Livin’ Large – God’s Way
John R. Petrilli
I used to get a real kick out of a commercial featuring M.C. Hammer. It pictured M.C. livin’ large with a mansion in the background, an Italian sports car, expensive clothing on his back, and gaudy diamond-studded jewelry covering him from head to toe. Hammer was mirroring the world’s version of livin’ large – a version that is purely materialistic, highly superficial, and temporal at best (as, in the commercial, where M.C.’s lifestyle comes crashing down in a moment without warning). What a contrast to God’s version of livin’ large found in the Gospel of John, chapter ten, and verse ten:
“I have come that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more ABUNDANTLY.”
These words of Jesus indicate that there is such a thing as a godly lifestyle that is large in character, satisfaction, and duration. So just what does Jesus mean when He states that the purpose of His coming was to give us an abundant life? Let’s examine this together, for the truths waiting to be discovered are surprising as well as encouraging.
FOR THE CHILD OF GOD, LIVIN’ LARGE HAS A PRIMARILY SPIRITUAL APPLICATION.
If you think for a moment that this article is about material and fiscal prosperity, guess again. While God chooses to bless some of His people with above average material prosperity, what He guarantees to all of His children is the blessing of spiritually abundant living. And when we come right down to it, that’s what really matters the most. Not everyone will enjoy the opulent wealth of a Solomon, or the flushed coffers of a King David. But we can all experience the best abundance of all, spiritual abundance.
While we’re told from youth up by the media that material prosperity is what life’s all about, a simple glance at those who’ve attained that status shows that it doesn’t satisfy our deepest longings. If we had to choose between having the overflowing joy of the Lord with a modest income, or being filthy rich with no sense of God’s presence or blessing upon our lives, I would hazard to guess we’d choose the former. The best things in life are spiritual…love, joy, peace… etc. They can’t be bought nor maintained with money.
Christ’s entry into the human heart commences a spiritual journey that is likened to a sheep following its owner. Whether the pathway is rife with darkness and danger, or aglow with peacefulness and provision, that sheep is in great shape because it’s under expert and reliable management. The sheep in Psalm 23 is free from want at all levels, and particularly at the spiritual level. Comforted by the shepherd’s rod and staff and encouraged by the very presence of its owner, this animal hasn’t a care in the world. In fact, its confidence in its eternal well being causes it to declare that it will enjoy this incredible prosperity as a member in God’s household forever!
Jesus is all about things spiritual. His kingdom is spiritual. His salvation is spiritual. His universal healing is primarily spiritual in nature. His subjects operate in a spiritual realm with highly spiritual values. His laws are spiritual. And His guaranteed and choicest blessings are altogether spiritual. When we come to Christ for salvation, He pours into us His life, His incredibly inexplicably abundant life.
The abundant life of which Christ speaks is a quality of life as well as a quantity of life. Eternal life is measured in qualitative as well as quantitative terms. We possess eternal life right in the here and now as the Holy Spirit infuses us with God’s powerful and purifying presence, changing the way we think, act and speak. These changes bring about a lifestyle satisfaction that far exceeds anything the world could ever offer. At the moment of salvation we immediately become possessors of three of the most sought after commodities in all of human history … love, joy, and peace. As we progress along our journey, we discover that there’s more, so very much more that God offers to a life of that is obedient to His Word and led by His Spirit, one of which is a life of liberty, of total freedom in Christ, a life lived without regrets, inhibitions, or second guesses.
It’s a quality of life issue in the truest sense of the word. We hear so much of that term thrown around today, but the fact of the matter is that God invented it! But not in the utilitarian sense that it has grown into disuse as. Professionals claim to know when a person’s quality of life is no longer sufficient to merit the sustaining of that life. But when God talks about quality of life, He’s referring to that deep inner sense of peace and joy that comes from living in harmony with one’s Creator as well as one’s fellow man. When Christ enters a life and reigns there, that life experiences a joy that’s unspeakable and full of glory, a peace that defies human explanation, and a love that can only be described as supernatural as well as supra-natural.
With regard to abundant life being a quantitative measure, Jesus makes it crystal clear that eternal life is all about being in fellowship with God and others, while eternal death is all about being completely and irrevocably cut off from fellowship with God and others. Heaven will be a never-ending experience, but so will hell. The key difference is that one locale will be a place of endless death, while the other will be a place of everlasting life.
FOR THE CHILD OF GOD, LIVIN’ LARGE IS A MATTER OF ATTITUDE.
Have you ever marveled like I have at how happy some of the world’s poorest people seem to be with the little they have, while how typically miserable some of the world’s richest folks seem to be? I think the reason for this apparent irony is found in the simple fact that, as Jesus said, “A man’s life (fulfillment, satisfaction, meaningfulness) does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses”. Though spoken two thousand years ago, we’ve still to take His words to heart here in the acquisition-obsessed west. While we may nod our head in agreement with Jesus in principle, in practice we act as if everything depended on getting the newest, latest, and greatest gadget money can buy. But as soon as we’ve opened the packaging, we’re left wondering why we still don’t feel satisfied or fulfilled. It’s because the real satisfaction we seek will never be met by things material. We are primarily relational beings, and our greatest need is to love and be loved. That provision is best and most fully met in having a right relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Once we’ve got that squared away, our relationships with others around us begin to take on new meaning, greater value and deeper satisfaction.
Once we make that great paradigm shift away from material acquisition and toward spiritual growth our lives will begin to experience the richness and satisfaction God meant them to have, in essence, the “abundant life”.
That is what Jesus has come to give … not simply fire insurance against the Day of His wrath, but eternal and abundant life in the here and now, a life that is mightily prospering in the spirit, regardless of its external net worth.
FOR THE CHILD OF GOD, LIVIN’ LARGE HAS A DECIDEDLY ALTRUISTIC ELEMENT.
If you had to name the one individual you believe best illustrates what livin’ large is all about, who would come to mind? Elvis? Donald Trump? Bill Gates? An oil-rich Arab sultan? Who might that person be in your mind? Well, stop guessing and try this one on for size … Jesus. Yes, Jesus!
I say this because there is a definite paradox that permeates all of the Christian life. To gain you must lose. To live you must die. To receive you must give. Jesus had the giving stuff down pat. He always put the needs of others ahead of His own. He went without food and sleep to serve the emotionally, spiritually and physically ill of His day. Jesus gave up the comforts of family and home to cross the countryside with a message that would eternally save those who heeded it. He gave His best, then at the last, gave His very all when He took a death penalty we should have incurred, even the excruciating death of the Roman cross.
If we truly want to live large, we need to revisit and rediscover the role that service plays in our lives. Sacrificial service that effectively and unselfishly addresses the needs of those less fortunate around us. Livin’ large is very much about giving more as opposed to getting more. Once again, the world’s got it all wrong. Let’s try “giving large”, and as we do, we’ll start truly “livin’ large”.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Hats Off To Our ‘Bodyguards in Blue’
Hats Off To Our ‘Bodyguards in Blue’
John R. Petrilli
In the thrilling and inspirational 1992 flick, ‘The Bodyguard’, Kevin Costner played the part of a bodyguard hired to protect a celebrity played by Whitney Houston. The movie ends on a suspenseful, cliffhanger note when Costner’s character sacrifices his own body to shield Houston’s character from an assassin’s bullet.
While none of us lives in the make-believe world of Hollywood, it recently occurred to me that we are being “shielded” each and every day by an entire force of dedicated public servants… the officers of our local police departments. I recently struck up a quick interchange with one of our ‘men in blue’ on an elevator. When I thanked him for serving our community, his reply surprised me. With a broad smile of appreciation he stated that he and his fellow officers never hear those words from people. I got to thinking, “ Isn’t that odd?” Like blue angels, these men and women patrol our neighborhoods night and day keeping watch over our homes, neighborhoods, loved ones, and neighbors. What other profession offers such vital services to us, the general public? They do so at a very high price, never knowing if the kiss they plant on their spouse’s cheek may be their last. I can’t think many occupations carrying such a high-risk element. What other professions other than firefighting and the military require their practitioners to daily and deliberately place themselves into harm’s way to protect people who are perfect strangers to them?
Granted, some of us have had run-in’s that have caught an officer in a less than pleasant mood, but we’re all entitled to a bad day now and then aren’t we? Considering the tense and dangerous situations they routinely encounter, is it any surprise they would occasionally exhibit stress-related behaviors? 0n balance, by far, these civil servants carry out their duties in an admirable and amiable fashion. If you still have difficulty identifying with the sentiments of this piece, consider just for a moment what life would be like without these folks on the ground. Thefts would instantly skyrocket, assaults would be commonplace, and total chaos would soon take over. The ancient Scriptures define their dual role as apprehenders and punishers of criminals and rewarders of law-abiding citizens. We enjoy the daily reward of safe neighborhoods thanks to these brave, selfless, courageous individuals we call police officers. The least we can do is show due respect for them, pray for their safety and success, and by all means, let them know just how much they are appreciated! We salute you, our ‘bodyguards in blue’!
John R. Petrilli
In the thrilling and inspirational 1992 flick, ‘The Bodyguard’, Kevin Costner played the part of a bodyguard hired to protect a celebrity played by Whitney Houston. The movie ends on a suspenseful, cliffhanger note when Costner’s character sacrifices his own body to shield Houston’s character from an assassin’s bullet.
While none of us lives in the make-believe world of Hollywood, it recently occurred to me that we are being “shielded” each and every day by an entire force of dedicated public servants… the officers of our local police departments. I recently struck up a quick interchange with one of our ‘men in blue’ on an elevator. When I thanked him for serving our community, his reply surprised me. With a broad smile of appreciation he stated that he and his fellow officers never hear those words from people. I got to thinking, “ Isn’t that odd?” Like blue angels, these men and women patrol our neighborhoods night and day keeping watch over our homes, neighborhoods, loved ones, and neighbors. What other profession offers such vital services to us, the general public? They do so at a very high price, never knowing if the kiss they plant on their spouse’s cheek may be their last. I can’t think many occupations carrying such a high-risk element. What other professions other than firefighting and the military require their practitioners to daily and deliberately place themselves into harm’s way to protect people who are perfect strangers to them?
Granted, some of us have had run-in’s that have caught an officer in a less than pleasant mood, but we’re all entitled to a bad day now and then aren’t we? Considering the tense and dangerous situations they routinely encounter, is it any surprise they would occasionally exhibit stress-related behaviors? 0n balance, by far, these civil servants carry out their duties in an admirable and amiable fashion. If you still have difficulty identifying with the sentiments of this piece, consider just for a moment what life would be like without these folks on the ground. Thefts would instantly skyrocket, assaults would be commonplace, and total chaos would soon take over. The ancient Scriptures define their dual role as apprehenders and punishers of criminals and rewarders of law-abiding citizens. We enjoy the daily reward of safe neighborhoods thanks to these brave, selfless, courageous individuals we call police officers. The least we can do is show due respect for them, pray for their safety and success, and by all means, let them know just how much they are appreciated! We salute you, our ‘bodyguards in blue’!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Adam's Apple Has A Deadly Worm
Adam’s Apple Has A Deadly Worm
John R. Petrilli
It was a typically gorgeous morning. The sun shone brilliantly. A cloudlessly clear sky accompanied balmy temperatures. The birds caroled creation as a soft breeze rippled through the tree-tops. The flowers surrendered tantalizing scents that filled the air with fragrances beyond description. Every sensate impression confirmed that this was an ideal day. Indeed, paradise was exactly that. Pristine, untouched and literally perfect. Physically, functionally, environmentally, and spiritually perfect!
Interestingly enough, the scene’s two human inhabitants possessed that same purity and innocence. Theologians say that the young couple living there existed in a state known as “unconfirmed creature holiness”. They were holy, as yet untouched by, untarnished from, even unexposed to sin. The operative word in this phrase is “unconfirmed”. Adam and Eve were created perfect and sinless, yet, unlike the future-coming Messiah God-man, Jesus, they were vulnerable to a fall from their original state of grace.
But everything was about to change. In a cosmic moment. Like people involved in a traumatic event, it took place so fast that the unsuspecting pair barely had time to process and react. A serpent. An apple. An offer. And in the blink of an eye, the dirty deed was done. What appeared to be an inviting, helpful, healthful item became the means to a spiritual crash that has reverberated down through the centuries of human history. The apple that was supposed to deliver life delivered death. The apple that was supposedly capable of making wise made its victims instant fools. Tricked! … but no treat in sight! At the end of that fateful day, the apple contained a hidden worm with deadly potential.
The devil follows this same strategy today. Don’t look for Him to necessarily lurk in the alleys and slums of this world. He has captured the media. He offers his apples every day via billboards, the radio waves and the television commercials and programming. You say you don’t use any of these? Not to worry. We have a sin nature inside us and Satan knows just how to appeal to that nature whether one lives in media smothered America or out in the middle of the desert (recall Jesus’ wilderness temptation?).
What we need to get a hold of is that temptation and its author most frequently come to us cleverly dressed up as something “good”. It's no mistake that Paul describes the enemy as coming to us as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Imagine, presenting himself as an angel? And angel of light at that? How clever. Most people automatically conclude that if angels and brilliant light are involved, it HAS to be coming from God. Wrong! To the contrary, our adversary possesses the capability to remake himself into something “positive”, attractive, appealing. His tactic has been working all too well for centuries, so he has no reason whatsoever to change the way he plays the game.
So what can we do to counter such a subtle strategy? Exercise discernment. The Apostles repeatedly warn us of this tactic of deception, and encourage us to immerse ourselves in the truth of Scripture to enable us to see through the deadly ploys. Like spotting counterfeit dollar bills, as we become familiar with the real thing, we’re able to detect the real-looking but totally phony substitute. Only then can we recognize the deadly apple when it comes across our spiritual radar. And only then will we be able to retaliate, as Jesus did, with our “Thus says the Lord!” Once we’ve successfully countered the enemy’s solicitations with pure and carefully chosen truth, he has no choice but to take flight (James 4:7)! The battle is real, the stakes are astronomically high, but the victory is sure as we follow God’s prescription.
John R. Petrilli
It was a typically gorgeous morning. The sun shone brilliantly. A cloudlessly clear sky accompanied balmy temperatures. The birds caroled creation as a soft breeze rippled through the tree-tops. The flowers surrendered tantalizing scents that filled the air with fragrances beyond description. Every sensate impression confirmed that this was an ideal day. Indeed, paradise was exactly that. Pristine, untouched and literally perfect. Physically, functionally, environmentally, and spiritually perfect!
Interestingly enough, the scene’s two human inhabitants possessed that same purity and innocence. Theologians say that the young couple living there existed in a state known as “unconfirmed creature holiness”. They were holy, as yet untouched by, untarnished from, even unexposed to sin. The operative word in this phrase is “unconfirmed”. Adam and Eve were created perfect and sinless, yet, unlike the future-coming Messiah God-man, Jesus, they were vulnerable to a fall from their original state of grace.
But everything was about to change. In a cosmic moment. Like people involved in a traumatic event, it took place so fast that the unsuspecting pair barely had time to process and react. A serpent. An apple. An offer. And in the blink of an eye, the dirty deed was done. What appeared to be an inviting, helpful, healthful item became the means to a spiritual crash that has reverberated down through the centuries of human history. The apple that was supposed to deliver life delivered death. The apple that was supposedly capable of making wise made its victims instant fools. Tricked! … but no treat in sight! At the end of that fateful day, the apple contained a hidden worm with deadly potential.
The devil follows this same strategy today. Don’t look for Him to necessarily lurk in the alleys and slums of this world. He has captured the media. He offers his apples every day via billboards, the radio waves and the television commercials and programming. You say you don’t use any of these? Not to worry. We have a sin nature inside us and Satan knows just how to appeal to that nature whether one lives in media smothered America or out in the middle of the desert (recall Jesus’ wilderness temptation?).
What we need to get a hold of is that temptation and its author most frequently come to us cleverly dressed up as something “good”. It's no mistake that Paul describes the enemy as coming to us as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Imagine, presenting himself as an angel? And angel of light at that? How clever. Most people automatically conclude that if angels and brilliant light are involved, it HAS to be coming from God. Wrong! To the contrary, our adversary possesses the capability to remake himself into something “positive”, attractive, appealing. His tactic has been working all too well for centuries, so he has no reason whatsoever to change the way he plays the game.
So what can we do to counter such a subtle strategy? Exercise discernment. The Apostles repeatedly warn us of this tactic of deception, and encourage us to immerse ourselves in the truth of Scripture to enable us to see through the deadly ploys. Like spotting counterfeit dollar bills, as we become familiar with the real thing, we’re able to detect the real-looking but totally phony substitute. Only then can we recognize the deadly apple when it comes across our spiritual radar. And only then will we be able to retaliate, as Jesus did, with our “Thus says the Lord!” Once we’ve successfully countered the enemy’s solicitations with pure and carefully chosen truth, he has no choice but to take flight (James 4:7)! The battle is real, the stakes are astronomically high, but the victory is sure as we follow God’s prescription.
The Silence Is Deafening!!
The Silence Is Deafening!
John R. Petrilli
Another Year, another March For Life, and another deliberate news blackout on the part of our supposedly unbiased media. Please, can someone explain to me how over two-hundred thousand Americans can march on the nation’s capitol, be addressed by numerous heads of government on what is a major social issue, and the media somehow fail to even cover the story?
We’re all familiar with the term “news blackout”. It’s when the major networks arbitrarily opt not to cover an event. I no longer believe we have anything close to a free and independent press. If we did, an event of such national scope and cultural impact would surely be covered. The repeated blackout of this major march year after year speaks volumes about just how far a politically slanted media will go to ignore and suppress stories that do not agree with their agenda. The media bias is even more pronounced when you compare this woeful lack of any coverage to the major airtime given when even a small group of pro-abortion protesters go public over what they feel is a threat to their perceived “freedom”. Why, you’d think thousands of Americans were involved by the blanket coverage received.
This is not only unfair, it’s borderline Communistic in its approach to controlling what America can and cannot see or hear about. It’s a complete travesty of the media’s sworn responsibility to cover the news with impartiality, fairness, and balance. It’s almost as if the media’s abuse of “freedom of the press” completely trumps the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans’ right to free speech and freedom of assembly.
