Sharing the Gospel at an Abortion Center-Unique Challenges

0:00 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours, s and me, Lord, I am yours. Welcome to the Gospel Center per life podcast. This episode, Vicki and out talk about the unique challenges of sharing the Gospel at an abortion center and how to biblically overcome those challenges. Stay with us. I felt show passish touchs your home. Use me he there. Welcome to the Gospel centered pro life podcast. I'm here with Daniel Parks. Today. We are going to talk about the unique challenges of sharing the Gospel at an abortion center, because it is unique. It's not like sharing the Gospel at Walmart or at your local flea market, hanging out track to the flea market's right, and it has some unique challenges and we've really discovered that in our years being out there. Yeah, that that there are some typical rationalizations, justifications that you hear and that you honestly can make matters worse by what you decide to share with the women and you have to became even even some tombs of the timing. We did a podcast some months ago about the message of forgiveness and that there's a real need for us to think through our timing as we're talking about forgiveness and those sort of things. Of course the

1:33 Gospel includes the forgiveness of sin. So there are some challenges. There's some timing issues we need to talk about, some wording issues, some some some things that will confront in front of an abortion center that we might not confront and other scenarios when we're sharing the Gospel. It's sound like the Gospel changes. The Gospel doesn't. The Gospel is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Gospel doesn't change, but the situations in which you are presenting the Gospel Do. Yeah, and Paul was all things tall people and he learned to look at the circumstances of the people to whom he was addressing and he would alter his presentation based upon that and he was obviously very successful. Yeah, I think that is our goal. Yeah, first and foremost, I'll just touch real quick on the necessity of the Gospel. Oh, that's a great point. This is the Gospel Center, per life podcast, and we always have to Change Our Name and that we were certainly don't want to Change Our Name and we don't want to go move away from the necessity of the Gospel. Right understanding Romans Sixteen tells us that the Gospel is the power of God to salvation. We can't invent enough good strategies and ideas to trick people into, you know, doing what God wants them to do. Know it's the power of the Gospel and in the Holy Spirit changing a human heart.

2:58 So I want to encourage all of you guys, because we can slip into a mode we're involved in a ministry like prolife ministry, we're really dealing with life and death. We can slip into like a humanitarian effort mode and neglect the Gospel, make it a side issue, make the Gospel something we kind attack on at the end. And there are times when we can't just get right to the Gospel. We are dealing with life and death and we need to. Of course, everything we say is seasoned with the Gospel, but that we might need to address certain issues at this mom is facing and then share the gospel. But it's not something we're just doing as a side issue. The Gospel. It's got a season everything that we do and it's got to be ultimately, where we're getting to with all of our conversations is what God has done for lost human beings to rescue and to save them from their sin. Right. And I think I've heard many people say, well, the Gospel really is simple. Well, it is, yeah, but we don't want to become lazy in how we present the simplicity of the Gospel, because there are times that we make it so simple that it becomes twisted and rationalized in their mind. That's what they're doing. For example, the message of forgiveness. Well, God will forgive us. That's the simple truth and therefore it's okay for me to go do whatever I want to do. And we know, certainly there's biblical proof that. No, that is not right accurate. So let's just maybe jump right into us do it. The typical rationalizations that we that we face. I wrote an article, as I often do, as we're kind of organizing our thoughts here, and there are some

4:30 things that we have seen over and over and over again that are twisted rationalizations. Using the Gospel to justify killing their babies. Yeah, so one of the first ones. Number One, women claim to be believers as they plan their babies death. Yeah, we hear it over and over again, certainly in the Bible Belt. Absolutely. Yeah, you know, I'm going to go and do this and God's going to forgive me. There's this mentality that somehow God is beholden to us, a is human beings, and he's got to forgive us. Right, because, after all, that's what he was created for, to forgive us and make us feel better about ourselves. That's the mentality. Yeah, and the reality, scripturally, is that we were created for him, by him, that we're beholding to him. He's not beholding to us. And God does it have to forgive anyone for anything.

