Preparing for Battle

Sharing the Gospel is rarely easy.  We live in a time where many are skeptical and have turned their backs on religion. As believers, we are called to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those around us. However, effective evangelism requires preparation and a thoughtful approach. We understand it is not easy and some will push back or be antagonistic. Preparing for this is like preparing for a spiritual battle since the enemy wants us to fail. There are several simple ideas and biblical principles that will help us do this more effectively.

Pray in Advance, During and After Each Conversation

Before engaging in any faith-sharing conversation, it’s crucial to seek God’s guidance and wisdom. Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s will. We should invite the Holy Spirit to supply the right opportunities and words to work through us. As Paul instructs in Colossians 4:3-4:

praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.

Be a Good Listener

James 1:19 reminds us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak”.  Many Gospel conversations start simply because the other person has no one to talk to and just wants to connect with someone else. Active listening demonstrates genuine care and helps us build trust. By truly hearing others, we can better understand their perspectives and tailor our message accordingly.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Asking “yes” and “no” questions rarely produce actionable conversation points. Open-ended questions encourage people to reflect. They share their story and advance an actual dialogue. For example, you might ask, “Tell me what Jesus is doing in your life?” or “How is Jesus transforming your life? ” These questions lead to understanding what type of relationship this person has with Christ and allow you to share the Gospel in the most relevant way for this person. This more naturally leads to positive spiritual discussions.

Pivot Towards Christ

It is easy to get caught up in listening to someone’s story and only answering their questions and talking about their current life issue or question. We then become the “bible answer man” rather than someone that shares how Jesus wants to be in all parts of our lives and shows how the Gospel speaks into every situation. We must look for opportunities and gently steer the conversation towards Jesus. Peter encourages us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”. Look for natural segues to introduce Jesus deeper into the topic at hand.

Keep It Simple

The gospel message is profound yet simple. Many people have never read the Bible or heard the Good News in an easy-to-understand manner.  There is no need to complicate the message as you will often see much better progress keeping things in the most understandable format. Clearly and concisely communicate the core truths of sin, separation, forgiveness, salvation, and God’s love. Use questions to confirm understanding and avoid deep theological terms and concepts unless the person is specifically asking questions about this those things.

Share Your Story

Your personal testimony is a powerful tool for connecting with others. God has worked in your life so you could be an example of how He can do the same in others. Share how Christ has transformed your life and be specific about the changes you’ve experienced. This authentic approach will resonate deeply with those going through similar seasons of life.

By prayerfully preparing and applying these simple strategies and biblical principles, you can more confidently and effectively share your faith with others. Remember, our role is to plant seeds and water them while remembering that it is God who brings growth and fruit. Trust His timing and power as you faithfully share the message of Jesus Christ.

Managing Political Conversations

We are in an environment of increasing political and social unrest.  This is often manifested through aggressive demonstrations, antisemitism, hate speech, and terrorist attacks across the globe.  Elections and current events can bring anxiety, fear, anger and even depression if not viewed and understood through the lens of Christ. 

Ministries may receive various conversations surrounding current events that often fall into different categories:

  • Questions or comments about specific candidates
  • Questions or comments about specific political parties
  • Questions or comments about specific political agendas like Project 2025
  • Questions or comments about specific international political conflicts (Gaza, Ukraine, Taiwan, etc.)
  • Questions or comments about Christianity being connected to specific political candidates, parties and agendas

We do not want to shy away from the difficult topics as people come looking for help. However, our mission is always to share Jesus and turn every conversation towards Christ.  It is also important to recognize that many people that come to us with these type topics often bring an agenda and are more interested in advancing an agenda or making a point about Christians. Many of these agendas are based on some incorrect assumptions or false narratives that lump all believers into some ideology.

As followers of Christ, our attitude and our involvement with politics should be guided by our Christian faith. The Bible gives us two core truths regarding our stance towards politics and government.

The first truth is that the will of God permeates and supersedes every aspect of life. It is God’s will that takes precedence over everything and everyone (Matthew 6:33). God’s plans and purposes are fixed, and His will is inviolable. What He has purposed, He will bring to pass, and no government can thwart His will (Daniel 4:34-35).

