January 24, 2010

The ultimate authority and word from God on abortion is found in the Bible and is used by both sides to claim the moral high ground. In articles dotting the Internet there are people claiming the verses popular to the Christian Pro-Life movement such as Jeremiah 1:4-5 and Psalm 139:13-16 are either taken out of context or actually support the Pro-Abortion stance. It is the smaller detail of the many verses that the critics will miss; that God’s view of life starts well before birth.

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16).

Yet You brought me out of the womb; You made me trust in You even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother's womb You have been my God (Psalm 22:9-10).

Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? (Job 31:15).


Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3)


This is what the LORD says--He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you … (Isaiah 44:2).


And now the LORD says--he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength (Isaiah 49:5).


The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

In these verses it is brought directly to the reader that God’s view of life begins before birth. Psalm 22 shows the beginning of our relationship starting before birth. In Psalm 139 the verses specifically show our relationship with God before birth as He formed us and had already planned our days to come. Jeremiah 1 again emphasizes God’s relationship with an unborn child and Isaiah 44 comforts with the picture of God’s faithfulness during the formation before birth. God does not look at our lives from birth to death; He views us from conception onward.

These passages certainly contain separate contexts and were meant for differing audiences, but it is with their diversity that the strength of the argument is made. There is not just one verse in one situation that mentions God’s view of human life to include the before birth stage; there are many verses in many situations. The Pro-Life view stands directly on the Truth as shown through the Bible; God’s view is that life begins before birth.

We do not need to decide when life begins, but accept what God has already shown, that life begins before birth. It is impossible to take a life before birth and be justified. The beliefs and ethics of God are not situational and do not provide the exceptions. Life always begins before birth in the eyes of God even if rape, incest, or other sinful acts conceived the baby. It is only as our human self-centeredness grows that we look for exceptions or man-based rules to govern when we can take a life of a baby.

Christians must understand that supporting abortion is opposed to God and his righteousness. We must not allow the heretical views of the world a place to seep into our individual beliefs or the churches that we attend. Taking a stand on abortion in your church is easy; you have God and the Bible on your side.


So, What Should I Do?

1) TAKE THESE TRUTHS TO HEART
2) ARM YOURSELVES WITH THE QUICK FACTS
3) EDUCATE FAMILY AND FRIENDS ON FACTS
4) SUPPORT PRO-LIFE MINISTRIES LIKE BETHANY
5) SUPPORT PRO-LIFE POLITICAL CANDIDATES
6) SUPPORT PRO-LIFE LAWS & OPPOSE ANTI-LIFE LAWS

January 23, 2010

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:14-16

Do you recognize this pleasant, grandmotherly-looking lady? Don't you just want to hug her?


Her name is Norma Leah McCorvey. Never heard of her?


You may recognize her as "Jane Roe", as in "Roe v. Wade".


Here is her story, a little lengthy but worth the read:

In 1969 McCorvey was 22 years old, divorced and pregnant for the third time. All she wanted was to get rid of her “product of conception,” but a state law limited her options. Poor and uneducated, she needed help.

Who better to turn to than two young lawyers who were ready to conquer the world by giving women the right to control their own bodies?

Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee were seeking to overturn the Texas statue that outlawed abortion, and they needed a desperate and believable plaintiff. Pregnant McCorvey was the perfect candidate, but her story needed to be more plausible. Therefore, McCorvey and the attorneys told the court that her pregnancy was the result of a gang rape. So, she “needed” an abortion, and she deserved the right to choose – at least she thought she did.

“On March 17, 1970, I signed the affadavit that brought the holocaust of abortion into America,” McCorvey told the AFA Journal. “And I thought I was doing something right; I thought I was doing something good, and I was wrong.”

But before understanding her mistake years later, McCorvey realized Weddington and Coffee wanted her signature more than they wanted to help her. She was a tough-talking, abrasive, alcoholic drug user who worked many odd jobs. She was a bartender, carnival barker, construction worker and waitress, later living the lesbian lifestyle.

