I don't know how often I have heard it said in various ways by fellow believers:
"Unfortunately, at this time the church does not have the people, the
power, nor the funds, to make an impact on the evil of abortion in this
country."
"We cannot really do anything but vote, give to pro-life groups
and crisis pregnancy centers, pray, and hope for the best. There is
nothing else we can do that will make a difference."
I for one, want to counter this sentiment with truth. And I will take only one aspect of action in which the church needs to participate.
Let's take into
consideration a very practical use of numbers. Let’s
say that 15,000 Christians within an hour of an abortion mill in any given city decided to love their preborn neighbors in
word, deed, and truth. I hasten to say
that this would be but a fraction of the believers who attend Bible preaching
congregations. But these 15,000
individuals set aside time in their very busy lives to be present at the death
camp. What would that accomplish?
If just 59 of the 15,000 went to that abortuary on one day,
and then a different 59 went the next day,
and then another 59 went the day after, and on, and on...
you would have 59 Christians at the mill EVERY SINGLE DAY of
the YEAR without ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL having been there twice.
Imagine, 59 Christians, exercising various roles at the Gates of Death—Preaching
the Gospel. Pleading for the lives of little image-bearers. Praying
fervently on site for God to work in hearts. Providing help, information, and
resources at the entry. Provoking with signs, etc.
What if they chose to take on a little more? If each person
in the multitude of 15,000 committed to stand just one day a month, that would
mean that the mill would have 483 Christians outside it EVERY DAY with each
person only giving one day a month to plead for the lives of the innocent and
provide truth to all who enter (and that is if every month had 31 days; 5
months have fewer).
This by itself would have a HUGE impact on the business that sheds innocent blood. This would clearly showcase the Gospel to the lost, deliver numerous babies from slaughter, and shut down the mills! When 1% of the church will show up regularly to stand at the abortion mill, abortion business places will shut down. Darkness cannot stand the presence of Light.
I
well remember the morning in Pensacola in 2006, out in front of a baby butcher
shop, when a police officer looked at me and my friend, and said "This
must not be a real issue for the church, since you two are the only ones
here." In the middle of a conservative Christian
"stronghold", surrounded by hundreds of churches, and only two
Christians were standing as emissaries for Christ at the Gates of Death.
What message is the church sending the world by our silence and absence
from the field?
God has commanded us to "love our neighbour as ourselves",
"visit the fatherless in their affliction", to "open [our] mouth" and "plead the cause of the poor and needy", to do
"justice and equity".
Prayer is never meant to be a substitute for obedience. Imagine if Isaiah had said in prayer, "Here am I; send someone else!" (Isaiah
6). I would that the thousands upon
thousands of believers in every city would learn about, get involved, and
then engage for their pre-born neighbors being slaughtered!
I would that they would take God's command to "Open thy
mouth for the dumb in the case of all such are as appointed to
destruction" (Proverbs 31:8) at His word. Truly God has made Himself clear, and has
given us all we need to make a huge impact simply by assembling as His
ambassadors at the Gates of Death (not to mention all the other ways to effect
abolition of this evil). It is not enough, nor honest, neither is it consistently
"Christian" for us to say, "We cannot make a difference right now."
Let us stop being silent, absent, and negligent.
Let us be OBEDIENT, and watch what our God will do.
"Some want to live within sound of church and chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell." C.T. Studd
Abortion must be abolished.
