The Heart Of The Health Care Crisis
John R. Petrilli
We’ve heard for years that health care costs have continued to skyrocket at unprecedented rates. This has put medical coverage and services literally out of reach for millions of Americans. Many are convinced the solution lies in a governmentally controlled, tax-payer funded universal health care program. I for one strongly disagree.
While working in a local pharmaceutical warehouse, I discovered that the markup for items between manufacturer and patient loomed as high as 2000 percent. Again, while working for a local dental equipment distributor I learned that a brand new dental chair the distributor purchased for 3,000 dollars would bring in 10,000 dollars. The problem isn’t in the insurance industry or the professionals of the medical community. It lies squarely in the lap of the pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment manufacturers, and distributors who are raking in extremely excessive profit margins. Price gouging is clearly the root of the problem. Thanks to these greedy enterprises, insurance firms have to escalate the premiums on previously affordable health insurance plans, while health providers pay outrageous prices for the latest technologies. Result? Americans can no longer pay the sky high premiums, and are often going without critically important and necessary medical care.
Let’s attack the real source of the problem, rather than throwing trillions of band-aid dollars into a national health care fiasco that will surely tank the remainder of the middle class with tax rates approaching 45% of their paychecks. Let’s insist on regulation of these runaway profiteers and the distributors who are in bed with them!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
God Is Prolife!
God Is Pro-Life!
John R. Petrilli
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if certain people had never been born? Picture human history without the likes of John Wesley, William Wilberforce, Louis Pasteur, Leonardo DaVinci, Johan Gutenberg, or Queen Victoria. What would life be like? How would the world have fared without the Albert Einsteins, Isaac Newtons, and Martin Luther Kings? And just where would our world be without the birth of Jesus Christ? Would there even be a world left by now? While some lives have made significant contributions to society, the fact remains that every life is significant.
April 18, 2007, was a history-making day for the pro-life movement in America. After years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban on the procedure known as partial-birth abortion. Many observers believe it’s the first in what may be a series of major shifts in social policy in the direction toward a culture of life. Rev. Frank Pavone, national director for Priests For Life, states that, “The U.S. Congress and the vast majority of state legislators and American citizens have made it clear over the last decade that this procedure - by which a child is killed in the very process of delivery - has no place in a civilized society. This decision draws a significant and necessary line that stops the momentum of the abortion movement that believes it can justify any and every method of killing the unborn.”
With all of the culture wars, philosophical debates, and political lobbying surrounding the life of the unborn, have you ever wondered where God weighs in on such a critical issue? A search through the Word of God reveals a Creator Who is decidedly pro-life.
First, God Identifies Prenatal Life As A Human Being.
In the book of Deuteronomy God calls the unborn a “child” (21:22), and refers to the same entity as a “life” (21:23). A first-century physician named Luke wrote under the inspiration of God that pre-born life exhibits all the physical, perceptual, and emotional characteristics of personhood (Luke 1:39-44). Research shows that an unborn baby has its own heat beat at the early age of 25 days, brain waves in 43 days, and at 10 weeks all body organs are present and working. This rapidly developing child becomes extremely sensitive to sound, pressure, heat, light, and pain. God also affirms prenatal personhood by giving the unborn a name even before its conception (Luke 1:13,31; 2:21)
Secondly, God Treats Prenatal Life As A Person By Superintending Every Aspect And Phase Of Its Development.
I recall watching a television special titled “The Miracle Of Life”. The program contained breathtaking film footage that allowed the viewer to see the conception and development of a baby inside a mother’s womb. In Psalm 139 David takes us on a very similar journey as he walks us through an autobiographical account of his own conception and prenatal formation. David credits God with personally creating his soul (“my inmost being”), as well as his body (“my frame” … “my unformed body”). God is pictured as a knitter diligently attending to every detail of a preborn’s development. He states that God watches over each step in the process, and that David’s individual qualities were preplanned and designed long before his actual conception. This might explain why no two humans ever share the same exact fingerprint or DNA code. Only an all powerful and loving God could pull off such an amazing feat.
Third, God Provides Physical and Legal Protection For The Unborn.
One of the great anatomical wonders is the human womb. Its ingenious design insulates and protects its resident from any form of intrusion or injury. The womb shields and sustains the unborn life, giving it the time necessary for full and healthy development. What’s more, God has granted full legal protection to pre-born life in the event of accidental or intentional injury or death (Exo. 21:23).
Finally, God Pronounces Judgment On Those Who Trifle With The Gift Of Life.
Godless individuals take innocent human life for any number of reasons including idolatry (Deut. 12:29-31), population control (Exo.1:8-22), political expediency (Matt. 2:1-16), irrational ethnic hatred (Esther 3:8-9), and sadly in our own generation, “personal convenience”. God’s anger burns hotly against those who would dare to destroy the life of the pre-born or the life of the newborn (Amos 1:13; Lev. 20:1-3). When a society turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to infanticide, God Himself takes personal responsibility for dealing justly with the perpetrators (Lev. 20:4-5). To anyone performing an abortion this should serve as a sober warning. And to any who may have made the tragic mistake of abortion, there is always the promise of forgiveness through Christ, healing of the heart, and the comforting hope of seeing their child again in Heaven.
New technology known as ultrasound allows a pregnant mother to see their unborn child with incredible clarity. James Dobson writes that 88% of abortion-minded women who receive loving counseling and meet their babies face to face through the wonder of ultrasound choose to carry their baby to term. This is just one example of how God can and will work through His people as they find creative and practical ways to preserve and protect the lives of the unborn. As Christians we must redouble our efforts to pray for our leaders as they formulate public policy, vote for pro-life political candidates, give to pro-life organizations, and fully support the crisis pregnancy centers and adoption agencies in our area. May God ignite the believing community with a vision and passion to right this wrong and restore moral sanity to our land.
John R. Petrilli
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if certain people had never been born? Picture human history without the likes of John Wesley, William Wilberforce, Louis Pasteur, Leonardo DaVinci, Johan Gutenberg, or Queen Victoria. What would life be like? How would the world have fared without the Albert Einsteins, Isaac Newtons, and Martin Luther Kings? And just where would our world be without the birth of Jesus Christ? Would there even be a world left by now? While some lives have made significant contributions to society, the fact remains that every life is significant.
April 18, 2007, was a history-making day for the pro-life movement in America. After years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban on the procedure known as partial-birth abortion. Many observers believe it’s the first in what may be a series of major shifts in social policy in the direction toward a culture of life. Rev. Frank Pavone, national director for Priests For Life, states that, “The U.S. Congress and the vast majority of state legislators and American citizens have made it clear over the last decade that this procedure - by which a child is killed in the very process of delivery - has no place in a civilized society. This decision draws a significant and necessary line that stops the momentum of the abortion movement that believes it can justify any and every method of killing the unborn.”
With all of the culture wars, philosophical debates, and political lobbying surrounding the life of the unborn, have you ever wondered where God weighs in on such a critical issue? A search through the Word of God reveals a Creator Who is decidedly pro-life.
First, God Identifies Prenatal Life As A Human Being.
In the book of Deuteronomy God calls the unborn a “child” (21:22), and refers to the same entity as a “life” (21:23). A first-century physician named Luke wrote under the inspiration of God that pre-born life exhibits all the physical, perceptual, and emotional characteristics of personhood (Luke 1:39-44). Research shows that an unborn baby has its own heat beat at the early age of 25 days, brain waves in 43 days, and at 10 weeks all body organs are present and working. This rapidly developing child becomes extremely sensitive to sound, pressure, heat, light, and pain. God also affirms prenatal personhood by giving the unborn a name even before its conception (Luke 1:13,31; 2:21)
Secondly, God Treats Prenatal Life As A Person By Superintending Every Aspect And Phase Of Its Development.
I recall watching a television special titled “The Miracle Of Life”. The program contained breathtaking film footage that allowed the viewer to see the conception and development of a baby inside a mother’s womb. In Psalm 139 David takes us on a very similar journey as he walks us through an autobiographical account of his own conception and prenatal formation. David credits God with personally creating his soul (“my inmost being”), as well as his body (“my frame” … “my unformed body”). God is pictured as a knitter diligently attending to every detail of a preborn’s development. He states that God watches over each step in the process, and that David’s individual qualities were preplanned and designed long before his actual conception. This might explain why no two humans ever share the same exact fingerprint or DNA code. Only an all powerful and loving God could pull off such an amazing feat.
Third, God Provides Physical and Legal Protection For The Unborn.
One of the great anatomical wonders is the human womb. Its ingenious design insulates and protects its resident from any form of intrusion or injury. The womb shields and sustains the unborn life, giving it the time necessary for full and healthy development. What’s more, God has granted full legal protection to pre-born life in the event of accidental or intentional injury or death (Exo. 21:23).
Finally, God Pronounces Judgment On Those Who Trifle With The Gift Of Life.
Godless individuals take innocent human life for any number of reasons including idolatry (Deut. 12:29-31), population control (Exo.1:8-22), political expediency (Matt. 2:1-16), irrational ethnic hatred (Esther 3:8-9), and sadly in our own generation, “personal convenience”. God’s anger burns hotly against those who would dare to destroy the life of the pre-born or the life of the newborn (Amos 1:13; Lev. 20:1-3). When a society turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to infanticide, God Himself takes personal responsibility for dealing justly with the perpetrators (Lev. 20:4-5). To anyone performing an abortion this should serve as a sober warning. And to any who may have made the tragic mistake of abortion, there is always the promise of forgiveness through Christ, healing of the heart, and the comforting hope of seeing their child again in Heaven.
