What Does it Mean to Be Gospel Centered and Pro-Life?

0:00 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours. Send Me, Lord. I welcome to Gospel centered pro life. This is a podcast that deals with pro life issues in light of the Gospel and this episode we're going to talk about what it means to be Gospel centered in pro life. We have these episodes. Bless you. Thank you for listening. Stay tuned. I felt show passish touch your heart. Well. This is the Gospel Center pro life podcasts, a podcast ministry of Cities for life. I'm the director, Daniel Parks, of cities for life here in Charlotte, and this is our volunteer coordinator with cities for life here in Charlotte, Vicki, cassie Org.

0:45 This podcast is basically designed not to promote cities for life, but to share some of our experiences in the pro life realm and with pro life ministry and to talk about pro life issues in light of the Gospel. That's really our hearts. What it's called Gospel centered pro life. We want to talk about pro life issues, the issue of abortion and the protection of the unborn in light of the Gospel and really what that means to be pro life and to be Gospel centered. And so just right off bat with the first podcast, we wanted to talk about really what that means, what it means to be pro life and Gospel centered. Why is that different? Are we trying to make ourselves sound more spiritual or we trying to make ourselves sound better than other people because they're not Gospel centered but we are? What's the motivation behind this? Really want to talk about what it means to be Gospel centered and pro life. Is it just again us to be super spiritual, or is there something unique that we're trying to convey and something that really we think would benefit the church when we're talking about the issue of life? So right off bat, Vickie, let's talk about that a little bit. What it means to be Gospel centered in pro life. Let's talk about pro life first.

1:56 What does that mean? PROLIFE? Yeah, well, you know that that that life is precious, that it is sacred, that it's of value and of intrinsic value and should be protected. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and so, from you know, my perspectives break down the word pro life, pro which is for in the positive, and then life, for life. We believe, and we're talking about life or talking about human life, obviously every life is precious. God made all the creatures and all the animals, but in particular he made human beings and he made us special. In the Bible says, he made us in his image. And so we're talking about pro life, we're talking about were for the protection of life, human life.

2:38 Human life is not like animal life. It has an intrinsic value, like you said, and a sacredness to it, and so it's important to be pro lives. A Matter of fact, I've said actually, that I believe everyone is pro life on some level, even pro abortion people who some staunchly opposed what we do and call us is terrible names. But I believe that those people in some sense or pro life. They would believe at some point a human life deserves should be protected. I think we would just say, yeah, we should be pro life and human life is precious, but we believe that there's no stage in which a human life, a unique human life, does not deserve to be protected. And that's kind of the pro life that right and our nation is founded on the belief that life is sacred, is precious, is intrinsic and and and is the essential first right before all other rights proceed. Yeah, so, yeah, so we covered the pro life thing, when it means to be pro life, and I'm sure that can go into big definitions and there can be a lot of INS and outs of that, but I think people basically know what we're talking about.

3:43 We're talking about being prolife. But what about the Gospel centered aspect that we're talking about? What does that mean? Gospel centered pro life? You know, I'll share a little bit about my heart, but what's your heart on that? That sort of yeah, well, you know, I'm I'm I'm someone who loves the Lord and and my world view procepts from from that. That is basic to everything that proceeds out of me. And so God's Word is clear that human beings are made in the image of a holy God, that life is sacred and and it is that which gives value to every human being. And so if I am a a pro life person with a Gospel Centered, focused life and Gospel centered orientation and everything I do, then then my my feelings about life are going to reflect what God says about life and they really can't be separated about you know, for someone who is a Believer, I think the Gospel has to be an inherent part of everything we do as as pro life advocates, because because God says that, God gives us the standard by which we determine the point at which life become sacred. Yeah, which is the point of conception according to the Bible. Yeah, and

5:15 you know, and everything flows out of that, that, that belief about God. Everything that we encounter on the sidewalk, I think, has to proceed out of that and for me that's what a Gospel focused pro life ministry is all about. Yeah, it's course, will mention a lot, as we do our podcast, even this podcast, about sidewalk counseling ministry. That's what we do as a ministry and cities for life and and it's what we deal with on a daily basis when we're there in front of the abortion centers, where they're proclaiming the Gospel, where they are certainly speaking about the humanity of the baby and the resources that are available to a mom in need, but we're also sharing the Gospel and everything that we try to do is really Gospel centered, focused on what God says in his word. Yeah, there's a lot in the pro life realm when people talk about being prolife and people say their pro life. A lot of times what I encounter, what what you encounter, what used to encounter in general when you talk about pro life stuff, is people take it as a political issue and so they hear right away. When you talk about prolife, they might hear a Republican. You know, I'm prolife. Also, you're a Republican, and so that's why I think when we talk about being pro life, when we talk about Gospel centered pro life, that's what we're really saying. I think one since we're separating out the politics from abortion because at its root, because abortion is sin at its root, any sin is rooted to course and selfishness and all that thing, all that that kind of stuff, and this sin of abortion is