5:19 Right he he's not like some genie that if you just do this magic formula, somehow you're forgiven. It's more that somehow you do that magic formula and you're a believer. Yeah, and, and in many cases that's what they're saying. I'm I'm a believer and you can't tell me I'm I'm not right. And and the fact that I'm going in to kill my child does not demonstrate that my faith is not real or that my belief is not real. And our point in pointing out that that maybe they are not believers is not to to condemn or to to make them feel that they are less of a person than we are, but to point out that if they are believers, they won't kill their baby. Yeah, they will do what what, what God says. So I've got a good verse for them. This is a verse that I think directs, directly addresses this and and one that you can use if you have someone who's saying, well, I'm Jesus, is my Lord and you can't tell me he's not, and I'm going to go in there and kill my baby and then ask forgiveness. Yeah, so it's from James to fourteen to seventeen. It's the verse. You want to read it, sure, just save my voice. Yeah, what good is it, my brothers, if someone says yes, faith but does not have works, can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed,

6:49 lacking daily food, and one of you says to them go in peace, be warm and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Yeah, and so this scripture tells us that if you say that you have faith, yeah, that's faith. Actually should be demonstrated in what you do. It's not real faith, it's not a living faith unless it's demonstrated in what you actually do. And of course the Bible does not teach a works based salvation. Salvation is not by works, but the natural outflow of salvation, of true faith in God, is works. You're going to do things that correspond with faith in God. And if you're going to say that you have faith and trust in God and yet do something so egregious as killing your child, then you've demonstrated through your actions that actually your faith is not real, it's not a substance of faith.

7:51 Yeah, and and for us as a Gospel Centered Ministry, it would be doing a great disservice to women as they go in or as they come out, if they say I'm a believer, I put my faith in the Lord, and yet they're on their third, fourth, fifth abortion and they'll probably be back for a six. This is a false convert, this is not someone who has submitted their life to God. And so it is and I think, very important to challenge that. Yeah, I don't think that. I think it's easy for easier for us to sometimes say, well, they said there a believer, yeah, and just accept that. But I don't think that that is a loving thing to do. It's actually one of the for me personally. I'm not testimony. One of the most loving things that someone did to me, I'm a brother, was actually to confront me and say, Hey, man, your life doesn't line up with what you're saying.

8:46 I was a false convert for about three years, claiming to be a Christian, yet still doing the things I've always done. Didn't change one bit, you know, still doing drugs and lying and I'll fornicating all the things that I did before. And my brother did the most loving thing that he could have done. He Con Front of me. He did a very graciously and I think there's a way that we can do it very graciously. I think when we confront some hypocrisy in someone's life, we need to do it with scripture. I'm a scriptural basis, not a based on our opinion. My opinion is, if you're here, you should know the Bible says that no murderer has eternal life in himself. Yeah, you can't be a Christian. Murder is impossible. So to murder your child and claim to be a Christian or two incompatible things. Right. So either you're you're not a true Christian and your false convert, or you are a true Christian and you're going to turn away from murdering your child? That's right. And and and asking lots of questions to help them come to those conclusions after you've presented them with the truth is, as we've said in the past, a really good a really good strategy for helping them to admit, Hey, maybe I'm not a believer. Yeah, Great Comfort does that in when people say I'm a good person, I right. Just talked with the woman today, shared the Gospel with the woman today who said she was a good person. Nice. Well, let me ask you some questions and I'll I'll answer them as well.

10:05 Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever fornicated? Have you ever taken the Lord's name in vain? And by the time I'm we finished with our list of questions, I said are you a good person? And said, I guess I'm really not. But she came to that conclusion on her own and I think that that through targeted questions and I think that we can do the same. I'm challenging people when they say I'm a Christian, rather than accepting that face value, because you will hear it if you're on the sidewalk of an abortion center. You will hear it all the time, at least if you're in the south. Now again. o. Our mentality has to be one of we're not just pointing these things out, calling them unbelievers, to make ourselves feel better, right, or just to tear them down. Yes, because we can do this very graciously.

10:52 You can talk someone through and show them what the Scripture says. Yeah, and show them that they're they're actually not right with God, and you can do it in such a way there's very gracious, but forth right rather than just you're not just blasting land, blasting them right with some certain trees from the scripture. Yes, and I know for a fact that you do that. You for sure do that, Daniel. I could use a little work on it. I hammer them really hard or I'm very great. You're very gracious. You're very gracious. Okay. So the second one. Women claim that it and this is what you started alluding to earlier on. Women claim that it is okay to abort since God is a forgiving God. We have dealt with that in absolute podcast, but I've heard over and over again.