New technology known as ultrasound allows a pregnant mother to see their unborn child with incredible clarity. James Dobson writes that 88% of abortion-minded women who receive loving counseling and meet their babies face to face through the wonder of ultrasound choose to carry their baby to term. This is just one example of how God can and will work through His people as they find creative and practical ways to preserve and protect the lives of the unborn. As Christians we must redouble our efforts to pray for our leaders as they formulate public policy, vote for pro-life political candidates, give to pro-life organizations, and fully support the crisis pregnancy centers and adoption agencies in our area. May God ignite the believing community with a vision and passion to right this wrong and restore moral sanity to our land.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Prolife History Of The Church
The Prolife History of the Church
John R. Petrilli
There are times when the history behind a modern issue can provide much needed perspective and very welcome encouragement. Such is the case with the prolife movement. I have been actively and passionately involved with the prolife movement for ten years, but have never come across anything that gave any kind of historical perspective on this paramount issue of our day.
That all changed in an instant when I purchased a copy of Chuck Colson’s new book, The Faith. While the book is essentially a primer on the doctrinal beliefs of the Christian faith, Colson devotes an entire chapter to the sanctity of life. He commends the Roman Catholic Church for its inclusion of the sanctity of life as part and parcel of the Gospel (Evangelium Vitae), and acknowledges that Evangelicals consider it integral to the Gospel.
Best of all, the book outlines the historic, clear and consistent stance that the Church of Jesus Christ has held with regard to abortion and infanticide. According to Colson’s research, the issue of abortion and infanticide arose early on in the life and ministry of the church, stating, “Those who say the current abortion debate is the result of Christians plunging into politics after Roe v. Wade are simply ill informed about history.” He repeatedly references the outstanding work by sociologist Rodney Stark (The Rise of Christianity) which traces the Church’s prolife doctrine from the beginning, who describes it as “absolutely prohibit[ing] abortion and infanticide, classifying both as murder”.
As far back as the first century, a manual of Christian discipleship known as the Didache pronounced an unequivocal condemnation on the pagan practice of abortion with these words:
“There are two ways, the way of life and the way of death. There is a great difference between them … In accordance with the precept of the teaching, “you shall not kill”, you shall not put a child to death by abortion or kill it once it is born. The way of death is this: they show no compassion for the poor, they do not suffer with the suffering, they do not acknowledge their Creator, they kill their children and by abortion cause God’s creatures to perish. May you ever be guiltless of all these sins”.
The great Church Father, Justin Martyr stated the following in his first apology: “We have been taught that it is wicked to expose even newly born children … [for] we would then be murderers”. The exposure referred to involved leaving a newborn child to die in the elements – a common form of infanticide.
In the second century Athenagoras condemned abortion in the Church’s first political appeal as he made the following plea to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius:
“We say that women who use drugs to bring on an abortion commit murder and will have to give an account to God for the abortion … [for we] regard the very fetus in the womb as a created being and therefore an object of God’s care … and [we do not] expose an infant because those who expose them are chargeable with child murder.”
Colson states that, “The Church’s passionate engagement in politics in defense of life is not due to the emergence of the ‘big bad religious right’, as Christianity’s detractors might say (and many Christians mistakenly believe as well).” He observes that it was the early Church that consistently challenged the state, with descriptions of abortion and infanticide that would be unacceptable by today’s standards, and politically incorrect. Unexpectedly, the Church’s defense of life became hugely popular in an ancient culture that watched lions tear people apart for mere entertainment. Stark writes, “Christianity brought a new conception of humanity to a world saturated with capricious cruelty and the vicarious love of death.”
In my own review of Stark’s book, I was introduced to his proposition that there may well be a direct correlation between the Christians’ abstaining from abortion and infanticide and the rapid rise of the Christian faith among pagan people groups that regularly and prolifically ended the lives of their young. Colson agrees,
“The Church also expanded most quickly among women because of the Christian teachings against abortion and infanticide. Christian families welcomed all the female children God gave them, while the Romans – as in China, India, and other parts of the world today – employed abortion and infanticide to produce more male workers and warriors than ‘burdensome’ women. The early Church spread fastest among women because the Church offered then protection against abuse and exploitation that they could find nowhere else. The Church denounced divorce, incest, marital infidelity, and polygamy while these were practiced, much to women’s detriment, in the surrounding culture.”
Stark’s research has also documented that as early as the third century, “a universalistic conception of humanity” was embraced by the Church. In the eighteenth century Parliamentarian William Wilberforce’s legendary work to free Africans from the British slave trade carried on this long-standing Christian consensus on the value of human life and its bald-faced revisionism and countercultural defense of human life at all levels.
With regard to the colonial Church in America, Colson writes, “[The dispute over] which human beings, whatever their developmental state, possess the right to life … was not a difficult question for our Founding Fathers, whose moral views were shaped by Biblical revelation. They wrote, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’.”
Colson closes his chapter on the sanctity of life with these powerful words:
“Many Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox have argued that we are in a great struggle that pits a culture of life against a culture of death. This is, in fact, the preeminent form the battle of good versus evil has taken in our day – as it did in the early days of the Church. We see other troubling signs today. We no longer see children as gifts from God; we see them more often as commodities, something that we are ‘entitled to’ simply because we exist. We decide to have children or not on the basis of whether they will enhance our lives. We evaluate pregnancies according to their potential to produce ‘good outcomes’. When abortions are botched and ‘wrongful births’ occur, people sue, the grounds being that ‘my life’ has been adversely affected. What about the life of the child? Who thinks of that? As a result, the birth replacement rate in the most advanced nations is declining dangerously as people in affluent cultures want to live unencumbered (child free) lives. We are endangering our own species. This is why Evangelicals and Catholics Together, in perhaps the finest document, argues that, ‘Christians who support the legal license to kill the innocent [must] consider whether they have not set themselves against the will of God and, to that extent, separated themselves from the company of Christian discipleship.’ Christians propose to society a biblical humanism ‘deeply grounded in the dignity of the human person at every stage of development, disadvantage, or decline’. It would be difficult to find a more effective answer to the encroaching culture of death than the love and justice of God.”
John R. Petrilli
There are times when the history behind a modern issue can provide much needed perspective and very welcome encouragement. Such is the case with the prolife movement. I have been actively and passionately involved with the prolife movement for ten years, but have never come across anything that gave any kind of historical perspective on this paramount issue of our day.
That all changed in an instant when I purchased a copy of Chuck Colson’s new book, The Faith. While the book is essentially a primer on the doctrinal beliefs of the Christian faith, Colson devotes an entire chapter to the sanctity of life. He commends the Roman Catholic Church for its inclusion of the sanctity of life as part and parcel of the Gospel (Evangelium Vitae), and acknowledges that Evangelicals consider it integral to the Gospel.
Best of all, the book outlines the historic, clear and consistent stance that the Church of Jesus Christ has held with regard to abortion and infanticide. According to Colson’s research, the issue of abortion and infanticide arose early on in the life and ministry of the church, stating, “Those who say the current abortion debate is the result of Christians plunging into politics after Roe v. Wade are simply ill informed about history.” He repeatedly references the outstanding work by sociologist Rodney Stark (The Rise of Christianity) which traces the Church’s prolife doctrine from the beginning, who describes it as “absolutely prohibit[ing] abortion and infanticide, classifying both as murder”.
As far back as the first century, a manual of Christian discipleship known as the Didache pronounced an unequivocal condemnation on the pagan practice of abortion with these words:
“There are two ways, the way of life and the way of death. There is a great difference between them … In accordance with the precept of the teaching, “you shall not kill”, you shall not put a child to death by abortion or kill it once it is born. The way of death is this: they show no compassion for the poor, they do not suffer with the suffering, they do not acknowledge their Creator, they kill their children and by abortion cause God’s creatures to perish. May you ever be guiltless of all these sins”.
The great Church Father, Justin Martyr stated the following in his first apology: “We have been taught that it is wicked to expose even newly born children … [for] we would then be murderers”. The exposure referred to involved leaving a newborn child to die in the elements – a common form of infanticide.
In the second century Athenagoras condemned abortion in the Church’s first political appeal as he made the following plea to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius:
“We say that women who use drugs to bring on an abortion commit murder and will have to give an account to God for the abortion … [for we] regard the very fetus in the womb as a created being and therefore an object of God’s care … and [we do not] expose an infant because those who expose them are chargeable with child murder.”
Colson states that, “The Church’s passionate engagement in politics in defense of life is not due to the emergence of the ‘big bad religious right’, as Christianity’s detractors might say (and many Christians mistakenly believe as well).” He observes that it was the early Church that consistently challenged the state, with descriptions of abortion and infanticide that would be unacceptable by today’s standards, and politically incorrect. Unexpectedly, the Church’s defense of life became hugely popular in an ancient culture that watched lions tear people apart for mere entertainment. Stark writes, “Christianity brought a new conception of humanity to a world saturated with capricious cruelty and the vicarious love of death.”
