Sunday, July 12, 2009
How do you treat a woman who has murdered her baby by abortion?
We are often asked how we minister to women AFTER they have killed their baby by abortion. Recently a precious friend spent months offering personal & particular help to a young mom who was abortion-minded. After the mother murdered her baby at 14 weeks, my friend asked, "What do we do now? How do we treat her? She is a close friend of my daughter's. We love her. This is so confusing. Can we continue to have a relationship with her? Everything has changed now that she has taken the life of the little one we have loved & have lost at her hand."
Through our mission we personally engage fifty or so women who are murdering their babies by abortion every week. I have been meeting these moms for over 16 years. Our combined experience as a missionary team has afforded us intimate counseling time with thousands of pre, mid & post abortive women. For more than half of the mothers we meet it is not their first abortion. (A number of the women have already aborted twice or more. Marian was arriving for her 8th abortion. The abortion clinic's record was 19 abortions on one mom. I heard of another record at an abortuary in NJ of 22 abortions on one woman.) Half of the women we minister to are already post-abortive. We are often asked how we minister to women AFTER they have killed their baby by abortion. Because we want to be true to Jesus Christ our response has been to share what the Word of God has commanded us to do in regards to how we relate to the woman who is guilty of shedding innocent blood.
The scripture is clear on how we are to view & treat the mother who murders her own innocent baby:
A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive til death; let no one support him.
Proverbs 28:17 (NIV)
A murderer's tormented conscience will drive him into the grave. Don't protect him!
Proverbs 28:17 (NLT)
A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him.
Proverbs 28:17 (NAS)
A man that does violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.
Proverbs 28:17 (AKJV)
A man oppressed with the blood of a soul, Unto the pit fleeth, none taketh hold on him.
Proverbs 28:17 (Young's Literal Translation)
John Wesley notes that the meaning of the scripture here is: "None should desire or endeavour to save him from his deserved punishment."
Matthew Henry's commentary on Proverbs 28:17
This agrees with that ancient law, Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed (Gen. 9:6), and proclaims,
1. The doom of the shedder of blood. He that has committed murder, though he flees for his life, shall be continually haunted with terrors, shall himself flee to the pit, betray himself, and torment himself, like Cain, who, when he had killed his brother, became a fugitive and a vagabond, and trembled continually. 2. The duty of the avenger of blood, whether the magistrate or the next of kin, or whoever are concerned in making inquisition for blood, let them be close and vigorous in the prosecution, and let it not be bought off. Those that acquit the murderer, or do any thing to help him off, come in sharers in the guilt of blood; nor can the land be purged from blood but by the blood of him that shed it, Num. 35:33.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 35:33
1. That wilful murder should be punished with death, and in that case no sanctuary should be allowed, no ransom taken, nor any commutation of the punishment accepted: The murderer shall surely be put to death, v. 16. It is supposed to be done of hatred (v. 20), or in enmity (v. 21), upon a sudden provocation (for our Saviour makes rash anger, as well as malice prepense (NOTE: Contemplated or arranged in advance; premeditated) , to be murder, Mt. 5:21, 22), whether the person be murdered with an instrument of iron (v. 16) or wood (v. 18), or with a stone thrown at him (v. 17, 20); nay, if he smite him with his hand in enmity, and death ensue, it is murder (v. 21); and it was an ancient law, consonant to the law of nature, that whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed, Gen. 9:6. Where wrong has been done restitution must be made; and, since the murderer cannot restore the life he has wrongfully taken away, his own must be exacted from him in lieu of it, not (as some have fancied) to satisfy the manes or ghost of the person slain, but to satisfy the law and the justice of a nation; and to be a warning to all others not to do likewise. It is here said, and it is well worthy the consideration of all princes and states, that blood defiles not only the conscience of the murderer, who is thereby proved not to have eternal life abiding in him (1 Jn. 3:15), but also the land in which it is shed; so very offensive is it to God and all good men, and the worst of nuisances. And it is added that the land cannot be cleansed from the blood of the murdered, but by the blood of the murderer, v. 33. If murderers escape punishment from men, those that suffer them to escape will have a great deal to answer for, and God will nevertheless not suffer them to escape his righteous judgments. Upon the same principle it is provided that no satisfaction should be taken for the life of a murderer (v. 31): If a man would give all the substance of his house to the judges, to the country, or to the avenger of blood, to atone for his crime, it must utterly be contemned. The redemption of the life is so precious that it cannot be obtained by the multitude of riches (Ps. 49:6-8),
************
So, how are we to treat the woman who has murdered her baby? We are to treat her with full respect for God's requirement of how we treat a person who has slain an innocent person & has not been sentenced to just punishment for her crime by the magistrate. We are to treat her as a pre-meditated murderer. We must give her no support & we must be rigorous & honest in pursuing justice for the baby. She must not be offered comfort but left to the slough of despair, the pit of misery that is the place where all murderers go when they are guilty but escape justice. If you have been a friend or the abortive woman is a family member, your relationship cannot remain as it was. I explained this to a woman whose mother works in the abortuary the other day. If your husband was sleeping with another woman, would you have the same respect for him? Would you continue to treat him as if nothing had happened? If your neighbor had raped your daughter, would you greet him in the same friendly manner as usual? Would you bake him an apple pie & bring it over for him to enjoy? There are no more stocks & pillars, but there should always be a stigma attached to grave, willful sin. Sadly, with abortion the predominant philosophy is; "She is hurting. Give her a hug. Treat her with love. This is going to be hard for her." Would you think that is how your friends should treat your adulterous husband? Would you want people to pour acts of kindness upon the man who raped your daughter? What sort of respect does that show for the innocent victim when the perpetrator is comforted in their sin?
Take the holy Law of God to women (and men) who have slaughtered their young. Let the Sixth Commandment have its full effect on the hell-bent sinner. To do any less is witholding the law, which is perfect, converting the soul. Once the guilty mother has stopped justifying or excusing herself for the sin of murder against her baby and against God, then, & only then, is she ready to hear the grace of the gospel. If a woman's mouth is shut & she is no longer giving reasons why she 'had' to do it or blaming others for murdering her baby & the mother appears genuinely humble & repentant, commend her to the grace of God in Jesus Christ. (Listen to Hell's Best Kept Secret. It will help you understand this biblical approach to evangelism: http://www.livingwaters.com/learn/hellsbestkeptsecret.htm) If an abortive mom is impenitent, let her know that because of the instruction of God & the dictates of your own conscience, you are going to remove the comfort of your friendship. Just as you would (I hope) no longer be friends with someone who was sleeping with someone else's husband or someone who had raped a little girl, break off your friendship until the guilty mother shows signs of true remorse for the slaughter of her child. There is no need to be mean or cruel in the manner in which you carry out this command from God. You can & you must do this in LOVE. Our greatest desire is for the woman to repent & for her to run to Jesus for He is the only source of grace that saves, forgives & heals of sin. And may God use your biblical response &, by the work of His Holy Spirit, bring the woman to reconcilition in Jesus Christ.
To reiterate: Don't be afraid to address child-murder as sin. We are finding that many with women are murdering more than two of their infants --- soon America will be like the Soviet Union, where women average 6-9 abortions. Don't rely on your feelings, for feelings can & often are, deceiving. Be biblical. Perhaps God will use our obedience to bring about a spiritual awakeningthrough fear of the Lord & a proper stigmatization of human sacrifice.
I hope this helps you to understand why we do not refer mothers who have killed their babies to post-abortive ministries for support. The devil has made light of abortion and is licking his lips with the blood of 1.3 million little innocents in our nation every year. The world & the flesh & the visible church has by & large tolerated and sympathized with the devil. Enough is enough.
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
PS You may want to do a bible study on the testimony of two of three witnesses to help to solidify your understanding of the sin of murder(including abortion) & how we are to respond biblically. You might begin at Deuteronomy 17:6 (http://bible.cc/deuteronomy/17-6.htm) & proceed from there. This biblical teaching is also another reason why we go to the killing places. After all, in Acts 1:18 Jesus said: "You shall be My witnesses." (cf Is 43:10) Amen? Amen!
Monday, July 06, 2009
Abortive Women: Are they Victims? What does the Bible Say?
'Victim' is not a very biblical word. It's commonly used to describe an aborting mother or a woman who has already killed her baby (or babies) by abortion. But, is calling a person who has shed innocent blood a 'victim' a biblical concept?
Do a word search for the word 'victim' in the bible. (I like www.blueletterbible.com) You might be surpised.
The word 'victim' doesn't occur even once in the King James. I found it 4 times in the New King James. Twice in the NIV. Once in the ESV. The New Living Translation has 'victim' used 13 times. Check it out for yourself. While it is popular in the pro-life community to refer to women who murder their babies by abortion as 'victims', you will no precident for the guilty person as a 'victim' in scripture. The Bible reveals to us that God has a special affinity & loving concern for the children, especially orphans, & for the widow (only those who are a 'widow indeed' I Timothy 5:5). There is an emphasis in the scripture on not neglecting but being generous & providing for the poor & needy. We can see that the Lord is angry with those who take advantage of the less fortunate & rob them. Interestingly, there are warnings against immoral women (harlots, prostitutes) who prey on weak, lustful men in order to take them down into the pit. Proverbs 23:28 of the NKJV describes immoral women this way; "She also lies in wait as for a victim, And increases the unfaithful among men." Matthew Henry notes: 'One adulteress may be the ruin of many a precious soul and may help to debauch a whole town.'
The Bible shows us that human beings have the God-given ability to make choices that are morally right or morally wrong. (Romans 1:18-32) We know when we are doing evil & we know when we are doing good in the sight of God & man. That's the function of the the gift of the conscience (which literally means: 'with knowlege'). This truth is known as the biblical doctrine of general revelation (http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/packer/04guilt.html) & coincides with common grace (http://www.ldolphin.org/common.html). All aborting & post-abortive women (as well as the babies in their womb) are created by God, in His image, and for His glory. They have inherent value & inherent accountability to their Creator. According to the Bible God holds every human being (*note: WOMEN ARE PEOPLE) morally accountable & responsible for their thoughts, words & actions before God. The impartation, affirmation & confirmation of this knowlege is the divinely ordained basis for moral excellence and responsibility. (It is also the way that the Lord communicates the guilty knowlege of our inherent need for remission of guilt.)
As Christians we are commanded to humbly exhort others to follow God's perfect standards, as revealed in His Word. While we cannot trust man's standards, we can & should trust God's standards because He is the Creator and ultimate Judge of all the earth & He is the Source of all universal moral absolutes.
When someone is entangled in sin, as an aborting & post-abortive woman is, we are commanded to restore her in a spirit of gentleness and humility (Galatians 6:1-5). This is the biblical definition of imparting the truth in love. (Eph 4:15) Devotion to truth is a necessary, noble Christian characteristic. Holy love & godly truth go hand in hand. (I John 3:18; II Jo 1:1; III Jo 1:1) Truth of God as revealed in the scriptures is to be our motivator as well as our plumbline & guide. Knowing that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10-18,23), we minister in humility & love in hopes of seeing the Spirit of God bring those who are in sin to genuine repentance & faith that they be reconciled unto God through Christ. If we share biblical truth with mercy and compassion we fulfill the royal law. James 2:8 says: "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well" If you refer to an aborting or post-abortive woman as a 'victim' you falsely represent to her that she somehow excused or justified for murdering her baby. Thinking of herself as a 'victim' of others or circumstance prompts her to re-double her trust in her own deceitful heart (her flesh/carnal nature) & agree with the world & the devil, which all work together to dismiss the Law of God. That's exactly how she has gotten pregnant (if she is unmarried) & is considering or has murdered a child (or children) in the first place! And, believe me, each year we hear thousands of aborting women we meet at the abortuary (many of them professing to be Christians!) defend their pre-meditated murder of their baby by telling us that it is their 'situation' which is the 'reason' they 'have to' slay their infant. So, when you call them a 'victim' you are reinforcing the lie they have already told themselves.
