My Heart's Cry!

Because you are sons(and daughters), God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

Galatians 4:6(NASB)

What a wonder of divine love and grace that we, who were once at enmity with God, have been so favoured by the Father, that we should be called 'sons', "and because we are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

The 'birth certificate' that confirms this amazing truth is the Person of the Holy Spirit, living in the heart of all who believe. It is He Who bears inner witness that we are sons of God. It is the Holy Spirit of God's own dear Son, Who has been sent into our heart, Who communes with us and cries affectionately.. Abba! Father!,

The privilege of the permanently, indwelling Holy Spirit began at Pentecost. He takes up residence in the body of every born-again believer, the moment he trusts in Christ. His presence within our heart, is both the guarantee and proof that we have been made 'sons of God' and joint-heirs with Christ.

Paul had been explaining to the Galatians... that following the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the status of believers changed from that of an underage child, with a promise of a future inheritance... to a mature son, who has received his inheritance from his father - and the Holy Spirit has been sent into our heart, as the confirmation of this glorious truth.

Before the cross, believers were looking forward with expectation to a promise that was yet to come. The Law that governed their lives was etched on stone tablets, that only permitted a distant, external relationship with God, which was carried out in an earthly Temple, through a human mediator - either a prophet or priest appointed by God.

Following Christ's ascension into heaven, it is grace that governs our lives. It is not the Law that was written on stone, that determines how we should live. It is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus that presides in our hearts. It is the indwelling Spirit of His Son in our heart Who communes with us and guides us into all truth. 

Paul describes those living under the Law as underage children, who had not yet achieved their maturity nor received their promised inheritance. This included all pre-cross believers, like Elijah, Daniel, Isaiah, and John the Baptist. However, those who are living under grace have a new, living, ongoing and intimate relationship with the Father, through the indwelling Spirit. This includes post-cross believers like Peter, James, and John - it includes Christians like you and me.  The proof of sonship is the permanently, indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ - without Whom we would tremble as we approach the Father, but Who cries in our heart - Abba, Father.

While pre-cross believers lived under the Mosaic Law, which governed their external relationship with the Father and placed many limitations on their relationship with Him... post-cross Christians are led by the indwelling Spirit. We are governed by a higher law - a heavenly Law - a limitless law - the Spirit’s Law of life in Christ Jesus, which set us all free from the limited law of sin and of death, that condemns every sinner. We are motivated by a law that is not limited by the flesh but one that is empowered by the Spirit of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

What incredible assurance to know that we are accepted by God - in Christ and made sons, through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He guides us into all truth through His word and empowers us with His sufficient strength. What amazing love that He should pour out the wrath that we so justly deserve upon His dearly Beloved Son. He was despised, rejected and cruelly crucified, on our account. He died to satisfy God's righteous justice. His blood paid the price for sin, so that we who believe, could be elevated into a position of son-ship and be awarded joint heir-ship with Christ - by grace through faith.

Though once children of wrath and disobedience, all who have trusted Christ for Salvation have been positioned in Him, as children of His love. And by His grace, we have been given the additional gift, and guarantee, of God's indwelling Holy Spirit, Who took up permanent residence within our hearts, the moment that we trusted in Christ for Salvation.

No name or title for the eternal, almighty Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth, could be more profoundly personal nor intensely intimate than that of, Abba - dearly loved Father. Such language of sweet endearment is reserved for the closest of unions, and such was the life experience of the Lord Jesus.. and He is our pattern for life. He is our example to follow.

Throughout His earthly life, Jesus showed us how to maintain close, adult fellowship with the Father, and throughout our earthly walk we are to walk as Christ walked and to live as Christ lived - in sweet, mature communion, with Abba, our dearly loved Father.

Jesus set aside His glory for a season, and through humble, prayerful obedience, was enlivened, empowered and animated by the same Holy Spirit of the Father, Who dwells in us. Throughout His life, Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing and only said what His Father told Him - and we are to pattern our life on His life. Like Him, we will be strengthened and enlivened through His Spirit through the same, humble, prayerful obedience.

