Rev. David Rambarran Stemming the Tide
Rev. Cheri Griggs Children and the “Junior” Holy Spirit
Rev. Dr. Brent Tysinger
Why Holiness People Must Work to End Abortion
Rev. Shane Wilson What If Wesley Lived Today?
As a publication of the Holiness Partnership, the purpose of Remnant Magazine is to promote Scriptural holiness through applicable theology and practice.
The Holiness Partnership is a Wesleyan-Holiness organization seeking to re-discover the vision and understanding of biblical Christianity, re-emphasize the biblical doctrines of the Holiness church, re-invigorate the local church for mission and evangelism, and re-capture fidelity to biblical truth. We, at Remnant, pray that the Holy Spirit guides our messages, helps us bring clarity to holiness approaches to cultural issues, fosters a charitable dialogue in a polarized world, and enables us to speak the truth boldly in love, even in a time when the truth is unpopular.
By Rev. David Rambarran
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
There is a shift in the ideology of raising children in today’s society. The shift, for example, that a 4-year-old child can understand, determine, and therefore, desire radical changes concerning his or her identity and biological makeup. Can the undeveloped mental state of a 4-year-old determine how he lives? Some parents seek cues from their children, and in the interest of being open and wanting to assimilate into what they deem acceptable in society, they choose radically for their children. The question then should be: Is this about the child, or is it about the parent?
Children have always and will always need to be trained, guided, cautioned, and disciplined, and at the same time, they need to be loved, cared for, and listened to. They should be raised in a constructive mental, psychological, physical, and spiritual environment. When you teach a child to have a conscience, they care. When you teach a child to value the things they are given, they learn responsibility and gratitude. And when you teach a child to love, they are less selfish and more caring. But when you teach a child about God, they know they will never be alone, no matter what life throws at them. This is the most important foundation needed to prepare a child to thrive in this world.
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, drug use increased by 62% among 8th graders between 2016 and 2020. Among 12th graders, 62% have
abused alcohol, and 50% of teenagers have misused a drug at least once. Youth drug abuse is a high-profile public health concern with at least 1 in 8 teenagers abusing an illicit substance in the last year. Our children must have a firm foundation that can withstand the temptations they will surely face.
Where does the church live in these new and changing times that our children have to navigate? Are we doing enough? We are seeing diminishing numbers and a lack of emphasis (evidenced in the budget allocations of our churches) for our children and teen ministries worldwide. In my journeys throughout the rainforest communities of South America, across the sprawling green savannahs of Africa, to the burgeoning metropolises of the United States, I am mindful of the deep hunger among the younger generation for love, acceptance, and most especially,
Our children must have a firm foundation that can withstand the temptations they will surely face.
direction. I am also mindful that the response to these needs is slow to none. How will they know unless someone tells them? How will they grow unless they are discipled?
As I write these words, I am reminded of a Sunday School Convention that I attended some eight years ago. I was privileged to sit under the tutelage of the great Dr. Elmer L. Towns. His teaching focused on techniques of communicating the Gospel message, specifically to children, in small groups and Sunday School classes.
I can still clearly recall his enthusiastic recounting of his personal journey that was responsible for shaping his long and dedicated service to Jesus and His Bride, the Church. Dr. Towns is a well-known expert in the area of children’s ministries; he has authored over eighty books on various aspects of the Christian’s journey, resourced many conventions and seminars, and has served in various capacities in institutions of higher learning.
With great conviction, he recounted his time in his Sunday School class as a young boy. His teacher, after the Sunday School lesson was over, would make all the kids in the class raise their hands and repeat the words:
“I will not drink alcohol.”
“I will not smoke cigarettes.”
“I will not use drugs.”
He credited his relationship with God and his contribution to society to his time in Sunday School and the instructions of his teachers. They took a bold stance in a world that encouraged the opposite, and in doing so, they created bold leaders.
I do believe that meaningful instruction for our children in many of our churches is lacking or missing today. Much-needed Sunday School ministries are being
abandoned weekly. Committed and dedicated children’s workers are scarce. There is a great shortage of talented youth pastors and youth workers.
The lives of our children should be held precious, as they paint the future of the next generation and generations to come.
The solution could simply be this:
As the war rages on between the agendas of pro-life and pro-choice groups, we need to be proactive and preventative. Changing a law can help for a season, but sharing Christ, which changes hearts and lives, is eternally effective. We need to advocate for programs focusing on raising genuine Christians from the cradle to the grave. We, the Church, must focus on making Christlike disciples of all ages.
What if we passionately took that approach in Christian daycare centers, Christian schools, Sunday nurseries, and Christian adoption agencies? How might our culture change if our churches started educating, rather than leaving it up to the government?
Let us stem the tide… go make disciples.
We, the Church, must focus on making Christlike disciples of all ages.