11:33 I know it's wrong, but I'm going to do this because I know God will forgive me. Yeah, yeah, and it's again. I think you'd said it well. He said you're not really asking God for forgiveness. You're trying to ask God for permission to kill your child. God does not grant us permission to disobey him. Yeah, yeah, it's not really about forgiveness. Is a mentality and Paul addresses it when he talks about those who take the mercy of God for granted. They take the grace of God as a license for sin. Right, and it proves that they don't know the Lord, they have not had a true encounter with this holy, Holy, Holy God. And that's in Romans six, one did one through fourteen, but a where he says, what shall we say then? Are We to continue in sin? That grace may abound, may by no means how can we who died to sin still live in it? And that's a great verse to to mention to mom who says I'm going to go in because I know that God, God will forgive me. Yeah, in those situations too, it's good, I think, and I think it's very biblical to use analogies to say well, if I told you that, you know your way for the weekend and I'm going to break in your house and steal all your stuff.

12:46 Yeah, but you're going to forgive me because you're a forgiving person. Would you be okay with that? Right? What I be a person that would receive your forgiveness? Yeah, of course not. Right. I'm planning in my own wicked heart to do evil and then, because you're nice, you're going to forgive me. Right. How's that going to work out for me? Not too good. Right, and suffer consequence. Right, and stories are great, and that that does often, I think, change people's ability to see what Paul is talking about in that verse and the flaw in their own argument. So the third one is that women claim that all sin is the same. Yeah, so abortion is not so terrible, and I'll hear the the various permutations of that, but one is, have you ever told a lie? Well, I'm about to go, go have an abortion, but you're a liar. You've told lies. Yeah, and so we need to address that, because not all sin is the same. All Sin Separates US right from the glory of God, and they're they're correct in that.

13:43 But there are magnitudes of sin and there are differing punishments for sin, and I know you're turning to something while you're looking there, the one I'm actually turned into the scripture that you have there. Okay, these are these are this is a great scripture, I think, addressing that and when I've read that to women who say all sin is the same, and I'll say, well, actually, Jesus himself would disagree with you. Yeah, and we can prove that because scripture supports that. Yeah, yeah, and here Jesus answered. This is in the John Nineteen, verse eleven. Yeah, this is Jesus before pilot, right before he's about to be crucified. Jesus answered sit and said You could have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, the one who delivered me to you. As the Greater Sin Greater. So the word great or there implies that there's Lesser Sin. Now there can be some confusion here for people.

14:39 You know, one of the things we deal with on a regular basis is just biblically illiterate people, right, people who've taken certain, I don't know, passages out of context or messages from the pulpit and taking them to mean something that that God never intended. So the idea that all sin is the same is not a biblical concept right at all. You can get all the time. This is also widespread. Yeah, and so you did with Biblical illiteracy and bringing the Bible into the equation and showing people actually, here's what the Scripture says. You're confronting Biblical illiteracy and you're bringing the truth of God's word into the equation. But also, again, I think helping with analogies is pretty helpful. You know, if you stand before an earthly judge and you stole a Pepsi at the store, are your consequences going to be the same? Is it the same as if you murdered your next door neighbor?

15:35 Of course not. Those two things are very different. We have consequences that are very different for these different kinds of sins. But of course all sin does separate us from God. All Sin, whether you tell one little quote white lie or where do you kill someone, you are still separated from a holy God. So that is a truth. All Sin separates us, and you said it very well. All Sin separates us from God, but not all sin is the same. That's right, that's right. And what and you know sometimes this can almost feel academic, like, okay, so big deal, you've really made a nice organized chart of all the rationalizations. But there's a reason why they're so important to know. Because if a woman is claiming that all sin is the same, and all of us probably every day there is like what I would call a little sin in our life. We've told the white lie. We've said yes, dinner taste delicious honey, when honestly it probably maybe didn't. We've all done that, but we all are not killing our babies. Yeah, and there is a difference and it's very important that they recognize that. Stumbling is not the same as just a free fall jump off of a cliff of sin. Yeah, and that's what abortionous.

16:52 Yeah, and the reality is, no one actually believes that all sin is the same. No one actually believes that in their everyday life. Right, we all know that there there are sins that are more egregious than others. Right. There are things that people do where you wonder how in the world could they ever do something so evil? Right, and then there are things that that people do that are still evil, and yet they're pretty common evils. Like still in a Pepsi from the grocery store or whatever it might be. Those things are sin and they still separate people from God. People that do that are still the eaves. However, we all would recognize there are different levels of sin. Helping a mom to understand that is can be helpful in giving analogies and, of course, given what the scripture says, totally agree. So this one is a fun one. Okay, this is the fourth one. Women claim that God gave us free will to choose abortion.

