Fighting Discouragement in ProLife Ministry

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:05.799 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours, s and me, 2 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:10.589 Lord, I am your. Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. 3 00:00:10.869 --> 00:00:13.630 Let's episod. We're going to talk about how to fight discouragement in pro 4 00:00:13.750 --> 00:00:17.030 life ministry. It's something we all deal with, especially when we're dealing with 5 00:00:17.230 --> 00:00:20.829 life and death issues. Hope this podcast will be an encouragement. You stay 6 00:00:20.870 --> 00:00:35.140 tuned. I felt show passish touch your heart. All Right, welcome to 7 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:39.130 the Gospel Center pro life podcast. We want to talk a little bit about 8 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:42.890 something that I'm sure all of you deal with. We certainly deal with this, 9 00:00:43.130 --> 00:00:47.969 at least you know. Maybe you know. Time and again we deal 10 00:00:48.049 --> 00:00:51.759 with discouragement, and that's what we want to talk about, discouragement in Prolife 11 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:58.039 Ministry, and we've sort of numbered out some some points, some sources of 12 00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:03.079 discouragement that we have, that we've experienced and that others have experienced. We 13 00:01:03.159 --> 00:01:07.870 have conversations with people, not just inside wall counseling but in other realms of 14 00:01:07.909 --> 00:01:12.109 prolife ministry that get discouraged. Like I said, we get discourage from time 15 00:01:12.109 --> 00:01:18.269 to time. We have to encourage each other and so we sort of get 16 00:01:18.310 --> 00:01:21.219 a feel for what other people are dealing with and we find that we're all 17 00:01:21.299 --> 00:01:23.980 sort of dealing with some of the same stuff, right. So we wanted 18 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:29.500 to touch on some of those subjects and some of those sources of discouragement that 19 00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:34.170 people have in and hopes that we can encourage people who are listening right and 20 00:01:34.290 --> 00:01:37.010 encourage them to stay in this battle, because it is a battle and I 21 00:01:37.049 --> 00:01:40.730 think that's it's not one of the points that we have here, but it's 22 00:01:40.730 --> 00:01:44.370 a sort of the overarching principle of this whole thing is that we're in a 23 00:01:44.450 --> 00:01:48.640 spiritual battle. It's not a battle against the Democrats, it's not a battle 24 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:52.879 against, you know, some political entity, because it's not a political fight. 25 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:57.200 This is a this is a battle of spiritual battle against forces of darkness 26 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:00.000 and we have to understand that. Whether we're doing pro life ministry, and 27 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:04.230 you know, Gospels that are pro life ministry, or world whether we're doing, 28 00:02:04.590 --> 00:02:07.310 you know, handed out tracks or or pastors in the pulpit or whatever 29 00:02:07.389 --> 00:02:13.110 realm of ministry, missionaries have to build have the battle with discouragement. I 30 00:02:13.150 --> 00:02:16.020 mean any work that you do either. If you're a nonbeliever, you can 31 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:21.819 deal with discouragement, but as believers we have certain you know, sort of 32 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:25.659 certain enemy that's against us. That brings a whole other level of discouragement and 33 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:30.409 just, you know, lies that we believe and things like that. So 34 00:02:30.490 --> 00:02:34.770 so, yeah, let's touch on this subject and we hope that you guys. 35 00:02:34.849 --> 00:02:38.729 We prayed just before this podcast because we had a little discouragement with the 36 00:02:38.930 --> 00:02:46.199 with the audio stuff that we were dealing with, but we we prayed and 37 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:50.879 that's because we know we're in a spiritual battle. That's right, and I 38 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.719 wonder if that spiritual battle, you know, this is the major ministry I've 39 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:57.840 been involved in. I've been in other ministry trees before, but but in 40 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:02.949 this one you are you're attacking what Satan probably most wants to destroy. No, 41 00:03:04.110 --> 00:03:07.909 we're not attacking we're attacking his stronghold, on Satan stronghold, on the 42 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:12.270 area that he most wants to destroy, which is the family, which is 43 00:03:12.430 --> 00:03:16.900 the bedrock of any nation, any community. And and if you can, 44 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:24.259 you know, destroy the idea that a mother should always protect her child, 45 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:29.689 you know, you go a long ways, I think, towards destroying the 46 00:03:29.849 --> 00:03:36.129 fabric of the family. So I think if I weren't engaged in a spiritual 47 00:03:36.250 --> 00:03:40.639 battle, when I am engaged in pro life activity or if I wasn't facing 48 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:47.039 the Satan's arrows, which of which discouragement is one, maybe I'm not doing 49 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:52.800 a very good job. Yeah, I think sometimes discouragement might tell you you're 50 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:57.710 doing something that is angering the enemy of your soul and he's attacking. Yeah, 51 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:00.389 and even sometimes that alone, I think, can be encouraging. Yeah, 52 00:04:00.870 --> 00:04:03.389 big, what's meant to be discouragement? And yet the Lord Turner do 53 00:04:03.430 --> 00:04:05.949 an encourage. You know, one of the things that I've said. I've 54 00:04:05.990 --> 00:04:10.099 heard others say it too, so it's not original to me, but abortion 55 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:14.699 is the devil's pride and enjoy. This thing is like something that, you 56 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:17.860 know, if you look at sort of the proponents of this, this pro 57 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:23.740 abortion agenda, and some of the energy that's behind that, but also some 58 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:26.769 of the the verb bridge and languages behind that, it's just like, man, 59 00:04:26.810 --> 00:04:31.529 this is satanic, this is something that that's obviously a spiritual stronghold. 60 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:35.490 Is a spiritual stronghold in our nation. I believe, much like you know, 61 00:04:36.009 --> 00:04:41.279 when you read Jeremiah, for example, that children of Israel spiritual stronghold 62 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:44.600 is, you know, the idols that they were given themselves to turn it 63 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:47.879 away from God and turn into idols and sacrifice in their children. Hey, 64 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:51.279 there's nothing new under the Sun. At the same thing as happening in our 65 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:55.670 country and nations across the earth, right, because again, this is a 66 00:04:55.829 --> 00:04:59.149 this is a spiritual battle. Yeah, yeah, and you face. You 67 00:04:59.230 --> 00:05:02.949 know, this morning I was listening to Albert Molar, I think is is, 68 00:05:03.269 --> 00:05:11.500 and and he was talking about how whenever legislation, particularly liberal legislation, 69 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:16.939 cannot be passed that by through the channels it's supposed to be passed through, 70 00:05:16.939 --> 00:05:21.649 which is the legislative branch of the government, the Supreme Court passes, like 71 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:29.970 in marriage, the marriage issue and abortion issue. And and so sometimes when 72 00:05:29.970 --> 00:05:32.329 you read the news and think about that, you know, the things that 73 00:05:32.449 --> 00:05:38.279 were in put in by our founding fathers to protect us. Yeah, are 74 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:42.959 they're not protecting yeah, because they're being still they're being used to for this 75 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:47.720 agenda that is an anti good agenda. Yeah, and so reading the news 76 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:51.430 even I was thinking this morning, you know, I want to be informed, 77 00:05:51.509 --> 00:05:58.269 I I do believe we should be informed, but it is increasingly depressing 78 00:05:58.430 --> 00:06:04.420 and discouraging because it feels like the pro death agenda is winning. Yeah, 79 00:06:04.699 --> 00:06:09.620 and that's sort of our first point. We see in the news. You 80 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:13.860 know, I called the bad news. I'll listen to the bad news for 81 00:06:13.899 --> 00:06:15.139 a little bit, because it all, it is a bunch of bad news, 82 00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:20.410 and that stuff bombards our minds and we get we get discourage, we 83 00:06:20.529 --> 00:06:24.569 get hopeless in a sense. Right, yeah, and the world is gone, 84 00:06:24.970 --> 00:06:27.009 you know, for lack of a better turn to hell in the hand 85 00:06:27.089 --> 00:06:29.769 baskets, right. And what can we do about it? You know, 86 00:06:30.410 --> 00:06:35.199 and you see more and more of this culture of death sort of surrounding us 87 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:40.319 and sort of closing in, and it seems, if you didn't know the 88 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:45.879 Lord, like it's hopeless. Yeah, even even things that tie into abortion, 89 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:51.230 which is the sexual freedom and and that sexual immorality is is last as 90 00:06:51.550 --> 00:06:57.870 yea, that that that we should be talking about, abstinence, for example, 91 00:06:58.509 --> 00:07:02.819 is is laughed at. Yeah, and that can be so discouraging because 92 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:11.139 we who are out there on the front lines of the the abortion, you 93 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:15.620 know discussion, where they're in front of abortion centers and we see, I 94 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:19.370 don't know, ninety percent of the abortions are a result of sexual immorality. 