Dear friends, we cannot compromise God's revealed standards; they are not ours to compromise. We should not expect God to bless our labors for His glory when we refuse to do His work, His way. (As an aside, remember, we are not looking to please others or for credit from anyone for our labors in the Lord. When we use 'our words' or the recommended counseling technique taught by so & so & endorsed by such & such, the CREDIT goes to US & teachers of the philosophy. The CREDIT goes to Him when we use His own Word!) There is no other way to do God's work but by humility, knowing that we are under the same moral Law as the abortion-vulnerable or post-abortive woman. We are all under the dominion & staggering influence of the law of sin & death which is in our members. It's no secret! We are all personally guilty of sinning against the enlightenment of the conscience (trangressing God's law is the definition of sin) & we all need to savingly repent! Everyone of us, without exception, must come to Christ His way, the way of repentance, faith & the practice of holiness, which are all gifts of His grace. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14) We share the truth as it is in Jesus or the purpose of sharing the gospel "... in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:7-9) None of us has anything to boast about, but we cannot, we MUST not, in the name of 'niceness' or under pressure to conform ourselves to humanism's therapeutic 'correctness' gospel, change the eternal message of salvation! Revelation 22:18 speaks of a warning against adding anything to the message of the Bible. We must not add or shorten or obfuscate or distort the essential truths & doctrines, or we become guilty of suppressing the truth of unrighteousness (Rom 1:18) & be accursed. Woe unto those who compromise & doctrine & truth of scripture. Using a word like 'victim' leads aborting women & post-abortive women to think more highly of themselves than they ought or to presume upon the grace of Jesus Christ. (This is very common in the modern church & is a result of a false & heretical understanding of Christianity called 'universalism'. http://www.carm.org/religious-movements/universalism/universalism)
Only genuine saving faith (which is repenting faith) in the person & work of Jesus Christ can satisfy divine justice for the sin of murder & every other sin.
Aborting women & post-abortive women kill their babies because they are guilty, selfish sinners. (We are not speaking of the exceptions of mentally & physically disabled or incapacitated women or young girls who are literally under the dominion of a parent or parents who bring about the murder of the child.) We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. (http://www.letusreason.org/Biblexp120.htm)
We, including abortive women, are born with a sinful nature, and we therefore respond sinfully to our circumstances. These are facts that are firmly established in the testimony of holy writ. Jesus unequivocally declared this reality in Mark 7:21. (Please permit that I have changed the gender for obvious reasons) "For from within, out of women's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery ..." The Savior does not say that women have evil thoughts, are sexually immoral and murder because they are 'victims' of others & didn't know any better. While we do see that women have a propensity for being deceived since in the garden (that is a WHOLE other topic & VERY INTERESTING, see II Timothy 3:6 * ), they are nonetheless held acountable for their sin. There is nothing in all of scripture that gives the impression that anyone is basically good. On the contrary, there is none that are naturally good or naturally do only good. (See Rom 3:12 & Jesus in Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18 & Luke 18:19). The testimony of God's Word is clear: Every single person has a fallen nature & a corrupt sinful heart & they must take responsibility for their own guilty knowlege of having violated God's law when they trangress in thought, word & deed. No exceptions. Everyone needs a Savior from sin (not mistakes, or poor decisions, & not even from their victimhood) Sin is what aborting & post-abortive women must be forgiven & cleansed & healed of. The penalty of sin (hell) & the power of sin (indwelling tendency to idolatry & rebellion against God) must be paid (atoned for & remitted) & broken by Jesus Christ. Salvation is of the Lord, by His Holy Spirit. Salvation of aborting & post-abortive mothers is not by counseling, nor even by church, nor by the mere reformation of behavior. The sinner's prayer cannot save a guilty mom. Regeneration is not by the decision of the woman, it is by decision of God in Christ. Nobody is allowed to change the way a guilty woman is saved & no one is allowed to promise her 'healing' from her wretched sin & the sins of those who have sinned against her, except by the gracious, efficacious work of the Holy Spirt through the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Over the past few decades I have read all manner of pro-life & post-abortion, purportedly 'Christian' , materials & websites & tracts which lead women to believe that if they have murdered a baby (or two, or 22) they are 'victims'. It is as if they honestly believe that when a mother murders she sins only against herself. While I understand what they are trying to communicate, this is a gross misrepresentation. The scripture; "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is the way of death" (Pr 14:12; 16:25) always comes to mind. 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions' also comes to mind. When we sin it is not primarily against ourselves, it is against God. Of course, with murdering a baby by abortion, it is also against the innocent child, the real 'victim' of the mother's calculated domestic violence. The propogation of the term 'victim' with regards to abortive women is a blatantly false bastardization (or shall I say feminization?) of Christianity, which is no Christianity at all. As followers of Christ godly women must not flatter & deceive aborting & post-abortive women by giving them man-made/woman-centered lies about her being a 'victim', but faithfully taught the truth, lest the Word of God be blasphemed. (Titus 2:1-5 instructs us to teach good things, such as sound doctrine, admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.) Remember that "She who rebukes a woman will find more favor afterward than she who flatters with the tongue." (Pr 28:23, gender adapted). Christians must be faithful to give the abortive woman the moral law of God, which forbids fornication (flee fornication, no fornicator has any inheritance in the kingdom of heaven,etc) & murder (You shall not murder, all murderers have their place in the lake which burns with fire & brimstone, etc) Telling the truth with scriptures is, according to God, the most loving thing we can do! "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." (Pr 27:6) Aborting & post-abortive women must be taught the law of sowing & reaping. "Those who plow iniquity, And sow trouble, reap the same." Job 4:8, "They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind." Hosea 8:7, She who sows to the flesh & murders her baby will reap corruption. Look at this powerful prophetic warning in Proverbs 28:17 to aborting women. (Again, I have changed the gender for obvious reasons) "A woman burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit; Let no one help her." (Hence why Post-Abortion Help/Support is UN-biblical: http://sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com/2006/09/why-post-abortion-support-is.html) The immoral woman who lives for her own pleasure is said to be 'dead while she lives' in I Timothy 5:6. However, the woman who sows a life of holiness is rewarded: "Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy" Hosea 10:12 The abortion-involved woman does not need a self-help program, she needs a Savior.
Jesus alone has the Words of Life. (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=233286745144) Don't use seductive reasoning, vain philosophy & worldly wisdom when speaking to or writing about aborting women. Don't sacrifice the truth of God to perpetuate a lie. If you use unbiblical words like 'victim', you do so to the detriment of your hearers & to your own spiritual peril. It's a slippery slope. Please, take 'victim' out of your vocabulary. (Unless you are willing to properly assign that status to the person to whom it rightfully belongs: the abortion-imperiled or aborted baby.) Isaiah 61:8 promises of how God is faithful to lead us in truth: "I will direct their work in truth" Share the Word of LIFE!
Hell's Best Kept Secret
http://www.livingwaters.com/learn/hellsbestkeptsecret.htm
True & False Conversion
http://www.livingwaters.com/learn/trueandfalse.htm
What things does the Bible teach Christian women to speak to ungodly & godly women?
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=225776425144
Our Post-Abortion Tract: Killing a Baby By Abortion is a Serious Sin
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=217872215144
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Are you redeeming the time?
John turned 60 today. He is the first man in his family to make it past 55 years of age. We have the privilege of sowing gospel seeds at the Orlando Women's Center killing place for many years. John holds a sign that personally designed and had printed. It says 'Trust God'. As I wrote birthday blessings to our friend and co-laborer, I searched the scriptures for a way to bless John's day. I began to think of how the Holy Spirit reminds us: "Only one life twill soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last."
I believe, and I am not alone, that our nation and the visible church, is at a pivotal point before the Lord God of the universe. America has been in grave moral and spiritual decline for decades, with false prophets of self-indulgence comforting sinners in the way of depravity. Universalism is rampant. Degrees of sin and degrees of punishment is rejected. Worldliness abounds. Total depravity is denied. It has become a popular strategy in churches and ministries (including pro-life ministries) to purposely avoid biblical language, especially the Law of God. Repentance is glossed over. Holiness and real gospel evangelism are the exception rather than the rule in the church. It is in this spiritual wasteland that the blood of over 50 million infants cries out from the ground for justice. These children are slain, through all nine months of pregnancy, in the shadow of churches that call themselves Christian. The precious little boys and girls are as much a gift, and as dear to God, as our own sons and daughters. They should be considered valued and protected as if they WERE our precious children, especially as they are emotionally-orphaned and rejected by their aborting parents. Each baby who is dismembered alive or delivered into a toilet is created in the image and likeness of the Lord. The Bible teaches us that every child is a personal gift of His kindness, a reward, an inheritance, to their mothers and fathers (Ps 127:3; Genesis 33:5), but they were also given to to us, the community of faith who are their neighbors. How can it be that Christians would stand by as innocents are led to slaughter? How is it that people who say they are following Jesus Christ live lives that are so far from His example of patient continuance in preaching the gospel and doing good? While the devil works in unholy alliance with the evil heart of flesh in lost mothers and the world. Sadly this genocidal agenda is perpetuated in the worldly church, which promotes tolerance to the point of depraved indifference to the suffering of little babies. Abortion has become Satan's weapon of mass destruction and vast numbers of our nation's professing 'christians' (including pastors!) voted Barak Obama as president to see that the slaughter of innocents continues here and is promoted abroad. It's a disgrace!
It is my prayer that the conscription of grace and duty to rescue the perishing that came when you were born-again by the imperishable seed of the Word of God would be renewed in your soul. It is my earnest desire that you might recognize the signs of the times and redeem the time you left left ... for your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors, the babies, but most of all, in response to the glorious call of Jesus Christ upon your life to love Him with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself ... the way the Master showed you. Christ died for us, shall we not live for Him? I hope that you are called and impassioned to step lively to visit the orphans in their affliction by the following biblical study of 'Redeeming the time'.
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16
Geneva Study Bible: This is a metaphor taken from the merchants: who prefer the least profit that may be before any of their pleasures. Using every opportunity; buying them by giving up present enjoyment. The times are troublesome and severe.
With all possible care redeeming the time -
Saving all you can for the best purposes; buying every possible moment out of the hands of sin and Satan; out of the hands of sloth, ease, pleasure, worldly business; the more diligently,
because the present are evil days, days of the grossest ignorance, immorality, and profaneness.
~ John Wesley
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary:
16. Redeeming the time-(Col 4:5). Greek, "Buying up for yourselves the seasonable time" (whenever it occurs) of good to yourselves and to others. Buying off from the vanities of "them that are without" (Col 4:5), and of the "unwise" (here in Ephesians), the opportune time afforded to you for the work of God. In a narrower sense, special favorable seasons for good, occasionally presenting themselves, are referred to, of which believers ought diligently to avail themselves. This constitutes true "wisdom" (Eph 5:15). In a larger sense, the whole season from the time that one is spiritually awakened, is to be "redeemed" from vanity for God (compare 2Co 6:2; 1Pe 4:2-4). "Redeem" implies the preciousness of the opportune season, a jewel to be bought at any price. Wahl explains, "Redeeming for yourselves (that is, availing yourselves of) the opportunity (offered you of acting aright), and commanding the time as a master does his servant." Tittmann, "Watch the time, and make it your own so as to control it; as merchants look out for opportunities, and accurately choose out the best goods; serve not the time, but command it, and it shall do what you approve." So Pindar [Pythia, 4.509], "The time followed him as his servant, and was not as a runaway slave."
because the days are evil-The days of life in general are so exposed to evil, as to make it necessary to make the most of the seasonable opportunity so long as it lasts (Eph 6:13; Ge 47:9; Ps 49:5; Ec 11:2; 12:1; Joh 12:35). Besides, there are many special evil days (in persecution, sickness, &c.) when the Christian is laid by in silence; therefore he needs the more to improve the seasonable times afforded to him (Am 5:13), which Paul perhaps alludes to.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:
Another remedy against sin, is care, or caution, it being impossible else to maintain purity of heart and life. Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design. If we have lost our time heretofore, we must double our diligence for the future. Of that time which thousands on a dying bed would gladly redeem at the price of the whole world, how little do men think, and to what trifles they daily sacrifice it! People are very apt to complain of bad times; it were well if that stirred them more to redeem time. Be not unwise. Ignorance of our duty, and neglect of our souls, show the greatest folly ... by fervent prayer let us seek to be filled with the Spirit, and to avoid whatever may grieve our gracious Comforter. ..God keeps believers from sinning against Him ... to promote His glory, and to fulfil their duties ...
Only One Life
By Charles Thomas Studd, Missionary to China, India, and Africa
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life's busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,' twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say 'twas worth it all”;
Only one life,' twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
May Jesus be pleased to give you many more years of fruitful, Christ-glorifying life to live pure religion and undefiled and visit the imperiled infants (James 1:27) while we still have time.
Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.
Proverbs 24:11
Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 82:4
Feel free to contact me for ways that you can become a soul-winner outside an abortuary where you live. By the strength and power of His grace, let us promote the glory of Christ and defend the lives and the good of our neighbors ...
Together for Life & Eternity,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
Biblical Words for Aborting Women
I wanted to share our revised ministry tract with you. This is very close to what the Lord has led us to share when we meet abortion-bound mothers as they arrive to murder their infants at the killing place.
--------------------------
Before Abortion …
Dear abortion-bound Mother,
Did you know that you were known by God even before you were born? It’s true! The Bible tells us that you are made in the image and likeness of God. Your baby, too, is a unique human being, personally created by God. The child in your womb is not a mistake or an accident. And, dear mother, your infant is not a choice. Your little boy or girl’s conception is not untimely, because, you see, God’s timing is always perfect.
Did you know that the Bible teaches that your baby is a gift from God to you. That’s right! Psalm 127 declares; “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” No matter what the circumstances of your pregnancy, you have been chosen by God to carry this unique little human being!
God says; ‘You shall not murder’ your baby. (Exodus 20:13)
Your baby’s heart began to beat at 3 ½ weeks gestation. She is alive! Abortion is a violent attack against your helpless little baby. (Go to: http://abort73.com/HTML/I-A-3-techniques.html) We want you to understand that God requires you to protect your baby from harm. The Bible says that the commandments of God are written on your heart.
Your conscience tells you it is wrong to murder your little one. Your maternal (motherly) instinct should give you a protective physiological bond with your infant. We have been sent by God to reinforce your God-given instinct to love and protect your baby. That’s why we have given you this tract. To confirm the voice of your conscience and maternal instinct. Listen as God speaks: ‘Do not shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 7:6)
God says that abortion is not a ‘choice’, it is a sin. Sin is when we violate God’s moral law, His commandments. The Bible explains that the wages (the punishment) of sin is death. Did you know that God has appointed a day that you and I will be judged for our sins? That day is the day of our death. It’s true! (Hebrews 9:27) All sin is a serious matter, but some sins are more grievous to God than other sins. Having sex outside marriage is forbidden by God and is a serious sin. (It’s called ‘fornication’ in the Bible and it is never allowed.) The shedding of innocent blood (including by abortion) is a very serious sin. Revelation 21:8 declares; “all … murderers … shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone …” That means that people who commit murder are sent to hell by God at the judgment! The blood of aborted babies cries out for justice. Abortion is the sin of murder. You might not consider yourself an evil person but according to God’s standards (which are the most important of all) mothers (and fathers) who abort their babies are pre-meditated murderers.
So, where do you go from here? Make a firm resolution to obey God and turn away from every thought of the sin of abortion. “Unless you repent, you will all perish.” Jesus commands us to repent (confess and forsake our sin). Put your trust in the faithful One who gave this baby to you. God says “No” to abortion and His Word is the final authority. He has given you life and breath and everyone you hold dear. The Bible says that He upholds all things by the Word of His power. (Hebrews 1:3) We are indebted to God and we must fear and obey Him. You must turn away from your sin, put abortion out of your mind, and cry out the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Savior of sinners like you and me. By His perfect sinless life and the shedding of His blood upon the Cross, Jesus is the only substitute that God can and will accept other than your own punishment at death and banishment to hell. The Lord commands you to turn from your sin and flee the wrath to come. Humble yourself and entrust your life to Jesus Christ. We have come to help you obey God. It is an honor to love you in the Name of Jesus, the way others have loved us.
Loving support… Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is why we came to you. How can we love and help and support you? What is the biggest reason that you were considering abortion in the first place? Overcoming obstacles is something we do one day at a time. You are not alone. A Center for Women is a pregnancy care center that helps mothers like you. Go to: www.pregnancyorlando.com or call them at: 407-628-5433.
Adoption … if you do not want to raise the child that God has given you there is hope! You can choose a loving adoptive couple for your baby. Did you know that adoption is free for you? Go to: www.birthmother.com and read all about adoption. Did you know that you can personally choose a loving mommy and daddy for your baby? Look at profiles of couples who are hoping to adopt a baby just like yours by going to: www.parentprofiles.com In Orlando go to: www.lifeforkids.com or call 888-629-KIDS right now. Did you know that you can receive financial help with your living expenses and medical expenses while you are considering adoption?
We hope that God has used our little tract to help you turn from the sin of killing your baby. If you would like to allow us to be a friend (or find a friend) for you or if you just have questions, please e mail us at: forlifeandeternity@gmail.com or call Gina at 407.538-8918 Our prayer is that we have pointed you to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Author and Sustainer of all of our lives and to Whom we owe everything.
--------------------------
Before Abortion …
Dear abortion-bound Mother,
Did you know that you were known by God even before you were born? It’s true! The Bible tells us that you are made in the image and likeness of God. Your baby, too, is a unique human being, personally created by God. The child in your womb is not a mistake or an accident. And, dear mother, your infant is not a choice. Your little boy or girl’s conception is not untimely, because, you see, God’s timing is always perfect.
Did you know that the Bible teaches that your baby is a gift from God to you. That’s right! Psalm 127 declares; “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” No matter what the circumstances of your pregnancy, you have been chosen by God to carry this unique little human being!
God says; ‘You shall not murder’ your baby. (Exodus 20:13)
Your baby’s heart began to beat at 3 ½ weeks gestation. She is alive! Abortion is a violent attack against your helpless little baby. (Go to: http://abort73.com/HTML/I-A-3-techniques.html) We want you to understand that God requires you to protect your baby from harm. The Bible says that the commandments of God are written on your heart.
Your conscience tells you it is wrong to murder your little one. Your maternal (motherly) instinct should give you a protective physiological bond with your infant. We have been sent by God to reinforce your God-given instinct to love and protect your baby. That’s why we have given you this tract. To confirm the voice of your conscience and maternal instinct. Listen as God speaks: ‘Do not shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 7:6)
God says that abortion is not a ‘choice’, it is a sin. Sin is when we violate God’s moral law, His commandments. The Bible explains that the wages (the punishment) of sin is death. Did you know that God has appointed a day that you and I will be judged for our sins? That day is the day of our death. It’s true! (Hebrews 9:27) All sin is a serious matter, but some sins are more grievous to God than other sins. Having sex outside marriage is forbidden by God and is a serious sin. (It’s called ‘fornication’ in the Bible and it is never allowed.) The shedding of innocent blood (including by abortion) is a very serious sin. Revelation 21:8 declares; “all … murderers … shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone …” That means that people who commit murder are sent to hell by God at the judgment! The blood of aborted babies cries out for justice. Abortion is the sin of murder. You might not consider yourself an evil person but according to God’s standards (which are the most important of all) mothers (and fathers) who abort their babies are pre-meditated murderers.
So, where do you go from here? Make a firm resolution to obey God and turn away from every thought of the sin of abortion. “Unless you repent, you will all perish.” Jesus commands us to repent (confess and forsake our sin). Put your trust in the faithful One who gave this baby to you. God says “No” to abortion and His Word is the final authority. He has given you life and breath and everyone you hold dear. The Bible says that He upholds all things by the Word of His power. (Hebrews 1:3) We are indebted to God and we must fear and obey Him. You must turn away from your sin, put abortion out of your mind, and cry out the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Savior of sinners like you and me. By His perfect sinless life and the shedding of His blood upon the Cross, Jesus is the only substitute that God can and will accept other than your own punishment at death and banishment to hell. The Lord commands you to turn from your sin and flee the wrath to come. Humble yourself and entrust your life to Jesus Christ. We have come to help you obey God. It is an honor to love you in the Name of Jesus, the way others have loved us.
Loving support… Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is why we came to you. How can we love and help and support you? What is the biggest reason that you were considering abortion in the first place? Overcoming obstacles is something we do one day at a time. You are not alone. A Center for Women is a pregnancy care center that helps mothers like you. Go to: www.pregnancyorlando.com or call them at: 407-628-5433.
Adoption … if you do not want to raise the child that God has given you there is hope! You can choose a loving adoptive couple for your baby. Did you know that adoption is free for you? Go to: www.birthmother.com and read all about adoption. Did you know that you can personally choose a loving mommy and daddy for your baby? Look at profiles of couples who are hoping to adopt a baby just like yours by going to: www.parentprofiles.com In Orlando go to: www.lifeforkids.com or call 888-629-KIDS right now. Did you know that you can receive financial help with your living expenses and medical expenses while you are considering adoption?
We hope that God has used our little tract to help you turn from the sin of killing your baby. If you would like to allow us to be a friend (or find a friend) for you or if you just have questions, please e mail us at: forlifeandeternity@gmail.com or call Gina at 407.538-8918 Our prayer is that we have pointed you to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Author and Sustainer of all of our lives and to Whom we owe everything.
Our Post Abortion Tract: Killing a Baby By Abortion is a Serious Sin
This is our post-abortion tract. We place it inside all of our pre-abortion packets because;
a) most of the women we meet are dead-set on slaying their child & will do it in spite of our offers of help
b) 1/2 the aborting women have already killed at least one baby
--------------------------------------
Killing a Baby By Abortion is a Serious Sin
You have not only sinned against the baby – but even worse – you have sinned against God! Although you knew His command: “You shall not murder” you defied Him. You willfully broke His Law. Be certain of this: All murderers have their place in the lake of fire.
Your child was unique and incredible and precious. The Bible clearly reveals that God is the One who created your baby. In fact, in Jeremiah 1:5 God says: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” There is no such thing as an unwanted child, only unwanting adults. You could have found wanting adults through a local adoption agency. You could have chosen a loving adoptive family to raise that baby. Instead you paid the abortionist to kill your own flesh and blood.
Let me ask you something: Who are you to be the judge and executioner of your infant? If you have a normal functioning conscience, you know that you are guilty of a terrible, evil deed. You should be ashamed of yourself. Your conscience should be accusing and convicting you of the murder of your infant. If you do not have a guilty conscience, be afraid. It is a sign that your conscience is seared – a very dangerous condition.
You must repent.
Do not make excuses and justifications for your sin. Just because abortion is legal, doesn’t make it right. Slavery and lynching of blacks was once legal - but was it right? Slaughtering Jews was once legal – was it ever right?
You may have sinned by fornication in conceiving this child outside marriage in the first place. When do two wrongs make a right? Sexual immorality is a sin against God. Why did you add to this lawlessness and rebellion by murdering the tiny baby?
If you say you aborted because you have money issues, face it, you paid for abortion while adoption would have been free for you.
You may have been a victim of rape or incest. What that wretched man did to you was wrong. You became his victim, but, dear reader, he stopped short of killing you. He left you alive. You didn’t stop. You murdered your victim in cold blood. In the eyes of God that makes you worse than your rapist. You did not have to kill her. While it is understandable that you might not have the desire to raise your baby, a loving couple would have adopted your child and cherished your little boy or girl forever.
If you were offered help through your pregnancy by Christians outside the abortuary, God sent them to you as His trustworthy friends. You should have accepted their sincere friendship. They were divine gifts to you and your baby.
The truth is you cannot make up for what you did to your baby. You cannot apologize to your child. Your dead son or daughter cannot forgive you. She was dismembered or delivered inside the abortuary. She was treated like medical waste and disposed of by strangers. So, your child is dead. It’s too late to make amends to your baby, but God is here. He is waiting.
You must repent.
What does it mean to repent?
Genuine repentance is more than simply “feeling sorry” for what you have been through. God requires more than asking Him to forgive you. In order for your repentance to be accepted you are commanded by God to:
• Acknowledge all of your horrible sins before God
• Beg for His mercy and forgiveness through the only One who can save you from eternal wrath and punishment, Jesus Christ.
• Turn from all of your wicked deeds and sin no more.
• Prove your repentance. Do everything in your power to prevent others from committing the sin of abortion against their innocent babies.
If you believe that you are prepared to truly repent, you are invited to plead for mercy and forgiveness before God’s throne by faith. This can only be accomplished if your eyes are open to the truth, which is a work of God in itself. Jesus is the only One who can forgive you. His forgiveness is based upon the Lord’s divine provision of Christ’s death as a substitute for your eternal punishment and death. If you are genuinely repentant you must trust the substitutionary punishment for guilty sinners that fell on the sinless sacrifice, Jesus Christ. There is no other way for a healthy conscience to have its guilt and sin removed. You must come God’s way, by repentance and faith in Christ’s pardoning and cleansing Blood as a token of true justice and righteous penalty for sin.
