|
Abortion and the Church -
We Must Tell the Truth
By Bud Reeves
Sanctity of Human Life
Network
& Teens For Life
In Ezekiel’s day child sacrifice
had become something even God’s people were engaging in, a practice they had
learned from their pagan neighbors. Their abhorrent practice is described
in Psalm 106. “37They
sacrificed their sons
and
their daughters to demons. 38They
shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land
was desecrated by their blood. 39They
defiled themselves by what they did…”
God Clearly Identifies the
Sin and Instructs Ezekiel
1The
word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, will you judge her?
Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her
detestable practices 3and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and
defiles herself by making idols, 4you have become guilty because
of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have
made. (Ezek 22:1-4)
The Lord Looking for a Few
Good Men
30“I
looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me
in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I
found none.
31So
I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger,
bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign
LORD.” (Ezek 22:30-31)
In Ezekiel’s day great walls
were built around the city to prevent the enemy from coming in and to keep
the people safe and secure. Often however, because of the assaults of the
enemy, the walls were broken, leaving gaps or breaches where the enemy could
penetrate. These gaps were places of vulnerability, which required brave
men to occupy on behalf of the safety of the people. In the above plea, God
is seeking for a man who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before
Him.
Will We Build
a Wall of Truth?
God’s people then, like now, too
often do not want a wall of truth. Listen to these words from Isa 30:
“9For
these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay any attention to the
LORD’S instructions. 10They
tell the prophets, “Shut up! We don’t want any more of your reports.” They
say, “Don’t tell us the truth. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.
11Forget all this gloom. We have heard
more than enough about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’ We are tired of listening
to what he has to say.” 12This is the reply of the Holy One of
Israel: “Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression
and lies, 13calamity will come upon you suddenly. It will be
like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will
collapse and come crashing down.”
(NLT)
I along
with many Christian leaders today see the evil of abortion, or the shedding
of innocent blood, as the most significant moral issue of our day. I
believe this shedding of innocent blood has caused great breaches in the
walls of our churches, our families, our culture and our governments.
God is calling us to the wall. We must respond to His requirements in these
significant ways.
(1) We are to
be wall builders.
I believe God was and is looking for Christians, men and women who know and
live God’s truth, to build walls of truth and warning.
Easton’s
Bible Dictionary
comments: “The false prophets did not stand in the gap (Ezek. 22:30), i.e.,
they did nothing to stop the outbreak of wickedness.”
The true prophet warns. Today in America we have been soaked with
“prophets” of prosperity and good times. Although they may be truthful in
many areas, it is what they do not say that makes them false. This
condition has lulled most of the American church into complacency, leaving
our walls with many gaps.
I believe the Lord also wants
these walls of truth because they keep His people from rushing out through
the gaps to engage in pagan sin. This is demonstrated by the Prophet Amos
who spoke God’s warning to a rebellious and sin-laden people, telling them
that they were going out through the breaks in the wall to
Bethel and Gigal to
“sin yet more.”
(Amos 4:3-4) Is it possible that significant numbers of our people in the
American church are today running away through these gaps because men of God
have too often failed to stand in them, telling the truth about sin and
warning of the consequences. Perhaps this is best illustrated by the move
toward Sunday services that will rarely mention sin, but rather offer series
of useful or practical sermons that will appeal to the people but offer no
truth that may offend.
(2) We are to
stand in the gap.
Secondly, God wants men and women to stand in the gap as intercessors. In
this case it is not to prevent the enemy from rushing in or the people
rushing out, but rather the practice of frequent and fervent prayer,
intercession, pleas to God to not judge the people and the nations for their
rebellion and gross sins. Our prayers must also be prayers that
we as a people will humble
ourselves repent of our sin,
turn from our wicked ways,
that God might heal our land (II Chron 7:14). Too often we have misdirected
our prayers, asking God to change things out there, when it is we who must
change before He will answer. For example: We may fervently pray that God
will close down an abortion clinic, or stop this or that from happening. I
believe however that many of these prayers are not answered as we hope,
because God is looking for us, His Bride, to respond to His clear
requirements in Scripture before He will carry out His will. We are quick
to blame the devil, the ACLU, the politicians, the media, etc, but
repeatedly fail to see our own sins of participation and silence. .
Clearly we must ask God to open our
eyes, to see as He sees and to hear as He hears. Only then will we receive
the clear direction of the Holy Spirit to stand, speak and act, as He would
have us.
Today, more than half of
the abortions in America are being performed
on women who profess the faith of Christianity.
