In my last blog post, I wrote about Pastor Steve Hill who passed away on March 9th of this year. His death was the result of cancer, and at his age of sixty years, he seemed “so very young.” Steve was a very effective preacher. I have watched all three of the videos of Steve that I put with the post. I also watched other videos of Steve preaching in various revival types of meetings. One thing, that is very clear, is that Steve Hill spoke very directly to “the church” about its sinfulness. He also addressed non-believers, but his sermons to believers were greatly needed. Steve had a very captivating voice; his message could not be missed. One of the consistent points of his sermons dealt with the fact that “the church” is full of “unconfessed sin.” I would like to call that situation, “leading a double life.” That can include husbands and wives keeping secrets from each other, to include having private passwords for each of their computers, cell phones, and other things which were made secret from the mate. It can also include a pastor having a relationship with a female, in or out of his church, that has created too much of an intimate state of friendship. Steve Hill also talked about our legacies, and what people will find out about “our secret lives,” when “all of our stuff” is cleared out of “our secret hiding places,” in our homes and places of business, after we die.
The Apostle Paul realized that we will always have a problem with sin. In Romans 7:14- 24, I see Paul saying, “the things I know that I should do, I don’t do; the things that I shouldn’t do, I do.” But, the Apostle knew the reason for this inner battle of the will versus the spirit. He said, “it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.” Paul recognized that even though his spirit had been born again, and that he had been saved, he still had a sin nature of the soul. God spoke directly to Cain about the same problem in Genesis 4:7, when He said, “sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you.” But, God said to Cain in relation to sin, “you should rule over it.” Until all of us die, all of us will have to deal with “indwelling sin,” which will continually tempt us to live and act outside of God’s will for our lives. For the pastor who is in an affair, or is about to enter one; “just end it.” For others who are “playing with fire,” just put the fire out!
A well-known pastor once said, “sin will take you to places that you hadn’t planned on going, and will keep you there longer than you wanted to stay.” This letter is being written to people who are very smart, and don’t need further clarification on sin. But, let me make one more statement, and it’s for the pastor who may be in an extra-marital affair. “Pastor, when you are standing before your congregation, and are trying to worship God, can you really worship Him with such unconfessed sin that is so deeply embedded within your soul?”
Please let me encourage you to listen to the videos of Steve Hill in my post 032914. The second one is of lesser quality, but it sends a clear message for us, to watch how we live our lives. John 4:24 tells us that we should worship God in spirit and truth. In essence, that requires “all of us for all of Him.” The following video deals with our total worship of God. Let that total worship of God go with us at all times, to all places.
Total Praise
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Southern Baptist Convention
Fort Worth, Texas USA
Dr. Jack Graham, Senior Pastor
The following words of memoriam to Pastor Steve Hill were taken from a media release of Daystar.com.
On Sunday, March 9th, Evangelist and Pastor Steve Hill went home to be with the Lord.
After experiencing his own deliverance from drugs, alcohol and crime in 1975, Steve Hill dedicated his life to serving the Lord, and led many to salvation during his time here on Earth. He served as the evangelist during the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida from 1995 to 2000, which drew more than 4 million people from 150 different nations. Thousands of lives were dramatically transformed through this revival as the power of Christ was ministered to those in attendance. Steve and his wife, Jeri, were also the founders and senior pastors of Heartland World Ministries Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Steve Hill was a great man of God who dedicated his life to serving the Lord, and he will be greatly missed. Please remember to keep his family in your prayers during this difficult season.
ETS Thought 032914, Pastor Steve Hill, In Memoriam
Steve Hill “January 17, 1954 – March 9, 2014”
I will not say a lot about Pastor Steve Hill, other than that I found him to be a man who was totally sold out for the cause of Christ. As you view, and listen to, the following videos, I trust that you will easily see the tenacity of speech that Steve had. That tenacity was an instrument that Steve used to cause his listeners to think seriously about their relationship with God, as to whether they would spend eternity in Heaven, or an eternity in Hell. Consider the following scriptures that should encourage all believers in Christ to seriously take the message of Christ to a lost and dying world.
Romans 3:23
New International Version (NIV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 5:8
New International Version (NIV)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23
New International Version (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:9
New International Version (NIV)
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved.
John 3:3
New International Version (NIV)
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
John 3:16
New International Version (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17
New International Version (NIV)
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:18
New International Version (NIV)
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Revelation 20:15
New International Version (NIV)
15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
It has been said that the circuit riding evangelist of the 1700s, John Wesley, was preaching a five-day revival. In the first day of the revival, he preached that “You Must Be Born Again.” The second day of the revival John Wesley preached “You Must Be Born Again.” On the third day of the revival Mr. Wesley preached “You must be Born Again.” The sermon on the fourth day was “You Must Be Born Again.” To conclude the revival, John Wesley preached “You Must Be Born Again.” As John Wesley was getting ready to leave the church, he received a question from one of the people who had attended all five days of the revival. The question was in the form of a statement to Pastor Wesley, and was stated as follows. “Mr. Wesley, each day of the revival, you preached ‘You Must Be Born Again.’ Can you please tell me why?” John Wesley gave the following quick answer. “The reason that I preached each day ‘You Must Be Born Again’ is very simple. You must be born again.”
