The state of New York passed landmark legislation legalizing abortion at any and every stage of pregnancy. Previously, abortion in New York, was legal up to 24 week, and could be performed only by a licensed doctor. All that changed this week, as Democrats, for the first time in years, took control of the state senate and hastily decreed death to viable babies, who's only crime was to have not yet taken a breath.
Disguised as a reproductive health issue, the new law allows for the murder of an unborn child based on the "viability of the child or the life and health of the mother." On the face of it, this seems almost reasonable. It simply gives a woman the right to avoid the pain of going full term only to deliver a dead or dying baby or the right to preserve her own life if carrying the baby to full term was somehow a terminal situation, right? Well, maybe...
Here are a few reasons why this law is about more than protecting the health of women
1. The "health of the mother" portion of the law is the extremely broad and includes mental health. In other words, a woman, in labor, can decide she is too stressed out or mentally strained to raise a child and she can choose, at that point, for the sake of her "health" to terminate the baby before it takes a first breath.
Yes, this is an extreme scenario, but, nonetheless, one made legal by the good people of the New York legislature.
2. Allowing abortions to be performed by medical personnel other than doctors. Previously, only licensed doctors could perform abortions, now, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants and midwives can perform non surgical abortions.
So we are to believe allowing a midwife to perform an abortion is somehow safer for a woman than being under a physician's care?
The whole idea of protecting a woman's health as the primary purpose of this heinous law falls apart at this point.
3. Killing a baby in the womb is no longer considered homicide, even if the killing is done against the mother's will. So, if a pregnant woman believes she is carrying a baby in her womb, she would be wrong under the new law, as anyone could cause death to the unborn child and not face a homicide charge. Kicking a pregnant woman in the stomach and causing the death of her unborn baby would now be considered assault rather than murder.
4. Unabashed celebration. As if this horrific piece of legislation was not enough, Governor Cuomo's glee as he signs the bill into law is nothing less than astounding. According to the proponents of abortion, it is solemn private matter and should be safe, legal and rare. So we celebrate greater access to something considered solemn and private? This is about far more than a woman's health and privacy. And, if the giddiness of the sponsors and signatory is not enough, the city of New York lit up One World Trade Center with special pink lights in honor of this most festive occasion.
What should our response be to this horror show in New York? Do we attack Governor Cuomo on social media and call him evil? Do we spew hatred to those on the other side of this issue or do we love our enemies as we are commanded in scripture?
Is Governor Cuomo an evil man because he joyfully signed this bill into law? I will submit to you, Gov. Cuomo signed this bill into law because he is an evil man. Signing this does not make him evil, his evil lead to sign. Let me explain: all people are evil at heart. Mankind has, historically, been brutal and destructive to one another. Gov. Cuomo is no more evil than your neighbor down the street, he only has greater capacity to exercise his evil because of his position of power. Without the righteousness of Christ, imparted to me by God, I would have the same untamed evil nature, restrained only by my fear of consequences.
Our response, as followers of Christ, can never be hate. We were able to see what unbridled hate led to earlier this week when the media misrepresented the Covington students. Today is a day for prayer, for introspection and a redoubling of our efforts to save as many babies as possible.
What can we do?
1.We can support local Women's facilities which offer faith based counsel and support for unwed moms, pregnant teens and others who are at risk of terminating a pregnancy.
2. We can support legislation limiting and restricting abortion. Here is a link for a petition started by author and Christian apologist, Heather Schuldt sign the petition to end 3rd trimester abortion
3. Support adoption. Either consider adopting or help families who are in the adoption process. Adoption fees and lawyer costs can range between 10 and 50 thousand dollars. This is the biggest obstacle to adoption.
4. Help educate the next generation. As the next generation has access to greater technology, the big lie told by the abortion industry can be exposed. Groups like Planned Parenthood would have you believe an unborn child is nothing but a lump of nonviable flesh. A beating heart and brain activity proves otherwise.
5. Engage your local, state and federal representatives. Planned Parenthood receives federal tax dollars, even after being exposed for selling baby body parts. Almost every republican in office, including President Trump, campaigned on eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood, yet, government funding continues. We need to hold our politicians accountable.
