Three Parables to Help You In Prolife Ministry, (#3 is funny but very helpful)

0:00 But what happens with a big, steamy parliamoneure? Well, it attracts, sadly, flies and other tracks flies of all kinds. Yeah, I am yours, I am yours, I am yours, and welcome to the Gospel Center Pro Life Podcast, and this episode we're going to talk about three parables, some biblical and some maybe extra biblical, that will help you as a sidewall counselor or any other pro life ministry you're involved in. So stay tuned. Send Me, Lord, I felt show Passish, touch your heart. Use Me. Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. We appreciate you guys listening and we'd appreciate if you guys would share these podcasts. We hope they're blessing to you. And we're going to cover a subject today that I think will be particularly applicable to sidewall counseling, but could be applicable to a lot of other prolife ministries. However, think one of the things we've discovered is that, since our wheelhouse is sidewall counseling, it's why i's to focus there. It's just what we know and we try to broaden and generalize as much as possible to help. Bless anybody who may be listening who works with a pregnancy center or in any other kind of pro life ministry or just in general's and it's interested in pro life talk topics. But in our vein sidewalk

1:34 counseling, I think we think we probably are better to stay in that vein. But this topic, as it applies her life ministry, is kind of a biblical train of thought in that we're talking about parables that really help us in Ministry, parables that give us good pictures. In this what parables do, right, they give us a picture, yeah, kind of an everyday picture of whatever we're involved in to help us, I guess, bring it down to Earth. Sure, because Jesus did that all the time. Eight he taught lessons through stories. Yeah, he did, and so that's what we're going to do. We're actually going to try to just talk through a couple of stories, a couple of biblical scenarios, maybe some scenarios that are maybe extra biblical, not in a bad way they use, but very us paint to picture right. Yeah, the Lord actually helps me a lot of times with giving me pictures and analogies and things like that. That helped me to say, Oh, yeah, that's how this works. And you know, analogies of course break down at some point. Parables breakdown at some point, but again, they are helpful in Jesus, like you said, use parables all throughout and and they can't help us to just come to terms with certain realities and connect certain dots to better understand. Yeah, that's actually yeah.

2:58 So we're going to be just mentioned in three parables, and each of these parables fits into a certain aspect of prolife ministry. Again, in particular sidewalk counseling and what I was going to deal with, the philosophy of sidewall counseling, the practice of sidewalk counseling. And the third one deals with the purpose and the primary goal. Yeah, of PSIDE. So three peas and that great for you guys, or piece, if you count primary for piece. Right. Yeah, so like how we like to stay with that. We do like that. Literation is philosophy practice, right, probably here you go. Yeah, because what's interesting is how you came up with this idea, Daniel. Was She said these three parables were kind of running through your head and you hadn't really quite tied together, like why? But as we were working through this, it became very apparent. One was talking about the philosophy, the underpinning of why we do what we do. Another was how we do what we do or the practice of of what we do, and then the third one why we do what we do it. It was kind of interesting. How how that that really gives you a whole picture of a pro life ministry. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and of course I believe throughout our podcasts we've probably touched on every one of these stories, maybe not the last story that we're going to talk about right, and the that analogy.

4:23 What's I want you guys to be ready for, because it's going to be really fun. Analogy. It's not necessarily a BIBLICO analogy, but we do have a biblical analogy. We do for our third third point here. Yeah, but let's hop into philosophy of sidewalk counseling and the parable that, I think really in the beginning of cities for life and the model of our ministry is kind of fueled what we do and shaped what we do and kind of given us the framework for not just that well counseling but just this ministry in general. Yeah, and and before you get into that, I why is philosophy so important? And I remember when I started home schooling I was completely at a loss. I didn't want to. It was really I was almost forced to, but a very wise mentor told me the first thing that you need to do. I'm overwhelmed with all the things to get set to start homeschooling, something I had never even heard of before I started it.

5:21 She said the first thing you need to do is develop your philosophy of homeschooling. Yeah, so philosophy kind of guides everything else, everything that you do. So it's a great place, I think, for us to start. Yeah, you know, I think one of the things also is not only that philosophy guides, but it also sustains, and one of the reasons why I think a good philosophy of ministry, especially when you're involved in sidewalk counseling, sidewalk out reach ministry, because it can be such a and intense ministry. Yeah, spiritual warfare. Interactions with people are not always pause of it right, and so it's hard to listen. We have people that come out that you know, their whole whole philosophy of ministry people that come out to volunteer is they want to. They want to save these poornessent women that save the world. I'm going to save the world. I found my purpose in life. Right. I want to save these poor women from this terrible mistake all abortion. Right. I want to save these babies, which you know.

6:20 Both of those, you know, often what I say the enemy of the best. It's always the good. Right. So it's good to save women from the destructive nature of abortion, to save babies, of course, right. We believe that that's good. But is that the best? Now? Really the best is to bring Lord to God. Right, our focus has to be on the Lord, and in this parable I think Jesus sets things in their proper perspective, because I won't say a bad philosophy of ministry, for Sidewalk Counseling is to love your neighbor. It's not a bad that's not a bad philosophy. That's actually a good philosophy of ministry to love our neighbor. But the best philosophy of ministry is to love God, and then out of that flows a love for your neighbor. You know, Jesus talks about the two great commands and what are they? What's Love The Lord, your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Right?