It is not trying to copy what Jesus did that gives us this intimacy, but living as Christ lived. It is living in mature, intimate fellowship with the Father. For it is as we maintain spirit to Spirit communion - the human spirit with Christ's Spirit - through the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, that our hearts can whisper in steadfast prayer, joyful praise and intimate communion - Abba, my Father.

Addendum:

The world is divided and divisive because Satan is still the prince and power of the air. Still we have a hope that burns within us because God the Son now has the keys to death and hell! We are no longer condemned in Christ the Bible says, not because we are so wonderful-we all have bad days, but because of HIM! What HE accomplished on that cross has given us not only hope but a PROMISE of redemption. We are forever sealed by the Holy Spirit of God unto the Day of Redemption. Believer, trust in what your spirit cries out for that we can say "Abba, Father" with an honest voice that awaits eternity with Him!

My Prayer

Abba, my loving Father, I realize I am standing on the holiest of ground. Thank You for doing such great things for me. I desire to develop the depth of fellowship with You that is demonstrated through the life of Jesus, and pray that through the power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit, my human spirit and soul will submit in humble obedience to His guidance - so that my inner spirit may commune with You, in godly intimacy... through Your Holy Spirit, this I ask in Jesus' name. AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

HE Will Establish You

One day you wake up in agony...not because of anything physically painful. You are stymied, not because of anything that has happened to your family, your job, or anything surrounding you. You can't sleep...why? What is wrong with me you ask? Suddenly just about everything you have ever done wrong comes before you like a movie. No, you're not dying you are wondering why God ever chose you to be his child! I can't possibly be a Christian I'm still sinning...I can't think of a day that goes by that I don't do, say, or think something I know is wrong according to His word...

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3(NASB)

How often the 'BUTS' of the Bible stand in stark contrast between 1) the faithfulness of God and His great goodness, and 2) the trite unbelief of His children and their sinfulness. We praise God for the many, eternal 'BUTs' in the Bible. And we rejoice for the glorious 'BUT' in this verse, where we read: BUT the Lord is faithful, Who shall establish you, and guard you from the evil one. 

Paul had just been teaching about the revealing of the coming man of lawlessness and the deception that was to be poured out on humankind. He had reminded them that this evil person would oppose all that is good and would exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship - even to entering God’s sanctuary and proclaiming himself to be God.

It was necessary for Paul to teach these believers that lawlessness was already in the world and that the enemy of our soul seeks our ruination. BUT he joyfully reminds us that God is greater. GOD is faithful, and He has promised to establish us in the faith and guard us against the evil one.

We serve a good and faithful God, Who has promised to work His good work in the lives of all His children and establish each one in every good work and word. But we must be aware that we have a powerful enemy, who desires our downfall and seeks to shipwreck our faith. No wonder Paul was keen to remind this little group of believers that God is faithful to guard us against the evil one... that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan.

Earlier in the chapter, Paul had spoken of the mystery of lawlessness, which was already at work in the world, in those early days of the Church. He had also taught about the restraining power that was suppressing wickedness and keeping evil from reaching its fullness, and Paul encouraged his listeners to hold fast in their faith and stand firm in the truth of the gospel, because the days are evil. We all need to understand that humanity's wickedness and the wiles of Satan will continue to batter the saints OF God throughout this world - until Christ comes to set up His kingdom and puts all enemies under His feet. 

Humankind cannot be trusted, for man is disposed towards satanic perverseness and indifference to God. The faithfulness of God streams throughout the pages of Scripture, as seen in His many acts of mercy; His multitudinous promises of grace; His wonderful words of warning and His amazing gift of salvation. Conversely, the infidelity of man towards his Maker is a warning bell that tolls throughout scripture. It is a blaring gong that has resounded down through time, which contrasts the goodness of God with the perversity of man.

Man may be faithless and false - BUT God is faithful despite our inconsistencies. And He expands this promise of grace even further, for the Lord pledged to strengthen and establish His children in the truth of His Word - for we are HIS. In His grace, HE works in us and through us, for His good purpose. God knew us before the foundation of the world. He knows the number of hairs on our head and keeps our tears in His bottle.