Now is not the time to give up or get discouraged, now is the time to pray, educate and act. Women who have had abortions need to know God loves them and offers forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Many women suffer horrible guilt after an abortion, it is not our job as the Church to make them feel worse. Jesus is our example, when He told the woman caught in adultery, "neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more,"
Abortion is not the disease, abortion is a symptom of the disease. The disease is sin. We have been commanded to go and make disciples. Disciple making is the cure for the disease. Cure the disease, eliminate the symptom. God loves Governor Cuomo and God loves the foolish people who are celebrating this abominable law. Let us not forget, hate is not an option.
Now, go live as Christ... and give the devil hell!
What can we learn from all the controversy surrounding the two students from the Covington Catholic school and an elderly Native American man? This weekend, a tiny portion of a much longer video surfaced, edited in such a way, as to portray two young men, at the March for Life rally, as bullies, harassing an elderly Native American man. The mainstream press, along with much of the liberal community, was very quick to rush to judgment and condemned the high schoolers. Verified Tweeters of a left wing persuasion called for violence against these boys. In fact, threats of violence caused the school to suspend classes.
The liberal left showed it's true colors in an avalanche of hate and threats spewed all over social media. Some wished for a school shooting to take place at Covington, a record label owner called for the boys to locked in the school while it was burned down, journalist Eric Abriss was fired for wishing death to both the boys and their parents and a female SNL writer offered sexual favors for anyone who punched the boys in the face. Celebrities jumped on board the hate train and accused the boys of everything from being Nazis to Klansman. Daily Show host Trevor Noah opined his desire to punch the boys in the face.
Days later, an avalanche of mea culpas is flooding the world of social media. "I am sorry for rushing to judgment" is the new rally cry across the Twitterverse. Too little, too late, in my opinion. Shamefully, Twitter was slow to react and did not suspend accounts of those who vomited threats towards minors, until the full video was released and the truth of the event was revealed. The elderly Native American man who was portrayed as a victim was actually the villain of the story. Nathan Phillips, a known provocateur, orchestrated a media event, in order to advance his agenda.
The lesson we must take away from this is do not rush to judgment based on initial appearances. Whether it is a news story, a juicy bit of gossip or something heard in church, until you are able to verify the information, tread carefully.
The Bible says a matter is established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Before you run off and tout something you heard, verify the information. As believers in Christ, we cannot allow our emotions to run away with us or cause us to believe the worst about someone with whom we disagree.
The Apostle Paul commended the Berean people for fact checking his message with scripture. How many false teachers and heretics would lose their followings if modern Christians were as noble as the Bereans and checked their doctrines in light of scripture?
In the world of fake news, fact checking is more important
than ever. Also of utmost importance is fact checking your faith. Know what you believe and why you believe it. If your faith is based solely on something you have been taught all your life, you are building your house on sand. 2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth
Don't just take someone's word
God gave us His Word and His Spirit to help us understand His Word. You are ultimately responsible if you believe bad doctrine. Shame on those who would use the Word of God to manipulate and deceive others but shame on those who do not study scripture for themselves and fact check.
The truth is always true
If what you believe is the truth, never fear the questions. The truth is always true and the questions all have answers. People who never question and follow blindly often come to a crisis of faith when they cannot defend a hand me down religion. If you do not have a reason for your hope in Christ, you may not truly know Him.
If a religious leader discourages questions, he probably has something to hide
If you have been part of a church that discourages questions, as I was, many years ago, you may have become suspicious of the leaders and, sadly, even suspicious of God. A pretty good rule of thumb is, if your religious leaders discourage questions, they probably have something to hide. Some ministers discourage questions for fear of being exposed as a fraud, some simply do not know the answers to tough questions and are embarrassed, and some ministers have actually become atheist but are trapped in a job. Walk, don't run, away from a church leader who gets hostile if you dare question something he has taught. "You just have to have faith" is probably one of the worst possible answers a minister can give to a tough question.
Be sure to learn what you think you know. Ask questions if you don't understand something and remember, if you are a believer in Christ, you have the Spirit of God indwelling you. Verify what you hear and check your emotions before you react and you will be better off than all those who rushed to judgment against two kids who did nothing wrong. Do not allow your personal bias to become part of the narrative until you have all the facts. 1 Peter 3:15-16 - but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
Now, go live as Christ... and give the devil hell!
