The Prophetic Preacher and the Sin of Abortion

To what lengths should a godly minister go toward protecting innocent human life? Preachers already feel pulled in so many directions. We rightly put our energies into preaching the Gospel, church growth, and exciting programs. But has God no concern for the rights of the weak and defenseless?

Certainly, a minister’s primary responsibility is to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). This involves a call to repentance as well as a call to faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus said, “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). In His last public discourse, Jesus exposed and denounced the sins of the religious leaders of that day. Likewise, in the midst of secular Athens, Paul declared that God is “now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent”—pagan Greeks as well as Jews.

Ministers must likewise follow the example of Jesus and Paul. The taking of innocent human life in abortion is a sin. So a minister should preach against abortion. But should a minister do more to protect innocent human life than simply preach against it?

Should anyone need to be reminded, we learn from Paul that a minister must not only call others to righteous living, he must pursue after it himself: “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace” (2 Timothy 2:22). Central to righteous living is a self-giving love for one’s neighbor. In the case of the weak and defenseless, it is taking up their cause. God has said. “I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things” (Jeremiah 9:24).

Conversely, God hid Himself from Israel when they only prayed and sacrificed, for He said. “What are your multiplied sacrifices to me?… I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly” (Isaiah 1:13). Iniquity in their instance was that they did not seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow—basic acts of justice. Does God now tolerate a lack of concern for justice on our part?

Taking up the cause of the unborn means action, public action. For James asks, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?”

The call to righteous living, in this case, is a call to give these needy persons clothing and food. If this much is required, how much more should we seek to prevent the taking of innocent human life? “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

Christ said to His followers, “You are the salt of the earth.… You are the light of the world.” Paul admonished, you are now “light in the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” (Ephesians 5:8ff.). When God commissioned Paul, He appointed him “to open (the Gentiles’) eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light … performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:18ff). Our main purpose is to expose the unfruitful deeds of darkness and to exhort people to turn to Christ. Again, in the abortion crisis, the light is not meant to shine behind closed doors.

Abortion is indeed an “unfruitful deed of darkness” which we are to expose. Its forces are impressive and are on the attack. But we serve the “Light of the World,” and as Martin Luther reminds us: “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are attacking at that moment, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all battlefields besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

God appointed Ezekiel to be a “watchman for the house of Israel.” But God warned:

When I say to the wicked, “O wicked man, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hands. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your life.”

This same compulsion rests upon prophetic preachers today. Occasions arise when the Word of God cannot be held in, and to do so would make us guilty of the blood of others. Infants are dying painful deaths today in abortion chambers. We must face the horror of abortion. These are extraordinary times which call for extraordinary actions. We cannot afford to ignore what is taking place.

Notably, whenever Peter or Paul spoke to a Gentile audience, they spoke of coming judgment and exhorted people to flee from the wrath to come. This is a Good News act. It flows from true love for the lost. James concludes: “He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins” (5:20).

In sum, our call to preach the Gospel, to live righteously, to be salt and light, and to proclaim God’s judgment is a call to act prophetically. It is true that the New Testament office of minister is not equivalent to a prophet. But there is a prophetic aspect to preaching, for prophets were directed by God to speak forth His word in an open forum, often in hostile circumstances, to bring repentance. Preachers are God’s primary mouthpieces today.

There are parameters to our protest. The first is that God’s purposes are not served if we break His Law. Destroying property or hurling abuse at others is contrary to God’s desires.

Also, God is against violence. We are a nonviolent people, based on the commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.” No form of violence should be tolerated, not even hate. Those involved in abortion desperately need God’s forgiveness in Christ.

We are motivated out of love and concern for unborn children, for mothers who out of ignorance or callous indifference abort their children, even for the clinic personnel. We must warn them to flee the wrath to come. Are we willing to love them that much?

A godly protest will be covered with prayer, conducted with reverence, and be an occasion for witnessing to Christ’s love. We must be ready to offer love and help as we show alternatives to the horrendous choice of abortion.

Esther Speaks Out, Will You?

"If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).

King Xerxes had elevated one of his courtiers, Haman, to a high position, and all were to bow down to him. But one Jew, Mordecai, refused to bow to Haman. This infuriated Haman. He set about to destroy not only Mordecai but all the Jews. After all, he told the king, this prominent Jew sets an example for all other Jews, and if he gets by with this, the kingdom will fall into anarchy. What neither Haman nor Xerxes realized was that Xerxes’s queen, Esther, was herself a Jewess and the niece of Mordecai. Thus, Mordecai came to her and implored her to use her influence at court to deliver the Jews from destruction.

Esther replied that even though she was the queen, she still did not have automatic access to the king. Anyone who approached the king without being summoned was put to death. Mordecai told her in reply that she was going to die anyway. She could not hope, he said, that she could conceal her identity indefinitely. He assured her that salvation for the Jews would come from somewhere, but that it would be best for her if it came from her efforts. After all, he argued, perhaps the reason God had put her in this place was just for such a time as this.

There was one exception to the king’s practice of destroying anyone who approached him without invitation. If the king extended the gold scepter toward the person, that person would be spared. Thus, Esther really had only one option: to appeal to the king, and hope that he would accept her because of his affection for her.

