Sanctity of Life Sunday (Janurary 20, 2008)
I just returned from China and Hong Kong this past Sunday. I've hit the ground running starting to teach my two classes of Bible Introduction at Moody Bible Institute which started this week.
Two quick comments.
I read a quote from Peter Piot who is the Executive Director of UNAIDS. "Please let us have no illusion that, one fine day, the world will return to what it was before AIDS. No. AIDS has simply rewritten the rules. And to prevail we, too, must rewrite these rules."
AIDS has forever and irreversibly changed the world, rewritten the rules and has changed countless lives forever...me, not excluding. Let us not live in ignorance and complacency. Let us be broken and change ourselves to take this challenge of AIDS heads on. My prayer is that the Church will step up and show the world what God can do through broken but available vessels.
My second comment is regarding Sanctity of Life Sunday which is tomorrow, January 20, 2008. Sitting among us in our congregations are women of all ages and races who are post-abortive mothers living in a prison of guilt and pain.
As the Body of Christ, we've been good at telling people what to do and what not to do. But we've not been so good at proclaiming that as hard as we can try, we really can't obey God - we fail. And as wrong and "not OK" as this is, it is OK because we have a God that loves us not because we're perfect but because He is most glorified when He redeems our failures.
So I hope that as the Body of Christ, we would not be so loud in our cry "We're anti-abortion!" and more open in that we are pro-abortive mothers both Christian and non-Christian. Because just as we make mistakes and sin, God loves us and can restore us.
My prayer is that the world would know Christians not for what we're against, but for our love and the redemption that shines through us.
posted by Christopher Yuan | 6:37 PM
4 Comments:
Thank you for your wonderful reminder that we as Christians
need to focus more on what God loves and less on what we think is wrong. I lead a woman's group and really believe that it is important to love people where they are and bring the power of God into their experiences so that He can heal them, restore them, equip them and use them!
God bless
Thanks for your encouragement! Bless you sister in your ministry!
Christopher Yuan
Christopher, My wife and I were refreshed by your perspective. It's too easy for me to forget my past and take a "Pro Life" stand, rather than, as you phrase it, a "pro abortive mother" stand that relates to the sinner and at the same time doesn't embrace the sin itself. I know the feeling of being trapped and accepting the world's lie about abortion. I can relate to the guilt and pain that is felt for making an irreversible choice after buying into our enemy's lies.
Thankfully, I also know the love of God and the greatness of His forgiveness and His incredible and many mercies that He delights to shower on ALL who will but agree with His holy standards and accept the forgiveness and cleansing that He offers us through His shed blood.
The Word is true, "If ANY man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature, old things are passed away, behold, ALL things are become new!!!" What a Great God, born again is a not only a new beginning, but a new beginning with new power!
Thanks also for your transparency and willingness to share God's GREAT love and power to cleanse. My wife and I were edified, strengthened and refreshed by your testimony of God's working in your life.
Mike Walsh
(My wife Connie and I heard you speak at the Gideon's banquet last night. We're the couple with the eleven kids)
Thanks Mike and Connie!
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