against child sacrifice in all its many permutations, the enmity that is between the seed of the woman, the church, and the seed of the serpent, the Devil, finds perhaps its greatest expression. This is where heaven and hell meet.”

("The Abortion Matrix" DVD (www.forerunner.com)

Jesus was explicit in identifying who was behind murder when he exposed the apostasy of the religious leaders who opposed his claim to Deity.

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

(John 8:44 NIV)

Here is the devil's job description according to Jesus. It fits the abortion industry like a custom fit glove - deception and murder. 

So we pray, recognizing that,

"The on who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8 NIV)

Ending abortion is Church business. When I arrived at the clinic this afternoon, there was one lone prayer vigil volunteer standing in front of the ten foot high black fence. After he left, again as on day one, I stood alone until another volunteer joined me. I shared this thought with him - what would God do if there were hundreds of believers lining the boulevard for blocks - pouring out their hearts to God to end abortion?

Join with us in interceeding for the protection of the unborn; that mothers and fathers would choose life; for the conversion of Dr. Lehrer and the abortion clinic workers; for healing and forgiveness for those who have been involved in abortion; and that abortion will come to an end in Fort Lauderdale and America.

Read over those requests again. This will not happen without the intervention of God. Come Church, join the struggle 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)

Pastors - lead your congregation into the spiritual blessing America desperately needs. Wrap abortion in the gospel, proclaiming liberty and freedom to those bound by the deception of the devil and extend healing and restoration to the post-abortive throgh the gospel.

40 Days for Life prayer and fasting campaigns are taking place in 315 cities across America. You can go to www.40daysforlife.com to locate a campaign near you and register to participate in prayer to end abortion in America.

Day One of 40 Days for Life - A Day of Atonement message - to the All Women's Medical Clinic

Yesterday was the first day of the Fort Lauderdale 40 Days for Life's prayer vigil at the All Women's Medical Center located at 2100 E. Commercial Blvd. I signed up for the twelve noon hour and upon arrival, found only one other 40 Days for Life (40DL) volunteer at the clinic.

Unfortunately, when she left, I was the only 40DL volunteer for the next hour and a half. (Please go to the prayer vigil website, www.40daysforlife.com/fortlauderdale and sign up to join the vigil. We need more intercessors!)

The imposing black metal gate remained shut today as the clinic was closed, presumably in observance of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year for those of the Jewish faith, a day of fasting, prayer and repentance.

It is ironic that a business that majors in shedding innocent blood of unborn children (abortion) would be closed on the Day of Atonement. 

The shedding of blood was central to the Day of Atonement. (See Leviticus 16.) As J. Barton Paine has written,

"An atonement is, literally a 'covering,' a ransom that averts one's punishment...  atonement furnished a covering over the sin, provides an intervening sacrifice to bear the punishment that would otherwise fall upon us, should God 'see through to our sin.'"

Of course, Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of what was foreshadowed by the Day of Atonement. As the writer to the Hebrews says of Christ,

He did not enter [the Holy of Holies] by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption...the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, [will] cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!   (Hebrews 9:11-14 NIV)

That is why we pray in front of the All Womens Center. Abortion is a gospel issue. The gospel can change the heart of an abortion minded mother to make a life affirming decision. The gospel can change the heart of those who participate and are invested in the abortion industry. The gospel alone provides the hope of forgiveness, healing and restoration for the post-abortive.

Only God can bring this about. That is why we fast and pray. The words of the prophet Azariah to King Asa of Judah, (2 Chronicles 15:2)

“The Lord is with you when you are with him.

If you seek him, he will be found by you.”

The ten foot high black fence that surrounds the entrance and parking lot of this abortion facility is intimidating. Apparently designed to secure the privacy of those at work inside. But I prayed, alone, out loud, very loud, to an empty building - knowing that a ten foot high black metal fence, as impregnable as it looks, cannot keep out the Spirit of God, and the building, though closed for business, might not be empty. After all, abortion is a satanic enterprise (John 8:44), so should any of his legions be within hearing of my voice, I shouted, among others Scriptures, these words from the Apostle Paul,

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

(Colossians 2:9,15  (NIV)

A Day of Atonement message to the All Women's Medical Clinic.