95 00:07:19.769 --> 00:07:24.370 So we under it. We know it is critical to if we're ever going 96 00:07:24.529 --> 00:07:29.290 to be effective as a nation, as a world and ending abortion. That 97 00:07:29.449 --> 00:07:31.920 has to be addressed. But the news, all all the events in the 98 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:40.879 world are they make fun of people who talk about sexual purity and and so 99 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:43.759 how do we deal with that, Daniel? How do we deal with with 100 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.230 reading and wanting to be informed, as I think we should be? Yeah, 101 00:07:46.550 --> 00:07:50.430 and facing, like you said, the bad news that is so discouraging. 102 00:07:50.550 --> 00:07:54.389 Yeah, I mean I know the temptation for me is just to completely 103 00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:58.230 ignore the news, yeah, and not listen or watch the news. And 104 00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:01.139 I don't really watch. I listen. If I get any news, it's 105 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:05.860 on the radio or or even facebook. And you know, it keeps grolling, 106 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:09.139 as you see something on facebook like this latest whatever that's come out, 107 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:13.370 you know, pro abortion agenda moving forward in some area or whatever. It's 108 00:08:13.370 --> 00:08:16.649 like, keeps grolling. And one sense, you know, we need to 109 00:08:16.730 --> 00:08:18.930 be in the loop. We need to not just be in the dark when 110 00:08:18.930 --> 00:08:24.089 people mention stuff that's happen in the in the news. But one of the 111 00:08:24.209 --> 00:08:28.279 things I think that we we obviously we have to do to have to be 112 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:30.959 in the word. Absolutely have to be in God's word. We have to 113 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:35.440 be in God's word consistently. If we're consuming news and in the news outlets, 114 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:39.000 even if it's Fox News or whatever other news outlet that we're consuming, 115 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:43.629 and we have a focus on our minds, go there more than in the 116 00:08:43.669 --> 00:08:46.269 word of God. Maybe it will be just a good idea just to cut 117 00:08:46.309 --> 00:08:50.029 that stuff off, you know, and to not allowed the news of the 118 00:08:50.070 --> 00:08:54.549 world to bombard our minds. I've had seasons where I've just completely cut it 119 00:08:54.669 --> 00:08:58.500 off completely, don't don't listen. I'm going to I listen to MPR, 120 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:03.940 believe it or not. Oh Wow, yeah, and it frustrates me and 121 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:07.820 it makes me angry. Yeah, because it's very left leaning, it is. 122 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:11.049 And and you know what, sometimes I just cut the stuff off. 123 00:09:11.250 --> 00:09:16.370 I'll go a week without listening to the news. And you know, even 124 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:18.210 though we do need to be in the loop, I think in some sense 125 00:09:18.490 --> 00:09:22.889 we don't need to know everything, you know, and and I think this, 126 00:09:24.169 --> 00:09:28.000 this desire for to know everything, can be a trap for us, 127 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:31.440 you know. Yeah, yeah, you know. One of the scriptures that 128 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:33.879 you had, we made up a little list of some of the things that 129 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.679 we wanted to touch on, is Romans twelve too. Yeah, great scripture. 130 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:39.590 Do not make conformed of this world, but be transformed by the renewal 131 00:09:39.629 --> 00:09:43.309 of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, 132 00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:48.590 what is good and acceptable and perfect. And we renew our minds by 133 00:09:48.669 --> 00:09:52.590 being in the word of God. We do not renew our minds by being 134 00:09:52.669 --> 00:09:56.019 on facebook. We don't renew our minds by being watching Fox News, you 135 00:09:56.139 --> 00:10:00.259 know, for five hours a day or whatever, listening to the ready. 136 00:10:00.419 --> 00:10:03.620 We renew our mind by being in in the word of God, by being 137 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:07.850 consistently in the word of God. I think in our personal devotion time we 138 00:10:07.970 --> 00:10:11.450 need to be in the word of God. But you know, as we're 139 00:10:11.450 --> 00:10:13.250 going down the road, even there's so many apps out there where you can 140 00:10:13.250 --> 00:10:16.690 get the word of God and have it playing over your radio or whatever. 141 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:22.080 Just having our mind's renewed by the word of God is a key and not 142 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.440 being conformed of this world, you know, left leaning or right leaning or 143 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:30.120 whatever, news outlets and all these things. Ultimately, these are sources from 144 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:33.080 the world right and you're not going to get comfort from Fox News. You're 145 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:37.230 not going to get comfort from these other, you know, news outlets that 146 00:10:37.269 --> 00:10:41.549 might agree with your political persuasion, because again, it's just bad news. 147 00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:43.909 You know, it's just people throwing bombs at each other in the sense that 148 00:10:45.070 --> 00:10:50.740 you know, these just political attacks and your mind gets bombarded with political and 149 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:56.659 political rhetoric and the politics that are surrounding the issue of abortion, rather than 150 00:10:56.700 --> 00:11:00.740 keeping your mind focused on this is a spiritual battle, this is a gospel 151 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:03.330 issue that's so important tonight. I don't know about you, but it is 152 00:11:03.769 --> 00:11:11.289 easy for me to throw away two, three hours scrolling through facebook or I'm 153 00:11:11.330 --> 00:11:13.690 not. I'm not a big news watcher. I don't watch television, but 154 00:11:13.850 --> 00:11:20.879 scrolling through news reports online or whatever, and I think that's one of Satan's 155 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:28.159 traps. Instead of opening up our bibles and dwelling on the word, we're 156 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:33.669 dwelling on these things of which will ultimately never say yeah, and and I 157 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:37.710 think bring us down and do add to the discouragement. And I hear over 158 00:11:37.870 --> 00:11:46.309 and over again from from women who are at the abortion center or our contempting 159 00:11:46.309 --> 00:11:52.539 an abortion that they no longer can pray or they no longer can read their 160 00:11:52.580 --> 00:11:54.659 Bible, or they haven't been reading their motor they haven't been going to church. 161 00:11:54.740 --> 00:12:00.179 It it always seems to be there's this distancing from God, whether that's 162 00:12:00.340 --> 00:12:03.370 first or as a result of that, they're already in sin. I don't 163 00:12:03.370 --> 00:12:09.250 know, but but I if, if it's that distancing from God that is 164 00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:16.679 leading them into these terrible choices, obviously then the dwelling again back with God 165 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:20.039 is the antidote. Yeah, and what Satan would least want us to do. 166 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:22.759 Yeah, I know one of the encouragements I give, I give it 167 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:26.039 to our volunteers, I give it to anybody I can, and it's three 168 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:30.830 things, which is stay in the word, yes, stay in prayer and 169 00:12:31.029 --> 00:12:33.990 stay in church. Right, we need to be surrounded you. Paul says 170 00:12:35.429 --> 00:12:39.070 that we should encourage one another daily. As long as it's called today's we 171 00:12:39.149 --> 00:12:41.950 need to be encouraging each of you. Know, to encourage somebody is to 172 00:12:43.029 --> 00:12:46.940 take the courage that you haven't put it into them. You're encouraging your still 173 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:48.980 encourage in that person. Yeah, and so, you know, an important 174 00:12:48.980 --> 00:12:56.779 aspect rather than just being surrounded by the news or being surrounded by even you 175 00:12:56.899 --> 00:13:00.289 know, with us we're dealing on a regular basis with pro abortion people and 176 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:03.929 in their arguments and there the things that they say will kind of swirl around 177 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:07.649 in my head and you know, being surrounded by that stuff and feeling like 178 00:13:07.769 --> 00:13:11.690 you have to give an answer for all that stuff all the time. Is 179 00:13:11.009 --> 00:13:15.600 Is it just it's overwhelming. HMM. Sometimes you just need to empty your 180 00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:22.000 ear thoughts of of the arguments against the prolife position and against Christianity or whatever, 181 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:24.480 and just say, you know what the word of God says this, 182 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:28.669 and standing on the word of God is the key. Can't. You can't 183 00:13:28.710 --> 00:13:35.950 answer everybody's questions, you can't be the source of of Information and what is 184 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:39.429 truth for everybody, because some people just not going to be satisfied, you 185 00:13:39.549 --> 00:13:43.340 know. But the positive of that, which at least I've experienced, is 186 00:13:43.500 --> 00:13:46.379 if there are things thrown at me that, yes, they can be discouraging 187 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:50.580 and to make you think, Oh, maybe I'm wrong, but it can 188 00:13:50.620 --> 00:13:52.899 also spur you on, and should spurn you on, yeah, to go 189 00:13:54.059 --> 00:14:00.129 back into the word and to examine very carefully what God has to say and 190 00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:03.409 the the source of the hope that we have. You know, we kindle 191 00:14:03.490 --> 00:14:07.370 that, yeah, within us and I think that that's a the positive thing 192 00:14:07.490 --> 00:14:13.360 to do with with the terrible things that the socalled pro choice people throw at 193 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:18.759 us. Yeah, but but you know, another huge discouragement which we are 194 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:26.110 experiencing personally. Now is plan parenthood, huge giant? Talk about a giant 195 00:14:26.190 --> 00:14:30.590 and the boy talks about giants and how do we slay the giants in life? 196 00:14:30.629 --> 00:14:33.190 Well, this is a giant. Yeah, in the socalled pro choice. 