In the early 1900s in Parksley, Virginia, a couple that could not have children traveled by horse and carriage to the home of John Wesley Fluhart to inquire about Mr. Fluhart’s son that he wanted to give up for adoption. The child’s name was Weldon Atwood Fluhart, and he was only about two years old. Weldon had been standing next to his mother, Vir ginia, when she collapsed and died. John could not care for the three children she left behind, so he was willing to give Weldon to this cou ple—James and Ida—who wanted to adopt. On that very day, Weldon traveled home with this new family and became their child. In those days, no papers were drawn, and families did what was necessary to survive in hard times. In today’s world, months and years can go by before an adoption may occur, and there are many legalities a couple must go through.
So, why should adoption and foster care be so important to us as Holiness people? Having been raised in a strong Holiness back ground (Pilgrim Holiness/Wesleyan/Nazarene), I have always understood how precious life is to us. Holiness people take a strong stand against abortion. We believe that every life is precious, and we vote accordingly during elec tions. It is one thing to verbalize our views, but do we really act on what we believe? Are we willing to raise a child that was going to be aborted? Are we willing to foster a child that has come from a home life of neglect?
To appreciate adoption, we must look at our very salvation. Ephesians 1:5 paints a beautiful picture: “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight” (NLT). The story throughout the Bible is the story of adoption. We are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as a cho sen child of God. God took us as one of his own. “And, I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corin thians 6:18, NASB). The Bible is full of stories where a child entered a new home under a new name. Moses was ad opted by Pharoah. Esther was adopted by her cousin, Mor
decai. Joseph adopted Jesus and raised Him as if He were his own. The very word holiness describes God’s goodness and power in the life of His people. What better way to proclaim God’s goodness than by accepting someone into our family?
Over the past 40 years of pastoral ministry, I have had the privilege of pastor ing families that adopted. One family adopted a child from Honduras; another adopted a child from China, and the list goes on. I have also witnessed the blessing of foster care
when one family took in many children that came from neglected homes. Each time, these children were influenced by the church. Our church family assisted in the rearing of these children, and I became their pastor—an expe rience I will always treasure.
Most recently, my son-in-law and daugh ter have begun the process of adopting. As they have shared with me, the steps to adop tion have been rigorous and daunting. They came very close to completing the adoption of a child until the process fell through. They were heartbroken but continue the process in hopes that God will provide the right child at the right time. I eagerly anticipate the day when we invite an adopted child into our fam ily as a new grandchild. Adoption and foster care can be difficult and messy, but it’s cer tainly worth the effort. I believe it also reflects the goodness of God—the very meaning of holiness—to a broken world in need of love, redemption, and belonging. I pray that we can be conduits of God’s love in such a way.
As you began reading this article, you were introduced to an adopted child, Weldon Atwood Fluhart. Weldon enjoyed a wonder ful life with James and Ida, and later in life, he even took his adoptive father, James, into his
household when Ida passed away. What you did not know is that the little boy was my grand father, and the name Fluhart was replaced by Berry. I am thankful to the Berry family for car ing for my grandfather, Weldon Atwood Berry. I proudly hold that adopted name—Berry. The kindness of that family forever changed many lives, including mine, so I would encourage you to consider adoption and foster care. Ask the Lord how He would use you to show His love to those most in need. He might lead you to one of the greatest, little blessings of your life.
Resources for Adoption/Foster Care: www.waitnomore.org www.focusonthefamily.com
Foster the Family: Encouragement, Hope, and Practical Help for the Christian Foster Parent by Jamie C. Finn
Honestly Adoption: Answers to 101 Ques tions About Adoption and Foster Care by Mike & Kristin Berry
D. L. Moody was credited as having said, “It is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion. Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His words?”
He was correct in his assessment as to how various people within the Church view children and their spiritual lives. Children are VERY capable of understanding the deeper things of the Kingdom, if we will take the time to teach them in child-sized portions.
Jesus said in three of the Gospels that “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” It appears Jesus is convinced that children are capable of experiencing a transformational relationship with Him—so much so, that He warns us not to lead them down a road that embraces the world’s deceptive propaganda and empty philosophies.
Children are VERY capable of understanding the deeper things of the Kingdom, if we will take the time to teach them in child-sized portions.
and the
For over five decades, I have had the opportunity to minister to and with children, witnessing amazing things take place in their lives. For example, children love to pray! When my own children were younger, I remember a time when we desperately needed rain; you know, when the grass is brown and brittle, and the flowers seem to have tongues hanging out longing for a downpour of heaven’s thirst quencher. My kids randomly started praying for rain, and to “my surprise,” within 30 minutes we had a downpour that came out of nowhere. My children just grinned because they believed God not only heard their prayers but desired to answer them.
There was another time I had the privilege of teaching children about prayer during Kids’ Church, engaging them in the practice of this discipline while we were together. There were two children who wanted their daddy to start attending church. We would lay our hands on these kids, and their childhood friends would begin to cry out for their daddy to show up. A few months later, guess who appeared at church? I’ve never seen children so excited in my life!
