(1) Pastor: My brother, God has called you to prolife, but He has called me to soul winning.Royce: Pastor, God has called each of His sons and daughters to join you in winning souls-and, similarly, He has called each of us to be a good neighbor, to aid those in urgent need, and to embrace what He called "undefiled religion"- caring for orphans and widows. Inasmuch as fathers have no legal voice to prevent abortions, preborn Americans have no father defender and are legal orphans, with only the Church, you and me, to look to for a defense. Thousands of them, the most innocent of our fellow citizens, die daily, and what is our response to their silent screams? Is not their blood crying out to us, as innocent blood cried out to Biblical Israel? On our soil, what was God's eventual solution when the Church refused to expose and confront institutional slavery? A catastrophic Civil War ended that evil practice. [Today, brutal terrorists from the same region that subdued ancient Israel and (later) Judah may inflict unspeakable suffering and loss on our nation. Has not America, on our watch, become a violent, terrorist nation against the unborn?]
Thus, what duties do we have, pastor, that are more compelling than our firm resolve to end the most evil and deadly siege our nation has faced? How can we hope for revival in the Church if we do not strive to "rescue those led away to slaughter"? Will not God strengthen our evangelistic labors if we have heart for the defenseless unborn and their mothers? The churchmen on the Samaritan road, who passed on the other side, were unmindful of God's priority. Are we not committing the same spiritual blunder?
(2) Pastor: Mr. Dunn, we're a praying church, and we believe prayer, rather than public demonstrations, is the solution to legalized abortion. Don't you agree?
Royce: Pastor, kindly permit me to disagree. Would God use our prayers to feed our starving neighbors when we have the food but will not deliver it? In fact, given our record of apathy, God may already deem our prayers a stench in His nostrils, much as He did Israel and Judah's prayers, as related to us by the prophets. If we care to know where unwanted local children are killed, we can go to the death centers and see the mothers enter and then exist in despair, without their babies. Across our nation, the killing centers are often within earshot of multiple churches, yet few pastors have gone or asked their people to go to the centers to pray and counsel.
Truly prayer is vital to Christian living. Christ, our divine model, prayed all night. We are to "pray without ceasing." Moses prayed and fasted 40 fays. But prayer cannot substitute for action God requires of us. You know the 25th Chapter of Matthew, Pastor. Christ will one day judge the nations and separate the sheep from the goats. By what criteria will He distinguish a sheep from a goat? Important as prayer is, it is not referenced in Matthew 25. Rather, Christ tells us, "I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I was naked and you clothed me." The sheep give heart to urgent human needs, to loving their neighbors as themselves, as did the Good Samaritan. Thus, we who endeavor to follow Christ are defined most not by what we say but by what we do. Proverbs, as you recall, commands us to "rescue those led away to slaughter" and cautions us not to say we did not know about their oppression, else God will repay each of us according to what we have done. We must not "pass by on the other side." Please stand with us the laity. Your pastoral leadership is desperately needed.
(3) Pastor: Royce, we're just a small church, and we can't do everything a large church can do. We're with you in spirit and we'll pray for you, but we can't take on more tasks at this time.Royce: Pastor, another minister told me last week that because his church was large and growing rapidly that he could not possibly add abortion to his duties. Are we talking here about church size or about church purity? Did not Gideon consider his clan too weak and small to achieve a great victory for God? Did God adopt Israel because of her population and might? "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" Who can know how God wants to use you and your congregation to be a giant killer. "'Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." God may choose one of your members to turn an abortionist away from his savage practice. He may use you to reach other pastors and, ultimately, to liberate a nation from legalized abortion. The fact that you pastor a small church may prompt you to rely firmly on Christ and be a man He can use mightily. Please join the battle with us and urge other pastors to join with you. The killing must end in Yuba-Sutter. In closing: Dear friend, When meeting with pastors, your responses and mine will differ because we are different individuals. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit knows our personality, our emotions, and the guidance we each need. Let us read God's Word, commit it to our lives, and be assured God will accompany us to the churches. Yes, we pro-life activists face strong opposition, but our salvation purposed us to battle Satan's forces, as Arthur Matthews reminds us in Born for Battle. Today, our culture faces formidable enemies, both spiritual and physical. Our children, grandchildren, and friends are at serious risk. Let's do all we can to awaken the Church and preserve hope.
Most gratefully,Royce Dunn, Director of Life ChainPhone: 530-674-5068
No comments:
Post a Comment