"If you seek him, he will be found by you..."

Prayer being the first work of ministry, you would think the Church would be willing to go to prayer to end abortion especially in light of the staggering loss of over fifty million unborn children since abortion was legalized in 1973.

40 Days For Life, launches forty days of prayer and fasting, today, September 26 in 315 cites across America.

You may go to www.40daysforlife.com to sign up to pray in one of the 315 cities where 40 Days for Life prayer vigils are being held.

Prayer changes things. Fasting expresses the urgency of our desire as well as our dependence on God to do what only He can do.

The words of the Lord to King Asa, King of Judah, through the prophet Azariah, still hold true today. After the Lord gave the King a great victory over a formidable enemy, Azariah said,

"The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you…"(2 Chronicles 15:2)

Fasting is an invitation for God's intervention. Church, let's get up out of the pew and onto our knees. The future of our nation and the lives of millions of unborn children depend on it.

Grace and Truth - They're Inseparable

A while back when reading 2 Timothy 2:23-26, I realized I had found an apologetic protocol for engaging those who have misunderstood or rejected truth. Verses 23-25a of the New Living Translation says,

"Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments [controversies] that only start fights [quarrels]. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth.”

The protocol is fairly simple in concept, though perhaps more difficult in practice. We begin by avoiding a quarrel. A quarrel is not just a discussion between those of two opposing viewpoints, but “an angry argument or disagreement” or a “verbal conflict between antagonists.” Engaging in a quarrel leaves a lot of room for pride, self-righteousness and any number of other fleshly responses.

Then we are instructed to be be kind which certainly enhances our next effort to gently correct or instruct the one opposed to the truth.

This sets the stage for the apologist, identifying the attitude with which we are to respond to those who oppose the truth. It’s a tall order, but well within the grasp of the believer if we take the ministry of the Holy Spirit seriously. He has given us a panoply of graces, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23), to both subdue our pride and flesh but also grace us with a winsomeness and attractive demeanor. Verses 25-26 continues,

“correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (ESV)

The ultimate objective is two fold - a change of heart, should God in His sovereignty grant repentance, and freedom, an escape from the devil’s trap.

“Come to their senses” has been translated “may return to soberness,” parallel both to the plight of unbelievers described in 1 Corinthians 4:4, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,” and the need for being “rescued from the domain (kingdom) of darkness and transferred...to the kingdom of his beloved Son” in Colossians 1:13 (ESV).

Those who remain under the dominion of satan have lost the ability to see reality and therefore grasp the truth. Therefore, this apologetic protocol recognizes the need for an escape from the “snare of the devil” similar to Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6,

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (ESV)

This protocol, then, involves both sharing the truth of the gospel and living the gospel by the way in which we share the truth.

Paul instructed the Colossians,

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5 NIV)

It comes down to this, grace and truth are inseparable, both in the message we proclaim and the manner in which we proclaim the message.

It's All About Worldview

For several years now I have been serving the Church in its response to America’s abortion crisis. I have wrestled with the question, “Why does the Church seem unwilling to respond to the greatest threat to human life in world history - the killing of unborn children while still in the sanctuary of their mother’s womb?”

55 million unborn children have been killed in the United States since 1973, and an estimated 40 - 50 million unborn are killed annually worldwide. That’s one in five pregnancies.

The Church, however, with rare exception, has remained paralyzed, immobilized, by an apparent myriad of excuses, in its response to Satan’s growing attack upon human life. (John 8:44; 10:10)

As I have sought the Lord’s wisdom, one explanation has emerged. The lack of response by the evangelical Church, is largely the result of a less than robust Biblical worldview.