Please consider the scriptures, and the video that follows. Then ask yourself the two following questions. “Have I been born again?” Will I be left behind if the Lord Jesus were to catch up His church today?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
John 3:3-8
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The New Birth
3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Shabbat Shalom (Peaceful Sabbath) is coming to another close. The Lord’s Day will be appearing with the next sunrise. May God’s Holy Word bless you. May God’s people give you a rich blessing through the singing of praises to Him.
Numbers 6:24-26
King James Version (KJV)
24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Genesis 2:1-3 (4004 B.C.) – Sabbath Declared Holy By God
New International Version (NIV)
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Mark 2:27 (31 A.D.)- The Beneficiaries Of Sabbath
New International Version (NIV)
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Matthew 6:7-8 (31 A.D.) – God’s Knowledge Of Mankind’s Needs
New International Version (NIV)
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Genesis 4:26 (3875 B.C.)
New International Version (NIV)
26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.
Exodus 16:23-30 (1491 B.C.)
New International Version (NIV)
23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”
24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today.26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
Exodus 20:8-11 (1491 B.C.) – First Mention Of Sabbath To God’s People
New International Version (NIV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
In Exodus 16:23-30, and Exodus 20:8-11, no mention is made of Sabbath Corporate Worship. The focus is on the Holiness of the Sabbath Day, and mankind’s need to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. In Exodus 16:29, God gave the Sabbath specifically to the Jews, the descendants of Shem. There is no scripture reference that God made such a gift to the sons of Ham or Japheth, or of the demands of Sabbath to them. Still, God’s Holiness was present throughout His creation. Also, remember that the Jews were the torch bearers for God’ plan of salvation. (See John 4:22)
John 4:22 (30 A.D.)
New International Version (NIV)
22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
The focus on Sabbath scriptures is on mankind’s need to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. There is no mention, or demand, for the need for mankind’s rest for man’s purposes.
Dates in this writing are taken from the Scofield Study Bible. Notice that from the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, to the first mention of mankind’s “calling on the Name of the Lord” (Gen 4:26), one hundred twenty-nine years passed and there was no reference to Sabbath during that period of time. Notice, also, that from the time that mankind began to call on the Name of the Lord, to the second mention of the Sabbath (Ex 16:23), 2,384 years passed, or 2,513 years from the first mention of the Sabbath by God (Gen 2:1-3).
It is good for God’s people to meet together in corporate worship. Such a day can be on the Sabbath Day, or on the First Day Of The Week, or on any day of the week, but no specific day is required of us by God’s Holy Word. Taking a day off from work is also good for us to do for our personal rest, but such rest does not create an honoring of mankind for the Sabbath. It is very important for us to not put our personal thoughts into God’s Word. Even when we are not aware of God’s watchcare over us, He is still watching over us with all of His love and care. There is a scripture that speaks directly about Sabbath rest. See Hebrews 4:9-10. If we are born again, we have entered that rest. See John 3:3-8.
Hebrews 4:9-10 (64 A.D.)
New International Version (NIV)
9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.
John 3:3-8 (30 A.D.)
New International Version (NIV)
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
In the morning (Friday), we will wake up to the Day of Preparation. We will progress throughout the day and enter into the Lord’s Sabbath at sundown. Begin your preparation for the Day of Preparation and the Lord’s Sabbath this evening through prayer. Pray that God will lead you through a day of Holy Communion with Him as you go throughout the day. Pray that God will lead you through the next day of, “darkness, dawn, daylight, dusk, and darkness,”and that you will be drawn into a closer and more intimate walk with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)
I want to encourage all of you to be present at our church service tomorrow evening (Friday), at 6:30 PM, as the Day of Preparation ends, and the Lord’s Sabbath begins. For those of you who do not attend our Church services, I am asking you to pray for God to lead us into greater intimacy with Him as we worship Him, and acknowledge that “God declared and made the Sabbath Day Holy.” The day is about God; let’s keep that truth as our focus of worship. Please read the scriptures below, very carefully, and keep your focus on the words that are written. Seek truth. Be a Berean.
Genesis 2:1-3
King James Version (KJV)
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Exodus 20:8-11
King James Version (KJV)
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Mark 15:42 New Living Translation
This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached,
Luke 23:54 New Living Translation
This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.
John 19:14 New International Version
It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
John 19:31 English Standard Version
Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
John 19:42 New Living Translation
And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Acts 17:11 New International Version
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Now, let’s come into the Presence of God.
In The Presence Of Jehovah
John 4:24 New American Standard Bible
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (all of us, for all of Him)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
“Search Me O, God,” and “Cleanse Me,” are two titles that lead the same song and the same message. It is a message that we should all have within our souls. I first heard the song in 1977 when my Pastor sang it, while being accompanied by a very good female singer. It is a song that I will sing, while also being accompanied by a much better female voice. When I listen to Glen Payne and George Younce singing this beautiful message of our calling out to God after we have sinned, and I think of my, now deceased, best ever pastor singing it, tears begin to swell. When we sin, may we call out to God, our loving Heavenly Father, and Say, “Search Me, Cleanse Me,” O God.