I, myself, came into a relationship with Christ when I was nine years of age. Through the wise guidance of my parents and other adult believers in our local church, I had the
privilege to be part of ministry opportunities. Visiting families, attending prayer meetings, engaging in mission lessons, traveling around with my ventriloquial buddy to share the historical/spiritual events of the Bible, and other such occasions developed within me an incredible love for things of the Kingdom.
Stop for a minute and look at the book of Ephesians. It is written to the faithful saints in Ephesus. The first three verses in chapter six of Ephesians are addressed to children. It is only logical to conclude that the children in the Ephesus church were also faithful saints. As a matter of fact, the childhood of Jesus displays how deep a child can go in understanding Kingdom truths when we read that He was “confounding” the teachers of the Law in the temple at the age of 12.
John Wesley shares throughout his journals the number of children who were radically saved, hungered for the Word, and were constant in prayer. One such day was July 30, 1758. He states, “I began meeting with the children in the afternoon, though with little hopes of doing them good; but I had not spoken long on our natural state before many of them were in tears, and five or six so affected that they could not refrain from crying aloud to God. When I began praying, their cries increased, so that my voice was soon lost. I have seen no such work among children for
To draw children into a relationship with the Holy Spirit, we first need to make sure we are in an active relationship with Him.
eighteen or nineteen years.”
Wesley also credits children, as young as two years of age, of having an incredibly deep relationship with God, giving prophetic words of future events that eventually came to pass, sharing visions they received from God, and confidently speaking the truth of the Word to others. Their experiences were taken just as seriously as those of an adult.
It is evident throughout history that children display childlike faith that is very effective and powerful. Isn’t it possible that on the day of Pentecost children were part of the 120 who experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit? After all, we find they were present (being followers of Jesus) throughout the gospels— often when Christ was teaching, healing, delivering, and celebrating the Kingdom being at hand. Later in Acts, we find that the disciples led “whole households” into an active relationship with the resurrected Messiah after the Pentecost event.
To draw children into a relationship with the Holy Spirit, we first need to make sure we are in an active relationship with Him. Secondly, we need to be in the Word, daily, so that our faith can constantly be growing. Thirdly, we need to believe that a child can and wants to live for Christ. And lastly, we need to be willing, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to teach them (and their parents) the deeper things about the Kingdom through concrete and experiential ways.
I’m sure you know by now there is NOT a “junior” Holy Spirit for children! All the power, fruit, gifts, guidance, teaching, and other aspects of this precious gift given to us by the Father through His Son are available for kids of all ages to experience. Wouldn’t it be amazing to participate with children in powerful moves of the Holy Spirit in the crazy, chaotic times in which we live?
I want to challenge you to pray for the children within your church and sphere of influence to be open and receptive to the plan of salvation but to also desire to experience entire sanctification. Additionally, pray for God to show you how and what to teach them when it comes to those deeper things. Children NEED to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to make it
through a world filled with deceit—a world with an agenda to remove God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit from all areas of life. I want to encourage you to have fun and begin praising God right now for what He is about to do with the children entrusted to you!
All the power, fruit, gifts, guidance, teaching, and other aspects of this precious gift given to us by the Father through His Son are available for kids of all ages to experience.
“Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you?”
These words were written on February 24, 1791, from the deathbed of John Wesley, the great Methodist evangelist. One might suppose Wesley’s last letter would be composed to a family member or fellow minister or one of the many converts of his unparalleled preaching ministry. Instead, his last written words were directed at a politician: the diminutive spiritual giant, William Wilberforce. The very thing for which God had raised Wilberforce up was the abolition of slavery in Great Britain, which Wilberforce’s tireless work and God’s blessing accomplished a mere three days before Wilberforce’s own death in 1833.
If Wesley were to write such a letter today, I have no doubt that his heart’s cry would be against the greatest moral evil of our day: the sin of abortion.
The underpinnings of a pro-life theology show up early in God’s Word. Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness... So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” And in Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.”
Here, God’s Word gives foundation to the theological concept called the imago Dei, Latin for “the image of God.” The image of God concept is not so much that human beings look like God, or that we inherently have all of the divine attributes of God in and of ourselves, but that He made us for the
purpose of communicating who He is to the world He created. We bear His image in this world for His glory.
This is why human life is intrinsically valuable. We—not the earth, not the sky, not flora or fauna, nor anything else—image the divine Creator. We alone are capable—through the saving work of the God-man, Jesus—of becoming vessels of the indwelling power of God Himself.
As C. S. Lewis once put it, “There are no ordinary people.”
The Bible teaches us plainly that the preborn child bears no less of the image of God than does a human being of any other age and stage of development. In fact, the Greek word used for baby in Luke 1:41 to describe preborn John the Baptist is the same Greek word used to describe the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger in Luke 2:12. Just as the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 139:13, we are knit together by God in our mother’s womb.
