Pastors: Speak Up! - James 1:22-25

       
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

    Tuesday, January 23rd, 2019, is a day which will surely live in infamy. New York’s radical leftist Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a new bill which made it legal to abort viable living infants up to the day before birth. This stunning law provides for the murder of living babies for basically any reason the mother or her doctor chooses to give. Yes, there is some ambiguous language regarding the “mother’s health,” however; in reality, all that is required is the woman’s simple expressed desire to rid herself of the burden of giving birth to a living human being: her own flesh and blood. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” - Psalm 127:3.
    Here lies the problem: the term “mother’s health” describes a very sketchy interpretation within a large field of definitions. In other words, we now run the risk that with the new law late- term temporary depression or anxiety could fall within the parameters of “a mother’s health.” Having a bad day in your third trimester? Abort!
    We know that rational thinking cannot be expected by men like Cuomo or the ilk he so proudly associates himself with. It wouldn’t surprise me to see in the future an even more barbaric law that allows for mothers to “leave their recently born children” to environmental exposure as a way of ridding themselves of the child. This was an ancient Roman practice which was finally declared illegal by 6th century Roman Emperor Justinian, thus ending the barbaric practice of simply leaving unwanted infants out in the elements to die of exposure or be eaten by dogs. We have now come nearly full circle. Thank you, Gov. Cuomo . . . may your soul rot in hell!
    But my anger is not piqued as much by savages like Cuomo as it is by men of the cloth who sit by idly, saying and doing nothing! This particular missive is aimed at citing both nationally recognized ministers and our own local pastors for their consistent failure to address the issue of anti-Christian culture in more than a cursory way. Just like the clergy during WWII, with few exceptions, our pastors are failing us by not publically rebuking the forces of evil at large in our nation. If there had been a universal outcry from a united Christian front during WWII, the names of pastors like Bonhoeffer and a few others would not be the only voices which rebuked the authorities for their barbaric methods. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6.
    To all of you men who represent the Christian Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, your silence is seen by your congregations as fear of the government as worst and sheer apathy at its best. We, the members of your congregations who look to you for spiritual guidance, are stunned by your silence! What are you waiting for, a lightning strike? Roll up your sleeves when you step up into the pulpit on Sundays and be more than just speakers of the Word. Be doers of the Word!
    When a celebrity or a politician or anyone for that matter, invokes God’s Holy Word to support their sinful and hellish desires, speak up! Your congregation does not live in a bubble. We read the news. We watch the news. We hear the news. It is as pervasive as the sin it describes in lurid detail every day and night. And yet when we come into the Lord’s house on Sundays, you remain silent. When a politician like Hilary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Andrew Cuomo, Chuck Schumer or their cronies invoke your Holy Name to defend their evil causes, speak out! Respond to their lies and gross misinterpretations of God’s Holy Word. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” - Proverbs 8:13.
    When someone the likes of Lady Gaga, Madonna, or Pope Francis quotes the Bible to support some twisted and sinful notion, you should be the first ones out there to condemn their heresy. We are in the midst of a cultural war with secular society and the less you men of God speak out against it, the more traction it gets. Yes, we firmly believe in the truth of Christ’s words in John 18:36 - “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” But that doesn’t preclude taking a stand against the godlessness that permeates our world here and now! You have both the duty and responsibility to defend our faith and you cannot possibly do it in silence and obscurity. You must be seen. You must be heard!
    Will you continue to stand quietly while our politicians declare the God is dead? Will you allow them to remove Him from oaths of office? Write His Holy name out of government documents? How far will you allow these minions of Satan to remove God from our American life, from our very history? How far? It is your responsibility as our ministers and pastors to raise your voices against the voice of Molech and not be quieted by threat or warning. It is time for our pastors to pick up the spear of Joshua and put these evil ones on notice. Like God said to the sea upon its creation - ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’ - Job 38:11. Your congregations are praying for you, pastors. Stand up and be heard!