14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The Father Revealed
7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Comfort of Christ’s Coming
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Corinthians 15:50-53
New King James Version (NKJV)
Our Final Victory
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortalmust put on immortality.
John 3:1-3
New King James Version (NKJV)
The New Birth
3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Don’t be left behind. Unless you are born again, you can not see the kingdom of God.
Midnight Cry
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Southern Baptist Convention
Senior Pastor, Dr. Jack Graham
(Speaking at the end of the song)
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Saints Reign with Christ 1,000 Years
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Revelation 21:1-8
New King James Version (NKJV)
All Things Made New
21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Revelation 21:22-27
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Glory of the New Jerusalem
22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
John 3:1-3
New King James Version (NKJV)
The New Birth
3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
No More Night
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Southern Baptist Convention
Senior Pastor, Dr. Jack Graham
Ft. Worth, Texas
Genesis 1:3
King James Version (KJV)
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
“Consider God – Consider Light – Consider God”
Genesis 1:1-5. This passage shows the physical creation of “the whole wide world.”
New King James Version (NKJV)
The History of Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
John 1:1-9. This passage shows a new creation, a spiritual creation.
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Eternal Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John’s Witness: The True Light
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
Consider Light
Consider God…God created the heavens and the earth (vs 1). God said, “let there be light,” (vs 3).
Consider God, as He (Father, Son, And Holy Spirit) viewed His creation. He created the heavens and the earth (vs 1). He said, “let there be light,” (vs 3).
Consider God looking at His creation. Again, consider God looking at His creation. Again, consider God looking at His creation. Consider, God’s words, “Let there be light,” (vs 3).
God said, “let there be light” (the first day, vs 3); before He created, “the sun, moon, and stars,” (fourth day, vs 14-18); which were created after He created plant life, (third day, vs 9-13).
Consider the light of the sun, moon, and stars of the fourth day. Consider the light of the first day.
Consider why God would create “the whole wide world,” and say, “let there be light.”
Consider, “the whole wide world,” and its physical darkness.
Consider the “Light” of John1:4-5, 7-9. Consider spiritual darkness. Now, let’s go back to the light of day four and the light of day one. Lets consider “light verses Light,” and let’s consider God.
Consider our worship of God, “all of us for all of Him.”
John 4:24
King James Version (KJV)
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Holy Are You Lord
Isaiah 6:1-3
King James Version (KJV)
6 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Read the statistics of the reasons that women have abortions. View the video. Read the Pro-Life News Report. Ask yourself: “How can a Christian vote for a candidate that endorses the killing of innocent babies, either through abortion or by allowing a “born-alive” baby to die? Remember. It’s not a choice, it’s a child, an innocent child, a child which deserves to live.
Reasons given for having abortions in the United States
by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 26 August 2012
Summary: This report reviews available statistics regarding reasons given for obtaining abortions in the United States, including surveys by the Alan Guttmacher Institute and data from seven state health/statistics agencies that report relevant statistics (Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Utah). The official data imply that AGI claims regarding “hard case” abortions are inflated by roughly a factor of three. Actual percentage of U.S. abortions in “hard cases” are estimated as follows: in cases of rape, 0.3%; in cases of incest, 0.03%; in cases of risk to maternal life, 0.1%; in cases of risk to maternal health, 1%; and in cases of fetal health issues, 0.5%. About 98% of abortions in the United States are elective, including socio-economic reasons or for birth control. This includes perhaps 30% for primarily economic reasons.
Planned Parenthood Abby Johnson: I saw the baby fighting for its life!
LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com.
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• Indiana Awards Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz That Hid Statutory Rape
• Man Sexually Assaults 13-Year-Old, Gives her $700 for Abortion to Hide Crime
• I’m a Pro-Life Lobbyist in an Auditorium Full of Pro-Abortion Feminists at the UN
• They Told Me Pro-Lifers Should Support Sex Ed, Then They Wouldn’t Let Me Join Their Sex Ed Club
• Missouri Down to Just One Abortion Business After Planned Parenthood Closes
• Supreme Court Asked to Review Suspension of Phill Kline’s License for Investigating Planned Parenthood
• Mad Scientists Push Self-Breeding and Polyamorous Genetic-Related Babies
Parents Arrested After Taking Raped 11-Year-Old Daughter for Abortion
Parents of an 11-year-old girl in West Virginia have been arrested after arranging for an abortion following a case of pregnancy after possible incest. West Virginia State Police say they consented to the abortions and, the abortion clinic in question didn’t report the abortion to authorities.
Michael and Amanda Adkins were arrested Friday night on charges of child neglect causing the risk of injury. While some licensed medical professionals were involved in getting information to authorities, WSAZ indicates the abortion clinic in Charleston that did an abortion did not report the clear case of statutory rape. http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/11/parents-arrested-after-taking-raped-11-year-old-daughter-for-abortion/
Doctors Use 3-D Ultrasound to Detect Unborn Baby’s Heart Defect, Save Her Life
Doctors in Florida are using a high-tech method of detecting problems in unborn children and correcting them as soon as possible. While we often focus on heart disease in adults — sometimes the tiniest of hearts have problems. Now, doctors are diagnosing problems even before some babies are born.