So, what is the Christian—particularly the Holiness believer—to do about the bellowing giant of abortion that ravages our land and has taken the lives of somewhere near 65 million preborn children since the now overturned ruling of Roe v. Wade in 1973?
Obviously, we should exercise our Godgiven right to vote for—and only for—political candidates who are truly for ending abortion in our land. This is how Roe was overturned. However, many Holiness believers see voting the right way every four years as the full extent of our duty. This is an error. While the political battle rages on, there are lives and souls which hang in the balance. Something must be done to stem that tide. This is where two major lines of defense come into play.
First, every Holiness church should financially support and volunteer at the crisis pregnancy center closest to the place where their congregation meets. These centers offer alternatives to abortion for women and babies in need free of charge, and many help women fulfill their greatest need: having a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Second, every Holiness church that is within one hour of an abortion center that performs surgical or chemical abortions (locations are easily found online), should have some sort of active sidewalk outreach to that center. Christian groups like Operation Save America, Save the Storks, and Love Life USA can help your church learn how to do effective outreach to these centers—not with a harsh spirit, but with the love of Christ shown to these women— saving babies and souls until the day when abortion is abolished in our land.
If you have never been to an abortion center, praise God! Too many women in the church (the statistics say around one in five) have already been there to have their own abortions performed. However, I believe all Holiness churches should go with a group to the sidewalk nearest their local abortion center to pray and observe what happens there. When you see women enter the building, carrying an image-bearer of God in their wombs, and when you see them exit later, knowing that life has been snuffed out before its time,
I believe the Holy Spirit will convict you to do more than just vote. That very thing happened to me in 2008, and my life has never been the same since.
Unless God has raised up Holiness believers to abolish abortion in our day, we will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for us, who can be against us?
THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THE PREBORN CHILD BEARS NO LESS OF THE IMAGE OF GOD THAN DOES A HUMAN BEING OF ANY OTHER AGE.
My son, Samuel, is 24 and was born into the demographic known as “Gen Z.” I am thankful that he knows and serves the Lord. We sometimes have interesting talks about God and the Christian life in general, and we were having one of our interesting chats the other day while driving down the road.
We discussed some of the men used by God in a mighty way during the last few hundred years—John Bunyan, John Wesley, George Mueller, and D. L. Moody to name a few.
I asked my son, “Do you think, if those guys were your age and living in today’s world, they would be the same great men of prayer, faith, and power that we know from history?” After a pause, he agreed that it would be hard to know the answer to that question exactly, but we also both concurred that today’s world presented certain challenges and obstacles to a life of total devotion to God very different than those of previous generations.
Salvation from sin is the same in every generation. Those men spoke openly of their sinful lives before conversion. Bunyan decried his irreverent behavior, foul language, and “love of sports,” which during the 1600s meant cards and table games. George Mueller told the story of when he was informed that his mother was about to die, and his sin-filled heart neglected to leave his carousing to go see her one last time. Such was his depravity. But God saved sinners hundreds of years ago the same way He saves them today, and there is no doubt that people living in the era of these four spiritual giants (1600-1900) had to deal with their fair share of temptations and struggles, too.
My son and I agreed that these men of God, as great as they were, faced different obstacles than contemporary disciples that still seek to live out the old chorus “holiness unto the Lord is our watchword and song.”
Yes, our obstacles are quite different. In the modern world of convenience and comfort, we have not yet faced severe persecution as many others have (although, the day may come). I, personally, have never been threatened to “renounce Christ or die.” Obviously, none of us wish to live in such circumstances, but I’ll just say it: I believe that it may be easier to live a godly life under a
Communist or radical Islamic regime than in today’s society of a thousand distractions.
Believers suffering under those oppressive regimes are pressed daily to fully dedicate their very lives—quite literally—to God as they know not what the persecution of that day may bring. Let’s just say that they might have a bit more motivation than we do to fast and pray each day. Could facing daily persecution and death actually make living a life of complete devotion easier? We “comfortable Christians” may not be in danger of execution or being sent to an internment camp today, but the obstacles that current “First World” Christianity faces are much more insidious and deceptive.
What are these obstacles to which I am referring? During the era of the aforementioned men, most of the hindrances to a godly life were found outside the security of the home. This security was meant to be a protection against the sin that was “out there.” Perhaps Wesley would have understood better than we do today God’s admonition to Cain that “sin lies at the door.” Home was meant to be a place where one could shut the door to the world and shut himself in with God.
Indeed, “ale and wenches” could be found by a young man in the year 1750 if he went out looking for a temptation to overcome, but he most likely would still have to leave his four walls to find it.
Today, it is very different. With the advent of smartphones, tablets, and computers, one doesn’t have to go outside the four walls to find the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The ungodly world that we are commanded not to love in sacred Scripture has found its way into the security of our homes and into the privacy of closed doors through the Internet. This private place that was meant for communion
with God and meditation of His Word has now been replaced by untold hours of access to the virtual world. This has produced what appears to be myriads of addicted zombies that seem dead to eternal realities, marching to the beat and tune of the Pied Piper that is the enemy of their souls.