Folks, the silence is deafening! Who will step up to the plate and break the stranglehold? The prolife movement needs a Martin Luther King who will rally the troops and refuse to sit down until the laws allowing murder are overturned! For good!
John R. Petrilli
Another Year, another March For Life, and another deliberate news blackout on the part of our supposedly unbiased media. Please, can someone explain to me how over two-hundred thousand Americans can march on the nation’s capitol, be addressed by numerous heads of government on what is a major social issue, and the media somehow fail to even cover the story?
We’re all familiar with the term “news blackout”. It’s when the major networks arbitrarily opt not to cover an event. I no longer believe we have anything close to a free and independent press. If we did, an event of such national scope and cultural impact would surely be covered. The repeated blackout of this major march year after year speaks volumes about just how far a politically slanted media will go to ignore and suppress stories that do not agree with their agenda. The media bias is even more pronounced when you compare this woeful lack of any coverage to the major airtime given when even a small group of pro-abortion protesters go public over what they feel is a threat to their perceived “freedom”. Why, you’d think thousands of Americans were involved by the blanket coverage received.
This is not only unfair, it’s borderline Communistic in its approach to controlling what America can and cannot see or hear about. It’s a complete travesty of the media’s sworn responsibility to cover the news with impartiality, fairness, and balance. It’s almost as if the media’s abuse of “freedom of the press” completely trumps the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans’ right to free speech and freedom of assembly.
Folks, the silence is deafening! Who will step up to the plate and break the stranglehold? The prolife movement needs a Martin Luther King who will rally the troops and refuse to sit down until the laws allowing murder are overturned! For good!
"With Liberty and Justice for SOME"
“With Liberty And Justice For SOME”
John R. Petrilli
We often mouth this precious and familiar phrase without giving it more than a passing thought. But the words are as golden as the freedoms they declare. Our forefathers had a vision, a dream. They believed that the establishment of a nation governed by the consent of the governed was a possibility. Having left a nation that chronically limited their freedoms, they wanted something better, and were ready to launch what was later referred to as a “holy experiment”. Could a government controlled by the majority rule of ordinary citizens really work? The answer would surprise, not only them, but the entire watching world. America was born, and its story of liberty and justice continues to unfold.
It took centuries before all of its citizens were legally guaranteed the “freedom” part of that promise. But, sad to say, there is a whole segment of the American population that is being deprived of the most basic justice. Would it be considered “just” if federal and state governments declared, say, a particular racial or religious group to be “non-persons” and unprotected by the Constitution? What if America decided in its courts of law that, because of economic stress, people not contributing to the tax base would no longer be eligible for medical services. Would we consider that just? How about we take it two steps farther. What if we declared that certain individuals who weren’t, as yet, socially productive were unworthy of receiving food, water and medical attention, in fact, and should be done away with? Would that fall under the label of American justice?
The refusal of rights to the African-American community was a most wicked and sickening form of injustice that deserved to be ended. The withholding of justice from any group of Americans would be considered an outrageous infringement upon their personal rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Yet, for 35 years and running, a whole segment of our society has experienced anything but justice. If you haven’t figured out where this is going, let me be plain. In the land where freedom and justice were the foundational principles of its inception and success, we are depriving an entire class of Americans not only life, liberty and happiness, but justice as well. That class would be the innocent unborn population. Our babies!
Does God have anything to say about justice? He most certainly does! With regard to justice, God says through the prophet Amos, “Bring it on!” (Amos 5:24). The psalmist tells us that God loves justice (Psalms 11:7), and executes it for the oppressed on a regular basis (Psalms 103:6). God blesses those who maintain justice (Psalms 106:3), and is absolutely appalled at its miscarriage (Isaiah 59:14-16). So if God is so into this deal we call justice, how have we, as a nation, come to a place where the weakest and most vulnerable among us are being denied the simple justice of being born? As I write this my heart weeps in grief and incredulity. How can we do this? What have we, a land where justice was supposed to be available to all, become as we wantonly end the lives of millions of children? How can we do this great wickedness? How can we call this atrocity “justice”?
In closing, if we’re to legitimately lay claim to be a land where justice is available and guaranteed to all, we had better stop the killing, and get back on the pathway of true justice. To allow the blood of the innocents to be spilled at over 4,000 per day, it is the height of hypocrisy to say that we are a land of justice. We’re not, and no matter how many instances of justice we do have, none of them can make up for this glaring miscarriage of justice known as abortion. It is the epitome of injustice to human beings when they are denied the freedom of simply existing!
John R. Petrilli
We often mouth this precious and familiar phrase without giving it more than a passing thought. But the words are as golden as the freedoms they declare. Our forefathers had a vision, a dream. They believed that the establishment of a nation governed by the consent of the governed was a possibility. Having left a nation that chronically limited their freedoms, they wanted something better, and were ready to launch what was later referred to as a “holy experiment”. Could a government controlled by the majority rule of ordinary citizens really work? The answer would surprise, not only them, but the entire watching world. America was born, and its story of liberty and justice continues to unfold.
It took centuries before all of its citizens were legally guaranteed the “freedom” part of that promise. But, sad to say, there is a whole segment of the American population that is being deprived of the most basic justice. Would it be considered “just” if federal and state governments declared, say, a particular racial or religious group to be “non-persons” and unprotected by the Constitution? What if America decided in its courts of law that, because of economic stress, people not contributing to the tax base would no longer be eligible for medical services. Would we consider that just? How about we take it two steps farther. What if we declared that certain individuals who weren’t, as yet, socially productive were unworthy of receiving food, water and medical attention, in fact, and should be done away with? Would that fall under the label of American justice?
The refusal of rights to the African-American community was a most wicked and sickening form of injustice that deserved to be ended. The withholding of justice from any group of Americans would be considered an outrageous infringement upon their personal rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Yet, for 35 years and running, a whole segment of our society has experienced anything but justice. If you haven’t figured out where this is going, let me be plain. In the land where freedom and justice were the foundational principles of its inception and success, we are depriving an entire class of Americans not only life, liberty and happiness, but justice as well. That class would be the innocent unborn population. Our babies!
Does God have anything to say about justice? He most certainly does! With regard to justice, God says through the prophet Amos, “Bring it on!” (Amos 5:24). The psalmist tells us that God loves justice (Psalms 11:7), and executes it for the oppressed on a regular basis (Psalms 103:6). God blesses those who maintain justice (Psalms 106:3), and is absolutely appalled at its miscarriage (Isaiah 59:14-16). So if God is so into this deal we call justice, how have we, as a nation, come to a place where the weakest and most vulnerable among us are being denied the simple justice of being born? As I write this my heart weeps in grief and incredulity. How can we do this? What have we, a land where justice was supposed to be available to all, become as we wantonly end the lives of millions of children? How can we do this great wickedness? How can we call this atrocity “justice”?
In closing, if we’re to legitimately lay claim to be a land where justice is available and guaranteed to all, we had better stop the killing, and get back on the pathway of true justice. To allow the blood of the innocents to be spilled at over 4,000 per day, it is the height of hypocrisy to say that we are a land of justice. We’re not, and no matter how many instances of justice we do have, none of them can make up for this glaring miscarriage of justice known as abortion. It is the epitome of injustice to human beings when they are denied the freedom of simply existing!
Coming Soon To a 'Theater' Near You!
Coming Soon To A ‘Theater’ Near You-Homegrown Terror!
John R. Petrilli
In the past decade Americans have been uneasy and downright resistant toward allowing convicted child molesters from moving anywhere near their neighborhoods, and understandably so. The risk of having one of their children abducted is surely increased when the guy down the street has a history for expressing his sexual preference for vulnerable little children.
Without minimizing that scenario one iota, consider the risk we will be in once the sociopathic killers residing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are released over the next year. We already know for a fact that many of their countries of origin will not allow them to return. So where will the U.S. dump this sorry excuse for humanity, this horrendous, death-dealing, murder-loving blight that threatens the very life of free people the world over? Other countries won’t grant them asylum, and we certainly shouldn’t. So where do we put them? Do we leave them in the badlands of the Sahara? Perhaps we should dump them into the Atlantic. Oh, and there’s always the option of sending them to the moon on a one-way trip.
I make these suggestions with total sarcasm to point out the fearfully precarious place that our new president has so rapidly placed us in. How do you simply declare your intention to free men who are sworn to destroy you and every thing you stand for when there’s literally not a place on the planet that wants most of them? Such a question begs for someone to query the very sanity of the rationale behind the decision to free them in the first place! These men have yielded valuable intelligence that has thwarted terrorist plot after terrorist plot (remember, we’ve had not a single terrorist attack on our soil in seven years!). The terrorists are obviously still in touch with their co-conspirators, and are just chomping on the bit to get back to work.
So now that the official powers that be in Washington have issued them their return-to-work orders, where will they strike next? Indeed, where will they strike first? Even with them safely locked away at Guantanamo, every one of our Homeland Security officials has made it clear that the advent of another terrorist attack here in the U.S. is not a question of “If”, but “When”.
Do I agree with the use of torture? In general, no. But think this through. The Geneva Convention issued its standards at a time when unconventional warfare didn’t exist. Back then aggressors had the guts to do battle face to face, and primarily targeted military strongholds, not unarmed, unsuspecting civilian populations. Back then we didn’t have a mobile enemy setting up cells all over the world with the use of state-of-the-art international communications technology. Back then the enemy was visible, somewhat stationary, and respectful of certain established rules of engagement.
Face it folks, this is a very different war with very different combatants. The terrorists we’re dealing with today have nothing in common with our foes of the past. They are cold-blooded killers of civilians. They seek to orchestrate major catastrophic events of death and destruction, and enjoy leveling them against civilian populations. If we want to win the war on terror we MUST be prepared to fight fire with fire. If we opt to be “civil” toward terrorists who would just as soon blow our heads off, we will be defeated in short order. If the terrorists show zero respect for our lives as well as any World Convention, Geneva or other, then we have no obligation to treat them with civility. Their unconventional, barbarous tactics leave us no practical choice but to level the playing field if we wish to survive. Any other approach is a prescription for disaster.
John R. Petrilli
In the past decade Americans have been uneasy and downright resistant toward allowing convicted child molesters from moving anywhere near their neighborhoods, and understandably so. The risk of having one of their children abducted is surely increased when the guy down the street has a history for expressing his sexual preference for vulnerable little children.
Without minimizing that scenario one iota, consider the risk we will be in once the sociopathic killers residing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are released over the next year. We already know for a fact that many of their countries of origin will not allow them to return. So where will the U.S. dump this sorry excuse for humanity, this horrendous, death-dealing, murder-loving blight that threatens the very life of free people the world over? Other countries won’t grant them asylum, and we certainly shouldn’t. So where do we put them? Do we leave them in the badlands of the Sahara? Perhaps we should dump them into the Atlantic. Oh, and there’s always the option of sending them to the moon on a one-way trip.
I make these suggestions with total sarcasm to point out the fearfully precarious place that our new president has so rapidly placed us in. How do you simply declare your intention to free men who are sworn to destroy you and every thing you stand for when there’s literally not a place on the planet that wants most of them? Such a question begs for someone to query the very sanity of the rationale behind the decision to free them in the first place! These men have yielded valuable intelligence that has thwarted terrorist plot after terrorist plot (remember, we’ve had not a single terrorist attack on our soil in seven years!). The terrorists are obviously still in touch with their co-conspirators, and are just chomping on the bit to get back to work.
So now that the official powers that be in Washington have issued them their return-to-work orders, where will they strike next? Indeed, where will they strike first? Even with them safely locked away at Guantanamo, every one of our Homeland Security officials has made it clear that the advent of another terrorist attack here in the U.S. is not a question of “If”, but “When”.
Do I agree with the use of torture? In general, no. But think this through. The Geneva Convention issued its standards at a time when unconventional warfare didn’t exist. Back then aggressors had the guts to do battle face to face, and primarily targeted military strongholds, not unarmed, unsuspecting civilian populations. Back then we didn’t have a mobile enemy setting up cells all over the world with the use of state-of-the-art international communications technology. Back then the enemy was visible, somewhat stationary, and respectful of certain established rules of engagement.
Face it folks, this is a very different war with very different combatants. The terrorists we’re dealing with today have nothing in common with our foes of the past. They are cold-blooded killers of civilians. They seek to orchestrate major catastrophic events of death and destruction, and enjoy leveling them against civilian populations. If we want to win the war on terror we MUST be prepared to fight fire with fire. If we opt to be “civil” toward terrorists who would just as soon blow our heads off, we will be defeated in short order. If the terrorists show zero respect for our lives as well as any World Convention, Geneva or other, then we have no obligation to treat them with civility. Their unconventional, barbarous tactics leave us no practical choice but to level the playing field if we wish to survive. Any other approach is a prescription for disaster.
JESUS WAS SINGLE!
Jesus Was Single!
John R. Petrilli
Many have taken up the task of writing something that will assist singles in making sense of their marital status. To avoid the risk of re-inventing the wheel, I’d like to approach the subject from a somewhat of different angle.
While most of us are all too familiar with the historical and biographical aspects of the life of the Lord Jesus, we’re often prone to overlook some of the salient details that provide a window into His genuine humanity. One such area is Jesus’ marital status. The most influential personality of all time went through life single. He never married! Although the institution of marriage is the design of God for most people, Jesus did not enter into the blessings of wedded bliss. Why? Could it be that, just as He entered our world at the very bottom of the social ladder to identify with the least among us, He also chose to remain unmarried in order to identify with those who would be single as well? Food for thought.
We often unconsciously place Jesus into a supra-human category all His own when, in fact, He experienced the same things in life as we do. He knew loneliness and endured misunderstanding. A closer look at the manner in which He dealt with the single life can be quite helpful. Yes, He was single, but let’s not miss the ways He coped with and successfully managed some of the complications entailed as He flew solo through life.
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY MAINTAINING A BALANCED SOCIAL LIFE.
From the outset of creation, God made it abundantly clear that man, by his very nature, is designed for fellowship. No man or woman is an island, regardless of how independently free Simon and Garfunkel try to portray self-imposed solitude (“I am a rock, I am an island!”). As humans we’ve been given the unique gift of communication. We’re wired for relationship. To deny oneself in this area is to miss out on one of life’s richest blessings.
Jesus was single, but He was anything but unduly reclusive or antisocial. He actively pursued relationships that fulfilled His God-given need for companionship. Although He had no spouse, Jesus surrounded Himself with good and godly friends. We see Him often retiring to the home of close friends like Mary, Martha and Lazarus for fellowship and refreshment (John 10:38 ; 11:5 ; 12:1-2). He eagerly shared His mountaintop experiences with an inner circle of His most trusted associates like Peter, James and John. In times of great suffering and trial, Jesus made sure there were friends nearby to provide Him with support and strength. Though single, He always made it a point to avail Himself of the comfort and encouragement that’s found in the presence of close friends.
He enjoyed the warmth of human companionship, and so should we. If you lack friends, the responsibility for taking initiative may well be yours (Proverbs 18:24a, NKJ). As we extend ourselves to others, we often find many who would enjoy having us as their friend. Nursing homes and hospitals are full of lonely folks who’d give anything for the company of a listening ear and a caring heart. And let’s not forget the fellowship resource we have in our church family. There is a wealth of encouragement and companionship waiting to be tapped into as we connect with others of like precious faith (Hebrews 10:24-25).
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY MAINTAINING A DYNAMIC DEVOTIONAL LIFE.
I can almost hear the groaning as I bring up this point. But it is highly relevant. Proverbs describes Jesus as a friend that hangs right by our side (Proverbs 18:24b). And Jesus knew Who to approach when He needed the kind of company that transcends human fellowship. There are some facets of our fellowship with God that are truly unique. He’s the perfect listener, the wisest of counselors and the most trustworthiness of friends. God befriended Abraham, and together they journeyed through a life of adventure and accomplishment. There are treasures of rich wisdom and comfort waiting to be discovered within God’s Word.
Jesus spent a considerable amount of time in quiet solitary reflection in the presence of the Father. Indeed, He made such rendezvous’ with God His top priority, sacrificing sleep just to capture some quality time alone with God the Father. Jesus was single, but never alone. He knew where to go when He needed a place of solace and deep reflection. The Lord’s prayers were characterized by confidence (John 11:41-42) and urgency (Hebrews 5:7 ; 4:16). His communion with the Father was sweet and intimate, not unlike a young child appealing to its father (Mark 14:36a). Jesus interchange with the Father was highly transparent as well (Mark 14:36b). In the quiet environs of private prayer Christ found a place of refuge where He could unload His cares and come away renewed and refreshed. His prayer times gave Him the emotional balance and clear spiritual perspective necessary to walk through life as a spiritually victorious and practically productive single. In this regard His prayer life is most instructive for singles who often find themselves alone.
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY ACTIVELY PURSUING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE.
If idle hands are the devil’s workshop, then we need to find ways to fill our single lifestyles with meaningful activities. In addition to everyday work responsibilities and recreation, the Christian single is uniquely positioned for service. Paul addresses this concept at length in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35. There he makes the case that singleness should be seen, not as a burden, but as a tremendous blessing. Free from the many responsibilities that come with the territory of being a spouse and parent, the Christian single has opportunities for outreach that the time and energy demands and constraints of married life simply don’t allow.
Try to picture the life and ministry of our Lord had He been married. I can just see it now, Jesus and His wife conferring on what to do with the children while He goes away on a three year itinerant gospel campaign. Yeah, right. It just wouldn’t have happened. The Father had a particular job for His Son (John 17:4), and that special work demanded Jesus’ full time and attention. Anything less would have been insufficient in the outworking of God’s eternal purposes. Whether it was doing lunch with a social reject (Luke 19:1-6) or stopping long enough to look deep into the eyes of one who was spiritually searching (Mark 10:21a), Jesus had the space and time needed to meet with people and help them along in their spiritual journey. In Peter’s words, Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). This comment reveals the itinerant and spontaneous nature of Christ’s service. Sometimes we get so caught up in the logistics of formal ministry we forget that meeting people’s needs is often an unplanned thing. Jesus didn’t have a pulpit to call His own, or even a synagogue for that matter. He went out and engaged people right where they were. He didn’t wait for tem to come to Him, He went to them. And He was able to do so because He was free from all marital and parental obligations.
