Attack

In the book of Revelation, chapter 3, we read in the letter to the Church at Philadelphia, the faithful church:
10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

When we see conflict between nations arising and prophecy that is being fulfilled, we can recognize that events are unfolding just as God tells us in the Scriptures. When the world descends into hopelessness, we know that the time set aside for the Church to ascend into glory is drawing near. We have to ascertain our readiness and live each day as if it could be our last on earth, and be filled with the hope and assurance of salvation that we can have through Christ.

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Recent developments can certainly be yet another "sign" of the times in which we live, and when we see chaos, especially as it concerns Israel what I have referred to as a "barometer" regarding the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, we can be reminded of the future that God has predicted. In 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, we can read:

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.

It was an attack that was so surprising in its timing, swift in its execution, and severe in its consequences.  As it's been pointed out, on almost the same day as a surprise attack 50 years ago in the Yom Kippur war, the terror group Hamas unleashed an attack on Israel from the South. CBN News reported: 

The attack comes at the end of the biblical Sukkot holiday. Known as Simchat Torah, it’s the day Jewish people celebrate the Word of God.

It also comes one day after the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel was taken off guard by a massive attack from an Arab coalition.

The article from CBN described the events of this past Saturday:

"Israel is at war," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced after Israelis woke up under attack by air, land, and sea on Saturday, their Sabbath.

Sirens blared as thousands of rockets launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip attempted to pummel the Jewish state, and Israelis ran for bomb shelters early on Saturday. By evening, Gaza terrorists had launched roughly 3,000 rockets at Israel. At the same time, a combined offensive including truckloads of dozens of armed terrorists infiltrated through the border into southern Israel by land, paragliders entered by air, and others by sea.

The account goes on to say:

From about 6:30 a.m., sirens blared first in southern Israel around the Gaza Strip and then in the Negev Desert, Tel Aviv area cities, and Jerusalem.

Many of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system. But there are reports of rockets having landed inside populated areas. Israel’s State-run public broadcaster KAN mentioned unconfirmed reports of Israeli soldiers kidnapped and taken into Gaza.

Media reports said dozens, dead or alive is unknown, had been taken hostage and carried into Gaza.

But, it did not take long for Israel to retaliate.  CBN News reported earlier today:

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday said they have finally secured the border with Gaza and found the bodies of 1,500 Hamas terrorists four days after they invaded southern Israel and killed or kidnapped more than 1,000 Israelis.

“In the last day, not a single terrorist entered via the fence,” said the IDF’s top spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Speaking in an address to the nation Monday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel is in “a war to ensure our existence, a war that we will win.”

“We have always known what Hamas is. Now the whole world knows. Hamas is ISIS,” Netanyahu said. “We will defeat [Hamas] precisely as the enlightened world defeated ISIS.”

The IDF has called up a record 360,000 reservists to prepare for what many expect is a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

So far, Israel has used its air power to "bombard Hamas targets inside Gaza." According to the article, "There are more than 160 hostages in Hamas' hands, and Hamas has warned they will kill one hostage on live TV every time Israel attacks 'without prior warning.'”

Joel Rosenberg, Editor-in-Chief for All Israel News, writes:

We don’t know what will happen to the hostages, and many fear they could be used as human shields, be used in a ransom deal to free jailed terrorists or possibly be murdered on camera in an attempt to destroy Israeli morale.

It is already clear that this was the deadliest day Israel has suffered in decades. If one would compare the number of victims in Israel in relation to the United States, it would be as if 26,000 Americans were killed in a day.

In another article at the All Israel News website, Rosenberg wrote:

Saturday, Oct. 7, was Israel’s 9/11.

It was Israel’s Pearl Harbor.

It was an attack so brutal, so bloody, and so unexpected that the entire nation is in shock.

We are grieving.

And we are angry.

Think about it - here we have an invasion of Israel by an opposing force.  It reminds me of my numerous conversations over the years with the late Jimmy DeYoung, who was a regular guest on The Meeting House.  He and I talked about an "alignment of nations," that is detailed in Ezekiel 38, that would come against Israel. And, indeed, when you consider the Hamas terror organization and the country that is enabling it - Iran, who is making deals with Russia and China, who is attempting to be the dominant force in the Middle East, even to the extent of trying to make peace with longtime nemesis Saudi Arabia, you can see the puzzle pieces coming into place, as Jimmy would say, "the stage being set" for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

Greg Laurie writes at Harvest.org:

On the heels of the Holocaust, who would have ever thought that these Jewish people who lost six million lives to the Nazis would somehow regather in their homeland, but it happened, against all odds. And on May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation. I’m proud to say the United States was the first nation to acknowledge that.

But after Israel was regathered, the Lord said she would come under attack. Specifically in Ezekiel 37 and 38, the Bible speaks of the regathering of Israel, and then it speaks of a large force from her north attacking her. That force is identified as Magog. Who is Magog? Listen, no one can say with absolute certainty.