Your only hope is in Jesus Christ. Without Christ and His forgiveness you are doomed. Unless you repent you will perish in your sin. You will only be a fugitive from justice while you live. When you die, you will be judged guilty and condemned to hell for what you did to your baby and all the other ways that you transgressed God’s Laws.
Do not make excuses for committing murder by abortion. Do not defend yourself for what you did to your helpless baby and against God. Do not seek to make yourself “feel better”. Do not try to override your conscience. It is no use trying to forgive yourself. You have no authority to forgive sin and neither does anyone else except the One who gave you your baby--- God Himself. Do what God commands of you today. Do not delay. Your only hope is to repent and believe the gospel. Repent and bring forth good works that reveal your heart and soul’s true sorrow over your sin.
Ask the person who gave you this tract to give you a Gospel of John so that you can search the scriptures to see if these things be true. Read it every day and obey what you read. That same person can also help you find a way to help other women like yourself. Don’t wait any longer. Today counts for forever.
Murder: Exodus 20:13 Murderers: Revelation 21:8
Conscience John 8:9, Acts 24:16, seared; I Tim 4:2, Heb 10:22
Without excuse: Romans 1:20 John 15:22, Heb 10:22
Born Again: John 3:3, Acts 2:38; 17:30
Repent, repentance: Matt 3:2, Luke 13:3, 2 Tim 2:25, 2 Cor 7:10, 2 Pet 3:9, Acts 2:38
Gospel: Eph 1:13, Col 1:23
Too late for repentance: Heb 12:17
Sin no more: Proverbs 3:7
a) most of the women we meet are dead-set on slaying their child & will do it in spite of our offers of help
b) 1/2 the aborting women have already killed at least one baby
--------------------------------------
Killing a Baby By Abortion is a Serious Sin
You have not only sinned against the baby – but even worse – you have sinned against God! Although you knew His command: “You shall not murder” you defied Him. You willfully broke His Law. Be certain of this: All murderers have their place in the lake of fire.
Your child was unique and incredible and precious. The Bible clearly reveals that God is the One who created your baby. In fact, in Jeremiah 1:5 God says: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” There is no such thing as an unwanted child, only unwanting adults. You could have found wanting adults through a local adoption agency. You could have chosen a loving adoptive family to raise that baby. Instead you paid the abortionist to kill your own flesh and blood.
Let me ask you something: Who are you to be the judge and executioner of your infant? If you have a normal functioning conscience, you know that you are guilty of a terrible, evil deed. You should be ashamed of yourself. Your conscience should be accusing and convicting you of the murder of your infant. If you do not have a guilty conscience, be afraid. It is a sign that your conscience is seared – a very dangerous condition.
You must repent.
Do not make excuses and justifications for your sin. Just because abortion is legal, doesn’t make it right. Slavery and lynching of blacks was once legal - but was it right? Slaughtering Jews was once legal – was it ever right?
You may have sinned by fornication in conceiving this child outside marriage in the first place. When do two wrongs make a right? Sexual immorality is a sin against God. Why did you add to this lawlessness and rebellion by murdering the tiny baby?
If you say you aborted because you have money issues, face it, you paid for abortion while adoption would have been free for you.
You may have been a victim of rape or incest. What that wretched man did to you was wrong. You became his victim, but, dear reader, he stopped short of killing you. He left you alive. You didn’t stop. You murdered your victim in cold blood. In the eyes of God that makes you worse than your rapist. You did not have to kill her. While it is understandable that you might not have the desire to raise your baby, a loving couple would have adopted your child and cherished your little boy or girl forever.
If you were offered help through your pregnancy by Christians outside the abortuary, God sent them to you as His trustworthy friends. You should have accepted their sincere friendship. They were divine gifts to you and your baby.
The truth is you cannot make up for what you did to your baby. You cannot apologize to your child. Your dead son or daughter cannot forgive you. She was dismembered or delivered inside the abortuary. She was treated like medical waste and disposed of by strangers. So, your child is dead. It’s too late to make amends to your baby, but God is here. He is waiting.
You must repent.
What does it mean to repent?
Genuine repentance is more than simply “feeling sorry” for what you have been through. God requires more than asking Him to forgive you. In order for your repentance to be accepted you are commanded by God to:
• Acknowledge all of your horrible sins before God
• Beg for His mercy and forgiveness through the only One who can save you from eternal wrath and punishment, Jesus Christ.
• Turn from all of your wicked deeds and sin no more.
• Prove your repentance. Do everything in your power to prevent others from committing the sin of abortion against their innocent babies.
If you believe that you are prepared to truly repent, you are invited to plead for mercy and forgiveness before God’s throne by faith. This can only be accomplished if your eyes are open to the truth, which is a work of God in itself. Jesus is the only One who can forgive you. His forgiveness is based upon the Lord’s divine provision of Christ’s death as a substitute for your eternal punishment and death. If you are genuinely repentant you must trust the substitutionary punishment for guilty sinners that fell on the sinless sacrifice, Jesus Christ. There is no other way for a healthy conscience to have its guilt and sin removed. You must come God’s way, by repentance and faith in Christ’s pardoning and cleansing Blood as a token of true justice and righteous penalty for sin.
Your only hope is in Jesus Christ. Without Christ and His forgiveness you are doomed. Unless you repent you will perish in your sin. You will only be a fugitive from justice while you live. When you die, you will be judged guilty and condemned to hell for what you did to your baby and all the other ways that you transgressed God’s Laws.
Do not make excuses for committing murder by abortion. Do not defend yourself for what you did to your helpless baby and against God. Do not seek to make yourself “feel better”. Do not try to override your conscience. It is no use trying to forgive yourself. You have no authority to forgive sin and neither does anyone else except the One who gave you your baby--- God Himself. Do what God commands of you today. Do not delay. Your only hope is to repent and believe the gospel. Repent and bring forth good works that reveal your heart and soul’s true sorrow over your sin.
Ask the person who gave you this tract to give you a Gospel of John so that you can search the scriptures to see if these things be true. Read it every day and obey what you read. That same person can also help you find a way to help other women like yourself. Don’t wait any longer. Today counts for forever.
Murder: Exodus 20:13 Murderers: Revelation 21:8
Conscience John 8:9, Acts 24:16, seared; I Tim 4:2, Heb 10:22
Without excuse: Romans 1:20 John 15:22, Heb 10:22
Born Again: John 3:3, Acts 2:38; 17:30
Repent, repentance: Matt 3:2, Luke 13:3, 2 Tim 2:25, 2 Cor 7:10, 2 Pet 3:9, Acts 2:38
Gospel: Eph 1:13, Col 1:23
Too late for repentance: Heb 12:17
Sin no more: Proverbs 3:7
Is it a sin of omission to refuse to go your local abortion clinic to try & keep babies from slaughter?
I have often wondered how so many in the visible church, who profess to be pro-life, are able to justify NEVER having gone to an abortion clinic to attempt to intervene to save a baby from being dismembered or born alive into a toilet. If someone knew that their own child was going to be decapitated or deliberately drowned at a certain place & time, wouldn't it be considered depraved indifference to do nothing to intervene? If we discovered that our neighbor knew that a man planned to creep into our window and rape us and did nothing to warn us or to prevent our harm, what would we believe about that neighbor? Would it be sin for them to stand by? Isn't silence an implication of consent? If we knew that a little infant at a particular address was going to be offered up in a bloody ritual sacrifice to Satan at 9am on Saturday, would it be sin for us to go about our business and allow the abominable torture of that child?
If anyone honestly and truly believes that when a baby is murdered by abortion through all nine months of pregnancy that it is the murder of that wee human being, what exactly would stop them from physically trying to save the imperiled infants in their community? How is it loving our neighbor if we keep passing by on the other side of the road, bible tucked under our arm, hurrying on our way to another Christian retreat or conference or even a pro-life 'event'? How does our neglect of the innocents & their lost mothers show them that we love them as we love ourselves?
Although many people have accused me of caring too much about the babies being murdered by abortion, I have to wonder, don't they ever think that maybe, just maybe, they care too little?
I have taken the liberty to gather some thoughts & scriptures & commentaries on a few biblical themes that I believe come into play when we consider whether or not it is SIN to fail to physically intervene for the little orphans who are being murdered by their mothers and the ones whom she hires. Below you will find notes on the Sin of Omission, failing to meet the need of a neighbor who is known to be in dire distress, refusing to love strangers, etc. I would like to ask the reader to continually keep in mind that poor little voiceless babies are being led to unspeakably painful deaths seven days a week in NINE killing times at Orlando Women's Center (www.womenscenter.com). Think about the tiny neighbors in Central Florida (& wherever you live) who are scheduled to have their arms and legs ripped off their body and their heads crushed today and the next day and the next day and the day after that. For those of you in Orlando, as you read the following, think of all the children, like Baby Rowan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfnNzIzvT-k), who are being delivered alive into the toilet every Wednesday, beginning at 9am. Think of abortion as you read the biblical mandate to "Go" to rescue the perishing in Jesus' Name. And, please, ask the Savior to help you obey His great commission ...
For Life & Eternity,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
-------------
Sin of Omission
Zephaniah 1:12
Pictured as holding aloft a lamp as He walks, God searches through the city—Jerusalem, Zion—shining a light to reveal everyone to His judgment. No one escapes the judgment of God. Who is He looking for in particular? He looks for complacent men, like the Laodicean. Just as Hosea uses wine to illustrate the principle, Zephaniah also mentions wine though it is obscured in the translation: the words "settled in complacency" are literally "settled on their lees" like the dregs of wine (cf. the footnote on this verse, NKJV)!
Again, the prophet speaks of a prosperous people who had deluded themselves into believing that their physical wealth meant that they were equally rich spiritually. As the years passed, their relationship with God had diminished into lip service and complacency. When God describes them saying things "in their heart," He means a reasoning process that happens internally. A person could not see it with his eyes, but the attitude cannot be hidden from the Judge walking the city with the lamp of truth.
In today's parlance we call their problem "sins of omission." Like the Laodicean, the religious Jew of that day was not on the streets committing horrible crimes like murder or rape or armed robbery. These verses speak about the thousands and thousands of ordinary people who were stagnant and indifferent toward their relationship with God. Their problem was not what they did, but what they did not do.
Nor does God accuse the Laodicean of the more apparent sins in Revelation 3. He is angry with him because of what he is not doing! He is not a true and faithful witness, and indeed cannot be, because of his poor judgment in prioritizing his life. In focusing on his selfish pursuits and self-centeredness, he leaves God almost completely out of his life. Still, he bears the name of God, attends Sabbath services, and at least in a superficial way, worships God on the Sabbath. Yet the relationship is growing cold as he fails to seek Him earnestly as in courtship.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church and Laodiceanism
James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion . . . is . . . to visit orphans and widows in their troubles, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Notice what he puts first: Pure religion is helping those who are in need, showing your love to them, and then it is keeping oneself pure. Remember, the knowledge God gives us is predominantly and ultimately practical, useful, helpful, outgoing.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
It Takes a Church
...and one of you tells them, "Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily." If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do?
James 2:16
Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled. Express to the needy only kind wishes; that he be warmed by receiving good clothing and fed by food being provided.
What doth it profit? Such good wishes are worthless unless followed up by active help to the sufferer.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. The habit of receiving passively sentimental impressions from sights of woe without carrying them out into active habits only hardens the heart.
one of you-James brings home the case to his hearers individually.
Depart in peace-as if all their wants were satisfied by the mere words addressed to them. The same words in the mouth of Christ, whose faith they said they had, were accompanied by efficient deeds of love.
be . warmed-with clothing, instead of being as heretofore "naked" (Jas 2:15; Job 31:20).
filled-instead of being "destitute of food" (Mt 15:37).
what doth it profit-concluding with the same question as at the beginning, Jas 2:14. Just retribution: kind professions unaccompanied with corresponding acts, as they are of no "profit" to the needy object of them, so are of no profit to the professor himself. So faith consisting in mere profession is unacceptable to God, the object of faith, and profitless to the possessor.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:14-26 Those are wrong who put a mere notional belief of the gospel for the whole of evangelical religion, as many now do. No doubt, true faith alone, whereby men have part in Christ's righteousness, atonement, and grace, saves their souls; but it produces holy fruits, and is shown to be real by its effect on their works; while mere assent to any form of doctrine, or mere historical belief of any facts, wholly differs from this saving faith. A bare profession may gain the good opinion of pious people; and it may procure, in some cases, worldly good things; but what profit will it be, for any to gain the whole world, and to lose their souls? Can this faith save him? All things should be accounted profitable or unprofitable to us, as they tend to forward or hinder the salvation of our souls. This place of Scripture plainly shows that an opinion, or assent to the gospel, without works, is not faith ...Living to God, as it is the consequence of faith, which justifies and will save, obliges us to do nothing against him, but every thing for him and to him.