17:52 Okay, it's accurate. He did. It is. Yeah, I mean so we do have the freedom of the will right do evil and of course, as human beings, we do pretty good at doing evil, don't we? Yes, we do pretty good. It take us free will, YEP, and giving it to to sin. And one of the things that I will say, and I've had conversations with many young men that come over on the sidewalk and they're there with their girlfriend, of their wife or an abortion, and they say some of the very similar didn't God give us free will right? And so my response typically is this, just because God gave you free will to do something does not mean that it's okay for you to do what you want to with that will. As a matter of fact, when you stand before him, it's what you've done with the free will that he's given you that you will be held accountable for. Exactly just because God allows you to do something doesn't mean he's okay with what you've done, and it can help bring some truth into the equation there and help these folks to think this through. It's really ridiculous statement. Just because God doesn't strike you dead before you do something, it means he's a Kay with what you're doing.

18:56 Right, right. So there's a very different thing between between free will and his desire and permission. Yeah, he well, I guess he does permit you, but his desire is clearly not in one of the best verses for that, I think, is Deuteronomy, three thousand nineteen to twenty. Yeah, maybe. Well, many of you guys probably know this scripture, but I call heaven and earth to witness against you that I've set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land and that the Lord, that the Lord swore to your father's, to Abraham, Isaac and to Jacob to give them. So here's this promise of God that before you is the choice of life, death, blessing and cursing. He gives you that choice. She's live. Yes, he said it before. Humanity choose life, death, blessing and cursing, you know. And we deal with the issue of choice and people choosing to do what they want to do. Of course, we mentioned before. We deal with the pro aborts that talk about choice right, and many of them will say a woman has the right to choose abortion, doesn't she? And I will say yes, she does. She can choose to go right in that abortion. Could it can kill her child? Yeah.

20:14 However, that choice has consequences. Listen, if abortion was illegal, people can still choose to kill their children. Sure, right now it's illegal to kill three year olds. Yeah, can a can a mother of a three year old choose to kill her child? She can, actually, she can, and that has happened. That doesn't make it right. Right. So the legality of it doesn't make it right. The the the fact that God gives people the ability to choose things doesn't make it right, that's a ridiculous notion. Right, ridiculous, but we hear it all the time, all the time, all the time. Yeah, okay, now, in none of these is you're responding to a mom or to a dad going into an abortion center, do you need to voice how ridiculous these things are to them? You know, they hear what they're saying. Not Helpful, but it is good. It is good to think through some responses not right them off immediately. It's easy to do because you hear these things so often.

21:08 It's like you can probably repeat what's the next thing they're going to say because you hear him so often. Yeah, but again, you know our attitude. Listening to what they're saying is helpful and then answering with a scriptural answer, answering with a common sense answer is helpful. So taking the attitude that I'm taken to say that they're just completely ridiculous. Well, that's true, but that's just convey that. That's just between us. Right. Yeah, yeah, definitely, I think it. It's it's important to acknowledge the truth of what they've said. God did give us free will. I will say that all the time. You're correct. He did give us free will. But and then you counter with the scriptural truth about what he wants us to do with that free will. Because she's clear, and he's very clear in the first choose life. Yeah, you see, he sets before it's life and death. Therefore, choose life, do do the right thing, and is basically what exactly saying. This one is one of my favorites. Not Women claim that Jesus is their Lord, since they asked him into their hearts.

22:11 Yeah, so, I often share Romans ten nine. Did today. I always do. It's one of my favorite verses in in introducing that idea in the Gospel message that if you proclaim with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. And I almost always get the response, Oh, I did that. Yeah, they're still abortion minded. How I did that? Yeah, I did that, I did that one. So kick that box right. Right. So, so I spend so much time focusing on on that Jesus is Lord. Yeah, statement. Unfortunately, this is a manifestation of some of the weak Gospel presentations that happen in churches across America. The easy believi is mm and basically the setup is, you know, Here's The Gospel, here's the problem of sin and here's the box you need to check to take care of that problem. Right, just pray after me, Jesus is Lord, and check you're safe to check the box and ready to go right. And the message of Repentance, renewal of the heart, regeneration, the message of the holiness of God, a lot of that's been neglected.

