The legalization of abortion in America set in motion one of the most polarizing issues to date. Every four years here in the U.S. the political battle lines are drawn and abortion is one of the main rallying points. While it’s true that a majority of people will fall into the political rank and file and vote along prevailing party lines, there is something much deeper happening below the surface.
Satan is at work doing what he does best. He is stealing, killing, destroying and is very much undeterred by the politics of the day. Let’s look past the marches and party lines and below the surface of the issue to the eternal damage being done in the name of choice.
Before we continue, please understand that I’m not advocating burying our heads in the sand as Christians and ignoring the politics surrounding the matter of abortion. On the contrary, we should always vote on the side of life and protecting the unborn. Moreover, we should vote to elect leaders who legislate from a pro-life foundation.
I’m not against pro-life marches and rallies and political action. I also understand that if we could overturn Roe v. Wade, the onslaught of abortions on demand would subside. The reality of the situation is that in the last forty-four years since Roe v. Wade, we have had republican and democrat administrations come and go.
Control of the Congress has gone back and forth, but the fact remains that regardless of who had political control, there has been well over 54 million babies aborted since 1973. I’ve heard talk of overturning Roe v. Wade and plans to defund the evil abortion mills that are Planned Parenthood for years but the babies are still being slaughtered by the thousands each week in the land of the free.
When we reduce the subject of abortion down to the basics what we find is a fundamentally spiritual issue.
Marches, signs, rallies all have their place, but the choice to terminate a pregnancy or not comes down to a person’s heart. For the sake of brevity, I don’t have the liberty of covering the downward spiral of Western society that began in earnest during the 1960s sexual revolution in detail but it exploded with the onset of so-called free love, women’s liberation, and the explosion of the illicit drug culture.
What was birthed in the 1960s has manifested into an increasingly godless society where almost anything goes. Common sense and rationality are increasingly scarce commodities and we’re living in a day when much of what is good is called evil and what is evil is called good.
Legislation and legislators come and go but the root cause of abortion remains. People have a heart problem and a person without Jesus is blinded by darkness. Can you imagine what would happen if more young men in the inner cities came to Jesus? They would marry their women and be at home to raise their children instead of leaving the mom and child to fend for themselves.
What would happen if more young women, especially in the inner cities came to saving faith in Jesus? Teen pregnancies would plummet and so would the cycle of abortion that follows. Abortion is common at every socio-economic level but I zeroed in on the inner cities because when abortion statistics are focused on urban areas, the numbers skyrocket.
It is beyond a shame and heartbreaking so many precious African-American babies are aborted. The numbers bear out that there is a wholesale slaughter of unborn African-American and Hispanic babies taking place. Who is going to talk to these young men and women in the inner cities about Jesus?
As believers, we must bring the Good News to these areas. The predominantly white suburbs aren’t left untouched by the horrors of abortion. Young women and men in the suburbs need to hear that there is free pregnancy help available and about salvation through Jesus because abortions take place here too.
In the real world, people make mistakes and sexual sin is often the result. When young men and women engage in sex outside of marriage, they are violating God’s laws. As a result, the protection of a God sanctioned relationship rooted in love is absent. In its place, you find self-gratification, abandonment, STDs, and unplanned or unwanted pregnancies.
Since these things happen, it’s important for Christians to speak the truth and offer hope even in these hard places. I often wonder what is going through the mind of a young lady who has just found our she’s pregnant. She is undoubtedly frightened, worried, and may feel completely hopeless. Sometimes we may have the opportunity to intervene with the good news before it comes to this point. In other cases, there is a baby involved and perhaps a young man who is still in the relationship.
Sin has consequences and leaves behind a trail of hurting people. These young women and men need practical help and hope. I have become dismayed as I’ve done my research because there is a lot of unplanned pregnancy resources thank God, but the spiritual resources and proclaiming of the gospel is much less apparent.
While it’s crucial we do all we can to save innocent babies from the abortion slaughterhouses, it’s also critical that we get this young mom and young man spiritual help if he’s around. We need to tell them about sin, coming judgment, repentance, and redemption through Jesus.
To do otherwise just makes us another social service and puts a temporary bandage on what is essentially a heart problem. If these young people don’t have God to answer to, many of them will go back out and repeat the process of promiscuity and head into eternity without Jesus.
Friends, I’m 100 percent all in for voting pro-life, getting our voice heard, and petitioning Washington until every abortion mill in America is shuttered, but first and foremost, we must get into the trenches and meet these people right where they are. This means going beyond the pro-life information table at church and our Statehouse steps. We need to get to these young people and let God open the doors.