6:46 not really rooted in politics. It's been captured, I think, by the devil and by devious politicians to try to make it a political thing. And I so I think when we're saying we're Gospel centered pro life, we're separating from the political aspect. Doesn't mean that politicians can't do good stuff. They can. There can be Gospel centered new legislation. I guess that that can be enacted. However, we understand that it's not politicians that are going to end abortion. It's not politicians that are going to be saving babies on a day to day basis. It's God doing it and it's through the proclamation of the Gospel. And you know, of course, our heart is. We don't want to get away from that. We don't want to get away from the gospel censored approach decide, while counseling or the Gospel centered approach to talking about the issue of abortion. We're having a debate or a conversation with somebody about abortion, God in his word is always going to come up because, like you said, it's central to who we are. We Are Christians.

7:46 We haven't had an encounter with God through his Gospel that has changed our hearts and, like the apostle says, we can't help. This. Is in the book of acts where they were told not to speak in the name of Jesus, that we can't help but speak the things that we've seen in that we've heard. And so we're talking about the issue of life and the protection of Human Life, the Gospel and God's Truth and God's Word is going to really come to play in that. And of course, when we're talking about Gospel centered what we're talking about is we're talking about a biblical understanding of pro life issues. And now there are, you know, there's organizations out there and there's some some organizations that are really taken a secular approach to the issue of life. There's even an organization secular pro life that that comes at it from a secular perspective. And you know, of course, when you look at just the science behind life in the womb and behind abortion, even from a secular perspective, there's no denying that abortion is destroying human life. That's right, that's right and from the moment of conception, is the only logical drawing line, medically scientifically as well. And if it, you know, if you don't have God, though, at the center, I think it becomes easier to rationalize and to point out terrible circumstances that somehow then change the value of life. The value of life becomes relative. So I think a gospel oriented approaches is more absolute. Life is precious, period. Human Life

9:18 is precious and innocent human life should be protected at all costs. Yeah, yeah, because I think we run the risk when we when we back away or abandon what God's word says and the need as believers to look at what God's word says and base our beliefs on that, because we kind of run into this trap of end up having an agree with the world and in the world's persuasion when we abandon the foundation of the truth of God's word. And sadly there are a lot of believers, not just in per life circles but just in general, especially in America, that kind of abandoned the Gospel focused approach to ministry. Really, I would say if you're not focused on the Gospel and the Gospel is not your main driving force, you're not really doing ministry. It's more like a business or just some humanitarian effort. Humanitarian Efforts aren't bad, they're good, but are humanitarian efforts have to flow out of God's love put in our hearts and our desire to promote his gospel, because it can become human centered, it can become humanistic, and I we talked about that before, but kind of like a humanistic approach to prolife stuff and saving babies. What's your take on kind of the humanistic approach there? Well, again, God is is not an integral part of it. It doesn't need you can a humanistic approach would would recognize, okay, the logical starting place of life. The American College of Pediatric says at the point of conception

10:50 there is human life and that human life develops and and all the names, the de Zygoat, the fetus, all of those are just different stages of development, but they're all human beings and you know, and then when the baby's born you have still a human being, just more developed, and you can certainly you can make a case, excuse me, for the value of that little human being from the moment of conception. But but I think you run into trouble from a humanistic point of view when and the and equally valuable human being, the mom has issues that make her feel that this human being inside of her is impeding her own safety, happiness whatever. And and I think that's where humanistic view is going to struggle. Yeah, and a Gospel focused view is is going to point to something much more important than our humanistic values. Are Standards are limited ability to to kind of perceive the whole picture.

12:09 We're going to look to an absolute standard of the value of life as determined by a holy God and it is unchanging in our circumstances are not going to change the value of that life, because God doesn't put restrictions on commands like thou shalt not murder. Yeah, Thou shall not murder, whether your circumstances are good or bad, whether you're rich or poor. And that child is a value because, again, he's made in the image of a holy God and I think if you can keep going back to a biblical standard, you you're on solid a solid foundation, which the Bible says also, you're not on sinking sand. That's going to change dependent on circumstances or or feelings.