And those whom God predestined, called and chose, He undertakes to justify and to sanctify and to glorify. And He is faithful to do everything that He has said, for our dependable God is Faithful and True. Yet, once again, this amazing 'BUT' subdivides into a further token of His love towards us, for He vows to keep His children from the evil of sin and the ploys of the evil one, who seeks to sift us as wheat and to pollute our witness.

Sin and death and Satan's snares have no power over us, for the enemy was defeated at Calvary and God will not allow us to be tested above that which we are able to bear - but will provide us with an escape route, from all the worldly principles and fleshly practices that are dangled before us as bait, to draw us back into the evil, world system.

God knows our weakness, and He understands that our faith may fail, BUT the Lord is faithful, Who shall establish you, and guard you from the evil one.

My Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithful promises.. to strengthen, establish and protect me, even when my faith falters and I prove faithless and false to You. Keep me ever mindful of this truth and guide me in the choices I must make today. Use me as an instrument of Your grace and keep me from all evil, so that I may grow in grace and in a knowledge of You, and in my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ .. in Whose name I pray, AMEN.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, remember this...we are always a work under construction. Some have gone further with God than others but His love and mercy endures long, but we must be open to change. You're gonna be fine, rest in the Lord and trust in his ability to establish you in your faith!

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

Do You Allow God To Dwell In You?

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:16(KJV)

This is the verse of all verses that encapsulates the very essence of God and what He has done for us; what He is doing and what He will continue to do in and through all who believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God and place their trust in Him.

As Christians we are participators in the love of the Father, through the witness of the Spirit of Love, Who has been given by the Father of Love to reveal the Son of His Love. This glorious truth and wonderful reassurance binds our heart to God's eternal heart of love, for we have known and believed the great love that God hath to us. We know, and we believe that the truth and knowledge of God's Love is simply a matter of faith, which pleases the loving heart of our gracious God of Love.

It was the fiery 'son of thunder' who in his twilight years penned the precious words in this verse: God is Love, and it was the same beloved disciple who increasingly discovered the amazing truth that: God is Love - as did the dynamic apostle Paul who disclosed that love is the greatest of all the gifts and love is the greatest fruit of the Spirit - for the fruit of the Spirit is grounded in LOVE.

The love of God reaches into every aspect of our lives and touches every 'jot and tittle' of our need. Behind the black clouds of sin, shines the Son of redeeming love. Enshrouded beneath the dreary fog of hopelessness is hidden our loving Provider. Submerged beneath the woes and troubles that weary our souls and swamp our minds is the everlasting Spirit of love.

Hidden in the dusty desert of despair we are given streaming rivers of living water that are brimming to overflowing with the Love of God, and Jesus invites all to come and drink deeply of His refreshing Love.

Perhaps this verse, which so simply states that God Is Love, encapsulates the very essence of God and should be increasingly taken to heart, knowing that those that rest; remain; abide and dwell in His love, by keeping their minds on Jesus, are assured that the Love of God will rest; remain; abide and dwell in their hearts - encouraging; providing; upholding; leading; refreshing; comforting and supporting - for God Is Love.

My Prayer

Loving Father I praise You for Your heart of love that is open towards me and for the many ways that You shower Your love into my life. Keep me ever mindful of Your love and use me to stream Your gracious love through my life and out to the weary and thirsty souls that You place in my path, in Christ's name I pray. Remind me that I live in a fallen world and Satan is still the prince and power of the air and worst of all, bad things happen in this fallen world. Nevertheless, you have conquered death and hell and we now have an abode with You for eternity. This body is passing away daily and death awaits us but You, Almighty God, have shown your love toward us through Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father in POWER! AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

So You Need Eye-Witnesses Before You Will Believe?

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Matthew 27:54(KJV)

It was the centurion, who cried out, 'truly this was the Son of God', when he saw the earthquake, the darkness, and all that took place at Calvary, on that pivotal point in history. Surely the life of the centurion who uttered these earth-shattering words, by divine revelation, was never the same again. Surely, for all who can look to the Lord Jesus in His death and resurrection and declare, truly this is the Son of God - this is the Saviour of the world, life can never, ever be the same again.