S. Michael Craven of the Center for Christ & Culture, in one of his weekly Commentaries, points out,

"In 2001, researcher George Barna warned, 'The Christian body in America is immersed in a crisis of biblical illiteracy.'" Craven continues, "According to Barna’s research, the most widely known 'Bible verse' among adult and teen believers is ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ Seriously!" [BTW that is not even in the Bible.]
He continues, "Less than one out of every ten believers possess a biblical worldview, meaning practically that 90 percent of professing Christians neither comprehend or know how to apply the most basic Christian theological understanding to their lives. (Among young adults ages 18-23, it’s less than one percent.)”

Craven cites, church historian, Dr. David Wells (who taught me church history forty years ago), who writes,

"I have watched with growing disbelief as the evangelical church has cheerfully plunged into astounding theological illiteracy." (No Place For Truth)

Craven writes, "I would add, this theological illiteracy extends to our understanding of the gospel itself, which has adversely affected the Christian’s understanding of his very purpose and mission in life. This, as much as anything else, is likely responsible for the church’s continuing decline, both in numbers and affect."

If the Church fails to embrace a Biblical worldview, what chance does it have of
being “the salt of the earth” or “light of the world” (Matthew 5:13,14)?

Without a fully informed worldview, the Church will participate in, rather than expose, the deeds of darkness, failing in Paul’s exhortation to “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:12 NIV)

In a recent interview with WND, Pastor Carl Gallups pointed out that,

"About 60 years ago, our culture decided it didn't need God or the mention of His Word anymore. So, we have raised several generations of children to believe that they are the 'me' generation. They were taught that there is no God, there is no 'higher authority,' there are no moral absolutes, and that they are nothing more than a cosmic happenstance based upon sheer random luck. I have an entire chapter about this phenomenon in my new book." (The Magic Man In The Sky: Effectively Defending The Christian Faith)

Gallups then goes on to point out the relationship of that secular worldview to the moral decline of our culture,

"With such a worldview thoroughly ingrained within the institutions of our culture we now reap what we have sown. The abortion holocaust could not happen without first convincing the nation to believe that we are nothing more than a mere animal. The radical homosexual movement could have never risen to its current level without first persuading the nation that there is no standard of right and wrong concerning our sexuality. Homosexual marriage would have never been considered until first the nation became convinced that marriage is nothing special or divinely ordained, and that marriage can be defined anyway in which man finds pleasing to his flesh and lust."

Focus on the Family (www.heartlink.org) reports that one out of six women who have had an abortion are evangelical Christians; 5.6 million women in evangelical churches have aborted unwanted children; and 250,000 evangelical women choose abortion each year.

I believe both the Church’s complicity with abortion and its ambivalence to the abortion crisis parallels society’s moral free-fall and even more tragically, for the same reason - lack of a Biblically informed worldview.

The Apostle Paul outlined a powerful protocol for the Church in its apologetic dialogue with an unsympathetic audience.

“23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” (2 Timothy 2:23-26 NLT)

Don’t fight. Don’t quarrel (disagree angrily). Be kind and patient. Gently instruct, recognizing the need for God to change the heart - for it is a spiritual battle - Satan has literally, drugged those who oppose the truth.

There needs to be a revival of this process in the Church before the Church will be prepared to apply it to a society hostile to truth.

In his High Priestly prayer for the Church, Jesus identified the inevitable conflict of worldviews.

14 I have given them [the Church] your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. (John 17:14-19 NIV)

It’s all about worldview. Jesus gave us the truth - to make us holy in a world that hates Him. It is ours to embrace or to squander in the Church or in the world.

The Tale of Two Words

In America many preachers will not speak about “abortion” for fear they might “offend” someone. As one pastor told me several years ago, “If I spoke about abortion, half of my people would leave.”

Let’s think through that response.
What is abortion?

Every abortion takes the life of the youngest, most innocent, defenseless and vulnerable human being, while living in his or her mother’s womb, meant to be the safest place on earth.

Death by abortion is an inhumane death. It is gruesomely violent, indescribably painful, and brutally barbaric.

If you have never seen an abortion or the result of an abortion you will never understand what abortion really is. Go to www.abort73.com. What you see will anger you, perhaps sicken you. You might weep, you might mourn, even repent of your ambivalence. But you’ll never be the same.