In my own review of Stark’s book, I was introduced to his proposition that there may well be a direct correlation between the Christians’ abstaining from abortion and infanticide and the rapid rise of the Christian faith among pagan people groups that regularly and prolifically ended the lives of their young. Colson agrees,
“The Church also expanded most quickly among women because of the Christian teachings against abortion and infanticide. Christian families welcomed all the female children God gave them, while the Romans – as in China, India, and other parts of the world today – employed abortion and infanticide to produce more male workers and warriors than ‘burdensome’ women. The early Church spread fastest among women because the Church offered then protection against abuse and exploitation that they could find nowhere else. The Church denounced divorce, incest, marital infidelity, and polygamy while these were practiced, much to women’s detriment, in the surrounding culture.”
Stark’s research has also documented that as early as the third century, “a universalistic conception of humanity” was embraced by the Church. In the eighteenth century Parliamentarian William Wilberforce’s legendary work to free Africans from the British slave trade carried on this long-standing Christian consensus on the value of human life and its bald-faced revisionism and countercultural defense of human life at all levels.
With regard to the colonial Church in America, Colson writes, “[The dispute over] which human beings, whatever their developmental state, possess the right to life … was not a difficult question for our Founding Fathers, whose moral views were shaped by Biblical revelation. They wrote, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’.”
Colson closes his chapter on the sanctity of life with these powerful words:
“Many Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox have argued that we are in a great struggle that pits a culture of life against a culture of death. This is, in fact, the preeminent form the battle of good versus evil has taken in our day – as it did in the early days of the Church. We see other troubling signs today. We no longer see children as gifts from God; we see them more often as commodities, something that we are ‘entitled to’ simply because we exist. We decide to have children or not on the basis of whether they will enhance our lives. We evaluate pregnancies according to their potential to produce ‘good outcomes’. When abortions are botched and ‘wrongful births’ occur, people sue, the grounds being that ‘my life’ has been adversely affected. What about the life of the child? Who thinks of that? As a result, the birth replacement rate in the most advanced nations is declining dangerously as people in affluent cultures want to live unencumbered (child free) lives. We are endangering our own species. This is why Evangelicals and Catholics Together, in perhaps the finest document, argues that, ‘Christians who support the legal license to kill the innocent [must] consider whether they have not set themselves against the will of God and, to that extent, separated themselves from the company of Christian discipleship.’ Christians propose to society a biblical humanism ‘deeply grounded in the dignity of the human person at every stage of development, disadvantage, or decline’. It would be difficult to find a more effective answer to the encroaching culture of death than the love and justice of God.”
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The True Face of Abortion
The True Face Of Abortion
[An excerpt from the Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations]
“The film The Silent Scream will probably not be shown in your local theater. Nor will it likely be rated R although it literally focuses on sex and violence. Time characterized the film as a potential hi-tech Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe's indictment of slavery which literally changed the nation's attitude. One evidence that Time's assessment is on target is that the doctor who performed the abortion that was filmed, after viewing The Silent Scream at Dr. Bernard Nathanson's insistence, immediately resigned from the abortion clinic and has since performed no more such "reproductive services."
The modern technology of real-time ultra-sound shows the responses of a 12-week-old unborn child attempting to escape the abortionist's suction curette. Her motions become desperately agitated and her heart rate increases dramatically, as Dr. Nathanson explains in his compelling narration. Once the director of the largest abortion clinic in the world and a founder of what is now named the National Abortion Rights Action League, Nathanson has become one of the foremost champions of the pro-life movement. He is an atheist. When Nathanson was on their side, he was an "authority." Now, according to them, he is a "fraud". Because the film shows abortion from the victim's perspective, it is destined to change the course of public debate.
Abortion has become big business. Fortune Magazine estimates that $500 million is grossed each year from the abortions themselves. Another source reports that aborted fetuses are being sold at $25 a batch up to $5,500 a pound. The sale of late-term aborted fetuses between within 10 years at one of our nation's hospitals brought in $468,000. This money was used to buy a TV set, and cookies and soft drinks for visiting professors.
Equally disgusting is the purchase of fetal collagen by the cosmetic industry for its various beauty products. Collagen is the gelatinous substance found in connective tissue, bone and cartilage. It can be found in twelve leading shampoos and five hand creams in stores throughout the United States. And unless the product's label stipulated animal collagen, it probably contains human collagen. Though the thought is horrendous, it is possible for a once expectant mother to beautify her skin and hair with matter from her own dead child. Lucrative also is the sale of fetal tissue, which brings investors about one million dollars annually. According to the "Village Voice," estimates made several years ago indicate that between 20,000 and 100,000 fetuses are being sold to drug companies annually in the United States alone.
It is ironic that a total of forty-seven senators voted to protect dogs from being experimented on with poisonous gas, but then voted down Senator Jesse Helm's amendment to stop federal funds from being used for abortion.
—Chattanooga News-Free Press
[An excerpt from the Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations]
“The film The Silent Scream will probably not be shown in your local theater. Nor will it likely be rated R although it literally focuses on sex and violence. Time characterized the film as a potential hi-tech Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe's indictment of slavery which literally changed the nation's attitude. One evidence that Time's assessment is on target is that the doctor who performed the abortion that was filmed, after viewing The Silent Scream at Dr. Bernard Nathanson's insistence, immediately resigned from the abortion clinic and has since performed no more such "reproductive services."
The modern technology of real-time ultra-sound shows the responses of a 12-week-old unborn child attempting to escape the abortionist's suction curette. Her motions become desperately agitated and her heart rate increases dramatically, as Dr. Nathanson explains in his compelling narration. Once the director of the largest abortion clinic in the world and a founder of what is now named the National Abortion Rights Action League, Nathanson has become one of the foremost champions of the pro-life movement. He is an atheist. When Nathanson was on their side, he was an "authority." Now, according to them, he is a "fraud". Because the film shows abortion from the victim's perspective, it is destined to change the course of public debate.
Abortion has become big business. Fortune Magazine estimates that $500 million is grossed each year from the abortions themselves. Another source reports that aborted fetuses are being sold at $25 a batch up to $5,500 a pound. The sale of late-term aborted fetuses between within 10 years at one of our nation's hospitals brought in $468,000. This money was used to buy a TV set, and cookies and soft drinks for visiting professors.
Equally disgusting is the purchase of fetal collagen by the cosmetic industry for its various beauty products. Collagen is the gelatinous substance found in connective tissue, bone and cartilage. It can be found in twelve leading shampoos and five hand creams in stores throughout the United States. And unless the product's label stipulated animal collagen, it probably contains human collagen. Though the thought is horrendous, it is possible for a once expectant mother to beautify her skin and hair with matter from her own dead child. Lucrative also is the sale of fetal tissue, which brings investors about one million dollars annually. According to the "Village Voice," estimates made several years ago indicate that between 20,000 and 100,000 fetuses are being sold to drug companies annually in the United States alone.
It is ironic that a total of forty-seven senators voted to protect dogs from being experimented on with poisonous gas, but then voted down Senator Jesse Helm's amendment to stop federal funds from being used for abortion.
—Chattanooga News-Free Press
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Silent Outcry
The Silent Outcry
John R. Petrilli
The annals of human history are filled with crying episodes. These episodes are personal as well as national in scope. They’re born out of intense and prolonged injustice, cruel enslavement, the ravages of poverty, the devastations of world wars, economic collapse, religious persecution, natural disasters, and a whole host of other social ills.
In Genesis 4:10 we discover the first instance of outcry as Abel’s blood summons the personal justice of God upon man’s initial act of homicide. Centuries later the Hebrew plea to God for national deliverance from Egyptian oppression appears (Exodus 3:7-9). The book of Judges cites repeated occurrences where the people of Israel fell under foreign domination and cried out for divine deliverance (Judges 2:18). Millennia later they found themselves again seeking deliverance, this time from under the crushing boot heel of Imperial Rome.
Human outcry will be mankind’s sad song until history as we know it comes to a close, and God answers the cry for divine vengeance articulated by a heavenly throng of martyred saints (Rev. 6:9-10). Modern instances of outcry were heard during the Jewish holocaust of WW II, the contemporary genocidal atrocities in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and most recently in the Sudan. Then there’s the endless chorus of countless voices crying out for relief from the epidemic of grinding global poverty. Sometimes these outcries become public knowledge, while at other times they remain hidden for posterity to discover. These outcries take two different forms, the audible and the inaudible or silent form. The inaudible cries lie silently buried in the hearts of the suffering. The subject of this article belongs to this latter category.
Tens of millions of human voices have been crying out for justice here in America, as well as all around the world. One might expect that they wear the face of racial discrimination or social injustice, but these voices belong to neither of those important categories. Surprisingly, these voices have had little press coverage, and, for the most part, their cries have gone unheard, unnoticed, and woefully unaddressed. Most shockingly, these voices come from the children of our society.
I speak of the outcry of the nearly 50 million unborn lives that have been snuffed out by abortion in our land over the past four decades. Just as in the case of Abel, their innocent bloodshed cries out for justice. As their lives are offered upon the altar of convenience, they silently scream out from the very womb designed to protect them. Whether it’s death by curettage dismemberment, saline chemical burns, or partial-birth abortion, each of these precious lives has gone to a premature grave vocalizing it’s excruciating pain, with the rest of society not hearing so much as a peep. All this has been hidden from our ears as well as our eyes. The works of darkness thrive on obscurity and anonymity (John 3:19-20).