Heritage House is ready to help you with NPLTD on April 30th – with $4.99 shirts including your group name and/or logo! See http://www.hh76.org/a19t
Teacher Battling Breast Cancer Gives Birth to Healthy Baby Girl
Although doctors sometimes suggest an abortion when a woman battling cancer is pregnant, Briana Dannen and her husband Brian decided not to have an abortion and to carry the pregnancy to term to give birth to their healthy baby. Studies show women don’t need to have an abortion and can safely seek chemo treatment during pregnancy.
Man Almost Died After Losing Health Insurance Due to Obamacare
The pro-life movement raised the alarm during the health care debate that adopting Obamacare would lead to rationing of health care in a way that could cost patients their very lives. That’s just what happened to Lenny Hubbs.
Moving Video Pays Tribute to Man Who Drowned Trying to Save His Son With Down Syndrome
A new very moving video pays tribute to a man who drowned while trying to save his disabled son, who has Down Syndrome.
Women’s College Allows Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz CEO to Give Commencement
One of the top women’s colleges in the nation thinks the CEO of America’s biggest abortion business is the best candidate to give the commencement address to this Spring to graduating students.
Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, will deliver the keynote address at Barnard College’s 122nd Commencement on May 18. Richards will address approximately 600 members of the Class of 2014 and receive the Barnard Medal of Distinction, the College’s highest honor, together with three other honorees. http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/11/womens-college-allows-planned-parenthood-abortion-biz-ceo-to-give-commencement/
Pro-Life Organizations Stand United to Free Justina Pelletier
Making decisions for a child’s well-being is arguably a parent’s most important responsibility — especially when that child faces a life-threatening disease. According to the Patient Advocate Foundation, seeking a second opinion regarding a serious medical condition is not only a reasonable course of action, but commendable. However, for the Pelletier family, what started as a simple follow-up inquiry regarding their 15-year-old daughter Justina’s health has turned into a 12-month-long nightmare.
In January 2013, after Justina developed a severe bout with the flu, a medical team at Tufts Medical Center in Connecticut, which had been treating Justina’s mitochondrial disease for years, recommended that the Pelletiers visit an expert gastroenterologist at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/11/pro-life-organizations-stand-united-to-free-justina-pelletier/
When Will the United Methodist Church Extend Compassion to the Unborn?
My Saturday morning began with a chilling experience. I am not referring to the colder-than-expected DC weather (coming from Chicago, I had hoped for better) nor to my being an observer at the board meeting of the United Methodist Church’s controversial lobby office (which has its own spiritual challenges). http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/11/united-methodist-church-still-endorses-abortion-ignores-biblical-teachings/
Looking for an inspiring and motivating speaker for your pro-life event in 2014? Don’t have much to spend on a high-priced speaker costing thousands of dollars? Contact LifeNews at news@lifenews.com about having LifeNews Editor Steven Ertelt speak at your event.
They Told Me Pro-Lifers Should Support Sex Ed, Then They Wouldn’t Let Me Join Their Sex Ed Club
As a pro-life activist who supports comprehensive sex education, reliable contraception, and pro-life legislation to reduce the number of abortions performed, I was deeply disheartened to learn that my university’s sex education club, which is officially connected to my university’s student health center, is officially pro-choice. http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/11/they-told-me-as-a-pro-lifer-i-should-support-sex-ed-then-they-kicked-me-out-of-their-sex-ed-club/
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Matthew 25:40, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
1. Purpose: Equipping The Saints Ministries (ETS) provides Spiritual and Benevolence Support Services to individuals and groups, in The United States Of America, and in International locations. ETS enlists support from other groups and individual to create an expeditious flow of support to the areas of need. Our purpose is to support churches and other designated and established ministries. ETS members will always be submissive to church leaders, or other ministry leaders, who may have established, assigned, or designated authority in areas where we have been asked to provide such support services. We will provide ministry outreach where no other church or designated ministries are present, and it appears to be prudent for ETS to assume command of the mission.
2. Vision. Ephesians 3:20 shares a view of ministry that has been revealed to ETS. That scripture tells us, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us …”That vision includes things that we do, to include, but not be limited to, the following:
a. Ministering to prostitutes, homosexuals, alcoholics, drug addicts, and the homeless.
b. Becoming an advocate for anyone who may need our support, including those who are not homeless, but may be classified as the working-poor.
c. Assisting in the staffing of national and international ministries.
d. Using the forces of personal evangelism and Internet media to make thousands of believers around the world aware of the burdens that God has placed on our hearts.
e. Supporting U.S. military forces around the world, based on the type of request.