23:21 Yeah, and so again there's this mentality that's been embraced by people that you know, God's almost God was created for you to fix your problems, rather than you were created for him. And The holiness of God is so often neglected. In showing this God who they'll stand before as holy really helps people understand it's not just check in a box, but I need to surrender my life to him. And of course we life is surrendered to him. You're not going to give yourself the things like for Nication, an abortion right and sin right. He's not only holy but just, and that when you start introducing the idea of justice. That's another thing that is really neglected, in my experience, at least in what I'm hearing. Maybe it is introduced in the churches, but I'm sure not hearing it reflected and in what the women are saying, because even if God were just God, then obviously God would demand that they not go in and kill this innocent child who has caused committed no crime. Yeah, and that is not justice. So I often introduce luke six. Well, why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you? Yeah, and I say Jesus himself tells you.

24:30 If you're going to call them Lord, you're supposed to obey him. Yeah, and I think breaking down that word Lord is important. Yeah, what does that word mean? I think that Jesus. If you claim that Jesus is your Lord, what does that mean? Yes, Lord, just a title, or does it imply that you're actually in subjection to what he says? Because that's what it means. It's actually can be translated master. Yeah, so if he's in charge, basically what it means he's in charge. If Jesus is in charge, is he okay with you killing your child that he created? And of course not. And that's a great way to ask it. And I think one of the big surprises for me when I started doing this work and sharing the Gospel on a regular basis was people would I would say, what does that mean when Jesus is Lord, and so many people could not answer that. They didn't know what they'd said it.

25:22 Yeah, and and it was a big kind of revelation to them that they really had said it without knowing what that entailed, which is why they're showing up in an abortion center and calling Jesus Lord. Yeah, well, it's just another now kind of a common title that people use for Jesus, just like Jesus Christ. A lot of people can't tell you who are raising church. What does Christ even mean? It's like is that Jesus is last name. Know, it implies something. He's annointing when he's the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Well, Lord just just the title, just something you attack on to the front of Jesus exactly, Mr Jesus. But it has biblically implies a lot more than just a title before the name of Jesus. Right, it's who he is. If you're a Christian in your life, he's your master. He gets to say what goes. That's right. That's right.

26:11 So, and I think we actually even did a podcast where we start would have presented that a little bit, but but if not, this is a good summer. You have that. So now those are all unique concerns and though there's, I'm sure, many, many more, but those were the top five that kind of came to me as I as I was working on this and thinking through it. So now what do we do with that? How Do we present the Gospel with those unique concerns in mind, because we do believe that that the way you present the Gospel is sometimes different depending on your audience. You're presented too, in the unique issues that arise from the unique audience that you're speaking with. So we already mentioned the first one. Be Be careful about the message of forgiveness. Yeah, if the first thing you call out, and I have heard this from new inexperience counselors, Jesus loves you, he'll forgive you as they're on their way in to kill their baby. Is Their problem with that, Daniel? There's a big problem with that. Yeah, because listen, the fact is, will he forgive you? Not necessarily, he can. He's willing to if you repent.

27:17 But you're offering the message of forgiveness at a at a bad time, because it's grasp on to as a justification for doing something so bad like killing your innocent child. And we shouldn't. You know, we got to share God's Truth and God's word, but the message of God will forgive you is not necessarily a biblical truth from that standpoint. It's God will forgive you if you repent. Yeah, and if you're given justification to a mom to kill her child, we certainly don't want to have any part of that. So that's why we need to be careful of offering the message of forgiveness in that way. And one of my favorite verses is he brews twenty six. If you willfully continue and sin, there remains no repentance for sin, but a fiery expectation of judgment. Yeah, and I don't even need to tell them what that means. I just say that verse and say, can you is this continuing and sin? You know the truth. You're walking in there knowing the truth. What does that first tell you? I think it's a huge warning and absolutely, and they usually agree. Yeah, so be fourth right about calling sin what it is. I think is the is the second takeaway.

28:30 Yeah, and some of the unit unique concerns. A lot of us shy away from calling sin sin all the time, but especially in front of an abortion center, because you don't want to make them mad at you. Yeah, I think that's when I when I'm careful about the words that I'm using. And you know, you don't want to tick them off so that you push them in right to the abortion center, but you can sugarcoat it so much that there's no awareness that what they're doing is truly heinous, ruly wrong. Yeah, I mean one of the things we're talking about sin and calling sin sin. There are those who shy away from calling abortion murder. Right, I did, I did for long. Yeah, and I understand that.

29:11 Yeah, and I think there can that certainly needs to be a consideration. I don't think it's helpful for us to put that out, that truth out there like an accusation. Right, you know you're a murderer. Yes, as they're walking into an abortion center, because I have seen it myself. Yeah, I've seen their feet move faster right into that abortion sen yeah, I actually think, and we did, we talked about in a couple episodes ago about words and words have meaning. And Yeah, I think being careful with our words and saying and this is what I say often. Don't go in there and take the innocent life of your baby, right, because it's almost like abortion is murder has become almost like a mantra or something like that, to where it doesn't really carry the weight that we think it might.