I John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Geneva Study Bible
{17} But whoso hath this {p} world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and {q} shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
(17) He reasons by comparisons: for if we are bound even to give our life for our neighbours, how much more are we bound to help our brothers' needs with our goods and substance?
(p) Wherewith this life is sustained.
(q) Opens not his heart to him, nor helps him willingly and cheerfully.
Wesley's Notes
...The very sight of want knocks at the door of the spectator's heart. And shutteth up - Whether asked or not. His bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him/ - Certainly not at all, however he may talk, 1Jo 3:18, of loving God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
...How is it possible that "the love of (that is, 'to') God dwelleth (Greek, 'abideth') in him?" Our superfluities should yield to the necessities; our comforts, and even our necessaries in some measure, should yield to the extreme wants of our brethren. "Faith gives Christ to me; love flowing from faith gives me to my neighbor."
Geneva Study Bible
{17} But whoso hath this {p} world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and {q} shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
(17) He reasons by comparisons: for if we are bound even to give our life for our neighbours, how much more are we bound to help our brothers' needs with our goods and substance?
(p) Wherewith this life is sustained.
(q) Opens not his heart to him, nor helps him willingly and cheerfully.
People's New Testament
3:17 But he who hath this world's goods, etc. If this be true, what shall be said of one who refuses to succor his suffering brother with all his goods?
Wesley's Notes
3:17 But whoso hath this world's good - Worldly substance, far less valuable than life. And seeth his brother have need - The very sight of want knocks at the door of the spectator's heart. And shutteth up - Whether asked or not. His bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him - Certainly not at all, however he may talk, 1Jo 3:18, of loving God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. this world's good-literally, "livelihood" or substance. If we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1Jo 3:16), how much more ought we not to withhold our substance?
seeth-not merely casually, but deliberately contemplates as a spectator; Greek, "beholds."
shutteth up his bowels of compassion-which had been momentarily opened by the spectacle of his brother's need. The "bowels" mean the heart, the seat of compassion.
how-How is it possible that "the love of (that is, 'to') God dwelleth (Greek, 'abideth') in him?" Our superfluities should yield to the necessities; our comforts, and even our necessaries in some measure, should yield to the extreme wants of our brethren. "Faith gives Christ to me; love flowing from faith gives me to my neighbor."
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
The Holy Spirit, grieved at selfishness, will leave the selfish heart without comfort, and full of darkness and terror. By what can it be known that a man has a true sense of the love of Christ for perishing sinners, or that the love of God has been planted in his heart by the Holy Spirit, if the love of the world and its good overcomes the feelings of compassion to a perishing brother? Every instance of this selfishness must weaken the evidences of a man's conversion; when habitual and allowed, it must decide against him. If conscience condemn us in known sin, or the neglect of known duty, God does so too. Let conscience therefore be well-informed, be heard, and diligently attended to.
"If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them.
Luke 6:32
Wesley's Notes
It is greatly observable, our Lord has so little regard for one of the highest instances of natural virtue, namely, the returning love for love, that he does not account it even to deserve thanks. For even sinners, saith he, do the same: men who do not regard God at all. Therefore he may do this, who has not taken one step in Christianity.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Matthew 5:46
Wesley's Notes
5:46 The publicans These were generally odious for their extortion and oppression, and were reckoned by the Jews as the very scum of the earth.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
The meaning, then, is, "In loving those who love you, there is no evidence of superior principle; the worst of men will do this: even a publican will go that length."
People's New Testament
5:46 Do not even the publicans the same? The tax collectors, the gatherers of the Roman tribute, were generally odious, and deemed the scum of the earth, but even they loved those who loved them.
Others salute their brethren, and embrace those of their own party, and way, and opinion, but we must not so confine our respect...Surely more is to be expected from the followers of Christ than from others; surely more will be found in them than in others. Let us beg of God to enable us to prove ourselves His children.
If anyone honestly and truly believes that when a baby is murdered by abortion through all nine months of pregnancy that it is the murder of that wee human being, what exactly would stop them from physically trying to save the imperiled infants in their community? How is it loving our neighbor if we keep passing by on the other side of the road, bible tucked under our arm, hurrying on our way to another Christian retreat or conference or even a pro-life 'event'? How does our neglect of the innocents & their lost mothers show them that we love them as we love ourselves?
Although many people have accused me of caring too much about the babies being murdered by abortion, I have to wonder, don't they ever think that maybe, just maybe, they care too little?
I have taken the liberty to gather some thoughts & scriptures & commentaries on a few biblical themes that I believe come into play when we consider whether or not it is SIN to fail to physically intervene for the little orphans who are being murdered by their mothers and the ones whom she hires. Below you will find notes on the Sin of Omission, failing to meet the need of a neighbor who is known to be in dire distress, refusing to love strangers, etc. I would like to ask the reader to continually keep in mind that poor little voiceless babies are being led to unspeakably painful deaths seven days a week in NINE killing times at Orlando Women's Center (www.womenscenter.com). Think about the tiny neighbors in Central Florida (& wherever you live) who are scheduled to have their arms and legs ripped off their body and their heads crushed today and the next day and the next day and the day after that. For those of you in Orlando, as you read the following, think of all the children, like Baby Rowan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfnNzIzvT-k), who are being delivered alive into the toilet every Wednesday, beginning at 9am. Think of abortion as you read the biblical mandate to "Go" to rescue the perishing in Jesus' Name. And, please, ask the Savior to help you obey His great commission ...
For Life & Eternity,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
-------------
Sin of Omission
Zephaniah 1:12
Pictured as holding aloft a lamp as He walks, God searches through the city—Jerusalem, Zion—shining a light to reveal everyone to His judgment. No one escapes the judgment of God. Who is He looking for in particular? He looks for complacent men, like the Laodicean. Just as Hosea uses wine to illustrate the principle, Zephaniah also mentions wine though it is obscured in the translation: the words "settled in complacency" are literally "settled on their lees" like the dregs of wine (cf. the footnote on this verse, NKJV)!
Again, the prophet speaks of a prosperous people who had deluded themselves into believing that their physical wealth meant that they were equally rich spiritually. As the years passed, their relationship with God had diminished into lip service and complacency. When God describes them saying things "in their heart," He means a reasoning process that happens internally. A person could not see it with his eyes, but the attitude cannot be hidden from the Judge walking the city with the lamp of truth.
In today's parlance we call their problem "sins of omission." Like the Laodicean, the religious Jew of that day was not on the streets committing horrible crimes like murder or rape or armed robbery. These verses speak about the thousands and thousands of ordinary people who were stagnant and indifferent toward their relationship with God. Their problem was not what they did, but what they did not do.
Nor does God accuse the Laodicean of the more apparent sins in Revelation 3. He is angry with him because of what he is not doing! He is not a true and faithful witness, and indeed cannot be, because of his poor judgment in prioritizing his life. In focusing on his selfish pursuits and self-centeredness, he leaves God almost completely out of his life. Still, he bears the name of God, attends Sabbath services, and at least in a superficial way, worships God on the Sabbath. Yet the relationship is growing cold as he fails to seek Him earnestly as in courtship.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church and Laodiceanism
James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion . . . is . . . to visit orphans and widows in their troubles, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Notice what he puts first: Pure religion is helping those who are in need, showing your love to them, and then it is keeping oneself pure. Remember, the knowledge God gives us is predominantly and ultimately practical, useful, helpful, outgoing.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
It Takes a Church
...and one of you tells them, "Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily." If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do?
James 2:16
Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled. Express to the needy only kind wishes; that he be warmed by receiving good clothing and fed by food being provided.
What doth it profit? Such good wishes are worthless unless followed up by active help to the sufferer.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. The habit of receiving passively sentimental impressions from sights of woe without carrying them out into active habits only hardens the heart.
one of you-James brings home the case to his hearers individually.
Depart in peace-as if all their wants were satisfied by the mere words addressed to them. The same words in the mouth of Christ, whose faith they said they had, were accompanied by efficient deeds of love.
be . warmed-with clothing, instead of being as heretofore "naked" (Jas 2:15; Job 31:20).
filled-instead of being "destitute of food" (Mt 15:37).
what doth it profit-concluding with the same question as at the beginning, Jas 2:14. Just retribution: kind professions unaccompanied with corresponding acts, as they are of no "profit" to the needy object of them, so are of no profit to the professor himself. So faith consisting in mere profession is unacceptable to God, the object of faith, and profitless to the possessor.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:14-26 Those are wrong who put a mere notional belief of the gospel for the whole of evangelical religion, as many now do. No doubt, true faith alone, whereby men have part in Christ's righteousness, atonement, and grace, saves their souls; but it produces holy fruits, and is shown to be real by its effect on their works; while mere assent to any form of doctrine, or mere historical belief of any facts, wholly differs from this saving faith. A bare profession may gain the good opinion of pious people; and it may procure, in some cases, worldly good things; but what profit will it be, for any to gain the whole world, and to lose their souls? Can this faith save him? All things should be accounted profitable or unprofitable to us, as they tend to forward or hinder the salvation of our souls. This place of Scripture plainly shows that an opinion, or assent to the gospel, without works, is not faith ...Living to God, as it is the consequence of faith, which justifies and will save, obliges us to do nothing against him, but every thing for him and to him.
I John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Geneva Study Bible
{17} But whoso hath this {p} world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and {q} shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
(17) He reasons by comparisons: for if we are bound even to give our life for our neighbours, how much more are we bound to help our brothers' needs with our goods and substance?
(p) Wherewith this life is sustained.
(q) Opens not his heart to him, nor helps him willingly and cheerfully.
Wesley's Notes
...The very sight of want knocks at the door of the spectator's heart. And shutteth up - Whether asked or not. His bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him/ - Certainly not at all, however he may talk, 1Jo 3:18, of loving God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
...How is it possible that "the love of (that is, 'to') God dwelleth (Greek, 'abideth') in him?" Our superfluities should yield to the necessities; our comforts, and even our necessaries in some measure, should yield to the extreme wants of our brethren. "Faith gives Christ to me; love flowing from faith gives me to my neighbor."
Geneva Study Bible
{17} But whoso hath this {p} world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and {q} shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
(17) He reasons by comparisons: for if we are bound even to give our life for our neighbours, how much more are we bound to help our brothers' needs with our goods and substance?
(p) Wherewith this life is sustained.
(q) Opens not his heart to him, nor helps him willingly and cheerfully.
People's New Testament
3:17 But he who hath this world's goods, etc. If this be true, what shall be said of one who refuses to succor his suffering brother with all his goods?
Wesley's Notes
3:17 But whoso hath this world's good - Worldly substance, far less valuable than life. And seeth his brother have need - The very sight of want knocks at the door of the spectator's heart. And shutteth up - Whether asked or not. His bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him - Certainly not at all, however he may talk, 1Jo 3:18, of loving God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. this world's good-literally, "livelihood" or substance. If we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1Jo 3:16), how much more ought we not to withhold our substance?
seeth-not merely casually, but deliberately contemplates as a spectator; Greek, "beholds."
shutteth up his bowels of compassion-which had been momentarily opened by the spectacle of his brother's need. The "bowels" mean the heart, the seat of compassion.
how-How is it possible that "the love of (that is, 'to') God dwelleth (Greek, 'abideth') in him?" Our superfluities should yield to the necessities; our comforts, and even our necessaries in some measure, should yield to the extreme wants of our brethren. "Faith gives Christ to me; love flowing from faith gives me to my neighbor."
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
The Holy Spirit, grieved at selfishness, will leave the selfish heart without comfort, and full of darkness and terror. By what can it be known that a man has a true sense of the love of Christ for perishing sinners, or that the love of God has been planted in his heart by the Holy Spirit, if the love of the world and its good overcomes the feelings of compassion to a perishing brother? Every instance of this selfishness must weaken the evidences of a man's conversion; when habitual and allowed, it must decide against him. If conscience condemn us in known sin, or the neglect of known duty, God does so too. Let conscience therefore be well-informed, be heard, and diligently attended to.