Second, we must grasp the fact that our government cannot save us! Only God can. We never read in the New Testament of Jesus or any of the apostles expending any time or energy schooling believers on how to reform the pagan world of its idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices via the government.  The apostles never called for believers to demonstrate civil disobedience to protest the Roman Empire’s unjust laws or brutal schemes. Instead, the apostles commanded the first-century Christians, as well as us today, to proclaim the gospel and live lives that give clear evidence to the gospel’s transforming power.

One of Satan’s grandest deceptions is that we can rest our hope for cultural morality and godly living in politicians and governmental officials. A nation’s hope for change is not to be found in any country’s ruling class. Political entities are not the savior of the world. The salvation for all mankind has been manifested in Jesus Christ.

God knew that our world needed saving long before any national government was ever founded. He demonstrated to the world that redemption could not be accomplished through the power of man, economic strength, military might, or politics. Peace of mind, contentment, hope, and joy—and the salvation of mankind—are provided only through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Although we each have personal political views, as a ministry, we avoid engaging in unnecessary political debates. As with all conversations, we look for the opportunity to pivot toward the Gospel, introducing the Grace of Christ.  Our goal is to share hope and grace without condemning or dividing.  We encourage every guest that God wants to walk with them through these difficult seasons and has a plan and purpose for every one of us.

When seekers want to inquire about specific candidates, we urge them to allow the Spirit of God to lead them.  For them to do their own research on what the candidate stands for, what they support and what platforms they stand on.  The ministry does not support individual candidates or parties. As Believers, we each have a responsibility to evaluate and  support candidates with biblical values and standards.  Those who will honor and support our freedoms to worship as we desire, freely.

When seekers want to discuss or debate political parties, we avoid debate.  Urge them to study and read the individual party platforms and to educate themselves on the issues that party supports. 

When seekers want to discuss specific political agendas like Project 2025, we avoid getting sidetracked by such agendas.  It is great to be informed, and we can point seekers toward biblical resources, but we should always look for a way to turn these conversations back to Christ and where Christ is in their lives.

When seekers want to discuss international political conflicts (Gaza, Ukraine, Taiwan, etc.), we urge them to focus on how God loves all people and desires mankind to resolve conflict peaceably.  Avoid taking sides or belittling groups you may feel are the issue, looking for ways to share Christ in the exchange.

When seekers want to inquire if Christianity is connected to specific candidates, parties or agendas, we avoid making statements that represent the Ministry or come across as a Ministry Position.  Again, look for ways to inject Christ into the conversation and to allow the Spirit to lead us in such matters.

The key is to avoid building walls and bringing division.  We want to bring peace and show that the hope of Christ can supersede all the political uncertainty and unrest we may see around us.

Cancel Culture

What comes to mind when you read the words “Cancel Culture”?  Is this a more positive or negative concept in your mind?

Decades ago, the cancel culture movement was about undoing social injustice with an aim for progress and change. The idea is now often used to shame, silence and negate someone’s beliefs or conduct. The new cancel culture often results in people being ostracized, their reputations smeared, and careers ruined. It makes no difference that that no laws have been broken or any malicious behavior occurred if their beliefs are counter to the most popular cultural opinions that rule the day.

The current environment was produced by postmodernism that has made truth subjective. It has been additionally fueled by political correctness that polices speech and traditional ideas.  A quick check of social media on any given day provides plenty of evidence that this new cancel culture is prevalent and part of the culture wars that competing worldviews hold.

We live in a time where social media has offered everyone a megaphone without any requirement for truth or well-informed opinions.  This dynamic has been part of the shift away from accountability to more of mob rule based on instant judgment, personal perceptions and the number of followers someone has online.

Evangelism has not been exempt from this phenomenon. Because cancel culture is often judgmental, rash, unforgiving and spiteful we see many Christians being intimidated from sharing their beliefs publicly. Traditional biblical values and faith are increasingly viewed as narrow minded or uninformed as culture tries to redefine the meaning of truth, gender, identity and even life.

