PART 3: REDEEMING EVIL
Here’s where the hope comes in. There are 2 major players in an evil situation
The Enemy– and his disciples: these are bogus shepherds that participate his schemes. There are some in every church and keep us swimming in destructions. They don’t care when sheep fall off a cliff. In fact, they will push them off with blame and no help.
Then there is Jesus, the Good Shepherd who brings life, and life abundantly. His disciples cooperate with his agenda. They leave the 99 well-behaved sheep and run after the one who strayed. Jesus doesn’t rescue good little boys and girls. We can join Him – rescue those in unwed pregnancy or abortion trauma. Or join the enemy and push them off the cliff.
John 10:10: Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.“.
The enemy cannot steal, kill, or destroy ANYTHING that Jesus cannot redeem.
There are 2 major threats to Enemy’s empire of death and destruction – living testimonies which are damning to devil’s schemes. The first threat are people healed from abortion – from their sin, loss, and trauma. People who are now safe and loved. The second threat is the couple and their baby saved against odds because they don’t have to walk alone!
We must take this territory back! We must have a humble response. Give people courage to choose life. We need to change the reputation of the church to that of being a safe place people can run for help, free from condemnation. We can’t just fight to change laws while we are providing the enemy with the majority of his victims. Now we know, so let’s seek God both personally and congregationally for how to overcome.
These are our new BATTLEFIELD tactics because the old ones have not worked well for the past 50 years. Let us seek God on our knees and ask what response He wants from us personally and from this congregation!
As you go into your Redeeming the Story discussion time, I pray that you have sobered a bit about the reality of the participants and trauma of abortion. It is a problem far more massive than you probably realized before today. If we could just see what Jesus sees, with spiritual eyes that capture the wounded around us and help us see them through His eyes! Imagine how differently we might respond.
Remember, no story discussed in this course is a justification for abortion. No story is meant to lessen our alarm of the life or lives of precious babies that have been lost. However, stories help us to understand from a personal perspective how abortion can be chosen in certain circumstances and how we can help keep such situations from becoming reality in the future. In addition, rarely does a story happen in a vacuum with no influence from others. Including this influence in a story is never a blame-game, justifying the choices or sins of the main character in the story. Remember our preamble, that we all need the gospel of Jesus and stand before Him either justified and redeemed because we have put our faith in Him or not because we have not. There is no one truly good but God. No, not one! 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 says, “56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”.
Enjoy your discussion and allow it to transform the way you think about the tragedy of abortion. See you in Session 7!
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