"If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them.
Luke 6:32
Wesley's Notes
It is greatly observable, our Lord has so little regard for one of the highest instances of natural virtue, namely, the returning love for love, that he does not account it even to deserve thanks. For even sinners, saith he, do the same: men who do not regard God at all. Therefore he may do this, who has not taken one step in Christianity.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Matthew 5:46
Wesley's Notes
5:46 The publicans These were generally odious for their extortion and oppression, and were reckoned by the Jews as the very scum of the earth.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
The meaning, then, is, "In loving those who love you, there is no evidence of superior principle; the worst of men will do this: even a publican will go that length."
People's New Testament
5:46 Do not even the publicans the same? The tax collectors, the gatherers of the Roman tribute, were generally odious, and deemed the scum of the earth, but even they loved those who loved them.
Others salute their brethren, and embrace those of their own party, and way, and opinion, but we must not so confine our respect...Surely more is to be expected from the followers of Christ than from others; surely more will be found in them than in others. Let us beg of God to enable us to prove ourselves His children.
“He pulls the body parts out & holds them up like trophies”
The Bible states in Deuteronomy 27:25 that there is a curse upon those who take a reward to slay an innocent person. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get paid dismember people while they are still alive? The Bible states that there is a curse upon those who take a reward to slay an innocent person. I recently had the opportunity to witness to a sonographer at an abortion clinic that kills babies up to 14 weeks gestation. 'Nellie' said that she had previously worked at a late term abortuary but “couldn’t take it because they do late abortions there” Nellie had done ultrasounds on women who were killing there babies but,“I just couldn’t deal with that, so I quit The babies are so big.”
I asked Nellie if she let the women who came for abortions see their babies on ultrasound. Nellie said; “Yes,we ask them if they want to see it.” I asked if many of the women wanted to see their babies & she said: “Yes, that’s what’s so upsetting. Most of them want to look at the ultrasound. They even want the pictures. Now, that is what bothers me. It is just sick. We don’t give pictures anyway but, I mean, they’re going to get rid of them & they want the pictures. Some of them are big babies. Fully formed. It’s just sickening.”
When I asked Nellie why she thought the aborting moms wanted the ultrasound photos of the babies they were aborting, she said: “Most of them just want to rub it in their boyfriend’s faces”.
Yesterday, I spoke to another woman named 'L' who worked at the same late term abortuary where Nellie had worked. L thinks that someone should do something about the illegal activities there. Although the state only allows the murder of babies up to 25 weeks of pregnancy, she saw the abortionist kill an infant at 30 weeks. L explained how the abortionist would "talk about what he was having for lunch while he was cutting up the babies" & “He pulls the body parts out & holds them up like trophies.” Arms, legs, heads. L saw one baby’s head with his eyes open. This image is burned into her brain. L cannot get it out of her mind & she cannot understand & wonders: “How can they just keep on doing this over & over?”
L says that the abortionist made sure that the babies that he was butchering illegally were not recorded as 3rd trimester in the mother's medical chart. She said: "He had no trouble falsifying medicals record & with Hippa (a serious medical confidentiality law) no one will ever know." L explained how at the end of every day:“He scours records to cover records that would incriminate him, to cover his tracks.” “He would go into the record of the 3rd tri babies & change the gestation to 24 weeks.” “He even went over the path notes to change them to reflect what he wanted them to reflect.”
I asked, “Were any of the babies born alive?” L answered: “Well, he cuts them up into pieces, so…”
L said that "Patients were regularly abused" When I asked what kind of abuse, she told me:“They (nurses & anesthesiologist) awakened the women from anesthesia by slapping them violently in the face”
The abortionist who kills the babies at that particular clinic is also a practicing obstetrician. L said: “It’s hard to fathom how this man delivers babies and also aborts them. It’s like he has no conscience.”
L reported that they did 8000 abortions a year & was very disturbed by the number of women having multiple abortions. “Of the 50 or so (aborting women) I would see in a day, 30 of them were repeats.” L was shocked to find out that even after being abused by the staff women kept coming back, noting;“They did 22 on one patient” That was a record number of abortions for one woman at that place.
I know that many of you are probably wondering: "How is it possible that this place cannot be shut down?" Tragically, although we keep hearing how much women regret their abortions, not much can be done about these illegal late-term abortions or the abuse because post-abortive women & the clinic workers are not willing to provide sworn testimony, medical records & evidence. We obviously need clinic workers & aborting women need to get their medical records from where they killed their babies & speak up & be willing to testify to the state attorney's office & the regulating bodies of their state.
Like all of the other women (with the exception of Tricia Marlena Feldman & Baby Rowan's mom) that I have met over the years who were willing to tell me what they experienced when they worked at a mill or killed their baby, L wants to expose the place & shut it down but insists on remaining anonymous. “I feel guilty. My conscience is bothering me. I have been praying. I don’t want to go to hell. I figure if I do what I can to expose this, that maybe this place will get shut down & at least I could feel good about that.” It is entirely understandable why L is hesitating to come forward with what she has seen & heard at this particular killing place. She is frightened:“I have seen what this guy does. I am afraid of what the guy would do to me & my family. He has no conscience. I am not sure what he would do but I am afraid. I mean, he kills those little babies & it doesn't seem to bother him at all. He is diabolical. I have a family. I am afraid that he would go after me & ruin my career that I worked very hard for.”
When I first spoke with L she said: 'Believe me, I am very, very familiar with what Christians believe & I have respect for that.” During our conversation I explained to L that although I very much appreciate that she is willing to expose the unfruitful deeds of darkness, she cannot get rid of her guilty conscience by doing good work. I explained that that Jesus said that “There is no one good but God” & that the Bible clearly teaches that there is “none righteous, no not one”. I told L that we are all given a conscience & that God has written His law upon our hearts. I said: "L, we all know "You shall not murder" (aborting moms & abortionists & everyone who works in the abortuaries) & we have to press past this obstacle to sin against God & against the babies. We don't have any excuse for murdering an innocent person or for standing by while a baby is slain." I spoke several times of the holocaust, pointing Lyn to the FACT that men & women are basically evil & that is why they are willing to dehumanize Jews & the pre-born & then slaughter them like pigs. I said: "That is also why they are willing to stand by as it happens by either justification or denial or apathy or hoping that if it is really true that someone else will do something about it." I explained to Lyn that “there is no remission (forgiveness) of sin without the shedding of blood”. That Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away sin. I told L that only by genuine repentance & faith in Christ can her real guilt, that of original sin from Adam & our own sin in thought, word & deed, be washed away & her conscience cleansed. I explained that there is no other way to be clean before God & men than the way that He has already provided.
I also told L that just like me with Pendergraft, there is no way that she is ‘safe’ from the abortionist apart from the protection of Almighty God. “Someone else could blow the whistle on him & he could think it was you & come after you.” I encouraged L to trust in God, who is all-powerful & to flee to Him, through repenting faith in Christ. L admitted “I am praying but I must not trust God because I am still afraid of what this guy might do.” I told L that if she was willing to go public, like on O’Reilly or something, that she could say out loud that she was afraid of ______, which it seems to me, would be MORE protection because he would be under judicial & public scrutiny. L admitted that might be true.
Won't you join me in praying for L's salvation? Pray that she would fear God more than man & would come to the knowlege of the One who is greater than the one who is in the world.
Pray also that we would be given the wisdom of God in how to proceed with the information that we have. It is all old news to me. I have heard the same kind stories about Orlando Women's Center for more than a decade. I have no confidence in the arm of flesh or the judicial system. Sadly, I also have no confidence in the church system. Our strength, our confidence, is in the Lord God of heaven & earth. Jesus Christ spoke the world & all human beings into existence with the Word of His power. The Lord upholds & sustains His world & His creatures by the power of His might. He rules His world with His sovereign hand. It is my humble opinion that this unwillingness by the church to provide a mass presence at killing places, day & night until the murder of infants ceases, is one of the reasons why over a millioin babies are dismembered & delivered alive into the toilets of parish abortion clinics. I honestly believe that it is the judgment of God upon our nation & her worldly visible church. As you know, judgement begins in the household of God, the covenant community who profess to know Christ.
Even though I struggle with righteous anger & despair over the genocidal injustice we witness every week at the killing place in Orlando & in the other cities where the Lord is leading my husband & I to minister, I cry out with my brother Job, who prayed:
"I know that You can do everything & that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted."
Won't you prayerfully consider how the Lord Jesus Christ might use YOU to visit the imperiled orphans in their affliction & offer their lost mothers your loving Christian witness at the killing places? We currently have plenty of opportunity for mission-minded Christians to labor in the field of blood & souls at Orlando Women's Center. We will train you to take your own day & time to witness & by God's grace, rescue the perishing, in Jesus' Name. For information on how to get started spend time with the Savior & then simply e mail us for some support & help at: forlifeandeternity@gmail.com If your church & the people in it are not already doing evangelism at a local killing place it would be our privilege to serve the Lord through the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.
Together for Life & Eternity,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
Christians go to the killing place with Jesus & have divine appointments
The following is an update I just received from Spring, one of our precious missionaries who co-labors with us at Orlando Women's Center abortuary (www.womenscenter.com) I have edited it for clarity & to protect the identity of the people Spring is writing about. Spring also took a photo of 'Paul' standing with her husband Steve, but I will not share that for obvious reasons. This is from today's missionary time.
~ Patte
Dear Patte,
What a morning.
Missionaries present: Allura, Rusty, Dilek, Rachel, her mom, me and my husband Steve & 1 Catholic prayer warrior. There were about 25-30 people total who arrived to abort their babies this am. I gave out 4 packets, but one girl returned it.
Paul stands out in my mind. He is a young man we met. Allura was the first of us to witness to him and his girlfriend, Dina. Dina was very obstinate about aborting, but Paul WANTS his baby. It seems Dina's having complications and may miscarry. We offered her the name of a wonderful high risk obstetrician, but Dina wouldn't take the info. Paul told her he refused to support her decision to and left the clinic because she would not turn away from aborting! Before he left, Steve and I went to him & shared our testimonies. Paul confessed that another girlfriend was pregnant with twins and aborted them. At his young age (early 20's) Paul had already 3 babies of his killed by their moms. We challenged Paul's sexual immorality and shared to Gospel with him. He confessed to bring unsure of God, but wants to do right in case there is a judgement! He appears to being wrought upon by the Holy Spirit & is open to the truth. We gave Paul "Are u good enough to go to heaven?" and the True Repentance tract. We encouraged Paul to read his Bible and find others that obey God's Word to disciple him. We prayed for him and he was thankful.
Another man wanted to debate the validity of Scripture to assuage his own conscience and try to excuse the bloodguilt. He was quite religiously prideful, but denied God's power. He was unrepentant, but received the Word! Christina was a young mom of 4 (including baby in womb). She talked with me through her tears, but refused my offers of help. She said she can't raise another baby and I told her she didn't have to! I explained adoption and adressed her conscience at work to prevent her from doing evil. She agreed, but it appeared that Christina would not turn from her plan to kill her child. (We always have hope that the moms we meet will change their mind, If not while we are there, then after we leave.) One mother who came with her daughter told Allura that she was once in her daughter shoes and if she chose abortion, her daughter Randy (aborting mom) would not be alive! She didn't want her grandchild aborted, but refused to remove her presence of support for her daughter as she killed her grandchild, stating "It's her choice." She was teary eyed, but no fear of the Lord : (
Those are the stories I know...Allura may have more. I thank God each person who arrived at Orlando Women's Center this morning was offered help and Truth.
To God be the Glory!
Spring
____________________
Ursula reported the following after ministering during the afternoon killing time, from 12:15-1:30:
Wednesday afternoon was hell!! Please have Nancy describe it. She came later, but she came,and I was so happy for the support. I almost got attacked. Nancy had a long conversation with one abortion-minded mom with a tubal pregnancy.We saw several coming out after the abortion. One was crying very hard, but this did not keep the waiting crowd from changing their minds.
Ursula
Nancy wrote:
Lots of moms and dad delivering their babies to certain death. Many hardened hearts. It is as if Obama has unleashed a whole underworld of evil. With the economy parents want to abort. The men and women are getting more outspoken and crude.
God is still in control but it definitely is a road less traveled…at least the road we counselors are walking.