7:15 And then he says the second command is like unto the first. That means they're tied together, right, and which is love your neighbor as yourself. And I'll say you can't actually properly love your neighbor until you first love God. If you love your neighbor first, your motivation is flipped on its head, it's upside down. The Cart is before the horse. Our love for our neighbor has to flow out of, first and foremost, our love for God, because if you love your neighbor and that's the primary focus, you'll end up either compromising the truth, compromising the Gospel, or you end up going to some other radical extreme. You know. So you want to make sure our love for God is first, and that's where our philosophy of ministry really is important, again, not just to get us out there and to keep us, but to sustain us, because you can get burned out and you know, if you have a mentality, and you know it well, when you you know you can come out here, you're going to save these poor innocent women from the terrible, the destructive nature of abortion and you find out, well, not all these women are poor innocent victims. They're actually fairly vile and say say them things to you there show that they're not just poor innocence to them don't want to be saved, so that you get burned really quick if that's your philosophy of ministry. So it's a love for God first. So let's jump into the parable that we have first, as it pertains to a philosophy of ministry, and that is Luke chapter ten. We've shared this with you guys before, which is the heart of our ministry.

8:39 And Verse Twenty Five, and this is Jesus sharing with a man's who said, teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And that's when he talks about the two great commands. Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. And then the man asked, who is my neighbor? And then Jesus share this parable. And this is in Luke Chapter Ten, starting in Verse Twenty Five, he begins to share the parable in verse thirty and says a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. So here's this man who is left half dead, naked in the ditch and then, of course the parable goes on. The levite sees this man, passes by on the other side, the priest sees this man passes by on the other side and then a Samaritan comes and the Samaritan sees the man, looks on him with compassion and then goes into the ditch to get him out.

9:35 And that is again the philosophy of our ministry is to go into the ditch, right, but it has to be motivated by love for God first, because in line with this this parable, that's what Jesus talking about, right. But we're not just going and talking to the man in the ditch, we're not just praying about the man of the ditch, right, we're not just getting the community excited about doing something about the man into the ditch problems. Someone else to go take care of that man. And I did here. Am I send someone else here? I'm high. Send them here. My send the politicians. I mean, if you think about a lot of government deal with that man the ditch. But let the government. We need to Hey, we've got to do something about the man in the ditch.

10:15 Let's bring it before the city council. Right, not that any of that is bad, but a Christian that sees a person in the ditch is not just going to vote about the man in the ditch problem, they're going to actually got into the ditch. And so that's what a sidewalk counselor does and that's what we've done as a ministry's we go to the ditches in our society, which are the abortion clinics. Yes, and in this case, of course, that baby is the one in the ditch and that mother is the one in the ditch. So we want to go to them, we want to with our voices, try to get them out of the ditch with the resources and things put them on our animal. That's the picture, right, Yep. And so he what does he do? He goes to the man in the ditch, he gets him out of the ditch, cleans off his wounds, and so that's that's the picture of US sharing the Gospel.

10:58 What's the wound? What covers this person in sores and and and despair? It's sin. There's right and yeah, so we should the Gospel. Yeah, and then we put them on our animal and sometimes that literally means put them in our vehicle, driving them to a pregnancy center, driving them to a maternity home, which is the end, right. It's the picture. Yeah, take them to an end, provide for their knees until they get on their feet, and that's kind of the philosophy of ministry. Right pertains to s right counsel. Yeah, yeah, and that, and that, in the end, is the innkeepers paid for the ongoing care through, through the good Smaritan, for the ongoing care, and that's very analogous to as we pass these moms off to mentorship programs through you, through our sister ministry love life, Charlotte, so that the ongoing needs will be addressed. It's not just that we're going to buy put a bandage on the wound, which is better than what some people do, but that's not enough. That's not God says that's not enough. You put the bandage on, you carried them to a place of healing and then you provide the other ongoing yeah, one of the things that I'll say is that you can't properly love your neighbor like you're supposed to unless you love God first. Right, but you're not truly loving God if you're not loving your neighbor. It's like those two are todd very closely together, because you you can say you love God all day long and leave your neighbor in the ditch. Look at the priest in the Levi.

12:24 What do they do? Well, they're the religious people, but they don't care about the man of the ditch. Matter of fact, they pass by on the other side of the road. Did they truly love God? Right, yeah, Morsel, that was it was evidenced in the fact that they walk abound the other side of the road that they didn't truly love God. Yes, I always found it curious that the the man, the the rich man who is talking to Jesus, asking him or talk, talking with him, and he has loved God, apparently, he says, but that he asks who is my neighbor? I always thought that that was an interesting question. Who is my neighbor? I wondered. Was He trying to like, limit who he would go and Save, or was he truly wondering?