The attorneys expected McCorvey to fade away. But her signature made her a symbol of women’s rights, although her image was an embarrassment to the pro-abortion movement.

The movement’s leadership had very little to do with McCorvey. For example, she wasn’t even invited to the 20th anniversary celebration of Roe v. Wade. But there was one prominent civil rights attorney from Los Angeles who took notice of McCorvey and encouraged her to be proud that she was Jane Roe.

Gloria Allred befriended McCorvey and thrust her into the spotlight – via interviews, press conferences or public appearances – as often as she could. Allred did her best to make McCorvey shine. McCorvey’s life was consumed by abortion, although ironically, she never had an abortion herself.

Swinging to the other sideMcCorvey made a “career” out of working in abortion clinics, one of those being A Choice for Women in Dallas, Texas. She earned six dollars an hour booking appointments. She also assisted in the actual procedures by comforting the women as they had their babies’ lives sucked out of them.

“I would go in the room and hold the woman’s hand, and a lot of times they would just draw blood because they were holding on [so tightly],” McCorvey said. But it was up to McCorvey to remind the women that everything was going to be ok, knowing she was lying.

It was only a matter of time before the lies became too much for her to bear, especially after Operation Rescue (OR) set up shop right beside the abortion clinic where McCorvey worked.

OR is now the nation’s leading pro-life Christian activist organization. It was then under the leadership of director Flip Benham, who McCorvey preferred at the time to call Flip Venom.

Assisting Benham was Ronda Mackey, a fiery young mother of two girls, Chelsea and Emily. Benham, Mackey, her two girls, and a host of pro-life activists worked relentlessly to save the innocent lives of the unborn while McCorvey fought hard for the survival of her clinic and her cause. Through it all, the OR gang took every opportunity to befriend McCorvey and love her.

But it was the friendship and love of the Mackey girls that eventually gave McCorvey a new cause for which to fight.

“It was [eight-year-old] Emily who eventually led me to the Lord,” McCorvey said. “She was an evangelist. She was a counselor. She would walk up to women going into the abortion mill and hand out literature and ask them not to go in and hurt their babies.”

More than that, Emily wasn’t afraid to love a woman so unlovable as Jane Roe.

Emily showered McCorvey, whom she affectionately called “Miss Norma,” with hugs and smiles and multiple invitations to church. Having given birth to three children, placing all three for adoption and now working in an abortion clinic, McCorvey had a hard time relating to children, much less being loved by one.

But it was Emily’s Christ-like love that won her over, and McCorvey found herself loving her back. Little did McCorvey know that Emily was introducing her to the Love of her life.

In July 1995, McCorvey finally accepted Emily’s invitation and went to church with the Mackey family. Jane Roe met Jesus Christ that day.

Climbing toward ChristFrom then on, she was Roe no more. She was a new creation in Christ. But as with any new believer, sanctification is a process, and McCorvey had a lot of learning, growing and forgiving ahead of her.

“You know at first … I carried a very heavy burden,” she admitted.

But in time she realized, as she wrote in her autobiography, “God did not view me solely through the lens of what I had done or how I had been used. Now, after I had been forgiven, Jane Roe was irrelevant. The woman He loved – the woman He saved – was Norma Leah McCorvey.”

She wrote, “In the first few moments of my conversion, the thought of abortion was not a factor at all. I realized I needed God. That need, and that need alone, consumed me.”

Her need for Christ was evident as she began spending time in the Word and seeking forgiveness from those she had offended over the years.

However, many found it hard to believe that Jane Roe could be saved by grace. Leaders in the pro-abortion movement saw it as a cry for attention. Pro-lifers were skeptical, and the media was all over it.

At times, McCorvey learned the hard way as she came to terms with her new understanding of abortion and tried her best to convey it to the media. How could the woman behind Roe v. Wade now be pro-life? McCorvey wondered the same thing.