This is why going to the highways and hedges is important. It might include street evangelism or possibly evangelizing in front of the abortion clinics. Witnessing to these people will look different for each of us but the end result will be God’s glory, saved unborn babies, and souls that have repented and come to Jesus.
I don’t condone the shrill combative shouting that has defined some pro-life efforts outside of abortion clinics. In its place, we should be willing to counsel, pray with, and witness to these women if God opens the door of opportunity. If you are unable to get out, you have the powerful weapon of prayer. Pray that these young women find Christ-centered help.
I want to remind everyone who reads this that God’s judgment is coming. I don’t know when, but it is as certain as His good name. America is going to have to answer for the millions of unborn babies that have been murdered. While many true men of God have stood up and defended the unborn, many cowardly hirelings haven’t done anything.
In August of 2000, thousands of pastors attended a Minister’s Leadership Conference at Willow Creek Church which is pastored by Bill Hybels. Not one of these cowards took a stand for the millions of unborn babies being murdered in America. In comments about President Clinton’s address and interview at the Pastor’s conference, Touchstone Journal’s executive editor James Kushner said, “The standing ovation given to the performance of a ruthlessly pro-abortion president marks the triumph of the personal over the moral for those Christian leaders.”
It’s worth noting again that former President Clinton left to the standing ovation of over 4,500 church leaders in attendance that day. Not one of them was willing to speak up for the unborn. I’m not advocating disrespect for authority or raucous behavior. I would have hoped that at least one of these supposed pastors or church leaders would have stood to his feet and respectfully challenged the president in regard to what the Bible says about life and warned of coming judgment on America because of the millions of abortions we have allowed. It’s a dark day when large numbers of pastors do nothing but acquiesce to the spirit of this age.
Judgment will certainly fall on America. This increasingly godless nation and other countries will have to answer for the lives of millions of innocent children. These babies have a nervous system that is developed by the 8th week and yes they do feel pain. One minute they are safe and warm in their mother’s womb and the next minute they are being sucked out and killed or torn apart by medical instruments among other barbaric methods. This is cruel, painful, and inhumane just as much as anyone endured in Rwanda, Siberia, or any other dark point in history we could list. This is all done in the name of freedom, choice, my body, and personal preference.
A report came out just a few weeks ago about a former abortion clinic worker. She stated that Planned Parenthood gives incentives for up-selling procedures. Add to this the nightmarish news that this “health” organization was engaged in the sale of fetal tissue and baby body parts, it is an unthinkable evil.
Let me close this article by reiterating the fact that we should vote pro-life and do all we can on the legislative end. In the meantime, while the barbaric act of abortion is still taking place daily, we need to evangelize, counsel, and help these women who are considering abortions. We also need to reach out to those post-abortive women and men who believed a lie. A lie that might have included thinking the baby was just skin tissue, they wouldn’t feel any pain, or they would forget about the procedure.
So many in the Church today are consumed with their own personal agenda, being relevant to the masses, giving pep-talks masquerading as sermons, and all the while say very little about coming judgment, repentance, and God’s holiness. The very fact that many so-called evangelical churches and leaders are ignoring what really matters is certainly an indicator of the nearness of the return of Jesus.
Please do all you can for the Lord while there is still time. There are so many hurting people out there. There are many young women who need to be directed to a Christian pregnancy center and need to know the saving power of Jesus. Abortion is beyond politics and although Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, Jesus came to give life. That’s beautiful news for moms and unborn babies. God bless you as you speak up for the unborn.
Unplanned pregnancy? If you are a young woman considering an abortion please know that you do have options. There are so many Christian agencies and ministries who will offer you free supplies such as diapers, maternity clothes, shelter and/or shelter assistance, love, and counseling. There is hope, peace, and forgiveness in Jesus name. Please click on the resources below for more information or contact us.
All for Him,
Howard
Concerning The Times Ministries
I have placed several links below to several excellent resources. Please take a moment and check them out. The first link is to Bethany Christian Services. The second is a video from Melody Green, the widow of the Late Keith Green. Although the video is a bit dated, she gives a bold presentation about the horrors of abortion. It is graphic, so view at your own discretion. The third link is to a pro-life advocacy group called Abort73. Blessings
Click here: Bethany Christian Services – Help for hurting women considering abortion. (worldwide)
Click here: Melody Green-Last Days Ministries pro-life video (Discretion is advised)
Click here: Abort73