13:05 Did he really have no clue, like what parameters God would put on who, you know, was his neighbor or not his neighbor? Yeah, I mean the Bible doesn't tell us why he asked that question and so we can speculate on why. But Jesus certainly did so. If there were some parameters that this man had put on who was his neighbor, j'sus certainly tore all that down by introducing a Samaritan into the picture. That's right, and affected in the enemy, yeah, of Jewish society at that time. Yeah, it's. And then he he sort of in a sense, well, and not just in the sense, just outright pits this Samaritan, who's just an everyday nobody kind of guy and again dejected by Jewish people, against the priests and the Levites, who were supposed to be like the Pinnacle of human existence in the Jewish mindset. And he pits them against each other and said, okay, this is the guy that pleased God. These guys did right, right, and the neighbor was that kind of the ditch, someone in, you know, a very compromise, vulnerable position. So your neighbor is not necessarily someone that you know you're going to go bring them a pizza. UN He'll, he'll bring you a pizza the next day it's someone that there's no anticipation of any kind of reward from that person in the ditch, say and, and I think that paints a very perfect and analogous picture to the unborn babies and these women, who are often in pretty desperate, yeah, situations.

14:33 Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Well, this next one, I think could be, believe, the philosophy one. That's really important. Yeah, understand that we're supposed to love God first. Forget that. This is not just about love for the man in the ditch. is about love for God and because of that we meet the needs of the man and that that's right. Mom and the baby are demonstrating our love for God. Dies actually treat our NA. The second one is really practical. Yes, this is a picture that the Lord kind of spoke to my heart and many p people use this. This scripture, proverbs thirty one, verses eight nine, as it pertains to Sidewall councling ministry. But I think there's some particulars in this scripture that really help us and this analogy. As you know, I'm really kind of maybe stretching the analogy, and so you guys call me out if you think I'm taking it too far, but I think it really fits in so many ways with sidewalk counseling, with abortion minded women, with the abortion industry, and so let's hop into it. It's proverbs thirty one, eight and nine. You guys have heard me quote this a thousand times and you'll hear two thousand more. But it's open your mouth for the speechless, in the calls or the case of all who are appointed to die, open your mouth, judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor and needy. Yeah, so one of the things that sticks out immediately to me, and probably would stick out to most American Christians, is the word judge. We're told not to judge. That's matter of fact. That's one of the worst things that you can be accused of judging people right, not by the Bible but by by others. Yeah, but you're too modern, you're not a Christian,

16:03 because you're told Thou shall not judge. Right, Corsi's valid. I've even heard it in perfect King James English. Ok, vout, shalt not judgeth right. Yeah, it's one of the ten commandments of her that one's well, yeah, really is it? I haven't read that. Yeah, but this analogy in this this scripture tells us to open our mouth, and that's what we do in sidewalk counseling. We've open our mouth. We literally speak for those that can't speak for themselves. Right. But notice, as I was reading through this, it says open your mouth for the speechless in the calls. And jumped in there and said the case, because that word cause can also mean case. And the analogy really here is there is a person who's innocent, who is scheduled to die, who's before a judge that's Harshan to die. Yeah, before a judge, before a judge, and that judge is going to condemn that person to die, right, and there's someone pleading, yeah, the case. Yeah, you know, we use the term sidewalk counselors and we're talking about we did a podcast about that a long time ago. What is styble counseling? You guys listen to that?

17:07 Yeah, but the word counselor, and I think I mentioned this in that podcast, is not just us sit down and counsel with somebody. We're doing that, yes, but also has to do with like legal counsel. Yeah, you know, when you watch shows, if you've watched, you know, lawyer shows, in these law and order shows, you know they say counsel. What do you get to say about this? That's how the attorney is referred to as counsel, right, because they're not just counseling there, they're they're defendant. There, they're actually, on behalf of that defendant, giving counsel to the judge and actually pleading with the judge. Yeah, they're being an advocate, they are advocating for the life of their client. Yeah, absolutely. So how does that fit in with sidewalk counseling? And what's the what's the analogy? Well, here's the analogy. That baby is the innocent person that scheduled to die. That's a pointed. According to this point, it's right to Anna cannot speak, that that I'm born child cannot speak.

18:03 And who is the judge in this analogy? Let's look. This is an interesting part, because you guys might be tempted to think right aways you're thinking about a judge. Okay, WHO's the judge? God, at my first thing. So it's got, but it's not. It's more even, okay, the abortionist. That's the judge. Yeah, I even think that that would be the case. So who are we pleading our case to, to tip the balance, to bring justice? Who are? Yeah, and so the picture is here, guys, that we're appealing to someone right, as the judge, as the one who can slam down the galvel and say innocent or guilty, right, the one that can can give a sentence, as the car you're set for you, right, exactly. Yeah, and that person in this analogy, when you're dealing with a woman going into the abortion clinic, is the woman that's right, she is the judge. Yeah, she is the judge in the jury. She's the one that gets the determined. Unfortunately, the way that the laws are set up in this country is that she can choose to kill her child through abortion. She can do that and not it's not right before God, but in the situation that we're given in front of an abortion clinic, she can walk on in those doors, and so we've got to do it. So we've got to appeal to her, yeah, just like we appeal to a judge. Now I want you, guys, to listen real closely to this, because this is really important, because there's there's a mentality of people that go out to abortion clinics that think I just show up and I just say whatever comes out of my mouth, and that's great and listen, understand that and I appreciate those, those first steps of faith and stepping out. Yeah, but if you're thinking about it, I believe in these biblical terms, and if that mother really is the judge, are you just going to show up in a court room