“I love the Lord with all my heart and soul … [and] it’s beyond my comprehension that He can take someone like me who was a hippy and a drug addict and a fornicator and all the other stuff that I did and forgive me,” she admitted.

“It was so hard for me to conceive that the Lord had forgiven me – especially after so many children had been killed,” she explained in her book. “But he has forgiven me and restored me,” and put a new song in McCorvey’s heart that He set to the tune of life and love.

Singing a new songAfter her conversion, McCorvey left her job at the abortion clinic and went to work next door for OR. Two years later, she felt the Lord calling her to share her personal message so she founded Roe No More Ministry in 1997. It has since been renamed Crossing Over Ministry (www.crossingoverministry.org).

The purpose of her ministry is to use her life experiences to spread the truth, specifically shedding light on the lie behind Roe v. Wade.

Throughout the last decade, McCorvey has traveled to several countries, including Portugal and Uruguay, and to over 40 states sharing her story in a variety of settings ranging from church congregations to civic organizations. She has appeared on major television news shows and has testified before different congressional committees. McCorvey supports pregnancy resource centers and is working hard to overturn Roe v. Wade in an attempt to fill America’s empty playgrounds with the song of love that her soul now sings.

January 22, 2010

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

With respect to FDR, January 22, 1973 is "a day that will live in infamy." That is the day, 37 years ago, that the Supreme Court handed down their decision on Roe vs. Wade which legalized abortion. Therefore, this moral evil was sanctioned as the law of the land by judicial fiat and not through normal legal procedures. Abortion was made legal via the Court not by the Congress. One of the reasons this law has been so divisive and contentious is because it never got to be debate on the floor of the House or the Senate. It was never drafted into a bill and passed through the channels prescribed by the Constitution. This law that has cost the life of 49,552,000 unborn Americans was decided by just 7 people! God have mercy on their souls.

I came to my first church in Princeton, Illinois on August 22, 1972, just five months to the day before this fateful and fatal decision. I opposed it then and I oppose it now. My primary reason for opposing it is not because it was implemented from the Bench. Although that does bother me. Nor is it because it is a bad ruling that ignores parts of the Constitution and distorts other parts. I oppose it because it is morally wrong. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that issues of birth, life, and death are under the jurisdiction of Almighty God. A nation who was founded on biblical Christian standards should have never been placed in the position of contradicting those principles. The Preamble of our Constitution guarantees the "right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness". What part of "right to life" do they not understand?

In addition to the nearly 50 millions of innocent Americans who never got to draw a breath or exercise their Constitutional right to "life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness", this misguided decision has seriously eroded the moral conscious of America. How long can we believe our own lie that unborn life is just an "un viable fetus"? Once we surrender to moral deception in one area, what prevents us from surrendering in another? For example, if we convince ourselves to believe that unborn life is not worth protecting, what will prevent us from deciding that other forms of life are not viable - such as physically deformed people, or elderly people or mentally challenged people? Where do we draw the line when we don't know where to draw the line? Who is safe and who is at risk in our culture? Who knows? Who decides?

Roe v. Wade is just another manifestation of the original sin - the lie that "you will be like God". Denying a clear and recognized right of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and to replace it with an arbitrarily manufactured right of "a woman to her own body". The desire to be "god over my own body" is motivated by this inner desire to whatever I want and not have consequences for it. It is a old as Lucifer and as unoriginal as Adam and Eve. Still, it is powerful and destructive. Witness the moral and social deterioration of our country since 1973.

Bad law, implemented in a bad way, for a bad reason and driven by a bad motive is doomed to end badly.

So, on this sad 37th commemoration of Roe v. Wade, we pause to invoke God's mercy on our nation. We pray God's comfort on those millions of mothers who are haunted by guilt and regret. We mourn the 49+ millions of innocent souls who never drew a breath and wonder if among them might have been the next great inventor, the next great author, the next great ambassador, or the next great scientist.