12:54 Yeah, yeah, I mean we've got a lot in our modern society, a lot of people that are driven to do a lot of good things, but based on just feelings and from our experience in the realm of ministry that we're called to and that we function in on the sidewalks in front of an abortion clinic, if we do what we do based on feelings, it can be devastating. You know, just today we had a mom who just yesterday had chosen life. Yeah, and she was farther along than most of the moms that we encounter. She was almost sixteen weeks along at that point. She'd actually gotten an ultrasound on board, a mobiultra sound unit with a partner Ministry of ours, help pregnancy center, and chose life. From what we understood, we help to help her to see all of the needs that she had could be met with resources and things like that, and poured into her and the sidewalk counselor Angela, had poured into her and just really connected with her and we thought that was a solid choice for life. And then she came back today, apparently to kill that baby. Her feelings had changed and kind of a you know, the opposite happened today on the sidewalk, where a young woman very overwhelmed and and very certain that she needed to kill her baby almost the same age. This is a big baby, fully developed.

14:11 Yeah, and and she she agreed to go on the mobile ultrasound unit and her feelings changed when she saw the baby on the ultrasound and when she heard about the resources and and the Gospel. But the point is that feelings can her feelings led her to that abortion center and then an hour later, her feelings led her to believe that this child was of value. So feelings are good. Yeah, shift and change and there just has to be again, there's something that is permanent. Yeah, that is lasting, that will endure. Feelings won't, circumstances will change. So yeah, so what can we rely on that is unchanging? Yeah, and you know, I know the Gospel was presented to the woman yesterday. But and I think that there is a higher likelihood of woman is going to stay firm, yeah, her choice for life when when the Gospel is presented. But of course, I mean if she yields her life to Jesus, and obviously she's not gonna not going to have the abortion, even from our perspective, you know, from the the woman's perspective, the feelings change. But even from our perspective, and even maybe in a political realm, you know when politicians their feelings change and there's always shifting and one politician might say that abortion is wrong and then

15:45 you know your years later say that abortion is right because it's more expedient for them and their feelings change on this issue. And Yeah, and even with you know, out there on the kind of the street level, out at the abortion center, and we're out there because God's word says we should be. If we're only out there because we feel like we want to be a help to these MOMS or even to these babies or whatever. That's one of the things we warn our volunteers against, is you can't be out here based on just emotion alone. Certainly emotions, God can use those to draw us to do the right thing. Guilt can be a good tool to get us out there, but it can't sustain us out there on the sidewalk. And so we have to be motivated by what God's Word Says First, like we say, a love for God first, not even a love for that baby first. Got To be a love for God first, and our focus is on him and our focus is on advance in his kingdom, not our ministry.

16:37 You know, we can get in this mentality of we're trying to advance our ministry and then we get things out of whack, you know. But really our emotions can shift, our circumstances can change and society can shift and society can change its opinion of the value of life, but God's word doesn't change. Yeah, the Scripture says that heavens earth can pass away, but my word remains, and that's why we come from a Gospel centered perspective of Biblical perspective on anything that we write talk about right, and that's such a good point, because a humanistic approach, I think it would be very easy to be discouraged. You've presented all of this medical evidence. You know the science behind human development, you know that baby is a baby, is a human being from the moment of conception. And if you're out there thinking, okay, if I just present enough facts, then logically everyone will choose life.

17:33 Well, we know that doesn't yeah, that doesn't happen because we're not just rational beings, we're spiritual, yeah, beings as well, otional beings and emotional and you know, and and so, when you're coming from a Gospel perspective, just like you said, we're not there primarily to save babies. I mean we are. That's the focus of our ministry, on one in one, you know, aspect. But we are primarily out there because God has commanded us to be out there. He has said that we are to be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves. And so we have the victory by being on that sidewalk. We have done what God has asked us to do, and then we use that that time out there to the best of our ability and, with the grace of God, hopefully bear fruit. But but our our goal is to be obedient to God and let him be responsible then for what happens. Yeah, there, yeats are yeah, I mean that's, you know, kind of one of the dynamics that it that we can deal with nationally on a political level or just again, on a street level, is that. Yeah, we can do certain things.