But what if we were granted an audience within the womb of the unborn? If we could hear their outcry, what might they be trying to communicate to us?
First, they’re crying out for Mercy. They never asked to be conceived, but have found themselves the victims of one of history’s most heinous holocausts. They desperately seek relief from their excruciating pain. Will we hear their plea for mercy?
Second, they’re crying out for the Chance to see the Light of Day. They’ve been sheltered for days and months in the quiet darkness of their mother’s womb, and wish to bath in the warm and joyful light of birthday morn. Will we honor their simple request for the right to be born?
Third, they’re crying out for Deliverance. Individually they’re unaware of the social evil being wreaked upon them, but their corporate voices rise in thunderous protest against the laws that have made their executions “safe and legal”. Won’t someone listen to their appeal for judicial protection?
Fourth, they’re crying out for Justice. God has never turned a deaf ear to murder, and never will. These 50 million victims have had crimes perpetrated against them that call for a swift and appropriate response. Failure at this point has led to a culture that’s become hardened to the murderous nature of the act, growing increasingly callous to and willfully ignorant of its grisly realities (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Won’t somebody do something to end this horrendous holocaust? Who will answer their call for justice?
In the event we fail to wake up and hear their cries, be assured, Somebody IS listening them. When the Hebrews cried out for deliverance from Egyptian tyranny, their outcry passed up through earth’s atmosphere far into the heavenlies where the Founder of all human rights resides. God was totally aware of what was going. His tender ear picked up on every one of their groans, and what He heard brought deep concern to His heart (Exodus 3:7b,9). The Lord listened to their silent and audible heart cries and sent personal relief in the form of Moses, national deliverance in the form of the exodus, and perfect justice in the form of a towering deluge that sent the entire Egyptian army to a watery grave. He continues to answer the timeless global heart cry for redemption by offering salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The death toll rises with each tick of the clock … fifty-million and counting. The silent outcry continues unabated and unheard as Americans are deceived by a lethal game of pro-death semantics, distracted by far more trivial pursuits, deafened by a vocal immoral minority, and drugged to sleep by the blind pursuit of personal peace and affluence.
What will it take for us to hear their cries and save them? It took over two decades for William Wilberforce to end the British slave trade, and considerably more decades to end the trafficking of African slaves in America. How long will it be until we rise up and declare, “Enough is enough!” ?
There’s an infant choir now in heaven numbering in the multiplied trillions, waiting to see if we will act decisively to stop this modern-day massacre of the innocents.
John R. Petrilli
The annals of human history are filled with crying episodes. These episodes are personal as well as national in scope. They’re born out of intense and prolonged injustice, cruel enslavement, the ravages of poverty, the devastations of world wars, economic collapse, religious persecution, natural disasters, and a whole host of other social ills.
In Genesis 4:10 we discover the first instance of outcry as Abel’s blood summons the personal justice of God upon man’s initial act of homicide. Centuries later the Hebrew plea to God for national deliverance from Egyptian oppression appears (Exodus 3:7-9). The book of Judges cites repeated occurrences where the people of Israel fell under foreign domination and cried out for divine deliverance (Judges 2:18). Millennia later they found themselves again seeking deliverance, this time from under the crushing boot heel of Imperial Rome.
Human outcry will be mankind’s sad song until history as we know it comes to a close, and God answers the cry for divine vengeance articulated by a heavenly throng of martyred saints (Rev. 6:9-10). Modern instances of outcry were heard during the Jewish holocaust of WW II, the contemporary genocidal atrocities in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and most recently in the Sudan. Then there’s the endless chorus of countless voices crying out for relief from the epidemic of grinding global poverty. Sometimes these outcries become public knowledge, while at other times they remain hidden for posterity to discover. These outcries take two different forms, the audible and the inaudible or silent form. The inaudible cries lie silently buried in the hearts of the suffering. The subject of this article belongs to this latter category.
Tens of millions of human voices have been crying out for justice here in America, as well as all around the world. One might expect that they wear the face of racial discrimination or social injustice, but these voices belong to neither of those important categories. Surprisingly, these voices have had little press coverage, and, for the most part, their cries have gone unheard, unnoticed, and woefully unaddressed. Most shockingly, these voices come from the children of our society.
I speak of the outcry of the nearly 50 million unborn lives that have been snuffed out by abortion in our land over the past four decades. Just as in the case of Abel, their innocent bloodshed cries out for justice. As their lives are offered upon the altar of convenience, they silently scream out from the very womb designed to protect them. Whether it’s death by curettage dismemberment, saline chemical burns, or partial-birth abortion, each of these precious lives has gone to a premature grave vocalizing it’s excruciating pain, with the rest of society not hearing so much as a peep. All this has been hidden from our ears as well as our eyes. The works of darkness thrive on obscurity and anonymity (John 3:19-20).
But what if we were granted an audience within the womb of the unborn? If we could hear their outcry, what might they be trying to communicate to us?
First, they’re crying out for Mercy. They never asked to be conceived, but have found themselves the victims of one of history’s most heinous holocausts. They desperately seek relief from their excruciating pain. Will we hear their plea for mercy?
Second, they’re crying out for the Chance to see the Light of Day. They’ve been sheltered for days and months in the quiet darkness of their mother’s womb, and wish to bath in the warm and joyful light of birthday morn. Will we honor their simple request for the right to be born?
Third, they’re crying out for Deliverance. Individually they’re unaware of the social evil being wreaked upon them, but their corporate voices rise in thunderous protest against the laws that have made their executions “safe and legal”. Won’t someone listen to their appeal for judicial protection?
Fourth, they’re crying out for Justice. God has never turned a deaf ear to murder, and never will. These 50 million victims have had crimes perpetrated against them that call for a swift and appropriate response. Failure at this point has led to a culture that’s become hardened to the murderous nature of the act, growing increasingly callous to and willfully ignorant of its grisly realities (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Won’t somebody do something to end this horrendous holocaust? Who will answer their call for justice?
In the event we fail to wake up and hear their cries, be assured, Somebody IS listening them. When the Hebrews cried out for deliverance from Egyptian tyranny, their outcry passed up through earth’s atmosphere far into the heavenlies where the Founder of all human rights resides. God was totally aware of what was going. His tender ear picked up on every one of their groans, and what He heard brought deep concern to His heart (Exodus 3:7b,9). The Lord listened to their silent and audible heart cries and sent personal relief in the form of Moses, national deliverance in the form of the exodus, and perfect justice in the form of a towering deluge that sent the entire Egyptian army to a watery grave. He continues to answer the timeless global heart cry for redemption by offering salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The death toll rises with each tick of the clock … fifty-million and counting. The silent outcry continues unabated and unheard as Americans are deceived by a lethal game of pro-death semantics, distracted by far more trivial pursuits, deafened by a vocal immoral minority, and drugged to sleep by the blind pursuit of personal peace and affluence.
What will it take for us to hear their cries and save them? It took over two decades for William Wilberforce to end the British slave trade, and considerably more decades to end the trafficking of African slaves in America. How long will it be until we rise up and declare, “Enough is enough!” ?
There’s an infant choir now in heaven numbering in the multiplied trillions, waiting to see if we will act decisively to stop this modern-day massacre of the innocents.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
What's So Great About the Good News?
What’s So Great About The Good News?
John R. Petrilli
With all the negative and discouraging information dished out on the evening networks these days one might wonder if there even is such a thing as good news anymore? Well, I have some “good news” for you. There’s not only good news, there’s actually some great news! Great is an admittedly overworked adjective in our culture, but some things truly deserve such an appellation. During a recent Sunday School class on the book of Acts I noticed the repeated occurrence of the phrase “good news”. My curiosity got the better of me so I began scanning the pages of this New Testament book to see what it had to say about the “good news”. To my amazement and joy I discovered a cadre of features related to the good news of gospel of Jesus Christ.
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT GATHERS FOLKS INTO A LIVING,
DYNAMIC COMMUNITY! Acts 2:38-47
As never before, people in our world are crying out for meaningful connection with others. Superficial friendships, an overemphasis on privacy and unprecedented relocation has left our population longing for relationships that have substance, transparency and longevity. While the human experience has always sought out such fellowship, the introduction of new technologies has served to separate us from each other even farther, resulting in an ever greater sense of alienation and aloneness. To best counter this undesirable proclivity toward a virtually solitary existence, it’s helpful to understand what is it that drives it.
The simple reality is that mankind was never created to live in isolation. Right from the beginning God pronounced that the design of the human being was such that he needed companionship (see Genesis 2:18). Thus commenced the process by which God began to supply man with someone else that looked, thought, sounded like, and felt like himself, in this case, a woman. For the purposes of this article, the important thing to note is that man needed company right from the get go.
