Category: Christ (Page 9 of 9)

Over the last eighteen months, we have experienced extreme actions to avoid the invisible and potentially deadly virus, COVID-19.  Masking and social distancing, economic lockdowns, and Operation Warp Speed were implemented to “flatten the curve” and potentially save lives.  Doctors and scientists worked tirelessly figuring out ways to prevent as many deaths as possible.  Special precautions were enacted to protect the most vulnerable: the elderly, minorities, and the economically disadvantaged.  

One lesson COVID-19 taught us is this:  While we know death is inevitable, we are willing to go to great lengths to protect life. Have you ever thought about the myriad of ways that life is defended and protected? 

Consider our five military branches that defend life from an enemy’s fatal threats and attacks both at home and abroad.  The Secret Service protects and defends the lives of both former and sitting Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and their families.  Law enforcement protects and defends the lives of its citizenry.  Security guards are present in federal, state, and local government agencies who serve to protect against any threat to life.  Prison guards protect the lives of employees and inmates of every prison/jail facility in the nation.

We install security systems; we put up walls and fences around homes, gated communities and schools for extra security and protection.  Many citizens acquire concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits to protect their lives and those of others.    
Why do we do this?  To protect and defend life from anything and anyone that threatens its destruction.   It’s interesting that all of these efforts are legal and no one questions the logic of implementing these life-preserving safeguards. 
Tragically, there is one class of people that falls outside the legal realm of security and protection:  The unborn. 

Human beings in the womb are the only class of people that are not afforded legal protection as “persons” under the 14th Amendment.  This is eerily similar to slavery when it was legal in this country.  Sadly, slaves were seen as “subhuman,” and therefore did not have any rights or legal protection.  The battle for their emancipation and legal status as persons was finally won in 1865.

We are in the same battle for the unborn.  

 The Science:  We have heard for months how we “need to follow the science” and to “listen to the experts” when it comes to COVID-19.  Yet, why don’t we apply this same logic to medical science of human development?  

Medical science has confirmed that life begins at conception when a man’s sperm enters a woman’s egg.   With advanced medical technology enabling us to peer into the womb with 3D and 4D ultrasounds, the evidence is irrefutable.  We can clearly see each stage of development of human life from within.  Dr. William Lile noted, “We treat the preborn as patients.  If they are a patient, they are a person.”   Isn’t it ironic that babies in the womb routinely undergo blood transfusions, heart and spina bifida surgeries as early as 18 weeks gestation, yet if a mother wishes to abort her baby for any reason, she has the legal right to do so?  But if that same pregnant mother decides to keep her baby and is murdered, her murderer would be tried for a double homicide.  Furthermore, there are legal cases which involve custody over fertilized embryos in divorce proceedings, as well as embryo adoption opportunities for couples who wish to give birth to their adopted child.   Courts have recognized these embryos are human beings worthy of custody litigation and adoption.   The laws pertaining to the unborn are inconsistent.  Is the preborn a human being or is it not?  If we “follow the science,” medical science has answered this question with a resounding YES!

Human life has always begun in the womb and always will.  Everyone reading this article began their physical existence in their mother’s womb.  We inherently know this, but since 1973, our society has ignored this truth and instead, tolerated the death of more than 60 million unborn at any stage of development for any reason under the philosophical guise of “my body, my choice” dogma, when, the baby being aborted is not a part of the woman’s body.  The baby is a distinct individual human being.  

Most importantly, ultrasound allows us to see the reality of what Scripture has told us for over 3,500 years.  Every human being is created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), fearfully and wonderfully made, woven and knitted together by the hand of God in the womb of their mother. (Ps. 139:13-14)   As His image bearers, God has given children to us as a gift; the fruit of the womb is His reward. (Ps. 126:3)  God knew every one of us before He formed us in the womb. (Jer. 1:5)  
Every person has intrinsic value. Our value does not come from science nor does it come from man.  Our value comes from God Himself— He is the Giver of life, and the One who sanctifies life.

Because life is sacred, God commands us to “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, ‘See, we did not know this,’ Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?”  (Prov. 24:11-12)

At Crossroads Pregnancy Center, we affirm that all human life is sacred and created by God.  Human life is of inestimable worth including all unborn babies.  We provide women with free and confidential services which include pregnancy testing, options counsel, education, and tangible resources.  We are here to help her through her pregnancy and parenting journey through peer advocacy, parenting classes and support.  We offer post abortion counsel for women seeking emotional/spiritual healing from a past abortion.  

Life is sacred. Life is a gift.  Who is worthy of protection?  Every human being.  Just as we take countless measures to defend and secure our lives from all threats of harm, we must defend the weak, be a voice for the voiceless, and protect the most vulnerable and helpless among us:  the unborn baby.  

Kathryn Enloe serves as Executive Director of Crossroads Pregnancy Center in Hanford.  She can be reached at kathryne@crossroadscpc.com.  

I want to say right up, I am not against technology, but technology is either our greatest friend, or our worst enemy depending on how we use it. There is no greater example of its impact on our homes than what smart-phones are doing to our children. Digital addiction is caused when a teenager develops an unhealthy obsession with digital stimuli which begins to alter their body and brain chemistry and causes irritability, withdrawal, a mental dumbing down, and disinterest in socializing with real people or participating in real events. Our phone has become our idol, and we become very much like that which we worship.

Ask yourself honestly, are my kids obsessed with their smartphones? How much time daily are they on their phone on social media, YouTube, or gaming? Do you find they are easily distracted or struggle with not being able to think deeply? Is their memory sharp? How is their overall attitude? Can they read more than a few lines of text without getting bored or irritated? Think twice when you give your kids a smartphone or tablet, because once you give it, it is very difficult to take back.  The words of Gollum in Lord Of The Rings ring true… “My Precious…”!