18:45 You know, man plans his step, his steps, but the Lord has that passage gave. Man plans his step, but the Lord makes the way access directs this fact. Thank yeah, yeah, yeah, it should that. Certainly. So we plan our steps, we do the things that we know best to do, but ultimately the results are up to the Lord, between the Lord and the person. So we can't as much as we don't take responsibility in a baby is saved or when some political victory takes place. I mean, certainly there's a lot of stuff going on in our nation now and there's some political victories and defeats and and on later podcast will talk more about some of the politics and how we view the politics of abortion in light of the Gospel and all of that. But even in those realms and on the street level. We can't take credit for when a mom chooses life, when a victory is row we give the glory to God because it's his work, it's his spirit at work in the hearts of the MOMS. And even when a mom decides to go into the abortion clinic and and to have that abortion, we can't take responsibility for that, because I know one thing that that can happen is we can let our flesh and the devil beat us up. And the thing we should have said this. You didn't say that.

19:56 I spoke with Angela. We text a little bit this morning about this mom who came back and she was like, you know, shouldn't be doing in it, but I'm beating myself up. Yeah, like should have said this. I have said what else could I say? And so my encouragement, as always, I was encouraging another volunteer who stopped a mom, who mom stopped and she talked to her on their way into the abortion center and just poured everything out to her that she could possibly think. They poured out to this mom and she still went in there and she said, I feel like I should have said this, said, listen, you can do that, because you can always say something better. You could always deliver it at a Matamore opportune time or whatever that you can. It's like your flesh is never satisfied. You could always do better. Okay, fine, but you can never say something that is always going to change someone's mind because you don't know their circumstances. What you are responsible to do is to deliver the mail.

20:47 Just deliver the truth and they are responsible to receive that truth and to do with that truth what they what they should. Yeah, well, the results are up to the Lord. What God said to Moses? You know, he sends him to go speak to Pharaoh, and most says but I can't. I'm a man of Stuttering Lips. Why, you think about that? Why would God, of all the people that could have chosen? Surely there was someone who is eloquent? Yeah, but he didn't. He chose a stutterer to deliver his message. And I and the Bible says, when we are weak, he is strong. And so I think again. It is freeing in a Gospel centered pro pro like ministry. It is freeing to all of those who labor it with with that in mind, because it truly is what what we need to say and do. God will empower us and then everything else is up to him. Yeah, Tis. Yeah, again, we're responsible for just the delivery of the male, so to speak, and people are responsible for whether or not they open it what they do with it when they do open you God told Isekiel and say sent them to the children of it who sent is Equel to the children of Israel as a prophet?

21:56 He said basically, if you don't warn them, their blood will be on your head, but if you warn them and they don't obey, their blood is on their head. So we're responsible to warn people of the consequences of abortion and to to offer them the alternatives to abortion and life affirming options and all that stuff. We're responsible to do that and deliver that male, so to speak, but what they do with it is up to them, and we you know as much as we're told that we try to control women's bodies with what we talked about as far as to convince people not to have abortions. We literally don't have control over women's bodies. We don't, or else, you know, abortion wouldn't wouldn't exist because we're plased to it.

22:37 Yeah, so it's kind of that dynamic of us. We can't take responsibility for the results either way, as long as we're faithful to deliver the truth of God's word. Right. That's what we of course, ought to do as Christians in every realm that we're involved in. Exactly, and I think for me, one of the strongest indicators of that that's the way to go. Yes, when, almost every time a woman pulls up and I go through whatever talking with her, but when I when I offer the question what would God have you do, it almost always causes tears. Yeah, even in people who say they don't necessarily know God, because that we are spiritual beings and we all do know what because God has written on our heart and all creation declares the glory of God. We know right from wrong. God has shown us very clearly and I think it's it's it's you know, it's a very telling question. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, one of the things that I'd share with you that kind of Said is my failsafe prolife argument to a mom at an abortion clinic, and it's a very simple argument. I guess you is not really an argument. You're pleading the case. You're doing what proverbs thirty one, verses eight nine says open your mouth for the speech us. In the cause of all who were pointed to die, open your mouth, judge righteously and believe. The cause of the poor and needy is basically to ask them the question, do you believe that there's a God?

24:03 And and the majority, especially here in the South Maj already, are going to say, I believe there's a God. Okay, you believe that God loves every person. Yeah, I believe God loves every person. And then you make the question more personal. Do you believe God loves you? Yes, I mean most people are going to say Oh, yeah, and they probably you know, you're so obviously grateful that God does love them and smiling. Yeah, God loves me. And then you ask the question, well, when did God begin to love you? I did this just last Saturday. I was talking to a young lady who came with a friend and she was trying to justify the abortion of her friend and saying, you know, I don't exactly agree, but she's in a difficult situation. I asker that question. You believe there's a God? Yeah, you believe that God loves every person. Yeah, you believe it. God loves you. Yeah, and then I asked the question when did God begin to love you? And it didn't take it was a split second before she responded with, well, but I know, but you know. So she puts it in you where you were going exactly. She knews where I was going to. So I responded with where, you can't put your butt in the way of what God's truth says. What does God's truth, what does his words say about human beings, about human life? Does he love every person from the moment that they become a person, but at the moment of conception, or does he not? And if, if he doesn't love that baby before that baby is born, like he loved you before you were born, why what does that baby possessed that that you don't? Or what does that maybe not possessed that you do? And so what you're doing is you're basically showing them that they have separated themselves as better than this other person. And it brings it kind