We see this same principle surface in the formation of the early church. If fellowship and ca sense of community weren’t all that important, those 3,000 plus Jewish proselytes would have heard Peter preach, accepted the Messiah into their hearts, and made their way back to their homelands after the festival. But to the contrary, the lingered on in Jerusalem to enjoy the benefits of mingling and interacting with each other. Having experienced the life-changing miracle of the new birth, I would venture to guess that they had a whole lot to talk about! Their relationship during this time was anything but superficial. Not only did they shared ideas, they shared their very possessions! Now that’s what I’d call true community! The result of this seminal Christianity was a community of faith that not only expressed their joy in praise to God, but that also had quite an impressive impact on their community at large. There wasn’t a soul in Jerusalem that hadn’t gotten wind of the love, joy, peace and hope demonstrated through their dynamic faith in the risen and living Messiah!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT REVEALS THE SOURCE OF MAN’S BEST
HOPE! Acts 5:42
We just came off of a presidential campaign that got a great deal of traction out of the theme “hope”. In fact, one candidate used the word in the title of a book he wrote. These developments clearly indicate a growing sense of despair beneath the surface of American society, and perhaps the world as a whole.
Whatever may be the legion of causes behind this dip into despair, one thing’s for sure, we need hope. One poet has said, “Hope springs eternal in the heart of man”. If this is the case, its time we find that wellspring and recapture a life perspective that is forward-looking an anticipating better things to come.
That’s just what the gospel offers. It never has been and never will be “pie in the sky by and by”. The Christian faith fills its adherents with a hope that has supernatural roots and incredible staying power. Much of this has to do with what I’d call, for lack of a better term, “sound Christian psychiatry and sociology”. Jesus wants His people to focus on the good things in their lives (the psychology, Matthew 6:22-23 ; Philippians 4:8) while also addressing the needs of those around them (the sociology, Matthew 7:12; Galatians 6:10. )
When Peter and John first introduced their audience to the good news of the gospel, they found themselves frequently camping on the theme of hope. The people they were speaking with had experienced life under the Law of Moses, and found it to be pure drudgery! They knew what it was like to try and fulfill the law’s impossible demands. They wanted deliverance from the law, and something that they could rest their hope of salvation squarely upon. Peter and John were more than happy to announce to them that such a Hop had arrived. It had done so in a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. The forgiveness He offered would give each of them a fresh start and a new life lived in the energy of the Holy Spirit, not their own weak and unreliable resources.
If you really long for hope (and I’ve never met a person who didn’t), the great news of Jesus Christ is where you’ll find that hope. Peter later described this hope in a letter he wrote to some friends as a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). That hope, said Peter, was based on the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead, the same exact message of hope he and John had shared years earlier with the people in the streets of Jerusalem. The incredible part is that this same hope can be ours, it’s just a prayer away as we repent of sin and accept Jesus’ payment of our sin debt on the Cross. How about some hope?
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT FULFILLS THE LONGING OF ALL WHO ARE
SEEKING TRUTH! Acts 8:35
What is “truth”? Pilate’s searching query has been echoed down through the centuries by millions. It seems we all have an innate need to discover truth, not just as theory but as a living experience. That’s what the truth of the gospel offers. It’s not some kind of metaphysical gobbly-de-goop, but reality truth. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way the TRUTH, and the life”. So, according to Christianity, truth is actually found embodied in a Person. How much different than every other system of religion or philosophy!
Most people find themselves grappling with the meaning (truth) of their existence at one time or another. They search for some kind of abstract or personal revelation that will bring their lives together into one integrated whole that satisfactorily explains their meaning, purpose and ultimate destiny.
Christianity and faith in Jesus Christ is THE source for this experience, for Jesus also said, “No one comes to the Father EXCEPT through Me.”
The evangelist named Philip found himself face to face with one such seeker. The man was well on his way down the road to salvation, having traveled a great distance to perform his religious duties, then spending his drive time immersing his mind into the Scriptures. By a stroke of divine providence he landed in the book of Isaiah, and in particular, in the eye-opening 53rd chapter of that book of Messianic prophecy. God providentially arranged for Philip to “appear” on the scene to end this man’s diligent search and effectively answer the spiritual longings of his heart.
Philip didn’t beat around the bush. After exchanging some social courtesies, the budding evangelist helped this individual see the light of the gospel in the face of Jesus Christ. The One about whom Isaiah had been speaking had arrived on planet earth, died for our sins, rose from the grave alive, and ascended into Heaven! Now THAT was great news! Just look at the JOY in that man’s heart as he drove away forgiven by Jesus’ blood and totally renewed by the regenerating work of the Spirit in his once empty life!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT OFFERS GENUINE PEACE ! Acts 10:36
I’ll never forget one noisy holiday family gathering when I heard my brother mumble the words, “If only I could get a moment’s PEACE!” I’d venture that this same request is mouthed by millions and billions every day. Whether its turmoil from circumstances without or disturbance from the heart within, we all long for a little peace and quiet now and then. It gives rest to our souls, something we all could definitely use a little more of.
So just where do we tap into this kind of tranquility? Is it found in television? Alcohol? Drugs? Relationships? Money? Fame? Popularity? If the truth were known, true and lasting peace can’t be found in ANY of these outlets. If you have difficulty believing this, just take a close look at the people who already have these things in their lives. Do they look at peace? They’re some of the most pathetic people around, not because of who they are, but because of the disappointment they’ve experience in not finding peace in the place they sought it out.
In the first century when the early church started out, the world of that day was anything but peaceful. Granted, the Pax Romana of Rome had secured an enforced stability and law and order. But external conflicts between rival nations and internal turmoil in broken human hearts was a very real experience.
Peter here enters the home of a Gentile, a risky move at best considering Jewish laws governing the uncleanness of certain actions and behaviors. But went he did under the direct orders of Jesus Christ. Why? Because God looked down to earth and had seen this Roman military officer’s heart seeking after Him, and He wanted to answer that man’s sincere and devoted search for Him.
When God looks down from heaven upon your heart what does He see? Is your heart at peace with Him? It can be through Jesus Christ our Lord. You no longer have to muddle through life with no peace of heart or mind. You can know, even this very day, the peace of God which transcends all earthly circumstances and experiences. This peace can be yours as you invite the Prince of Peace to take up permanent residence in your heart and life today!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE ITS PROMISE APPLIES TO ALL PEOPLE!
Acts 11:20-21
Worldly peace is not only a fragile thing, in many parts of the globe its non-existent! Take Darfur for example, where each day is a life and death struggle for survival. Or other parts of the world where disease, famine and war create a turbulence that shakes people to the very core of their being.
While external peace is subject to time and chance, internal peace is available to everyone regardless of race, status, or health. We see this truth being played out as the early believers spread out into regions and cultures outside of their familiar Jewish environs. As they entered the diverse population living in the cosmopolitan city of Antioch, they saw God do a new thing. He led them to share the great news of Jesus Christ with people of non-Jewish descent. To their surprise, these hearts opened widely to receive this great news, and scores were brought into Messiah’s household of faith! God was no longer limiting His favor to the Jews; He was now pouring out His salvation blessings to all people of every coast and clime!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT FREES US FROM OUR DEPENDANCE
ON CHEAP IMITATIONS. Acts 14:15
Nothing is worse than spending a chunk of change on an item, only to find out that it’s a “knock-off”, a cheap imitation. The same can happen in our spiritual lives. I know because it happened to me over and over again as I searched for truth and salvation. After being duped by several cults and isms, I finally settled in on reading the Gospel of John. It was there that I found the Lord Jesus and His wonderful and totally free salvation.
God tells us that there’s only one Savior. He’s Jesus, and He’s the “real thing”. Others may claim they have the way of salvation, but only Jesus Christ has provided the credentials of a risen body to substantiate His claims. If your religion, philosophy or other system of thought lacks a resurrected Savior, you have no real treason for hope beyond the grave, or even in this life for that matter.
As the church continued its outward geographical and cultural progression, it encountered some very interesting customs and people groups. One such group was found in the Turkish city of Lystra, where the citizens worshipped the Grecian gods of Zeus and Mercury. But that was no problem for the God Who’d made the very planets and galaxies after whom these idols were named. Paul gladly declared to these folks the great news of Jesus and His forgiveness of sins. Paul pointed them to the loving and faithful God Who gave them the rain and crops that became food that satisfied them in body and heart.
These people had long been the victims of a false system of belief that robbed them of the joy of knowing the true God. But that all changed when Paul and Barnabas told them about the Lord Jesus. They no longer had to waste their time and money on cheap imitation gods, now they could possess the real deal.
Which brings us to the question … have you discovered the real deal for yourself? There’s no sense in settling for the world’s cheap imitations. God has the thing you’re heart really seeks after. Why not turn to Him today and cash-in on the greatest offer the world has ever known?
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT ANSWERS THE KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT
LIFE. Acts 17:18
Children are notorious for asking strings of endless questions about everything they see and hear. But that natural curiosity usually carries over into adulthood, albeit in a much more subtle manner. The thinking person asks questions, and there was never a more important issue to grapple with than that of our origin, purpose and eternal destiny.
The apostle Paul met up with an august body of Greek philosophers in the city of Athens. When he entered into dialogue with them he made use of material from their own poets and philosophers as a bridge to help them get a better read on the true nature of God and the real meaning of life. The philosophers had lots of questions, and Paul graciously and gladly provided them with the answers. He patiently explained to them that God was seeking them and their hearts, and that God was already so close to them they could literally reach out and touch Him through the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ.
