How You Can Help Women and Unborn Children

We just passed the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision which made the right to end the life of an unborn child, without due process, a constitutional right. From 1973 - 2014, there have been approximately 59,000,000 unborn children whose lives have been ended while in the warmth of their mother's womb in the U.S. In Florida, there about 76,000 abortions in 2014 (almost enough to fill up all the seats in Doak Campbell Stadium). That represents enormous human destruction and suffering among women and children.

How can you help women in crisis and the weakest among us? That depends on your giftings, abilities, and opportunities. However, all of us can be involved somehow.  Here are a few ways you might consider.

Prayer

Every Christian can pray that God would defend the weak, oppressed, and fatherless. Pray that he would use his church to not only save babies but to work new birth into the lives of the men and women who believe that ending the life of their unborn children is the only solution to the troubles they face.

Volunteer at a Pregnancy Center

There are three pregnancy centers in Tallahassee. These centers have caring men and women who counsel with fathers and mothers who need a compassionate ear and help to find solutions to their problems as well as a bigger perspective on their situation. These centers help women with tangible needs, parenting skills, free ultra-sounds, referrals for various types of assistance, and spiritual needs. They need volunteer counselors, ultrasound technicians, nurses, secretaries, baby supplies, etc. You might also participate in the Walk for Life to help fundraise for one of the pregnancy centers. For more information about this, email me (ben@gcot.org)

Serve with Speak for the Unborn

Our church has a local chapter of this ministry which aims to bring the gospel of hope to men and women as they stand on the ledge, contemplating whether or not there is any other hope besides ending the life of their unborn baby boy or girl. We stand outside the abortion clinic in Tallahassee with welcoming signs and care packets calling out to those entering and leaving the clinic. Our goal is to offer a glimpse of hope First, to those considering abortion. We want to help them step back and ask them to consider all their options with the help of others in our church or at a pregnancy center. We also seek to offer hope to those who have already ended the life of their baby by pointing them to their need and God's mercy in the gospel. For more information check out our website or the Speak for the Unborn national site.

Be Ready to Dialogue with Friends

You may have friends who will face an unexpected pregnancy. Be ready to offer a listening ear and to help them and direct them to others who can help. Also, be ready to engage with others who are not in a crisis situation but who have different viewpoints on the issue of abortion. Be able to make the case for life. If you feel like you are not equipped, why not read a short book like Stand for Life. 

Engage in Public Policy

Some of you may be in a role of government that allows you to help shape public policy and laws. The government exists to protect the innocent. Perhaps God will give you a role in this. Indirectly, we can write to our representatives and senators asking them to support pro-life legislation.

Consider Adoption

Consider if adoption is something God might have for your family one day. Based on my research, there is not a huge need at this point for families to adopt babies (there is a great need for foster parents and those able to adopt older children from the foster system). There are more people waiting to adopt than there are babies to be adopted in the U.S. But we should always be ready to care for the fatherless, especially if a courageous young mother decides to protect her baby's life but knows that the best thing for her baby is for her to sacrificially place her little boy or girl into another family to raise him or her. If a woman is willing to make such a sacrifice, there must be some Christians who are able to meet that need (all of us can't, but some of us must).

After 45 years, there is still a pro-life movement

You might check out this video of Russell Moore talking about why we can be hopeful about the pro-life movement. He also has a great book called Adopted for Life. 

Why We Can Be Hopeful about the Pro-Life Movement from Crossway on Vimeo.

Prayer App

Last Sunday I preached on Psalm 86 "In My Day of Trouble, I Call upon You." It is a Psalm that is 100% prayer. I learned, from studying the Psalm, that humility is really the key to getting on in praying more regularly and biblically. If you are driving back to Tallahassee and need something to listen to, maybe you could listen to the sermon (if you didn't know we do have the sermons set up on apple and andriod podcasts).

The "extra" thing I wanted to mention here is that I have found an app called "prayermate" to be a helpful tool in keeping my prayer requests organized. To be clear, an app won't make us pray more or more faithfully. Only humility and a trust in God's sovereign goodness will do that. But, tools can be helpful. So, if you are inclined, check it out.

A concluding prayer from Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    unite my heart to fear your name.

"Don't be Dumb with Your Smart Phone" - A Talk by Tony Reinke

I recently listened to a good talk by Tony Reinke about smart phones. He has a good perspective on how to apply Scripture to our view and use of our smart phones. You can find it at the Gospel Coalition Website, here. He also has a book entitled Twelve Ways Your Phone is Changing You, that you might want to check out.