3. Overview. Matthew 25:40 has challenged us to step outside of our comfort zones, and to respond to the needs of people who seem to have been overlooked. In that scripture, our Lord says to us, “…inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
a. When I stepped outside of the area of comfort, that had previously shielded me from a very dark side of life, I began to share the love of Jesus in a way that had never entered my mind. To take the hand of a prostitute and pray with her – to see her closing her eyes and joining me in praying to our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth – to see tears flowing from her eyes … these are all special moments of my life, and will never leave my mind. To walk under a bridge and see a homeless city; to see homeless people devising ways to protect their personal belongings, such as putting all that they own in a grocery store shopping cart; to see a makeshift bed, that extended from one steel girder to another, so that a man and his wife would be able to sleep five feet above the dirt; to see women selling their bodies so that they could sleep in a real bed, and have food to eat; to see homeless people walking the streets all day long, with no place to go; to see the vacant houses where those without homes would make their homes, for a night, for a week, or until a police officer would tell them that they would have to “find some other place to sleep” – which might be a park bench, a bridge, or another abandoned house; to know that many homeless people die each winter’s night, because they don’t have clothing that is warm enough to protect them from subfreezing temperatures – to know that the heat of summer takes the lives of those who can not escape its deadly temperatures.
b. When I have become an advocate for one of “the least of these;” when I have tried to “do what Jesus would do;” when I have tried to “be Jesus to the less-fortunate;” it has been very challenging and fatiguing, yet very rewarding.
c. As a ministry seeks to recruit volunteer ministers, it is very rewarding to be asked to assist in the recruiting and logistics effort of the growth of that ministry.
d. As I have been invited to explain the ministry of “Equipping The Saints,” to churches and church groups, it has been more of a blessing than I could ever have imagined.
e. The challenges of the United States armed forces are numerous. Many troops have no relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Military chaplains need the assistance of churches, individuals, and civic groups, in providing bibles and personal items to the troops. It is a blessing to be a part of that supply process.
f. Displaced persons ministry needs are overwhelming. ETS is attempting to respond to the needs of any people who are living outside of their designated homes. We attempt to support ministry and medical leaders, who oversee displaced persons dwelling places. There are many churches that need to be made aware of the needs of “the least of these.”
g. There are many churches that need to be challenged to seek out that demographic of society that seems to slip through the cracks of our minds. But, there is only so much that can be done by a few people. Other people, of similar sentiment, need to become affiliated with this ministry. That will allow more churches to embrace the message that scripture has so clearly been given to the Church, as it relates to the less fortunate. More sermons need to be preached about meeting the needs of the less fortunate. More hurting and lost souls need to be told about the love of Christ, and need to have more of their daily needs met by the Church. May God help this ministry to be all that it can be to share the message of Matthew 25:40, “in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
4. Ministry Objectives.
a. Matthew 28:18-20: Evangelism;
b. Matthew 25:35-40: Benevolence;
c. Ephesians 4:11-12: Equipping The Saints.
John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”May we never forget our fallen heroes”
The Preparation Day
John 19:31, The Preparation Day, or Day of Preparation, refers to Friday, and is the day before, or the preparation day for the Sabbath which begins at sundown on Friday. Let us prepare ourselves for a Solemn Assembly which will take place at our church at the beginning of this Friday Evening’s Sabbath worship.
John 19:31
New King James Version (NKJV)
Jesus’ Side Is Pierced
31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and thatthey might be taken away.
A Solemn Assembly
Joel 2:15
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
15 Blow a trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
2 Chronicles 6:12-17
New King James Version (NKJV)
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands 13 (for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven); 14 and he said: “Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 15 You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 16 Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’ 17 And now, O Lord God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.
2 Chronicles 6:22-31
New King James Version (NKJV)
22 “If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
24 “Or if Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.
26 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, 27 then hear inheaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
28 “When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 29 whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: 30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men), 31 that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.
2 Chronicles 7:1-3
New King James Version (NKJV)
Solomon Dedicates the Temple
7 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of theLord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying:
“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.”
Now, Let’s Worship God
In The Presence Of Jehovah
Psalm 99:9
New King James Version (NKJV)
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His holy hill;
For the Lord our God is holy.
Please be sure to click onto the post so that you can see the worship video, and other posts and comments.
Acts 2:42, “The believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.”
AD. 33, Acts Chapter 2, The Communion Of The Saints
The Emmaus Road experience has come and gone. The disciples are told by Jesus in Luke 24:49, “”And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
Then, Jesus gives a blessing to the disciples and ascends up into Heaven. After they worship Jesus, the disciples return to Jerusalem. They continue praising God in the temple. (Luke 24:50-53)
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
From Bethany, the disciples, after going to Jerusalem from Bethany, do as the Lord Jesus commanded them to do, “stay and wait.”
Acts 1:4,”On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”
Jesus tells the disciples that, after they have received the power of the Holy Spirit, they are to be witnesses throughout the world.
Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere–in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus had previously given the disciples the same great commission. Matthew 28:19-20.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
The disciples returned to Jerusalem, a Sabbath Day’s Journey, Acts 1:12.
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. A “Sabbath Day’s Journey” was the distance that a faithful Jew could travel on the Sabbath Day (about one half of a mile) in keeping with the teaching of Exodus 16:29. A Sabbath Day’s Journey was also the longest distance that anyone had to walk to the Tabernacle on the “Sabbath.” (Joshua 3:4, Numbers 35:5).
The disciples entered into an upper room, where they may have had the Passover meal with Jesus. Acts 1:13. Notice that all of the remaining 11 disciples/apostles are named.
When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
The disciples and apostles, one hundred twenty of them, in one common purpose began to pray. Acts 1:14-15. This unity of prayer continues for ten days. (Acts 1:3, Jesus was seen by many for 40 days after His resurrection, and then ascends to Heaven. The disciples pray until the Day of Pentecost, which was fifty days after the Sabbath of the Passover week. (Lev 23:4-7,15-16).