No doubt this man was witness to the reviling actions of the Jews and the distress of the women, as Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter. No doubt he also heard the precious pardon awarded to the dying thief; the words of grace offered to His mother; His anguished cry when He took the full weight of the world's sin upon His sinless shoulders and surely this same centurion heard Christ's triumphant proclamation of His forever finished work - IT IS FINISHED - Tetelestai.

What a unique catalogue of events took place in that brief moment of time. Mockers scorned, women wept and the whole heavenly host gazed on in stunned silence and awestruck wonder, as the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, fulfilled the final letter-of-the-Law to satisfy the holy requirements of a thrice-holy God.

The earth was shaken to its very foundation, the sun was blackened as thick darkness shrouded the bloody scene of 'life-giving death'. The veil of the temple was torn through, from top to bottom, and the Son of God, Who had drained the bitter cup to its dregs, placed Himself into His Father's keeping, willingly giving up His life for all.

This centurion had no doubt been an eye-witness to scores of crucifixions, for this was the long, slow and painful death that had been introduced by Rome to ensure that the convicted criminal, under Roman jurisdiction, suffered the most excruciating agony in payment for their wicked deeds.

This man had no doubt been present at the cruel beating of Christ and witnessed the point when the sun was darkened for three hours and a great and mighty earthquake announced heaven's verdict on the sinful actions of sinful man - as the wrath of God was poured out on the sinless Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.

Surely the life of that Centurion, who was witness to Christ's redemptive payment for his sin, and the sins of every member of the fallen human race - including your sin and mine, was never the same after he watched Jesus on the cross, and witnessed the earthquake, the darkness and the many things that were done to our Lord.

And so, an unnamed centurion, who was simply carrying out his soldierly duty, who was an eye-witness to this unique happening on that decisive day in the history of humanity, was caused to announce in tones... that would reverberate down through the corridors of time: truly this was the Son of God.

Surely the life of the centurion who witnessed his Saviour dying on that Tree of crucifixion, and who uttered those earth-shattering words by divine revelation, was never, ever the same again. Truly this IS the Son of God.

My Prayer

Loving Father, as I reflect on the awesome scene that took place when the Lord Jesus suffered and died for me, I bless Your name for revealing to me the gospel of grace and for drawing me into Your family as Your child. It seems that in this day and age we need multiple witnesses to everything. We forget the Bible, your word to us, has multiple witnesses in the men and women who walked with Jesus. May I never become so 'familiar' with this scene that I forget its true significance. I worship before Your throne and praise Your holy name, for You truly are my most wonderful Saviour and I love You - in Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of Wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

Sunday Morning Reminder

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
—2 Corinthians 5:17

I heard about an old farmer, his wife, and their son who had never been to the big city. So they got into their old pickup truck, drove to the city, and found a place to park. The farmer’s wife decided to wait in the truck while her husband and son walked to a gleaming skyscraper to take a closer look.

As they entered the massive lobby, they watched as a set of mysterious doors opened and an elderly woman stepped inside. Then the doors closed. After a few moments passed, the doors opened again, and a beautiful young woman walked out.

The old farmer turned to his son and said, “Quick! Go get Mama!”

Wouldn’t it be great if we could walk into church as one person and leave as another? The Bible tells us that when we become Christians, we turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (see Acts 26:18). But that is not an instantaneous process.

Conversion happens in a moment, but the Christian life is one of growth and consistency. Salvation, or regeneration, is coming to Christ. Sanctification is growing in Christ. And that takes a lifetime.

The way you do that, according to Jesus, is to abide in Him and have His Word abiding in you (see John 15:4–7). It’s consistently walking with Jesus Christ each and every day.

We all struggle with certain sins. But the Bible tells us, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6 NLT). Sin no longer holds us in its grip. We can overcome it.

Jesus has broken the power of sin that used to control your life. You’re a new person in Christ.

Pastor Greg Laurie

Do you truly trust the Lord to vindicate you when wronged?