But many Bible students and prophecy teachers believe it’s modern-day Russia. I think you can make a very good case for that. If you get out a map of the Middle East and look to the north of Israel, you will find Russia. Why would Russia ever want to invade Israel? Well, there’s another thing the Bible says about Magog, if she is indeed Russia, and that one of her allies that will march with her is Persia.

Persia is the ancient name for modern Iran. So the Bible predicted hundreds of years ago that this large force from the north of Israel would attack her after she was regathered, and one of the allies that would attack Israel with Russia or Magog, whoever it is, would be Iran or Persia.

Not once in the past 2,500 years has Russia formed a military alliance with Persia, Iran, but they have recently developed a special connection. Russia has signed billion dollar deals to sell missiles to Iran, and the Iranians have helped the Russians, providing them with drones, weaponized drones to use in the Ukraine war.

And, as Laurie points out, the U.S. government has provided six billion dollars to Iran recently. 

So, how do we respond? Greg Laurie offers some suggestions:

Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV). That’s what we need to be doing, looking for the soon return of Jesus Christ.

But we also need to pray. The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We want to pray that they arrive at some kind of peace. We want to pray that this horrific terrorism stops, and that they’re able to get their hostages back. And we want to pray that God places His hand of protection on the nation of Israel during this unprecedented war.

We are certainly in the midst of "these things" to which Jesus is referring - a world in chaos and widespread conflict - I believe these are the signs that He will come soon to take His Church, and we will, as 1st Thessalonians 4 teaches us, meet Him in the air.  The world will descend further, into a time of Great Tribulation, the Antichrist will come, the wrath of God will be expressed, and ultimately, Jesus will return to earth and set up His millennial kingdom.  We can be convinced of that timeline, and we can also be determined to be people of hope.  Even when there is widespread darkness, we can be secure in Him.

Diamond Stars and Devoted Saints

Because we are in Christ, we have been given a new heart - we have the potential to think His thoughts and to allow His life to flow through us. Because we are forgiven, we can face the future confident in His love for us. Romans 6 states:
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

Newness of life.  That means that the old is dead, the new is alive, and we can live in the power of that new creation.  But, the Christian life is not confessing Christ but living in our own strength. We have to recognize that we are incapable of living that life without the power of the Holy Spirit moving through us, empowering us from within.  Because our identity is wrapped up in Christ, we don't have to rely on ourselves any longer - He invites us to come into His freedom.

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The apostle Paul had a clear understanding about the seasons of life: while we can rejoice in the good things that God has done in our lives in the past, and reject and reflect on the bad, we can make sure that we are living with a sense of satisfaction and expectancy in the present. He writes in Philippians 3:
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The Major League Baseball playoffs begin in earnest this weekend, and there really are some terrific matchups, including last year's playoff rematch between the 2021 World Champion Atlanta Braves and those pesky Philadelphia Phillies, who made it all the way to the World Series.  The Dodgers face divisional rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The upstart Baltimore Orioles square off against another surprising team, the Texas Rangers.  And, there are last year's World Series winners, the Houston Astros vs. the Minnesota Twins.

I came across an article recently that spotlighted major league baseball players who followed God's call into the ministry.  Some of them were notable players who faced competitive struggles - against themselves. One such individual is quite familiar to Faith Radio listeners.  According to the article on the Religion Unplugged website, three-time World Series champion Darryl Strawberry is someone who, while excelling on the field, battled internal, off-the-field struggles.  The article says:

Amid the adulation and success, Strawberry grappled with personal demons and addiction following a series of arrests. Strawberry recalls that it was during his darkest moments that his faith emerged as a beacon of hope and redemption. As a result, Strawberry’s Christian faith increasingly became a cornerstone of his journey toward recovery. He has openly shared his struggles and used his platform to raise awareness about addiction and the importance of seeking help.

He continues to be active in ministry to this day.

One of Strawberry's teammates on the 1999 Yankees who won the world series was Don Naulty.  The article notes:

During his time on the diamond, Naulty battled alcohol and drug addiction, which ultimately led to his early retirement in 2001. However, it was during this challenging period that he found a renewed sense of purpose and faith. After leaving baseball, Naulty turned to his Christian faith and began a journey of personal transformation. He found solace and strength in his relationship with God, which helped him overcome his addictions. Naulty went on to share his story of redemption and faith, becoming a motivational speaker and minister.

Another key individual who was highlighted in that article played for National League teams in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.  He was known for his speed, but apparently, his major league career was, well, underwhelming, according to another Religion Unplugged article.  He left baseball in the early 90's - that would be 1890, and by 1896, Billy Sunday was drawing "large crowds."  That article notes:

...Sunday is unique in that he exchanged his bat for a Bible and embarked on a career as a preacher, capitalizing on his time as a ballplayer to generate interest in his revivals. He would go on to became the most celebrated American evangelist during the early part of the 20th century. He didn’t just limit his preaching to rural towns, but also opened his mind to preaching in large urban centers like New York.