Perhaps a conversation with your pastor or a trusted Christian leader in your church family could present some area of ministry God might use you in. Or maybe your calling will be outside the walls of the church building somewhere in a community full of need. While singleness is a calling of sorts (1 Corinthians 7:17, 20, 24), it doesn’t necessarily follow that this marital status is permanent. Circumstances can change over time (1 Corinthians 7:21), and God may actually have someone for you to share life with somewhere down the road. The neat thing is that while we’re faithfully serving and enjoying the blessing of giving to others, God is at work preparing us for the future, whether that be as a single or as a married person. The stories are endless of how God crossed the paths of two singles as they served together in some type of service. Singleness is a gift that we should use to the maximum glory of God and the benefit of others. Therein lies the secret to contentment.
Jesus taught that singleness is threefold in its origin (Matthew 19:11-12). Some people are single by God’s creative design (“some are single because they are born that way”); others are single due to circumstances out of their control (“some were made single by men”); and others are single by personal choice (“some have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven”). Regardless of the factors leading up to one’s single status, we each must choose whether singleness will be something we enjoy or something we endure. The key is all wrapped up in the attitude we bring to the table. When we affirm the will of God that we are called to be single for the time being, we’ll free ourselves from much of the frustration, anxiety, and discouragement that often accompanies the solo flight.
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY MAINTAINING COMPOSURE IN THE FACE OF THE STRONG TEMPTATIONS ENCOUNTERED BY THE UNMARRIED BELIEVER.
Thus far we’ve considered some of the ways in which our Lord handled singleness. Such a study would be seriously incomplete without addressing the issue of temptation in general and sexual temptation in particular. Did Jesus experience temptation in this area? At first glance such a question may appear as borderline blasphemous. However, a more studied examination of His life reveals a startling answer. Pastor and author Max Lucado infers as much when he observes, “For thirty-three years He would feel everything you and I have ever felt … He was susceptible to wooing women.” But we don’t have to rely on the words or opinions of mere men. The writer to the Hebrews couldn’t be any clearer on this point … “[In Jesus] we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been TEMPTED IN EVERY WAY, just as we are – yet was without sin” (Hebrews 2:15).
It is hard for this writer to imagine someone going through this life never experiencing the lure of temptation to sexual sin. Indeed, the wilderness account of Jesus’ temptation shows that the enemy of our souls specializes in appealing to our physical desires. Following a fasting marathon of no less than forty long days, the tempter made his first move, enticing Jesus to prematurely break His fast and eat food which He would have miraculously transformed out of mere stones. The devil knows the natural drives we possess as human beings and vigilantly waits to capitalize on them when we’re at our weakest. But here’s the catch. Note how Jesus counters what must have been an unbearably strong temptation. “IT IS WRITTEN!” (Matthew 4:2-4). You can bet your bottom dollar that this was the selfsame response Jesus had when confronted with the lure of sexual temptation.
The lust of the flesh is listed as one of the main points of contact the believer has with sin (1 John 2:15-16). Fully aware of the ongoing struggle singles endure in this critical area, our Lord points the way to victory, and the pathway to purity is His Word (Psalm 119:9-11). Jesus made it His habit to store away God’s Word in Hs heart so that He’d have the weapons necessary to win the warfare with sin. While Christ is totally in touch with what we face at the deepest levels of our weak and fallen humanity, He also provides a way of escape that leads to victory, true freedom and great inner peace (1 Corinthians 10:13). It behooves the Christian single to make use of that door often and without hesitation (Genesis 39:12).
If a single believer wants to get serious in this area, it will require the discipline of habitually staying clear of any and all compromising situations (Romans 13:13-14). An occasional failure in thought or even deed can be thoroughly forgiven and cleansed when repented of (1 John 1:9). The pathway to sexual purity isn’t easy, but is very rewarding. The demands of the Christian life are great, but the help we need to live victoriously is equal to the task, and available 24/7, 365 (Hebrews 2:18).
John R. Petrilli
Many have taken up the task of writing something that will assist singles in making sense of their marital status. To avoid the risk of re-inventing the wheel, I’d like to approach the subject from a somewhat of different angle.
While most of us are all too familiar with the historical and biographical aspects of the life of the Lord Jesus, we’re often prone to overlook some of the salient details that provide a window into His genuine humanity. One such area is Jesus’ marital status. The most influential personality of all time went through life single. He never married! Although the institution of marriage is the design of God for most people, Jesus did not enter into the blessings of wedded bliss. Why? Could it be that, just as He entered our world at the very bottom of the social ladder to identify with the least among us, He also chose to remain unmarried in order to identify with those who would be single as well? Food for thought.
We often unconsciously place Jesus into a supra-human category all His own when, in fact, He experienced the same things in life as we do. He knew loneliness and endured misunderstanding. A closer look at the manner in which He dealt with the single life can be quite helpful. Yes, He was single, but let’s not miss the ways He coped with and successfully managed some of the complications entailed as He flew solo through life.
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY MAINTAINING A BALANCED SOCIAL LIFE.
From the outset of creation, God made it abundantly clear that man, by his very nature, is designed for fellowship. No man or woman is an island, regardless of how independently free Simon and Garfunkel try to portray self-imposed solitude (“I am a rock, I am an island!”). As humans we’ve been given the unique gift of communication. We’re wired for relationship. To deny oneself in this area is to miss out on one of life’s richest blessings.
Jesus was single, but He was anything but unduly reclusive or antisocial. He actively pursued relationships that fulfilled His God-given need for companionship. Although He had no spouse, Jesus surrounded Himself with good and godly friends. We see Him often retiring to the home of close friends like Mary, Martha and Lazarus for fellowship and refreshment (John 10:38 ; 11:5 ; 12:1-2). He eagerly shared His mountaintop experiences with an inner circle of His most trusted associates like Peter, James and John. In times of great suffering and trial, Jesus made sure there were friends nearby to provide Him with support and strength. Though single, He always made it a point to avail Himself of the comfort and encouragement that’s found in the presence of close friends.
He enjoyed the warmth of human companionship, and so should we. If you lack friends, the responsibility for taking initiative may well be yours (Proverbs 18:24a, NKJ). As we extend ourselves to others, we often find many who would enjoy having us as their friend. Nursing homes and hospitals are full of lonely folks who’d give anything for the company of a listening ear and a caring heart. And let’s not forget the fellowship resource we have in our church family. There is a wealth of encouragement and companionship waiting to be tapped into as we connect with others of like precious faith (Hebrews 10:24-25).
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY MAINTAINING A DYNAMIC DEVOTIONAL LIFE.
I can almost hear the groaning as I bring up this point. But it is highly relevant. Proverbs describes Jesus as a friend that hangs right by our side (Proverbs 18:24b). And Jesus knew Who to approach when He needed the kind of company that transcends human fellowship. There are some facets of our fellowship with God that are truly unique. He’s the perfect listener, the wisest of counselors and the most trustworthiness of friends. God befriended Abraham, and together they journeyed through a life of adventure and accomplishment. There are treasures of rich wisdom and comfort waiting to be discovered within God’s Word.
Jesus spent a considerable amount of time in quiet solitary reflection in the presence of the Father. Indeed, He made such rendezvous’ with God His top priority, sacrificing sleep just to capture some quality time alone with God the Father. Jesus was single, but never alone. He knew where to go when He needed a place of solace and deep reflection. The Lord’s prayers were characterized by confidence (John 11:41-42) and urgency (Hebrews 5:7 ; 4:16). His communion with the Father was sweet and intimate, not unlike a young child appealing to its father (Mark 14:36a). Jesus interchange with the Father was highly transparent as well (Mark 14:36b). In the quiet environs of private prayer Christ found a place of refuge where He could unload His cares and come away renewed and refreshed. His prayer times gave Him the emotional balance and clear spiritual perspective necessary to walk through life as a spiritually victorious and practically productive single. In this regard His prayer life is most instructive for singles who often find themselves alone.
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY ACTIVELY PURSUING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE.
If idle hands are the devil’s workshop, then we need to find ways to fill our single lifestyles with meaningful activities. In addition to everyday work responsibilities and recreation, the Christian single is uniquely positioned for service. Paul addresses this concept at length in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35. There he makes the case that singleness should be seen, not as a burden, but as a tremendous blessing. Free from the many responsibilities that come with the territory of being a spouse and parent, the Christian single has opportunities for outreach that the time and energy demands and constraints of married life simply don’t allow.
Try to picture the life and ministry of our Lord had He been married. I can just see it now, Jesus and His wife conferring on what to do with the children while He goes away on a three year itinerant gospel campaign. Yeah, right. It just wouldn’t have happened. The Father had a particular job for His Son (John 17:4), and that special work demanded Jesus’ full time and attention. Anything less would have been insufficient in the outworking of God’s eternal purposes. Whether it was doing lunch with a social reject (Luke 19:1-6) or stopping long enough to look deep into the eyes of one who was spiritually searching (Mark 10:21a), Jesus had the space and time needed to meet with people and help them along in their spiritual journey. In Peter’s words, Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). This comment reveals the itinerant and spontaneous nature of Christ’s service. Sometimes we get so caught up in the logistics of formal ministry we forget that meeting people’s needs is often an unplanned thing. Jesus didn’t have a pulpit to call His own, or even a synagogue for that matter. He went out and engaged people right where they were. He didn’t wait for tem to come to Him, He went to them. And He was able to do so because He was free from all marital and parental obligations.
Perhaps a conversation with your pastor or a trusted Christian leader in your church family could present some area of ministry God might use you in. Or maybe your calling will be outside the walls of the church building somewhere in a community full of need. While singleness is a calling of sorts (1 Corinthians 7:17, 20, 24), it doesn’t necessarily follow that this marital status is permanent. Circumstances can change over time (1 Corinthians 7:21), and God may actually have someone for you to share life with somewhere down the road. The neat thing is that while we’re faithfully serving and enjoying the blessing of giving to others, God is at work preparing us for the future, whether that be as a single or as a married person. The stories are endless of how God crossed the paths of two singles as they served together in some type of service. Singleness is a gift that we should use to the maximum glory of God and the benefit of others. Therein lies the secret to contentment.
Jesus taught that singleness is threefold in its origin (Matthew 19:11-12). Some people are single by God’s creative design (“some are single because they are born that way”); others are single due to circumstances out of their control (“some were made single by men”); and others are single by personal choice (“some have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven”). Regardless of the factors leading up to one’s single status, we each must choose whether singleness will be something we enjoy or something we endure. The key is all wrapped up in the attitude we bring to the table. When we affirm the will of God that we are called to be single for the time being, we’ll free ourselves from much of the frustration, anxiety, and discouragement that often accompanies the solo flight.
JESUS MAXIMIZED SINGLENESS BY MAINTAINING COMPOSURE IN THE FACE OF THE STRONG TEMPTATIONS ENCOUNTERED BY THE UNMARRIED BELIEVER.
Thus far we’ve considered some of the ways in which our Lord handled singleness. Such a study would be seriously incomplete without addressing the issue of temptation in general and sexual temptation in particular. Did Jesus experience temptation in this area? At first glance such a question may appear as borderline blasphemous. However, a more studied examination of His life reveals a startling answer. Pastor and author Max Lucado infers as much when he observes, “For thirty-three years He would feel everything you and I have ever felt … He was susceptible to wooing women.” But we don’t have to rely on the words or opinions of mere men. The writer to the Hebrews couldn’t be any clearer on this point … “[In Jesus] we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been TEMPTED IN EVERY WAY, just as we are – yet was without sin” (Hebrews 2:15).
It is hard for this writer to imagine someone going through this life never experiencing the lure of temptation to sexual sin. Indeed, the wilderness account of Jesus’ temptation shows that the enemy of our souls specializes in appealing to our physical desires. Following a fasting marathon of no less than forty long days, the tempter made his first move, enticing Jesus to prematurely break His fast and eat food which He would have miraculously transformed out of mere stones. The devil knows the natural drives we possess as human beings and vigilantly waits to capitalize on them when we’re at our weakest. But here’s the catch. Note how Jesus counters what must have been an unbearably strong temptation. “IT IS WRITTEN!” (Matthew 4:2-4). You can bet your bottom dollar that this was the selfsame response Jesus had when confronted with the lure of sexual temptation.
The lust of the flesh is listed as one of the main points of contact the believer has with sin (1 John 2:15-16). Fully aware of the ongoing struggle singles endure in this critical area, our Lord points the way to victory, and the pathway to purity is His Word (Psalm 119:9-11). Jesus made it His habit to store away God’s Word in Hs heart so that He’d have the weapons necessary to win the warfare with sin. While Christ is totally in touch with what we face at the deepest levels of our weak and fallen humanity, He also provides a way of escape that leads to victory, true freedom and great inner peace (1 Corinthians 10:13). It behooves the Christian single to make use of that door often and without hesitation (Genesis 39:12).
If a single believer wants to get serious in this area, it will require the discipline of habitually staying clear of any and all compromising situations (Romans 13:13-14). An occasional failure in thought or even deed can be thoroughly forgiven and cleansed when repented of (1 John 1:9). The pathway to sexual purity isn’t easy, but is very rewarding. The demands of the Christian life are great, but the help we need to live victoriously is equal to the task, and available 24/7, 365 (Hebrews 2:18).
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Unshakeable Faith For Uncertain Times
Unshakeable Faith For Uncertain Times
John R. Petrilli
If someone had told us a year ago that our society was headed for a culture shock of the magnitude we have seen in the past nine months, we never would have believed them. Oh yes, those on the inside of the loop probably saw a lot of it coming but couldn’t find any way they could avert it, and likely assumed that to sound the alarm would result in unnecessary panic over the inevitable. So here we stand at the dawn of 2009 with a three-headed economic grim reaper staring us in the face: a mortgage crisis of epidemic proportions, a banking crisis unparalleled since the Great Depression, and a Stock Market in virtual free fall.
We’ve had crises before, and have weathered those storms admirably. But the components, breadth, depth and complexity of this current state of affairs is taking its toll. Tens of thousands have lost their jobs, record numbers of foreclosures on homes, major financial institutions collapsing, businesses closing down and credit virtually unavailable. These aspects of the American predicament are enough to daunt and dismay the heartiest, most optimistic among us. For the first time in over seven decades, Americans face a recession so deep, insidious, and unresponsive to stimuli that it could easily roll over into a full blown depression at any time.
As I pondered the disturbing current state of affairs my mind turned heavenward, from which I heard God speak inaudibly yet distinctly to me, “I’m going to take care of My people.”
During a recent walk through Psalm 46 it came to my attention that God truly is in control. He CAN be trusted to take care of His own in times of crisis. Psalm 46 describes three crisis scenarios and how God delivers His people in and through each one of them.
UNSHAKEABLE FAITH IN GOD GIVES US SAFETY, STRENGTH AND SECURITY DURING TIMES OF NATURAL DISASTER. [1-3]
The new millennium may not have brought in a computer calendar glitch that threatened to dismantle and disable global economies, but it did bring in an unprecedented wave of cataclysmic events. These events played no favorites as numerous continents sustained severe blows from the sometimes uncontrollable forces of nature. Tens of thousands died and millions were left homeless by towering tsunamis, devastating earthquakes, and category five hurricanes. Trillions of dollars in property damages and hordes of dislocated people were additional outcomes of these tragedies.
It times like these that try men’s souls, and we are prone to look heavenward and ask, “Why?” While the answer to that question remains to be answered someday ahead in the counsels of eternity, what we do have to deal with is just how to survive such catastrophes and move forward.
The Psalmist declares that the God Whom he serves is a place of safety (“refuge”), strength, and ultimate security (“help in time of trouble”). With his trust firmly placed in the One Who is sovereign over all of nature, he finds a place of rest and courage in the midst of geophysical upheaval (2). He cites a variety of cataclysmic disasters that are incapable of unnerving him, including earthquakes (“though the earth give way”), tidal waves (“though the seas foam and roar”), and volcanoes (“mountains quake with their surging”). This God is not only available during times of crisis, but ever-present in all seasons and circumstances of live; and especially so in times of great disaster and human suffering. While He may not send a crack fleet of angels down to the rescue scene, He may send His help in the form of relief agencies that bear the Name or display the practical love of His Son.
Jesus says that these kinds of global events will increase in intensity and advance in frequency as time winds down on the prophetic clock. Prior to His return, the earth will experience a tremendous spike in cataclysmic events, leaving earth’s inhabitants in a state of shock and resulting in epidemic levels of death by heart attacks. “It will seem like all hell has broken loose … the earth and sea in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking” (Luke 21:25-26, Message). “Men’s courage will fail completely as they realize what is threatening the world, for the very powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26, Phillips).
But even earthquakes on a global scale should not unnerve the trusting disciple who knows that His God is in control all the way. “There will be earthquakes and famines in various places” (Mark 13:8). But even if the upper atmosphere vanishes out of sight, the one who places his complete trust in God and His word will stand victorious in the end. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31).
UNSHAKEABLE FAITH IN GOD GIVES US SAFETY, STRENGTH AND SECURITY BECAUSE HE RULES AN UNSTABLE EARTH FROM A PERFECTLY PEACEFUL HEAVEN. [4-5]
During times of crisis when local and regional networks cannot handle the demand for assistance, communities and even nations reach for outside help. This is a natural matter of course, and often the difference between survival and total annihilation. The response generated from the surrounding communities or nations often determines which way the scales will tip with regard to the outcome.
How natural, then, for the Psalmist who is a believer in God to reach upward towards heaven for outside help. And reach he did. He knew Who was the true source of deliverance, the only One Who could be relied on one-hundred percent of the time. This God lives in a heavenly city where the waterways are perpetually tranquil, as opposed to the turbulent, raging seas of earth (4). God’s city is a place of gladness and peace, as opposed to the insanity and instability of the cities of earth (4). Though the population centers of earth can and have collapsed, that will never be the fate of the Heavenly city, whose walls are unshakeable and collapse-proof (5a). With all these invincible features of the city of God at his disposal, the Psalmist knows that his welfare is safely kept in the hands of the Lord Almighty, the very God of Jacob. He Who delivered Israel from the hordes of Egypt at the Red Sea will save. The One Who sustained His people through centuries of dislocation, dispersement, deprivation and diabolical persecution will keep him safe and secure. And that help will come right in the nick of time, indeed, at the very break of dawn his salvation will be effected (5b).