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
What did Jesus mean when he gave the command to deny self, pick up your cross and follow? It's hard to know, looking at the condition of what passes itself off for Christianity in America. It may be hard to tell by what passes itself off as Christianity in my own life, sometimes.... maybe, a lot of the time. Have we become a church of Solomons? Do we have all the wisdom and resources of God and fail to honor Him with what He has given because we are erecting monuments, amassing wealth and indulging our sexual whims?
God has blessed the American church with almost unlimited resources and we, like King Solomon, squander what God has given on the indulgence of the flesh and monuments to self, bigger houses, nicer cars, fancier church buildings etc. There is little we deny ourselves, if we are truly honest.
Our entertainment, alone, would have made a demon blush in past generations, yet we find no problem being entertained by things God calls an abomination. We have no problem allowing our children to indulge in sin as a right of passage because they may have reached some magical age where suddenly exposure to or participation in sin is somehow acceptable and no longer destructive.
Oh, we know all the right things to say and we give great advice and counsel but our behavior does not match our words. Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs. Solomon imparted wisdom to his son, in the hopes his son would live an upright and honest life, honoring to God. Solomon, however, showed his son a very different example than what was written. Solomon built monuments and palaces for himself and his glory. Solomon amassed great wealth to his glory. Solomon collected women like a child collects bottle caps.
Solomon's son was far more influenced by his dad's behavior than anything his dad ever wrote or said. We know this by reading the account of Rehoboam's first days as king of Israel. In
1 Kings chapter 12, we see Rehoboam blow his first big test as king, which resulted in his losing more than half his kingdom.
We tend to glamorize King Solomon and his exploits. We admire him for his great wealth and how he used it. We do not realize the destructive heritage King Solomon's lifestyle wrought on his children. Solomon spoke like a prophet, yet, he lived as if there were no God to whom he must answer. The book of Ecclesiastes chronicles why Solomon is not a man to be revered nor emulated.
So, what exactly did Jesus mean when he said we must deny self, pick up our cross and follow Him?
Let's look at each piece separately first and then put it all together:
1. Deny self
To deny self is to recognize not all things we feel or desire are good for us. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Do you pretty much do whatever you feel? Solomon denied himself nothing and instead of finding satisfaction he only found himself wanting more. To deny self also goes beyond simply avoiding obviously sinful practice but actually allows you to find sufficiency in God by removing distractions from your life. Denying your impulses and urges, denying yourself through fasting and denying yourself indulgences allows you to move from seeking satisfaction in things superficial and temporary to finding sufficiency in God who is the same today, yesterday and forever.
God has set parameters in order to protect us. God's commands are a protective fence, not a prison yard.
2. Pick up your cross
This is probably one of the most misunderstood passages of scripture. So often people speak of hardship as "my cross to bear". This is not speaking of hardship. The cross represents purpose.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jesus recognized His purpose was to bear the cross. When we are told to pick up our cross, we are being instructed by God to get busy serving according to our design. God made you with specific talents and a place in the Body of Christ, the church. Just like a human body, if members do not function properly, the whole body is mal-affected. You were not designed to merely sit in church for an hour per week, you were designed with purpose and have a ministry tailored to your design.
True fulfillment of life is found in serving according to your purpose and design
3. Follow Jesus
Following Jesus means recognizing His voice, obeying what you hear and doing what He did.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Following Christ may not lead you where you expected, or maybe even where you wanted to go, but He will lead to a path marked with peace and joy. The path may be difficult and, at times, treacherous, but as the Psalmist wrote, "yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me."
Following also means not running off on your own and trying to do ministry under your own power. Follow God's lead and you can be assured you are right where He wants you, even when things seem difficult
Putting it all together
When we take all the components of self denial, acting according to our purpose and following God's lead we will begin to see God's power manifest in our lives like never before. Do you feel as if your life is adrift and unsatisfying? It is because you are pursuing self rather than pursuing God's best for you.
Solomon lamented a wasted life and realized at the end the purpose of our existence is to honor God and obey His commands. By the time Solomon realized this, the damage to his son was done. Do not allow the lie of the enemy or the urges of your flesh rob from you and the ones you love. Do not be a Solomonite.
Now, go live as Christ... and give the devil hell!