That was actually a stretch for Sunday, according to that article, which reported:

Sunday, at first, didn’t care for New York City — even calling it a “graveyard for evangelism.” In the end, he grew to appreciate New Yorkers: “I think New Yorkers are keener than country folk. They are more used to seeing and hearing new things; they catch on quicker. I couldn’t give them any Class B stuff; not even when I was tired or wanted to.”

The article continues: 

It was from April to June of 1917 that the Iowa-born preacher called New York his temporary home as thousands came to see the Presbyterian minister. He claimed that 68,000 people had become faithful Christians as a result of attending his revivals. He would go on to preach across New England, even holding crusades in Providence during the Spanish flu.

Billy Sunday's name really has become much bigger in the arena of preaching than it ever was in baseball, which is a testimony to the work of God in his life. 

These and other profiled by this website illustrate how God can take a life and, if we are surrendered, use it for His glory.  They are individuals who played baseball, but the product of their lives is not defined by baseball.  And, you hear sports figures time and again talk about how their identity is not wrapped up in what they do, but in who they are in Jesus Christ.  Because, whether baseball player, preacher, or any number of occupations - ultimately, you are who God made you to be.  If we get things out of order, then we find ourselves controlled by external circumstances rather than our internal reality and relationship with Christ. 

For these individuals, baseball comprised a "season" of their lives.  But, professional athletes should ideally realize that is not all there is.  Again, you are defined not by what you do but who you are.  Not, what you did, either.  I thinking of Uncle Rico in the movie, Napoleon Dynamite, who was haunted by his lack of stardom on the football field and is stuck in a loop.  We have to break free from the loop of past failures - and even past successes.  We can think about the apostle Paul's writings about pressing on, forgetting what is behind us.  These individuals I was referring to certainly saw that, with varying degrees of success on the diamond, were destined to do something more for God.  We have to be intent on finding the place where God wants to use us and content where we are this moment as we allow Him to work in and through us.

As For Me and My House

As we attempt to honor God and walk in obedience to Him, we can love what He loves and walk according to His ways; He has plenty to say about making sure that our family relationships are right. Proverbs 11 says:
27 He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
29 He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

God has ordained marriage and the family for His purposes, and our homes should ideally be dedicated to bringing honor to His name.  We have to make sure that we are not doing as verse 29 cautions us against to "trouble" our own houses. That can be done in a myriad of ways, and spouses and parents can be challenged to make sure that we are surrendering to God and walking in the love of Christ, so that He can be seen at work through our homes. 

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In Joshua chapter 24, as the Israelites entered into the Promised Land, Joshua addressed issues related to families serving the Lord together. He declared that that Lord said:
13 'I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'

In light of the potential to experience God's blessings through surrender, Joshua said:
14 "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

When we think about God's order, His plan for humanity, we see that the family is a key foundational unit for a functioning society.  In the first two chapters of Genesis, we see that God ordained marriage as the union of a man and a woman - and out of that union defined by Him, He commanded them to "be fruitful and multiply."

So, we can expect that with the disintegration of the family, there will be dramatic negative implications for our society at large.

But, a new survey indicates that perhaps there are positive signs regarding the state of the family.  Focus on the Family's website, The Daily Citizen, reports:

...a major new report from the scholars at the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) demonstrates in persuasive detail that the married mother/father family is even more powerful today in providing essential goods to children that ever before. University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox explained to The Washington Post that “Kids benefit even more today from two parents than they did 16 to 40 years ago.”

The article goes on to say: 

“The share of American men and women who think that marriage and a stable family are not important for children in our contemporary world is growing” and they attribute this belief to “increasing progressive ideas about family diversity” and those “who discount the unique value of marriage” for building strong families, healthy children and thriving communities. The data bear this out. In 2006, 76% of Americans thought it was important for unmarried couples who have children to “legally marry.” That number fell to 60% in 2020.

The Daily Citizen article examines the study's findings in two critical areas: education and economics. 

Regarding education, the article notes:

The report documents that differences between children from single-parent and married-parent families in critical educational outcomes have doubled and tripled over the last few decades.

This means all other things being equal, children raised by only one parent are walking with a substantial limp in their academic careers compared to their significantly advantaged peers living with married moms and dads. And again, this inequity is growing wider. IFS reports that scholars studying this divide “found no evidence that the link between family structure and student outcomes is diminishing.”

