Do you know that you gave $1 to an abortionist this year? And without your consent, that dollar was used to kill a baby. How so? Planned Parenthood received $363 million dollars this past year of taxpayer funding. We are a nation of 312 million people. Do the math and each of us actually gave over a $1 to take a life.
Do you know how serious our national debt and spending really is? In the Washington Times (July 27, 2011), Tom McClintock provides an illustration to help us understand the huge numbers that are difficult to grasp. He uses a family to show what trillions of dollars of debt and deficits mean: “Imagine a family that earns $50,000 a year but is spending more than $88,000 and has a credit card balance of $330,000… Proportionally, that’s where Washington’s finances are today…” What amazing foolishness.
Do you know what Pat Robertson, Chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, said last month (September 13) while being interviewed on his 700 Club? He said a husband would be morally justified to divorce his wife with Alzheimer’s disease in order to marry another woman—something about her “not there” anymore. I am glad Jesus doesn’t think so conditionally and callously about us, His bride, for we act as if we are “not there” too much of the time.
Do you know there is a movement within Christian missions to Muslim-majority countries called the “insider movement”? It is a growing movement where missionaries/evangelists are trying to be more culturally sensitive to Muslims. How? Many “insider movement” adherents urge Muslim converts to retain their Muslim “culture”; even continuing to call themselves Muslim, retain some Muslim practices, and remain in a mosque even though they now claim Jesus as their Lord. “At its extreme,” writes Emily Belz of World Magazine (“Inside Out,” May 7, 2011), “individuals within the movement have published translations of the Bible that remove phrases supposedly offensive to Muslims, like ‘Son of God’, which some Muslims claim is offensive because it insinuates that God had sex with Mary to create Jesus.” I know a new convert may lose his life in these Muslim nations, but the practice smacks of “easy-believism” too me. How has that worked for the American church?
Maybe you knew about all four of these; you are well-informed if you did. What is amazing is that God certainly does and that hasn’t stopped Him from being merciful to this nation and loving His people and church. Do you know that?
Pastor Rich Hamlin October 27, 2011