And all the horns of the wicked He will cut off, But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

Psalm 75:10(NASB)

There are times when we look at all the evil that is flooding the world, and the terrible atrocities that are carried out by wicked men, and we are grieved. We grieve because many never seem to be judged for their wrongdoing or punished for their evil deeds. We wonder why things are so unjust in the world, and long for the day when the unrighteous will be held to account and the wicked will be judged by righteous standards.

But this is not a new concern that has surfaced in the 21st century. Over a thousand years before Christ was born, King David and the psalmist, Asaph, were complaining of these same injustices. Lot was sore distressed by the lascivious lifestyle of the wicked in Sodom, and even before the flood, Noah, a preacher of righteousness, was witness to the same dilemma -  for we read that in those days, there was only evil - continually.

Asaph was a Levite, who wrote a number of psalms. He faced the same problems of prideful evil-doers who seemed to flourish, while God's people remain down-trodden and abused. In Psalm 75 we find Asaph, longing for the day when these wicked men would be forced to drain the dregs of the foaming cup of God's wrath. In this psalm, Asaph acknowledges that God will one day judge the wicked in righteousness. But like us, he wondered how long it would be before justice was poured out on the godless society of his day - just as we wonder today!

While Asaph shared our concerns, he was a man of faith who did not doubt that God was the sovereign Judge of the earth. He did not waver in his belief that the Lord would most certainly punish the wicked... at the right time, and in the right way. As with all scripture, the writings of Asaph are God-breathed, and in this little Psalm, we find that his writing alternates between his own thoughts and words he attributes to the Lord.

Asaph began by giving thanks to God for remaining close to His people. He rejoiced that all the wondrous works of God were being declared by men. But the psalmist was so confident that God's promises are secure, that his writings continued as if the Lord, Himself was speaking. "When I select an appointed time," God said, "I will judge the world with equity. All who dwell in on earth will melt. It is I who have firmly set its pillars in place. I said to the boastful, 'Do not boast,' and to the wicked, 'do not lift up the horn. Do not lift up your horn on high. Do not speak with insolent pride'."

The psalmist was so confident that God would judge the world in righteousness and equity, at His appointed time, that his praises resounded with a triumphant note of sure victory as he declared, "And all the horns of the wicked He will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up". He rejoiced in the prophetic certainty that God would one day cut down the strength of the wicked, while the strength of the righteous would be lifted up.

A 'horn' in Scripture symbolises great strength, but Asaph does not fear what man can do to him for his greater confidence is in the Lor, Whose strong arm is mighty to save. He knows, without a shadow of a doubt that Yahwah will one day judge the world in righteousness - and condemn the wicked ways of unrepentant, fallen man.

Like Asaph, we can have great confidence and the unshakable assurance that the terrible atrocities that are carried out by wicked men today, and throughout the pages of history... those deeds that are so grievous to us and the unjust activities of wicked men, will be held to account in God's appointed time and in His perfect way.

About three thousand years have passed since Asaph wrote this joyful hymn of triumph over the wicked, but the truth that God will one day judge the world in righteousness is as fresh and factual today as it was in those days of Israel's kings, when holy men of God penned the holy Scriptures for our learning.

My prayer for you my friends is that we never doubt the faithfulness of God to vindicate those that are His and to cut off the 'horns' - the strength, of the wicked. It may take a while, but if allow it God will vindicate his own. And may we rejoice.. that in Christ we have the sufficient strength to stand firm in the evil day, knowing that our hope is in Him.

My Prayer

We give thanks to You, O heavenly Father, that You are close to Your people and will one day judge the world in righteousness. We praise and glorify Your holy name, for Your word of truth and the great comfort we gain from psalmists like Asaph, whose trust and confidence in You, is reflected in their edifying psalms of praise and thanksgiving. Thank You that You are a God of justice as well as a great God of love, and that a day is coming when You will stand up as Judge of the earth, and put all wrongs to right. Thank You that You will one day punish those that speak with insolent pride, as they drink the dregs of Your justified anger, and thank You that the strength of evil men will one day be cut off and Your people will be raised up into newness of life. Thank You that I am Your child and I will sing praises to You in Your court forever - in Jesus' name, I pray, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the first step to wisdom!