19:37 and there's a judge who you hate? Might be a selfish judge, he might be a left leaning liberal judge. But if you're before that judge and you're supposed to be an attorney and you know there's a person that scheduled to die, that judge can slam down the gavel and say guilty, are you going to speak aggressively to that judge? You're going to speak in a way that will hopefully again make your case and make that judge want to listen to your case. So of course you're not going to speak in a way that's going to turn that judge off. But the other word that really grabs me here is how is that person supposed to judge righteously? Yeah, and so as you are pleading that case, you need to be your please, your advocacy needs to point that Judge to righteousness. Yeah, and where do we find that? In the word of God and the word of God and God's Word and God's truth. If you think about it, though, this analogy goes as far as even if you're a lawyer and you're advocating on behalf of that child to that judge, what are some what's some of the things that lawyers use in order to prove that their client is not guilty and doesn't deserve the death penalty? Yeah, well, they use facts, for sure, and they use facts that that will show that that client is in innocent and that that client, like deserve today evidence, you know, I have have evidence be a you know, think number of the different pieces of evidence that they have and you know, I think those kind of tie into the three talking points that we use in our side wall accouncil training, which are what

21:11 God says about this, what God says about the baby, the mom, abortion, all of that, and then the humanity of the baby and the resources that are available. So you're like to the judge you're trying to appeal and say, well, God says this child is valuable, God says your circumstances not too hard you know, if you're appealing to the mother. Yeah, so what God says about it is is a piece of evidence that's try the humanity of the baby, because the judge, the mother in this scenario, doesn't actually believe the baby is a human being in some level. Right, she's been convinced, she's believed some lies, and so we're going to combat those lies with evidence and we're going to say your baby is precious, judge, this baby doesn't deserve this, this innocent person doesn't deserve to die. First of all, I've got to establish that it's a person, right, yeah, and so who's that is evidence? Has a heart that's already beating, maybe has brainways six weeks, all the human DNA they'll ever have at the moment of conception, and then, of course, the resources.

22:03 Here's all this evidence of why this child doesn't have to die, why this innocent person doesn't have to die. Know, you think the situation is such, and we're appealing again to the mother, who is the judge in the situation. You think it's such that this baby has got to die, this person is just got to die, because look at all these circumstances. But look at the rest sources. Look at these is evidence of the resources that show you that your circumstance is not impossible. That's right, and so so a good lawyer is always rational and logical, but I think all and I think that speaks to what you have just described. But I will say a good lawyer also does appeal to the emotions in that heap, he or she presents a case that sways you so that you sense rightness and wrongness. It's good and he's little, and and so there are some things that we say that are true facts, because we would never lie, but that also do appeal to the natural maternal instincts of a mother. For example, one that really at least moves me is your baby has vocal courts developed by twelve weeks and that baby can cry in the womb. And I say that not only as a fact and evidence, but also there's an emotional picture that's painted when you say a baby can cry in the womb, and when you picture that, I think anyone with a shred of maternal instinct is going to be moved by that sort of a statement. So I do think that's that's an important

23:34 part of good sidewalk advocacy. Yeah, yeah, one of the things that I'll say. You know, it's true that at the moment of conception, this is like medical fact, right, so we use medical science, right, that that may be at the moment of conception is a unique human being. So I'll say that, but also will appeal to the emotions by playing on that fact and say there has never been, nor will there ever be, another person like that baby you carry in your womb. Right, that's a that's a true statement, but I'm using terminology and words that will appeal to her her emotions. Right, an emotional appeal, and to imagine that emotional appeals are invalid because they're not based in science or the word of God is is ridiculous. We give emotional appeals all the time and emotional appeals should be given. I mean it's sort of like it's part of our humanity, is that we have these emotions. God appeals to his people, and you look through the prophets, how God emotionally appeals to the children of Israel turned back to him. He pours out. Look what I've done? I stretch out my hands all day long to a wicked and obstinate people. Yeah, and you get this this picture of God being so weary with always reaching out and we're not returning and we're not coming to him, or he gathers them as a hen. Yeah, gather's her chicks under the way. So, of course, if all of our advocacy, if all of our as an attorney on behalf of that baby is just wrapped up in emotions, well, we're going to miss the mark. They're right, right. Their emotions,

25:04 though, on the other hand, they're definite, definitely, I definitely agree with you that that is only a very small portion of what we do. But their emotions have already been worked upon in a way that against the case for the baby. Yeah, absolutely, by the abortion industry. Oh, you'll be so much better off with without this child, all those dreams and goals that you have. And yes, you really are too poor and unable and and just think how much better life will be without this child. So we want to work on emotions righteously and with facts, but emotions that are going to again sway them to truly regard their child the way that God, which desired they regard there absolutely ought me all of this and of course, if you guys are listened, listen to us for any amount of time.