When Paul introduced the resurrection of Christ, some laughed it off, some doubted, but some also believed. Anyone can say they want the answers to life’s mysteries, but some reject that truth in the form of the great news even though it’s staring them right in the face. Pilate rejected the great news, but many received it. One thief on the cross to Jesus’ right rejected the truth, while the thief on the left accepted it and Him. The story continues as people make the one most important decision of their lives … one that will determine their eternal destiny. It’s great news, indeed, but it carries a huge responsibility for those who hear it. Choose well!
John R. Petrilli
With all the negative and discouraging information dished out on the evening networks these days one might wonder if there even is such a thing as good news anymore? Well, I have some “good news” for you. There’s not only good news, there’s actually some great news! Great is an admittedly overworked adjective in our culture, but some things truly deserve such an appellation. During a recent Sunday School class on the book of Acts I noticed the repeated occurrence of the phrase “good news”. My curiosity got the better of me so I began scanning the pages of this New Testament book to see what it had to say about the “good news”. To my amazement and joy I discovered a cadre of features related to the good news of gospel of Jesus Christ.
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT GATHERS FOLKS INTO A LIVING,
DYNAMIC COMMUNITY! Acts 2:38-47
As never before, people in our world are crying out for meaningful connection with others. Superficial friendships, an overemphasis on privacy and unprecedented relocation has left our population longing for relationships that have substance, transparency and longevity. While the human experience has always sought out such fellowship, the introduction of new technologies has served to separate us from each other even farther, resulting in an ever greater sense of alienation and aloneness. To best counter this undesirable proclivity toward a virtually solitary existence, it’s helpful to understand what is it that drives it.
The simple reality is that mankind was never created to live in isolation. Right from the beginning God pronounced that the design of the human being was such that he needed companionship (see Genesis 2:18). Thus commenced the process by which God began to supply man with someone else that looked, thought, sounded like, and felt like himself, in this case, a woman. For the purposes of this article, the important thing to note is that man needed company right from the get go.
We see this same principle surface in the formation of the early church. If fellowship and ca sense of community weren’t all that important, those 3,000 plus Jewish proselytes would have heard Peter preach, accepted the Messiah into their hearts, and made their way back to their homelands after the festival. But to the contrary, the lingered on in Jerusalem to enjoy the benefits of mingling and interacting with each other. Having experienced the life-changing miracle of the new birth, I would venture to guess that they had a whole lot to talk about! Their relationship during this time was anything but superficial. Not only did they shared ideas, they shared their very possessions! Now that’s what I’d call true community! The result of this seminal Christianity was a community of faith that not only expressed their joy in praise to God, but that also had quite an impressive impact on their community at large. There wasn’t a soul in Jerusalem that hadn’t gotten wind of the love, joy, peace and hope demonstrated through their dynamic faith in the risen and living Messiah!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT REVEALS THE SOURCE OF MAN’S BEST
HOPE! Acts 5:42
We just came off of a presidential campaign that got a great deal of traction out of the theme “hope”. In fact, one candidate used the word in the title of a book he wrote. These developments clearly indicate a growing sense of despair beneath the surface of American society, and perhaps the world as a whole.
Whatever may be the legion of causes behind this dip into despair, one thing’s for sure, we need hope. One poet has said, “Hope springs eternal in the heart of man”. If this is the case, its time we find that wellspring and recapture a life perspective that is forward-looking an anticipating better things to come.
That’s just what the gospel offers. It never has been and never will be “pie in the sky by and by”. The Christian faith fills its adherents with a hope that has supernatural roots and incredible staying power. Much of this has to do with what I’d call, for lack of a better term, “sound Christian psychiatry and sociology”. Jesus wants His people to focus on the good things in their lives (the psychology, Matthew 6:22-23 ; Philippians 4:8) while also addressing the needs of those around them (the sociology, Matthew 7:12; Galatians 6:10. )
When Peter and John first introduced their audience to the good news of the gospel, they found themselves frequently camping on the theme of hope. The people they were speaking with had experienced life under the Law of Moses, and found it to be pure drudgery! They knew what it was like to try and fulfill the law’s impossible demands. They wanted deliverance from the law, and something that they could rest their hope of salvation squarely upon. Peter and John were more than happy to announce to them that such a Hop had arrived. It had done so in a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. The forgiveness He offered would give each of them a fresh start and a new life lived in the energy of the Holy Spirit, not their own weak and unreliable resources.
If you really long for hope (and I’ve never met a person who didn’t), the great news of Jesus Christ is where you’ll find that hope. Peter later described this hope in a letter he wrote to some friends as a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). That hope, said Peter, was based on the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead, the same exact message of hope he and John had shared years earlier with the people in the streets of Jerusalem. The incredible part is that this same hope can be ours, it’s just a prayer away as we repent of sin and accept Jesus’ payment of our sin debt on the Cross. How about some hope?
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT FULFILLS THE LONGING OF ALL WHO ARE
SEEKING TRUTH! Acts 8:35
What is “truth”? Pilate’s searching query has been echoed down through the centuries by millions. It seems we all have an innate need to discover truth, not just as theory but as a living experience. That’s what the truth of the gospel offers. It’s not some kind of metaphysical gobbly-de-goop, but reality truth. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way the TRUTH, and the life”. So, according to Christianity, truth is actually found embodied in a Person. How much different than every other system of religion or philosophy!
Most people find themselves grappling with the meaning (truth) of their existence at one time or another. They search for some kind of abstract or personal revelation that will bring their lives together into one integrated whole that satisfactorily explains their meaning, purpose and ultimate destiny.
Christianity and faith in Jesus Christ is THE source for this experience, for Jesus also said, “No one comes to the Father EXCEPT through Me.”
The evangelist named Philip found himself face to face with one such seeker. The man was well on his way down the road to salvation, having traveled a great distance to perform his religious duties, then spending his drive time immersing his mind into the Scriptures. By a stroke of divine providence he landed in the book of Isaiah, and in particular, in the eye-opening 53rd chapter of that book of Messianic prophecy. God providentially arranged for Philip to “appear” on the scene to end this man’s diligent search and effectively answer the spiritual longings of his heart.
Philip didn’t beat around the bush. After exchanging some social courtesies, the budding evangelist helped this individual see the light of the gospel in the face of Jesus Christ. The One about whom Isaiah had been speaking had arrived on planet earth, died for our sins, rose from the grave alive, and ascended into Heaven! Now THAT was great news! Just look at the JOY in that man’s heart as he drove away forgiven by Jesus’ blood and totally renewed by the regenerating work of the Spirit in his once empty life!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT OFFERS GENUINE PEACE ! Acts 10:36
I’ll never forget one noisy holiday family gathering when I heard my brother mumble the words, “If only I could get a moment’s PEACE!” I’d venture that this same request is mouthed by millions and billions every day. Whether its turmoil from circumstances without or disturbance from the heart within, we all long for a little peace and quiet now and then. It gives rest to our souls, something we all could definitely use a little more of.
So just where do we tap into this kind of tranquility? Is it found in television? Alcohol? Drugs? Relationships? Money? Fame? Popularity? If the truth were known, true and lasting peace can’t be found in ANY of these outlets. If you have difficulty believing this, just take a close look at the people who already have these things in their lives. Do they look at peace? They’re some of the most pathetic people around, not because of who they are, but because of the disappointment they’ve experience in not finding peace in the place they sought it out.
In the first century when the early church started out, the world of that day was anything but peaceful. Granted, the Pax Romana of Rome had secured an enforced stability and law and order. But external conflicts between rival nations and internal turmoil in broken human hearts was a very real experience.
Peter here enters the home of a Gentile, a risky move at best considering Jewish laws governing the uncleanness of certain actions and behaviors. But went he did under the direct orders of Jesus Christ. Why? Because God looked down to earth and had seen this Roman military officer’s heart seeking after Him, and He wanted to answer that man’s sincere and devoted search for Him.
When God looks down from heaven upon your heart what does He see? Is your heart at peace with Him? It can be through Jesus Christ our Lord. You no longer have to muddle through life with no peace of heart or mind. You can know, even this very day, the peace of God which transcends all earthly circumstances and experiences. This peace can be yours as you invite the Prince of Peace to take up permanent residence in your heart and life today!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE ITS PROMISE APPLIES TO ALL PEOPLE!
Acts 11:20-21
Worldly peace is not only a fragile thing, in many parts of the globe its non-existent! Take Darfur for example, where each day is a life and death struggle for survival. Or other parts of the world where disease, famine and war create a turbulence that shakes people to the very core of their being.
While external peace is subject to time and chance, internal peace is available to everyone regardless of race, status, or health. We see this truth being played out as the early believers spread out into regions and cultures outside of their familiar Jewish environs. As they entered the diverse population living in the cosmopolitan city of Antioch, they saw God do a new thing. He led them to share the great news of Jesus Christ with people of non-Jewish descent. To their surprise, these hearts opened widely to receive this great news, and scores were brought into Messiah’s household of faith! God was no longer limiting His favor to the Jews; He was now pouring out His salvation blessings to all people of every coast and clime!
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT FREES US FROM OUR DEPENDANCE
ON CHEAP IMITATIONS. Acts 14:15
Nothing is worse than spending a chunk of change on an item, only to find out that it’s a “knock-off”, a cheap imitation. The same can happen in our spiritual lives. I know because it happened to me over and over again as I searched for truth and salvation. After being duped by several cults and isms, I finally settled in on reading the Gospel of John. It was there that I found the Lord Jesus and His wonderful and totally free salvation.