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), …
Matthias is chosen to replace Judas Iscariot as an Apostle. (Acts 1:16-26).
The Day of Pentecost arrives (the first day of the week). As was foretold by Jesus, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples. Its empowerment would soon follow. (Acts 2:1-13)
The restored Apostle Peter (Luke 24:32, John 21:15-17) stands before an amazed and perplexed (Acts 2:12) Jewish audience and preaches the first gospel message of the Christian dispensation, (Acts 2:14-36). His final statement was firm and stabbing.
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”
The message of the Apostle Peter, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, had phenomenal results (Acts 2:41, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
We can see that those who were baptized, were those who “gladly received his word. In addition to the 120 believers in the upper room, who continued for ten days in a common prayer effort, three thousand unbelieving Jews accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and therefore became, “believing Jews.”
So here we are with the aftermath of the events of Pentecost. We see in the report of these “believing Jews” (Acts 2:42-47)
The believers in Christ in Jerusalem maintained a fellowship that included a devotion to the teaching of the Apostles, the breaking of bread (as we have discussed was a meal, which included a remembrance of the death of Jesus on the cross), a fellowship with one another, and prayers (they couldn’t omit that which was so successful in the events which led to this point ‘Acts 1:14’). They had a common love for one another and shared with those who were in need. They continued to meet in the temple, but also met as believing Jews in their homes, where they also “broke bread,” and remembered the death of Jesus on the cross. Their praising of God continued, and these believing Jews began to have added favor with unbelieving Jews. As a result, the church, the body of Christ, grew. The growth was through the addition of those newly believing Jews, “who were being saved.” Now, let’s consider the math of this whole equation. One hundred twenty believing Jews prayed for ten days. Three thousand unbelieving Jews became believers in Christ on the tenth day. My question to you is this: “Is there anything that God can’t do?”
Now, let’s worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus, Immanuel, God With Us. (Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1:18-25)
Holy Are You Lord
Our church meets each Friday at 6:30 PM. We have a time of prayer, worship and praise. Sermons of teaching and preaching follow. Each week we conclude our service by having a fellowship meal, in which we remember the death of Jesus on the cross, which is The Communion of the Saints. Please join us.
Jeremiah 1:5 (New Living Translation)
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
The following stream of letters has been stored for three years. The message is unchanged. “It really is a child, and not a choice.” For privacy purposes, names and places are confidential.
(my commentary)
In the USA, and in other countries, elections will soon be taking place. Because the majority of my readers are born again Christians, I will not take the time to use other scriptures that discuss the sanctity of life. However, I will ask these same people the following question. Will you please find out if the person who will be receiving your vote supports the killing of innocent babies? These could be unborn babies, or babies that are in the process of being born, or babies that have been born and are placed in a room where they will not be given any nourishment or attention, for the sole purpose of allowing those infants to die. Many liberal politicians voted agains the bill that would have protected the lives of infants who have been born alive. If you don’t know your candidate’s position on those horrible procedures, please ask them. And then, ask yourself the following question. “As a child of God, how can I vote for someone who will vote to take the life of an innocent baby.” If both candidates that you must consider are in support of such death procedures, then I would say that you should consider the position of the parties who are endorsing those candidates, and vote for the candidate of the party that opposes the killing of unborn and newly born babies. The political parties publish whether or not they support abortion on demand. It is easy to research this data. If you are unable to do so, please let me know, and I will help you. If you are unable to find our your candidate’s view of abortion on demand, I will help you with that also. While we are on the subject of elections, let me add the following question. “How can a born again believer in Jesus vote for a candidate who supports same sex marriage?” That is a no-brainer. Again, I will not devote time in this post to show the scriptures that state God’s opposition to homosexuality and same-sex marriages. But, if you are uncertain about those passages, please let me know, and I will help you.
Pastor/Equipping The Saints
(a letter to me from Karen)
RE: An Abortion Survivor’s Letter To Me – 2-15-11
From Karen
To Me
Feb 16, 2011
Thank you for your letter and information. As a former Neonatal ICU nurse and a believer, the issue of abortion is very dear to my heart. I’ve spent part of my career trying to “save” babies who could have been aborted if circumstances were different.
Thanks for what you are doing!
karen
(my letter to Karen)
From: (me)
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 9:56 PM
To: ….. KAREN
Subject: An Abortion Survivor’s Letter To Me – 2-15-11
February 15, 2011
(from me)
(to) Karen
University of
My Sister Karen,
This information is being sent to you because of the close and personal contacts that you maintain with the students of your university. I am a pastor and have been led by God since 1999 to a calling of ministering the love of our Lord and Savior to those who are less fortunate. “Unto The Least Of These” (Mt 25:40) is the beat of my heart. I have ministered to prostitutes, homosexuals, drug addicts, alcoholics, and those who are homeless. God has impressed upon me that, also included in Mt 25:40, are parents and children of dysfunctional and struggling families. The children may be those who are the unintended consequences of divorce, or may be the victims of abortion. Recently, I received an email from a woman who had survived an abortion procedure. Her letter, as well as my comments, follow this letter that I am writing to you. It is my prayer that you, or your staff, will be able to use this information in a way that may cause a student to rethink her decision to end the life of an unborn child that she had not planned on being a part of her life. May the Lord Jesus richly bless you and use you.