Tony Reinke has written a great book,12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You (Crossway Publishing, 2017), where he addresses the cultural obsession with smartphones and how it is changing us forever. From 2007 to 2017, one billion iPhones were sold. As of 2015, 86% of 18 to 29 year-olds own a smart-phone.  36% surveyed admitted to being online almost constantly.  People check their phones every 4.3 minutes.Even when there has been no beep alert on our phone, we still check it anyway out of habit. 73% of Christians admitted they check their phone before they even open their Bible. Our digital addiction keeps us from things we ought to be doing. 

The more distracted we are digitally, the more displaced we become spiritually. Technology makes us think we can indulge in anonymous vices without any consequences. Smartphones make sexual sin more discreet. What people used to have to go to a bookstore to look at, now can be seen in the privacy of our own space. Out of 8,000 professing Christians who were surveyed between the ages of 18-29, 50% of the men and 10% of the women admitted to porn use on their smartphones. What happens on our smart-phones, is the true exposure of our own hearts. “As a man thinketh, so is he.”

Although technology is not in the Bible, the principles in Scripture on how to address this issue in our present culture are very applicable.  Psalms 101:2-4 says, “I will behave wisely in a perfect way… I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.  I will set nothing wicked (worthless) before my eyes… I will not know wickedness.” Psalms 119:37 says, “Turn my eyes away from worthless things.” Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.”

The New Testament also includes passages that are helpful for making decisions about technology. Luke 11:34-36 says, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light, but when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.  See to it then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”

What is the cost to all this digital magic instantly at our fingertips? Should we be concerned about our children? Yes, but maybe we should be more concerned about ourselves. How are our smartphones changing us forever?  Are we and our children becoming home made zombies without knowing its true effect?  May God give us righteous discernment as we walk the tight-rope of this technological age. May we seek His wisdom on how to live rightly during these challenging times. Through repentance and faith, may we gain a new heart and clean conscience before God trusting in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

Dale Payne has been the Family Pastor of Visalia Evangelical Free Church for the last 19 years. He has been married 34 years to Linda and has six grown children, two grandchildren with two more on the way. His passion is Biblical counseling with families with a focus on developing healthy marriages and joyful parenting, and building up godly men to lead their homes well.

Prison is a gloomy, hopeless place for many. Prisoners often live their lives without friends, without family, staring at the prison bars and feeling guilt and anger burning in their hearts. Spouses, parents and relatives of the incarcerated often “do time” right along with their loved ones, feeling alone and guilty. Christians have a glorious gospel message “to proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1). It is the message of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

When Jesus Christ was being crucified, two criminals were also condemned next to him, one on either side. They were receiving what they justly deserved. Yet God in his free and sovereign grace rescued one of them. In the salvation of that criminal, I want to note four truths that stand out.

First scripture tells us of this criminal’s character. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” (Luke 23:39) “Malefactors” is an evil doer, a worker of evil. He was a criminal, one who committed gross misdeeds and serious crimes. He is called a “thief” in Mark and in Matthew’s gospel. “Thieves” translates lēstēs in the original Greek language, which denotes a brigand who plunders as he steals. This man was not a petty thief or even a common robber, but a cruel bandit who took pleasure in tormenting and abusing his victims.

Second scripture tells us of this criminal’s condition. Luke 23:40-41 records that he was suffering a just punishment for his crime. God instituted the death penalty in Genesis 9:6. “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (Romans 13 affirms that it is still binding today). Not only was he suffering the death penalty justly but he was totally helpless. He could do nothing to help himself physically or spiritually. Scripture reminds us that every person is lost without Christ. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). What a terrible condition this criminal was in. The same is true spiritually speaking for all people who have not repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus Christ. 

Third scripture tells us of this criminal’s companion. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” (Luke 23:39) The question was asked in a manner that was mocking, sarcastic, and taunting. He had no fear of God or of future judgment. He died just as he lived, an unrepentant rebel.

Forth scripture tells us of this criminal’s conversion. “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42–43) This criminal could do absolutely nothing to save himself or change his own wicked heart. His feet were nailed so he could not run and go to church or a synagogue. His hands were nailed so he could not go and do some good works to earn salvation. Yet God sovereignly saved him! 

What happened to him? God the Father drew him to Jesus Christ! As Jesus had said earlier,  “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) The thief went from being a Curser to a Convert! From a Blasphemer to a Believer! From a Criminal to a Christian! This conversion took place without raising his hand, without walking an aisle, without any sacrament or without any good works! “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) What amazing grace.

Jesus said to the repentant thief “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42–43)  Our Lord assured him that today—that very day, after they breathed their last—the criminal would be with him in paradise. The criminal may have lived an evil, vile, lawbreaking life that had resulted in execution, but as he faced death, by God’s grace, he turned to and believed in Jesus Christ. This is authoritative proof that Jesus Christ has come for the purpose to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

What Jesus did in saving that criminal He is still doing today. In prisons throughout our country and even around the world, the gospel is being faithfully proclaimed. As the good news is preached, God is faithful to save criminals, bringing them to “repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21) 

As a pastor of over 18 years and serving in prison ministry over 20 years, I can testify to the reality that God can and does save the worst of sinners. God does what no man can do; He saves and sanctifies lost men and women. He brings not only outward reformation but also true inward transformation. He turns unproductive criminals into productive law-abiding citizens; He transforms selfish fathers into loving self-less fathers who love and lead their families.

I hope this is a small encouragement to know that biblical faithful ministry is happening behind bars and God is transforming lives. All to the glory of His great name! Let us support biblical prison ministry and make an impact for eternity. Soli Deo Gloria.