25:49 You know, this is the Gospel Center, Prayer Life podcast. We don't just make make emotional appeals. We're appealing from the word of God. That's right, and we ought to have. The word of God is what changes a heart, not just emotions or whatever, but God in his word does make emotional appeals. Jesus makes emotional appeals and and we see this all through the scripture and again as counselors on behalf of that baby, as attorneys on behalf of that baby, we're we're appealing to the mother and she have to think about this, because there are folks that come out to an abortion center like I've mentioned, who just set up and they just preach and they, you know, bring a message of repent and I get it. I understand that and I'm not against a message of repentance. We're going that's the goal.

26:34 We're aiming for repentance. Want to them to see their sin so that they'll repent. But that's that's the key. We want them to see their sin. If all you do is say repent and you've not laid out the case for why abortion is sin, yeah, then they don't really know what they are repenting of. Yeah, yeah, they don't really understand what you're saying. Yeah, yeah, because I've had people here in Charlotte stand in front of the abortion clinic on the sidewalk and literally just yell repent, repent. Okay, that you have to first of all explain what you're talking about when you're saying repent, right, because it is a word commonly used in church circles, and it should be. It's a biblical word. Yeah, but there's also a corresponding explanation with the word repent. It means to turn away from what you're doing to something else, and so I think we need to be very explanator. We're talking about repenting when you're walking into an abortion clinic. What is it to repent? What's to stop in your tracks, to turn around and go the other way? And repentance can mean coming over and talking to US sidewalk counselor and of course it does mean leaving the abortion clinic. Right, right. So again we're appealing to that mother. She is the judge, like it or lump it, in this situation. She is the one that could slam down that galvel and say this shold is guilty condemned to death. Yeah, and you know what? We can call in other witnesses. Now, that is yeah, necessarily in analogy goes along, Wi me tell you. But I'm thinking as you're talking that yes, she is the judge, but there are people do influence the judge in a real

28:07 court room and in the courtroom of the abortion center, there are other witnesses that you can call in. And and I'm not talking about just other sidewalk counselors, but the other people that can influence that woman and and and it's largely the father of the baby, if the father the baby's on your side, friends, drivers, the mother, the abortion minded mom, whatever, there are other people who could be called in. Their testimony could be called upon to also sway that judge. Yeah, mother absolutely in which which way she's going to get. And if you think about it, we've seen this play out a lot many times. Young man standing out there shooting the breeze, waiting for their girlfriend to have the abortion and come back out. And I'll try to appeal to him, if I can win him over and convince him it, lay out a case to him and win him over to become a witness on behalf of that baby. See how this analogies. It's so good. And if I can get him to be a witness on behalf of that baby, my words could just fall to the ground, but his words will have far more weight than mine. Yeah, and he can convince the judge. Right, hey, judge, and I mean let's think about it.

29:18 What if, for example, this is the judge's sister, if you could have a listen, if you were going to go before a judge as a lawyer and plead the case for an innocent person, what if you were good friends with a judge's sister? You think maybe you can put in a good word, you know, you think maybe you can do some kind of behind the scenes talking, you know, and maybe talking a little bit of underhand and stuff here, but which we would do, but wouldn't do. But in the scenario when we've got an abortion on abortion engaged woman inside the abortion in those in her sisters out in the parking lot waiting for her, if I can convince her, Hey, go in there and influence of going there and influence this mother. Yeah, and talk to her, tell her that will help her, tell her that her baby is precious. I mean we have literally seen this play out, absolutely and we've seen lives safe because we're taking the time to try to influence witnesses on behalf of that baby.

30:07 Yeah, I got another good one. This is so good, so so all judges are impressed by the attorneys, the advocates, who can say you must make this decision because of some precedent. Yeah, right, absolutely so. As I'm thinking about our abortion minded mom so often we see them walk in with another child. There's a child in the car, there's and so the precedent is you gave life, you brought to term that other baby that's in the back seat of your car. Does that baby have value? Do you love that baby? Is that baby precious? was that baby precious from the moment of conception? All of which she'd have to answer yes, logically.

30:48 Well, the precedent has been set. Yeah, you know the value of your children. Yeah, and that baby in the womb. And even the precedent of the faithfulness of God. That's how I will mention that. Wasn't called faithful whenever you are pregnant with this child and he carried you through and you're here today in that child of blessing. Yeah, even sharing testimonies again, testimony, yeah, of people who we've encountered that have chosen life in similar situations to that mother. Will help, right, it'll help sway the judge. So, anyway, guess I hope this is a helpful analogy. Yeah, because again we're trying to persuade the judge, who is the mother in this situation, that her baby is innocent and doesn't deserve to die.

31:32 Also, you don't want you to think about how you would talk to a judge because again, I see some some aggressiveness in front of abortion clinics where people are really aggressive and our name calling, Our Name calling or whatever right they're doing. Yeah, think about, though, you're standing in front of a judge and again, this judge might be a total like, you know, in our world view, left leaning total just has has no point of contact with you at all as far as anything politically or whatever. Yeah, and you know, in any other scenario you would just be in a very confrontational conversation with this person calling out all their wrongs. But if you're standing before them and they're the judge and there's an innocent person that's that can potentially die, you're going to speak a little softer. Well, in an actual court room, you rise, you call them your honor and you treat them with absolute respect, and I think that is again biblical. I think we are called to treat each other with respect. That's parts being a good neighbor and and honoring God. And how more important went in this analogy.