And, in the area of the relationship between children from stable families vs. unstable and the impact of economic success, the study finds:

“Almost four-in-ten Millennials (42%) from intact families are affluent by the time they are in their mid-thirties, compared with 24% of their peers from non-intact families.” This married-family premium has only increased over the decades, with Boomer peers having benefited by having married parents, but to a lesser degree compared with Millennials. This report explains, “The gap among Boomers is smaller, with 36% of Boomers from intact families and 22% from non-intact families reaching affluence by their mid-thirties.”

A word here for single parents in our listening audience, who may have found themselves in that situation through no fault of their own: you know better than most the challenges of raising children in a one-parent home; a condition that may be exacerbated by a less-than-optimal relationship with the other parent. There are greater challenges for children that can be overcome, but things can be tougher. That is why single parents need the prayer and support of family and friends and even the local Church, recognizing that the data is against them.

But, culture at large, as the data shows, has developed a more permissive, progressive attitude toward the importance of the nuclear family - those who reject God's design in the area of family and willingly rebelling against Biblical principles have adopted a cavalier attitude toward marriage, family, and sexuality which are reflected in many areas of society, from education, to economics, even to crime.  Indeed, the Bible is correct when it says that you reap what you sow. 

This recent data illustrates the importance of seeking to follow God's plan, to uphold His order - the pressures on the family are great, but we serve a God who is greater.  As this study indicates, there are great benefits to having a stable family situation, and recognizing this landscape can give us a greater appreciation of what the Bible has to say about marriage and family.

Don't Want to Go Home

If we want to adhere to God's Word and live a life pleasing to Him, we can expect that there will be occasions when our faith is tested, giving us an opportunity to either trust God or to trust in our own strength. Joshua, when faced with a new leadership mantle, was encouraged to make the correct choice, as we see in Joshua chapter 1:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

We can be convinced that when we decide to be obedient to God, that He goes with us - and amazing things can happen to the person whose heart is totally, wholeheartedly devoted to Christ. And, our assurance that God's Word is true and our reflection on past experience can prepare us for obedience in the future. Even when some may say that we are not doing the right thing, in the midst of that opposition, we can trust God's Word.

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The Christian life is marked by the display of and assurance of God's faithfulness. And, we will encounter challenges - opportunities - along the way for God to show us His love. Romans chapter 5 states:
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

The deadline is approaching for a family who fled Germany in 2008 and has been living in America since then to leave.  

You may be familiar with the saga of the Romeike family, a Christian family, which, according to The Christian Post...

...garnered national headlines when they requested asylum status because they wanted to homeschool their children for religious reasons. Homeschooling is banned in Germany under nearly all circumstances, and any parents who refuse to send their children to school can face fines, imprisonment or even lose custody of their children.

The decision to homeschool came from what HSLDA calls a "growing concern that the content of the German public school's curriculum — particularly anti-Christian and sexual elements — threatened to harm their children."

The HSLDA - the Home School Legal Defense Association - reported that the family was told by their local office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in early September it had four weeks to leave the U.S. 

The article notes that:

Although the Department of Homeland Security granted the Romeikes asylum, officials overturned the decision, and the family was granted indefinite deferred action status in 2014 after years of legal battles, according to the HSLDA.

Over the last decade, the family has regularly reported to their local ICE office and has been allowed to work and homeschool their children.

ICE's decision to deport the family reportedly was announced during a routine check-in and came as a surprise to the couple and their seven children, two of whom are now adults and married.

The Romeikes' request for asylum had been rejected by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2013, and they have been living with visas to remain in America - until now.

The Washington Stand relates that if the family returns to Germany:

Since homeschooling remains as tightly restricted as when the Romeikes left Germany, the family of seven will face the same legal fines, and potential jail time, as before. “The persecution there is very real today, as it was 15 years ago,” said the family’s attorney, Kevin Boden. Since the family’s departure, teachings about alternate sexualities and genders have come to pervade German reading and math courses. “The idea is to show children that there are different ways to love and live,” an LGBTQ activist told the UK Guardian.

“The Romeike family should be able to stay in the United States and home educate their children,” said the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, Jim Mason, a staunch defender of the Romeikes. “America is a land of freedom and opportunity, and there are few freedoms or opportunities more important than the ability of parents to safely direct the education of their own children, without fear of punishment or persecution.”

The article notes:

The Romeike family’s deportation represents “a sad example of the perverse priorities of the Biden administration on immigration policy and nearly every other area of government” — a juxtaposition that “defies belief,” Meg Kilgannon, senior fellow for Education Studies at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. “Are we really living in a country with a border open to terrorists and drug cartels but that deports entire families who follow the rules to seek asylum on a claim of religious freedom?”

The family lives in Tennessee, and The Tennessean newspaper reports:

Since they were told they would have to leave, the HSLDA has set up a petition that has received just over 56,000 signatures as of publication.

The petition says it is addressed to the Biden administration, which it asks to reinstate the Romeikes’ deferred status and save them from deportation.