Abortion is repulsive. Abortion is offensive! Abortion should “offend” us!

Will silence remove the "offense" of abortion? Not likely, because every abortion is meant to kill an unborn human being.

A silent pulpit does not mitigate the horror nor does it empower the righteous.
And tragically, a silent pulpit does not extend hope and help to the post-abortive, most of whom suffer a deep, dark, haunting, life long battle with shame and guilt.

In fact the silent pulpit takes the risk of communicating heresy: “Your sin is too horrible to speak about - it is beyond the reach of the Gospel!” In other words, "I am silent because there is no hope for you!"

As one who has spoken many, many times to church audiences about abortion, I suggest that there is no sin more appropriate to wrap the Gospel around, than abortion. The burden of killing your own offspring, when seen for what it is, carries with it the deepest kind of shame. And only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ can the post-abortive find forgiveness, healing and restoration.

Could our hesitancy to speak of abortion reflect a failure to appreciate the power of the Gospel? If we are relying on the personality, popularity or “cultural relevance” of the preacher to help the post-abortive, perhaps it would be better to remain silent. But if we believe that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, then boldly and graciously wrap abortion in the Gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to heal wounded hearts.

But, apparently, the fear of man overpowers the fear of God. As a result millions of post-abortive languish in unresolved guilt which manifests itself in virtually every emotional and behavioral problem a pastor could face in the counseling room. Some estimate that as many as forty percent of women in the Church are post-abortive. Whether that figure is high or low, the killing of 55+ million unborn since 1973, has left millions of post-abortive parents sitting in Church pews each Sunday.

The silent pulpit coarsens the conscience of the culture, empowers the abortionist and soothes the moral sensibilities of the politician as the domestication of abortion continues.

Michael Spielman (abort73.com) points out that abortion has become so commonplace that “...we seem to have lost our ability to be outraged by it.” He goes on to ask, “How is it that even we who oppose abortion are not more overwhelmed by the fact that it is legal in the United States of America, to tear apart the tiny bodies of helpless unborn children?”

We should be concerned about who abortion offends. Fear of man might prompt silence, but I fear the silence that offends God. Our closed lips obscure the heart of God for the unborn and deny His mercy to those who have harmed the unborn.

Every unborn child killed by abortion is the casualty of a war between Heaven and Hell. The battle lines were drawn early in human history. After Adam and Eve were lured into sin by the Serpent, God responded,

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:15 ESV)

This is the spiritual backdrop of abortion. It’s about good versus evil. It’s about life and death. It is ultimately about the Gospel.

Pastor Randy Alcorn, "…there are demonic forces behind child killing. Abortion is Satan's attempt to kill God in effigy by destroying the little ones created in God's image. We are not dealing here with 'one more social issue,' but a unique and focused evil in which Satan has deep vested interests…"

The silence of the pulpit obscures that truth, denying justice to the unborn, withholding God’s grace to the post-abortive, and ultimately, dishonoring God and the Gospel.

Are You Thirsty? Take the Plunge

Tomorrow I will be preaching at the 8:30 and 11:00 am services at First Christian Church Wilton Manors where Dr. John Stauffer is the pastor. My message is entitled, “Understanding the Destructive Power of the World” is from 1 John 2:15-17.

How does the "world," that is ruled by Satan (1 John 5:19) and is in conflict with God and the Church (1 John 3:1), constitutes a threat or a danger to the believer? Through the “desires (lust) of the flesh,” the “desires of the eyes” and “the pride of life.”

Think it of in this way. It is as though there are three ways in which we can give the world access into our lives. Three doors through which we can invite the world into our mind and heart, three ways that we put ourselves at risk to a system that is opposed to God, satisfies our sinful nature and serves Satan.

That is where many Christians are living. They are playing in the world's playground where they are indulging the desires of their flesh, perhaps not even aware of what is happening to them. The world is subtly and slowly conforming them into its mold.

Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in the Samaritan village of Sychar. (John 4:13-14) She evidently was thirsty because she had come to Jacob's well to draw some water. Jesus asked her for drink of water, and in so doing engaged her in a conversation about another kind of thirst.