In Christ
(my comments on a letter that came to me from an abortion survivor)
The following is a letter that was sent to me by a woman who survived an abortion attempt. The woman’s name and email address have been removed, so that her identity can remain confidential. Notice the fervor of the woman’s words as she describes the death of her twin brother, her survival of the attempted abortion, and her obedience to the call of God on
her life. I will add a few comments, as they relate to her life, after the end of her letter.
(the story of an abortion survivor; her letter to me)
I am a twin. My bio-mother did a back alley abortion. My twin brother died in that evil act. She was then put to total bed rest in her mother’s house ( my Pentecostal grandmother). Five weeks later she was told that she was still pregnant. My grandmother was determined that I would live, therefore she prayed over me every day, laid hands on me, and claimed me for G-d’s service. All the while, my bio-mom was cursing me. Gram pled “the blood” over me, and she had her women friends to do the same. I was very tiny and had a terrible beginning, but Gram stood on the Word and kept claiming me. My bio-mom never once said that she wanted me. BUT… at least I was not confused. I knew that I was my father’s child. My grandparents cherished me, and my aunt was the mother that I needed. She is responsible for my being the woman that I am today. She taught me to be real, and to love, and to allow myself to be loved. I had a remarkable father and grand father, so it was easy to trust G-d, my Abba Daddy. I am blessed. At age five I climbed over a row of grownups at a tent revival to answer the altar call. The preacher was preaching on Isaiah 6. When he asked, “who would be a servant of the Lord, who would take His Word into every corner,” I stood up and yelled, “I will! Send me!” Then I scrambled over everyone to get down front. The preacher called the people forward to lay hands on me, to commit to praying for me every day, and to provide anything that I would need to serve my Lord. They did. But mostly it was my aunt, uncle, and my daddy. Yes, I had the choice of denying my heritage all along, and there were days when I was a teen and a young adult, that it was really, really tempting. It just wasn’t worth it. So, yes, if I am wrong I have lost absolutely not one thing that I value. At the end of the day I can hear my Abba daddy saying, “come here you! Get over here and let me hold you on my lap and love you. Rest your head right here and listen to My heart beating just for you. ”
I’d trade that off for ……………………???????????? I don’t think so.
(my thoughts)
The woman who wrote this letter is not an actor or political spokesperson. She is the truth of the saying, “it’s not a choice, it’s a child.” Consider the loss that this world would have suffered, had the abortion taken the lives of the woman’s brother and the woman also. Consider the fact that you and I would not be discussing this woman’s life, if the abortion had been successful in destroying the tiny preborn body of the child, who would eventually share her life’s story with us. This woman made an interesting comment to me. She said, “what if there had been two of us,” in reference to her aborted brother and the positive affect that both of them could have had on our world. The woman is highly educated, and
teaches at a university. She is an ordained minister within her denomination. She is now fifty-eight years of age and has, for many years, been a voice for the under privileged and less fortunate elements of our society. She comes from a Jewish and Catholic family. She is not “right wing, conservative, or tea party.” Neither is she from the Bible belt.As I end my comments, I would like for you to do something. Look at your children, grandchildren, or at any child. Imagine what it would have been like for them to have had their bodies dismembered and mangled in the womb by an abortionist. Or, consider if they had ” almost made it into the world,” only to have become victims of the skull-collapsing partial birth abortion, which is performed by the delivering physician. In this procedure, the physician rotates the unborn baby to a footling breach position. The body of the unborn baby is then drawn out of the uterus with its feet first, until only its head remains inside of the uterus. Then, the physician uses an instrument to puncture the base of the of the skull, which collapses the head of the unborn baby. Typically, the contents of the baby’s head are then suctioned out, and reduces the size of the head enough to allow it to pass through the cervix. The dead, and otherwise intact baby, is then removed from its mother. We often hear of this procedure as being a “late term abortion.” This woman’s story should be a rallying cry for the truth of, “It’s not a choice, it’s a child.”
(a letter and video that came to me in response to the above letter)
To Me
Feb 13, 2011
After reading your last email from the abortion survivor, thought I’d share this video of Gianna Jessen, a survivor of a saline abortion. I came across this video several months ago when shared by a facebook friend. She has a powerful testimony, if you’ve never seen it, take a few minutes to watch. If the link doesn’t work, just go to youtube.com and type in Gianna Jessen.
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to shrink the United States Army to its smallest force since before the World War II buildup and eliminate an entire class of Air Force attack jets in a new spending proposal that officials describe as the first Pentagon budget to aggressively push the military off the war footing adopted after the terror attacks of 2001. (New York Times)
———————————————————————
(Fox News)
Russian troops moved into Crimea Friday, U.S. officials told Fox News, prompting Ukraine to accuse Russia of an “armed invasion.”
U.S. officials told Fox News they see “evidence of air and maritime movement into and out of Crimea by Russian forces” although the Pentagon declined to officially “characterize” the movement.
Agence France Press quoted a top Ukranian official as saying Russian aircraft carrying nearly 2,000 suspected troops have landed at a military air base near the regional capital of the restive Crimean peninsula.