Love,
Nancy
~ Patte
Dear Patte,
What a morning.
Missionaries present: Allura, Rusty, Dilek, Rachel, her mom, me and my husband Steve & 1 Catholic prayer warrior. There were about 25-30 people total who arrived to abort their babies this am. I gave out 4 packets, but one girl returned it.
Paul stands out in my mind. He is a young man we met. Allura was the first of us to witness to him and his girlfriend, Dina. Dina was very obstinate about aborting, but Paul WANTS his baby. It seems Dina's having complications and may miscarry. We offered her the name of a wonderful high risk obstetrician, but Dina wouldn't take the info. Paul told her he refused to support her decision to and left the clinic because she would not turn away from aborting! Before he left, Steve and I went to him & shared our testimonies. Paul confessed that another girlfriend was pregnant with twins and aborted them. At his young age (early 20's) Paul had already 3 babies of his killed by their moms. We challenged Paul's sexual immorality and shared to Gospel with him. He confessed to bring unsure of God, but wants to do right in case there is a judgement! He appears to being wrought upon by the Holy Spirit & is open to the truth. We gave Paul "Are u good enough to go to heaven?" and the True Repentance tract. We encouraged Paul to read his Bible and find others that obey God's Word to disciple him. We prayed for him and he was thankful.
Another man wanted to debate the validity of Scripture to assuage his own conscience and try to excuse the bloodguilt. He was quite religiously prideful, but denied God's power. He was unrepentant, but received the Word! Christina was a young mom of 4 (including baby in womb). She talked with me through her tears, but refused my offers of help. She said she can't raise another baby and I told her she didn't have to! I explained adoption and adressed her conscience at work to prevent her from doing evil. She agreed, but it appeared that Christina would not turn from her plan to kill her child. (We always have hope that the moms we meet will change their mind, If not while we are there, then after we leave.) One mother who came with her daughter told Allura that she was once in her daughter shoes and if she chose abortion, her daughter Randy (aborting mom) would not be alive! She didn't want her grandchild aborted, but refused to remove her presence of support for her daughter as she killed her grandchild, stating "It's her choice." She was teary eyed, but no fear of the Lord : (
Those are the stories I know...Allura may have more. I thank God each person who arrived at Orlando Women's Center this morning was offered help and Truth.
To God be the Glory!
Spring
____________________
Ursula reported the following after ministering during the afternoon killing time, from 12:15-1:30:
Wednesday afternoon was hell!! Please have Nancy describe it. She came later, but she came,and I was so happy for the support. I almost got attacked. Nancy had a long conversation with one abortion-minded mom with a tubal pregnancy.We saw several coming out after the abortion. One was crying very hard, but this did not keep the waiting crowd from changing their minds.
Ursula
Nancy wrote:
Lots of moms and dad delivering their babies to certain death. Many hardened hearts. It is as if Obama has unleashed a whole underworld of evil. With the economy parents want to abort. The men and women are getting more outspoken and crude.
God is still in control but it definitely is a road less traveled…at least the road we counselors are walking.
Love,
Nancy
What things does the Bible teach Christian women to speak to ungodly & godly women?
As a believer in Christ for nearly three decades I have the blessed privilege to disciple the precious godly women around me. As a missionary to lost abortion-bound mothers outside killing places for over 16 years, I have the honor of bringing the gospel of life & eternity to dozens of lost women every week. My greatest desire is to see that all of my children walk in the truth & I have that same desire for the ungodly & believing women around me. As an older woman in the Lord & a student of the scriptures I find some strikingly direct & plain-spoken directive for Christian women. I am delighted to bring you the Bible's answer to the question:
How are we women to conduct ourselves in the world & as we minister to the women around us?
Titus 2:1-5 tells us to;
"... speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine ... the older women ... (are to be) teachers of good things-admonish the young women to love their husband, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be blasphemed."
admonish: verb 1. to advise or urge seriously 2. to reprove mildly but firmly
Geneva Study Bible notes that admonish means: "bring them to their senses"
chaste: adj 1. virgin, celebate 2. not having sexual intercourse except with the person to whom one is married 3. simple in style, not ornate, provocative or immodest
The overriding concern of the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul is that the behavior & counsel of the godly woman is to reflect truth & faithfulness to the gospel of Christ. That we be found;
' ... holding fast the faithful Word ... that (s)he may be able, by sound doctrine, & to exhort & convict those who contradict.." Titus 1:9
exhort: verb to urge or advise earnestly
convict: verb to prove or declare a person guilty, as in bring under conviction
Our primary goal in life, in our family & in ministry to aborting women is not to promote the happiness or well-being or success of the woman (or ourselves) but that we would glorify Christ & the Word of His truth. Thanks be to God when we live in obedience to the revealed & prescribed will of the Lord we will reap the benefits & blessings of peace with God through Jesus Christ, 'For He Himself IS our peace' (Ephesians 2:14). By our refusal to suppress the truth in unrighteousness & our humble dependence on the grace of Jesus Christ & the 'acknowlegment of the truth which accords with godliness' we might enjoy the favor of Him who created & sustains us & the knowlege that we have done what God has commanded us to do.
Yes, we want to love the aborting mother & prevent the murder of her dear little baby. Inherent in our duty from the scriptures as godly women is to teach the mothers to "love their children". Obviously planning the slaughter of her child is the opposite of maternal love. It is murder from the heart. In the process of counseling we are never to compromise the truth to accomodate sin & the lie of a woman-centered counsel in the process. To do so denies the Lord & shows a flagrant disregard for both the earthly & eternal well-being of both mother and child. It is not speaking sound doctrine. May we never provide false comfort to a sexually immoral mother who is about to slay her infant by giving her murder as an 'option', when God explictly forbids it in His commandments, saying "You shall not murder". This commandment is written on her heart by God's own finger. It informs her God-given conscience. We must resist the temptation to obfusgate & diminish the seriousness of the sin of shedding innocent blood by offering her post-murder care. This amounts to blessing the murder of an poor little baby with the promise of foriveness & healing & equals the sin of presumption on the part of both those who gave her the material & the aborting mother herself. (We recently met an aborting mother who had a pregnancy test & counseling at a local crisis pregnancy center & carried post-abortion support material with her TO THE ABORTION CLINIC.) Providing support to a guilty murderer is prohibited in the Bible. (See Proverbs 28:17 & commentaries) It reveals depraved indifference to the imperiled victim; the little child, when we are to love the baby as we love ourselves. This is also a violation of the Sixth commandment's duty required as stated in the Question 68 & 69 of the Shorter Catechism
Q. 68. What is required in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
Q. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor, unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.
'For the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of (wo)men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.' Romans 1:18 &19
The Geneva Study Bible notes: "It is not that the truth is sought but cannot be found, but rather that, confronted with the truth (which is clearly see, vs 20) fallen humanity seeks to hinder & obstruct its influence, & is therefore 'without excuse' (vs 20). The 'excuse' in view is an appeal to ignorance."
This revelation of the nature of God's common grace in general revelation (http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/packer/04guilt.html)
applies to both the believer & unbeliever. It applies equally to the mother who is fornicating & murdering the child in her womb & those of us women who have the divine opportunity to minister to her.
Let it never be said of us who profess to follow the Lord Jesus that we hindered & obstructed the truth & it's influence in the name of 'ministry' or even of our 'religion' (which often leads us to believe that to 'make nice' is better than to share the truth as it is in Jesus). For if we do we become one of the ones who blaspheme the Word of God.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Sanctuary Ministries Update
Orlando Women's Center abortion clinic
(www.womenscenter.com)
Gospel Outreach
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
1pm abortion time
Missionaries: Allura, Nancy, SJ, Sarah, Naomi, Eric, Garrett, Taylor, Alex
Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!
Prov. 24:11
Alluring reporting:
Dear Friends,
We had a crew of young people ministering at OWC today! SJ, Sarah Morgan, Naomi, & I were blessed with the presence of 3 young men: Eric Garrett, Taylor Chew, and Alex Corbett! Several of us met at Einsteins at 11 to pray and seek God, and then headed to owc at 12. Nancy, our sweet Catholic friend, joined us too! Officer Wilson was the off-duty policeman, but he didn’t bother us at all! Praise the Lord!
There were quite a few women coming to kill their unborn babies, but one couple stands out in particular. Dimitri, (18) arrived with his pretty girlfriend, “Allie”, the mother of his 3 mth old daughter, Desireah. Before becoming pregnant with Desireah, Allie had aborted another baby at 5 months, and now she was pregnant again. (3 pregnancies & only 17 yrs old!) This sweet young couple listened politely as Eric and I pleaded with them to save the life of this baby. We discussed adoption but they weren’t interested. While Eric spoke to Dimitri, Allie kept shivering in the cold, and God directed me to get a jacket out of the car and wrap it around her shoulders. She seemed not to care, but I could tell she was grateful, and it allowed her to listen more intently as Eric graciously and lovingly took them both through the Law. At one point when he said that our sins must be punished by a holy God, Dimitri nodded, “The wages of sin is death…yep, I know that.” Allie quietly shared that Dimitri’s dad is a preacher. (We meet so many PKs at the abortion mill) I told Allie that this child (like the one she’d already killed, and her beautiful little Desireah) is a gift from God…just like she was a gift to her parents. But she shook her head sadly; it was obvious that this lost little girl doesn’t feel like a “gift” to anyone.
Dimitri listened as Eric read from Hebrews 3, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God”…and “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion”. Eric and I thought their hearts were softening, but then Allie turned away from us, took the jacket off and handed it to me, without looking back, and putting her arm through her boyfriend’s, said, “Come on; let’s go in”…but not before Eric and I saw the tears start streaming down her cheeks. We asked if we could pray for them, but she said no, and they walked into the killing place…to kill yet another child.
SJ and Sarah M. walked way down the street to talk to a woman who at first said she had 2 children at home and couldn’t raise another one…then later said she had 4 children at home and couldn’t raise another one. When I tried to talk to her, she wouldn’t say a word. Taylor, Alex, and Naomi all reached out to several people, but no one seemed to listen.
Please pray tomorrow (Wed) morning between 8:00 – 9:30 when Rusty Hein, Spring Mingey, and I plan to minister to late term and 1st trimester aborting women. If you’re able to join us, we could certainly use the help! I plan to be at owc this Saturday morning from 8:00 – 9:30, as well, if you are able to join us. This Easter weekend, may each of us be freshly aware of our Savior’s great sacrifice on the Cross, and may it fill us with great gratitude that the sinless One became sin so that we might enjoy Him forever. Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Hallelujah!
Just another pilgrim, A
PS If you have facebook, check out my pics of Wanda’s baby boy who was saved from abortion at owc, as well as pics of sidewalk counselors “Rescuing those being led away to death” (Prov. 24:11)
Join us for ...
Sanctuary Ministries Abortion Outreach
Orlando Women's Center
killing place
Monday
* 9am (ministry time 8:15-9:30
Presently NO Christians
Tuesday
12:30 (ministry time 11:45-1pm)
Wednesday
9am Late term killings (ministry time: 8:15-9:30am)
*1pm early killings (ministry time: 12:15-1:30am)
Need committed Christians
Thursday
* 9am (ministry time: 8:15-9:30am)
Presently NO Christians
Friday & Saturday
9am (ministry time: 8:15-9:30am & beyond)
Sunday
* 9:30am (ministry time: 8:45-10am)
Need committed Christians
Please note: Days and times are subject to change. We highly recommend that you RSVP if you plan on coming!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Why we don't say "God loves you!" to mothers who are murdering their babies
Why we don't say "God loves you!" to mothers who are murdering their babies
"The cliché, God hates the sin but love the sinner, is false on the face of it and should be abandoned.
Fourteen times in the first fifty Psalms alone, we are told that God hates the sinner, His wrath is on the liar, and so forth.
In the Bible, the wrath of God rests both on the sin (Romans 1:18ff) and on the sinner (John 3:36)."
-D.A. Carson
The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, Crossway
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who hold (or suppress) the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it to them.
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even His eternal power and Godhead;
so that they are without excuse ...
Romans 1:18, 19
Is revealed. Not only by the declarations of the Holy Scriptures, and his judgments, but by nature's teachings, and by the human conscience.
There is a measure of truth revealed to every man. See Ro 1:19. Many refuse to profit by the light they have, and love the darkness rather than the light.
All who do not live up to the knowledge they possess, who do worse than they know, hold the truth in unrighteousness.