Most likely, those reading this article right now would not consider themselves zombies, but you would agree that you may be too absorbed with what tech has brought into your life, even though these things may not be inherently sinful. My son and I agreed that the greatest hindrance to being a modern Wesley or Moody is simply the distraction that social media, entertainment, sports, and other things can bring. It is this distraction that has lulled many to sleep spiritually and has drawn them away from a life of power and anointing. It has greatly hindered the forming of modern Bunyans, Wesleys, Muellers, and Moodys.
There is simply no other way to a life of holiness and fruitfulness than time alone with God on a daily basis. Our world may be drastically different than the one George Mueller lived in, but the recipe for a fruitful life of victory has not changed. It is still the discipline that these spiritual giants of yesteryear practiced every day.
There is no way around it. There are no shortcuts. The branch must abide in the vine if there is to be fruit, and a simple prayer before meals or bedtime just won’t cut it. The greatest of all commandments—to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength”—can only be understood in this context. Spiritually speaking, the word love is not written L-O-V-E but T-I-M-E! We must be as deliberate and intentional about our life of prayer and devotion today as John and Charles were in 1762.
Our world may be drastically different... but the recipe for a fruitful life of victory has not changed.
Again, it is nothing less than the distractions of modern technology and entertainment that form the greatest hindrance to a life of God’s precious anointing and power. Unless we learn to remove these distractions and pray like those godly men prayed, we cannot expect the kingdom results that they saw.
I will go out on a limb and say that if John Wesley had been born not in 1703 but in 2003 and spent more time on his social media than shut in with the Lord, there would be no John Wesley; the name maybe, but not the anointed man used by God to impact an entire nation.
Due to these distractions, Christians today may very well be living in the most difficult time in history, spiritually speaking. I sometimes wonder if I had lived in the 1700s what kind of temptations or distractions would I have to face? I certainly believe there would be fewer voices competing for my attention. I believe that spending a couple of hours alone with God would have been easier without all the competition for our attention that we deal with today. We are constantly bombarded with virtual distractions coming from a device held in hands that should be more often lifted to the Lord and serving Him. We must overcome these distractions and devote more time to Jesus.
If the modern day Muellers and Moodys are to rise, there must be a resurgence of the same life of prayer that these men lived. We must be intentional and put away all things that hinder the life of holiness. Technology must become a tool for God’s glory, not something that absorbs and controls us.
The Bible tells us that “we are made a spectacle unto angels and unto men.” Yes, we are being watched! I wonder if one day, instead of us admiring the lives of Bunyan, Wesley, Mueller, and Moody, they might possibly admire those living in these modern times who intentionally put away the distractions they themselves did not face in order to uncompromisingly seek the fullness of God?
We may be living in days of more obstacles, distractions, and sin, but let us remember that “where sin did abound, grace did much more abound.” His grace and power will always be sufficient if we will only embrace it.
The eyes of the Lord still “roam throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Bunyan, Wesley, Mueller, and Moody may not be alive today, but you and I are. We were born for such a time as this. And if we will daily surrender our lives to Christ and not allow the distractions of the modern world to take us away from that precious place of secret communion with Him, we too can shake our generation for the glory of God. Nothing else is more worth living and dying for!
We may be living in days of more obstacles, distractions, and sin, but let us remember that... His grace and power will always be sufficient if we will only embrace it.
Imagine this scenario… I’m a 43-year-old pastor and Dad of three. I’m sitting outside of our local courthouse in my old, embarrassing minivan—alone and crying.
Actually, crying would be quite an understatement. I was uncontrollably sobbing!
I was ugly face crying and embarrassed about my uncontrolled emotions over two kids that don’t look like me, share my last name, or even technically belong to me. They have experienced many horrors. Things I don’t speak of often. The list of traumas is unbearable to think of at their tender ages of two and four. But what they do firmly have going for them is that they have my heart. I’m “daddy” to Aurora and Anacely. At first glance, you can’t help but notice that we don’t share skin color, eye color, or ethnicity. We share no genetics. We just share a roof, a table, and my heart.
It all started when my wife felt called. You might know how that goes. She felt called to foster kids, but me? Not so much. So, I spent years dragging my feet to training, social services offices, and random, unorganized meetings. She prayed that God would align our hearts and waited for my stone-cold heart to thaw. Only two years ago did I surrender my comforts at the altar and willingly take in not one but two orphans. Good grief, what was I thinking? I’ll admit that the first months were awful! Extremely difficult. But we survived and are now thriving. Praise God!
Can I tell you a secret? I still sometimes want to quit. While you could rightfully shame me, I’d prefer that you prayerfully join me.
Do you care about life ? Would you go so far as to call yourself pro-life ?