UNSHAKEABLE FAITH IN GOD GIVES US SAFETY, STRENGTH AND SECURITY IN TIMES OF POLITICAL UPHEAVAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT. [6]
Founded on June 26, 1945, the United Nations was formed with the goal of securing and maintaining international peace. While its cause may be noble, statistics reveal that we are more of a warring world since the U.N.’s inception than before it. As I write these words there are major conflicts in both hemispheres, as well as scores of smaller conflagrations. This not to mention the ongoing threat posed by borderline countries that have a history of mutual hostility that could spill over into all-out war that could quickly draw in the major powers on the planet.
While efforts at nuclear disarmament and peace negotiations are admirable and helpful, the fact remains that man is, by nature, a sinful being of self-interest who will take up arms in the aggressive pursuit of territory, natural resources, and commercial advantage. In the wise words of the prophet Daniel, “War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed” (Daniel 9:26). Jesus concurs with this prophetic forecast, stating, “When you hear about wars and riots don’t be afraid … Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms” (Luke 21:9-10). How true has this been proven by the annals of human history. Its an ongoing sad saga of war after war, takeover after takeover.
Yet, in the midst of all of earth’s change and uncertainty the Psalmist points his reader to God. He is the only true source of help when things go bad on a global level. At that point no one has the wisdom to figure out the solutions to problems which are so complicated, far-reaching and unprecedented. Only God can bring order out of such chaos, and He has done so in the past by allowing peace-loving nations to carry the day on the battlefields of global conflict like WWI and WWII.
The Lord lifted His voice (6) and calmed an Atlantic storm long enough to allow Allied forces to get across the English Channel and onto the shorelines of Normandy, France, from whence they thrust into Europe. The Lord made many wars cease by shattering the defenses and command and control systems of warring nations (9), not unlike Desert Storm, when the Hussein-led Iraqi forces were cut off from all communications capabilities, and went down in a hurry. Their tanks lay strewn across the desert roadways burning in a blaze of fire (9). No, these things should not be cause for concern for the trusting child of God, for he is in the protecting Hands of a loving Creator, and in the Arms of the Good Shepherd. No reason whatsoever to fear or be dismayed. To the contrary, we should adopt a posture of complete confidence in the God Who is our refuge and strength, our God Who is ever present to help us through the fiercest of storms and come out safe and sound on the other side.
This is the same God Who fed Elijah two square meals a day during a famine. This is the same God who spared His servant Joseph’s master during seven years of economic depression in Egypt. This is the same God Who kept millions of Hebrew refugees alive in the middle of the desert when bread was nowhere to be found. This is the same God Who sustained the early Christians through challenges far greater and more costly than anything we’ve experienced in twentieth-century America. It is this same God Who we are called upon by the Psalmist to trust in without reservation. He is worthy of out trust, so our only job is to “be still and know” Him (10). He will handle all the details and the logistics of sustaining us through the current crisis we face as a nation as well as any future threats to our ultimate welfare. With the God of Jacob defending us, victory is secure!
Whether the economy waxes strong or wanes weak, we can rejoice in the faithfulness of the Lord our God! (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Like Paul of old, we can make the adjustments necessary to live lives of contentment whether Wall Street rebounds us into prosperity or we find ourselves living lean and mean on an austerity budget (Philippians 4:11b-13). And in the midst of it all, we can continue to be Christ’s ambassadors to those around us, sharing a message that will always bring certain and immeasurable spiritual prosperity to all who will embrace its offer!
John R. Petrilli
If someone had told us a year ago that our society was headed for a culture shock of the magnitude we have seen in the past nine months, we never would have believed them. Oh yes, those on the inside of the loop probably saw a lot of it coming but couldn’t find any way they could avert it, and likely assumed that to sound the alarm would result in unnecessary panic over the inevitable. So here we stand at the dawn of 2009 with a three-headed economic grim reaper staring us in the face: a mortgage crisis of epidemic proportions, a banking crisis unparalleled since the Great Depression, and a Stock Market in virtual free fall.
We’ve had crises before, and have weathered those storms admirably. But the components, breadth, depth and complexity of this current state of affairs is taking its toll. Tens of thousands have lost their jobs, record numbers of foreclosures on homes, major financial institutions collapsing, businesses closing down and credit virtually unavailable. These aspects of the American predicament are enough to daunt and dismay the heartiest, most optimistic among us. For the first time in over seven decades, Americans face a recession so deep, insidious, and unresponsive to stimuli that it could easily roll over into a full blown depression at any time.
As I pondered the disturbing current state of affairs my mind turned heavenward, from which I heard God speak inaudibly yet distinctly to me, “I’m going to take care of My people.”
During a recent walk through Psalm 46 it came to my attention that God truly is in control. He CAN be trusted to take care of His own in times of crisis. Psalm 46 describes three crisis scenarios and how God delivers His people in and through each one of them.
UNSHAKEABLE FAITH IN GOD GIVES US SAFETY, STRENGTH AND SECURITY DURING TIMES OF NATURAL DISASTER. [1-3]
The new millennium may not have brought in a computer calendar glitch that threatened to dismantle and disable global economies, but it did bring in an unprecedented wave of cataclysmic events. These events played no favorites as numerous continents sustained severe blows from the sometimes uncontrollable forces of nature. Tens of thousands died and millions were left homeless by towering tsunamis, devastating earthquakes, and category five hurricanes. Trillions of dollars in property damages and hordes of dislocated people were additional outcomes of these tragedies.
It times like these that try men’s souls, and we are prone to look heavenward and ask, “Why?” While the answer to that question remains to be answered someday ahead in the counsels of eternity, what we do have to deal with is just how to survive such catastrophes and move forward.
The Psalmist declares that the God Whom he serves is a place of safety (“refuge”), strength, and ultimate security (“help in time of trouble”). With his trust firmly placed in the One Who is sovereign over all of nature, he finds a place of rest and courage in the midst of geophysical upheaval (2). He cites a variety of cataclysmic disasters that are incapable of unnerving him, including earthquakes (“though the earth give way”), tidal waves (“though the seas foam and roar”), and volcanoes (“mountains quake with their surging”). This God is not only available during times of crisis, but ever-present in all seasons and circumstances of live; and especially so in times of great disaster and human suffering. While He may not send a crack fleet of angels down to the rescue scene, He may send His help in the form of relief agencies that bear the Name or display the practical love of His Son.
Jesus says that these kinds of global events will increase in intensity and advance in frequency as time winds down on the prophetic clock. Prior to His return, the earth will experience a tremendous spike in cataclysmic events, leaving earth’s inhabitants in a state of shock and resulting in epidemic levels of death by heart attacks. “It will seem like all hell has broken loose … the earth and sea in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking” (Luke 21:25-26, Message). “Men’s courage will fail completely as they realize what is threatening the world, for the very powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26, Phillips).
But even earthquakes on a global scale should not unnerve the trusting disciple who knows that His God is in control all the way. “There will be earthquakes and famines in various places” (Mark 13:8). But even if the upper atmosphere vanishes out of sight, the one who places his complete trust in God and His word will stand victorious in the end. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31).
UNSHAKEABLE FAITH IN GOD GIVES US SAFETY, STRENGTH AND SECURITY BECAUSE HE RULES AN UNSTABLE EARTH FROM A PERFECTLY PEACEFUL HEAVEN. [4-5]
During times of crisis when local and regional networks cannot handle the demand for assistance, communities and even nations reach for outside help. This is a natural matter of course, and often the difference between survival and total annihilation. The response generated from the surrounding communities or nations often determines which way the scales will tip with regard to the outcome.
How natural, then, for the Psalmist who is a believer in God to reach upward towards heaven for outside help. And reach he did. He knew Who was the true source of deliverance, the only One Who could be relied on one-hundred percent of the time. This God lives in a heavenly city where the waterways are perpetually tranquil, as opposed to the turbulent, raging seas of earth (4). God’s city is a place of gladness and peace, as opposed to the insanity and instability of the cities of earth (4). Though the population centers of earth can and have collapsed, that will never be the fate of the Heavenly city, whose walls are unshakeable and collapse-proof (5a). With all these invincible features of the city of God at his disposal, the Psalmist knows that his welfare is safely kept in the hands of the Lord Almighty, the very God of Jacob. He Who delivered Israel from the hordes of Egypt at the Red Sea will save. The One Who sustained His people through centuries of dislocation, dispersement, deprivation and diabolical persecution will keep him safe and secure. And that help will come right in the nick of time, indeed, at the very break of dawn his salvation will be effected (5b).
UNSHAKEABLE FAITH IN GOD GIVES US SAFETY, STRENGTH AND SECURITY IN TIMES OF POLITICAL UPHEAVAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT. [6]
Founded on June 26, 1945, the United Nations was formed with the goal of securing and maintaining international peace. While its cause may be noble, statistics reveal that we are more of a warring world since the U.N.’s inception than before it. As I write these words there are major conflicts in both hemispheres, as well as scores of smaller conflagrations. This not to mention the ongoing threat posed by borderline countries that have a history of mutual hostility that could spill over into all-out war that could quickly draw in the major powers on the planet.
While efforts at nuclear disarmament and peace negotiations are admirable and helpful, the fact remains that man is, by nature, a sinful being of self-interest who will take up arms in the aggressive pursuit of territory, natural resources, and commercial advantage. In the wise words of the prophet Daniel, “War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed” (Daniel 9:26). Jesus concurs with this prophetic forecast, stating, “When you hear about wars and riots don’t be afraid … Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms” (Luke 21:9-10). How true has this been proven by the annals of human history. Its an ongoing sad saga of war after war, takeover after takeover.
Yet, in the midst of all of earth’s change and uncertainty the Psalmist points his reader to God. He is the only true source of help when things go bad on a global level. At that point no one has the wisdom to figure out the solutions to problems which are so complicated, far-reaching and unprecedented. Only God can bring order out of such chaos, and He has done so in the past by allowing peace-loving nations to carry the day on the battlefields of global conflict like WWI and WWII.
The Lord lifted His voice (6) and calmed an Atlantic storm long enough to allow Allied forces to get across the English Channel and onto the shorelines of Normandy, France, from whence they thrust into Europe. The Lord made many wars cease by shattering the defenses and command and control systems of warring nations (9), not unlike Desert Storm, when the Hussein-led Iraqi forces were cut off from all communications capabilities, and went down in a hurry. Their tanks lay strewn across the desert roadways burning in a blaze of fire (9). No, these things should not be cause for concern for the trusting child of God, for he is in the protecting Hands of a loving Creator, and in the Arms of the Good Shepherd. No reason whatsoever to fear or be dismayed. To the contrary, we should adopt a posture of complete confidence in the God Who is our refuge and strength, our God Who is ever present to help us through the fiercest of storms and come out safe and sound on the other side.
This is the same God Who fed Elijah two square meals a day during a famine. This is the same God who spared His servant Joseph’s master during seven years of economic depression in Egypt. This is the same God Who kept millions of Hebrew refugees alive in the middle of the desert when bread was nowhere to be found. This is the same God Who sustained the early Christians through challenges far greater and more costly than anything we’ve experienced in twentieth-century America. It is this same God Who we are called upon by the Psalmist to trust in without reservation. He is worthy of out trust, so our only job is to “be still and know” Him (10). He will handle all the details and the logistics of sustaining us through the current crisis we face as a nation as well as any future threats to our ultimate welfare. With the God of Jacob defending us, victory is secure!
Whether the economy waxes strong or wanes weak, we can rejoice in the faithfulness of the Lord our God! (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Like Paul of old, we can make the adjustments necessary to live lives of contentment whether Wall Street rebounds us into prosperity or we find ourselves living lean and mean on an austerity budget (Philippians 4:11b-13). And in the midst of it all, we can continue to be Christ’s ambassadors to those around us, sharing a message that will always bring certain and immeasurable spiritual prosperity to all who will embrace its offer!
A ‘Common Sense’ Approach to Reducing Abortions?
A ‘Common Sense’ Approach to Reducing Abortions?
John R. Petrilli
While surfing major news network websites, I came upon a position statement that I need help interpreting. It turns out that, “abortion-rights groups are backing what they call a ’common-ground, common sense’ agenda in Congress aimed at reducing the number of unintended pregnancies. The Prevention First Act, already endorsed by Obama, would increase federal funding for family planning, promote comprehensive sex education, and expand women's access to contraceptives. Other proposals, supported by moderates and conservatives, would provide incentives for pregnant women to carry their fetuses to term. But there would likely be bitter debate, largely along partisan lines, if Democrats try to repeal the 33-year-old Hyde Amendment and other laws that ban federal funding for abortions under almost all circumstances.”
I thought it might shed light on the subject by seeing what a similar approach would look like if used to put an end to the Holocaust when it happened back in the 30’s and 40’s.
Let’s take a “common sense, common ground” approach to this problem. While we can’t possibly expect to outlaw the murder of innocent Jews, let’s find ways to reduce the number of aberrant behaviors which inevitably lead to such cold-blooded executions. Let’s make it a point to sit down with Hitler, Himler, and Goebbels to facilitate mutual understanding and promote information sharing that will advance the hope of survival for all people including the Jews, the Brits, the French, the Cechs , the Slavs, and the Russians. In addition, we should increase federal funding geared toward educating the Nazi regime over time, eventually convincing them that their anti-Semitic bias leading to the wholesale slaughter of 6 million Jews will not help their image in the international community. Reducing the number of unwanted murders of Jews is what w need, and dialogue and compromise is the way we get there.
Of course, my vignette is written with tongue heavily depressed in cheek. This vignette is ludicrous by design to show the incredible nonsensical nature of the pro-death camp’s approach to abortion. Because they refuse to admit nor acknowledge that abortion is murder, they are left in a position that is not only logically untenable, but also socially unjust, ethically blind and functionally unsuccessful. The abortion mills will continue to churn out their products of ripped-up, burned-up, dismembered fetuses while the Congress figures out how to formulate and promote a policy of containment of wholesale murder. They will search for ways to promote reduction of pregnancies, while allowing babes by the millions to disappear off the face of the earth sight unseen.
John R. Petrilli
While surfing major news network websites, I came upon a position statement that I need help interpreting. It turns out that, “abortion-rights groups are backing what they call a ’common-ground, common sense’ agenda in Congress aimed at reducing the number of unintended pregnancies. The Prevention First Act, already endorsed by Obama, would increase federal funding for family planning, promote comprehensive sex education, and expand women's access to contraceptives. Other proposals, supported by moderates and conservatives, would provide incentives for pregnant women to carry their fetuses to term. But there would likely be bitter debate, largely along partisan lines, if Democrats try to repeal the 33-year-old Hyde Amendment and other laws that ban federal funding for abortions under almost all circumstances.”
I thought it might shed light on the subject by seeing what a similar approach would look like if used to put an end to the Holocaust when it happened back in the 30’s and 40’s.
Let’s take a “common sense, common ground” approach to this problem. While we can’t possibly expect to outlaw the murder of innocent Jews, let’s find ways to reduce the number of aberrant behaviors which inevitably lead to such cold-blooded executions. Let’s make it a point to sit down with Hitler, Himler, and Goebbels to facilitate mutual understanding and promote information sharing that will advance the hope of survival for all people including the Jews, the Brits, the French, the Cechs , the Slavs, and the Russians. In addition, we should increase federal funding geared toward educating the Nazi regime over time, eventually convincing them that their anti-Semitic bias leading to the wholesale slaughter of 6 million Jews will not help their image in the international community. Reducing the number of unwanted murders of Jews is what w need, and dialogue and compromise is the way we get there.
Of course, my vignette is written with tongue heavily depressed in cheek. This vignette is ludicrous by design to show the incredible nonsensical nature of the pro-death camp’s approach to abortion. Because they refuse to admit nor acknowledge that abortion is murder, they are left in a position that is not only logically untenable, but also socially unjust, ethically blind and functionally unsuccessful. The abortion mills will continue to churn out their products of ripped-up, burned-up, dismembered fetuses while the Congress figures out how to formulate and promote a policy of containment of wholesale murder. They will search for ways to promote reduction of pregnancies, while allowing babes by the millions to disappear off the face of the earth sight unseen.
Righteous Rage!
Each year on January 22 prolife Americans gather to publicly express their desire to overturn the law that opened the door to a modern day holocaust unparalleled in human history. I speak of the 1973 Roe v. Wade legislation that legalized the wanton, merciless taking of innocent human life before it ever sees the light of day.
I can’t believe that our “land of the free and home of the brave” still hasn’t struck down such an outrageous law. What’s wrong with us as nation? Why can’t we see what’s so plain to every other species on the planet, that our unborn are individuals with being, identity and tremendous value. That this gift we call life is so sacred that even the brutest beasts possess the drive to protect, birth and nurture their unborn offspring?
This particular year I find myself repeatedly returning to a posture of what I would call righteous rage. I’m angry because our legal system is so crippled and politically bound that it can’t see the forest for the trees. I’m angry because those of us who are against this fiendish practice semantically mislabeled “choice” have been so pathetically weak in our opposition. But above all I’m angry that every day unborns go screaming down into their graves by the thousands with hardly a voice of sustained outcry. The ancient book of wisdom reminds us, “There is a time to remain silent, and a time to speak” (Ecclesaistes 3:7). This is a time to SPEAK!
I can’t believe that our “land of the free and home of the brave” still hasn’t struck down such an outrageous law. What’s wrong with us as nation? Why can’t we see what’s so plain to every other species on the planet, that our unborn are individuals with being, identity and tremendous value. That this gift we call life is so sacred that even the brutest beasts possess the drive to protect, birth and nurture their unborn offspring?
This particular year I find myself repeatedly returning to a posture of what I would call righteous rage. I’m angry because our legal system is so crippled and politically bound that it can’t see the forest for the trees. I’m angry because those of us who are against this fiendish practice semantically mislabeled “choice” have been so pathetically weak in our opposition. But above all I’m angry that every day unborns go screaming down into their graves by the thousands with hardly a voice of sustained outcry. The ancient book of wisdom reminds us, “There is a time to remain silent, and a time to speak” (Ecclesaistes 3:7). This is a time to SPEAK!