They obstruct the truth, rather than let it have free scope.
People's New Testment
The wrath of God is revealed - Not only by frequent and signal interpositions of divine providence, but likewise in the sacred oracles,
and by us, His messengers.
~ Wesley
For the wrath of God - His holy displeasure and righteous vengeance against sin.
is revealed from heaven - in the consciences of men, and attested by innumerable outward evidences of a moral government...
Ro 1:18-32. This Wrath of God, Revealed against All Iniquity, Overhangs the Whole Heathen World...
....their stifling the light which still remained to them. As darkness overspreads the mind, so impotence takes possession of the heart, when the "still small voice" of conscience is first disregarded, next thwarted, and then systematically deadened. Thus "the truth" which God left with and in men, instead of having free scope and developing itself, as it otherwise would, was obstructed (compare Mt 6:22, 23; Eph 4:17, 18).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
...no man can plead that he has fulfilled all his obligations to God and to his neighbour; nor can any=2 0truly say that he has fully acted up to the light afforded him. The sinfulness of man is described as ungodliness against the laws of the first table [1st five commandments], and unrighteousness against those of the second [last five]. The cause of that sinfulness is holding the truth in unrighteousness. All, more or less, do what they know to be wrong, and omit what they know to be right, so that the plea of ignorance cannot be allowed from any. Our Creator's invisible power and Godhead are so clearly shown in the works He has made, that even idolaters ... are left without excuse. They foolishly followed idolatry; and rational creatures changed the worship of the glorious Creator, for that of brutes ....[mostly idolizing self] They wandered from God ...had not the revelation of the gospel prevented it. For whatever may be pretended, as to the sufficiency of man's reason to discover Divine truth and moral obligation, or to govern the practice aright, facts cannot be denied. And these plainly show that men have dishonoured God by the most absurd idolatries and superstitions;and have degraded themselves by the vilest affections and most abominable deeds.
~ Matthew Henry
And yet, there is hope in Christ through His gospel!
...remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded=2 0from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,
without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:12, 13
For those of us who have been saved by the grace of God & born again,
DO now have glorious hope that rests not on ourselves,
but in Christ, our Rock & our Salvation!
No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
Psalm 25:3
But woe unto those who turn not from sin, who trust not on Christ & who continue to be treacherous without excuse. These store up wrath against themselves for the Day of wrath.
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath,
when His righteous judgment will be revealed.
Romans 2:5
As we go out to the abortion mills may we remember that it is our solemn duty to warn the aborting mothers and fathers and their companions, who are under the just wrath of God for their evil scheme to murder the babies (as well as all of the other ways they have sinned against the Lord). We must speak to the clinic workers as well, not by assuring them that God loves them, but ...
by using the law of God lawfully.
But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill ... according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
I Timothy 1:9 &11
Beloved, it is as much the business of God’s minister to preach man’s duty, as it is to preach Christ’s atonement; and unless he doth preach man’s duty, he will never be blessed of God to bring man into the proper state to see the beauty of the atonement. Unless he sometimes thunders out the law, and claims for his Master the right of obedience to it, he will never be very likely to produce conviction—certainly, not that conviction which afterwards leads to conversion. This rough world sometimes needs to be rebuked, and if we can get at the ears of the people, it is our business to reprove them; and I think if ever there was a time when this text need to be enlarged upon, it is just now. It is so often forgotten, so seldom remembered,
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
... Whom am I to love? My neighbour. What am I to do? I am to love him. How am I to do it? I am to love him as myself.
~ Charles Spurgeon
Let us now go and show our love and concern for our neighbors, both mother and child, and speak to them not flattery, but the truth as it is in Jesus.
Together for Life & Eternity,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
www.abortionNO.org
"The cliché, God hates the sin but love the sinner, is false on the face of it and should be abandoned.
Fourteen times in the first fifty Psalms alone, we are told that God hates the sinner, His wrath is on the liar, and so forth.
In the Bible, the wrath of God rests both on the sin (Romans 1:18ff) and on the sinner (John 3:36)."
-D.A. Carson
The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, Crossway
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who hold (or suppress) the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it to them.
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even His eternal power and Godhead;
so that they are without excuse ...
Romans 1:18, 19
Is revealed. Not only by the declarations of the Holy Scriptures, and his judgments, but by nature's teachings, and by the human conscience.
There is a measure of truth revealed to every man. See Ro 1:19. Many refuse to profit by the light they have, and love the darkness rather than the light.
All who do not live up to the knowledge they possess, who do worse than they know, hold the truth in unrighteousness.
They obstruct the truth, rather than let it have free scope.
People's New Testment
The wrath of God is revealed - Not only by frequent and signal interpositions of divine providence, but likewise in the sacred oracles,
and by us, His messengers.
~ Wesley
For the wrath of God - His holy displeasure and righteous vengeance against sin.
is revealed from heaven - in the consciences of men, and attested by innumerable outward evidences of a moral government...
Ro 1:18-32. This Wrath of God, Revealed against All Iniquity, Overhangs the Whole Heathen World...
....their stifling the light which still remained to them. As darkness overspreads the mind, so impotence takes possession of the heart, when the "still small voice" of conscience is first disregarded, next thwarted, and then systematically deadened. Thus "the truth" which God left with and in men, instead of having free scope and developing itself, as it otherwise would, was obstructed (compare Mt 6:22, 23; Eph 4:17, 18).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
...no man can plead that he has fulfilled all his obligations to God and to his neighbour; nor can any=2 0truly say that he has fully acted up to the light afforded him. The sinfulness of man is described as ungodliness against the laws of the first table [1st five commandments], and unrighteousness against those of the second [last five]. The cause of that sinfulness is holding the truth in unrighteousness. All, more or less, do what they know to be wrong, and omit what they know to be right, so that the plea of ignorance cannot be allowed from any. Our Creator's invisible power and Godhead are so clearly shown in the works He has made, that even idolaters ... are left without excuse. They foolishly followed idolatry; and rational creatures changed the worship of the glorious Creator, for that of brutes ....[mostly idolizing self] They wandered from God ...had not the revelation of the gospel prevented it. For whatever may be pretended, as to the sufficiency of man's reason to discover Divine truth and moral obligation, or to govern the practice aright, facts cannot be denied. And these plainly show that men have dishonoured God by the most absurd idolatries and superstitions;and have degraded themselves by the vilest affections and most abominable deeds.
~ Matthew Henry
And yet, there is hope in Christ through His gospel!
...remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded=2 0from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,
without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:12, 13
For those of us who have been saved by the grace of God & born again,
DO now have glorious hope that rests not on ourselves,
but in Christ, our Rock & our Salvation!
No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
Psalm 25:3
But woe unto those who turn not from sin, who trust not on Christ & who continue to be treacherous without excuse. These store up wrath against themselves for the Day of wrath.
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath,
when His righteous judgment will be revealed.
Romans 2:5
As we go out to the abortion mills may we remember that it is our solemn duty to warn the aborting mothers and fathers and their companions, who are under the just wrath of God for their evil scheme to murder the babies (as well as all of the other ways they have sinned against the Lord). We must speak to the clinic workers as well, not by assuring them that God loves them, but ...
by using the law of God lawfully.
But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill ... according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
I Timothy 1:9 &11
Beloved, it is as much the business of God’s minister to preach man’s duty, as it is to preach Christ’s atonement; and unless he doth preach man’s duty, he will never be blessed of God to bring man into the proper state to see the beauty of the atonement. Unless he sometimes thunders out the law, and claims for his Master the right of obedience to it, he will never be very likely to produce conviction—certainly, not that conviction which afterwards leads to conversion. This rough world sometimes needs to be rebuked, and if we can get at the ears of the people, it is our business to reprove them; and I think if ever there was a time when this text need to be enlarged upon, it is just now. It is so often forgotten, so seldom remembered,
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
... Whom am I to love? My neighbour. What am I to do? I am to love him. How am I to do it? I am to love him as myself.
~ Charles Spurgeon
Let us now go and show our love and concern for our neighbors, both mother and child, and speak to them not flattery, but the truth as it is in Jesus.
Together for Life & Eternity,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
www.abortionNO.org
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Pleading with the Lost
Click on the above link to view gentle Christians pleading with those who would murder their little infants.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Orlando Women's Center abortion clinic Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sanctuary Ministries Update
Gospel Outreach at:
Orlando Women's Center abortion clinic
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Christianity teaches men to be joyful under troubles: such exercises are sent from God's love;
and trials in the way of duty will brighten our graces now, and our crown at last ...
We should not pray so much for the removal of affliction, as for wisdom to make a right use of it.
~ Matthew Henry
Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God, the faithful God,
which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments
to a thousand generations ...
Deuteronomy 7:9
Allura reporting:
Go to: http://bound4life.com/blog/2009/02/06/y-o-p-p to see the speech Lia gave to her 7th grade class. What an incredible young lady! Talk about doing hard things! I want to be like HER when I grow up!
Last Tuesday was very challenging as one of our missionaries saw a 'friend' walk into the abortion clinic. After praying and asking God for wisdom, the sidewalk counselor chose to WALK INTO THE CLINIC to try to get his friend out. The rest of us instinctively dropped to our knees, praying that God would have mercy and give us protection in this situation. Thankfully, this was handled quietly ... and the man we'll call 'Larry' came out to share why he was in there with his girlfriend. Although Larry was given several opportunities to turn away from this evil deed, he chose to allow his girlfriend to kill their baby. Those of who were there were grieved by this abortion, because it touches the lives of some of our closest friends and family. (Several of us were acquaintances of Larry.) I’ve been going to Orlando Women's Center for many years, and I knew that one day I’d probably be personally affected by this crime against the unborn. But this was hard. One thing that amazes us all, though, is that God, in His kindness and unbelievable mercy, allowed Larry to come on the exact day, and the exact time, that his missionary 'friend' was there…so he was confronted with the truth, and given a chance to repent. Larry will have to live with that for the rest of his life. May God have mercy on Larry's soul. Please pray for my precious friends, who are deeply impacted by the killing of this little one. They are desperate for God to help them.
---
Friends of Sanctuary Ministries,
It is always a personal challenge to face our fears and allow Christ to swallow them up in His grace and give us the faith and the courage to go to the abortion clinic to witness. We ask our Savior to fill us with His own compassion and wisdom and discernment as we introduce ourselves to strangers and offer our help through their pregnancy. I know that you might be able to imagine how difficult and uncomfortable it would be if someone you knew was walking into a killing place as you reached out to engage the lost with the gospel of life and eternity. This has happened several times over the years and it is always especially painful for those of us who know and love the woman or man who are purposed in their hearts to shed innocent blood. What a blessing that we do not have to depend upon our own strength, but on the provision of God through prayerful dependence. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." James 1:5 & 6 Truly these are times that try men's souls, but we are not as those without comfort. We have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to lead and guide us on our way. We believe the scriptures, that the trials of our faith work for our sanctification. So, we labor to "let patience have her perfect work."
I would like to ask you for prayer for our dear Allura, who leads the team on Tuesdays & often ministers at the killing place three times a week. It appears that the enemy of life has specifically targeted her & he is using a police officer's threats to do it. Lift up our precious sister as she seeks to remain humble and respond in meekness when this particular cop harasses her. Ask the Master to give us all discernment as we deal with the actions of this policeman, whom we have reported to internal affairs at OPD for past discrimation. We are considering requesting a meeting with OPD regarding the unfair treatment of Allura & others on our missionary team. Our goal is to protect and preserve our rights to free speech and freedom of religious expression as we continue to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and practice pure religion by visiting the imperiled orphans in their affliction.
We would like to leave you with the following excerpt of commentary from Matthew Henry on James 1:1-11:
Christianity teaches men to be joyful under troubles: such exercises are sent from God's love; and trials in the way of duty will brighten our graces now, and our crown at last. Let us take care, in times of trial, that patience, and not passion, is set to work in us: whatever is said or done, let patience have the saying and doing of it. When the work of patience is complete, it will furnish all that is necessary for our Christian race and warfare. We should not pray so much for the removal of affliction, as for wisdom to make a right use of it. ..
A mind that has single and prevailing regard to its spiritual and eternal interest, and that keeps steady in its purposes for God, will grow wise by afflictions, will continue fervent in devotion, and rise above trials and oppositions...
Together for Life & Eternity by the grace of Christ,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries
www.sanctuaryministries.blogspot.com
www.abortionNO.org
www.abort73.com
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