It ought to be confessed that far too few members of the body of Christ in our society have ever stood once outside an abortion death camp as ambassadors for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Even smaller are the numbers of Christians who stand at such murder mills on a regular basis, say, daily, weekly, or monthly. Way too seldom are there believers found on site to pray, preach, or plead, or even be present. This is a grief on a number of levels.
I will address one sad issue that this fact can cause. Since the vast majority of Bible believing Christians are so unlikely to have a regular presence at the final lines, seeking to open their mouths to speak for the weak (Proverbs 31:8-9), preach the saving Gospel (Mark 16:15), and deliver those who are drawn unto death (Proverbs 24:11-12), there are many multitudes in churches who don't know what it is like.
Often, Christians can make assumptions, and imagine caricatures of how such a ministry is done. This can be based on how the culture at large depicts the scene, from claims of professionals who profess that preaching at the mills doesn't work, or from snippets of video of some individuals, or the testimony of others they trust.
It is all to easy for churches or individuals to assume and take in allegations on how the relatively small numbers of their brothers and sisters do their outreach at the gates of death, how they conduct themselves, and how they communicate. Now, it is certainly possible for Christians to react in the flesh at times, and thus it is vital for us to be yielded to the Spirit, according to the Scriptures, and be constrained by the love of the Savior. But it is easy for those who are not seeing the whole to embrace the picture that Christians at the mill in general, are unhinged and unbridled in their manner.
Not long ago, I was informed by a fellow Christian, that he had heard from a trusted source that he was out once when I was, and that he believed I was a "yeller", a "screamer" at the abortion mill, which was a vague accusation without giving much detail. The following was my response:
"This seems an unclear and subjective
claim. You did not say who the brother
was, or when this happened, so it is a vague report, and thus I cannot speak
with certainty as to what he meant.
Was it simply that I seek to be heard by the people I am trying to reach? If the testimony simply meant that I “yell”, then it brings up some important considerations.
There have been people, including Christians, who have reacted to preaching at the abortion mill at all, saying that it is wrong or won’t work, characterizing any raising of the volume as yelling. But the word “yell” is a subjective one. What does it mean to that person? What does it mean to you?
Is it (A) merely the raising of the volume so that a voice can be heard clearly?
Is it (B) calling urgently?
Or is it (C) screaming in a nasty tone?
(A) If “yelling” is speaking in
louder voice with greater projection so that people can hear, then
shouldn’t our standard be the Scripture over our own sensibilities?
1-How is wisdom said to communicate? Proverbs 1:20-21 “Wisdom crieth without;
she uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 She crieth in the chief place of
concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words,
saying” Is this wise to do? Does
this constitute yelling in a right or wrong way?
2-God commanded His servant to do
something in Isaiah 58:1. “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a
trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their
sins.” Was this that God commanded
the type of yelling that you or the claimant think of?
3-On the day of Pentecost: Acts 2:14 “But
Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye
men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and
hearken to my words:” Was Peter wrongly yelling at the people, or was he
preaching loudly to the people?
4-The example of our LORD Jesus: John 7:37 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” Was Jesus yelling at the feast, or declaring the truth about Himself so that the attendees could hear?
(B) If “yelling” is calling out urgently, then how should we speak when someone is walking towards a cliff, whether to jump off themselves, or throw their child off? Should we not speak as if babies are being murdered when babies are being murdered? Should I not call out with urgency if a building is on fire, and I need help from others who are farther away? If I can’t get closer and I am pleading for a child who is imminently about to be stabbed or poisoned, should I keep my voice down? In Overland Park, the people sitting in their cars or walking in are often hundreds of feet away. I do use amplification there so that my voice can remain steady and yet be heard. I do “lift my voice” to those entering to have mercy on their child. I plead for the life of babies as I would want someone to plead for me if I was being dragged inside. I use a voice of declaration and surety when calling people to repent and believe the Gospel. I do call abortion the sin of murder, because it is murder and because I know the God who can save murderers. And I have seen the fruit. I have held babies who were saved from murder because I did so. I have had mothers hug and thank me years later because I lifted up my voice for their child.
(C) Or is “yelling” screaming or
speaking loudly in a nasty tone? If that is what
is being interpreted by the word “yelling”, I do not by nature ever yell. I am not rude, crude, or unloving in my manner,
and loathe that sort of language. I do
not want to bring dishonor to my precious Savior. I know that it is my own word on the matter,
but will give a few instances of what others have testified, which should be of
substance.
-from a lawyer: One pastor and attorney was given a video sample of my preaching and pleading, in
which someone was claiming that I was threatening violence, and after watching
the whole thing, told me there was no evidence of the claims, but rather that I
sounded compassionate and caring, even as I called people to turn and rescue
their baby.
-from abortive mothers: I have
had a number of individual moms who had murdered their children in the past
hear me preaching, and approach me to thank me and say that they wished someone
had preached like that when they were going in, because they were sure that
they would have been persuaded to not kill their children.
-from the opposition: A
volunteer for Planned Parenthood for some years had engaged against us
alongside the scoffers, pagans, and Satanists, had ample time and opportunity
to witness my approach and preaching from the other side. His side of the line, the deathscorts and
cheerleaders of child sacrifice were always accusing us of hatred, "yelling", and harassment
of women, and all manner of evil. But a
little over a year ago, he contacted us abolitionists to say that he only ever
saw hatred coming from his side. He
didn’t sense any hatred or nastiness from us.
Because of the abuse he had witnessed against us, the vile words, and
reviling hurled at us, and our patient bearing and continued preaching and
pleading, he finally gave up volunteering alongside them.
To add to the three sorts of witnesses above, I would say that the best way for you to know the truth about my ministry is to come see and hear for yourself. Abortion must be abolished,