29:55 Yeah, but if you're using words or you're trying to describe to this mother, don't go in there and take the innocent life of your baby. We're bringing things to her mind. Hopefully that will help her to understand the weight of what she's really doing. Then just become some cliche statement. Abortion is murder. Right. So they're gentler ways to call it sin, but college sin down. Don't don't be afraid to point out that this is wrong. Yeah, we certainly don't need to convey to this mother don't go in there and make a terrible mistake. It's not a terrible ye stake, it's sin. It seems its God right. I think that's why we need to mention God as we're talking to him, like we say often, is this something that God would ever have you to do? Would God want you to take the innocent life of your child? and honestly, that can be a showstopper. But that happened to me today, which is why I thought that up. I still think it's an absolutely critical, important thing to say.

30:44 So on one hand we're saying be careful, but on the other hand, don't be so careful that God is not brought into the equation. He must be brought into the ACCAO, the equation. A woman rolled down her window today. I said, we have hope and help for you. My Name and numbers on the back of this information. Would you take this? And she's smiling and and and said sure. I said you're on your way to the Women Center. She was, and then I said what would God have you do after saying that we had hope and help, and she rolled the window up and drop away and Yep, into the abortion center. Maybe I should have done something different, but it is usually what I introduced very, very quickly and and hopefully you know that that percolates in their heart while they're sitting in there. Yeah, so timing is important. Yeah, it is.

31:26 We don't always know the exact right timing, but listen, if we knew, if we knew the D from the beginning, I think are counseling sessions would be far more effective. But we don't, but we don't. So we do our best. So we do the best we can with the information that we have and we need to be truthful and do things scripturally right. So again, mentioning God, or whether that made her roll the window up faster or who knows. Who knows what the next thing you could have said could have been something that about resources and she rolled her window up. Yeah, but but I have had the opposite response where I've said what would God have you do when they cry, and then I'm able to speak more truth than they go on the RV. So I I bet any way about it, whether they whether that statement sends them running or not. That statement, I think, is an important statement that needs to be set at some point early on. Yeah, well, would God have you do, or something along those lines, introducing God. We you had already touched on this one a little bit. To take the time to explain what real repentance means.

32:23 Yeah, because I don't think that it's right right now. It's not, and I think it is important. Again, like we talked about before, words do matter and using words, biblical words like repentance, can be helpful. It's a biblical word. But then explaining that word is helpful as well. Yeah, so when you have a one on one you know a lot of what we're talking about. We're not talking about calling out across the parking lot at the abortion centers cases. The talking about one on one interactions with most of these cases, and so you have time to explain your words. You have time to explain. And so when I talk about repentance, you God calls you to repent, I will always, almost always at least, follow that up with that means to turn away from sin, that means to stop doing the things you know are offensive to the Lord. It's more give deminish sorry, because that's what they'll say when I'll say what is repentance mean? That's what I hear so often. It means you say you're sorry.

33:20 Yeah, it's much more. It is much more that you're sorry. Yeah, I mean one of the things, if I have the time to lay out, it's actually a turning of your heart, your mind and your feet away from those things that are offensive to the Lord, the things that he would never have you to do. Yeah, I like that heart, mind and your feet. Yes, that's actually a really good statement and that's actually the biblical picture of repentance is a one hundred and eighty degree turn. You're walking that direction. To repent is to walk in completely the opposite direction. Yeah, that's good. Ask them where they are going, heaven or hell, to discern workspaced theology. Yeah, so, and that's very important.

34:01 It's important in sharing it, the Gospel, with anyone, but I also think it's especially important with a post abortive women, which actually most of the women, even the ones who choose life that time, have had a prior abortion. And if their understanding of God and a relationship with God is based on works, they're feeling condemnation. Well, absolutely so. The single question that I think maybe you have another one, but for me the one question that really kind of immediately lets me know do they believe they can work their way to heaven or not, is to say where you going, heaven or hell, and then why? Yeah, and how they answer that question. And that's an easy way to then have entrey and to sharing the rest of the Gospel. Yeah, absolutely, laying out that your good works cannot save you. Right, it only the good work that Jesus Christ did in his death, Barren resurrection right can rescue and Dean save you. Yeah, because we do have a lot of people, even with Thea you believe is m salvation, people that say they check the box. If you really get down into they're thinking about, quote, religious things, they still have a works based mentality. I mean, if you think about it, checking that religious box. I did that. I said that prayer is kind of like it. It's really, are you really trusting in Christ? That's the question.