I have met them at the abortion mills. They have rushed through the gaps
of truth and silence in the walls of the church and our culture right into
the arms of today’s Molechs, the Planned Parenthoods here in Sacramento,
Roseville and across America. Most have never heard their pastor warn them
about the sin of abortion or how this sin defiles the person, the community
and the nation.
(
(3) We must
speak the truth in Love
God again gives the answer to
Ezekiel. We must tell the truth. We must warn. Sin must be clearly
identified as sin. Murder must be called murder. We should not try to make
our words nicer or kinder than those used by Jesus or in the Bible. We must
speak the truth with love and humility, but always with truth. There is no
other way to describe it. In our sermons, intercessory
prayer meetings, at conferences, in church, or wherever, we must not avoid
the topic of abortion because so many have been injured by it.
Silence will only ensure this sin will be passed from generation to
generation. Of course we must provide healing ministries for post-abortive
women (and men). Warning, truth telling, and exposing injustice will never
replace providing for the wounded. Mercy must be coupled with exposing
injustice (Mic 6:8). To treat the wounded is merciful. To
not cry
out for justice for the unborn is a sin of omission and the wounded will
just keep coming in for treatment while the unjust practices keep on
wounding.
Paul Weighs
in on Truth Telling
Today in
America, many Christians and their leaders reject and renounce clear and
unambiguous teaching about abortion because there are too many “hurting
women” in the congregation. Paul was not speaking about “abortion” but it
is denial to say that abortion is the most profound legalized evil of our
day. Paul was often rejected for telling the truth to the brethren.
Have
I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Gal 4:16)
Paul
taught this clearly about bringing the most evil sins into the open.
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead,
rebuke and expose them. 12It is shameful even to talk about the
things that ungodly people do in secret. 13But when the light
shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are.
(Eph 5:11-13).
“I
speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the
Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 9:1)
(4) We must
not be afraid to warn - There is a grave cost of not Warning
A Warning
When pastors, prophets,
teachers, leaders, intercessors and counselors fail to speak the truth and
warn, we are accountable. Listen.
1The
word of the LORD came to me:
2“Son
of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword
against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make
him their watchman,
3and
he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the
people, 4then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take
warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own
head.
5Since
he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will
be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself.
6But
if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn
the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man
will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman
accountable for his blood.’ 7“Son
of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word
I speak and give them warning from me.
8When
I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not
speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for£
his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9But if
you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he
will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.”
(Ezek
33:1-9)
(5) We
must not avoid speaking this truth on Sundays in the sanctuary
Christians and the church must not avoid
speaking about abortion because so many have participated and suffered as a
result of it. Paul calls for exposing these evils in the light. Abortion
is not an unforgivable sin. Pastors, humbly, with wisdom and sensitivity,
must bring the truth out into the open. Post-abortive women (and men) who
have found forgiveness and healing in Christ must be allowed to testify
before the congregation. Unfortunately, those few who will angrily walk
out of church will keep their pain. Those who remain have the opportunity
to receive complete forgiveness in Christ, and hopefully, a church that
provides a loving environment and ministry designed to bring total healing
and restoration to the post-abortive wounded. God will be pleased and we
will have repaired a major break in our walls.
(6)
We
must confront the evil of abortion where it takes place
Christians must continue to confront evil as it exists in the
culture, whether it is slavery, child exploitation or
child killing. Slavery was a terrible injustice in America and it prevailed
in our society far too long because Christians not only held slaves, the
silence of those who disagreed with it, insured that it would remain long
past the time it should have ended. Today, child killing by abortion is
taking place in buildings in our community, many having churches all around
them. It is rare that an American pastor or church decides to take truth
and mercy to these abortion mills. WHY? Are not the little boys and girls
in the womb our neighbors? Are we not much like the Priest and the Levite
who walked across the street to pass by the man who was bleeding after
having been robbed and beaten on his way to Jericho? Why is it that today the religious
leaders are still walking by? They will have no excuse. Listen.
11
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward
slaughter. 12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about
this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not
he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person
according to what he has done? (Pr 24:11)
No Excuse
The church in American has
no excuse. If we are to see revival and restoration the Christian Church
must cry out in repentance and humility and then
begin ministry at the abortion mills. Small numbers of prolife Christians
across America
whose presence at the abortion mills have saved thousands, will welcome you
with open arms and train you for ministry. Are you qualified? If you have
these qualities, your are. Love God with
all of your heart, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself.
(March
2004 - Permission is given to reprint this article with credit to author)
|