32:36 If the person you're trying to influence, if you're disrespectful to them, that they have no reason to trust you or to listen to you in their mind. Yeah, and I've even seen, let's just take again this analogy. You're standing in a court room, you're an attorney on behalf of a person that you know is innocent and you're appealing to the judge and you begin to get aggressive and you began to get like condemning toward the judge and that judge speeds up the trial and says, you know what, Hey, guilty. That's exactly right, and that happens a lot. I've seen it in front of the abortion clinic here in Charlotte, other abortion clinics, where you have a mom that's walking in slowly, she's walking from her car to the door, and you've got someone who's calling out of that person in an aggressive way.

33:20 That's just overthe top. Don't go in there and murder your child. You're a murderer if you have an abortion. and that woman speeds up said she laps the gambled down even quicker. She's not considering it's almost like you've pushed the judge to go ahead and make a decision, whereas she would actually consider your evidence if you would just be patient, slow down a little bit, speak a little soft, little more softly. Appeal to them. And again it's ultimately it's the Lord that's going to change the heart. But we have to be working alongside what the Lord is doing. Right in the Lord is gracious and compassionate, he's slow to anger and rich and loving kindness. Doesn't mean he doesn't get angry, he certainly does. But the anger of Man Does Not work the righteousness of God. The Bible says, and you know, I'll tell folks, listen, if there's any plays where it's justifiable to get angry and to just lose your mind, it's a it's in front of the abortion clinic. I get it, I understand that, but it's not helpful because you're going to you're not going to persuade that judge. Matter of fact, you might push that judge to make a premature decision. That's right. And and the executioner is the abortionist. Yeah, and and the and that's it's life for death. It's very important. It's very important what's happening at there. Yeah. So that analogy is very helpful in so many ways and there's so many other aspects that we could bring into play here, but I hope it helped you. Guys. We's pop into our next one.

34:45 Yeah, Pres Primary Goal, yeah, purpose, the purpose and primary goal, and primary goal is so important because in in any pro life ministry, no matter what kind of pro life ministry you're in, there are all kinds of competing things that take your attention sometimes the way from that primary purpose and to the point where it can destroy a ministry if it becomes so fragmented, so distracted, and I think maybe no place more so than at that place of life and death, right. Yeah, yeah, and this is at the abortion center, literally the last moments, that's right before that judge, that's right, gonna Slam that gavel and say guilty. Yeah, death, the death penalty. Yeah, and so that's why there are no appeals?

35:31 Yeah, there are any. There's no appeals into yes, taken. That's right, there's there's no appeal to that. Yeah, and so we have to, you know, be tactful in the way that we we speak to the judge, but we have to also understand. Taking it to to a different analogy, which is a fun analogy. Yeah, is that there's going to be distractions. Abortion is the devil's pride and joy. Yeah, if you're in front of an abortion clinic, don't be surprised if the enemy sends distractions. And the picture I give people is said, imagine the abortion clinic and imagining just abortion in general is a big steamy pile of manure. Okay, because it's bad and it's stinks, it's a mess. It is and we've been called by God to clean up the mess, right, and we're using our gospel shovels because we know that the Gospel is the only thing that's going to clean up the mess. That's or shovels, I like.

36:23 Do you like that? Or using our Gospel Shovels, may by act me company and makes all the good stuff, and we're there to clean up the mess, right, and we're keeping our head down and we're scooping. It's a big mess and we're going to be busy for a long time, because you for a while. Yeah, but what happens with a big steamy Polo maneure? Well, it attracts, sadly, flies and other tracks. Flies of all kinds. Yeah, and this is kind of funny. It attracts flies. You know, there's green, shiny kind horse flies. Yeah, they just common household fly. Oh, kind of flies. It attracts in flies. They come for all different kinds of reasons. Some come to eat, yeah, some come to lay eggs, some clump come just because everybody else is going. Some are well meaning flies, they want to help you clean up the mess, but they're flies nonetheless. And see what I use this analogy? It's because we as Gospel centered side of all counselors, s blers, shovelers, shovelers will get distracted and spat and flies. Right.

37:24 Yeah, and when you get distracted in Swaton flies and when, example, is pro abortion people, yeah, people that are coming out there that escorts, you know, counter air quotes, counter protesters. They want to try to get you distracted and talking to them. And I've seen pro lifers. I'll listen. I've done it myself where I let those people, the pro abortion people, be the focus. They're out there in their bright vests and and I just abhor what they stand for. But because they stand for murder and they're so deceived and you so desperately want to sell on, sometimmer just nasty and s they say things push your buttons. Yeah, and you get distracted. Yeah, and even though you were appealing to that mother. This is one of the reasons why distractions are just not a not a good thing, in distractions in this way specially. You know you've graciously appealed to that abortion minded mom. She's gone into the abortion clinic. She's considered what you said. She's gone on into the abortion clinic. She might actually come back out and talk you, who knows. Meanwhile, you've gotten distracted swaton flies.