Christian ministries certainly see more than their fair share of those that want to cancel us. We strongly believe anonymity can foster open, honest and transparent conversation with those seeking to find hope. However, the flip side of that is people can come online and be hateful using words they would never use face-to-face.

We never pretend sharing the Gospel is easy. We encourage you to pray for future conversations knowing some will be with those filled with misinformation and even hate. Seek God’s protection so you can continue to share Jesus with grace and love while maintaining the truth of His Word. Do not let those that desire to cancel dissuade you from the call to make disciples. We pray that you would never allow the fear of increased hostility or even persecution change the Gospel message.

The Challenge of Church

Some say Christians are their own worst enemies. There never seems to be a shortage of church scandals and character failures.  These offer people struggling with their faith, or those on the fence, the ammunition to argue against church.

Many people come online having either walked away or never having been to church. They have been hurt by others or have met too many “Christians” that have not made faith or church an attractive part of the spiritual journey. 

It has also become culturally acceptable to create your own faith without true community.  We often hear things like “I don’t need a church to grow closer to God” or “I prefer to just do church online”.

God did not design us to live alone. We are all created for community. We are stronger when we are living with others and not trying to live life outside the body of Christ. This is especially true for struggling or new believers.

We all need other believers around us to encourage, teach, pray and worship together. Church should reflect how Jesus loves us and be a place where we can connect with others, be taught according to scripture, and held accountable.

All that said, there are no perfect churches.  We encourage seekers to look at a church’s beliefs posted on its web site and visit multiple times. Here are some of the questions we encourage them to answer when looking for a church:

Does this church hold a proper view of Scripture? When investigating a potential church home, pay particular attention to how it views the Bible. Does it hold to the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures? Where do they stand on such crucial issues of the Christian faith as the virgin birth and deity of Jesus Christ; the depravity of mankind; the work of Christ on the cross; His death, burial, and bodily resurrection; salvation by grace through faith alone; the second coming of Christ; and the ordinances of baptism and Communion?

Is there an emphasis on Bible teaching? Does this church practice what it preaches and provide a place for meaningful growth, worship, community and accountability based on Scripture? Are there bible study groups or classes available in addition to worship? Does this church care about sharing the Gospel in the community and is it committed to evangelism?

Is this a church where I am encouraged to serve God’s people and use my gifts for its benefit? Is this a place where the people make up the church or where the church is expected to do everything for the people? Is volunteering and service mandated or expected of all members. How does the church welcome newcomers and explain their positions on these critical issues.

It is good to be honest with people’s fear and questions. Church does not save us. It is helpful to share how church is referenced in the Bible.  The original Greek word for church is translated as gathering or assembly. The idea being that followers of Jesus would gather to live in fellowship with one another. They would be united by Jesus, study God’s word, love one another, encourage each other through difficult times, help each other grow closer to Jesus and live as a Christian family.

Another aspect to community is the concept of serving the “body of Christ.” The idea is that each follower of Jesus is part of the universal body and we each serve a different purpose that together makes us whole. We are called to care for one another and recognize that if one suffers, we are all hurting.

When church is seen for what it is meant to be, people are often more excited to find good examples of that in their community today.  Encourage people that those type places do exist and to not give up if there first attempt at finding Christian community falls short.

A Gospel Heart

Online evangelism comes with some unique challenges. People will say things they would never say face-to-face. It can also be difficult to understand tone or context based on how some communicates. Regardless of the situation, a true evangelical attitude starts with a loving heart prepared to engage all questions and brokenness with grace.

The issue someone brings will occasionally be something you never expected and have no experience within your own life. The way we prepare ourselves for this challenge is through prayer. We encourage prayer before every volunteer session. Prayer should also occur during and after each conversation.

The beauty of evangelism is that the Holy Spirit is in charge no matter where the seeker is in their spiritual journey. It may be the first step and very rough or it could be the step when God allows you to be a part of that person accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. No matter where the conversation falls on that spectrum, you should start in prayer simply asking for the peace, patience and love to share the Gospel. The words will come, and the results are out of your control.