What Makes God Mad?
What Makes God Mad?
John R. Petrilli
In the 1700’s God raised up a clarion voice by the name of Jonathan Edwards. Among his many distinguished theological accomplishments stands his legendary address, Sinners In the Hands Of An Angry God. In that milestone sermon Edwards stated, “The reason why they [sinners] do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them … Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell.
God? MAD? An ANGRY God? Words like these wouldn’t be tolerated for one second in the non-offensive “seeker sensitive”, “God Loves You” churches of our day. What has happened to the wrath of God? As a Christian of over 33 years, I can’t recall a single sermon devoted to this important subject! Not that God is one big celestial meany with a bad attitude. Of course He’s loving. Of course He’s merciful. Of course He’s forgiving. But none of that has any clout if its not placed against the backdrop of His thrice holy character that rages against sin and ungodliness.
Face it. The contemporary church, at least here in America, has lost its sense of the justice and wrath of God. Afraid of the attendance attritions that would surely accompany such bold preaching, most sermons and sermonizers settle for a comfortable God, a weak God, an overlooking kind of benevolent Being, in short, a “pansy” sort of God. But such an incredibly short-sighted estimation of God is nothing shy of blasphemous. How would any of us like it if we were publicly portrayed week after week in church as a one-dimensional person? Why, we would quickly stand and protest that such characterizations unfairly left out a whole gamut of who we were! Yet we depict God in that very way when we choose to major on His soft, positive side, almost to the total exclusion of His hard side, His justice side, His angry side.
In his refreshingly honest song, Awesome God, the late songwriter Rich Mullins gives us a much-needed reminder of the fact that God is awesome in His righteous reign and readiness to pour out His wrath upon sin.
When He rolls up His sleeves He ain’t just puttin’ on the ritz,
Our God is an awesome God!
There’s thunder in His footsteps and lightning in His fists,
Our God is an awesome God!
And the Lord wasn’t joking when He kicked ‘em out of Eden,
It wasn’t for no reason that He shed His blood,
His return is very close and so you better be believing,
That our God is an awesome God.
In judgment and wrath He poured out on Sodom,
The mercy and grace He gave us at the cross,
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten,
That our God is an awesome God!
These lyrics reveal the dangers of trifling with God’s holy character, never coming to grips with His hard side. I propose at least ten of the many instances in Scripture that shed much needed light on the kinds of things that stir-up of God’s anger.
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO CHOOSE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OVER HIS LOVE. Gen. 6:1-7 ; 7:17-23
“The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of his heart was only evil all the time … the Lord was grieved that he had made man … the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth … for I am grieved that I have made them.
Can you hear the absolute sadness and total disappointment in His words? He was completely heart-broken over what man had made of himself after the fall. Yet God’s perfect justice did not delay forever. Judgment time would come, and eventually did. God created us with the intention of enjoying fellowship with one another, we with Him, and He with us. That plan became seriously marred when our ancestors stumbled and fell over the devil’s cleverly laid tripwire. Because their fall was a conscious decision of their own, God judges, not just the tempter, but the man and woman as well. As we read the rapid downward spiraling of the human race into total degeneracy, it’s no wonder that God’s heart was so grieved. But His justice was also offended, and that required a cut off point to this cancer called sin, and an endpoint for those committing such heinous acts.
A few short chapters after the fall we discover how God really feels about the epidemic immorality and debauchery His creatures had fallen into. Radical surgery was require, and radical surgery it was. A flood was sent to wipe the slate clean, allowing eight righteous survivors to restart the human experiment known as mankind. Does got ever get angry? A worldwide catastrophic, species annihilating flood says He most certainly does!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THE UNREPENTANT LIFESTYLE OF THE WICKED. Psalm 7:11
“God is angry with the wicked every day.”
When we stress the comforting, “positive” traits of God to the exclusion of His “negative” traits of justice and wrath, we inadvertently shortchange Him as well as ourselves. This verse reveals that God is not only angry with unbelievers, He’s angry with them every single day that they persist in their unbelief and rejection of truth as well as His Son. Imagine what it would be like if you went totally out of your way to rescue someone, only to have them reject your help, then castigate you besides. That’s the kind of ungrateful and foolish nonsense the Lord puts up with each and every day. This doesn’t negate His love, for it’s entirely possible to simultaneously love someone yet be angry with them. We do it all the time with family members and friends. Just because we’re upset with them at the moment doesn’t mean that we stop caring about them and valuing our relationship with them. God is patient, and His patience comes into play big-time as He endures man’s sinful, self-centered folly (1 Peter 3:9), but a day of reckoning is on its way for those who persist in their unbelief (Acts 17:30-31). Does got ever get angry? His attitude of pure disgust toward the persistent sinner argues in favor of such a conclusion.
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO LOVE AND WORSHIP THE COMPETITION. 2 Kings 17:16, 18
“They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshipped Baal…so the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from His presence.”
“You’re GROUNDED!” This sentence is dished out every day to young people who have repeatedly or seriously violated their parents expressed wishes and rules. This is what God said to Israel after they showed zero intentions of righting themselves spiritually. Time was up, and harsh discipline was in order. He “removed them from His presence”. Their sin angered Him so that He wanted them out of His sight. Kind of like a juvenile violator getting sent to his room, losing the privilege of contact and fellowship with the rest of the family. They had fallen prostrate before pagan false gods long enough; their practice or astral worship was over as far as God was concerned. It was clearly time for decisive action, and action they got. Does got ever get angry? The repeated deportations of His own yet idolatrous chosen people out of their homeland says He most certainly does!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO EXECUTE THEIR OWN OFFSPRING AS AN ACT OF WORSHIP. 2 Kings 17:17
“They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire … and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.”
God had warned His people early on of the dangers of not wiping them out entirely. He told them that these idolatrous neighbors, if left to live, would someday become their downfall as they dragged them into unequally yoked marriages and the grossest forms of idolatry possible. Israel’s pagan neighbors lived up to the bad reputation God gave them, and succeeded in entrapping God’s people into the most grievous sins.
Some people today are sold out to auto racing, others to football, others to music, others to art, and others to movies. The list of preoccupations is virtually endless. In the case of Israel, they had become sold out to sin … and the sin of idolatry in particular. The height of that sinful system of worship was the moment when otherwise loving parents would agree to cast their own children to their fiery deaths.
Before we point the finger of judgment at them, we need to realize that our nation is guilty of the selfsame sin! Worshipping at the altar of convenience, well over 49 million American women (and in many cases their male counterparts) opted to destroy a living, heart-beating, brain-waving child in the womb. We dare not point the finger! We are mistaken if we interpret God’s seeming silence in the face of this moral atrocity as indifference. God saw the violently, sinfully shed blood of a single man, Abel, on the ground, and marked that act of murder as deserving His judgment. He has personally witnessed every unborn being torn to shreds, burned in saline, or decapitated by partial birth abortion. YES, He’s grieved at this, but NO! He’s not ever going to simply ignore it! According to one source child sacrifice was the one sin that d finally did in a number of ancient societies. Will America be next? Does got ever get angry? God’s burning anger unleashed upon child killers answers that with a resounding “YES!”
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO DISRESPECT AND MISUSE HIS HOUSE. John 2:12-17
“So He [Jesus] made a whip out of chords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a market!’ ”
Religious commercialism has been a very profitable venture for centuries. Be it the pagan religions or the Hebrew and Christian faiths, unscrupulous people have always devised ways to make an easy buck by playing to people’s religious sensitivities and legitimate though misplaced aspirations. One day after a refreshing visit with His biological family and some close associates, Jesus pulled into Jerusalem to honor and celebrate the important Jewish feast of Passover. Once inside the temple gates He was shocked by what He saw.
It was a veritable shopping mall of buying and selling. Oh yes, it was all in good taste as they were selling animals that were needed for temple sacrifices per Jewish law, but the location was all wrong and the atmosphere reeked with rank commercialism. Jesus, in a rare but often overlooked moment of anger, unleashes His righteous rage against such a defiling of the Father’s House of prayer and worship. Hastily creating a whip out of some strips of leather chord, He angrily drove both merchandise and merchandiser out of the holy courts of God. Does got ever get angry? Jesus’ behavior in ejecting economic opportunists from the temple indicates He most definitely does!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO PLACE THEIR OWN SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AHEAD OF PRESSING HUMAN NEED AND SUFFERING. Mark 3:1-6
“He looked at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.”
The stage was set. The first showdown between God and self-righteousness legalism was about to begin. The scene is that of a small town Galilean synagogue. In one corner stands Jesus, Son of God, Healer of the body as well as the soul. In the other corner, a group of self-satisfied church folk who relied on good works to get to heaven. The latter group watched and waited for the former combatant to make the strategic mistake of doing the “work” of healing on the one day that work was forbidden.
I love it. Without a moment’s hesitation, without a modicum of intimidation, with an almost seeming deliberateness, Jesus steps up to the plate and smashes a home run. He has the “audacity” to heal somebody on the Lord’s Day? Why, what nerve! But there’s a revealing phrase, an editorial pause if you will, which speaks volumes about Jesus capacity for intense emotion. “He looked at them IN ANGER.” So what’s the deal Jesus? What’s got you so riled up and uncorked? Simply that some people could be so hopelessly hard-hearted toward human suffering, and so blinded by self-righteous legalism to deny a fellow human being the relief of healing. That’s what uncorked Jesus’ anger. Instead of throwing a temple tirade, He opts to show His absolute disgust at their callousness by boldly healing the man of his disabling ambulatory disease.
Could there be time when we allow our own preconceptions to get in the way of God’s work in our life or the lives of others? Are there times when God is at work in unprecedented ways, but is hindered by our lack of faith or spiritual short-sightedness? Better take care, you may be getting God’s goat when you do this. Does got ever get angry? Jesus’ reaction to spiritual hardened and socially insensitive people delivers a verdict of Yes!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO KNOWINGLY SQUELCH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIM. Romans 1:18-20
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
Our culture seems to be approaching a stage of critical mass. We’re teetering on wholesale denial of Christ in nearly every sector of public life. Most public schools continue to stubbornly subscribe to and disseminate the heresy of evolution as the truth about our origin. In the face of overwhelming mounting evidence strong enough to win over non-Christian scientists, the educational establishment maintains a posture of exclusive adherence to Darwinian concepts of origins.
In spite of consistent statistical evidence that a clear majority of Americans believe in creationism, the government system continues to keep it out of the classroom (“suppressing the truth”), pursuing a policy of indoctrinating our children with twelve years of scientifically unproven and soundly refuted theory that degrades our race and denies our dignity as beings made in the image of a glorious Creator God. Christian believers don’t like this state of affairs, and so doesn’t Someone else.
Paul informs us of God’s take on people who promote systems of belief that deny Him, and it’s not a happy picture. In fact, God disapproves of this behavior so much that it earns His wrath. People suppress the truth in many ways. Some do so in a public fashion, while others are more private in their internal decision to attempt to keep God out of everything around or inside of them. Any way you square it, they are in the worst and most dangerous form of denial possible. Paul cites the testimony of the vastness and complexities of the created universe as proof positive of the Being that some insist doesn’t exist. They mostly do so because such an admission would mean that they are accountable to that Being for the things they think, say and do; and accountability to a higher power is something that the fallen human heart rebels against fervently.
In this particular case, God’s anger is unleashed in a different way, whereby He takes away their ability to distinguish right from wrong. Like the proverbial child who gets his hand burnt on the stove, they become morally crippled and are destined to commit even greater acts of indecency and profligacy. Now that’s one form of judgment I wouldn’t wish on anybody, but there it is. Does God ever get angry? His indictment of those who deny His existence and His justice meted out in the form of loss of conscience replies to the affirmative.
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO SPIT IN THE FACE OF GRACE. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
“When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with His strong angels, He’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and His splendid power is their sentence.”
We all love to see right win out in the end. For evildoers to get their due, and for goodness and righteousness to carry the day. Writing to the new Christians at Thessalonica, Paul paints a highly descriptive picture of a knight in shining armor coming to rescue His friends and destroy His enemies. The Thessalonians were under the gun with long-term opposition and persecution for their faith. They needed a shot in the arm, and Paul delivers the goods in the form of encouraging words about the certain destiny of the very people who were causing them so much trouble.
The picture is one of a returning Conqueror accompanied by a cavalcade of angels on a mission of dishing out divine retribution. In fiery justice the Deliverer consumes the wicked in an instant of unleashed divine rage. The destruction is total and final. Never again will these enemies of God be around to torment and decimate His people. They’ll be gone … forever. The King James describes the motive as “vengeance”. Doesn’t sound like a very forgiving picture to me. The day of grace has passed at this point in time. It’s time for the books to be balanced and the long overdue and well-deserved punishment to get dished-out. Such a display of heavenly wrath, rather than being a discredit to God, is actually something that will glorify Him for His justice and a thing of wonder to the gladsome eyes of beaten-up believers. Does God ever get angry? The powerful execution of justice leveled by the lord Jesus at His return certainly argues a “Yes” verdict once again!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THE DEVIL AND ALL WHO CHOOSE TO FOLLOW HIS REBELLIOUS WAYS. Revelation 6:12-17 ; 14:9-10 ; 20:7-15
“The kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave, and every free man … called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’ ”
As kids we would run and hide when mom found out about some wrong we did. Hiding is not only a tacit admission of guilt, it’s an indicator of the raw fear of the punishment that’s on its way. In the days of the Tribulation Period, there will be a global admission of guilt before God, but, unfortunately, it won’t be the kind of admission n that leads to repentance (Rev. 9:20-21 ; 16:9,11). Rather, it will be a dreadful confession that is like the last words spoken by a dying criminal, a deathbed confession that they did, indeed, commit the crime.
Somehow I just can’t get my arms around this scene. Every unbeliever around the globe from every level of society shrieking aghast in fear, actually begging the inanimate mountains to crush them a swift and relatively painless death, rather than to have to endure the upcoming dispensations of intolerable wrath of an angry God. A greater display of terrifying fear and total dread the world will never have seen before and will never see aft.
At this point they’d already survived the first six of seven devastating blows known as the seal judgments. They left the planet in a war-torn state of environmental and economic disaster. Monstrous earthquakes had leveled a vast amount of earth’s cities, and even the stars in the night sky fell from their galactic locations down to the earth. Worst of all, the very real corporate death wish longed for will be denied as God supernaturally preserves their lives (Rev. 9:6). Does God ever get angry? His response to a Christ-rejecting devil-worshipping world leaves no doubt about that.
GOD’S ANGER IS ONLY AVERTED THROUGH SAVING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 ; 1:9b-10
“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him ... You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait from His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead – Jesus, Who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
Lest some may get the wrong picture, God is not enjoying all this retribution. It was never His design. He wants everyone to be right with Him and enjoy eternity in heaven. But he’s given man the capacity to choose, and choices have consequences. In this case, those consequences are permanent and irreversible. Anyone who
dies without Christ will be summarily judged then sent to hell (Hebrews 9:27). With God’s awesome wrath comes His unmerited favor. No one will be able to point their accusing finger at God charging Him with any type of failure or injustice. They will know they are guilty of rejecting the light He gave them through creation (Romans 1:20), the light of conscience (Romans 2:12-16), or the pure light of the gospel itself (2 Tim. 1:9b-10).
Every mouth of objection will be silenced as unsaved billions stand before the One Who loved them enough to be their personal Savior, but Who now, by their own choosing, sits before them as their only Judge (Romans 3:19). Does God ever get angry? Yes, but that anger is reserved for the habitually disobedient and God rejecting soul. None of us needs to be in that number, for Jesus paid the death penalty our sins call for. His death expiated the wrath of God, it absorbed that wrath, so that we can be completely forgiven and literally go “scot-free” (1 John 2:2 ; Romans 3:23-26)! Does God ever get angry? Yes, indeed. But His loving heart has made a way for us to escape that wrath, and receive grace and mercy in its stead. Come to Jesus just as you are and watch Him make you into someone entirely and refreshingly new, the person He meant you to be all along! (John 1:12 ; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
John R. Petrilli
In the 1700’s God raised up a clarion voice by the name of Jonathan Edwards. Among his many distinguished theological accomplishments stands his legendary address, Sinners In the Hands Of An Angry God. In that milestone sermon Edwards stated, “The reason why they [sinners] do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them … Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell.
God? MAD? An ANGRY God? Words like these wouldn’t be tolerated for one second in the non-offensive “seeker sensitive”, “God Loves You” churches of our day. What has happened to the wrath of God? As a Christian of over 33 years, I can’t recall a single sermon devoted to this important subject! Not that God is one big celestial meany with a bad attitude. Of course He’s loving. Of course He’s merciful. Of course He’s forgiving. But none of that has any clout if its not placed against the backdrop of His thrice holy character that rages against sin and ungodliness.
Face it. The contemporary church, at least here in America, has lost its sense of the justice and wrath of God. Afraid of the attendance attritions that would surely accompany such bold preaching, most sermons and sermonizers settle for a comfortable God, a weak God, an overlooking kind of benevolent Being, in short, a “pansy” sort of God. But such an incredibly short-sighted estimation of God is nothing shy of blasphemous. How would any of us like it if we were publicly portrayed week after week in church as a one-dimensional person? Why, we would quickly stand and protest that such characterizations unfairly left out a whole gamut of who we were! Yet we depict God in that very way when we choose to major on His soft, positive side, almost to the total exclusion of His hard side, His justice side, His angry side.
In his refreshingly honest song, Awesome God, the late songwriter Rich Mullins gives us a much-needed reminder of the fact that God is awesome in His righteous reign and readiness to pour out His wrath upon sin.
When He rolls up His sleeves He ain’t just puttin’ on the ritz,
Our God is an awesome God!
There’s thunder in His footsteps and lightning in His fists,
Our God is an awesome God!
And the Lord wasn’t joking when He kicked ‘em out of Eden,
It wasn’t for no reason that He shed His blood,
His return is very close and so you better be believing,
That our God is an awesome God.
In judgment and wrath He poured out on Sodom,
The mercy and grace He gave us at the cross,
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten,
That our God is an awesome God!
These lyrics reveal the dangers of trifling with God’s holy character, never coming to grips with His hard side. I propose at least ten of the many instances in Scripture that shed much needed light on the kinds of things that stir-up of God’s anger.
