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(for Friends of Pink or Blue) Volume 3 June 24, 2003 In last month’s message I stated my opinion that: "When it comes to the unborn, we are typically like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan." I have needed to repent of that statement, as the Lord took me to task for saying that and opened my eyes to the fact that I allowed myself to become discouraged and reacted by being judgmental. In the process, He revealed good news to me, and now I need to share it with you. I have a series of multiple choice questions that helped me see things more from God’s point of view than I had previously. Here are the questions: ***** Questions About New Life Is teen pregnancy a problem in our nation? A. It is a
very serious problem
Can the church do anything about the problem of teen pregnancy? A. We are doing
all we can right now
Is the church responsible to protect unborn life? A. No.
It is the government’s responsibility.
Is the church doing all it can to protect unborn life? A. Yes, we
are.
What can the church do to protect unborn life? A. Protest.
Who is the enemy? A. Planned
Parenthood
Can we win this battle? A. No.
The enemy is too powerful.
How would Jesus relate the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) to the church concerning the problems of teen pregnancy and abortion? ***** Before I share with you what I believe are the correct answers, please take a few minutes to answer the questions yourself as honestly as you can. And read the Bible passage and ask yourself how would Jesus look at the church in light of this parable. Whether you’re a
pregnancy center director, a pastor, a musician, regardless of what your
vocation or calling is, you have helped us share a message of love with
young women who are at a crisis point in their life because of an unplanned
pregnancy. I want to share a letter I received this week from Arizona:
We are very grateful to all who are helping us share this message of love. Nonetheless, I allowed myself to be blinded by feelings of discouragement and rejection in the last few weeks, and if you have been there yourself, I want you to know there is help and there is hope. God is doing a great work in your life, and He’ll take what the devil meant for evil, and work it for good in your life. Now, let’s look at the answers to our questions about new life. Are you ready? Questions About New Life Is teen pregnancy a problem in our nation? A. It is a
very serious problem
I think we generally agree this is a very serious problem. To most of the world, answer B would apply, and to some, even C, as they consider sex to be normal, expected behavior, and contraception to be one solution and abortion the other. Can the church do anything about the problem of teen pregnancy? A. We are doing
all we can right now
How did you answer this question? Probably no one is choosing A or D. But, if you are involved in a pro-life ministry or have a heavy burden for the unborn or teens, it is tempting to choose C. I certainly would have just a few weeks ago. But, I’m convinced the correct answer is B, we’re doing a lot, but we need to do more. The truth is there is so much being done around the country to minister to young people and help them steer clear of the dangers of unmarried sex. And much is being done to help those who have fallen into traps the enemy has designed to destroy their lives. It’s astonishing when you think about it. There are at least 3500 pregnancy care centers around the country. God has raised them up, and this is a work of the church, His Body of believers who love Him and are glad to serve Him. While Planned Parenthood workers are all paid and charge serious money for their "services," thousands of women and men work for little or no money because of a genuine love for God and the people that are precious to Him. To say we’re not doing nearly enough is to overlook this magnificent army of sold-out believers who are touching lives all over the country every day. I choose B, rather than A, because there are so many sleeping giants who would be powerhouses in this battle for hearts. Is the church responsible to protect unborn life? A. No.
It is the government’s responsibility.
I believe we are responsible (B) and this puts us in opposition to our government that has stumbled badly since even before Roe v. Wade in 1973, as it could not see the value of a human life prior to birth, and was easily deceived by dishonest doctors and lawyers. Is the church doing all it can to protect unborn life? A. Yes, we
are.
Here again, I’m convinced God is very, very, very pleased with the efforts of literally thousands of people. Again, we need to encourage more people to get involved, and pray for our leaders in the church to be encouraged as well. Because of so many attacks on the "pro-life" community, there has been a tendency to shy away from addressing these issues. If we do address them, our message can’t be centered on guilt and blame, but needs instead to recognize the efforts of our pregnancy care centers, and the heroic work they are doing. So, I believe the correct answer is B. What can the church do to protect unborn life? A. Protest.
There are reasons to get involved with all four activities as God would lead. I especially believe we have to vote against any pro-choice candidate. We would never vote for a candidate who denied God’s existence, and no person could get elected who espoused that position. Abortion came around as the solution to the problems that arise from a lifestyle based on doing what feels good. It’s been championed as a women’s rights issue. We can as a united Body bring an end to the pro-choice position, just as the pro-slavery position, or pro-segregation position would now be political suicide. However, I know that politics will continue to deceive the people, even the "elect", and that most pro-life candidates are only symbolically pro-life, with no ability to change the law. Giving money to pro-life organizations is a wonderful thing to do, as most can do a lot of good when provided with the funds. Nonetheless, you could give a million dollars a month to any of several great organizations and it would not stop the killing of the unborn. In this battle, every dollar we sock into getting the truth out will be matched with a dollar to perpetuate the lie. What is the answer? The answer (E) is we need to pray. We need to seek God. We need to repent. We need to encourage one another. If I’m so focused on my ministry that I can’t appreciate yours, I’ve lost my way. We are a family. God’s family. We need to realize He has a plan for each of us, seek to fulfill that plan, and encourage others, regardless of whether their life makes sense to us or not. More love as I Corinthians 13. We see in the first few verses that our grand plans and great achievements don’t amount to anything if we’re not walking in love. Who is the enemy? A. Planned
Parenthood
Did you answer E? I sense most gave the correct answer, F. The enemy is satan and his horde of demons. The Bible tells us our battle is not with other people (flesh and blood) but with wickedness in the spirit realm (Ephesians 6:12). These other seeming enemies have been energized by our harsh rhetoric toward them. If we would but love them there would be many more eyes opened, as was the case of Norma McCorvey, better known as Jane Roe. Can we win this battle? A, No.
The enemy is too powerful.
The answer is B. We need to believe that we have the victory and that abortion will be ended. This takes a lot of love and patience. It is easy to believe that it’s too late and that God will destroy America. This may be, but I believe the times are changing and that we can ask according to God’s will and receive the things we ask for. We pray, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Let’s believe that God’s will, that each person would be allowed to live, can be accomplished in our lifetime. God has waited very patiently for a long time. He must believe we can turn it around or why would He keep extending mercy? Thirty years seems like an awfully long time, but it is only about one seventh of America’s history. How would Jesus relate the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) to the church concerning the problems of teen pregnancy and abortion? I believe that many in important positions can’t make the time or effort to minister to those who are hurting or being abused, in this case the unborn and their mothers. However, the Samaritan doesn’t represent someone outside the church, but is in fact the church through the instrument of pregnancy care centers especially, providing for the needs of the wounded (young women) at its own expense, and committed to the well-being of those women beyond a simple rescue from a traumatic experience. Almost without exception, the leaders and volunteers of PCCs want to be an instrument to share God’s love, and help young women and their families find eternal and abundant life through Jesus Christ. So God opened my eyes to some of satan’s very convincing untruths. I hope you’ll pray for me to continue to grow, so I might be more pleasing to my Master. If these questions help you to understand the battle or to communicate it to others, I’m glad to help. We welcome your letters and comments, and anything that might be helpful at our web-page, www.mydaddylovesme.org We want to help communicate to the Body of Christ the tremendous work that’s being done to reach out to young women and their families with the love of Jesus, and the very necessary practical things that pregnancy care centers are doing and providing as an act of obedience and love. I am proud to be associated with you! Love you all, David Benrexi
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