197 00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:37.740 Certainly abortion world is is plan parenthood. And they're coming to Charlotte now. 198 00:14:37.779 --> 00:14:41.779 They've been in Charlotte, but not in in very small capacity and in 199 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:48.980 the abortion capacity. And and they're coming with an abortion new abortion center and 200 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:52.700 which opened. It's open, but I guess the starting abortion soon. So 201 00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:56.809 you know that it's kind of always in the back of my mind. There's 202 00:14:56.809 --> 00:15:03.250 already three abortion centers that were spreading ourselves then with with volunteers trying to cover 203 00:15:03.450 --> 00:15:09.240 and now this fourth. And this fourth one is the giant planned parenthood. 204 00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:16.360 So and God clearly talks about how we respond to the giants in in our 205 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:20.990 life. So so maybe just being discouraged is not the proper yeah, funds. 206 00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:24.590 Maybe there's some more godly way to do it. That giant. Well, 207 00:15:24.629 --> 00:15:28.230 I mean the rain. So certainly, you know, David wouldn't in 208 00:15:28.350 --> 00:15:31.669 denial, right, David didn't look at Goliath and say, you know, 209 00:15:31.750 --> 00:15:35.230 he's just a tiny little thing. He knew this guy was a giant. 210 00:15:35.269 --> 00:15:37.980 Yeah, and we see in our culture, we see in America the plant 211 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:43.820 pairhood giant. But the abortion giant and and ultimately the political that, you 212 00:15:43.899 --> 00:15:46.580 know, the Paulo, the politics of abortion, all that stuff is a 213 00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:50.850 big giant. It's a sort of a mountain, yeah, that we have 214 00:15:50.970 --> 00:15:52.690 to face. And they there's a lot of money, you know, Plant 215 00:15:52.730 --> 00:15:58.169 parenthood just as an example. I think this course, worldwide, the abortion 216 00:15:58.250 --> 00:16:02.850 giant is a political entity with, I mean, tens of millions of dollars. 217 00:16:02.889 --> 00:16:07.279 I think I heard on the news yesterday that they're going to put sixty 218 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:11.480 million dollars into North Carolina was one of the states. But some of these 219 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:15.039 battleground states they're going to pour, you know, just as one entity, 220 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.710 and this is only one entity that's going to be doing there's going to be 221 00:16:18.789 --> 00:16:21.909 a lot of other ones that are pouring. They're pouring fifty or sixty million 222 00:16:21.950 --> 00:16:26.870 dollars into these states, these battleground states, and in order to get their 223 00:16:26.429 --> 00:16:32.899 Democrat person elected. Yeah, it's like that just shows you this political thing, 224 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:36.779 like cities for life, could never pour, you know, any money 225 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:41.019 into into a political campaign. Nor would we, right. But but this 226 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:45.059 thing has a political wing to it. It's got, of course, their 227 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:48.210 abortion wing where they do abortions. It's got their outreach wing where they're going 228 00:16:48.370 --> 00:16:52.610 into there's going to be behind them. Yeah, I mean even if you 229 00:16:53.250 --> 00:16:57.570 read some of the stories about the exposing of Plan Parenthood and the trial that's 230 00:16:57.610 --> 00:17:02.720 going on in California, it's like, man, these people have got lawyers, 231 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:06.680 they've got all this and this is a giant and coming to come to 232 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:11.480 Charlotte. It's certainly, I believe, already had an influence in the city 233 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:17.069 council with the new sound ordinates. It's been passed here in Charlotte and it 234 00:17:17.309 --> 00:17:22.910 looks like they're going to have even more clout in the city council and who 235 00:17:22.950 --> 00:17:26.950 knows what sort of persuasion they'll have with the city council and trying to make, 236 00:17:26.069 --> 00:17:29.829 you know, probably a ultimate some kind of buffer zone or something like 237 00:17:29.990 --> 00:17:34.339 that. However, is a sling shot. Yeah, right, all have 238 00:17:34.660 --> 00:17:41.019 is a sling shot and five stones, right, but the encouragement is and 239 00:17:41.099 --> 00:17:45.089 I think that story is a cute little story, David and Goliath, you 240 00:17:45.130 --> 00:17:48.410 know, but it's actually a violent story and we're not people. We're not 241 00:17:48.450 --> 00:17:51.970 a people of violence at all. That we have a code of conduct. 242 00:17:52.009 --> 00:17:56.890 We have as we absolutely he's fellow no violence, right. But spiritually speaking, 243 00:17:56.970 --> 00:18:02.160 yeah, because this is a spiritual example for us. David was merciless 244 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.519 to that giant. He slew that giant. He had confidence in God. 245 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:08.000 He took the giant's head off and held it up for everybody to see. 246 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:15.990 Killed Him with his own sword. That is a miraculous event that that could 247 00:18:15.069 --> 00:18:19.670 not be orchestrated by man. That event, David Slang Goliath is not something 248 00:18:19.710 --> 00:18:23.190 that David you know, certainly God trained him in the Wilderness. You know, 249 00:18:23.309 --> 00:18:27.099 he's slaid a bear and a lion and he talks about how God had 250 00:18:27.380 --> 00:18:32.299 had trained him in one sense and in the wilderness. But he wasn't out, 251 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:34.019 you know, lifting iron and getting ready for the giant. He just 252 00:18:34.099 --> 00:18:37.579 sort of came upon this thing. You know, it sort of came upon 253 00:18:37.619 --> 00:18:41.609 him and it's yeah, but he was ready and he was confident. And 254 00:18:41.730 --> 00:18:44.890 here's the point. He was not confident in himself and his own ability. 255 00:18:45.410 --> 00:18:48.809 He was confident in the Lord. He says, the Lord will deliver this 256 00:18:48.970 --> 00:18:52.970 uncircumcised Philistine into my hand. Amen. And so when we, when we 257 00:18:53.089 --> 00:18:56.640 faced giants like plan parenthood, like the abortion industry and all of that. 258 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:03.920 We have to have this confidence in the Lord. We get off track when 259 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:06.799 we have the confidence in ourselves. You know, we've learned a lot. 260 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:08.839 Yeah, we I think we do good. And Sidewalk counseling, I think 261 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:11.710 we do well enough to where we can teach others. You know, with 262 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:15.309 the with the sidewalks for life site, I think we're doing good and putting 263 00:19:15.390 --> 00:19:19.670 content out there right, but it's not a confidence in ourselves. It's things 264 00:19:19.710 --> 00:19:25.099 that we've learned by making mistakes and in prayer and seeking the Lord. How 265 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:27.900 can we do better, because we certainly made a lot of mistakes. Our 266 00:19:27.980 --> 00:19:33.180 confidence has to be in the Lord in whatever. You know, not just 267 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:36.859 sidewalk counseling, but you know, pregnancy center is if you're reaching out and 268 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:40.329 that way or, you know, maybe even politically, if you're involved in 269 00:19:40.410 --> 00:19:47.490 some political pro life organization or campus outreach, in a political or a in 270 00:19:47.609 --> 00:19:52.319 a pro life round, reaching out a campuses or whatever. We have to 271 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:56.079 have confidence in the Lord and this is why I believe that if we're going 272 00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:02.559 to if we're going to fight this pro abortion giant, this the pro abortion 273 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:07.829 agenda, we can't do it just from a secular perspective. It's a spiritual 274 00:20:07.910 --> 00:20:11.190 battle. We've got to be in the world and we've got to use the 275 00:20:11.269 --> 00:20:14.789 word of God and we've got to be in prayer asking God for wisdom, 276 00:20:15.190 --> 00:20:18.309 and he can turn things around in the most amazing way. Yeah, absolutely. 