Only God knows. And fortunately, by His great mercy, all of them are in His tender care!

January 21, 2010

"God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:14

I am reading in Exodus 3 today and there were several rich truths that grabbed my attention. One of those I will share this morning.

God called Moses to do a risky thing. He was to go before the Pharoah of Egypt and demand that he release all he Hebrew slaves. That could get someone killed! Moses knew that. And, by the way, Moses was a wanted fugitive in Egypt!

Can you understand why Moses was a little anxious? What God was telling Moses to do was absolutely suicidal. Even if you were another king you would not do what God wanted Moses to do! But that is the command that came from the burning bush.

This was an uncomfortable moment for Moses. The Almighty God of the Hebrews was ordering Moses to go before the most powerful man on earth and demand something that would make him very angry. Has God ever asked you to do something very uncomfortable? Not since yesterday?

So, Moses knew that in order for him to pull of this impossible thing that God was commanding he would need to have some impressive credentials. When he asked God for those credentials, God said, "Say I Am has sent you!"

Interesting! God identified Himself as, "I AM WHO I AM". The interpretation is - "I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE". In other words, "I am always Who I need to be."

Isn't that the definition of sovereignty? Sovereignty means that God is and will be exactly what He needs to be! Why? BECAUSE HE CAN!

That is good news!

Here is even better news - HE WILL ALWAYS BE WHAT YOU NEED HIM TO BE! BECAUSE HE CAN!

You cannot live the Christian life without His help - NOTHING - NOT A THING! Not one step, not one thought, nothing righteous or acceptable to God.

So, without His sovereign Presence and Power, you cannot please God.

Learn from Moses. Surrender to the I AM! Let Him be what you need to be and what He needs you to be. If you do - HE WILL BE WHAT YOU NEED HIM TO BE - so you can be what He needs you to be!

The I AM is! Will you be?

January 20, 2010

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

This is a good morning for all who are on the conservative side of the political spectrum. (I am one of them)

The race for the vacant Senate seat in Massachusetts has gained significant national attendance because of it what it may portend about the political attitudes of Americans and because of how it might impact the President's legislative agenda. Scott Brown's election changes the dynamics of the Senate.

I was pleasantly surprised that Brown won the election and that he won it by a solid margin. It was encouraging for those of us who have reservations about where the Democrats are trying to take us. Everything I have seen and heard about this fellow seems hopeful. But as I watched his acceptance speech, I found myself listening skeptically. As much as I want to buy into this fellow and believe in him, it is increasingly difficult for me to pin my hopes on any politician.

Our President was elected on a theme of "hope and change". Who isn't looking for hope? Who would deny that some change is necessary? Obviously, our citizens are ripe for such promises.

All things being equal, I would tend to hope in a politician who agrees with my values rather than one who doesn't. But I am over investing hope in elected officials. Scott Brown and all the others are going to have to earn my trust.

So, where do we look for hope! Who do we trust?

Is that a trick question?

We hope in the Lord! First, last, today, and forever we hope in Him. The more fully we hope in Him the better! He is our Hope!

Celebrate cautiously a conservative victory. Thank God that citizens still have a voice. Be happy that our system, while badly broken, still functions. Stay informed on the issues. Pray earnestly and intelligently. Watch this Scott Brown closely. BUT HOPE IN CHRIST!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him!

January 19, 2010

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

Once you decide that humility is important and once you commit to humbling yourself, how do you know if you have achieved it?

Humility is a bit like your shadow, others will see it when you may not.

Someone said, "Humility is a strange thing. The minute you think you've got, you've lost it!"

Another has said, "The ulitmate test of humility is when you can say grace before you eat crow."

The purpose of this post this morning is to give you some questions by which to measure your attitude:

"Am I going to be about the team or am I going to make the team about me?"

Humility puts the interests of the team and the welfare of its teammates ahead of it's own needs. Is that you?

"Am I as happy over a teammate's success as I am my own?"