God tells us that there’s only one Savior. He’s Jesus, and He’s the “real thing”. Others may claim they have the way of salvation, but only Jesus Christ has provided the credentials of a risen body to substantiate His claims. If your religion, philosophy or other system of thought lacks a resurrected Savior, you have no real treason for hope beyond the grave, or even in this life for that matter.
As the church continued its outward geographical and cultural progression, it encountered some very interesting customs and people groups. One such group was found in the Turkish city of Lystra, where the citizens worshipped the Grecian gods of Zeus and Mercury. But that was no problem for the God Who’d made the very planets and galaxies after whom these idols were named. Paul gladly declared to these folks the great news of Jesus and His forgiveness of sins. Paul pointed them to the loving and faithful God Who gave them the rain and crops that became food that satisfied them in body and heart.
These people had long been the victims of a false system of belief that robbed them of the joy of knowing the true God. But that all changed when Paul and Barnabas told them about the Lord Jesus. They no longer had to waste their time and money on cheap imitation gods, now they could possess the real deal.
Which brings us to the question … have you discovered the real deal for yourself? There’s no sense in settling for the world’s cheap imitations. God has the thing you’re heart really seeks after. Why not turn to Him today and cash-in on the greatest offer the world has ever known?
THE GOOD NEWS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT ANSWERS THE KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT
LIFE. Acts 17:18
Children are notorious for asking strings of endless questions about everything they see and hear. But that natural curiosity usually carries over into adulthood, albeit in a much more subtle manner. The thinking person asks questions, and there was never a more important issue to grapple with than that of our origin, purpose and eternal destiny.
The apostle Paul met up with an august body of Greek philosophers in the city of Athens. When he entered into dialogue with them he made use of material from their own poets and philosophers as a bridge to help them get a better read on the true nature of God and the real meaning of life. The philosophers had lots of questions, and Paul graciously and gladly provided them with the answers. He patiently explained to them that God was seeking them and their hearts, and that God was already so close to them they could literally reach out and touch Him through the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ.
When Paul introduced the resurrection of Christ, some laughed it off, some doubted, but some also believed. Anyone can say they want the answers to life’s mysteries, but some reject that truth in the form of the great news even though it’s staring them right in the face. Pilate rejected the great news, but many received it. One thief on the cross to Jesus’ right rejected the truth, while the thief on the left accepted it and Him. The story continues as people make the one most important decision of their lives … one that will determine their eternal destiny. It’s great news, indeed, but it carries a huge responsibility for those who hear it. Choose well!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Burn Brightly and Shine In 2009!
Burn Brightly And Shine In 2009!
Imagine your telephone ringing and finding that the person on the other side of the call is the President of the United States! Or how about Billy Graham, or the Pope, or Mother Theresa? What an honor it would be to have a personal audience with any of these distinguished persons!
Now take that scenario and notch it up about a million times to find yourself in the court of the King of the Universe… God! That’s where Isaiah the prophet found himself. And this is where God found Isaiah. And where Isaiah found himself, standing spiritually naked before a thrice holy God. In the first nine verses of the sixth chapter of the book bearing his name, we watch Isaiah become transformed from impure vessel to pristine preacher. As we unpack this loaded passage we discover four principles of genuine revival.
WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY COMING FACE TO FACE WITH GOD’S ABSOLUTE HOLINESS ! 1-4
A royal administrator had just passed off the scene in Judah, a king by the name of Uzziah had died. Who would succeed him and lead the nation now? God powerfully reminds His anxious prophet that He, the King of Kings, was still on the Throne. As always, He would preside over Judah’s national affairs as well as the affairs of the international community.
But what kind of character did God possess that qualified Him to govern the world? A holy character. In fact, the three-times-over kind of holiness. Holiness through and through. Once the angelic guard surrounding heaven’s throne declared that perfect holiness, the entire temple shook, rattled and rolled. It’s very doorposts moved out of their sockets, and the entire scene was inundated with smoke kindled by the burning fire of God’s holiness.
French philosopher Alexander DeToqueville visited America in the 1830’s, and made these keen observations:
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. In the fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there. In her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits, aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Mark this down as my humble, heartfelt call to pulpits across Central New York and pulpits all across America. “Get a hold of the holiness of God and preach it until the pews get it down pat!” We serve a HOLY God, Whose laws are not to be trifled with, Whose grace is never to be received in vain, and Whose love is never to be taken for granted!! “But just as he Who called you is holy”, Peter reminds us, “be holy in all you do, for it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’ ” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY ALLOWING GOD’S HOLINESS TO EXPOSE OUR UNHOLINESS! 5
Mirrors are a humble yet helpful commodity. They reveal nothing of themselves but simply, quietly and clearly reflect the exact image of the object facing them. Like a giant cosmic mirror, a single glimpse of God’s absolute holiness showed up the impurities in Isaiah’s life. Indeed, the princely prophet confesses, “I am completely RUINED!” One live encounter with the glory of God sent the heretofore seemingly righteous man to his knees in utter abasement, conviction and contrition. Before his fellow men he felt just fine, but pure holiness instantly revealed his problem with unwholesome speech, and he was down for the count. Isaiah quickly recognized he wasn’t alone either. The entire culture of Judah was guilty of verbal impurity.
Whether it was lying, swearing, gossip, profanity, or other, the Holy Spirit of the Holy God pointed out this glaring sin in his life and the life of the nation.
I wonder what the Holy Spirit’s commentary would be on our culture’s vocabulary and conversation? Probably the same, perhaps an even worse indictment. Our television and movie screens, internet, radio waves, music and literature are rife with the unclean, the unholy and the profane. A fresh glimpse of God’s holiness would cause our mouths to stop on the dime in guilty silence. And that’s just what will happen later if not sooner (see Romans 3:19-20). We claim to love God, follow Jesus, and obey the Holy Spirit. But if that were truly so, we’d have a zero rate of divorce, immorality and duplicity in the church. We need to get such a grip on God’s holiness that, like Isaiah, we come to the end of ourselves and our sins, both individual and as a nation.
THIRD, WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY COMING CLEAN! 6-7
Picture a world without washing machines. We’d eventually run through our entire wardrobe and begin wearing dirty, smelly, wrinkled and unwashed clothes. Everything needs a periodic cleaning, and our lives are no different.
Having seen face to face the kind of holy God he was serving, and having come to grips with His unclean status, Isaiah was now ready for a spiritual housecleaning. An angel swoops down from God’s altar to the place where Isaiah knelt. The angel applies hot coals taken from God’s altar to the very place of Isaiah’s besetting sin … his big mouth. The coals burned away Isaiah’s oral impurity as well as his internal heart impurity.
Once he had been cleansed and made heart-right with God, his words would reflect that internal renewal (Matthew 6:45). The believer today has the blood of Christ as the al-purpose cleansing agent. When we allow our hearts to be cleansed by the Word of God and the blood of Christ, we’ll speak a whole new language of love instead of hate, truth instead of misrepresentation, and grace instead of criticism. (1 John 1:9 ; Eph. 4:29-5:4 ; Eph. 5:26).
WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY BEING SET FREE TO SERVE! 8-9
What do you do when you finish laundering your clothes? If you locked them up and never used them again, you’d not only be unpresentable to civilized society, you’d also run the risk of being declared legally insane.
When God cleanses His people He always does so with a unique mission in mind for them to fulfill. Yours may be teaching, or singing, or serving, or managing a ministry, or giving, or doing cross-cultural evangelism. Whatever the call, we need to first be spiritually prepared for that work, and personally predisposed to the same. It is God Who works in us to change our attitudes and become willing to serve Him in the exact place He wants us in (Phil. 2:13). Imagine the ministry impact and spiritual revolution that would erupt if EVERY Christian got their spiritual house in order, and then locked into God’s special spot for them in their church’s ministry program? Well, that would be REVIVAL! And it would be phenomenal! If you’re thinking this could never happen, think again.
Recall how God’s Spirit spilled over from the pulpit into the pew and out to the people
outside the temple in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek. 9:1-11)? In great mercy the Lord set apart the godly who had grieved over Judah’s sinful state of affairs, sparing them from His fury that took out everyone guilty of the grossest idolatry. Judgment began at the house of God, and will repeat itself there as the Church responds to Christ’s call to repent of its waywardness and carnality (see 1 Pet. 4:17-18 ; Rev. 2:5 ; 2:16 ; 2:21-22 ; 3:3 ; 3:19).
The first group of Christian believers also experienced the cleansing fire and powerful
anointing of the Holy Spirit as they waited on God in prayer in obedience to Jesus’ pre-ascension command. As believers we’re all vessels. The question is, are we clean enough for the Master to use (2 Timothy 2:21-22)? Only we ourselves know which besetting sins are short-circuiting the Holy Spirit’s ability to use us to our maximum capacity. And only we can rid ourselves of the spiritual dirt and grime that soils our hearts and lives. And only then will we experience the power of God igniting our life and witness with new found freedom and effectiveness.
Things had become routine at the Ephesus Community Church. Their young pastor named Timothy was personally trained by the apostle Paul himself, and enjoyed a most promising start.