277 00:20:18.509 --> 00:20:22.259 You know, look at the story with the Sound Ordinance. I mean 278 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:27.700 that really is a great example of US facing what looked like a huge discouragement 279 00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:37.289 right we we had lost seemingly against the political forces of I won't say of 280 00:20:37.410 --> 00:20:41.809 evil, but that is what I believe. Yeah, and and lost the 281 00:20:41.930 --> 00:20:45.890 ability to use our amplified sound in front of abortion centers, and that was 282 00:20:45.930 --> 00:20:51.359 at such a great tool for us and we thought, Oh, this is 283 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:55.759 terrible. But God turned it around. Where will no one can use amplified 284 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:59.079 sound, including there for the pro choice people, and they could no longer 285 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:04.150 drown our voices out with their little radios and sound systems. They tucked under 286 00:21:04.150 --> 00:21:10.309 the umbrella and we found that we had an increased ability to reach the women. 287 00:21:10.390 --> 00:21:15.710 Who would have ever suspected that? How God can turn things that? 288 00:21:15.910 --> 00:21:18.259 You just would never expect. What I mean the picture of that is, 289 00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:22.980 you know, David Slang Goliath with his own disorder or chopping his head off 290 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:26.259 with his own sword. It's like the instrument that he was going to use 291 00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:30.140 to destroy David David actually uses to finish him. Yeah, happens in the 292 00:21:30.180 --> 00:21:36.049 book of Vester with Hayman, where Haydon wants to destroy Mordecai and and hates 293 00:21:36.170 --> 00:21:41.569 Moredecai the Jew and and and plots to do so and even a rex, 294 00:21:41.730 --> 00:21:45.690 the scaffold that he's going to end up hanging his enemy, Mordecai, and 295 00:21:45.849 --> 00:21:48.440 then through a series of read the book, If you haven't read the book 296 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.799 of Ester, two great book. But through a series of amazing events, 297 00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:56.960 God turns that completely around and Hayman end up and suffing from his own gallery, 298 00:21:56.039 --> 00:22:00.200 from his own gallows. Kind does that over and over again now. 299 00:22:00.549 --> 00:22:04.109 So just say there's no mistaken here. We're not talking about physical violence. 300 00:22:04.109 --> 00:22:07.630 I'm talking about a spiritual battle that wean and that's something we always have to 301 00:22:07.710 --> 00:22:11.509 keep before eyes, because there can be with people, when you get so 302 00:22:11.750 --> 00:22:17.859 frustrated and you're facing this giant, there can be, out of that frustration, 303 00:22:18.420 --> 00:22:21.859 this just natural anger. Yeah, but the Bible tells us that the 304 00:22:21.900 --> 00:22:25.500 anger of a man does not produce the righteousness of God. So if we're 305 00:22:25.539 --> 00:22:29.619 just angry, and that's why we encourage our our volunteers and encourage each other 306 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:33.170 to and regular basis is this is this is a spiritual battle, not a 307 00:22:33.250 --> 00:22:37.329 natural battle, and are driving force cannot be hatred. Even as evil as 308 00:22:37.369 --> 00:22:41.369 abortion is and evil as the abortion agenda is, and it evils plant parent, 309 00:22:41.410 --> 00:22:48.319 who is we cannot be driven by hatred for those things. We certainly 310 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:52.359 should hate evil, but we're not called to hate people. Were called to 311 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:56.440 to ultimately proclaim the Gospel and our desires that people come into the Kingdom of 312 00:22:56.599 --> 00:23:02.470 God right and there have been locally here we've seen abortion workers come, come 313 00:23:02.549 --> 00:23:04.549 to know the Lord and come out of the industry. Of course, nationally 314 00:23:04.670 --> 00:23:07.710 we know there are people like Abby Johnson and other people that were in plant 315 00:23:07.750 --> 00:23:11.789 parent whood that have come out. And so so God's doing a work there 316 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:17.099 in this giant and ultimately, you know, I don't know how it's going 317 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:23.220 to play out right, but the Lord Somehow has has David's and and they're 318 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:27.529 all over the United States of America, as there are giants all over, 319 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:32.289 and God's going to turn this thing around and God's going to use, use 320 00:23:32.329 --> 00:23:34.089 what the enemy meant for evil and turn it around for good. Yeah, 321 00:23:34.170 --> 00:23:38.849 and you know, just sort of an example of that is with the the 322 00:23:40.210 --> 00:23:45.319 trial that's going on from the David d'lia is because, name who did the 323 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:48.000 exposing of parenthood and they're selling baby parts and all of that. Well, 324 00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:52.519 as they're going through, he's on trial right for for whatever law he supposedly 325 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:59.390 violated, like provacy law or something like that. Let's go wire tap. 326 00:23:59.549 --> 00:24:02.309 I think it's something. I think that's on it. Yeah, and but 327 00:24:02.549 --> 00:24:07.789 in that trial it's like what plan parent whood is doing and actually selling baby 328 00:24:07.869 --> 00:24:11.220 parts and all the things that they are doing behind the scenes. All that's 329 00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:15.579 coming out to it's been further exposed exactly. So was like okay, yeah, 330 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:18.420 so that that just reminds us keep our focus on the Lord. That's 331 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:23.450 right, keep our eyes fixed on him and ultimately we put our trust in 332 00:24:23.490 --> 00:24:26.809 him and God's gonna God's going to be glorified. Right. Right, and 333 00:24:27.009 --> 00:24:30.970 sometimes you do feel all alone, you said, you know, there you 334 00:24:30.049 --> 00:24:33.890 feel like you're you're just David standing there alone. Yeah, against the giant, 335 00:24:33.970 --> 00:24:41.319 and I know for me, you know, sometimes I'm discouraged because I'm 336 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:48.000 sitting in Church and and there's discussions about all kinds of groups that we should 337 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:52.829 be helping and how we as Christians need to be addressing but I so rarely 338 00:24:52.990 --> 00:24:57.990 hear abortion. Yeah, I mentioned and. And so sometimes those in or 339 00:24:59.069 --> 00:25:07.779 even you'll see other pro life groups put down or other Christians put down those 340 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:15.220 who are very active on the front lines of the pro life movement, like 341 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:18.539 like us on the sidewalk at yeah, as know that you should not be 342 00:25:18.660 --> 00:25:21.569 doing that and you can really feel, I think, if you're, if 343 00:25:21.609 --> 00:25:25.809 you're active in the pro life movement, I think you can feel isolated even 344 00:25:26.009 --> 00:25:32.369 from who you expect to be supportive Yellow Christians. And you know, we're 345 00:25:32.369 --> 00:25:37.319 sitting in Church and wondering why isn't they're more being said from the pulpit and 346 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:41.680 and I think that that for me personally, that that has been a source 347 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:45.960 of discouragement. Yeah, just wondering where is, where is where all these 348 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:48.079 people who claim to love the Lord? Yeah, and the Lord, I 349 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:52.029 think, just as so clear and calling us to protect those who cannot protect 350 00:25:52.029 --> 00:25:56.430 themselves, who can't speak for themselves, who are vulnerable, who are being 351 00:25:56.470 --> 00:26:03.549 led away to death. Why aren't Christians they're in droves speaking out against this, 352 00:26:03.630 --> 00:26:07.740 this terrible evil. Yeah, yeah, I mean I'm certainly I believe 353 00:26:08.019 --> 00:26:11.900 that we're dealing with the number one moral issue of our day. I tell 354 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:17.099 the agree. Yeah, and you wonder you're in church and the pastor addresses 355 00:26:17.140 --> 00:26:18.809 this thing, adds is that thing. There's a lot of injustice is going 356 00:26:18.849 --> 00:26:22.049 on, there's no doubt about it. There's you, abortion is not the 357 00:26:22.170 --> 00:26:26.690 only issue that the church has to deal with. We're first and foremost supposed 358 00:26:26.690 --> 00:26:29.970 to advance the Kingdom of God and proclaim the God ass right, and of 359 00:26:30.049 --> 00:26:33.079 course that's what we do on the sidewalks. We're proclaiming the Gospel where we're 360 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:37.079 trying to call people to come and put their trust in the Lord, not 361 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:41.599 just a quote, just saving babies. Right, but if we're dealing with 362 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:45.799 the number one moral issue of the day and it's not being address from the 363 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:49.150 pulpit, that can be a source of discouragement, especially when you're passionate about 364 00:26:49.230 --> 00:26:53.829 this, this issue of abortion, because you have some connection to it or 365 00:26:53.869 --> 00:26:57.710 just the Lord stirred your heart. When you're passionate about something and you're looking 366 00:26:57.750 --> 00:27:02.180 around and you're seeing other people that are not passionate about this thing. It 367 00:27:02.259 --> 00:27:04.500 can be discouraging. Yeah, and you you can start to get disillusioned. 368 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:10.460 You know, disillusionment. I have over the years observed a great amount of 369 00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:14.740 disillusionment from people who are involved, especially in reach out an abortion clinics, 370 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:18.569 doing sidewall council, disillusionment with the Church because where is the church? Disillusionment 371 00:27:18.569 --> 00:27:22.529 with their pastor because he doesn't talk about the issue of abortion. And you 372 00:27:22.650 --> 00:27:26.650 know, one of the things that we have to understand, and one of 373 00:27:26.650 --> 00:27:29.769 the things I remind myself, is I wasn't always in this battle either, 374 00:27:29.809 --> 00:27:33.480 right, you know, if you've only been in prolife ministry for a couple 375 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:37.920 of years, and you know I've been in pro life ministry for fifteen years, 376 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:41.880 but before that, you know, I was a believer and believed abortion 377 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:44.390 was wrong, but I was not involved in this level. You know, 378 00:27:44.470 --> 00:27:47.670 you need to give other people the same grace that that you want them to 379 00:27:47.789 --> 00:27:51.549 give you, first and foremost. That's a good point. Yeah, another 380 00:27:51.630 --> 00:27:56.589 thing is to you know, there's genuinely there people who just don't understand. 