I could have answered “yes” in my preorphan days, but I only meant I was against abortion. I still am, by the way. Staunchly! But what I’ve come to learn is that being pro-life involves much more effort than just being against something. Even something as horrific as killing people.
Jesus said, “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). I agree with Him. Now, He wasn’t talking about fostering, adopting, or advocating for the orphan in this case, but I bet Jesus wouldn’t object. In the Gospels, He was very protective of children, loved spending time with them, and even called us to have faith like they do if
we are to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
I believe the Church has no leg to stand on except being unapologetically pro-life. But I think that should encompass a “cradleto-grave” appreciation for “life and life to the fullest,” to quote the Master. At least, that’s what I tell the church I pastor in North Carolina. Recently, I expressed this view from the pulpit, and a visitor stood up, obnoxiously got my attention, and flipped me the “double bird.” That middle finger salute told me we have a problem, even in the Bible Belt.
And therein lies the tension. “Pro-life” has become a political slogan, inevitably triggering a heated debate. Will the church and its pastor take the chance of being mocked or heckled to say, “We believe caring for a life, not our own, is the most Christian thing we can do?”
Even having the courage to say that in today’s world is one thing, but then will we actually put that into practice? You might look
Being prolife involves much more effort than just being against something...
[It] should encompass a “cradle-to-grave” appreciation for “life and life to the fullest.”
around and wonder… what can be done?
Our church decided to stop sitting on the sidelines right around the same time my wife’s prayers changed my life. Funny how that works. We don’t have it all figured out, but here is how we are trying:
We support two local crisis pregnancy centers with our money, time, and assistance with their upkeep.
We offer “Embrace Grace” and “Embrace Life” (two programs designed to disciple expectant mothers and new mothers).
We throw amazing baby showers when a girl decides to give her baby life. And it’s expensive! So are the massages, gifts, strollers, pampering, and meal trains, but it’s so important to support these women and show them love.
1,780 unborn babies get aborted in the US every day. That tells me that, while I’m preparing sermons and prepping orders of worship, innocent life is being taken. The Church has still not gotten serious enough about pro-life issues. Roe v. Wade might change federal laws, but the problem isn’t found there. It’s a heart issue for the people of our country.
On any given day, the 424,000 babies, children, and teenagers who cycle through the unforgiving and overwhelmed foster care system means the Church has not gotten committed enough to pro-life issues.
“Unstained from the world,” like James mentions, could describe holiness. Caring for orphans and widows could describe holiness. Repentance from comfort is where we should start in America, in my opinion.
We walk, sing, and pray beside abortion clinics with “Love Life.” No shouting. No nasty signs. Just prayer and singing. We love moms and babies, and we believe prayer changes hearts.
We give post-abortive counseling and care.
We sponsor small groups to support fostering, adopting, and serving those families.
Now I’m talking to you—you, reading this holiness magazine. Are you willing to take in an orphan or serve a widow? Thereby resisting the temptation of comfort, which is one of our most formidable foes, in my opinion. At least it’s mine. My affluence, compared to the rest of the world, makes me fear losing my comforts. You’re welcome beside me at the altar of repentance.
I’m certainly not perfect. Remember who I am? I am the guy who refused to foster and definitely didn’t want to adopt. You won’t receive any judgment from me if you aren’t
Our members have started fostering, adopting, volunteering to serve as guardian ad litem (a court-appointed guardian that watches over a child during a case), providing respite care for weary parents, etc.
We serve widows and the elderly with service projects, home repair, meals, etc. several times a year.
6. 7. 8.
Roe v. Wade might change federal laws, but the problem isn’t found there. It’s a heart issue for the people of our country.
ready. I am the guy who bemoaned the three weekends “wasted.” But remember what God did to me? He melted my heart for two little orphans who needed a roof over their heads and some food in their bellies. Now, I’m praying God will open a door for our family to sacrificially adopt them because they need me, and I need them. So, until that adoption, I’ll probably be found outside more courthouses crying from overwhelmed emotions about legal frustrations, waiting for the thumbs up from a judge. But you can also find me cheering on the moms who choose life and not death. I’ll lead a church that honors unborn life all the way to the last natural breath a person takes as a God-given gift.
The question I have for you is this: Will you join me in actually being pro-life?
If so, please pray about how God is calling you to be pro-life and what that looks like for you. Genuinely seek God’s direction, no matter the cost. Faith without works is dead, my friends, so let’s get serious!
“This baby is going to be born with major birth defects. We need to schedule an abortion immediately.”
These words were quite a shock to me as an 18 year old living far away from home on an island military base with my husband when I found out I was expecting our first child. I was nervous, excited, and scared already, but to have these words said to me by the obstetrician was crushing.
My previous six months had been spent recovering from an 18-day hospitalization for a deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism due to birth control pills and an unknown inherited blood clotting disorder from which I came very close to death. To combat future blood clots, a vena cava filter was implanted, and I was put on medication for the next six months. It was during this time when the doctors told me that, due to
my blood clotting disorder, I would have to remain on the medication for life. Since the medication was known to cause birth defects, I was told to not become pregnant.