35:21 Are you trusting in him? Are you clinging to him for salvation? It's not works based, it's really heart based, right, if your heart really trusting in Christ. Yeah, and for many of these folks that would use these excuses to kill their child and justify it, obviously their hearts are not it's given to the Lord. That's right, that's right, and not their faith. They'll say I have faith and and I have faith that Soanso Andso and so. But if you ask them, well, do you have faith only when things are going the way you want them to go, or do you have faith when God is telling you to do something that's hard? Yeah, and if you don't have the faith to do what God is telling you to do when something's hard, then I would challenge whether you have a saving faith. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, not too long ago, a couple of weeks ago actually, I was talking to a young man who was given excuses about his girlfriend having the abortion he was. He said he trusted the Lord, he said God was faithful and all these other things, and I said really, with a rubber meets the road, which is right here, right now, you're not trust in God, right, you're telling me, because of coronavirus, because of your financial situation, because of this, because of that, though, God is trustworthy in his character is impeccable, and you confess that. Yet somehow, right now, his character is up for question, because of the coronavirus, because of your financial situation, because of this, because of that, somehow God becomes not faithful anymore. Right, can't trust him now. Trust him to tough to see, even though

36:52 he holds the future in his hand and he's been faithful in the past. You're telling me he won't be faithful in the future. And so I really pressed him on the issue of trusting the Lord and brought him to a point where he saw and he agreed with me. Yeah, I'm not really trusting God, Emma. Yeah, now, unfortunately, he didn't go in there and get his girlfriend out, but he certainly didn't get away with the idea that somehow he's trust in God when he's really not. I gave him the truth and I did it very forthrightly, but very graciously. He didn't stomp off mad. We had a good, cordial conversation, conversation I yeah, I heard a lot of it and it was and I'm sure seats were planted and so maybe this baby wasn't safe, but maybe the next one will be. Maybe maybe he will be reconsidering. Yeah, and again, I certainly didn't just let him go with believe in the idea that somehow he's trusting in the Lord when he's really not. Yeah, stunging with the truth, stunning with God's word, and he will have to stand before the Lord and give an account. Hopefully, like you said, it planet seeds and he really truly God, do the surrenders to the Lord and trust. Yeah, I got a great text, I think it was this week, from a mom who said she was thanking cities for life, for that which is our ministry, our organization, that that is there in front of the abortion center.

38:06 And she she said because when she chose life because we were there and she said I I thought my situation that I faced was so awful and that it would never change, and said I'm so glad I chose life. Do you know, every single thing has changed for the better, every single thing. But she had put her faith in God and in doing the right thing before her circumstances changed. And how so often happens, than God worked were good things in her life. The next one is one that is not, I think, unique. Cut in a whites in here, but throw it in there. Convinced them they're a sinner. That that you need to do that with everyone. You show the Gospel. Yeah, one why is? Preacher said, you got to get people lost before you can get them safe.

38:52 They don't know that they have to be found. Yeah, don't. If they don't know they're lost, why are they trying to be found by our gracious God? And if they don't know that they have a sickness, then why would they take the remedy? That's right, and our great encourager, at least from a far ray, comfort and sharing the gospels, gets right to that first. I love watching his videos. I love just here in the Gospel presentations yeah, he talks about that very same thing. I need to use the law to show people that they're sick, that they need a physician, because someone's not going to take a cure for disease. They don't believe that they have right. And most people walk around. You know, the Bible says each one will proclaim their own goodness. People think they're basically good. I'm a good person. Everybody else is evil, but I'm a good person. And you have to really get right to that thing and show them they're not a good person. Yeah, they're actually separated from God through their sin and they're under God's judgment, but Jesus Christ came so that they might be saved. And even just sometimes you have to just go to the point of is is there truly evil? And today I said it is.

39:53 Hit the evil and I den and she agreed. Yeah, there is evil, because she was someone who believed in a higher power but not much of anything else. And and from they're saying, so, what does he deserve? Well, he deserves hell. She's quite certain of that. But she did not see. Didn't, and so then so introducing the idea that she was indeed a sinner, that that helped her to come to an understanding of why Jesus dying on the Cross was necessary, why that penalty had to be paid. And that's the next one. Remind them there is a penalty for sin. Where sinner, there is a penalty sin. And then I'll kind of speed US along, move to the remedy Persin, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. What Jesus Christ did in his death, burying resurrection is the remedy for the problem of sin. That's right. It's not trying hard, doing better, getting a bigger Bible or whatever. It's surrendering to what Jesus Christ has done. That's how you get salvation right. And and then, if then, and only then, if they understand all that has been said and you truly understand. If you say, do you understand everything?