381 00:27:56.670 --> 00:28:00.460 They just don't know the gravity of the problem. They you know, I 382 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:04.819 talked to Christians that have lived in Charlotte their whole life and they have no 383 00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:08.299 clue that there's an abortion clinic. Actually, I was just over the window 384 00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:12.289 of abortion clinic today and a young lady stopped on our way out and she 385 00:28:12.369 --> 00:28:15.049 wrote on her windows. She saw my sign and it was a picture of 386 00:28:15.089 --> 00:28:18.329 a baby that was, say, from abortion, and she was like, 387 00:28:18.650 --> 00:28:22.009 that happens here, she said, I didn't think they even had those anymore, 388 00:28:22.170 --> 00:28:23.410 though, met abors and clinics. I said yeah, it happens right 389 00:28:23.450 --> 00:28:26.640 in this building, right here, and she was surprised. Yeah, Um, 390 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:30.799 so, you know, give people grace, give people, you know, 391 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:33.519 the the the same grace that you want to that you want to be 392 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:36.559 given to. Yeah, that's true. It's true. I've had so many 393 00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:40.599 new volunteers that, as they stand and when they watch the women streaming into 394 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:45.869 the abortion clinic, they say, I had no idea. It's one thing 395 00:28:45.069 --> 00:28:52.750 to hear about it, but to see it it you understand this is a 396 00:28:52.029 --> 00:28:57.019 much bigger problem. Yeah then, I then I thought, so, so 397 00:28:59.019 --> 00:29:03.220 what's you know? I've got a verse that that to me really spoke to 398 00:29:03.339 --> 00:29:07.339 this very issue. Romans one hundred and twenty five. I ask then, 399 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:11.890 has God rejected as people by no means, for I myself am an Israelita, 400 00:29:11.930 --> 00:29:15.609 descended of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has 401 00:29:15.650 --> 00:29:18.009 not rejected as people who he for knew. Do you know what the Scripture 402 00:29:18.009 --> 00:29:22.849 says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? Lord, they 403 00:29:22.890 --> 00:29:26.240 have killed your prophet, they have Demoli List your altars, and I alone 404 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:32.440 am left and they seek my life. I always, I've always related to 405 00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:36.279 that cry, because sometimes you do feel all along. Yeah, and but 406 00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:41.910 what is the elijahmental light? Is it called that? There's I've heard it 407 00:29:41.990 --> 00:29:45.910 called that, actually, and I've heard messages about that very thing, because 408 00:29:45.950 --> 00:29:52.029 you feel like, especially when you're in a battle that's this heated, intense, 409 00:29:52.150 --> 00:29:55.380 and in this intense it's like, man, I'm the only person fighting 410 00:29:55.420 --> 00:30:00.099 this bat yeah, at, which is incredibly discouraging when you're solitary, when 411 00:30:00.099 --> 00:30:03.099 you're you feel alone. There's no one here helping me, but God's reply 412 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:07.970 to him. I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed 413 00:30:08.210 --> 00:30:11.210 the need to be out. So too, at the present time, there 414 00:30:11.289 --> 00:30:17.170 is a remnant chosen by grace. There are people, they that that are 415 00:30:17.450 --> 00:30:21.130 with you. Yeah, and in this battle and you're yeah, I mean 416 00:30:21.250 --> 00:30:23.880 even to you know, we do have to understand that pro life ministry, 417 00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:27.000 even though I believe this is the number one moral issue of our day in 418 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:33.440 our country, certainly is. Not Everybody is. This is a this is 419 00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:34.559 a cop out for a lot of people. I'm not called to that. 420 00:30:34.990 --> 00:30:38.190 The genuinely not everybody is called to be on the front lines. Right, 421 00:30:38.470 --> 00:30:42.029 there are those who are called to be missionaries in other countries. There those 422 00:30:42.029 --> 00:30:45.869 who are called to do other things. Now, certainly, I believe that 423 00:30:45.910 --> 00:30:48.390 there are more people that are actually called to be on the front lines and 424 00:30:48.509 --> 00:30:52.700 are out there. Certainly, but you know, over the years, when 425 00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:56.619 I first started coming out to the latrobe abortion clinic, you fifteen years ago, 426 00:30:56.740 --> 00:31:00.980 fourteen almost fifteen years ago, there was a handful of Christians out there. 427 00:31:00.099 --> 00:31:03.740 Yeah, and there have been times where would just be me and one 428 00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:06.730 other guy, right. I'm sure there would be times whenever, you know, 429 00:31:06.730 --> 00:31:08.089 I wouldn't able to make it in, there just be one or two 430 00:31:08.089 --> 00:31:11.529 people out there and you know, start to wonder, like they're all these 431 00:31:11.569 --> 00:31:15.809 churches, one thousand hundred churches in the Greater Charlotte area. Where are these 432 00:31:15.890 --> 00:31:21.000 people? Yeah, and by God's grace, though, just kind of maintaining 433 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:23.400 and it just saying, you know what, like Joshua, as for me 434 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:26.960 and my house, we will serve the Lord. We have to make a 435 00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:30.599 decision. We can't. We can't do right for everybody else. We can't 436 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:36.069 make people do right. We can't Nag people into doing right, as are 437 00:31:36.109 --> 00:31:38.869 only right if we have a whole group of and only do right when everybody 438 00:31:38.910 --> 00:31:41.190 else is with us. Now, right now, you have to decide. 439 00:31:41.269 --> 00:31:45.430 You know what. As for me and my house, we will serve the 440 00:31:45.470 --> 00:31:48.859 Lord. We're going to do this work and then God, if, if, 441 00:31:48.019 --> 00:31:52.019 if, he so chooses and if people surrendered to his will, God 442 00:31:52.059 --> 00:31:56.500 will bring people along, and God certainly, did you know cities for life 443 00:31:56.579 --> 00:32:01.529 came along and Love Life, love life ultimately comes long to the point where 444 00:32:02.009 --> 00:32:05.930 you know, the first love life, the final prayer walk of the first 445 00:32:05.930 --> 00:32:09.769 year that they did. There were four thousand Christians there. I mean never 446 00:32:09.970 --> 00:32:14.609 we weep. We weeped. It's like, Oh man, I'll started ball 447 00:32:14.650 --> 00:32:16.559 and went up on the stage and looked out across that crowd. I was 448 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:20.319 supposed to share at quick word or something, and I was like, I 449 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:23.119 just went down on my knees and just wept like God, this is this 450 00:32:23.440 --> 00:32:27.880 has taken it's been a long time coming. Yeah, but you're doing a 451 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:30.910 work and God said you doing a work. God's doing a work, not 452 00:32:30.069 --> 00:32:32.670 just you know, here in Charlotte. God's doing a work around the country. 453 00:32:34.230 --> 00:32:37.390 We have to do the best we can to to see the good. 454 00:32:37.789 --> 00:32:39.509 Yeah, and you know, as far as you pastors are concerned, you 455 00:32:39.589 --> 00:32:44.230 maybe you're in a church and your pastor doesn't ever address the issue of abortion. 456 00:32:45.180 --> 00:32:50.299 You know, it might be time to address your pastor on that and 457 00:32:50.420 --> 00:32:52.740 to talk to him and be like Hey, this is, I believe, 458 00:32:52.819 --> 00:32:54.859 one of the number one, if not the number one, moral issue of 459 00:32:54.900 --> 00:32:58.650 our day. Why aren't you talking about this? Yeah, and if you 460 00:32:58.769 --> 00:33:01.650 get an answer where you know it's just like well, this is this is 461 00:33:01.730 --> 00:33:06.529 just a political issue, then of course you know, with grace, answer 462 00:33:06.690 --> 00:33:13.799 that and talk to that. But you can't be in a congregation where a 463 00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:17.119 pastor is going to be in a sense, opposing what you're what you're doing. 