But somehow the initial glow of a new ministry lost its shine, and things at church had slowly but unmistakably returned to a “business as usual” mode. The fledgling pastor needed to jump start things, and actually needed a jump start himself. Acutely aware of the flagging conditions there at Ephesus, Paul challenges Timothy to crank up his gifting for pastoral ministry.
“Keep ablaze the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Apparently the young pastor had allowed his gifts to fall into disuse, and needed to stoke them into a burning flame that would ignite the ministry of his church. Sometimes we can fall into the same state of dormancy. It’s at those times that we need to resurrect those abilities and put them back into ministry circulation. I recently received a word from the Lord down this very line. I realized I had not been using some of my spiritual gifts for far too long, and really
needed to seek out a channel to get them active again.
Once we’ve dealt with our ministry absenteeism, we’ll enjoy a fresh infilling of God’s Spirit, and will watch as God channels His grace through us to others in need. I can’t think of a better way to jump start this New Year than to resolve to getting back to work for the Lord in our various assigned ministries. Who knows, God may even open new doors of gifting and ministry as we do so. If we ignore the fears fueled by past failures and difficulties, we may end up finding a
place of service that becomes a dynamic witness for the Lord Jesus Christ! Now THAT would make our “NEW” Year a “RENEWED” Year!
May God truly bless you and send you a Happy and Holy New Year!
Imagine your telephone ringing and finding that the person on the other side of the call is the President of the United States! Or how about Billy Graham, or the Pope, or Mother Theresa? What an honor it would be to have a personal audience with any of these distinguished persons!
Now take that scenario and notch it up about a million times to find yourself in the court of the King of the Universe… God! That’s where Isaiah the prophet found himself. And this is where God found Isaiah. And where Isaiah found himself, standing spiritually naked before a thrice holy God. In the first nine verses of the sixth chapter of the book bearing his name, we watch Isaiah become transformed from impure vessel to pristine preacher. As we unpack this loaded passage we discover four principles of genuine revival.
WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY COMING FACE TO FACE WITH GOD’S ABSOLUTE HOLINESS ! 1-4
A royal administrator had just passed off the scene in Judah, a king by the name of Uzziah had died. Who would succeed him and lead the nation now? God powerfully reminds His anxious prophet that He, the King of Kings, was still on the Throne. As always, He would preside over Judah’s national affairs as well as the affairs of the international community.
But what kind of character did God possess that qualified Him to govern the world? A holy character. In fact, the three-times-over kind of holiness. Holiness through and through. Once the angelic guard surrounding heaven’s throne declared that perfect holiness, the entire temple shook, rattled and rolled. It’s very doorposts moved out of their sockets, and the entire scene was inundated with smoke kindled by the burning fire of God’s holiness.
French philosopher Alexander DeToqueville visited America in the 1830’s, and made these keen observations:
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. In the fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there. In her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits, aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Mark this down as my humble, heartfelt call to pulpits across Central New York and pulpits all across America. “Get a hold of the holiness of God and preach it until the pews get it down pat!” We serve a HOLY God, Whose laws are not to be trifled with, Whose grace is never to be received in vain, and Whose love is never to be taken for granted!! “But just as he Who called you is holy”, Peter reminds us, “be holy in all you do, for it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’ ” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY ALLOWING GOD’S HOLINESS TO EXPOSE OUR UNHOLINESS! 5
Mirrors are a humble yet helpful commodity. They reveal nothing of themselves but simply, quietly and clearly reflect the exact image of the object facing them. Like a giant cosmic mirror, a single glimpse of God’s absolute holiness showed up the impurities in Isaiah’s life. Indeed, the princely prophet confesses, “I am completely RUINED!” One live encounter with the glory of God sent the heretofore seemingly righteous man to his knees in utter abasement, conviction and contrition. Before his fellow men he felt just fine, but pure holiness instantly revealed his problem with unwholesome speech, and he was down for the count. Isaiah quickly recognized he wasn’t alone either. The entire culture of Judah was guilty of verbal impurity.
Whether it was lying, swearing, gossip, profanity, or other, the Holy Spirit of the Holy God pointed out this glaring sin in his life and the life of the nation.
I wonder what the Holy Spirit’s commentary would be on our culture’s vocabulary and conversation? Probably the same, perhaps an even worse indictment. Our television and movie screens, internet, radio waves, music and literature are rife with the unclean, the unholy and the profane. A fresh glimpse of God’s holiness would cause our mouths to stop on the dime in guilty silence. And that’s just what will happen later if not sooner (see Romans 3:19-20). We claim to love God, follow Jesus, and obey the Holy Spirit. But if that were truly so, we’d have a zero rate of divorce, immorality and duplicity in the church. We need to get such a grip on God’s holiness that, like Isaiah, we come to the end of ourselves and our sins, both individual and as a nation.
THIRD, WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY COMING CLEAN! 6-7
Picture a world without washing machines. We’d eventually run through our entire wardrobe and begin wearing dirty, smelly, wrinkled and unwashed clothes. Everything needs a periodic cleaning, and our lives are no different.
Having seen face to face the kind of holy God he was serving, and having come to grips with His unclean status, Isaiah was now ready for a spiritual housecleaning. An angel swoops down from God’s altar to the place where Isaiah knelt. The angel applies hot coals taken from God’s altar to the very place of Isaiah’s besetting sin … his big mouth. The coals burned away Isaiah’s oral impurity as well as his internal heart impurity.
Once he had been cleansed and made heart-right with God, his words would reflect that internal renewal (Matthew 6:45). The believer today has the blood of Christ as the al-purpose cleansing agent. When we allow our hearts to be cleansed by the Word of God and the blood of Christ, we’ll speak a whole new language of love instead of hate, truth instead of misrepresentation, and grace instead of criticism. (1 John 1:9 ; Eph. 4:29-5:4 ; Eph. 5:26).
WE’LL BURN BRIGHTLY AND SHINE IN 2009 BY BEING SET FREE TO SERVE! 8-9
What do you do when you finish laundering your clothes? If you locked them up and never used them again, you’d not only be unpresentable to civilized society, you’d also run the risk of being declared legally insane.
When God cleanses His people He always does so with a unique mission in mind for them to fulfill. Yours may be teaching, or singing, or serving, or managing a ministry, or giving, or doing cross-cultural evangelism. Whatever the call, we need to first be spiritually prepared for that work, and personally predisposed to the same. It is God Who works in us to change our attitudes and become willing to serve Him in the exact place He wants us in (Phil. 2:13). Imagine the ministry impact and spiritual revolution that would erupt if EVERY Christian got their spiritual house in order, and then locked into God’s special spot for them in their church’s ministry program? Well, that would be REVIVAL! And it would be phenomenal! If you’re thinking this could never happen, think again.
Recall how God’s Spirit spilled over from the pulpit into the pew and out to the people
outside the temple in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek. 9:1-11)? In great mercy the Lord set apart the godly who had grieved over Judah’s sinful state of affairs, sparing them from His fury that took out everyone guilty of the grossest idolatry. Judgment began at the house of God, and will repeat itself there as the Church responds to Christ’s call to repent of its waywardness and carnality (see 1 Pet. 4:17-18 ; Rev. 2:5 ; 2:16 ; 2:21-22 ; 3:3 ; 3:19).
The first group of Christian believers also experienced the cleansing fire and powerful
anointing of the Holy Spirit as they waited on God in prayer in obedience to Jesus’ pre-ascension command. As believers we’re all vessels. The question is, are we clean enough for the Master to use (2 Timothy 2:21-22)? Only we ourselves know which besetting sins are short-circuiting the Holy Spirit’s ability to use us to our maximum capacity. And only we can rid ourselves of the spiritual dirt and grime that soils our hearts and lives. And only then will we experience the power of God igniting our life and witness with new found freedom and effectiveness.
Things had become routine at the Ephesus Community Church. Their young pastor named Timothy was personally trained by the apostle Paul himself, and enjoyed a most promising start.
But somehow the initial glow of a new ministry lost its shine, and things at church had slowly but unmistakably returned to a “business as usual” mode. The fledgling pastor needed to jump start things, and actually needed a jump start himself. Acutely aware of the flagging conditions there at Ephesus, Paul challenges Timothy to crank up his gifting for pastoral ministry.
“Keep ablaze the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Apparently the young pastor had allowed his gifts to fall into disuse, and needed to stoke them into a burning flame that would ignite the ministry of his church. Sometimes we can fall into the same state of dormancy. It’s at those times that we need to resurrect those abilities and put them back into ministry circulation. I recently received a word from the Lord down this very line. I realized I had not been using some of my spiritual gifts for far too long, and really
needed to seek out a channel to get them active again.
Once we’ve dealt with our ministry absenteeism, we’ll enjoy a fresh infilling of God’s Spirit, and will watch as God channels His grace through us to others in need. I can’t think of a better way to jump start this New Year than to resolve to getting back to work for the Lord in our various assigned ministries. Who knows, God may even open new doors of gifting and ministry as we do so. If we ignore the fears fueled by past failures and difficulties, we may end up finding a
place of service that becomes a dynamic witness for the Lord Jesus Christ! Now THAT would make our “NEW” Year a “RENEWED” Year!
May God truly bless you and send you a Happy and Holy New Year!
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