Life: What a Beautiful Choice

Not long ago I was talking with someone from Facebook about choices. She had just aborted her baby and now felt like she committed murder. I had to tell her the truth-she did! However, there is room at the cross for anyone, for any reason to come and repent of our sins and accept the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will change you the minute you mean it. Oh, you won't be perfect, you will still commit offenses until your last day, but they get less and less because you find such perfect love from the creator God. If you have committed the sin of abortion, and you would like to go a different direction, ask the Lord today into your life and see what a difference the gift of real life makes. One more time, I want to introduce you to Pastor Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries:

by Pastor Ray Pritchard

This is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. We join with thousands of churches across America in upholding the value of all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of death. We choose this day because it is the Sunday closest to January 22. On that day in 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its infamous Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand in America. Since that day, over 62 million unborn babies have died legally in America.

We come together not just to celebrate the value of life, but also to protest the killing of the unborn. We raise our voices in one great call from every corner of this nation that enough blood has been shed. It is time for the killing to end.

How should we think properly about abortion?

Let’s start with the number 62 million.
Practically speaking, what does that mean?

Here’s a way to think about it:

Take the population of Georgia,
Plus the population of Michigan,
Add the population of Virginia,
Plus the population of Nebraska,
Add the population of Nevada,
Include the population of Iowa,
Add the population of South Dakota,
Then add the population of Rhode Island,
Take the population of Arizona,
Plus the population of Oregon,
Add the population of Kansas,
Include the population of Vermont,
Add the population of Massachusetts,
Plus the population of Mississippi,
Then add the population of Alaska.

That would total approximately 62 million people.

That’s 15 states wiped out.
Gone. Vanished.
Legally killed.

That’s what we’ve done in America since 1973.
That’s what we’re still doing at the rate of 700,000 children a year.

Because this is a sensitive issue, many people prefer not to think about it. In every church you will find a spectrum of opinions and experiences. In every church on every Sunday, pastors speak to women who have had an abortion.

Some are angry.
Some are brokenhearted.
Some are guilty.
Some are frustrated.
Some are unsure where they stand.
Some want to change the subject.

It’s almost impossible to find anyone who is truly neutral.

Against that background, I want to ask a simple question. What does it mean to be pro-life?
 

I. We must affirm the value and dignity of all human life, born and unborn.

Consider these passages of Scripture:

1. Psalm 139:13-15

For it was you who created my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise you
because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.
Your works are wondrous,
and I know this very well.
¹⁵ My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

This is the strongest statement on God’s prenatal care in the Bible. How much does he know about the unborn baby growing in the womb? Everything. Like a skillful weaver, God takes the tiny hands and legs and joins them to the body. He forms the heart and then sets it beating. He watches over the thumb and makes sure it finds the mouth.

Who makes babies? God does.

2. Jeremiah 1:5  

“I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.”

When we see the unborn, we ought to worship God because they are his creation. We ought to proceed with holy caution and respect for life. God is at work in the womb, and his fingerprints are everywhere. When you touch an unborn child, you touch the handiwork of God.

3. Luke 1:41,44   

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (41) . . . ‘For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me’” (44).

This is the story of Mary (who was pregnant with Jesus) going to greet Elizabeth (who was pregnant with John the Baptist). When these two expectant mothers greeted each other, Elizabeth’s baby (the yet-to-be-born John the Baptist) leaped for joy in the womb. The Greek word translated “baby” is brephos; the same word is used elsewhere for an infant (Luke 18:15). It demonstrates the biblical understanding that the unborn child is fully human.

Who gives life? God Almighty. Who causes the unborn baby to survive inside the womb? God Almighty. Who takes the little hands and feet and eyes and nose and lips and assembles them in the womb? God Almighty.

If we believe the Bible, then we believe in the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn. From the moment of conception, a distinct individual has come into being—an individual made in the image of God; an individual with a human soul; an individual for whom Christ died. We must say that; we must repeat it. When a baby is aborted, it is not simply the termination of a pregnancy; it is the killing of an innocent human being made in God’s image.