464 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:20.599 You're doing the work of God. It might be time to seek the 465 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:24.079 Lord and find another place to get plugged into. Yeah, I would say 466 00:33:24.119 --> 00:33:29.390 that would that would be my last sort of last thing I would do. 467 00:33:29.430 --> 00:33:31.190 I would want to talk to the pastor first and see why he's not addressing 468 00:33:31.269 --> 00:33:35.589 this issue. You know, a lot of pastors are just, I don't 469 00:33:35.630 --> 00:33:39.190 know scared is the right word, but you know they're a pastor's heart is 470 00:33:39.230 --> 00:33:43.420 a shepherd's heart. He wants to shepherd his people. He don't want to 471 00:33:43.420 --> 00:33:45.220 beat him over the head with a with his shepherd's crook. He wants to 472 00:33:45.299 --> 00:33:50.380 lead them and to guide them. And some pastors know they have post aboard 473 00:33:50.380 --> 00:33:52.940 of women in their congregation and they don't want to hit this issue hard because 474 00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:55.769 they don't want these women to feel like, you know, they're they're not 475 00:33:55.930 --> 00:34:00.650 Christians or they've done the worst thing possible. I mean it's terrible, but 476 00:34:00.730 --> 00:34:05.690 it's not the unforgivable sin. Yeah, and so you know, understand where 477 00:34:05.690 --> 00:34:08.010 your pastors coming from, and that is helpful. Of course. We know 478 00:34:08.610 --> 00:34:12.519 that the best thing that a pastor can do is he if he has a 479 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:15.480 post aboard of woman in his congregation, more than likely, as more than 480 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:20.679 plenty of multipactly. Yeah, of course, just to statistics is to address 481 00:34:20.719 --> 00:34:23.349 the issue of abortion. Address the issue of abortion with grace, but with 482 00:34:23.510 --> 00:34:28.630 truth, because a person doesn't get healing until they've first acknowledge they have a 483 00:34:28.789 --> 00:34:31.429 disease. Right, you know? Right. Yeah, I think he raised 484 00:34:31.829 --> 00:34:37.030 again another really important point and that kind of takes me to another issue of 485 00:34:37.190 --> 00:34:42.659 discouragement. When you said they they don't want to offend. Rightly so, 486 00:34:43.019 --> 00:34:47.460 to some degree we don't want to offend, not purposely, because if if 487 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:53.090 a pastor offends this whole group of post aboard of women and they leave, 488 00:34:53.250 --> 00:34:57.969 well then what for them? They need the church. So it's a I 489 00:34:58.289 --> 00:35:02.730 understand there's a balance, yeah, in how you address difficult social issues, 490 00:35:05.090 --> 00:35:07.920 but the flip side of that, which is the source of discouragement, is 491 00:35:08.280 --> 00:35:15.880 we hear all the time that we're not tolerant or that we're judgmental. And 492 00:35:15.960 --> 00:35:21.590 and tolerant is like the the I think I called that the anthem of our 493 00:35:21.670 --> 00:35:30.710 times. Yeah, these tolerant is more important than than any absolute standard of 494 00:35:30.909 --> 00:35:36.579 right or wrong, and to me I will sometimes be on that sidewalk and 495 00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:44.260 and speaking with with what I know, I know it's true, and these 496 00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:50.690 people coming back at me you're just being judgmental, you're just intolerant, when 497 00:35:50.809 --> 00:35:54.449 what I'm saying is, first of all based on scripture. But but that 498 00:35:54.690 --> 00:36:00.650 a mother shouldn't kill her baby. Yeah, and sometimes I'm like, how 499 00:36:00.690 --> 00:36:06.599 can this even be a point of contention? Yeah, so well, know, 500 00:36:06.719 --> 00:36:08.639 one of the things I'll say, just going from the last point and 501 00:36:08.679 --> 00:36:13.079 about sort of feeling isolated in the church context. You know, I will 502 00:36:13.119 --> 00:36:19.590 say this an ill stress this every time I get the opportunity. Every Christian 503 00:36:19.710 --> 00:36:22.869 needs to be in church, needs to be in the within the accountability of 504 00:36:22.909 --> 00:36:27.230 a local church, under Godly leadership and all of that. Yeah, but 505 00:36:27.550 --> 00:36:30.110 there is in the modern church and in the world, of course, this 506 00:36:30.349 --> 00:36:36.420 idea that the worst thing we could possibly do is be judgmental and the worst 507 00:36:36.420 --> 00:36:39.619 way that we can carry ourselves is to be perceived as judgmental, which is 508 00:36:39.739 --> 00:36:44.460 ridiculous. Right, when people we're dealing with the number one moral issue of 509 00:36:44.539 --> 00:36:50.329 our day, when people are literally dying, to worry about the world's perception? 510 00:36:50.409 --> 00:36:53.210 I think that's that's some of the fear that some pastors have, as 511 00:36:53.250 --> 00:36:57.769 they don't want to be perceived by the world as being judgmental. Right, 512 00:36:57.849 --> 00:37:00.519 we're going to be inviting, I'm going to be perceived as tolerant, but 513 00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:06.760 the scripture doesn't give us the ability to tolerate things that God does not tolerate. 514 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:10.920 God does not tolerate sin, God does not tolerate in the word tolerance, 515 00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:15.480 you know you can play with that word. We need to be I 516 00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:17.150 don't even know, I don't even like the word tolerant. But we need 517 00:37:17.230 --> 00:37:21.389 to be understanding of people. We need to meet people where they're at. 518 00:37:21.469 --> 00:37:23.670 Paul says, you know, I've become all things to all people. Basically, 519 00:37:23.670 --> 00:37:27.829 he saying I'm meet people where they're at. He doesn't mean he compromise 520 00:37:27.909 --> 00:37:30.940 truth, but he met people where they were at. We need to meet 521 00:37:30.980 --> 00:37:32.699 people where they're at. Yeah, certainly. You know, I've heard people's 522 00:37:32.860 --> 00:37:37.820 you know, pastors say, or Christians. I don't you know, I 523 00:37:37.900 --> 00:37:39.980 don't want any homosexuals in my church. You know, if homosexual comes in 524 00:37:40.059 --> 00:37:43.940 my church, I'll disinvite them. I'm like no, you want them in 525 00:37:44.059 --> 00:37:46.250 your church to hear the truth. I'm not going to allow them to be 526 00:37:46.449 --> 00:37:49.929 playing on the on the worship team. I'm not going to invite them into 527 00:37:49.929 --> 00:37:52.289 membership until they've turned from their sin and put their trust in Jesus. But 528 00:37:52.409 --> 00:37:55.489 we certainly want to be tolerant of people. We want to be in the 529 00:37:55.570 --> 00:38:00.880 sense that we meet them where they're at. We hear what their concerns are, 530 00:38:00.039 --> 00:38:05.519 we hear what their struggles are. I actually enjoy on a regular basis 531 00:38:05.639 --> 00:38:08.000 talking to the pro abortion people in front of the the abortion clinic and in 532 00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:12.480 here and there their struggles and hear in their life stories and hear and how 533 00:38:12.519 --> 00:38:15.550 they came to the conclusion that they came to. Yeah, I actually listening 534 00:38:15.030 --> 00:38:21.670 to them. Yeah, but also we have to understand as believers we are 535 00:38:21.789 --> 00:38:28.099 called to make judgments about behavior. If we look at abortion and the destructive 536 00:38:28.179 --> 00:38:32.579 nature of abortion, we're not judgmental in saying this thing is destructive, it's 537 00:38:32.579 --> 00:38:37.659 sinful and it's wrong. We're not judgmental in the sense we're right and people 538 00:38:37.739 --> 00:38:42.650 off, and we're not intolerant as far as of the people. We're just 539 00:38:42.809 --> 00:38:46.489 looking at behavior and we've saying this behavior is is wrong. I wrote down 540 00:38:46.530 --> 00:38:52.969 some verses that that speak to to what you just said. First, Corinthians 541 00:38:53.050 --> 00:38:55.440 six, two to three. Yeah, it is a great one, right, 542 00:38:55.559 --> 00:39:00.199 or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And 543 00:39:00.280 --> 00:39:02.119 if the world is and who are the saints? US? Yeah, the 544 00:39:02.320 --> 00:39:06.559 the people who have claimed Jesus as Lord and if the world is to be 545 00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:09.590 judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not 546 00:39:09.829 --> 00:39:15.590 know that we are to judge angels? How much more than matters pertaining to 547 00:39:15.710 --> 00:39:20.469 this life? So get you know, God tells us where we are to 548 00:39:20.590 --> 00:39:23.070 judge and we're and he has prepared us to judge, and our judgment is 549 00:39:23.190 --> 00:39:29.940 based on on scripture and on the Holy Spirit within us, that that will 550 00:39:29.980 --> 00:39:34.820 guide us into all righteousness. We know right from wrong. I just heard 551 00:39:34.820 --> 00:39:39.010 a news report about I can't remember what native American tribe it was, may 552 00:39:39.130 --> 00:39:43.849 in or Inkne, one of those from and I honestly don't remember, but 553 00:39:44.690 --> 00:39:53.639 they had just found a burial site of thousands of infants sacrificed to the false 554 00:39:53.760 --> 00:40:00.320 God in response to the natural weather disasters of the time. Is what they 555 00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:06.280 said. Anna and I cried as I was listening to this and picture neck. 556 00:40:06.400 --> 00:40:10.269 They described this burial side and they described the they there were footprints which 557 00:40:10.269 --> 00:40:15.630 were in the in the rock that had been fossilized. Yeah, of parents, 558 00:40:15.909 --> 00:40:22.340 apparent footprints, large footprints and little footprints. So they were literally walking 559 00:40:22.059 --> 00:40:25.860 these these babies to the well. I don't know if they were babies, 560 00:40:25.900 --> 00:40:30.539 but infants, young young people to to be sacrificed. And then there was 561 00:40:30.619 --> 00:40:36.210 evidence in the skeletal structure of these, of the the remains, that they 562 00:40:36.289 --> 00:40:42.409 found that the way that the ribs had been wrenched open that they had been 563 00:40:42.449 --> 00:40:46.849 attempting to pull out the heart. And I have read of living children as 564 00:40:46.889 --> 00:40:52.320 a sacrifice to the gods. I think you take that to any socalled pro 565 00:40:52.440 --> 00:40:57.400 choice person and you say, is this right or is this wrong? Yeah, 566 00:40:57.800 --> 00:41:02.639 the is there anyone except an absolute sociopath that would say this is right, 567 00:41:04.159 --> 00:41:07.590 this is okay, this is their choice. It's their culture, you 568 00:41:07.710 --> 00:41:13.190 know, it's was. It was their culture and and I wondered, did 569 00:41:13.389 --> 00:41:17.980 anyone stand up? Yeah, did anyone stand up and say this is wrong? 570 00:41:20.420 --> 00:41:24.420 And that's how I feel now. We need we need to be those 571 00:41:24.940 --> 00:41:31.219 who, despite all the lies and deceptions of the socalled pro choice movements, 572 00:41:31.300 --> 00:41:37.769 say a mother should not kill her baby. I know that to be right. 