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO CHOOSE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OVER HIS LOVE. Gen. 6:1-7 ; 7:17-23
“The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of his heart was only evil all the time … the Lord was grieved that he had made man … the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth … for I am grieved that I have made them.
Can you hear the absolute sadness and total disappointment in His words? He was completely heart-broken over what man had made of himself after the fall. Yet God’s perfect justice did not delay forever. Judgment time would come, and eventually did. God created us with the intention of enjoying fellowship with one another, we with Him, and He with us. That plan became seriously marred when our ancestors stumbled and fell over the devil’s cleverly laid tripwire. Because their fall was a conscious decision of their own, God judges, not just the tempter, but the man and woman as well. As we read the rapid downward spiraling of the human race into total degeneracy, it’s no wonder that God’s heart was so grieved. But His justice was also offended, and that required a cut off point to this cancer called sin, and an endpoint for those committing such heinous acts.
A few short chapters after the fall we discover how God really feels about the epidemic immorality and debauchery His creatures had fallen into. Radical surgery was require, and radical surgery it was. A flood was sent to wipe the slate clean, allowing eight righteous survivors to restart the human experiment known as mankind. Does got ever get angry? A worldwide catastrophic, species annihilating flood says He most certainly does!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THE UNREPENTANT LIFESTYLE OF THE WICKED. Psalm 7:11
“God is angry with the wicked every day.”
When we stress the comforting, “positive” traits of God to the exclusion of His “negative” traits of justice and wrath, we inadvertently shortchange Him as well as ourselves. This verse reveals that God is not only angry with unbelievers, He’s angry with them every single day that they persist in their unbelief and rejection of truth as well as His Son. Imagine what it would be like if you went totally out of your way to rescue someone, only to have them reject your help, then castigate you besides. That’s the kind of ungrateful and foolish nonsense the Lord puts up with each and every day. This doesn’t negate His love, for it’s entirely possible to simultaneously love someone yet be angry with them. We do it all the time with family members and friends. Just because we’re upset with them at the moment doesn’t mean that we stop caring about them and valuing our relationship with them. God is patient, and His patience comes into play big-time as He endures man’s sinful, self-centered folly (1 Peter 3:9), but a day of reckoning is on its way for those who persist in their unbelief (Acts 17:30-31). Does got ever get angry? His attitude of pure disgust toward the persistent sinner argues in favor of such a conclusion.
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO LOVE AND WORSHIP THE COMPETITION. 2 Kings 17:16, 18
“They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshipped Baal…so the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from His presence.”
“You’re GROUNDED!” This sentence is dished out every day to young people who have repeatedly or seriously violated their parents expressed wishes and rules. This is what God said to Israel after they showed zero intentions of righting themselves spiritually. Time was up, and harsh discipline was in order. He “removed them from His presence”. Their sin angered Him so that He wanted them out of His sight. Kind of like a juvenile violator getting sent to his room, losing the privilege of contact and fellowship with the rest of the family. They had fallen prostrate before pagan false gods long enough; their practice or astral worship was over as far as God was concerned. It was clearly time for decisive action, and action they got. Does got ever get angry? The repeated deportations of His own yet idolatrous chosen people out of their homeland says He most certainly does!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO EXECUTE THEIR OWN OFFSPRING AS AN ACT OF WORSHIP. 2 Kings 17:17
“They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire … and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.”
God had warned His people early on of the dangers of not wiping them out entirely. He told them that these idolatrous neighbors, if left to live, would someday become their downfall as they dragged them into unequally yoked marriages and the grossest forms of idolatry possible. Israel’s pagan neighbors lived up to the bad reputation God gave them, and succeeded in entrapping God’s people into the most grievous sins.
Some people today are sold out to auto racing, others to football, others to music, others to art, and others to movies. The list of preoccupations is virtually endless. In the case of Israel, they had become sold out to sin … and the sin of idolatry in particular. The height of that sinful system of worship was the moment when otherwise loving parents would agree to cast their own children to their fiery deaths.
Before we point the finger of judgment at them, we need to realize that our nation is guilty of the selfsame sin! Worshipping at the altar of convenience, well over 49 million American women (and in many cases their male counterparts) opted to destroy a living, heart-beating, brain-waving child in the womb. We dare not point the finger! We are mistaken if we interpret God’s seeming silence in the face of this moral atrocity as indifference. God saw the violently, sinfully shed blood of a single man, Abel, on the ground, and marked that act of murder as deserving His judgment. He has personally witnessed every unborn being torn to shreds, burned in saline, or decapitated by partial birth abortion. YES, He’s grieved at this, but NO! He’s not ever going to simply ignore it! According to one source child sacrifice was the one sin that d finally did in a number of ancient societies. Will America be next? Does got ever get angry? God’s burning anger unleashed upon child killers answers that with a resounding “YES!”
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO DISRESPECT AND MISUSE HIS HOUSE. John 2:12-17
“So He [Jesus] made a whip out of chords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a market!’ ”
Religious commercialism has been a very profitable venture for centuries. Be it the pagan religions or the Hebrew and Christian faiths, unscrupulous people have always devised ways to make an easy buck by playing to people’s religious sensitivities and legitimate though misplaced aspirations. One day after a refreshing visit with His biological family and some close associates, Jesus pulled into Jerusalem to honor and celebrate the important Jewish feast of Passover. Once inside the temple gates He was shocked by what He saw.
It was a veritable shopping mall of buying and selling. Oh yes, it was all in good taste as they were selling animals that were needed for temple sacrifices per Jewish law, but the location was all wrong and the atmosphere reeked with rank commercialism. Jesus, in a rare but often overlooked moment of anger, unleashes His righteous rage against such a defiling of the Father’s House of prayer and worship. Hastily creating a whip out of some strips of leather chord, He angrily drove both merchandise and merchandiser out of the holy courts of God. Does got ever get angry? Jesus’ behavior in ejecting economic opportunists from the temple indicates He most definitely does!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO PLACE THEIR OWN SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AHEAD OF PRESSING HUMAN NEED AND SUFFERING. Mark 3:1-6
“He looked at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.”
The stage was set. The first showdown between God and self-righteousness legalism was about to begin. The scene is that of a small town Galilean synagogue. In one corner stands Jesus, Son of God, Healer of the body as well as the soul. In the other corner, a group of self-satisfied church folk who relied on good works to get to heaven. The latter group watched and waited for the former combatant to make the strategic mistake of doing the “work” of healing on the one day that work was forbidden.
I love it. Without a moment’s hesitation, without a modicum of intimidation, with an almost seeming deliberateness, Jesus steps up to the plate and smashes a home run. He has the “audacity” to heal somebody on the Lord’s Day? Why, what nerve! But there’s a revealing phrase, an editorial pause if you will, which speaks volumes about Jesus capacity for intense emotion. “He looked at them IN ANGER.” So what’s the deal Jesus? What’s got you so riled up and uncorked? Simply that some people could be so hopelessly hard-hearted toward human suffering, and so blinded by self-righteous legalism to deny a fellow human being the relief of healing. That’s what uncorked Jesus’ anger. Instead of throwing a temple tirade, He opts to show His absolute disgust at their callousness by boldly healing the man of his disabling ambulatory disease.
Could there be time when we allow our own preconceptions to get in the way of God’s work in our life or the lives of others? Are there times when God is at work in unprecedented ways, but is hindered by our lack of faith or spiritual short-sightedness? Better take care, you may be getting God’s goat when you do this. Does got ever get angry? Jesus’ reaction to spiritual hardened and socially insensitive people delivers a verdict of Yes!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO KNOWINGLY SQUELCH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIM. Romans 1:18-20
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
Our culture seems to be approaching a stage of critical mass. We’re teetering on wholesale denial of Christ in nearly every sector of public life. Most public schools continue to stubbornly subscribe to and disseminate the heresy of evolution as the truth about our origin. In the face of overwhelming mounting evidence strong enough to win over non-Christian scientists, the educational establishment maintains a posture of exclusive adherence to Darwinian concepts of origins.
In spite of consistent statistical evidence that a clear majority of Americans believe in creationism, the government system continues to keep it out of the classroom (“suppressing the truth”), pursuing a policy of indoctrinating our children with twelve years of scientifically unproven and soundly refuted theory that degrades our race and denies our dignity as beings made in the image of a glorious Creator God. Christian believers don’t like this state of affairs, and so doesn’t Someone else.
Paul informs us of God’s take on people who promote systems of belief that deny Him, and it’s not a happy picture. In fact, God disapproves of this behavior so much that it earns His wrath. People suppress the truth in many ways. Some do so in a public fashion, while others are more private in their internal decision to attempt to keep God out of everything around or inside of them. Any way you square it, they are in the worst and most dangerous form of denial possible. Paul cites the testimony of the vastness and complexities of the created universe as proof positive of the Being that some insist doesn’t exist. They mostly do so because such an admission would mean that they are accountable to that Being for the things they think, say and do; and accountability to a higher power is something that the fallen human heart rebels against fervently.
In this particular case, God’s anger is unleashed in a different way, whereby He takes away their ability to distinguish right from wrong. Like the proverbial child who gets his hand burnt on the stove, they become morally crippled and are destined to commit even greater acts of indecency and profligacy. Now that’s one form of judgment I wouldn’t wish on anybody, but there it is. Does God ever get angry? His indictment of those who deny His existence and His justice meted out in the form of loss of conscience replies to the affirmative.
GOD IS ANGERED BY THOSE WHO SPIT IN THE FACE OF GRACE. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
“When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with His strong angels, He’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and His splendid power is their sentence.”
We all love to see right win out in the end. For evildoers to get their due, and for goodness and righteousness to carry the day. Writing to the new Christians at Thessalonica, Paul paints a highly descriptive picture of a knight in shining armor coming to rescue His friends and destroy His enemies. The Thessalonians were under the gun with long-term opposition and persecution for their faith. They needed a shot in the arm, and Paul delivers the goods in the form of encouraging words about the certain destiny of the very people who were causing them so much trouble.
The picture is one of a returning Conqueror accompanied by a cavalcade of angels on a mission of dishing out divine retribution. In fiery justice the Deliverer consumes the wicked in an instant of unleashed divine rage. The destruction is total and final. Never again will these enemies of God be around to torment and decimate His people. They’ll be gone … forever. The King James describes the motive as “vengeance”. Doesn’t sound like a very forgiving picture to me. The day of grace has passed at this point in time. It’s time for the books to be balanced and the long overdue and well-deserved punishment to get dished-out. Such a display of heavenly wrath, rather than being a discredit to God, is actually something that will glorify Him for His justice and a thing of wonder to the gladsome eyes of beaten-up believers. Does God ever get angry? The powerful execution of justice leveled by the lord Jesus at His return certainly argues a “Yes” verdict once again!
GOD IS ANGERED BY THE DEVIL AND ALL WHO CHOOSE TO FOLLOW HIS REBELLIOUS WAYS. Revelation 6:12-17 ; 14:9-10 ; 20:7-15
“The kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave, and every free man … called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’ ”
As kids we would run and hide when mom found out about some wrong we did. Hiding is not only a tacit admission of guilt, it’s an indicator of the raw fear of the punishment that’s on its way. In the days of the Tribulation Period, there will be a global admission of guilt before God, but, unfortunately, it won’t be the kind of admission n that leads to repentance (Rev. 9:20-21 ; 16:9,11). Rather, it will be a dreadful confession that is like the last words spoken by a dying criminal, a deathbed confession that they did, indeed, commit the crime.
Somehow I just can’t get my arms around this scene. Every unbeliever around the globe from every level of society shrieking aghast in fear, actually begging the inanimate mountains to crush them a swift and relatively painless death, rather than to have to endure the upcoming dispensations of intolerable wrath of an angry God. A greater display of terrifying fear and total dread the world will never have seen before and will never see aft.
At this point they’d already survived the first six of seven devastating blows known as the seal judgments. They left the planet in a war-torn state of environmental and economic disaster. Monstrous earthquakes had leveled a vast amount of earth’s cities, and even the stars in the night sky fell from their galactic locations down to the earth. Worst of all, the very real corporate death wish longed for will be denied as God supernaturally preserves their lives (Rev. 9:6). Does God ever get angry? His response to a Christ-rejecting devil-worshipping world leaves no doubt about that.
GOD’S ANGER IS ONLY AVERTED THROUGH SAVING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 ; 1:9b-10
“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him ... You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait from His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead – Jesus, Who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
Lest some may get the wrong picture, God is not enjoying all this retribution. It was never His design. He wants everyone to be right with Him and enjoy eternity in heaven. But he’s given man the capacity to choose, and choices have consequences. In this case, those consequences are permanent and irreversible. Anyone who
dies without Christ will be summarily judged then sent to hell (Hebrews 9:27). With God’s awesome wrath comes His unmerited favor. No one will be able to point their accusing finger at God charging Him with any type of failure or injustice. They will know they are guilty of rejecting the light He gave them through creation (Romans 1:20), the light of conscience (Romans 2:12-16), or the pure light of the gospel itself (2 Tim. 1:9b-10).
Every mouth of objection will be silenced as unsaved billions stand before the One Who loved them enough to be their personal Savior, but Who now, by their own choosing, sits before them as their only Judge (Romans 3:19). Does God ever get angry? Yes, but that anger is reserved for the habitually disobedient and God rejecting soul. None of us needs to be in that number, for Jesus paid the death penalty our sins call for. His death expiated the wrath of God, it absorbed that wrath, so that we can be completely forgiven and literally go “scot-free” (1 John 2:2 ; Romans 3:23-26)! Does God ever get angry? Yes, indeed. But His loving heart has made a way for us to escape that wrath, and receive grace and mercy in its stead. Come to Jesus just as you are and watch Him make you into someone entirely and refreshingly new, the person He meant you to be all along! (John 1:12 ; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Is There Not A Cause?
Is There Not A Cause?
John R. Petrilli
“Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29)
Life is so much more exciting and rewarding when lived for a cause. Be it humanitarian, racial, religious, personal, or public, having a cause to drive us enables us to accomplish some really great things for God and our fellow man.
It was showdown time. The battle lines had been clearly drawn. It was Israel versus the Philistines, the sports equivalent of the Yanks vs. Red Sox, the Lakers vs. the Celtics, or the Cowboys vs. the Redskins. Only one problem … pregame jitters. Team Israeli had lead feet that wouldn’t allow them to take a single step forward. This ancient version of warfare used a champion from each side to represent their entire armies. Whichever champ won, to their side went the victory, no questions asked. The dirty, rotten, pagan Philistines sent out their biggest, ugliest, meanest, most skilled warrior, a hunk named Goliath. This sorry excuse for a human being had nothing but trash-talkin’, but he didn’t limit his taunts to the Hebrew boys in uniform. He lambasted heaven itself, shaking his fist of defiance up at the God of Israel. No one on the Israeli side dared to answer the call.
Nobody, that is, until a little punk of a kid named David shows up on an errand from his dad.
When lil’ Davey hears the outrageous filth spewing out of Goliath’s trap, he’s incensed! He answers his older brother’s charges that he was just showing off with the powerful statement, “Is there not a cause?”
At the risk of being chewed up and spit out by the area’s most towering, feared and battle-hardened foot-soldier, David runs [not walks] up to the big oaf, slings a stone through his forehead, and drops him in short order. Game, set, match. What an entire army of trained infantrymen couldn’t do without faith, a kid still wet behind the ears did when armed with uncluttered faith in his mighty God. Giants often have a bark that’s louder than their bite. If you’ve tried to level one of them in your life and failed, THAT’S WHY. It was YOU trying to do it, not God. When we let the Lord do the fighting, it’s all over but the crying.
At times the battle to end abortion feels like we’re confronting a “goliath”, a warrior that outweighs, outpowers, outmaneuvers, outsmarts, outspends, and outguns us at every turn. But a review of David’s victorious encounter with his Goliath shows us the path to complete victory over a seemingly invincible foe.
DAVID SAW GOD’S REPUTATION AND ISRAEL’S FUTURE AS A CAUSE WORTH FIGHTING FOR. 1 Samuel 17:29
What incredible words from a mere lad of a boy… “Is there not a cause?” Here are a whole battalion of Jewish soldiers shaking in their boots, and it takes a teenager to screw up their courage and show them what’s at stake! They had the weapons, they had the manpower, but they lacked vision. They didn’t grasp exactly what was on the line here. They allowed the circumstances to blind them to their original purpose in being out on that battlefield. They needed to be rallied around a cause, and like a seasoned general, David rallies these troops with his sense of divine purpose .
If ever there was a cause worth fighting for, it is the prolife cause. Powerful forces of darkness, like a whole host of goliaths, threaten the very essence of human life on our planet. We need to circle the wagons, rally the troops, and take on this ugly, death-dealing giant. With God all things are possible, and “with God we shall do valiantly!” (Psalm 60:12)
DAVID SAW GOD AS HUGE AND GOLIATH AS SMALL. 1 Samuel 17:26
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
When it comes to winning wars, focus is everything. If our focus is on the enemy we’ll fail. If our focus is on the living God, we’ll succeed. When David scanned the battlefield, he saw it in terms of what God could do through him, not in terms of the enemy’s earthly advantages. Goliath outclassed little David in every way with more muscle, more experience, more weaponry and more size. But none of that mattered to the young Israeli recruit. His eyes were on His mighty, living God. When seen on human terms Goliath was a towering unbeatable foe, but placed next to God, he was nothing!
DAVID’S CONFIDENCE IN BATTLE WAS BASED ON HIS PAST EXPERIENCES OF VICTORY THROUGH GOD. 1 Samuel 17:33-37
“The Lord Who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
King Saul saw David as a little boy going up against a seasoned warrior, and didn’t give him a prayer of a chance for success. But Saul had a habit for leaving God out of the equation, and he repeats that fatal error once again here. Saul looked at the odds from a purely horizontal point of view, while David saw it from a purely vertical perspective. God was on David’s side, and at the end of the day, that was all that really mattered. David answers the commanding officers concerns by recounting how His mighty God had already delivered him from wild beasts, and how that He could be counted on to dispose of the human beast named Goliath who stood before them. David knew victory was his for the taking because it would be God that would do the fighting.