When I discovered I was pregnant with an at-home test, I was overjoyed. I made an appointment with the doctor to get confirmation, but she was less than thrilled. My doctor had me come in daily for blood tests to determine if the baby was growing because she didn’t think he would survive. Every day I remember praying the numbers would double to prove that my baby was indeed growing and developing. My doctor continued telling me that I would likely lose the baby due to being on the anticoagulant medication. After a few weeks of blood tests, she asked me to come in for an ultrasound to see if the baby was developing. That is when she said those fateful words to me: “You need an abortion.”
Her strong recommendation was an abortion.
I was devastated and went home to call my parents. I told my parents the news and what the doctor said. My mom immediately replied, “Don’t let them touch that baby! We will pray for him and for you.”
At every appointment, the doctor kept telling me to not expect the baby to survive child birth or to survive long after if I did not miscarry or abort. She was still pushing me to have an abortion for both of our sakes. She continued to tell me that I was a high-risk pregnancy due to my blood clotting disorder and that it could kill me to continue with the pregnancy. The admonition to abort was now becoming not a request but seemed to be a military order. With my adamant refusal, the military hospital decided I was too high risk to remain on the island and sent me home to live with my parents for the duration of the pregnancy. Arriving in Chicago, the recommendation was to go to a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor at a nearby Chicago teaching hospital. The doctors were still very concerned about birth defects and my own health, but they did not demand an abortion.
As the time for his birth was nearing, the doctors began forming a plan. I was unique in that they had never had an opportunity to study a pregnant mother with this particular blood disorder. The delivery plan was to have two teams of doctors—one for me and one for the baby with extra doctors on stand-by for emergency surgery if the baby’s spine was exposed or his face needed reconstruction.
It was an extremely intense time. Hundreds of Christians were praying for me and my baby. I believed in and hoped for a miracle. Finally, that fateful day arrived. The labor went well, and my son was born. But he was born not breathing, and his skin was very dark. My parents were praying hard for him to breathe. When we finally heard his first cry, we rejoiced—crying and praising God for this miracle! He was alive and perfectly healthy. No facial bone deformities nor spinal cord issues. Just a beautiful little bundle of joy.
I know the Great Physician had His hand on the life of my child from the very beginning. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart…” (Jeremiah 1:5).
I am so thankful I did not listen to the doctors pushing me to take his life before he even had a chance to grow and develop. Many would have justified the abortion saying that I could have other babies, or that he wouldn’t have survived anyway, or it would save my life from a high-risk pregnancy.
Looking back, 24 years later, I realize what joy and happiness I would have never known had I followed that medical advice. Praise God that He protected us, gave me the courage I needed to do what I knew was right, and provided a loving, prayerful support system for me along the way.
After all those doomsday warnings from the doctors, it turns out there was one side effect from my medication that my son recently discovered. He only has two of his four wisdom teeth—a far cry from miscarriage or the major birth defects I was told to expect. What a miracle that only the Lord could perform. To God be the glory!
Not only did the doctor tell me that my baby would probably miscarry, but if not, he would have major facial bone deformities and possible spinal cord issues.
But I knew that God was knitting my son together in my womb, and He had a plan and purpose for his life.
BY REV. ROBERT W. WARREN
The term “euthanasia” comes from the Greek for “well, good” (eu) and “death” (thanatos); thus, it means literally “good death.” The online Merriam-Webster definition reads: “the act or practice of killing or permitting death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.”
The Church of the Nazarene holds euthanasia (including physician-assisted suicide) as “incompatible with the Christian faith,” [Manual, 2017-2021, p. 53, para. 30.5]. The Manual defines euthanasia as “intentionally ending the life of a terminally ill person, or one who has a debilitating and incurable disease that is not immediately life-threatening, for the purpose of ending suffering.” This paragraph also makes the strong statement: “We believe that the historic rejection of euthanasia by the Christian church is confirmed by Christian convictions that derive from the Bible and that are central to the Church’s confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.”
The Manual further declares that “euthanasia violates Christian confidence in God as the sovereign Lord of life by claiming sovereignty for oneself; it violates our role as stewards before God; it contributes to the erosion of the value the Bible places on human life and community; it attaches too much importance to the cessation of suffering; and it reflects a human arrogance before a graciously sovereign God.”
While each of these points make a significant contribution to the wrongness of euthanasia, let’s direct our focus to the first for a moment. If we believe in “the sovereign Lord of life” as revealed in the holy Bible, then we must make choices that affirm our belief that He is the Lord of life and allow Him to be sovereign. Ultimate matters of life and death are in His hands. It follows that for us to overplay our hand is to, in essence, usurp His
sovereignty.
Ending a life prematurely through our own volition is to take that life out of the hands of God who is sovereign, whose ways are above our ways and whose plans are beyond our understanding, who promises to not give us more than we can bear without His help, and who tells us that His grace will be sufficient.