573 00:41:38.289 --> 00:41:45.809 We all know that to be right. And rationalize and justify evil and 574 00:41:45.929 --> 00:41:47.920 you're wrong. Yeah, it's funny, you know what? That whole idea 575 00:41:47.960 --> 00:41:52.559 of don't be judgmental and don't be intolerants, like the whole thing we're asking 576 00:41:52.639 --> 00:41:55.239 people not to kill their children and the whole thing is turned around like the 577 00:41:55.360 --> 00:42:00.159 evil ones are the people that are asking for the MOM's not to kill their 578 00:42:00.159 --> 00:42:04.750 children's, asking for society to repent of this, this embracing of evil. 579 00:42:04.829 --> 00:42:07.469 Exactly, is exactly like one of the problems, I believe, is Jeremiah, 580 00:42:07.469 --> 00:42:12.230 who to you who call good evil and evil good. It's like it's 581 00:42:12.510 --> 00:42:15.630 this thing is turned on its head. Yeah, just this morning one of 582 00:42:15.670 --> 00:42:20.780 the socalled pro choice people turn to one of the other people who are out 583 00:42:20.780 --> 00:42:22.940 there who actually is not with cities for life, but but said here you 584 00:42:23.099 --> 00:42:28.659 are, another day of harassment coming up. And I said, do you 585 00:42:28.820 --> 00:42:34.889 not have compassion on these babies? Yeah, and and do you not see 586 00:42:35.050 --> 00:42:37.690 this? It, this is not harassment, this is speaking up out of 587 00:42:37.809 --> 00:42:43.449 compassion and for those unborn babies. And then it turned into the argument they 588 00:42:43.489 --> 00:42:45.639 were not a baby, which is, you know, we don't need to 589 00:42:45.719 --> 00:42:53.079 get into that room now. But but you know, another another, huge, 590 00:42:53.079 --> 00:42:58.119 huge source of discouragement, which I think we've kind of alluded to, 591 00:42:58.440 --> 00:43:01.750 is so we're out there and many people in all walks of the pro life 592 00:43:01.789 --> 00:43:08.030 movement and all facets of it. Yeah, Sharing Biblical truth, Sharing Human 593 00:43:08.110 --> 00:43:13.860 Development Truth, which we we know now so much more than than when Rob 594 00:43:14.059 --> 00:43:20.900 Wade was was passed by the Supreme Court. And and we personally, as 595 00:43:20.980 --> 00:43:24.300 sidewalk counselors, even go another step and offer resources to these women. And 596 00:43:25.019 --> 00:43:30.969 they still choose death. Yeah, we've done all we know to do. 597 00:43:30.449 --> 00:43:35.369 Yeah, and they still choose death. Yeah, I mean that's man, 598 00:43:35.489 --> 00:43:39.449 that's that's stuff we I've literally seen, we've had in ministry. You know, 599 00:43:39.530 --> 00:43:45.440 I'm one story in particular, a mom of eighteen week old baby who 600 00:43:45.559 --> 00:43:49.039 is on the RV and I don't know if you were one of the counselors. 601 00:43:50.199 --> 00:43:52.480 Don't recall exactly who was the counsel, but they own them. The 602 00:43:52.599 --> 00:43:54.869 moultrasound. You Right Front of the abortion clinic and saw their baby on the 603 00:43:54.909 --> 00:44:00.349 ultrasound and then stepped right off that RV and went right into that abortion clinic 604 00:44:00.429 --> 00:44:04.309 and kill that eighteen week old baby, and an Asian. Everything was visible. 605 00:44:04.349 --> 00:44:06.550 I mean in eighteen weeks, you know, you can find out whether 606 00:44:06.590 --> 00:44:08.630 it's a boy or girl. Yeah, and all of that, and it's 607 00:44:08.670 --> 00:44:13.940 like, man, they poured everything in to this young lady, showed her 608 00:44:13.980 --> 00:44:16.860 all the resources are available, like there is no good reason for you to 609 00:44:16.980 --> 00:44:22.179 go in there and kill your child, and she did. We have come 610 00:44:22.260 --> 00:44:24.570 searchs when they'll say you going to raise my baby and we have a consort. 611 00:44:24.650 --> 00:44:28.769 Just this past week right the said yes, yes, I really, 612 00:44:28.849 --> 00:44:32.050 yeah, and and and and Ye. Still yet they cheese will go and 613 00:44:32.210 --> 00:44:37.170 have abortions. And ultimately it comes down to people have to make you know, 614 00:44:37.449 --> 00:44:40.360 have to. They have to make the decision. You've talked about pro 615 00:44:40.440 --> 00:44:44.840 choice. We can't, literally can't, force them to do the right thing. 616 00:44:45.280 --> 00:44:49.639 Yeah, we have at our disposal the power of persuasion and, I 617 00:44:49.719 --> 00:44:52.909 believe God's word and the resources and the things that we offer human development, 618 00:44:52.949 --> 00:44:55.949 all those things are are or what we use within that power of persuasion. 619 00:44:57.030 --> 00:45:01.630 But ultimately it's between that mom and the Lord what she does. Yeah, 620 00:45:02.030 --> 00:45:05.510 we can't force her to do the right thing. Now, we want to 621 00:45:05.550 --> 00:45:08.179 do everything we can and we're not justifying abortion. We're not offering abortion, 622 00:45:08.260 --> 00:45:12.460 of course, as an option. Laying out your available options here. Yeah, 623 00:45:12.500 --> 00:45:15.420 but the fact of the matter is now, speaking to epiaks the other 624 00:45:15.420 --> 00:45:19.460 day about about this very thing, she's coming out of the abortion clinic and 625 00:45:19.980 --> 00:45:23.289 and she was trying to justify abortion and all of this. And you know, 626 00:45:23.409 --> 00:45:29.449 she talked about, you know, how we don't stand against the death 627 00:45:29.530 --> 00:45:31.730 penalty and all these things. She's going great, yeah, kind of around 628 00:45:31.730 --> 00:45:37.119 the loop there. And she said a women have her to choose to do 629 00:45:37.239 --> 00:45:38.320 what they want, even if you think it's wrong. And you know, 630 00:45:38.440 --> 00:45:42.000 God gives us so, she says, she's a God gives people the right 631 00:45:42.119 --> 00:45:46.519 to choose. Yes, I said, the reality is you are correct about 632 00:45:46.559 --> 00:45:52.710 that. A mother of a three year old has a right to choose before 633 00:45:52.789 --> 00:45:55.630 the Lord. I don't mean right like legally, but I mean like God 634 00:45:55.750 --> 00:46:00.949 gives her the free will to choose. She could slip that three year olds 635 00:46:00.989 --> 00:46:02.590 or if you want to could she choose to do that? Yes, she 636 00:46:02.750 --> 00:46:07.340 could choose to do that. Right, she's going to suffer the consequences. 637 00:46:07.820 --> 00:46:10.500 Some people use this, this idea that we have this this freedom to choose 638 00:46:10.539 --> 00:46:15.059 as free will as like. Okay, well, since God is given me 639 00:46:15.099 --> 00:46:16.739 free will, therefore he's okay with everything that I choose to do with that 640 00:46:16.820 --> 00:46:20.650 free will. No, not at all. As a matter of fact, 641 00:46:20.730 --> 00:46:23.090 the things that you do out of your own volition are the things that you're 642 00:46:23.090 --> 00:46:28.250 going to be held accountable before, before the Lord form. So a mother 643 00:46:28.329 --> 00:46:30.250 that chooses to kill her three year old, or mother that chooses to kill 644 00:46:30.289 --> 00:46:35.440 her, you know, three month old in the womb, is going to 645 00:46:35.480 --> 00:46:38.760 be accountable to God. Yes, she's not been given you under God's law. 646 00:46:38.880 --> 00:46:43.400 God's law clearly says a sixth commandment, you shall not murder. Right. 647 00:46:43.599 --> 00:46:46.230 So God has not given her the old Kay or the right, so 648 00:46:46.429 --> 00:46:51.630 to speak, legal right, but she's been given the ability to choose. 649 00:46:52.309 --> 00:46:55.590 And and just because she has that ability to choose, its not mean God 650 00:46:55.670 --> 00:47:00.269 is okay with what she chooses. Right, and as much as we want 651 00:47:00.070 --> 00:47:05.420 one of the things that we we struggle with us. I counselors and and 652 00:47:05.500 --> 00:47:07.820 I'm sure people in pregnancy centers. My Wife Works and in a couple of 653 00:47:07.860 --> 00:47:12.099 pregnancy centers and and deals with the same thing, and anybody, I think, 654 00:47:12.219 --> 00:47:15.329 who deals with the issue of abortion, where we sort of blame ourselves. 655 00:47:15.489 --> 00:47:19.210 We didn't say things just right and we didn't do just the right thing, 656 00:47:19.449 --> 00:47:22.610 or or whatever it might be, and it's like, you know, 657 00:47:22.769 --> 00:47:25.730 you just can't say everything just right. You never know exactly what to say 658 00:47:25.809 --> 00:47:30.239 and you you never know exactly what's going to change. This MOM's mind. 659 00:47:30.280 --> 00:47:34.760 And you could even say those things exactly right and and just the right time 660 00:47:35.360 --> 00:47:38.559 and just the right amount of focusing on whatever point, and she could still 661 00:47:38.599 --> 00:47:44.239 choose to get the stable because ultimately it's a spiritual battle. Ultimately it is 662 00:47:44.389 --> 00:47:49.150 a battle between the spiritual forces of good versus evil. Yeah, and and 663 00:47:49.750 --> 00:47:52.829 and we give ourselves, I think, too much credit and too much blame. 664 00:47:52.949 --> 00:47:55.309 Yeah, sometimes, and you know, we don't save a soul right, 665 00:47:55.510 --> 00:48:00.059 it's God who saves and God who changes their heart. There there's a 666 00:48:00.099 --> 00:48:02.699 verse that that I think, has helped me. Second Corinthians, for for 667 00:48:04.260 --> 00:48:07.940 in their case, the god of this world, being Satan, has blinded 668 00:48:08.059 --> 00:48:12.539 the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel, 669 00:48:12.579 --> 00:48:15.530 of the Glory of Christ, who is the image of God. So 670 00:48:15.570 --> 00:48:17.650 if they can't even see the glory of Christ, who is the image of 671 00:48:17.690 --> 00:48:22.250 God, how do they see the the sacred value of that baby made in 672 00:48:22.289 --> 00:48:27.320 the image of God? They have been blinded and and those scales from their 673 00:48:27.360 --> 00:48:30.000 eyes can be removed. And we see it all the time and it does 674 00:48:30.159 --> 00:48:36.719 happen, but sometimes it doesn't. Yeah, and and and why? Who 675 00:48:36.840 --> 00:48:40.159 knows? Who knows why some people's hearts are are softened in some people's are 676 00:48:40.239 --> 00:48:44.909 not. But we do know that God's Word is alive and active and sharpening 677 00:48:44.989 --> 00:48:47.349 the need to edged sword. That's why we don't neglect to share the truth 678 00:48:47.469 --> 00:48:52.789 of God's word. Right, we're ministering. Well, let's wrap up with 679 00:48:52.869 --> 00:48:55.699 this last point, okay, because I think it is an important point. 