Additionally, in our desire to help it is easy to forget that real communication and a connection take place through listening. There is a natural excitement to wanting to share the Gospel. Unfortunately, we can at times let this trick us into thinking that we must have the answer to every question. Every person is different, and his/her circumstances are unique. The Gospel message does not change but how we make it relevant to each seeker is dependent on us listening and learning what is truly happening with every person.

One way to learn more about a seeker and make them feel you care is to ask questions. This involves thinking about what information may unlock the real trouble that this person is dealing with as well as thinking about how to transition into the Gospel. An example is when a seeker shares all the problems and issues they are dealing with and how life has gone wrong. One simple question that can transition the conversation is to ask …“What is your relationship like with Jesus?” This tells us a lot about where this person stands spiritually and how to proceed.

Many people also come online with a focus on sinful behavior. We are not here to condemn or judge but we do not endorse any sinful behavior. It is helpful to admit your own sin. It is also important to help others recognize God loves us and Jesus died for us despite our sin. However, it is best to comment on sinful behavior using the Bible as the basis for categorizing the behavior as sinful. In this way, it is not you making a personal determination as to what constitutes sin, but rather the Word of God telling us that certain activities are not good for us and are sinful.

No matter how awkward a conversation may start, you never know when you may meet someone that is open to a change of heart and the truth of the Gospel. Do not be discouraged if the conversation does not go as you planned or wished. Be faithful and trust that the Holy Spirit is always at work.

Handling Conversations of a Sexual Nature

The number of conversations of a sexual nature seem to be increasing as “nothing is out of bounds” and culture supports a less biblical view of sex. These can be very sensitive and difficult for both the seeker and responder.

As we see more men and women bringing issues of pornography, masturbation, extra-marital affairs, and pre-marital sex to the ministry, we are reminded that it was once expected that a majority are coming with an appreciation that these things are biblically sinful.  That assumption is no longer a given as many want to push back or debate whether these things are wrong.

Conversations of this nature are often highly sensitive and emotional topics. We also often are speaking to someone who has never shared this information with anyone else. We unfortunately also may be speaking to someone that has a deeper issue and is not seeking help or Jesus Christ but some perverse enjoyment from such a conversation. This means we must be that much more discerning about what is being discussed.

For those acknowledging their sin and desperately seeking help, we do not need to spend a long period of time explaining God’s perfect design for sex but rather need to help them approach these issues with honesty, transparency, and accountability.

We encourage responders to look for and see the difference between someone broken, hurting and in need of help and someone pushing the bounds of common decency and respect. The ministry never wants to put anyone in a situation where they are feeling manipulated or harassed.

We also offer several helpful tips for managing these conversations:

  • Transfer someone of the opposite gender to a responder of the same gender if the topic requires or you simply believe it would be more appropriate.
  • If you know you are speaking with someone under 18, be extra careful and encourage them to reach out to their parents, school counselor or youth leader for a more appropriate source of help.
  • Use the ministry resources on these topics. These can be very helpful in bringing change, but they are a starting point and do not substitute for real accountability. We want you to encourage people to not just read about change but start living out those changes.
  • Help guests recognize that Satan likes to use shame and guilt to keep people buried in sexual sin. He wants us to try to manage our own way out of these issues and knows we are more likely to fail without the help and encouragement of others. We want to let seekers know this is a recipe for failure and being honest and transparent with someone in their life is necessary no matter how difficult that may be.

Lastly, we encourage responders to take control of every conversation. They should always be prepared to set clear boundaries and let the seeker know they are unwilling to continue if those boundaries are not respected. The first sign of any sexual harassment or sexually inappropriate language should be met with a strong response letting the seeker know that you will not engage or remain online if they continue to use such language.

We want to meet people stuck in sexual sin with grace, but we also must create a discussion framed in respect and a level of sincerity the struggle deserves.