Euthanasia is a discretionary act without the element of death being imminent otherwise. Either a person desires it (voluntary) or a person in a position of
IN SCRIPTURE, FOR THE BELIEVER, THERE EXISTS A DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN TWO TRUTHS: WE SHOULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO HASTEN DEATH, AND YET WE SHOULD NOT FEAR DYING.
authority deems it appropriate for someone else (involuntary), and actions are taken (or assistance denied) that ends life. In terms of the latter, another whole set of issues are raised. It is one thing to discuss euthanasia when referencing one’s own decision to end one’s life; it is quite another when authority figures are empowered (be they the physicians or the state) to determine who should live and who should die, as well as the means of the care to be given or denied. Then the issue becomes even more ominous when one considers the law of unintended consequences. Who decides and where are the lines drawn?
Where you place your focus makes all the difference, and that focus should be on the sovereign, loving Lord of life whose ways are beyond our ways and whose plans are beyond our understanding. In Him should ultimately be our faith, hope, and trust.
In Scripture, for the believer, there exists a delicate balance between two truths: We should not do anything to hasten death, and yet we should not fear dying, since that is to go to be with God. After all, “to live is Christ and to die is gain,” as we’re told in Philippians 1:21. Consider Job who endured great suffering but persevered in part due to his belief in an afterlife with God. And in that afterlife, he believed all the “hard service of life” would be worth it. As he says in Job 14:14-15, “If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you.” Then, in Job 19:25-27, in perhaps his worst days of suffering, he declares, “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes– I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
Job becomes one of the greatest testimonies against euthanasia, as he endured such pain, physical and mental, yet placed
ultimate faith in his Creator. One cannot but notice, in a book that spans 42 chapters, early in the story (in the second chapter) his own wife says, “Curse God and die.” But he responds, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:9-10). He even rued the day he was born in moments of despair (Job 3:1-11) and welcomed the idea of death but still did not do anything to hasten it. This basic concept underlies the entire book. “Though HE slay me, yet I will trust in [H]im” (Job 13:15, KJV, emphasis mine).
It was because of how Job navigated that delicate balance that we have the “Wisdom of Job,” and we see him ultimately restored and blessed beyond what he had known before. Does it always end that way? No one is saying that. But the point is God has the final say, and that is as it should be.
I BELIEVE WE MUST MAKE DECISIONS FOR OURSELVES AND DECISIONS THAT AFFECT OTHERS IN OUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE WITH FERVENT PRAYER.
Does a stand against euthanasia rule out palliative or hospice care, or require wholly artificial means of life support that merely prolong death indefinitely with no realistic hope of improvement? I think not. We are back to understanding the delicate balance of life and death issues—scripturally and in dynamic relationship with the loving, sovereign Lord of life. From this perspective, I believe we must make decisions for ourselves and decisions that affect others in our sphere of influence with fervent prayer, and in a free country where opinions and votes matter, this includes being “salt and light” by using our biblical worldview to guide public perception and policy. Our life is a gift from God. I pray that we honor Him with how we use it and how we value the lives of others.
GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY, AND THAT IS AS IT SHOULD BE.
https://tinyurl.com/wesleyan-sanctity-of-life https://tinyurl.com/salvation-army-on-abortion https://tinyurl.com/free-methodist-on-life (page 49) https://tinyurl.com/nazarene-sanctity-of-life https://tinyurl.com/bible-methodist-on-life (page 27)
Rev. David Rambarran
Lead pastor of Dayspring Inter national Church of the Nazarene in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and board member of the Holiness Partnership
Rev. Dr. Brent Tysinger
Lead pastor of Rushwood Church in Asheboro, North Carolina and president of the Centurion Leadership Association
Dr. Mark D. Berry District superintendent of the Central Gulf Coast District, Church of the Nazarene
Rev. Cheri Griggs
Nazarene pastor
Rev. Shane Wilson
Iowa District Hispanic Ministries Coordinator and lead pastor of Iglesia del Nazareno Espíritu y Verdad in Des Moines, Iowa
Lead pastor of Amplify Church in Raleigh, North Carolina
Rev. Jared K. Henry Rev. Bill Castillo
Youth pastor at South Bend First Church of the Nazarene in South Bend, Indiana and board member of the Holiness Partnership
Rev. Robert W. Warren
Senior pastor of Waynesville Church of the Nazarene in Waynesville, Missouri
The message of full salvation was proclaimed, and a number of workshops sought to integrate our Wesleyan-Holiness theology with current issues of culture, ministry, and leadership.
Follow us on social media to stay informed about upcoming events.
The Holiness Partnership is a Christian organization in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Our mission is to re-discover the vision and understanding of biblical Christianity, re-empha size the biblical doctrines of the Holiness church, re-invigorate the local church for mission and evangelism, and re-capture fidelity to biblical truth.