680 00:48:57.179 --> 00:49:01.820 And bickering, backstabbing and infighting within pro life group so that that can be 681 00:49:01.900 --> 00:49:06.139 a point of discouragement which, yeah, you look on facebook and you see 682 00:49:06.219 --> 00:49:08.860 people, not just in pro life stuff but just Christians in general, just 683 00:49:09.449 --> 00:49:16.650 mean throwing lobbing grenades at each other and just just being sort of nasty and 684 00:49:16.769 --> 00:49:21.289 all that, and there's a lot of backstabbing, a lot of I mean, 685 00:49:21.289 --> 00:49:25.840 I think probably some of it comes to like competition and competition over donors 686 00:49:25.920 --> 00:49:30.440 or whatever it might be. My Ministry is better than your ministry. That's 687 00:49:30.480 --> 00:49:34.719 that kind of stuff is just carnal and dishonors the Lord. But it can 688 00:49:34.760 --> 00:49:39.829 be a point of discouragement and to deal with that is a is a difficult 689 00:49:39.949 --> 00:49:44.590 thing, as you're dealing with individuals, you're dealing with people who have their 690 00:49:44.630 --> 00:49:49.190 opinions and strong opinions. You know, we did a podcast months ago about 691 00:49:49.510 --> 00:49:52.699 the abolitionist movement and pro life and there's a lot of sort of back and 692 00:49:52.860 --> 00:49:57.380 forth there. You should be an abolitionist, I'll know the pro life way 693 00:49:57.460 --> 00:50:00.179 is the way to go. And it's like, man, you get caught 694 00:50:00.179 --> 00:50:05.059 up in an all those titles and all those you know whatever, catch phrases 695 00:50:05.500 --> 00:50:09.449 and it's really can bog you down. It can. And you know, 696 00:50:09.530 --> 00:50:15.170 one of the things is, I think, that we need to understand in 697 00:50:15.369 --> 00:50:19.730 prolife ministry is that really this is not it's not pro Life Ministry, it's 698 00:50:19.769 --> 00:50:23.320 Gospel Ministry. It's about the Kingdom of God. It's about advancing the Kingdom 699 00:50:23.320 --> 00:50:30.320 of God, glorifying Jesus Christ and proclaiming his Gospel. And you know, 700 00:50:30.440 --> 00:50:34.559 hence the Gospel centered pro life podcast. Yeah, we've got to focus on 701 00:50:34.639 --> 00:50:37.949 that point and that's a point that we can all agree on. The Gospel 702 00:50:37.070 --> 00:50:42.789 needs to go forth and the Gospel is the hope for the abortion minded woman, 703 00:50:42.989 --> 00:50:45.949 right, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and if we neglect that, 704 00:50:46.110 --> 00:50:50.539 then we neglect the most important thing exactly. So I know you know, 705 00:50:50.780 --> 00:50:57.019 unity in the in the non essentials. Wait, how does that go? 706 00:50:57.820 --> 00:51:01.500 So so. So it's unity. If, in the essentials unity and the 707 00:51:01.619 --> 00:51:06.489 whatever, were they not an essentials grace? Grace Right, exactly, or 708 00:51:06.489 --> 00:51:10.650 charity? Charity said as exactly, and I in in everything that that is 709 00:51:12.010 --> 00:51:15.769 critical to the salvation. You know, those things we maybe need to have 710 00:51:15.889 --> 00:51:21.079 discussions, yeah, with others, if we truly believe they are, you 711 00:51:21.199 --> 00:51:23.800 know, taking someone in and sending them on the path to hell. Yeah, 712 00:51:23.800 --> 00:51:28.719 we probably need to have some disagreement and some discussion. Definitely, but 713 00:51:29.159 --> 00:51:32.030 most of, I would have to say most of the bickering in the stuff 714 00:51:32.110 --> 00:51:37.510 that goes on are not over the essentials. Yeah, it's really over those 715 00:51:37.550 --> 00:51:42.710 side issues that they may be important but they're not critical. Yeah, and 716 00:51:42.949 --> 00:51:46.900 I mean, I think a helpful thing with this bickering, backstabbing and in 717 00:51:47.059 --> 00:51:52.420 fighting stuff not to be discouraged by it. Don't be part of it, 718 00:51:52.260 --> 00:51:54.179 you know, sa. Don't get in the mix. You know, and 719 00:51:54.260 --> 00:51:58.780 I see I'm so temp because I like to debate, I like to go 720 00:51:58.940 --> 00:52:01.690 back and forth, and so when I see these facebook posts where people are 721 00:52:01.690 --> 00:52:05.449 going back and forth or whatever, I want so bad a jump in there. 722 00:52:05.929 --> 00:52:08.849 But I resist a temptation because I know it's a distraction. It'll get 723 00:52:08.849 --> 00:52:12.369 me caught up. My mind will be thinking about how to make a better 724 00:52:12.409 --> 00:52:15.360 argument than that person and it's like it ultimately leads to almost nothing. Now 725 00:52:15.400 --> 00:52:20.480 there are some constructive conversations that I've seen. I've seen them done in a 726 00:52:20.519 --> 00:52:24.280 constructive way and and and I think that's good, and we have those conversations 727 00:52:24.440 --> 00:52:29.280 and respectful of respectful way, instead of saying I'm right and you're wrong, 728 00:52:29.599 --> 00:52:32.590 yeah, to respectfully here. What? Yeah, one of the things that 729 00:52:32.710 --> 00:52:36.989 I think that social media does, and there's a lot of people that talk 730 00:52:37.070 --> 00:52:40.429 about this. There's even secular psychologist a talk about this point. But social 731 00:52:40.469 --> 00:52:47.619 media and just conversing with people over the Internet disconnects us from that facetoface accountability. 732 00:52:47.739 --> 00:52:52.139 Like, if I'm talking to you facetoface and I oppose the things that 733 00:52:52.260 --> 00:52:55.099 you believe or whatever, I'm going to talk differently if I'm not seeing you 734 00:52:55.179 --> 00:52:58.380 face to face, because I can it away with whatever, I can say 735 00:52:58.380 --> 00:53:01.050 whatever. I have that sort of aminemity. You don't see me crying. 736 00:53:01.090 --> 00:53:05.610 Yeah, I don't see you try and I don't see your facial expressions and 737 00:53:05.769 --> 00:53:07.969 I can sort of hide behind my keyboard that's easy to do. Just tap 738 00:53:08.050 --> 00:53:14.360 out something and of course you've got multiple hours to think about what you're exactly 739 00:53:14.440 --> 00:53:15.920 how you're going to type it out on all that. When you're having a 740 00:53:16.000 --> 00:53:21.400 face to face conversation, is a little bit of a different way that that 741 00:53:21.519 --> 00:53:24.480 plays out and there's a little more accountability from you to meet as we're talking 742 00:53:24.800 --> 00:53:29.030 and I get the sense that you're human being like I am. You know, 743 00:53:29.150 --> 00:53:32.269 when you're on the Internet and your own social media, it's like you're 744 00:53:32.309 --> 00:53:36.309 disconnected. That's not really a person, that's a computer that I'm talking to. 745 00:53:36.389 --> 00:53:38.670 You sort of get that notion. Yeah, and I think people do 746 00:53:38.869 --> 00:53:44.179 say things over social media that they would never say to your face. Yeah, 747 00:53:44.340 --> 00:53:47.619 and that's that's unfortunate. We should be a person of integrity is a 748 00:53:47.739 --> 00:53:52.699 person who is going to be the same behind their keyboard and facetoface. Yeah, 749 00:53:53.260 --> 00:53:57.050 we should strive to be like that. If he'Sian for three, eager 750 00:53:57.130 --> 00:54:00.130 to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Yeah. 751 00:54:00.170 --> 00:54:04.530 So I think there's lots of scripture. Yeah, speaks to the need for 752 00:54:05.090 --> 00:54:10.840 brethren, Christians to be unified. Yeah, and and peaceful and peace loving. 753 00:54:12.559 --> 00:54:16.159 Yeah, and promoting peace and relationships with each other. Yeah, absolutely, 754 00:54:16.239 --> 00:54:20.119 and you know, Paul gives us this is a scripture I use a 755 00:54:20.199 --> 00:54:23.079 lot. Probably use it on other podcasts where he's being little bit Goodi then 756 00:54:23.119 --> 00:54:28.230 Huh, it's an only big any. But this is second Timothy, Chapter 757 00:54:28.309 --> 00:54:30.750 Two, Verse Twenty Four, and The Servant of the Lord must not quarrel 758 00:54:30.349 --> 00:54:36.670 but be gentle to all able to teach patient in humility, correcting those who 759 00:54:36.750 --> 00:54:39.539 in opposition. So there's certainly we should correct people are in opposition, but 760 00:54:39.699 --> 00:54:45.019 in humility doing if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know 761 00:54:45.139 --> 00:54:46.980 the truth, that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of 762 00:54:47.019 --> 00:54:51.380 the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. So 763 00:54:51.500 --> 00:54:54.050 if we want to address people that are in opposition, people we believe are 764 00:54:54.090 --> 00:54:58.969 wrong, we need to do it in humility and God can grant them repentance. 765 00:54:59.530 --> 00:55:01.010 But if we're just going to try to try to cram it down their 766 00:55:01.010 --> 00:55:05.449 throat and we're right in your wrong, typically doesn't go so well and it 767 00:55:05.530 --> 00:55:09.559 dishonors the Lord. Yeah, yeah, that's that's that's above all things. 768 00:55:09.800 --> 00:55:15.119 Winning an argument is far less important than honoring the Lord. We want to 769 00:55:15.199 --> 00:55:22.429 honor Jesus because on your social media, on your whatever Brown, whatever Internet 770 00:55:22.550 --> 00:55:24.710 source that you're using the converse with people, there are other people who are 771 00:55:24.750 --> 00:55:28.750 looking to you, their a prochoice, people that are looking and seeing the 772 00:55:28.829 --> 00:55:31.909 infighting and all this stuff, and it ultimately can can dishonor the Lord. 773 00:55:32.070 --> 00:55:37.059 Yeah, yeah, so we hope that this was an encouragement to you guys. 774 00:55:37.139 --> 00:55:40.539 Hope we answered some of the discouraging the sources of discouragement that you guys 775 00:55:40.579 --> 00:55:45.300 have. If you have other subjects or things like that you want to touch 776 00:55:45.340 --> 00:55:46.980 on, you can certainly get in touch with me. D Parks at cities 777 00:55:47.019 --> 00:55:52.409 for lifecom, or V cassey Org at cities for lifecom. For Vicky, 778 00:55:52.130 --> 00:55:58.090 you can connect with us on facebook or Charlotte cities for life page. You 779 00:55:58.130 --> 00:56:00.889 can always send us a message that way. You can connect with us again 780 00:56:01.130 --> 00:56:07.639 on by email and also we do mention often our sidewalks for life site, 781 00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:10.840 sidewalks, the number four in Lifecom, which is a website that we set 782 00:56:10.880 --> 00:56:15.840 up to help encourage people to do sidewalk counseling and just give you some tools 783 00:56:15.880 --> 00:56:19.989 to get trained to do sidewalk counseling, but we appreciate all those who listen 784 00:56:20.150 --> 00:56:22.550 and we do want to hear your feedback. If you have time to just 785 00:56:22.670 --> 00:56:25.349 send us over an email. Let us know what you think of the podcast 786 00:56:25.469 --> 00:56:29.110 and some things that we can improve. We'd love to hear from you on 787 00:56:29.190 --> 00:56:30.829 that, on that area, and we won't be discouraged. Will be encouraged 788 00:56:30.869 --> 00:56:35.579 that you're actually listening, but we appreciate you and hope that you're blessed. 789 00:56:38.179 --> 00:56:52.090 Give for love, give me our love for gratitude. I know it will 790 00:56:52.250 --> 00:57:00.719 cost me my life. Nothing's too precious in some you