Also, the article states that: "Congress is considering a bill that would grant the Romeikes permanent status as legal residents, with a possible pathway to citizenship." It notes that Rep. Diana Harshbarger from Tennessee "filed the bill on Sept. 12, and it is being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee."

This family wanted to come to America, which was described as a "land of freedom and opportunity." They wanted, due to their religious beliefs, to homeschool their children in Germany, but that was not legally possible.  So, they came - they have scratched and clawed and have persevered - 10 years ago, it appeared that, while not being granted full citizenship in the U.S., they at least were permitted to stay. But, yet, for inexplicable reasons, they now have to go.  

They have stood, and were rewarded - at least temporarily.  Now, there are more battles to fight. Fortunately, they are not alone.  There are thousands who are aware of their plight and have signed a petition, and I would venture to guess that more than a few of those individuals are praying.  Because we serve a God of miracles.  They have trusted the Lord so far, and now, they are not giving up.  This can be a reminder on our journey through life: we may have encountered a difficulty, a barrier, a challenge - but we can draw strength from the One who has sustained us and believe that, because we have seen His hand in the past, that He will be faithful to us in the future.  Taking a bold stand will often come with a cost, but we can know that His Spirit will be with us. 

Whoever Calls (10/9)

On this day on which we have celebrated a man who believed that He had been sent to a faraway land to preach the gospel to the lost, we reflect on the calling God has given to each of us, to be ready to share what God has done for us. Romans 10 says:
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Each of us has been dispatched in order to proclaim the truth of God's Word by our actions and our words. We have been equipped by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we can know that His presences goes before us. We can bring those "glad tidings" because we have been redeemed!  We know that the Word of God, as it is proclaimed by faithful saints, as the book of Isaiah says, "will not return void."  So, we can go forth with confidence to share the truth of the Scriptures with a world that needs to hear it. 

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In Galatians 6, in the next chapter after Paul is directing readers to walk in the Spirit, he outlines the components of the full armor of God; we can read these words:
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...

A young man had embarked on a coaching career back in the early 80's.  Just a handful of years into that career, he had advanced to join the coaching staff at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas.  In Lubbock, he heard an evangelist named James Robison preach, and his life was changed forever.

His name is Rick Gage.  Quite a few years back, prior to a crusade in Newnan, Georgia, the local newspaper, the Newnan Times Herald did a feature story on Gage.  It relates that Gage said that he was "living a lifestyle of sin."  But, after that meeting featuring a message on repentance by Robison, he went down the aisle in tears and recommitted his life to Christ.  He quit his job at Texas Tech, went back in to coaching at Liberty a few years later, and then began his own ministry, which is called Go TELL Ministries.

Recently, he preached in Baxley, Georgia - from Montgomery, you would travel east and then bend southeastward toward the Georgia coast, about 5 hours away.  The Georgia Baptist newspaper, The Christian Index, reported it this way:

In a scene that harkened back to evangelistic crusades of yesteryear, they crowded around the platform where the man dubbed the “small-town Billy Graham” had just wrapped up a fiery gospel sermon that warned of judgment for unrepentant sinners and promised eternal life for those willing to turn from their sins and commit their lives to Christ.

Over four nights of preaching, some 10,000 people gathered into the stadium in Baxley, a Bible Belt town with a population of 5,000. Of the attendees, Gage said more than 1,600 made commitments to Christ...

The article notes:

An Associated Press article from 20 years ago said Gage fills stadiums just as full as Graham did, except that the stadiums are much smaller. That’s how Gage got the moniker “small-town Billy Graham.”

Regarding the Baxley crusade, the article says that Gage and two other evangelists "ramped up excitement with personal appearances across seven counties;" they "hopscotched throughout the region, appearing on local TV and delivering motivational talks in school assemblies." The article adds:

They also shared the gospel in local jails where about 50 inmates made commitments to Christ.

At nearby Brewton-Parker College, 150 students made commitments to Christ after Gage preached in a chapel service.

“The Holy Spirit was moving in a way I have never seen before,” said Steve Echols, a longtime preacher and Christian educator who serves as the college’s president. “I have seen some marvelous things, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more precious than this.”

Echols noted, “So many students responded that you couldn’t even get down the aisles,” adding, "They were completely full of students on their knees praying. We lost count, because they kept coming.”

And, in one of the stadium services, Rick Gage reflected on that transformative night in Texas when he was in his early days of coaching, relating:

“When that altar call was given, I made a beeline to that altar, got on my knees, a 25-year-old football coach, weeping, sobbing, crying,” he said. “My spirit was broken; my heart was broken; and I told God, ‘I’m sorry for my sins. I’m sorry for the lifestyle I’ve been living. Please forgive me of my sins. I give you my heart. I give my soul. I give you my life. … God invaded my heart. God saved my soul. God changed my life. And I have never gotten over it.”

The Christian Index also reported:

The impact in Baxley started days before the crusade, when, on September 13, some 600 people gathered for a pre-crusade youth rally. Nearly 300 of the attendees made decisions for Christ.