“Thirteen Russian aircraft landed at the airport of Gvardeyskoye (near Simferopol) with 150 people in each one,” Sergiy Kunitsyn, the Ukrainian president’s special representative in Crimea, told the local ATR television channel, according to AFP. He accused Russia of an “armed invasion.”
The new developments prompted Ukraine to accuse Russia of a “military invasion and occupation” — a claim that brought an alarming new dimension to the crisis.
Russia kept silent on claims of military intervention, even as it maintained its hard-line stance on protecting ethnic Russians in Crimea, a peninsula of Ukraine on the northern coast of the Black Sea.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian border service said eight Russian transport planes have landed in Crimea with unknown cargo.
May we never forget the needs of our military forces. Consider the bravery and heroism of our military members, of all of our armed forces. Let us keep our military forces in our prayers.
“Let the prayer be from you,” for the active duty, national guard, and reserve members of the
……….United States Coast Guard, United States Air Force, United States Army,
……….United States Marine Corps, United States Navy
May God bless America.
The following video is from the 1942 World War II movie, “To The Shores of Tripoli.” You will notice U.S. Marines marching in their dress uniforms. It is significant to note that the Marines are marching at about “24 abreast,” which is no small feat. (Author’s note: The beat of the drums may make you want to get up and march. Remember that your left foot marches to be beat of the drum. Randolph Scott plays the role of a great Marine NCO. John Payne, of the Miracle On 34th Street Christmas movie, is the Marine who is all the way on the left when marching and when receiving a decoration. Aside from the few actors in the movie, all of the rest of the Marines are real Marines. ‘Semper Fi:’ Semper Fidelis is a Latin phrase meaning “Always Faithful” or “Always Loyal.” Well known in the United States as the motto of the United States Marine Corps (and often shortened to Semper Fi in Marine contexts).
Mission And Ministry Of “Equipping The Saints” (Ephesians 4:11-12)
The Great Commission of our Lord Jesus instructed His disciples to: “go, teach, baptize, and teach,” all of the things that He had taught them, to “all of the world” (Matthew 28:18-20). His encouragement to them, immediately prior to His ascension to Heaven, was that He would empower them to be His witnesses, “when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” to go” to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, said of the Holy Spirit, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the works of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Those of us who have been blessed with the spiritual gifts of leadership, within the body of Christ, have been given the same commission as that which was given to the disciples/apostles, to “go, teach, baptize, and teach.” The purpose of the posts, that will be found in this blog, is to provide information that will help others to be better able to understand the teachings of God’s Holy Word, and to encourage them to have the attitude that Luke attributed to the Jews who were in Berea. ”Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed…” (Acts 17:10-12). The focal point of teaching should lead to the conclusion that was made by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, when he said, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). Jesus didn’t die of disease or old age; He died as a result of being crucified. But, the good news is, “But now Christ is risen from the dead” (1 Cor 15:20), and because of his being resurrected from the dead: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet ….. the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised …..” (1 Cor 15:52). In Rev 1:7, we read, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.” The mission and ministry of “Equipping The Saints” is to help other believers in Christ, to help other believers in Christ, to know the desire that yearned within the Apostle John when he penned some of the last words of God’s Holy Word, “Come Lord Jesus,” (Rev 22:20c). May that yearning of believers in Christ prompt them for greater “works of service, to the building up of the body of Christ,” (Eph 4:12). May many unbelievers be led to the same realization of the Ethiopian, who was led by the Evangelist Phillip to know that, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” (Acts 8:37). If we have been forgiven and saved by Christ, based on grace through faith, should we not also extend that same grace to others? Should we not seriously take to heart the same ministry of reconciliation that Jesus used as He ministered to us, when we were far from Him? Please consider the verses of the scripture, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18. Then, consider the words of the worship video that is titled, “Then I Shall Live.” It is sung by the choir of Prestonwood Baptist Church (Southern Baptist Convention), in Fort Worth, Texas. The Senior Pastor is Dr. Jack Graham. The words of the song are powerful and can easily be followed. There is one phrase of the song that is very important to the ministry of Equipping The Saints. Its words are, “Then You may feed a hungry world through me.” Those words parallel the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-40, which has A message of, “unto the least of these.” May this ministry, “Equipping The Saints,” help to reconcile and feed a world that is hungry for God’s Word, and is also hungry for its daily food. Now, may we read God’s Holy Word, and worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, through song. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18:
“17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation”
“I Then Shall Live”
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Matthew 25:40, “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
New International Version ( Acts 17:11)
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Please consider the scripture, and consider the information that has been written on the movie that is discussed. An attempt to reblog the post failed. My apologies to the original blogger.
New American Standard Bible, Psalm 122:6
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Help Protect Jews of Ukraine
The extreme civil unrest in Ukraine has led to a sharp increase in lawlessness and violence. Fearing for their safety and escalating anti-Semitic attacks, many orphanages, Jewish schools, and other institutions are on lockdown — and are in desperate need of added security.
Your emergency gift today will go to fund this much-needed security, as well as providing humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of elderly people and poor families in this troubled region. Please give as generously as you can.
Eternity 