40:58 Do you have any questions? Is there anything you disagree with? Now I agree with all of that at this all makes sense. At that point I will extend an invitation. If I really believe that they have truly grasped and understood sincerely everything that that's been raised, then I extend an invitation for them to ask to submit their life to Jesus, ask him to be Lord of their life and begin that process, yeah, of walking with God. Yes, yeah, I know, I've heard folks that have a problem with this extending in invitation for people. Yes, yeah, you want to get right with God right now. Yeah, some people say, you know, you should just let it be between them and the Lord. I understand that. Yeah, but I do think that is important to get them again. It's not decision, believe. Easy believe is and get them to check a box, but to give them to acknowledge, before God and before other people, their sin and their need for a savior and to ask God to rescue and to save them. Yea, and giving them an opportunity to pray, and you've done it several times. I've seen it with some men I've ministered to on the sidewalk to pray and ask Jesus to save them from their sin.

42:07 I'll even get them to go through and confess their sense, name out, what your sons are. You're not you're not talking to me, so I make sure they direct their attention to the ord talking to God. Yeah, God knows all this stuff anyway. Confessed to him and God can wash your sins away. Yeah, today, after I shared the Gospel. The woman went from agnostic, believing in a higher power but really knowing nothing else, to that is a beautiful story. She agreed and she understood and it was clear from the question she'd asked. And I did say, you know, you could do this at any moment. You can submit your life to Jesus from this moment forward and I'm happy to pray with you if you want to pray. She said. You know what, I really am going to think about this. This this there's there's been. You've given me a lot to consider, but I am not ready to fully commit right now and I feel like this is something I need to fully commit to. And that is a great statement. Yeah, and and and I said that is wonderful and I think you should think about it, pray about it, but I would not wait too long. I do, I do feel an urgency that maybe not everyone feels, but the Bible says, while it is yet today, do not harden your heart as you did in the repellion. Yeah, and I am we none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Yeah, I'm so, so some of the key verses for sharing the Gospel and maybe then we can wrap, wrap it up with those. The concept of personal sin. Romans three hundred and twenty three. Yeah, one of my favorites. For All have sinned and false show of the glory of God. The penalty for sin.

43:40 Romans six hundred and twenty three. The wages of sin is death. Do you have a favorite for repentance? Yeah, well, repent or you shall likewise. Paris was that, but that too good. Chapter Thirteen, it's a good one. Yeah, okay. Yeah, so I'll remember that one. There's a path back to God through Jesus. I love Romans ten nine for that, which I had already mentioned. Focusing on Lordship, yeah, she is one of the most common misunderstandings and of false conversions. I believe is not understanding. Lord Luke six and forty six. Why do you call me Lord Lord? Yeah, and not everyone, Matthew. Twenty one is another great one. Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Yeah, that's a powerful that is a powerful and scary verse. Yeah, who are not living for the Lord it is, have not truly certended their life to Jesus, and yet have his name on their lips. Yeah, I think something for me and that kept me from sharing the Gospel was because there's so many great verses and there's so many that you could focus on. So I think it is important to go through and think about what are the key elements and what are some key verses that really resonate with you, that that get that key concept across to whoever you're talking to and memorize those verses. Yeah, absolutely, and not be afraid.

45:00 Not Be afraid, because the it is the power of God alone is it's what's going to change this whole abortion issue. Yeah, and change it. That change happens individual hearts being surrendered to the Lord. So I would encourage you guys share the gospel out there on the sidewalk. Don't neglect sharing the gospel. Encourage us. Maybe there are some things that we missed in this podcast. Maybe you're involved in sidewalk ministry, you're out there on a regular basis and you're sharing the Gospel and there's some stuff we didn't touch on. Some wisdom you can give to us. We certainly don't think that we have it all together, so reach out to US share those things. You can reach out to me d parks at cities for lifecom Her v CASSIE ORG at cities for lifecom. We'd love to hear from you, guys. We appreciate you, guys that share this podcast. Please continue to share it, but until next time, God bless our love. For Love, give me our loft for gratitude. I know it will cost me my life. Nothing's too precious. And some met you