DAVID RELIED ON SUPERNATURAL RESOURCES TO DEFEAT GOLIATH. 1 Samuel 17:45-47
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom you have defied!”
Saul tried his best to arm David with the latest in military battle gear, but he was such a young kid the armor didn’t stay on him. David opted to go into battle shielded with God Himself. It was the Name of the Lord that would be his defensive protection as well as his offensive artillery. He knew Who the battle really belonged to … God. As we fight the good fight of protecting the sanctity of human life we desperately need to keep this in mind. Our pro-death enemies are fighting against God, and killing babies made in His very image and likeness.
God is on the side of life all the way here folks. We need not worry nor fret at any of the advances or victories the other side may enjoy. In the end, God will vanquish every on of them. We just need to rely on His Spirit, not our own arm of flesh (Zechariah 4:6). David slung a single stone, but it was the faith he placed in his God that caused that bullet to hit its intended target and inflict a mortal wound. What we lack in earthly power can be easily made up for by unwavering faith and undaunted courage. As Paul points out, “We fight with weapons that are different than those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God. These weapons can destroy the enemy’s strong places” (2 Cor. 10:4, Everyman’s Bible).
DAVID INSURED TOTAL VICTORY BY CUTTING OFF GOLIATH’S HEAD. 1 Samuel 17:48-54
“David ran and stood over him (Goliath). He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.”
Mopping up exercises. That’s what they call it when the enemy’s been whooped and it’s cleanup time. David knocked off Goliath single-handedly, and then went over to decapitate the silenced foe. Once the leadership of an army is defeated, everything else comes tumbling down.. That’s how American forces won so decisively in Desert Storm over Hussein and Iraq. We cut off their command and control systems of communications. The head of the Iraqi system was detached from the foot-soldiers, leaving them stranded and without and direction or coordination. Once we’ve successfully exposed the lies and deceit perpetrated by those heading the abortion holocaust, the whole house of cards will come crashing down. Once David cut off Goliath’s head, the entire Philistine army ran for their lives, with the Israeli forces mowing them down. The mission was accomplished and victory was complete and permanent. God will give us that same kind of victory as we trust in Him to fight the battle and defeat those who take delight in killing innocent unborn children.
John R. Petrilli
“Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29)
Life is so much more exciting and rewarding when lived for a cause. Be it humanitarian, racial, religious, personal, or public, having a cause to drive us enables us to accomplish some really great things for God and our fellow man.
It was showdown time. The battle lines had been clearly drawn. It was Israel versus the Philistines, the sports equivalent of the Yanks vs. Red Sox, the Lakers vs. the Celtics, or the Cowboys vs. the Redskins. Only one problem … pregame jitters. Team Israeli had lead feet that wouldn’t allow them to take a single step forward. This ancient version of warfare used a champion from each side to represent their entire armies. Whichever champ won, to their side went the victory, no questions asked. The dirty, rotten, pagan Philistines sent out their biggest, ugliest, meanest, most skilled warrior, a hunk named Goliath. This sorry excuse for a human being had nothing but trash-talkin’, but he didn’t limit his taunts to the Hebrew boys in uniform. He lambasted heaven itself, shaking his fist of defiance up at the God of Israel. No one on the Israeli side dared to answer the call.
Nobody, that is, until a little punk of a kid named David shows up on an errand from his dad.
When lil’ Davey hears the outrageous filth spewing out of Goliath’s trap, he’s incensed! He answers his older brother’s charges that he was just showing off with the powerful statement, “Is there not a cause?”
At the risk of being chewed up and spit out by the area’s most towering, feared and battle-hardened foot-soldier, David runs [not walks] up to the big oaf, slings a stone through his forehead, and drops him in short order. Game, set, match. What an entire army of trained infantrymen couldn’t do without faith, a kid still wet behind the ears did when armed with uncluttered faith in his mighty God. Giants often have a bark that’s louder than their bite. If you’ve tried to level one of them in your life and failed, THAT’S WHY. It was YOU trying to do it, not God. When we let the Lord do the fighting, it’s all over but the crying.
At times the battle to end abortion feels like we’re confronting a “goliath”, a warrior that outweighs, outpowers, outmaneuvers, outsmarts, outspends, and outguns us at every turn. But a review of David’s victorious encounter with his Goliath shows us the path to complete victory over a seemingly invincible foe.
DAVID SAW GOD’S REPUTATION AND ISRAEL’S FUTURE AS A CAUSE WORTH FIGHTING FOR. 1 Samuel 17:29
What incredible words from a mere lad of a boy… “Is there not a cause?” Here are a whole battalion of Jewish soldiers shaking in their boots, and it takes a teenager to screw up their courage and show them what’s at stake! They had the weapons, they had the manpower, but they lacked vision. They didn’t grasp exactly what was on the line here. They allowed the circumstances to blind them to their original purpose in being out on that battlefield. They needed to be rallied around a cause, and like a seasoned general, David rallies these troops with his sense of divine purpose .
If ever there was a cause worth fighting for, it is the prolife cause. Powerful forces of darkness, like a whole host of goliaths, threaten the very essence of human life on our planet. We need to circle the wagons, rally the troops, and take on this ugly, death-dealing giant. With God all things are possible, and “with God we shall do valiantly!” (Psalm 60:12)
DAVID SAW GOD AS HUGE AND GOLIATH AS SMALL. 1 Samuel 17:26
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
When it comes to winning wars, focus is everything. If our focus is on the enemy we’ll fail. If our focus is on the living God, we’ll succeed. When David scanned the battlefield, he saw it in terms of what God could do through him, not in terms of the enemy’s earthly advantages. Goliath outclassed little David in every way with more muscle, more experience, more weaponry and more size. But none of that mattered to the young Israeli recruit. His eyes were on His mighty, living God. When seen on human terms Goliath was a towering unbeatable foe, but placed next to God, he was nothing!
DAVID’S CONFIDENCE IN BATTLE WAS BASED ON HIS PAST EXPERIENCES OF VICTORY THROUGH GOD. 1 Samuel 17:33-37
“The Lord Who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
King Saul saw David as a little boy going up against a seasoned warrior, and didn’t give him a prayer of a chance for success. But Saul had a habit for leaving God out of the equation, and he repeats that fatal error once again here. Saul looked at the odds from a purely horizontal point of view, while David saw it from a purely vertical perspective. God was on David’s side, and at the end of the day, that was all that really mattered. David answers the commanding officers concerns by recounting how His mighty God had already delivered him from wild beasts, and how that He could be counted on to dispose of the human beast named Goliath who stood before them. David knew victory was his for the taking because it would be God that would do the fighting.
DAVID RELIED ON SUPERNATURAL RESOURCES TO DEFEAT GOLIATH. 1 Samuel 17:45-47
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom you have defied!”
Saul tried his best to arm David with the latest in military battle gear, but he was such a young kid the armor didn’t stay on him. David opted to go into battle shielded with God Himself. It was the Name of the Lord that would be his defensive protection as well as his offensive artillery. He knew Who the battle really belonged to … God. As we fight the good fight of protecting the sanctity of human life we desperately need to keep this in mind. Our pro-death enemies are fighting against God, and killing babies made in His very image and likeness.
God is on the side of life all the way here folks. We need not worry nor fret at any of the advances or victories the other side may enjoy. In the end, God will vanquish every on of them. We just need to rely on His Spirit, not our own arm of flesh (Zechariah 4:6). David slung a single stone, but it was the faith he placed in his God that caused that bullet to hit its intended target and inflict a mortal wound. What we lack in earthly power can be easily made up for by unwavering faith and undaunted courage. As Paul points out, “We fight with weapons that are different than those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God. These weapons can destroy the enemy’s strong places” (2 Cor. 10:4, Everyman’s Bible).
DAVID INSURED TOTAL VICTORY BY CUTTING OFF GOLIATH’S HEAD. 1 Samuel 17:48-54
“David ran and stood over him (Goliath). He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.”
Mopping up exercises. That’s what they call it when the enemy’s been whooped and it’s cleanup time. David knocked off Goliath single-handedly, and then went over to decapitate the silenced foe. Once the leadership of an army is defeated, everything else comes tumbling down.. That’s how American forces won so decisively in Desert Storm over Hussein and Iraq. We cut off their command and control systems of communications. The head of the Iraqi system was detached from the foot-soldiers, leaving them stranded and without and direction or coordination. Once we’ve successfully exposed the lies and deceit perpetrated by those heading the abortion holocaust, the whole house of cards will come crashing down. Once David cut off Goliath’s head, the entire Philistine army ran for their lives, with the Israeli forces mowing them down. The mission was accomplished and victory was complete and permanent. God will give us that same kind of victory as we trust in Him to fight the battle and defeat those who take delight in killing innocent unborn children.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Holocaust De'Ja' Vu!
Holocaust Déjà Vu
John R. Petrilli
Former New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra is known for his humorous comments. One of my favorites is his quip, “It’s déjà vu all over again!” The humor lies in the fact that the phrase déjà vu (borrowed from psychology) actually means “the illusion that one has previously had a given experience”. So Yogi’s quip actually translates, “It’s all over again, all over again”. This article is about déjà vu, but its not the kind that dwells in the realm of the imagination. No, this déjà vu falls under the category of stark reality. It’s déjà vu of the worst kind, indeed a veritable nightmare version of déjà vu.
After viewing the PBS program, Escape From Auscwitz, I referenced a book in my library titled, “The Abandonment of the Jews”, written by David S. Wyman. There I discovered a running account of how various American agencies and organizations responded to the plight of 1.5 million Jews being gassed to death at Auschwitz. The details provide a glimpse into the covert blocking and nauseating indifference these institutions displayed toward the Jews in their hour of extermination. As I read, I noticed a striking similarity between America’s wartime response to the Jewish holocaust, and America’s current peacetime response to the holocaust of abortion. The haunting parallels should be enough to awaken our land to action to end this wanton execution of life.
I. The American Government Was Indifferent to the Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To
The American Holocaust.
On April 10, 1944 two young Slovakian prisoners, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, successfully escaped from Auschwitz. They fled to Slovakia, where they met with the Jewish underground and dictated a 30 page report detailing Auschwitz’ geographical layout, internal conditions, and gassing and cremation techniques. A copy of the Vrba-Wetzler statement was dispatched to Hungarian Jewish leadership in Budapest in May, and made it to Switzerland by mid-June. By late June the truth about Auschwitz was known to the entire outside world. Over a period of two years the executive branch (under Franklin Roosevelt), the War Department, the State Department, and the U. S. War Refugee Board (WRB) each chose to shelve or ignore the pleas of the Jewish Community worldwide to take intervention steps to stop the killing at Auschwitz and elsewhere.
Here we stand a full 36 years beyond the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made the American holocaust possible. Our abortion tally approaching 50 million makes Hitler, Himler, and the Gestapo look like innocent choir boys. In hindsight we shake our heads in disgust at the atrocities against the Jews in WW II, yet fail to see a holocaust 8 times more deadly that continues daily across our land. The Nazi’s hid their holocaust from public view, building death camps in remote European country sides, but the American holocaust takes place in plain view right under our noses at the local abortion clinic just around the corner from where we live!
The diabolical experiments of Nazi psychiatrist Joseph Mengela twisted and destroyed the minds of prisoners, but the American abortionist does him one better, sucking the brains right out of the skulls of half-delivered babies. We’re aghast over how Nazi military brass proudly displayed the skulls, hair, and other body parts of murdered prisoners. But American profiteers have one up on them … they sell the body parts of aborted babies for profit to the highest bidder. Our Supreme Court continues to uphold Roe v. Wade, so this merciless, cold-blooded killing goes on. Organizations like Planned Parenthood enjoy raking in billions of our tax dollars to finance their killing machine and spread their lies and pro-death propaganda. Where will this end?
II. The American Church Was Indifferent to The Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To The
American Holocaust.
Wyman reports, “America’s Christian churches were almost inert in the face of the Holocaust and nearly silent too. No major denomination spoke out on the issue”… “Few of the many Christian publications cried out for aid to the Jews. Few even reported the news of extermination, except infrequently and incidentally. The bulk of the Protestant press was silent, or nearly so. And few cries for action arose from the pages of any part of Protestantism’s print media.” “ Two important Catholic periodicals, America and Commonweal, did speak out from time to time on the extermination of the Jews and called for action to help them. But the rest of the Catholic press was almost silent on the issue, as was the American church itself”. “ At the heart of Christianity is the commitment to help the helpless. Yet, for the most part, America’s Christian churches looked away while the European Jews perished.” (1)
How many denominations maintain a sustained public outcry against the murderous acts of abortion that claim thousands of lives per day in our country? How many local churches consistently pray about this holocaust and call for their people to actively take a stand against this evil of all evils? How many individual Christians do more than march once a year or participate in a one-day National Day of Prayer? Are we to honestly believe for one moment that such minimal involvement will even scratch the surface of this heinous industry? Anyone who faces this squarely has to admit that it won’t. Thousands die a horrible death daily here in America. Where is the Church? Why is She so incredibly silent and so apathetically disengaged from one of “civilized” history’s largest wholesale slaughter of innocent life?
III. The American Culture Was Indifferent to the Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To The
American Holocaust.
The next step in Wyman’s search takes us into the 1940’s American culture, only to find the same degree of disinterest and inaction. He notes that most American liberals, most American intellectuals, and American Communists were virtually absentee with regard to the holocaust. American filmmakers avoided the subject of the Jewish catastrophe, refusing to produce even a single short film on the mass killing of the Jews.
Consider these incredible cultural statistics gleaned from Carenet, a national prolife organization. “In our American culture, by the age of 45, 43% of all women will have had an abortion. There is one abortion for every three live births. 234,000 evangelical Christian women choose to abort their babies each year. And less than 5% of all abortions are done because of rape, incest, or health.”
The truth is, the average American is far more worried about his or her own pocketbook than the fact that close to 50 million innocent lives have been quietly snuffed out since Roe v. Wade. We carry on with our fun and entertainment while thousands of unborns daily enter eternity screaming in pain, the silent screams falling on our deaf ears, blinded eyes and calloused hearts. Where are the movies documenting this atrocity? Where are the massive social movements protesting this “unjust war” against innocent little babies? Where is the outcry against the greatest “social injustice” ever committed against an entire population and generation of Americans? Where is the media and mass communications coverage of this unbelievable genocide?
IV. The American Media Was Indifferent To The Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To The
American Holocaust.
Unresponsiveness to the plight of European Jews on the part of ordinary Americans was due to the fact that the majority weren’t aware of the Third Reich’s extermination programs until mid-1944. Such information was virtually unavailable because the systematic murder of millions of Jews was treated as minor news by the mass media.
According to Wyman’s research, “Most newspapers printed very little about the Holocaust, even though extensive information on it reached their desks from the news services (AP, UP, and others) and from their own correspondents. American mass-circulation magazines all but ignored the Holocaust. Radio coverage of Holocaust news was sparse. There is no clear explanation for the mass media’s failure to publicize the Holocaust.” (2)
It was not until the full Auschwitz report received frontpage coverage across the country that the press finally got on the ball. Shortly thereafter, when the German concentration camps were liberated, the whole world saw firsthand what Eisenhower described as the “almost unbelievable barbarous treatment” of prisoners. Conditions were absolutely abysmal, including massive starvation, unchecked disease, terrible crowding, and thousands of unburies corpses. But, ironically, these camps (Buchenwald, Belsen, Dachau, etc.) weren’t the worst case scenarios. These were not extermination camps like Auschwitz, Majdanek, and four other killing centers where Jewish murders numbered in the millions.
So how many news stories have you heard (ever) on the abortion industry? When did you ever read any article in any major news publication anywhere that exposed in graphic verbal and pictorial fashion the horrors of this holocaust of the unborn? Has the nightly national or local news EVER reported a SINGLE story showing a graphic depiction of just what a victim of a saline or curettage abortion comes out looking like? Name one such instance! Our media is guilty of the most crass bias and cover up of all time.
SOURCES
(1) The Abandonment of the Jews, David S. Wyman, Pantheon Books, New York, New York, pp. pp. 317-320.
(2) Ibid, pp. 321-322.
John R. Petrilli
Former New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra is known for his humorous comments. One of my favorites is his quip, “It’s déjà vu all over again!” The humor lies in the fact that the phrase déjà vu (borrowed from psychology) actually means “the illusion that one has previously had a given experience”. So Yogi’s quip actually translates, “It’s all over again, all over again”. This article is about déjà vu, but its not the kind that dwells in the realm of the imagination. No, this déjà vu falls under the category of stark reality. It’s déjà vu of the worst kind, indeed a veritable nightmare version of déjà vu.
After viewing the PBS program, Escape From Auscwitz, I referenced a book in my library titled, “The Abandonment of the Jews”, written by David S. Wyman. There I discovered a running account of how various American agencies and organizations responded to the plight of 1.5 million Jews being gassed to death at Auschwitz. The details provide a glimpse into the covert blocking and nauseating indifference these institutions displayed toward the Jews in their hour of extermination. As I read, I noticed a striking similarity between America’s wartime response to the Jewish holocaust, and America’s current peacetime response to the holocaust of abortion. The haunting parallels should be enough to awaken our land to action to end this wanton execution of life.
I. The American Government Was Indifferent to the Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To
The American Holocaust.
On April 10, 1944 two young Slovakian prisoners, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, successfully escaped from Auschwitz. They fled to Slovakia, where they met with the Jewish underground and dictated a 30 page report detailing Auschwitz’ geographical layout, internal conditions, and gassing and cremation techniques. A copy of the Vrba-Wetzler statement was dispatched to Hungarian Jewish leadership in Budapest in May, and made it to Switzerland by mid-June. By late June the truth about Auschwitz was known to the entire outside world. Over a period of two years the executive branch (under Franklin Roosevelt), the War Department, the State Department, and the U. S. War Refugee Board (WRB) each chose to shelve or ignore the pleas of the Jewish Community worldwide to take intervention steps to stop the killing at Auschwitz and elsewhere.
Here we stand a full 36 years beyond the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made the American holocaust possible. Our abortion tally approaching 50 million makes Hitler, Himler, and the Gestapo look like innocent choir boys. In hindsight we shake our heads in disgust at the atrocities against the Jews in WW II, yet fail to see a holocaust 8 times more deadly that continues daily across our land. The Nazi’s hid their holocaust from public view, building death camps in remote European country sides, but the American holocaust takes place in plain view right under our noses at the local abortion clinic just around the corner from where we live!
