Articles

Unique in Calling; United in Purpose

How the Body of Christ Addresses the Issue of Abortion
By Faye Barnhart

We aren't all doing the same things, but we all have the same goal: to save the lives of women and children!

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. (Romans 12:4)

As Christian citizens, we want to make a difference in our culture! We pray and carry out God's will on earth. As the body of Christ, we all truly care, but apart from each other, we can’t each do everything! It takes each of us – all of us - doing our part in what God has called us to do!

Each part of the body doesn't act like a mouth that is educating, or a toe that is balancing, or hand that is reaching. We need every part of the body! And every part of the body to function properly must be connected to the brain, the head, that is Christ, to direct us and guide us in faith.

Each individual and group has their unique gifting and calling. We are not all doing the same thing or approaching it from the same way, and that's how it should be! We are united in purpose but unique in our calling!

Our more than 700 volunteers are involved in many ways outside this Initiative: educating churches, working to elect prolife legislators, providing adoption services and foster care, empowering women with emotional and practical support, teaching parenting classes, providing childcare, sharing the grace of Jesus, … Our communities are filled with these heroes!

One of the many ways we can impact our culture is by passing fair laws to protect women and children. God's Word clearly calls us to speak out on behalf of the innocent and enact just (fair, equal) laws. Law deters women from harming themselves and their children. Then those involved in ministering to women through no-cost pregnancy care centers and churches can help women and children thrive!

We need all the parts of the body, all the members of the team, all the pieces of the puzzle .... speaking and acting upon the truth in love! Whether on a large or individual scale, the only thing we cannot do is nothing. There is a holocaust targeting women, silencing men, and killing children! Women, men, families, churches, and communities are devastated in its wake. Abortion harms all of us. Especially, the least of these.

Faye Barnhart has a heart for women and love of children. She cares about applying Biblical truths to everyday decisions. A mother and wife, Faye has been a follower of Jesus Christ since a small child. She is a Life Affirming Specialist and Women's Advocate with more than twenty-six years in ministry.

From the Pulpit

Why it is Important for Pastors and Believers to Lead in the Discussion on Abortion
By Faye Barnhart

Though politicized by proponents, killing children is not a political issue. It is a moral and spiritual issue affecting every believer, because God specifically commands us throughout Scripture that we are not to kill innocent people or enact unjust (unfair) laws that apply to some people but not to everyone.

I am not a political person. I’ve never liked politics. I don’t even like politics in the office (despise it, actually). When we as believers abandoned the politics that govern our state and nation to those who have no fear of God or moral compass, we left our government to people without wisdom.

The so-called wisdom of humans is not even on the same playing field as the wisdom of God! According to Scripture, our hearts are wickedly evil and we are foolish. What we think seems good leads us only to death. Without the fear of God, there isn’t even the beginning of wisdom!

By abandoning politics – and our mission of being salt and light in every sphere of influence – we have abandoned the laws that govern us to the corruption we see today. Deals made and legislation decided entirely without the input of those who elected them there, or the wisdom of God.

Because abortion is a moral and spiritual issue, it is best addressed from the pulpit. Throughout Scripture, God lets us get to know His character. God cares deeply about justice. God cares about the innocent. God cares about children. We need to care about what God cares about.

I am overwhelmed with how much God has to say about abortion! A simple word search for “innocent blood,” “children”, “sacrifice”, and “idolatry” result in an overwhelming amount of Scripture! “Innocent blood” because children in the womb have their own blood with their own blood type and are indisputably the most innocent among us. "Children" because God’s Word does not distinguish between a born or preborn child; for example, Scripture talks about “the child within her” when Elizabeth was pregnant. "Sacrifice" because abortion sacrifices the life of a child. And "idolatry" because there is always something more important than obeying God’s law not to kill that causes us to condone abortion, which makes that our idol, whether it be education, career, sexual intercourse outside marriage, or abortion itself. Idol worship throughout Scripture involved the sacrifice of children.

In a Constitutional Republic (which we are unless or until we allow it to be taken from us), we have both a privilege and responsibility to determine the laws which govern our society. So far, they have matched pretty closely with God’s moral law. It is still illegal to shoot people or bear false witness (lie) against someone in court, and illegal to rob someone. And historically, we’ve had governors and Presidents who took their vow to uphold our laws seriously. The possibility of a consequence for breaking a law deters most people from breaking the law.

There are many layers to law and enforcement, but it starts with us. It starts with protecting the weak, powerless, and innocent from the ruthless, greedy, and powerful. That’s what a Constitutional form of government does. Put simply, when you have five foxes and two hens in the farmyard, the Constitution protects the two hens from being dinner to the foxes, which they would be in a democracy. Our Constitution protects us from mob rule. It protects us from democratically electing a dictator. Or some people rising to power at the expense of others.

Our Constitution also protects our “Posterity”, meaning those who come after us, our children and those yet to be born. We were the Posterity of those who signed our Constitution that acknowledged our innate value and equal protection of life and liberty. It’s just the enforcement that seems to be a problem. Especially in Colorado where we ignore that every human being is valued and worth protecting.

This initiative applies the US Constitution to our state, protecting the most innocent among us, preventing the innocent bloodshed that offends our God who created these children in His image and gave us our government which is by and for the people. As believers, it is our responsibility to model and enact the laws and behaviors we know from a Holy God, and the wisdom God gives us when we begin to fear Him and take His Word seriously. We are morally and spiritually responsible to protect innocent children and their mothers from the brutal idolatry of abortion.

We are called to lead the culture from the pulpit, lead public opinion, not follow it. Confront evil, not compromise with it. When people come to hear a sermon, they expect to hear what Christianity believes, not what they've already heard out in the world. From the pulpit, we can raise the standard of truth, right and wrong, wise and foolish, Godly and worldly, to help save those who are listening. We are to impact the culture, rather than be impacted by the culture. People don't evolve to know the truth; truth must be spoken all at once, just as God spoke the universe into creation. That's the God we serve, the God we should please, and the God we should represent any time we stand behind the pulpit. From behind the pulpit minds are changed and hearts are exchanged. If confronted with truth, and the Christ who is Truth, the listener will never be the same, and neither will the world. For where the pulpit leads, the culture follows. Or if the pulpit follows, the culture will lead.

Every Child is Wanted

And Needed in This World
By Faye Barnhart

Every child is needed in the world. Children are the surprises and gifts God knows we need before we do. Children bring laughter, innocence, purpose, belonging, maturity, love, legacy, comfort, care, and tenderness into our lives. Children give us a reason to be the best version of ourselves. Children fill families and communities with playfulness and life. They challenge us to mature in love. Children depend on us for unconditional love, protection, nurture, care, comfort, and inclusion into our lives, families, and communities as we appreciate the uniqueness and gift they are to us. Children are not property but rather entrusted to us for a very short time to help mold the adults they will become. How we treat children also molds the adults we become. With every child, a mother's heart grows larger. And our ability to love increases. Love is the highest achievement of what it means to be human and mature.

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Articles by Faye: Features