Holding Your Horses - The Importance of Baptism

I was reading several weeks ago in Acts 8:26-40. In this passage, we encounter a man, a royal official (eunuch) from Ethiopia. Philip, a Christian, comes upon the Ethiopian who happens to be sitting on the tailgate of his chariot reading a part of the Old Testament. Specifically, he is reading a passage about the coming Savior (Isaiah 53). Philip asks him what he is reading, and the Ethiopian admits he isn't able to understand who the sheep that is lead to slaughter is in the passage.

Here is an excerpt from what happened next (35-39):

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Philip shared the good news about Jesus and the man believes! There are many lessons here about evangelism, the power of God's Word, and the sovereignty of God in salvation. But here is something I noticed for the first time. The Ethiopian, after hearing the good news, is the one who says, "hold the horses, there is water right there, can you baptize me?" (New Ben Translation). Philip, in sharing "the good news about Jesus," must have included Jesus' command for all his followers to be baptized (Matt. 28:18-20). Otherwise, how did the man know about baptism? It is clear that baptism does not make a person right with God (justification is by faith alone). Nonetheless, baptism is not unimportant or a nice thing for those who enjoy that sort of thing. 

In summary, my point is not that we must talk about baptism while sharing the gospel, but rather to show that baptism is not a "take it or leave it" type of thing. Philip included it in his overview of the good news of Jesus. And notice that the man who was baptized "went on his way rejoicing." He came to know Jesus as his Savior and Lord, and, so, he was quite happy. Baptism was the public testimony to that inward reality and, I would argue, magnified his joy.

Here is a closing illustration will highlight what I mean. Wearing a wedding ring isn't necessary for a marriage covenant to be real, but most couples are not indifferent to picking out a ring and exchanging them on their wedding day. They aren't indifferent to the ring and, in fact, they delight in it because of what it signifies. It is a physical picture of the commitment they are making to one another.  In the same way, baptism isn't necessary for our being united to Jesus. But that doesn't mean we are indifferent to sign of our covenant with him. We are glad to publically identify with the lover of our soul.

If baptism is a new concept for you, check out the booklet on baptism and communion at our church's website. If you are a believer in Jesus and have not been baptized since placing your faith in Him, contact one of the pastors to discuss baptism and get any questions you have answered.

Fighting the Fear of Man

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. - Prov. 29:25

Rod dealt with this theme in his sermon this past Sunday. He mentioned a book, and I wanted to second that recommendation. When People are Big and God is Small: Overcoming peer pressure, co-dependency and the fear of man, by Ed Welch is a great help in the fight against fearing people. Or, to say it another way, it helps in the fight against desiring the approval of others more than the approval of God.

Another helpful book on this topic is People Pleasing: How not to be an approval junkie, by Lou Priolo.

"Tragedy in Texas: Christian Testimony in the Face of Evil"

You have probably heard about the mass shooting at a church in Texas over the weekend. Here is a helpful article by Dr. Al Mohler which gives us a Christian perspective on it.

Here is part of his conclusion

This throws us back on the deepest resources of biblical Christianity. This pushes us back to understanding the attributes of God as revealed in Scripture, the attributes of his power and the attributes of his morality, his greatness and his goodness, his justice, his righteousness, and his mercy. We are also reminded of the fact that the only answer Christians have is the answer of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the only promise of making sense out of nonsense. The gospel is the only assurance of the victory of good over evil. The gospel of Christ is the only promise of meaning and significance and satisfaction, not only in this life, but in the life to come.

Keeping God's Word: Our Happy Duty

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 119:1-16 (here is a link to it in case you missed it). We have a joyful duty to live in line with God's Word. It is a joy because we love God. It is duty because God commands it and it takes work to know what he says. Specifically, we ought to memorize and meditate on Scripture. Here are a few resources to encourage, challenge, and help you in this joyful work.

• Here is a link to a quote by Charales Spurgeon on Bleeding Bibline
• Fighter Verses. This is an app produced by Desiring God to help in memorizing and meditating on Scripture. You can find the app on itunes or the google play store. 
• The Topical Memory System by Navigators. When I was in college, this is what I used to memorize a bunch of good verses. 
• Don Whitney has a one page article listing and explaining 17 methods to help you in meditating on Scripture.

Do you have any apps, articles, or practices that you recommend? If so, share them in the comments section.