You see, He knew the circumstances of her life. He knew that she was looking for answers in all the wrong places. She had turned to the world to find fulfillment. She was seeking satisfaction by fulfilling the desires of her sinful nature. And she had come away desperately empty.

Jesus knew that she was in the grip of the world. In His conversation, He said to her, "The fact is, you have had five husbands, And the man you now have is not your husband."

But perhaps what was more significant was the fact that Jesus knew her heart.
He knew that she was not finding what she was ultimately looking for in her relationships with men. She was looking for fulfillment down a dead end street.
She was driving around one of those "no outlet" neighborhoods trying to find her way out. She was lost, seeking happiness and satisfaction in all the wrong places and coming up empty over and over again. She was very, very "thirsty." Her heart was empty, and Jesus knew it.

So, He offered her something. He offered her Himself. Using the metaphor of thirst and water, He said,

"Everyone who drinks this water (of Jacob's well)
will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water
I give them will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give them will become in them
a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:37)

If you are looking to the world for fulfillment and satisfaction by indulging the
desires (lust) of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, or pride in possessions, any fulfillment or satisfaction you are experiencing is temporary, fleeting, here momentarily but quickly gone, leaving you empty and spiritually thirsty.

As the songwriter Chris Rice has written, “Other waters I’ve been drinkin’
But they always leave me empty like before...Could I really feel this thirsty if there weren’t something more?” (“Thirsty” in the album “Past the Edges”)

There is more. Here is His offer,

"If anyone thirsts,
let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,
'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'
Now this he said about the Spirit,
whom those who believed in him were to receive……"'
(John 7:37-39 ESV)

As Chris Rice continues,

“I’m on the shore now of the wildest River

And I kneel and beg for mercy from the sky
But no one answers,
I’ve gotta take my chances
‘Cause something deep inside me’s cryin’

“This is why you are alive!”

So I plunge into the River with all that I am
Praying this will be the River
where I’ll never thirst again

I’m abandoned to the River

And now my life depends on the River”

Are you thirsty? Take the plunge.

Back to Basics - of the Gospel

Why dilute the Gospel? Afraid of losing the audience, facing rejection, opposition, even persecution? This is how John the Baptist introduced the ministry of Jesus.

"I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am - so much greater that I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire. John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News.”
(Luke 3:16-18 NLT)

That's quite an introduction. I’m not sure that would go over very well among some evangelicals today. Evidently judgement for rejecting the Good News is part of the Good News.

Jesus, “filled with the Holy Spirit’s power,” preached his first sermon from Isaiah chapter 61 in his hometown of Nazareth. His audience was "amazed at his gracious words" and spoke "well of him." However when he exposed their unbelief, they were infuriated and mobbed him in an attempt to kill him. (Luke 4:16-30)

Speaking the truth graciously does not preclude violent opposition to the message, or the messenger. Jesus felt no need to modify the Good News to make it more appealing. He evidently did not embrace a "seeker sensitive” strategy.

A few chapters later Jesus responded to a news report that Pilate had murdered worshippers in the Temple, with this message.

"Did you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?...Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And, you will perish, too, unless you repent and turn to God” (Luke 13:2,3 NLT)

The focus of evangelism should be on communicating the whole gospel, Good News that includes repentance or judgment for rejecting the Good News. After all the fruit of evangelism depends on the work of the God, not man.

“...no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.” (John 6:44 NLT)

The success of gospel proclamation has far more to do with the evangelist being “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1) than personality, prominence, prestige, dressing down (or up) or any other attempts to be “culturally relevant.” Spirit empowered evangelism has no fear of proclaiming God’s judgment of unbelief.

The Apostle Paul’s testimony parallels Jesus’ example,

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the power of God...But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
(1 Corinthians 1:18,24 NLT)

“...my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(1 Corinthians 2:4 NLT)

You know the results.