38:22 You're arguing with a pro abortion advocate, and that woman who saw you as she was going in you're really nice and kind and she's thinking maybe I want to go out there and talk. Now looks out the window and see you're out there fighting with one of the pro abortion people, and so the same stuff she's got going on her heart, the confusion, the ants, the anger she's seen out there on the sidewalk and she's like, well, they got nothing more than what I got going on. I'm not going to talk to that person. I don't need to listen or you know, and if you think about it, what's happened in that scenario? With this analogy? You've dropped your shovel, yeah, and you've dropped it in the manure and it's splashed up on you. That's right. You know you'RE gonna pick up a dirty show. Yeah, you can pick up over your hands and it's going to slip in, slide, and you have lost your effectiveness. Yeah, absolutely. So that's why I've got to be careful. Also, and I've seen it, where you'll attract, remember I said, some well meaning flies. There's some quote, pro lifers or whatever that come out there, right, and the reality is there, just there because, hey, it looks like fun just to be there. Yeah, and they end up being a distraction. Then you find yourself arguing with them, arguing methodology, arguing theology, out in front of the abortion clinic. And Listen, I'm a theology Geek. Okay, I read theology, I like theology. I study theology. Theology is important. It does matter. Yes, the people that say theology doesn't matter don't know their bibles. Theology does matter. But arguing theology in front of an abortion clinic is swaton flies. I'm telling you, it's Swat and flies. That can be had in some other context.

39:45 But again, if you're arguing with your with each other, and I don't care what you say, you might not be with that group or you may say, well, we disassociate with that group. But from an abortion minded mom, again, that judge. Looking from that side to the sidewalk where you are, she sees one group of people. That doesn't matter how separated you are to matter if you've got two different kinds of t shirts on both groups. Are All three groups, or whatever they're standing on the on the pro life side of the sidewalk, so to spam, are all one monolithic group to her. So if you're fighting among yourselves, again you're displaying nothing but the same confusion, angst and all that stuff that she's got going on her heart. And again, your Swat and flies right. Another funny example is we have, and it's just like so obvious this what this is.

40:32 We have a man who at the abortion clinic here, owns a business just around the corner right and he walks through almost every day on his lunch hour and he just rails on us for teaching false theology, for believing that God has triune so where houses her said idolager's trinity? God worshippers and he wants to get in. Listen. I've gotten in those conversations. I've talked to him lengthy conversations for an hour. But guess what, it was just Swat and flies. He was just a distraction that came to get me focused off of why I was there. You know, when you feel called to go to an abortion clinic, that's a that's a pretty unique calling. You know, for a lot of Christians it just never would enter into the equation for them. I believe there's a lot more Christians that are called out there than actually go. But when you got that calling, understand you didn't. God didn't call you to go out then reach the pro abortion escorts. He didn't call you to go out there and reaches reach the security guard, even though they're all valuable. Exactly. They're all I'm not I'm not equating them with flies because they're not valuable human being. It's just an analogy. So breaks down. They're human beings. They're made in God's image. Yeah, God would save them in a moment if they would turn to him. Yeah, but he didn't call you there to reach them. They may get reached by kind of default. Right, you're preaching the Gospel. They're here in the Gospel. Right, God could reach they're seeing live solely. There are times when it's appropriate to have a conversation with them. Right, but if you let them be the focus, you're going to get distracted, you're going to Drop Your Shovel, your Gospel Shovel, in the mass, you're going to get the mess on you and it's not going to go so well. Right,

42:06 take it from me, learn from Mama's Day. Don't get distracted Swat and flies. Now, what in the world does this have to do with the Bible? And there are, there are actually many, many examples in the Bible of leaders doing good work, doing good ministry, called by God, who get distracted by things that are valuable and important. Yeah, and in doing so they their effectiveness in their main ministry is dampened. YEA, so they it's like I said when we started out, the good is always the enemy of the best. Right, right, get distracted, I get off course. And one of those stories, yeah, is the story of Moses. Yeah, it's great, great and great, you know, and probably more appropriate than than even your maneuver and flies. Yeah, and maybe, maybe. And so where's that story yet? Okay, so that.

42:57 So that story is in exodus eighteen. Okay, exodus eighteen. And and really the story where Moses gets distracted and how he learns to deal with that, based on Wise Council, is pretty much in verses thirteen through twenty seven. Okay, well, I'm not going to read all of that. You guys can read that. But base through the picture is God called Moses to be a deliverer of the children of Israel, right, to go down to Egypt to deliver his people. You guys know the story the ten plagues. Ultimately, Moses leads the children of Israel through the Wilderness. Yeah, but some things happen in the wilderness and the children of is Alary, Israel, certainly got distracted, yeah, from getting to the Promised Land. Yeah, yeah, and for forty years wandered in the wilderness. Yeah, but Moses was called to lead them, was called to lead them to the promised land.

43:46 Right, right, but he gets distracted. Yeah, they're grumbling, they have all kinds of complaints and problems and they go to Moses and they and they say to Moses, because he's the leader, solve these some of these problems. Yeah, I mean, he's got a lot of people, he's got and they want him. Moses, we need you to sort through all of our issues. Right, I've got an argument with my neighbor here. I need you to sort through there. Right. I've got a little bit of concern here with with the law that you gave or some of these rules and stuff, and I'm not really sure. Can you clarify here? Right, and you give some clearity here. Can you speak into this situation? Yeah, and so Moses, though he's called to deliver and lead the children of Israel through the Wilderness to the Promised Land, is getting distracted with all kinds of other complaints and all kinds of other concerns. So he's growing weary and he's growing overwhelmed. Not Distraction can lead to many other terrible things, just absolute just being just overburdened. And that was what happened with Moses.