The Real Identity Theft

Most of us think about financial hardship when we hear the term “identity theft”.  If you have ever talked with someone that has been the victim of this then you know it is very sad and difficult. However, there is another form of identity theft that is spiritual and unfortunately growing more common. This spiritual form of identity theft involves a post Christian culture and the enemy convincing people they are something other than a child of God and loved by Him.

Each of us was created by God for relationship with him. He weaved each of us in our mother’s womb.  We are treasured creations that he has blessed with unique talents, interests and passions. God is never glorified by those that reject this or minimize their significance. God is glorified when we fully step into our design as his image-bearers.

Unfortunately, the enemy and a culture of hyper-individualism is encouraging people to reject this and live outside God’s design and love for them. The nature of our on-demand and impatient world encourages restless hearts to just do something and “be you”.  Alan Noble recently wrote that the fundamental assumption of modern life is:

“You are your own, and you belong to yourself.” And if we believe this concept “then it’s up to us to forge our identities and to make our lives significant. But while that may sound empowering, it turns out to be a crushing responsibility—one that never actually delivers on its promise of a free and fulfilled life, but instead leaves us burned out, depressed, anxious, and alone.”

The sad reality is we see this approach resulting in heartbreaking social trends like rising depression, growing suicide rates and the record levels of anxiety.  The result is more and more people are confused about their identity. In fact, our society is having a collective identity crisis. This leads to people increasingly asking questions like:

  • What am I supposed to be doing?
  • Does my life matter?
  • What gives my life significance?
  • Who am I?
  • Where am I going?

Rather than asking God and consulting his roadmap for life, the spirit of our current culture is to ignore God and to reject the Bible. Too many have bought into the false narrative of thinking God made a mistake, does not care, and they know better.  And then the enemy comes into those times to further deceive and discourage.  In fact, one of Satan’s oldest ploys is to have us question God and how He made us.

Our challenge is clear. We must help people recognize the truth of being a child of God. Whether it is our faith, career, or gender we only find peace in trusting God.  That trust comes from believing God does not make mistakes.

This truth allows us to see feelings, desires and disappointments in the light of biblical truth in a fractured world. When that happens, we find the place where peace, purpose and true identity are found.

Jesus is the answer to spiritual identity theft. He made us with intentionality and a purpose. It is in this truth that we start to experience the transformative power of Christ.  Our peace, hope and joy in life come from believing a good and loving God desires those things for us and we don’t need to become someone else to encounter those things.

AI and Online Evangelism

It is hard to read the news and not hear something about the advancements and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on our world. What started as help with answering questions or writing something has quickly evolved into cloning voices, creating art, and producing video based on a few words.

The most ubiquitous application for AI in many of our lives is the ever-present chat bot. The box in the corner of so many web sites offering to help answer your question.  Some of these chat bots are built to process large amounts of data and are becoming increasingly better at supplying the information needed for answering a narrow set of questions.

The inevitable question is whether AI can do this for people with faith related questions and become the ultimate digital evangelist. The reality is some ministries have already decided the answer to that question is “yes” and they have started using chat bots with automated responses and logic to interact with those seeking answers to life and faith questions.  We have seen how this can frustrate seekers and lacks the most basic form of human connection that is only achieved through some form of presence.

We believe AI has a place in online evangelism, but it should not be utilized for the live conversation with someone seeking answers and struggling to know, trust and obey Jesus. Many people come online seeking answers but what they find most compelling is human interaction and connection. We can debate different religions or interpretations, but we don’t typically do that with someone’s experience or story.

Live conversation is best between two people created in God’s image connecting at a deeper level. Artificial Intelligence has no soul, no testimony, and does not connect in the way that two people created by God for relationship can come together.

However, we do see opportunities for AI to help us become better evangelists. We believe the first application for AI in online evangelism is as a quality improvement tool.  AI allows a large number of diverse conversations to be reviewed across multiple categories including quality of Gospel presentation, the depth of faith of the seeker, and adherence to ministry policies and procedures. Conversations can be scored on several metrics and responders that may need more coaching or encouragement can be quickly identified. It can also identify emerging topics and trends becoming a valuable member of your training and response development team.