Discerning the Times

The "men of Issachar...understood the times and knew what Israel should do."1 Chronicles 12:32 NLT

"Your eye is the lamp that provides light to your body. When you eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness." Luke 11:34 NLT

Who is shaping your worldview? Your worldview determines most every choice you make - your personal morality and values, how you treat others, your politics, your economic policy, sense of social justice, etc.

Who has your eye? To whom do you look for truth? Who is influencing you? To change the metaphor, to whose voice have you given your ear - the Word of God and those with a Christian worldview who apply Biblical truth to life issues?

Or is the "light" you allow into your life coming from the secular humanist worldview that dominates our political, business, educational, entertainment and news media? Or perhaps from those "spiritual" leaders who are in fact "...false prophets...disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves?" Matthew 7:15 NLT

We have been warned.

"Make sure that the light you have is not actually darkness." Luke 11:35 NLT

The "Lesser of Evil"

Then Presidential candidate, Dr. Alan Keyes, was in Pompano Beach Florida back in the Fall of 2008 to speak at the memorial service for Baby Shanice Osbourne, the child, who surviving an abortion in Dade County, was subsequently murdered by the abortion clinic owner. I had the privilege to bring a brief message just before Dr. Keyes spoke.

That occasion and the internment of Baby Shanice that followed, afforded me the the opportunity to spend time with Dr. Keyes. I was so impressed with his personal faith, integrity and passion for righteousness. He is a man of principle, an uncompromising advocate of applying Biblical truth to our participation in the the political process.

In our time together he tutored me on the fallacies of “voting for the lesser of two evils,” the premise widely advocated by many evangelicals in the presidential race between the two leading contenders, John McCain and Barack Obama. A vote for Dr. Keyes, it was argued, was a wasted vote.

Dr. Keyes pointed out that if all Christians would vote for a candidate who represented Christian values, like himself, the votes were there to elect such a candidate to the White House instead settling for “the lesser of two evils.”

Four years later, we are hearing the same argument now that the two primary candidates in the 2012 presidential election will be President Obama vs. the presumptive GOP candidate Mitt Romney.

In his speech at the Rally for Common Sense in Missouri on May 19, 2012,Dr. Keyes exposed the fallacy of the “lesser evil” premise. Here are some excerpts from his speech. You can watch the 32 minute address on YouTube below. He says,

“The problem with voting for the lesser evil is that when the smoke clears, you are still being ruled by evil...The lesser of evils is evil still.

“The problem with voting for the lesser evils is that you then hand the standard for your vote to the evil side. And if they want you to get really evil they will simply find and put up the most obvious and apparent and deep died wickedness they can contrive. And when you vote for the lesser of evil you’ll be voting for the just about the most deep died wickedness you can find but it will be the lesser evil.

“...the one thing you can be certain of if you have no choice but evil, is that you have left the Kingdom of God...When your only choice for rulership is Satan and Beelzebub, you better wake up and smell the sulphur, cause your know where you are.

“Now you tell me, how many more times are you going to accept it. How many times are you going to take the next step and the next step and the next step, deeper into that kingdom where evil rules and you are no longer represented. The problem with voting for choices that don’t represent you is that it doesn’t
take long before you get a government that doesn’t represent you and that’s what you have now.”

“We have finally come to the crisis no leader will rescue us, no party will rescue us. The only thing that can save this nation now is the people themselves encouraged by their faith in God and unwilling to give up the courage that that faith brings.”

As the intro to the video says, Dr. Keyes, also “...spoke about the need to be honest with ourselves about the problems now confronting America and how the Republican and Democrat parties collude to further the interests of the elite establishment.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DttIgQpyUsA

The Deception of Choice - Hell Is Here!

Addressing the marchers at the pro-life “March on Washington” in 1977, pro-life civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson said,

“There are those who argue that the right to privacy is of [a] higher order than the right to life,…that was the premise of slavery. You could not protest the existence or treatment of slaves on the plantation because that was private and therefore outside your right to be concerned. What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a pang of conscience? What kind of a person and what kind of a society will we have 20 years hence if life can be taken so casually? It is that question, the question of our attitude, our value system, and our mind-set with regard to the nature and worth of life itself that is the central question confronting mankind. Failure to answer that question affirmatively may leave us with a hell right here on earth.”