25:37 of brings it home and you know, it starts the wheels turning. But that whole argument, that whole you know, idea comes right out of God's word. I'm going right to what God says. I'm starting with the premise that there's a god, because I actually believe. I don't. You know, there's there's a book Great Comfort wrote, I think some years back, called God doesn't believe, an atheist, and I believe God's Word is pretty plain about this, that there really are no atheists. There are people that, you know, believe that there's no god in some sense, but it's almost an emotional thing and it's almost like they do they believe in order they disbelieve in God in order to satisfy their conscious. Fact is, every person knows that they have a creator and that they're responsible to that creator, you know, and that's really really the foundation, I guess, of a Gospel, Senator Approach, is that there is a god and that he has certain truths and is certain appeal in his word that he calls you to. He calls you to acknowledge your sin, to turn from your sin and to put your trust and the work that Jesus Christ did and his death is bury on his resurrection, and that's Really Gospel, senator. That's right and it's so.

26:47 You know, we've heard how many millions of just really horrific stories? There are horrific situations that these these women are off and in and and if you go to a Gospel senator approach like that, where you know the foundational truths of what God says about the sanctity of human life, then that's the issue. Yeah, that's where you can keep coming, bringing them back instead of all those rabbit trails of their terrible circumstances. And you add as Christians, I think we should meet those as well as we're able, that we should at least address and and try to provide resources to help them through those those dire needs. But the issue is not the circumstances. The issue is, is life precious or is it not before a Holy God? Yeah, you're going to rebel against him or decide to follow him. Yeah, yeah, and we're talking about Gospel, a Gospel Center approach. We're talking about, you know, Gospel centator approach to sidewall counseling or or whatever political realm of Gospel centert approach to doing a pregnancy center or whatever. We're not talking about shoving the Gospel Down Somebody's throat. We're not talking about except Jesus, or we're not going to help you, or you know, anything like that.

27:59 Exact what we're talking about. That that's our main motivation and while we're out there, is to advance God's kingdom through the proclamation of the Gospel, and we're talking about that's kind of what we're always going to come back to. You know, when we do as a ministry, we do baby showers. Other ministries do do different things to help women in need, and we should, but we're always going to say, well, this is because of what God has done for us and he's done the same for you. If you'll turn to him, he'll rescue he'll save you from your sin, because at the foundation of the issues that all of the eels of society, the issues that we face are, at their foundation the issues spring out of sin. The problem is sin, the problem being sin. The problem with abortion it's not a it's not a political issue, it's a sin issue. It's a spiritual issue and it's rooted in sin. It's rooted in selfishness. The solution for the issue of abortion, in any other of the ills of society, abortion being one of the worst, if not the worst, issue that we face in society. It's rooted in sin. Of the solution is Jesus Christ, his Gospel, his death is burial and his resurrection. Right, right, and it's not that we're trying to shove our beliefs on someone, it's that we know this is truth. This is truth and this is what is going to change the the politicians can change all the laws in the world and it's it's not going to affect abortion unless there's a true change in the heart of the people, because there will always be desperate women thinking that killing

29:33 their child is what's going to solve their issues unless they recognize that there's something far more important than their than their circumstances or their their ease and comfort in their life at that moment. Yeah, yeah, so, yeah, that's a little bit of our heart. That's our this our first podcast episode to try to give an understanding of those who would be listening and watching where we're coming from. Why Gospel centered pro life? Would we ever trying to make ourselves again more spiritual or whatever? Now we're trying to say that our approach to anything, any subject that we deal with, has to be founded in God's word and our desire has to always be to promote the gospel of Jesus and a loving and gracious way, but also in a fourth right and truthful way and we believe that if we don't abortion to end in this country and around the world, the Gospel has to take root in a society in order for abortion and these evils to end. So we appreciate all those who listen.

30:30 You can check us out as a ministry on Charlotte dot cities for Life Dot Org and go on facebook at cities for Life Charlotte, and we'd love to connect with you. And, God bless give me our love for love, give me our loft for gratitude. I know it will cost me my life. Nothing's too precious in some you