Another application is as more of an assistant to your responders having live conversation. It is exciting to think how AI might supply various information that a responder decides how and whether to use during a conversation. AI could use the nature of the topic, or specific lines of conversation, to make different resources available for the responder to share at their discretion.  For instance, a person struggling with a drug addiction in a certain geographic location might trigger AI to show a list of Christian organizations in that location that offer services for this particular struggle and need.

The recent stories of AI hallucinating and making things up have been troublesome. The cases where it has responded with claims of having feelings and knowing what is best for humanity are even more perilous. There is no doubt technology can make our lives easier when used properly. However, the wrong uses can also bring an assortment of risks and hazards.

We pray you will be cautious and wise when considering how to use AI in your ministry. And when you consider the precious opportunity to meet a lost soul, and share the Gospel in a live conversation, that you realize that there is no substitute for the voice and story of a transformed believer connecting through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Where Loneliness Can Lead

One of the sad realities we see in offering live conversation is how often we speak with people that have no one to talk to in their lives. The other observation in how that loneliness leads some into poor choices. We talk regularly with people trying to recover from one-night stands and online hookups. Some come wanting to talk about sexual things and exchange photos to fill some broken need.

People are desperate and looking for connection. Too many seek companionship in the wrong ways and have a lack of healthy relationships in their lives. I am not breaking news with this analysis, but people keep looking in darker and darker places for the most basic human need – connection with another person.

You are probably not surprised to hear that this is growing darker.  Now we see Artificial Intelligence getting into this area and taking it to even further depths. There are a growing number of advertisements for “customized girlfriends” across social media sites like Instagram and TikTok. You might think this is weird and some small niche market, but there are a growing number of companies using AI to create virtual partners and chatbots that can send sexual photos and having explicit conversations. 

Replika was a company originally founded as a chatbot service offering emotional and mental health support. They have changed their focus and are now advertising “spicy selfies” and hot role play. They invite users to create their dream companion and promise someone that will exceed your wildest desires. The app also offers voice calls with your virtual partner, and it has been downloaded more than 20 million times.

A growing number of creators of virtual relationships claim to let users choose the “perfect face and body” while customizing the personality who will be judgment-free and “always on your side”.  This is just another form of digital pornography and shows the desperation of so many. Those subscribing to these services are lost and spiraling further from real human intimacy.

The restlessness and impatience of a lonely culture keeps leading people down dark alleys. As we talk with those let down by these digital connections, we know that real relationship with another human is not something that can be simulated. There are no hugs, conversation over a shared meal, or long walks holding hands with your digital mate.

The ultimate way that Jesus can relieve our loneliness is by making us part of his family. Through his own lonely death and then his resurrection, Jesus made it possible for us to belong to God’s family.  Never tire of sharing God’s design for community within healthy Christian churches. May we find soft hearts in sharing how Jesus has something better to offer and is the one relationship that will last for eternity.

Biblical Conversations about Abortion

Abortion has always been an emotional topic. As the laws around abortion continue to change in the U.S., we want to encourage conversations filled with grace and love.

An unwanted pregnancy can be a frightening experience for someone who is not emotionally, physically, or financially prepared for such a responsibility. This difficult conversation is an opportunity to share truth and hope. We must be extra-sensitive with conversations about abortion as guests can come to us with one of several different perspectives:

  • those considering abortion
  • those struggling with a past decision to abort
  • those wanting to debate the political or biblical issues around this topic

A Biblical Response

Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that God knows us before He forms us in the womb. We see in Psalm 139:13-16, God’s active role in our creation and formation in the womb. For the Christian, abortion is not a matter of a woman’s right to choose to have a baby. The baby is already present and living. Abortion is a matter of the life or death of a human being made in God’s image. We always want to encourage people to trust God and honor all life created in the image of God.