The Bible puts a high value on human life that stands in stark contrast to the moral schizophrenia of this age. Unborn children are just as valuable in the sight of God as those who happen to make it out of the womb. I will tell you the truth: the most dangerous place to be in America today is inside your mother’s womb. You have a one in four chance of not making it out alive.
 

II. Though it may be unpopular, we must continue to speak out.

Consider the words of Proverbs 24:11-12:

“Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.

If you say, ‘But we didn’t know about this,
won’t he who weighs hearts consider it?
Won’t he who protects your life know?
Won’t he repay a person according to his work?’”

This passage asks us to consider a sobering reality: Picture thousands of people being herded into railroad cars bound for the death camps. None of them will return. They are heading for mass murder. You are there, you see it, you know what is happening. What will you do? It is the Corrie ten Boom question.

Someone is dying unjustly.
You see it happening.
What will you do about it?

Here is a solemn word from the Lord. It’s a warning against those who make excuses for not getting involved: “It’s too messy. People won’t understand. I can’t risk my reputation that way. What if someone sees me? I might get arrested. It’s not my place to say anything. I can’t change the world. Why bother trying?” On and on you go, arguing against personal involvement. Slowly the train chugs out of the station. It is too late to do anything now.

In this age when abortion has almost become a national sacrament, it’s good to remember that lives are saved and hearts changed one at a time. A moving scene from Schindler’s List comes to mind. At the end of the film, Oskar Schindler is filled with remorse that he saved so few people. But you saved 1,100, he is reminded. Yet I could have saved more, he cries. Knowing his pain, the survivors present him with a gold ring inscribed with a saying from the Talmud: “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”

A friend sent me an Advent calendar with the title “Do You Have Room?” It’s built around Luke 2:7, “And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” As you open the calendar there are tear-off strips of paper containing various contemporary excuses the innkeeper might give today:

“Sorry. It’s dinnertime. Don’t interrupt me.”
“Totally frazzled. I can’t handle more company.”
“Sorry! Christmas pageant tonight. God bless you. Bye.”
“Not now! I’m listening for tonight’s Lotto numbers.”
“Can’t afford to put up company.”

It was a not-so-subtle reminder that for those who prefer to sit on the sidelines, there are always plenty of convenient excuses.

For Corrie ten Boom there really was no option. When she saw the Jews being herded off to the concentration camps, her Christian faith propelled her to action. One by one she hid them in her attic. Eventually the authorities discovered what she was doing and sent her to one of the camps herself. There her sister died, but Corrie lived to tell the story. When asked why she got involved, she replied very simply, “I had no other choice.”

Take a look around you. You can’t do everything, but you can do something. If you are a Christian, you have no other choice.

Brothers and sisters, we must tell the truth to a generation that doesn’t want to hear it. When you kill an unborn child, you have violated the Sixth Commandment: “You shall not murder.” It is not politically correct to say that these days, and those from the left have said, “No, you have to back off. If you’re going to be pro-life, you can’t use words like kill or murder.” But when the Bible speaks, we must speak. When the blood of the unborn has stained this nation to the tune of 62 million dead in 47 years, isn’t it high time for us to stand up and start telling the truth? Please understand something. We are not in a popularity contest; we are in a truth contest. And we are on the side of truth because we are on the side of life.
 

III. We must win this battle one heart at a time.

God has given us a weapon the unbeliever does not have—the weapon of prayer. It’s a weapon that can change the world. Instead of losing our temper, we should be on our knees in tears and deep repentance praying for our nation.

Slowly but surely, hearts and minds are changing. Today there are 3000 crisis pregnancy centers in America. Hundreds of women choose life every day because somebody is out there gently persuading them not to have an abortion. Most women really don’t want to do it. They feel backed into a corner by some awful circumstance of life and can see no other way out.

Take some time to watch Unplanned, the amazing story of how Abby Johnson left Planned Parenthood and became the most public advocate for the unborn in the US.