Thus, the question for Esther was whether or not she would be silent in a time of the impending holocaust. Who would speak for the silent ones? Who would intercede before the king for the Jews who were helpless, if not Esther?

Who are the silent ones today? Will you speak for them, for the millions of unborn babies being slaughtered in America today? Christians cannot avoid the question of abortion. God may eventually put a stop to it, but it will be much better if you become active in speaking out now. Speak to the King, and also speak to your neighbors.

Cowardice vs. Clarity: The Case of Carl Lentz and Dr. John MacArthur

It's a case study involving a false teacher versus a true teacher of the gospel - and the comparison couldn't be more clear. To set the scene, last Monday, around 1:20 p.m. EST, hundreds of babies were being surgically dismembered, decapitated, poisoned, and otherwise violently killed inside abortion clinics around the country. Simultaneously, Hillsong Church NYC mega-pastor Carl Lentz had a platform from which to speak in their defense while a guest on “The View.” He refused to do so. In fact, he took the opportunity to suggest that their deaths can in some cases be justified and that the people killing them should continue living according to their own convictions.

When host Joy Behar asked directly whether abortion is sinful, he responded, “That’s the kind of conversation we would have finding out your story, where you’re from, what you believe. I mean, God’s the judge,” at which point the audience broke into raucous applause. “People have to live to their own convictions,” Lentz continued. “That’s such a broad question, to me, I’m going higher. I want to sit with somebody and say, ‘What do you believe?’”

This position might be received as a moderate stance on the issue or a lack of stance altogether. But in this case, to be on the fence is to be on the side of child sacrifice. “Live to your own convictions” is practically the slogan of the abortion lobby. Lentz might as well have said “My body, my choice,” or “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries.”

“So it’s not an open and shut case to you?” Behar asked. “Some people would say it is,” Lentz responded. “To me, I’m trying to teach people who Jesus is first, and find out their story. Before I start picking and choosing what I think is sin in your life, I’d like to know your name.”

This is a fantastic answer to the question of whether Calvinism or Arminianism is the more accurate interpretation of scripture. In reference to the biblical acceptability of child sacrifice, not so much. Scripture is unanimous and unambiguous in its condemnation of intentionally killing an image-bearer of God. There is no intellectually serious case to be made otherwise.

The abortion industry, with help from complicit institutions such as the mainstream media, academia, medical establishment, and others, is waging a propaganda campaign aimed at dehumanizing their victims. It’s a kingdom tragedy that a pastor of more than 7,000 Christians would join the ranks of those blurring the moral lines regarding the killing of preborn babies.

Check out the video below:

The fact is, with such demure, mealy-mouthed, mish-mash for answers, a "minister" shows themselves to be intellectually and convictionally unequipped to be a pastor and should resign.

Now contrast the obfuscation and imprecision of Carl Lentz with the clarity and conviction of Dr. John MacArthur. Notice how Dr. MacArthur accurately defines the sin of homosexuality, etc. and eagerly points back to the authority of scripture in every case.



Now hear Dr. MacArthur preach clearly on the topic of abortion and be reminded of Paul's injunction:

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

Planned Parenthood and the Lie of Prenatal Care

With Planned Parenthood's funding on the line, the conversation around America's largest abortion provider is getting heated. Congress has introduced a measure to prohibit Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood for a period of one year, and the abortion giant is fighting tooth-and-nail to maintain its bottom line. Many people truly believe that defunding Planned Parenthood will hurt women. As the debate over Planned Parenthood’s public funding intensifies on Capitol Hill, here are five important talking points to consider when discussing the issue: 

1. Planned Parenthood is America’s biggest abortion chain, committing over 34 percent of abortions in the United States. According to its own 2014-2015 annual report, the corporation committed 323,999 abortions last year —that’s 887 abortions a day, or one abortion every 97 seconds.

2. Planned Parenthood lies about the scope of health care services it provides. The abortion giant only does 0.97 percent of Pap smears and 1.8 percent of breast exams in the United States. In contrast, it commits over 34 percent of abortions in America. Planned Parenthood does not offer any mammograms, which President and CEO Cecile Richards was forced to admit to before Congress, contrary to previous claims. In addition, prenatal care is virtually non-existent at facilities, as are ultrasounds for pregnant women who want to keep their babies.

3. By redirecting taxpayer dollars away from Planned Parenthood would mean that the over 13,000 community health clinics, which outnumber Planned Parenthood 20 to 1, would receive funding. These more worthy centers offer comprehensive health services and holistic care for women and their families.

4. Planned Parenthood is a scandal-ridden corporation. In addition to lying and misleading the public, Planned Parenthood has been exposed for its gruesome fetal parts harvesting practices. It has also been caught covering up sex trafficking and statutory rape, condoning sex- and race-based abortions, giving medically inaccurate information about fetal development, and coaching kids on risky sexual practices. The corporation promotes its abortion-first ideology at all costs — even lobbying against infanticide and protections for babies with Down syndrome and disabilities.

5. Planned Parenthood and its supporters emphasize that federal funds are not legally allowed to be used for abortions; however, money is fungible. With its over $500 million in taxpayer funding, Planned Parenthood is able to free up expenses to expand facilities, lobby lawmakers, etc.