“It is a cause for great rejoicing when see such a great harvest,” Echols said of the Baxley crusade. “Truly, south Georgia has been touched for the glory of God.”

One man's obedience has contributed to scores of souls being saved.  Rick Gage decided to draw near to God, quit doing things his own way, and to surrender to the awesome presence of the Holy Spirit.  You may not be called to speak to thousands, but you can speak to one, or two, or whoever God appoints you to reach for Him.  We just have to be willing and allow God to love with the love of Christ and to speak through us. 

The Bible talks about the steps of a good, or righteous, person being "ordered" by the Lord. This day has been set aside to commemorate Christopher Columbus, and the Daily Citizen from Focus on the Family included this quote in a recent article from a book that the explorer had begun to write in 1502:

I have seen and put in study to look into all the Scriptures … Our Lord has opened to my understanding (I could sense His hand upon me), so that it became clear that it was feasible to navigate from here to the Indies … All those who heard about my enterprise rejected it with laughter, scoffing at me … Who doubts that this illumination was from the Holy Spirit?

We can make sure that we are seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, and to be willing to walk in the way He shows us.  We can be sensitive to the ways He is leading and to whom He is leading us to share.  Rick Gage is someone who decided to lay down His life and allow Christ to live through Him. We can make sure that we are totally surrendered to doing the will of God.

Unified Pro-Life

For each and every child who is conceived, there is a plan; each child in the womb is the handiwork of God. Psalm 139 reinforces that notion:
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

This is a wonderful passage that can give us a sense of appreciation of who God has made us to be.  We are unique, more than a random arrangement of cells and organs - we are a reflection of the divine Creator, and He is calling every person to embrace His Son as his or her Lord and Savior, to experience the relationship that God intends for us to have.  In our humanity, we have to be careful not to "play God" and determine who lives or dies - that is His role, and we have to make sure that we are protecting life in the womb.

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There is a key phrase in Galatians chapter 1, as Paul reviews some of his personal history; we can read these words:
14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace,
16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood...

Verse 15 says, in that translation, the New King James, "who separated me from my mother's womb;"  The ESV states, "who had set me apart before I was born."  God has a plan for each human being who has been conceived - who are we as humans to prevent that?

Last week, a group of seven Presidential candidates gathered at the library in California bearing the name of Ronald Reagan for a debate, based on various reports, against each other, the frontrunner for the nominee who was absent from the proceedings, the incumbent for the office, and...the moderators.

That would include Fox host Dana Perino, who not only served as press secretary for George W. Bush, but reportedly was fresh off a stint at a Clinton Foundation event in which she introduced the former First Lady, Secretary of State, and former Presidential aspirant. 

Perino, just like Fox colleague Martha MacCallum, asked a question about abortion that seemed to imply that a pro-life position, embraced to some degree by most, if not all of the candidates in the field, is a losing position.  Here's how The Washington Stand described Perino's exchange with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis:

DeSantis rebutted Perino, who asked how he could “win over independent, pro-choice voters in Arizona,” if the state ballot has a referendum on abortion.

“The same way we did in Florida,” DeSantis replied. 

He noted the 1.5 million-vote margin and said, "We were winning in places like Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach, that nobody thought was possible, because we were leading with courage and conviction.”

This comes on the heels of MacCallum's decree in the first debate that essentially opposition to abortion being a "losing issue" since the Dobbs decision, according to the Washington Stand, which said:

In an effort to bolster her point, she referred to several recent state referendums on abortion. While the six states MacCallum noted might have voted either to endorse abortion or to kick the can down the road on the question, 25 states — that’s half the country, for those who are counting — have enacted pro-life legislation since the Dobbs decision in order to protect the unborn. Furthermore, every single governor who backed pro-life legislation has maintained his gubernatorial seat...

MacCallum's question led to a tedious discussion between former Vice-President Mike Pence and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, both former state governors, about the prospect of a national 15-week ban on abortion.  The New York Post noted that Haley, while claiming to be "unapologetically pro-life," stated:

“It will take 60 Senate votes, it will take a majority of the House,” she said, suggesting it will be difficult, if not impossible, to pass such restrictions before arguing for finding areas of “consensus.”

“Can’t we all agree that we should ban late-term abortions?” she asked. “Can’t we all agree that we should encourage adoptions? Can’t we all agree that doctors and nurses who don’t believe in abortion shouldn’t have to perform them? Can’t we all agree that contraception should be available? And can’t we all agree that we are not going to put a woman in jail or give her the death penalty if she gets an abortion?”

Former VP Mike Pence, a staunch evangelical Christian, took issue with Haley’s lukewarm statement on the issue.

“To be honest with you, Nikki, you’re my friend, but consensus is the opposite of leadership,” said Pence, who has said a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy should be the “minimum nationwide standard.”