Well, hell is here! The civil rights of over 3,300 aborted unborn babies are violated each day in the USA. The tragedy of Jesse Jackson's words as a Black "civil rights" leader, is that over 1,200 of them are African American children. In fact 16 million Black babies have died since 1973, some of them, apparently with the consent of now pro-abortion Jackson.

In fact abortion's impact on the Black community is genocidal - black death now outpaces black life. In New York City, for example, in 2010 there were 27,405 non-Hispanic black live births and 40,798 non-Hispanic black abortions. That's a Black life deficit of 13,393 - a 60% abortion rate.
(Bureau of Vital Statistics, New York City, Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene December 2010)


Rev. Jesse Jackson abandoned his pro-life position when he decided to run for president as a Democrat a number of years later. If the pro-life Jesse Jackson of 1977, were to debate the now pro-abortion (or "pro-choice" as they prefer to be called) Jesse Jackson of 2012, the latter would no doubt be squirming - for obvious reasons.

Deception can lead us to embrace what might be personally or politically expedient, but it can never change the truth.

America's Abortion Crisis

(The following is an edited version of the message I gave at the January 21, 2011 Rally for Life outside of the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale Florida. The event was sponsored by Broward County Right to Life Foundation. I serve on their Board of Directors.)

In Psalm 106 we read the Psalmist’s account of Israel’s involvement with child sacrifice. ”They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.” (Psalm 106:34-39 NIV)

There is a distinct parallel between Molech worship and abortion. First of all, abortion is the “sacrifice” of the unborn. “They sacrificed their sons and their daughters.” Secondly, the unborn are our sons and daughters – our family. Thirdly, abortion sheds innocent blood. Fourthly, the innocent blood of the aborted is sacrificed to demons. And, lastly, the blood of the aborted desecrates the land.

Jeremiah records God’s response to the shedding of innocent blood, “…they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children. They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing! (Jeremiah 19:4-5 NLT).

Michael Spielman, founder of abort73.com says, “This is a stunning statement to come from the mouth of a sovereign and all-knowing God!” Then he makes this statement, followed by a question, “The domestication of abortion has made it tragically commonplace, so much so that we seem to have lost our ability to be outraged by it. How is it that even we who oppose abortion are not more overwhelmed by the fact that it is legal, in the United States of America, to tear apart the tiny bodies of helpless unborn children?”

That is a question the church must answer. In 2009 almost 13,000 babies were killed by abortion in Broward County – about 82,000 statewide. God wasn’t caught by surprise by the sin of His people. Rather these words reflect His horror and dismay in response to the shedding of innocent blood.

How should we respond to America’s abortion crisis? I believe that Satan is the Architect of abortion (John 8:44); that abortion is a Satanic enterprise. Therefore, I believe the church is the only institution (or organism) that is spiritually equipped to engage the satanic forces behind abortion. Therefore, the church must take the lead in the efforts to end abortion.

Flip Benham, Director Operation Save America, in a statement released yesterday, said, “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.” Rev. Benham is right. The question is – what will it take for the church to fulfill its role in ending abortion? Let make four suggestions.

First of all the church must repent of abortion in the church. Several years ago Pastor John Ensor of HeartBeat International, speaking to a group of pastors in Davie reminded us that if Christians would stop having abortions, abortion clinics would close. Why? Because, 43% women having abortions identify themselves as Protestant; 27% women as Roman Catholic (AGI, “In Brief” July, 2008); and one in six of women who have an abortion are evangelical Christians (A. Guttmacher Institute.) In other words, in America about 70% of the women aborting their children identify themselves as either Protestant or Catholic. How can this be?