44:45 He was overburdened with all this and he didn't even recognize it, which I think is interesting. It was it was his fatherin law who recognized it. Moses himself was just doing his best and screwing trying to solve all of this. Yeah, and what a certain he's called on. Hey, you cannot do all this. Maybe. Yeah, well, here it is. It's so. It says. So. When Moses Father in law saw all that he did for the people, he said, what is this thing that you're doing for the people? Why do you alone sit and all the people stand before you? Morning until evening? He's Tuking till he's name. That's not leading, that's standing there solving all these varieties and rather than lead them through the Wilderness and really getting with God, Getting Direction from the Lord, because that's what Moses was doing, spending time with the Lord, get direction from him and being loved through the wildern right, he's dealing with all these everyday quarrels with the people. Yeah, and Moses said to his father in law, because the people come to me and it to inquire of God, so that we want you, Moses, to be the mediator between God.

45:45 For us that's a good thing. It's a good that's a great thing. Right. So is it the best? If, but is it the best? Right? And so Moses father in law, goes on to say this is not a good thing. Yes, what you're doing is not. He's basically saying, Moses, you're getting distractive from the main thing here. Yeah, you're dropping your shovel and renewer. Right, getting the mess on you. Right. Is it good to reach pro abortion people? Yeah, for the Lord, just as these good right to be inquired. For the I mean Lord, if you're an in front of an abortion for any amount of time, you'll get questions from people that will try to distract you, especially talking to pro abortion people. I mean I've had, quote, good conversation with the pro abortion people to about theology, about the existence of God.

46:31 But guess what I find out? I'm sitting here talking to this person about whatever you want. I mean, they'll take you around the mountain. You'll think, okay, I'm going to reach this person right and listen, God can do it. So I'm not discounting that. But you give every apologetic under the sun and you find out you you've actually began and ended in the same place. Right, and we're not listening to you. They were distracting you. And while you're having that conversation with that pro abortion person, there's a mom that just zipped into the driveway, just walked into the door of the abortion clinic, and she didn't get any kind of Christian voice, no appeal to her, no ad because all of your attention was focused on that probortion person. That's right, there's no one speaking for that being. And the same way in this story with Moses, he's poured into these people, he's sorting through their issues, they're bringing their things before him and rather than being the deliver that he's called to be, he gets distracted and becomes a judge between the people. Right, jeth row ultimately gives him some wise counsel and says, Hey, you need to find some other guys. They can do this, delegate to what you're doing. Yeah, yeah, and so hopefully that helps you guys. That picture helps you guys, because it can.

47:38 You can easily get distracted out there and there can be some delegation of things within sidewalk counseling. I mean, we've done it as far as we've got a big enough team. The pro abortion people we know because we've read their training information. So we're cuted into what they're doing. They're trying to get us in conversations. We know it's because they want to distract us from engaging with board abortion minded women, right. They say that in they're training. Yeah, and so we do is kind of turn their tactic on them and we've got a big enough team, will send somebody to go and talk to them and get an endless conversation so that if a vehicle stops, for example, they don't come and jump in between the person talking to that lady in the car and interrupt the the the conversation so that they drive on in. They're in a conversation with us, right, and they don't want to pull away from it because we're trying to be compelling. And Yeah, all that we're saying. And so we were set kind of lovingated. We have delegated so that we can keep the main thing, the main thing. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, and I get distracted by flies and a little curious about what those mate well meaning flies are, the well meaning flies and, like I said, some of the Christians that show up. Well, I I meant real well meaning flies. I'm not familiar with that. Oh well, that was just part of the analogy. That's maybe we're actually breaks down.

48:50 Okay, but again, the picture is don't get distracted. Yeah, why are you there? Focus on why you're there. So hopefully this helps you guys with sidewall counseling ministry and maybe just pro life ministry in general. Yeah, these analogies help me. For sure share these analogies with other people, especially the fun manure one, because I'm yeah, it's Feah. I think it really helped. Yeah, but the one about racing upside what consolers and training other sidewalk counselors. I think those three year or any pro life ministry, I think those three areas are all really really important to to keep in mind your philosophy, your practice and your purpose. Yeah, and how to stay fact, absolutely purpose. Absolutely the judge analogy really does help.

49:31 It does. I can't get focused on all you who were trying to reach there. You know we're trying to say that innocent baby, but we're appealing to the judge. So hope these were blessing. You guys. Share a little bit of feedback with us if you want to shoot me an email. D Parks at cities for lifecom. Vicky is vcssi orget cities for lifecom. Check out our sidewalks for life side. I think we're going to put this out as an article. Think it's already and there you okay, yeah, on sidewalks for life. It's I'll walks in be forore lifecom. Share this podcast. Until next time, God bless. Give me out love for love. Give me our love for gratitude. I know it will cost me my love. Nothing's too precious in some you