“They didn’t just send it to the states only,” he added, referring to last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. “It’s not a states-only issue, it’s a moral issue.”

Another aspect of the life discussion in the first debate resurfaced during the second.  The Post related an exchange with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who had signed a "heartbeat bill;"

“Just to be clear, governor, would you sign a six-week ban federally?” Bret Baier asked DeSantis.

“I’m going to stand on the side of life,” the 44-year-old answered. “Look, I understand Wisconsin is going to do it different than Texas. I understand Iowa and New Hampshire are going to do it differently, but I will support the cause of life as governor and as president.”

DeSantis used the Florida six-week ban in the second debate to draw a contrast with recent comments of former President Donald Trump, according to The Washington Stand:

“I reject this idea that pro-lifers are to blame for midterm defeats,” said DeSantis. “The former president — he’s missing in action tonight — he’s had a lot to say about that.”

DeSantis referred to comments by Trump that the Florida heartbeat bill was a "terrible" thing.

Trump “should be here, explaining his comments to try to say that pro-life protections are somehow a terrible thing. I want him to look into the eyes and tell people who have been fighting for a long time,” DeSantis stated. “We’re better off when everybody counts, and I think we should stand for what we believe in.”

Pro-life leaders have, to say the least, been disappointed in recent comments from Trump, who has delighted in his contribution to appointing three pro-life judges and overturning Roe v. Wade.  And, it could be his latest comments are an indication of his transactional approach to governance. The Washington Stand related that:

“I would sit down with both sides, and I’d negotiate something, and we’ll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years,” President Trump told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” Sunday. When asked directly whether he will sign national legislation protecting unborn children from abortion beginning at 15 weeks, he replied, “I’m not going to say I would or I wouldn’t.”

It does seem unlikely that there is any agreement to be had between people who support abortion in all nine months of pregnancy and those who believe in the sanctity of life and want to limit abortion.  The Washington Stand article states:

Pro-life leaders found the president’s comments concerning. “We’re at a moment where we need a human rights advocate, someone who is dedicated to saving the lives of children and serving mothers in need. Every single candidate should be clear on how they plan to do that,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, told The Washington Stand exclusively. “It begins with focusing on the extremes of the other side — and ambition and common sense on our own.”

Trump’s comments came just a little over 24 hours after he dubbed himself “the most pro-life president in American history” at the 2023 Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington, D.C.

Tony Perkins of FRC, which sponsored the summit, said about the Meet the Press comments, “Quite frankly, it was a bit troubling..."

Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family, responded to Trump's comments on Meet the Press by writing:

President Trump thinks pragmatism is possible when it comes to abortion, but history and present-day circumstances suggest otherwise. Mr. Trump may pride himself on his ability to negotiate deals, but there is no deal that zealots determined to enshrine the right to kill preborn children will accept. Radical advocates repeatedly deny that they support abortion up to birth—i.e., late-term abortion—but none ever tell us at what point they would accept any restrictions whatsoever.

Even so, debate over such limits raises a question: why can a baby be saved at four to nine months’ gestation, but not at one to two months? It’s still a baby.

He went on to say:

When it comes to abortion and the protection of innocent life, during this campaign political calculation is inevitable, even expected. But if we want to make America a less hostile and more civil society for everyone, we must start by respecting human life at all stages of development. Abortion is erasing the future and eliminating boys and girls who would grow up to become men and women who would cure cancer, invent life-saving technologies, solve impossible problems, compose symphonies, and help create a more beautiful culture and society.

The former President is attempting to respond politically and, to borrow a variation of Daly's word, pragmatically.  But, abortion is more than a matter of politics or negotiation.  Pro-life people across the nation, while involved in crafting responses in the lawmaking process, also recognize that this is a moral, spiritual, and deeply personal issue.   It's a matter of life over death, light over darkness. And, before and after Dobbs, those who belong to the pro-life movement, many of whom are devoted to the love and Lordship of Jesus Christ, are speaking truth and showing compassion to women and their families in crisis pregnancy situations.  

We have to understand that life is a winning position, the winning position!  And, as the title of Marjorie Dannenfelser's pre-Dobbs book suggests, Life Is Winning.  And, the approach to those who oppose the sanctity of life and support the termination of babies' lives at any point of pregnancy is not to compromise, but to pray and educate.  The majority of Americans, as Dannenfelser points out, favors a 15-week limit on abortion: “You’re standing with the majority of people, 70% when you talk about a 15-week limit. And that not only is closer to the right thing to do, but it’s also the politically smart thing to do,” as the article notes, "especially 'when you contrast that with an unlimited abortion position...'" And, I think that in survey after survey, there is significant support for restrictions on abortion indicates the views of the American people and even the American conscience that U.S. citizens are not comfortable with the taking of life in the womb. 