Secondly, Christian pastors must repent for the silence of the pulpit. In Leviticus 20 Moses warned the people of Israel about following their pagan neighbors in sacrificing their children to the demon god Molech. But there was another warning as well. He warned them against looking the other way. When others in the community sacrificed their children, “If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow in prostituting themselves to Molech.” (Leviticus 20:4-5 NIV)

Three things happen when pastors refuse to speak about abortion. First of all, women in the church continue to abort their children. Secondly, the post-abortive continue to live in unresolved shame and guilt. Thirdly, the church fails to fulfill the role that it alone can have in bringing abortion to an end, including providing practical and compassionate help to those at risk for abortion.

Why then the silence? Mississippi African Methodist Episcopal Pastor Joseph Parker has said, “Too many pastors and spiritual leaders have been silent or quiet about the…abortion issue too long due to fear or ignorance and some due to political ties and commitments.”

The American pulpit fears man more than God. I am afraid that many of America’s pastors remain silent because it might conflict with another agenda, their prominence, popularity, prestige, and power. They fear the man and woman in the pew. They fear the scorn, ridicule and criticism of the world. Some of them fear how it will affect their political allegiance or party loyalties.

Listen to these words from a pastor, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the CONSCIENCE of the state. It must be the GUIDE and the CRITIC of the state, and never its TOOL. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” Was he speaking of today’s church? Perhaps prophetically. It was written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (emphasis mine “Strength To Love”) published in 1963. He was assassinated five years later.

Another pastor wrote, “The church is guilty of the deaths of the weakest and most defenseless brothers of Jesus Christ. The church must confess that she has desired security and peace, quiet, possession, and honor to which she has no right. She has not born witness to the truth of God and by her silence, she has rendered herself guilty, because of her unwillingness to suffer for what she knows to be right.” I fear that those words describe the twenty-fist century American Church.

Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote those words from a prison cell in 1940 – five years later the Nazis hung him naked with a piano wire in a German concentration camp. Speaking the truth in love often comes at a price. Redemption has always come by way of sacrifice.

Thirdly, Christians must repent of their support of politicians, judges, officials and institutions that support and promote the killing of the unborn. In Psalm 94:20-21 (ESV), the Psalmist asks God this rhetorical question; “Can wicked rulers (throne of iniquity NKJV) be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.” Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton legalized wickedness! Christians cannot in good conscience support legislation, court rulings or politicians that support the killing of the unborn. How do you explain the fact that in the 2010 general election one in four Evangelicals and one of every two Roman Catholics voted for a radically pro-abortion presidential candidate? Could it be related to the silence of the pulpit?

Fourthly, pray for God’s mercy. Remember Psalm 106 that spoke of the sacrifice of children to Molech? Listen to what followed the verses I read at the outset of this message: “Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance. He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.” (Psalm 106:40-42 NIV)

It is foolish for us to believe that America will not face God’s judgment for the slaughter of the unborn. I believe that we are under His judgment as we speak. Only a small remnant of the church (like those here today) are responding appropriately to the abortion holocaust. The church has largely remained silent, immobilized by its own self- indulgence and fear of persecution and public opinion. By its neglect, the Church is leading this nation in turning its back on God’s truth and His warning of judgment.

In his book, Answering the Call, Pastor John Ensor writes, “Because God loves, and he gets angry. Because he cherishes innocent human life with a burning heart and commands all men everywhere to do the same, his revulsion at the murder of innocents knows no limit, nor does His wrath when it is finally unleashed….For God to warn us of His wrath is another sign of His love. For us to ignore it is a sign of how hardened we have become and how ripe we are to receive His wrath.”

Ultimately, the gospel of Jesus Christ it 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 of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God always responds to repentance. Psalm 106 ends on a note of revival. As God’s people turned to the Lord, He heard their cry and verse 45 says, “…for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.” (NIV)

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 NIV) “…having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians. 2:15 NIV) “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV)

Dr. Herb Lusk II, is the pastor of an African American church in an abortion clinic infested neighborhood in Philadelphia. His church opened a pregnancy resource center shortly before he spoke at CarNet’s annual conference in October 2008. He said, “If you don’t do anything about the horrors of abortion you’re not part of the solution, which means that you’re part of the problem…as long as a baby is in danger we’re in war. As long as the life of one infant is threatened, the war rages on.” May God help us and God bless America.