Many guests come with questions or reasons why they think their situation is different. A  few of those include the following:

The Question of Life  –  The question of when life begins has been falsely used to support abortion for years. Science has come a long way and is in almost universal agreement that human life begins at the time of conception. The official position of the American College of Pediatricians is as follows:

The predominance of human biological research confirms that human life begins at conception—fertilization.  At fertilization, the human being emerges as a whole, genetically distinct, individuated zygotic living human organism, a member of the species Homo sapiens, needing only the proper environment in order to grow and develop. The difference between the individual in its adult stage and in its zygotic stage is one of form, not nature. 

From the moment fertilization takes place, the child’s genetic makeup is already complete. Its gender has already been determined, along with its height and hair, eye, and skin color. The only thing the embryo needs to become a fully-functioning being is the time to grow and develop. It is simply false to claim anything other than life begins at creation when a human being is made as soon as he or she is conceived. Therefore, the question that abortion supporters must answer is … If there is a living child in the womb, is there anything that justifies killing a living person?

The Question of Rape or the Mother’s Life in Danger  –  A common argument against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about cases of rape and/or incest?” This is less than 1% of all abortions. As horrible as rape is, the murder of the baby is not the solution. Two wrongs do not make a right. Every unborn child, including those who are a result of rape or incest, are loved by God as is the woman who was sexually abused.  Regardless of how or why a child was conceived, he or she is as fully human as any other child. The circumstances of conception have nothing to do with the viability of the infant and they should not be punished for the evil act of his or her father. The answer may be offering the child for adoption, but it is not death.

Another argument often used against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about when the life of the mother is at risk?” Honestly, this is the most difficult question to answer on the issue of abortion. This scenario is equally rare with less than 1% of all abortions being performed to save the mother’s life.  Some medical professionals claim that we are now at a stage that abortion is never necessary to save the mother’s life. We should also remember that God is a God of miracles. He can preserve the life of a mother and her child despite all the medical odds being against it. Third, even in the small percentage of abortions performed to save the life of the mother, most of those abortions can be prevented by an early induced delivery of the baby or a C-section. It is extremely rare that a baby must be actively aborted to save the life of the mother. Ultimately, if the life of the mother is genuinely at risk, the course of action can only be decided by the woman, her doctor, and God.

The Question of Care  –  Many mothers become pregnant unexpectedly or their circumstances change radically during pregnancy. They may feel like they do not have the financial, emotional, or physical capabilities to raise this child. As scary as that may be, the answer is not to take the life of the child.

We want to help them understand that there are multiple resources available to this person. In many places, there are organizations that will pay for and shepherd the mother through all the doctor visits and health-related issues. There are adoption agencies willing to help and many have couples waiting to adopt new-born children. There are also churches that will walk with women through this journey to ensure that she and the child are cared for well. Every one of these options should be pursued without choosing to end a life.

A Loving Approach

We must always remember that many come to us with difficult stories. They may have been lost, pressured, or never fully understood the magnitude of their decision to abort.  They may now believe their choice was sinful and unforgivable. We want to share with those tortured souls that abortion is not the unpardonable sin. Abortion healing and recovery is possible through Jesus. Jesus died for all sin including abortion. When we come to Jesus in faith, confessing our sin and turning away from it, God offers a full pardon and all His love.

Even when the sin of abortion has been washed away by the blood of Jesus, the effects can remain. Women who have had abortions, and men that encouraged them, often suffer years of shame and regret. They may live every day with the knowledge of what they have done and are haunted by thoughts such as, “He would be six years old today,” or “She would have graduated high school this year.” We have all fallen short and need God’s grace. Share God’s love with every person enduring the pain of that choice and acknowledging their sin.

Believers should have a very direct position on life beginning at conception and scripture speaking clearly against abortion. However, we should not seek to engage in political debates with those that simply want to advance a personal narrative or agenda.  The goal is to always to honor life and share the Gospel. We want to help others understand how precious life is and that God loves all life including the unborn and the struggling mother-to-be. Share hope and grace without condemning past choices. Encourage every guest that God wants to walk with them through this difficult season and has a plan and purpose for every life including the unborn child and those who have chosen abortion in the past.

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