Let me wrap up my message with seven steps we can take if we really want to be pro-life.

1. It is time we fast and pray for America. If we get bitter about what the abortion industry has done, we make things worse, not better. It’s time for the church to fast and pray for the president, for leaders of both parties, for the members of congress, and for the justices who sit on the Supreme Court.

2. We need to speak out in the name of Jesus Christ. That means taking a stand for life on the job, in the office, in the classroom, in the neighborhood, and when we talk to our friends and loved ones. If we stay silent, how will things ever change?

3. We need to reach out with a message of love to the women who have had abortions. I know there are women reading my words who have had an abortion. There may be a lot of pain in your heart. We are not angry at you. We’re not mad at you. We love you in the name of Jesus Christ. You may have felt trapped or pressured into it, maybe you had a boyfriend who got you into trouble, and then he walked away. Maybe you knew what you were doing, but now you feel the moral ramifications of your decision. We do not condemn you. We love you, and we want to introduce you to the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Abortion is bad, but it is not the unforgivable sin. God calls the church to reach out to women who have had abortions, put our arms around them, and say, “We love you in Jesus’ name.”

4. We need to take our pro-life convictions into the voting booth. If we did that, America would change.

5. We need to support those who are on the right side of this issue. This includes the crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, foster parents, people who are taking in unwed mothers, and those who through gentle persuasion help in this area. We need to support the good guys instead of shooting the bad guys. Find the good guys and give them some help.

This principle involves all those who love little children.

It includes an army of doctors and nurses who treat infants and young boys and girls. It includes those who teach our children. It certainly includes those who rescue children from brutality, abuse, slavery, and sexual exploitation.

God bless all the Sunday School teachers.
God bless the Vacation Bible School volunteers.
God bless the Awana workers.
God bless the children’s choir leaders.
God bless those who lead backyard Bible clubs.
God bless those who take in foster children.
God bless those who fight against child abuse.
God bless those who adopt children.
God bless those who care for children with special needs.
God bless those who lead Children’s Church on Sunday morning.

6. We need to get down to the root of the problem. We need to practice sexual purity, and we must teach it to our teenagers and children. Because our young people don’t know right from wrong, they are making foolish choices.

7. We must do whatever we can to protect our children. When our grandson Eli was just over a year old, I took him with me when we went shopping. I held him in one arm and wrapped the other arm around him to keep him from squirming out of my grasp. As we entered the store, an older man was coming out. When he saw I was holding Eli with both arms, he smiled and said, “Take care of that baby!”

That’s why we do what we do.

In this dangerous world, God has called us to take care of the babies. We want to make sure they arrive safely and have a safe place to grow up healthy and strong. We believe every child deserves our love and care.

We are on the side of the angels when we do everything in our power to take care of the babies!

We’re doing what Jesus would do.

We’re going to have to change hearts if we want to see this country changed. Only Jesus can do that, so let’s keep on loving others, let’s speak out for the unborn, and let’s share the life-changing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s not give in to anger or despair, but with grateful hearts let’s keep following our Lord and keep lifting up his name.

Abortion will not last forever.
One day the killing will end.
God’s truth is indeed marching on.

Jesus taught us that “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Let’s lift up Jesus and bring life back to our dying nation.
 

The Door is Open and the Light is On

I close with one final word. Abortion is not the unpardonable sin. Abortion is a sin, but it is not the worst sin and it is not unpardonable.

Nowhere is Romans 3:23 more needed than in the discussion over abortion: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That applies to you whether you have had an abortion or not because we’re all in the same boat. We are all driven to the cross of Jesus Christ because that’s our only hope of forgiveness. If you will kneel at the cross and say, “I have sinned,” you will hear the Father say, “You are forgiven.”

It doesn’t matter what your past is.
It doesn’t matter what you have done or where you have been.
It doesn’t even matter where you have been sleeping.

If you are struggling with guilt because of abortion or because of any other sin, I have good news for you.

God still loves you.
He has never stopped loving you and he never will.

The light is on in the Father’s house. He stands at the door waiting for you to come in.

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See you next blog,

Ted