The diabolical experiments of Nazi psychiatrist Joseph Mengela twisted and destroyed the minds of prisoners, but the American abortionist does him one better, sucking the brains right out of the skulls of half-delivered babies. We’re aghast over how Nazi military brass proudly displayed the skulls, hair, and other body parts of murdered prisoners. But American profiteers have one up on them … they sell the body parts of aborted babies for profit to the highest bidder. Our Supreme Court continues to uphold Roe v. Wade, so this merciless, cold-blooded killing goes on. Organizations like Planned Parenthood enjoy raking in billions of our tax dollars to finance their killing machine and spread their lies and pro-death propaganda. Where will this end?
II. The American Church Was Indifferent to The Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To The
American Holocaust.
Wyman reports, “America’s Christian churches were almost inert in the face of the Holocaust and nearly silent too. No major denomination spoke out on the issue”… “Few of the many Christian publications cried out for aid to the Jews. Few even reported the news of extermination, except infrequently and incidentally. The bulk of the Protestant press was silent, or nearly so. And few cries for action arose from the pages of any part of Protestantism’s print media.” “ Two important Catholic periodicals, America and Commonweal, did speak out from time to time on the extermination of the Jews and called for action to help them. But the rest of the Catholic press was almost silent on the issue, as was the American church itself”. “ At the heart of Christianity is the commitment to help the helpless. Yet, for the most part, America’s Christian churches looked away while the European Jews perished.” (1)
How many denominations maintain a sustained public outcry against the murderous acts of abortion that claim thousands of lives per day in our country? How many local churches consistently pray about this holocaust and call for their people to actively take a stand against this evil of all evils? How many individual Christians do more than march once a year or participate in a one-day National Day of Prayer? Are we to honestly believe for one moment that such minimal involvement will even scratch the surface of this heinous industry? Anyone who faces this squarely has to admit that it won’t. Thousands die a horrible death daily here in America. Where is the Church? Why is She so incredibly silent and so apathetically disengaged from one of “civilized” history’s largest wholesale slaughter of innocent life?
III. The American Culture Was Indifferent to the Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To The
American Holocaust.
The next step in Wyman’s search takes us into the 1940’s American culture, only to find the same degree of disinterest and inaction. He notes that most American liberals, most American intellectuals, and American Communists were virtually absentee with regard to the holocaust. American filmmakers avoided the subject of the Jewish catastrophe, refusing to produce even a single short film on the mass killing of the Jews.
Consider these incredible cultural statistics gleaned from Carenet, a national prolife organization. “In our American culture, by the age of 45, 43% of all women will have had an abortion. There is one abortion for every three live births. 234,000 evangelical Christian women choose to abort their babies each year. And less than 5% of all abortions are done because of rape, incest, or health.”
The truth is, the average American is far more worried about his or her own pocketbook than the fact that close to 50 million innocent lives have been quietly snuffed out since Roe v. Wade. We carry on with our fun and entertainment while thousands of unborns daily enter eternity screaming in pain, the silent screams falling on our deaf ears, blinded eyes and calloused hearts. Where are the movies documenting this atrocity? Where are the massive social movements protesting this “unjust war” against innocent little babies? Where is the outcry against the greatest “social injustice” ever committed against an entire population and generation of Americans? Where is the media and mass communications coverage of this unbelievable genocide?
IV. The American Media Was Indifferent To The Jewish Holocaust and Remains Indifferent To The
American Holocaust.
Unresponsiveness to the plight of European Jews on the part of ordinary Americans was due to the fact that the majority weren’t aware of the Third Reich’s extermination programs until mid-1944. Such information was virtually unavailable because the systematic murder of millions of Jews was treated as minor news by the mass media.
According to Wyman’s research, “Most newspapers printed very little about the Holocaust, even though extensive information on it reached their desks from the news services (AP, UP, and others) and from their own correspondents. American mass-circulation magazines all but ignored the Holocaust. Radio coverage of Holocaust news was sparse. There is no clear explanation for the mass media’s failure to publicize the Holocaust.” (2)
It was not until the full Auschwitz report received frontpage coverage across the country that the press finally got on the ball. Shortly thereafter, when the German concentration camps were liberated, the whole world saw firsthand what Eisenhower described as the “almost unbelievable barbarous treatment” of prisoners. Conditions were absolutely abysmal, including massive starvation, unchecked disease, terrible crowding, and thousands of unburies corpses. But, ironically, these camps (Buchenwald, Belsen, Dachau, etc.) weren’t the worst case scenarios. These were not extermination camps like Auschwitz, Majdanek, and four other killing centers where Jewish murders numbered in the millions.
So how many news stories have you heard (ever) on the abortion industry? When did you ever read any article in any major news publication anywhere that exposed in graphic verbal and pictorial fashion the horrors of this holocaust of the unborn? Has the nightly national or local news EVER reported a SINGLE story showing a graphic depiction of just what a victim of a saline or curettage abortion comes out looking like? Name one such instance! Our media is guilty of the most crass bias and cover up of all time.
SOURCES
(1) The Abandonment of the Jews, David S. Wyman, Pantheon Books, New York, New York, pp. pp. 317-320.
(2) Ibid, pp. 321-322.
A TIME TO SPEAK
Each year on January 22 prolife Americans gather to publicly express their desire to overturn the law that opened the door to a modern day holocaust unparalleled in human history. I speak of the 1973 Roe v. Wade legislation that legalized the wanton, merciless taking of innocent human life before it ever sees the light of day.
I can’t believe that our “land of the free and home of the brave” still hasn’t struck down such an outrageous law. What’s wrong with us as nation? Why can’t we see what’s so plain to every other species on the planet, that our unborn are individuals with being, identity and tremendous value. That this gift we call life is so sacred that even the brutest beasts possess the drive to protect, birth and nurture their unborn offspring?
This particular year I find myself repeatedly returning to a posture of what I would call righteous rage. I’m angry because our legal system is so crippled and politically bound that it can’t see the forest for the trees. I’m angry because those of us who are against this fiendish practice semantically mislabeled “choice” have been so pathetically weak in our opposition. But above all I’m angry that every day unborns go screaming down into their graves by the thousands with hardly a voice of sustained outcry. The ancient book of wisdom reminds us, “There is a time to remain silent, and a time to speak” (Ecclesaistes 3:7). This is a time to SPEAK!
I can’t believe that our “land of the free and home of the brave” still hasn’t struck down such an outrageous law. What’s wrong with us as nation? Why can’t we see what’s so plain to every other species on the planet, that our unborn are individuals with being, identity and tremendous value. That this gift we call life is so sacred that even the brutest beasts possess the drive to protect, birth and nurture their unborn offspring?
This particular year I find myself repeatedly returning to a posture of what I would call righteous rage. I’m angry because our legal system is so crippled and politically bound that it can’t see the forest for the trees. I’m angry because those of us who are against this fiendish practice semantically mislabeled “choice” have been so pathetically weak in our opposition. But above all I’m angry that every day unborns go screaming down into their graves by the thousands with hardly a voice of sustained outcry. The ancient book of wisdom reminds us, “There is a time to remain silent, and a time to speak” (Ecclesaistes 3:7). This is a time to SPEAK!
How Long?
How Long, O Lord?
John R. Petrilli
Did you know that the Bible records a whole international assemblage of people crying? In Revelation we find a host of people up in heaven verbalizing their appeal to God for Justice. They were unfairly executed by the forces of earthly power, and were growing impatient to see their shed blood avenged. “How long, Sovereign Lord, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood.” (Rev. 6:10) This mighty throng had been mercilessly slaughtered for their faith in Jesus (Rev. 6:9), and felt it was high time for divine justice to roll down like thunder, for divine retribution to fall swift and sure upon those who had wantonly taken their lives. Even the angelic hosts of the Tribulation period voice the need of the hour, calling down God’s righteous wrath upon those who had martyred His faithful followers (Rev. 16:4-5). The wheels of justice turn slowly but the time would soon arrive for things to come full circle (Rev. 16:6). These loyal-to-the-death souls had paid the supreme price for their fidelity to Jesus, and were waiting to receive their well-earned reward (Rev. 20:4). Their precious lives had been sacrificed at the altar of demonic worship (Rev. 13:11-15), and now had been assigned to tarry under God’s altar until their day in court had come. They’d waited long enough, and were anxious to see God wrap up their story of pain, suffering and injustice.
There isn’t a more magnetic sound in the universe than that of a baby’s cry. Nursing mothers wake out of a sound sleep at the slightest whimper, racing to see if all’s well in the crib. Perhaps it’s the awareness of the babe’s utter helplessness and complete dependence that drives its mother to such heroic measures. Even those of us who don’t nurse the young feel our hearts pull right out of our chests at the sound of a little one’s plea for milk or a diaper or to be held in our arms. God made it this way. He designed that vocal appeal in such a way that it is totally irresistible to the normal human psyche.
Imagine what it would sound like if you had to care for, say, fifty babes in a nursery and they were all crying for attention at the same time? Well, we’d have to elevate that sound about one million times to hear the thunderous refrain of the innocents who’ve been slain at the altar of selfish convenience. Oh, we can’t hear their cry for justice, but there most certainly is One Who can. His heart is ripped-out at the sound of every one of their voices. Black children, brown children, white children, red children, yellow children. Almond-eyed kids, round-eyed kids, slanted eyed kids. Dark-haired, light-haired, fair-complexioned, medium-complexioned, dark-complexioned. Blue-eyed, brown-eyed, green-eyed. Male and female. Listen to them by the billions, lifting up their tender voices to God to avenge their innocent blood. If God was able to hear the blood of just one slain soul named Abel appealing to Him for justice, how much more the incessant song of this heavenly throng of unfortunates who were robbed of their right to life itself (Genesis 4:10)?
So just how long will their cry for sweet relief waft up to the divine Throne before it’s answered (Psa. 6:3)? How long will they have to wait while God seems silent (Rev. 13:1)? How long will it be before they are permanently rescued from the devouring hands that so cruelly shed their natal blood (Rev. 35:17)? How long until God arises and strikes down those who have mocked Him by their cold-blooded, cold-hearted murder of the defenseless unborn (Rev. 74:10-11)? How long until God answers their desperate cry for full deliverance from their destroyers (Psa. 79:5-8)? How long before the Lord ends His patient endurance of the works of the wicked and shows His favor on the righteous (Psa. 82:2-4)? How long until His holy wrath breaks out and ends His virtual silence (Psa. 89:46)? How long before the pro-death camp ceases their songs of rejoicing over the legal battles they have won (Psa. 94:3)? How long before those who single out the most vulnerable of our society for persecution are dealt with (Psa. 119:84)?
How long? Only God knows the answer to that age-old inquiry. But painful as this endless lament may be, there will come a time for it to finally cease! There is coming a Day when the whole world will be judged in righteousness by a Man Who Himself knew the tortures of death by defacing, dehydration, and dislocation (Acts 17:31; Isaiah 52:14; Psa. 22:15; John 19:28; Psa. 22:14,17). When He returns, all the books will be balanced, every bill will be paid in full, and the crying will once and forever come to an end (2 Thess. 1:5-10). Until then we must work and pray and trust God’s timing and wait ... and perhaps shed a tear or two for and with the martyred innocents.
John R. Petrilli
Did you know that the Bible records a whole international assemblage of people crying? In Revelation we find a host of people up in heaven verbalizing their appeal to God for Justice. They were unfairly executed by the forces of earthly power, and were growing impatient to see their shed blood avenged. “How long, Sovereign Lord, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood.” (Rev. 6:10) This mighty throng had been mercilessly slaughtered for their faith in Jesus (Rev. 6:9), and felt it was high time for divine justice to roll down like thunder, for divine retribution to fall swift and sure upon those who had wantonly taken their lives. Even the angelic hosts of the Tribulation period voice the need of the hour, calling down God’s righteous wrath upon those who had martyred His faithful followers (Rev. 16:4-5). The wheels of justice turn slowly but the time would soon arrive for things to come full circle (Rev. 16:6). These loyal-to-the-death souls had paid the supreme price for their fidelity to Jesus, and were waiting to receive their well-earned reward (Rev. 20:4). Their precious lives had been sacrificed at the altar of demonic worship (Rev. 13:11-15), and now had been assigned to tarry under God’s altar until their day in court had come. They’d waited long enough, and were anxious to see God wrap up their story of pain, suffering and injustice.
There isn’t a more magnetic sound in the universe than that of a baby’s cry. Nursing mothers wake out of a sound sleep at the slightest whimper, racing to see if all’s well in the crib. Perhaps it’s the awareness of the babe’s utter helplessness and complete dependence that drives its mother to such heroic measures. Even those of us who don’t nurse the young feel our hearts pull right out of our chests at the sound of a little one’s plea for milk or a diaper or to be held in our arms. God made it this way. He designed that vocal appeal in such a way that it is totally irresistible to the normal human psyche.
Imagine what it would sound like if you had to care for, say, fifty babes in a nursery and they were all crying for attention at the same time? Well, we’d have to elevate that sound about one million times to hear the thunderous refrain of the innocents who’ve been slain at the altar of selfish convenience. Oh, we can’t hear their cry for justice, but there most certainly is One Who can. His heart is ripped-out at the sound of every one of their voices. Black children, brown children, white children, red children, yellow children. Almond-eyed kids, round-eyed kids, slanted eyed kids. Dark-haired, light-haired, fair-complexioned, medium-complexioned, dark-complexioned. Blue-eyed, brown-eyed, green-eyed. Male and female. Listen to them by the billions, lifting up their tender voices to God to avenge their innocent blood. If God was able to hear the blood of just one slain soul named Abel appealing to Him for justice, how much more the incessant song of this heavenly throng of unfortunates who were robbed of their right to life itself (Genesis 4:10)?
So just how long will their cry for sweet relief waft up to the divine Throne before it’s answered (Psa. 6:3)? How long will they have to wait while God seems silent (Rev. 13:1)? How long will it be before they are permanently rescued from the devouring hands that so cruelly shed their natal blood (Rev. 35:17)? How long until God arises and strikes down those who have mocked Him by their cold-blooded, cold-hearted murder of the defenseless unborn (Rev. 74:10-11)? How long until God answers their desperate cry for full deliverance from their destroyers (Psa. 79:5-8)? How long before the Lord ends His patient endurance of the works of the wicked and shows His favor on the righteous (Psa. 82:2-4)? How long until His holy wrath breaks out and ends His virtual silence (Psa. 89:46)? How long before the pro-death camp ceases their songs of rejoicing over the legal battles they have won (Psa. 94:3)? How long before those who single out the most vulnerable of our society for persecution are dealt with (Psa. 119:84)?
How long? Only God knows the answer to that age-old inquiry. But painful as this endless lament may be, there will come a time for it to finally cease! There is coming a Day when the whole world will be judged in righteousness by a Man Who Himself knew the tortures of death by defacing, dehydration, and dislocation (Acts 17:31; Isaiah 52:14; Psa. 22:15; John 19:28; Psa. 22:14,17). When He returns, all the books will be balanced, every bill will be paid in full, and the crying will once and forever come to an end (2 Thess. 1:5-10). Until then we must work and pray and trust God’s timing and wait ... and perhaps shed a tear or two for and with the martyred innocents.
Meet The Unborn's Public Enemy Number One!
Meet The Unborn’s Public Enemy Number One
John R. Petrilli
Fifty million and counting. That’s the number of babies aborted since the infamous Supreme Court debacle known as Roe v. Wade. Millions of Americans are guilty of complicity in this crime of all crimes. So who’s the most culpable of them all? Surprisingly, this person isn’t an aggressive abortionist. It’s not Planned Parenthood, though this organization has blood all over their hands. Neither is it the Supreme Court that enacted the heinous law.
Sad to say, it’s President Barak Obama. As an Illinois state senator, Obama voted against legislation that would have protected a baby born after a botched abortion. In fact, he led the successful charge to defeat this insane bill (http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=674). The former Senator from Illinois was and still is in favor of denying food, water and medical attention to a living, breathing, already delivered baby, thus allowing it to die. What kind of mentality/brutality/monstrosity do we have here? In addition, Obama has vowed to strike down thirty years of legislative progress protecting the unborn by signing into law F.O.C.A. (the Freedom of Choice Act). He will also rescind the Mexico Bill, mandating the exportation of abortion to other countries at tax-payer’s expense. Obama also aggressively supports legislation to destroy human embryos in the as yet fruitless research for embryonic stem cells that actually bring improved health (not be confused with adult stem cells, which HAVE proved beneficial). To think that the man who has zero compassion or mercy for the most helpless, innocent, vulnerable of Americans (not to mention unborn children around the world) now occupies the White House grieves me and SCARES ME. Period. God have mercy on our land!!
John R. Petrilli
Fifty million and counting. That’s the number of babies aborted since the infamous Supreme Court debacle known as Roe v. Wade. Millions of Americans are guilty of complicity in this crime of all crimes. So who’s the most culpable of them all? Surprisingly, this person isn’t an aggressive abortionist. It’s not Planned Parenthood, though this organization has blood all over their hands. Neither is it the Supreme Court that enacted the heinous law.
Sad to say, it’s President Barak Obama. As an Illinois state senator, Obama voted against legislation that would have protected a baby born after a botched abortion. In fact, he led the successful charge to defeat this insane bill (http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=674). The former Senator from Illinois was and still is in favor of denying food, water and medical attention to a living, breathing, already delivered baby, thus allowing it to die. What kind of mentality/brutality/monstrosity do we have here? In addition, Obama has vowed to strike down thirty years of legislative progress protecting the unborn by signing into law F.O.C.A. (the Freedom of Choice Act). He will also rescind the Mexico Bill, mandating the exportation of abortion to other countries at tax-payer’s expense. Obama also aggressively supports legislation to destroy human embryos in the as yet fruitless research for embryonic stem cells that actually bring improved health (not be confused with adult stem cells, which HAVE proved beneficial). To think that the man who has zero compassion or mercy for the most helpless, innocent, vulnerable of Americans (not to mention unborn children around the world) now occupies the White House grieves me and SCARES ME. Period. God have mercy on our land!!
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