A humble attitude can celebrate the success of others as it would it's own. Are you able to do that?

"How well do I receive correction or instruction from the coach?"

The saying goes, "The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement." Anyone who cannot accept criticism, correction or instruction from the coach will not help his team. Are you willing to grow by receiving constructive criticism?

"Am I willing to to give up my rights and pick up my responsibilities?"

Humility does not demand its individual rights but is willing to serve were ever needed.

"Will I resist trying to control others and take control of my attitude?"

There is very little that you can control in life. The one thing you must control is your attitude. No one else can do it for you. You can do it for no one else. Will you take charge of your attitude?

"Do I see a team win and a personal win?"

John Maxwell once said, "Much can be accomplished when we don't worry about who gets the credit." Are you able to share the glory or allow another to receive it in order for the team to win?

Unity is a necessary attitude for a believer and a church. It allows God to move and accomplish His will. Humility is essential to preserve unity. Run your attitude past these questions and humbly see how you fare.

January 18, 2010

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

I have been talking about how to develop Christ-like attitudes. The first one I commented on was unity. Unity is crucial because it allows God's Spirit to move among His people.

The second attitude that is important is humility. In yesterday's post I talked about what humility is. Today, I want to share some thoughts on how we get humility.

"If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud." - C.S. Lewis

"True humility is not an abject, groveling, self-despising spirit; it is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us." — Tryon Edwards

HUMILITY IS ABOUT REALITY

"Humility is the acceptance of the place appointed by God, whether it be in the front or in the rear."

“We get our moral bearings by looking at God. We must begin with God. We are right when, and only when, we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position.” — A. W. Tozer

James Simpson was a great scientist. Someone asked him, “What is the greatest discovery you ever made?” His humble answer was, “My greatest discovery came when I learned that I was a sinner and that Jesus Christ had become my Savior!”

"The higher a man is in grace, the lower he will be in his own esteem."

"The right manner of growth is to grow less in one’s own eyes." - Thomas Watson

Humility is the result of simply understanding who you really are. You are who God says you are. You are His child. You are a sinner by nature and He sent His Son to provide your salvation. By identifying with His atoning sacrifice you can be regenerated and redeemed.

Not only has God saved you, but He has invested gifts and talents in you so you can serve Him and build His Kingdom.

Until you understand and accept those fundamental spiritual realities, you will never have a real view of Who God is and Who you are in Him.

Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing."

Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Both of those statements reflect humility because they are based on a true understanding of who we are in Christ. This verse tells you not to look at yourself with vanity.

HUMILITY IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIP

Once you have a realistic understanding of Who God is and who you are in relationship to Him, then you must adjust your relationships accordingly. You then guide your relationships with others based on your relationship with God.

This Scripture verse instructs you to "think of others more highly than yourself". Your consideration of the needs and best interests of others should guide your thoughts and actions. That is humility.

HUMILITY IS ABOUT RIGHTS

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26

What was Jesus talking about here?

He is telling us what humility looks like to Him? From Jesus' perspective is that humility means you volunteer to give up your rights and grab your responsibility.

Pride is demanding your rights while defaulting on your responsibilities. Pride is feeling entitled to what God has promised without measuring up to His conditions.

At FredWes, we require what I call the "Seven-Up Challenge" of those who would join our church – Give Up Your Rights, Pay Up Your Tithe, Pick Up Your Ministry, Show To Up , Listen Up God, Cheer Up Your Brothers & Back Up Your Leaders.

Why do we do that? Because we want to create a climate where unity and humility can flourish and the Spirit of God can flow!

Unity is essential to a church. Humility is necessary for unity to exist.

How do you get humble?

Be real about your prideful spirit. Understand He is God and you are not. Have a realistic view of who you are in Him.

Humbled yourself to God and let humility guide all your relationships with others.

Focus on your responsibilities to God and others and surrender your rights in order to serve.

Where unity and humility rule God reigns!