I am not endorsing a candidate here - there are many alternatives who would still fall into the camp of being "pro-life."  Nor do I have all the answers...as for me, I would love to see abortion totally banned in our country, and believe that Alabama's Human Life Protection Act, banning abortion in most cases, without exception, is the right way to go. I think that's a "north star" for pro-life policy. The pro-life movement, however, also realizes the limitations in some states, as well as nationwide in enacting this type of legislation, although a significant number of states, The New York Times places that number at 14, which have enacted similar protections.  But, we have to be convinced in the moral clarity of our cause, be rooted in the compassion of Christ, and devoted to pointing out the extremism of those who have shifted dramatically from "safe, legal, and rare," to "unlimited availability."  

Keep Digging

In the earthly ministry of Jesus, we find that he demonstrated His healing power, including causing the blind to see. In our lives today, we recognize that He opens our spiritual eyes so that we might see who He is - He rescues us from spiritual blindness. We can read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4:
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake.
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

In Jesus, the blind see.  It is very easy to walk around blind to the circumstances around us, blind to the worldly influences that cause people to not come into a knowledge of God.  Even Christians, if we are not exercising discernment based on the Word of God, can be blind to what God has to teach us. But, through the Word Who became flesh, we can have our eyes opened and we can see who He is and discover His truth, so that we might be devoted followers of Christ.

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In the 9th chapter of the book of John, we find a snapshot of Jesus healing a man who had been born blind, resulting in consternation from the religious leaders. We can read these words:
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
7 And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"
9 Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he."
10 Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"
11 He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight."

In that chapter, we can read about how Jesus healed a blind man at the Pool of Siloam. Well, according to Focus on the Family's Daily Citizen, actual steps of the pool have been recently uncovered.  An article notes:

The pool’s exact location was a mystery until 2004 when archeologists first made the discovery of the site. Digging has been a slow process, but the revelation of the actual steps – which have been covered for thousands of years – marks a turning point in the project.

“Theologically, it affirms Scripture,” said the Reverend Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders. “It affirms scripture; and politically, it affirms Israel’s unquestionable and unrivaled link to Jerusalem. Some discoveries are theoretical. This one is undeniable. It is proof of the story of the Bible and its people, Israel.”

“Go wash in the pool of Siloam” – which means Sent – Jesus is quoted as telling the blind man in John’s Gospel. “So he went and washed and came back seeing” (John 9:7).

Another recent archaeological discovery, on which Smithsonian Magazine reported, is relevant to the early Church; the Daily Citizen states that "archeologists have unearthed four Roman swords in an Israeli cave near the Dead Sea. Each between 24 and 26 inches long, it’s believed they were used in a Jewish uprising against the Romans in the second century."  The Magazine is quoted as saying:

The story of this incredible discovery actually began 50 years ago, when researchers noted a fragmentary [Old Testament] inscription written on one of the cave’s stalactites.

It relates that in the process of exploring the cave, one of the team members, Asaf Gayer from Ariel University, "spotted the Roman pilum nestled inside a narrow crevice of the cave’s upper level. Looking around, he also came across pieces of worked wood in another nearby crevice, which would prove to be fragments from one of the Roman sword’s scabbards."

The Daily Citizen article also reported: 

Earlier this summer, Steven Collins, Dean of the College of Archeology at Trinity Southwest University, discussed how pottery that he and his team dug up at a site in modern-day Jordan, added credence to the theory the area was the biblical city of Sodom.

Collins told popular author Joel Rosenberg the material had been impacted by “flash heat” – which would match up to the biblical account of God raining “down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah” (Gen. 19:24).

Also, there was the discovery of human skeletons which bore the signs of having been scorched and severed.

The writer of the article, Paul Batura of Focus on the Family, related:

Christians don’t rely on physical proof or archeological evidence to firm up their faith. After all, it was Jesus who said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). But it’s always affirming and encouraging when the material nevertheless matches up with our deeply held religious convictions.

These discoveries are also a good reminder for us to be patient and never panic when scientists suggest that evidence is either lacking or inconsistent with our faith. Hold on. Just wait. Science will always eventually catch up with the Bible.

I would say that we regularly hear, see, or read of scientific discoveries, and by "following the science," there is a conclusion that affirms Scripture.  Again, as Paul Batura says, we don't place our faith in what we see - but, discoveries can certainly reinforce what we believe and can send a message to a skeptical world of the work of God around us.

These archaeological discoveries reflect evidence that has been buried for years and years that is now coming to light.  The word, "uncovered," was used to describe the Pool of Siloam.  There was an initial discovery, and further digging yielded greater discovery.

What is it that the Bible says in Proverbs about digging and discovering?  This can certainly remind us that God has incredible discoveries for us contained within His Word.  And, what He teaches us can be built upon so that we can grow deeper.  But, we have to be willing to follow the thread, to walk down the path of knowing Him.