May 2005

May 2005

What is God up to in Pinellas Park, Florida?
The battle for Terri Schiavo is God's portrait of a divided America.

Joshua Heldreth arrested trying to take Terri water

The battle between two seeds – never have I seen the issue more clearly than in Pinellas Park , Florida . Indeed, America is divided, and God Himself is the one drawing the dividing line. Like Elijah of old when he proclaimed, “...How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21 ) . Elijah made everyone take one side or the other, no fence straddling, no middle ground, no compromise. You are going to stand with one seed or the other. This is what is happening in Pinellas Park.

The age-old battle between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (read Genesis 3:15) has come into a crystal clear manifestation over the life of Terri Schiavo. This battle has been raging since the Garden of Eden and has ravaged through the pages of history and the Bible ever since. Those who love God (Jesus), and life, and liberty, are standing steadfastly on the side of the sanctity of Terri Schiavo's life. Those who hate God, and love death, are standing squarely on the side of those who want to terminate her precious life.

The battle lines are drawn and God is requiring each man to choose:

Those who advocate Terri's death have this in common: they are pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, pro-any religion except that religion that proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord. Everything that God stands for, they oppose.

Those standing with Terri, by and large, are pro-life in regard to children in the womb, stand opposed to the horrible sin and bondage of homosexuality, and stand alone on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This division (the battle between two seeds) was manifest in America long before the battle for Terri's life created such a national media storm. Our recent Presidential election graphically portrayed the division. It was the battle between the red states and the blue states. God is purposefully and methodically dividing us on a national stage set in Pinellas Park, Florida.

The Media – There are satellite trucks all over 102nd Street where Terri Schiavo resides in her hospice room. The magnitude of the media coverage here has astounded many of us. I had an opportunity to address the media when all were present. I held my Bible close to my chest and listened to them as they were talking. They were asking, “Why are we here? What's the big deal?”

When the opportunity came, I said, “You've been wondering why you're here. I want you to know that God Himself has brought you here. This isn't at the whim of your producer or editor. You are here by providential appointment so that God Himself might have a stage to draw the line and allow everyone in this nation and around the world to choose. The battle between two seeds is manifest here, and we are witnessing the murder of a precious, innocent, young lady. God is showing us what we have become: Proverbs 8:36 tells us “... all who hate me love death.” Those who hate God are those standing, eagerly anticipating the dehydration and starvation of Terri Schiavo. Why are they eagerly awaiting? Why do they want to see her die? It is because they hate God. So you see the issue we are dealing with here today is not a political one. It is really a Gospel battle. It is a battle between those who hate God and those who love God. Where do you stand, my friends?

The Schindlers – The Schindlers, Bob and Mary, are wonderful people. They are Catholic. I don't know whether or not they are Christians, though we have had many opportunities to share our faith and express our love and concern for them. They certainly do not see this as a Gospel battle, nor do they understand the magnitude of this fray as far as our nation is concerned. We should not expect them to. They simply love their daughter and will do whatever is necessary to bring her life, including inviting Jesse Jackson to speak on Terri's behalf. God has allowed them to be placed into the vortex of this battle, and they are weathering the storm as well as can be expected.

The Children – Several of the children associated with Operation Save America chose to follow the Matthew 25 mandate of Jesus: “I was thirsty and you gave Me drink.” Members of the media were aghast and questioned the reasoning behind allowing our children to be arrested. We have always said that we believe our kids are safer on the front-lines with their moms, dads, siblings, pastors, deacons, and elders than they would be left home alone with X-Boxes, Oprah, the soaps, and the Simpsons. Our children have learned to care about more than just their own wants and needs. They've learned to stand with Jesus for the helpless.

The Fund Raising – All of us have been receiving donation requests from evangelical associations everywhere asking for money to save Terri Schiavo. It is absolutely unscrupulous, shameless, and an affront to Almighty God to use this crisis to make money. Any organization that asks you for money to save Terri Schiavo should be met with an immediate response, “NO! We will not!” God has given us more than enough capital to speak for Terri. To use this situation as a means for financial gain is an abomination.

The Neighbors – My good friends Tim Hanline and Curtis Fenison had an opportunity to meet the neighbors behind the hospice. Both were saddened at the reaction they received. The neighbors, with one voice, expressed the desire for Terri to hurry up and die, so that their lives could get back to normal. Terri is an inconvenience for them. Sound familiar? Just a quarter of a mile down the road is an Islamic mosque where the spirit of murder prevails.

The Government – Many are asking if the government should be involved. Of course it should! Civil government was instituted in Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” It was precisely for the protection of life that government was set up. Thomas Jefferson said it this way, “The care of human life and happiness, and not its destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.” According to the Bible and our Founding Fathers then, civil government must involve itself in cases such as this to protect life .

Our government was set up to maintain order and protect life. Romans 13:4 says government is a servant to do us good. According to 1 Peter 2:14, governors are sent to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right. However, the government is a willing dupe in the hands of those in control. Evil men can misuse government and cause it to bring unbelievable horror upon a people. We've seen this happen with the Pharoahs, Caesar, Hitler, Stalin and many others.

We have also seen that our current government can carry on simultaneous military actions in other countries (which we support), but says its hands are tied when it comes to saving the life of Terri Schiavo. Not so, unless of course, your name is Pontius Pilate.

The Church – If we were to look at the makeup of the crowd outside the hospice, we would find that 75% to 80% are Catholic, 15% are evangelical Christians, and the rest are various and sundry groups. Much like Roe v. Wade before this, it was the Catholics that stood strong for life, not the evangelicals. Here we are at the brink of the Roe v. Wade of euthanasia and we find again, it is the Catholics standing for life. The Evangelical Church has proved time and again that it is ready to vote Republican, send e-mails, write letters to congressmen, preach it from the pulpit, and do almost anything, except show up at the battlefront. We evangelicals have found an interesting way to fight in the battle between two seeds – don't show up!

The Enemy – There is no question that Terri's plight is a manifestation of the devil himself – the one who comes to rob, kill, and destroy. He has a vested interest in her death because it opens the floodgates of hell to ravage those at the dawn of life (pre-born children), the twilight of life (the elderly), and those in the shadows of life (the handicapped). Helga Kuhse said at the fifth biennial Congress of Societies for the Right to Die in 1984: “If we can get people to accept the removal of all treatment and care – especially the removal of food and fluids – they will see what a painful way this is to die and then, in the patient's best interest, they will accept the lethal injection.”

Do you see what is happening here? This is the enemy who patiently and surreptitiously moves forward with his lies. Until “all at once,” it seems, we are confronted with a crisis like Terri Schiavo. It wasn't all of a sudden. The lies that have paved the way for fools, like Felos and Greer to make life and death decisions, come about because the men of God did not “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” 2 Cor 10:5.

The Platform – God has given us an extraordinary platform to proclaim the Gospel of Christ from Pinellas Park, Florida. We have, to the best of our ability, taken advantage of that which God has given. The eyes of the entire nation are turned here.

God has orchestrated this, and Christians have been powerfully living out their faith as theology has become biography in the streets. God is painting a picture of how the Church of Jesus Christ should storm the gates of hell. We know where our real power resides. It is the power of God Almighty Himself as His Church runs to the roar and demolishes the lies and murder of the enemy. Whether with many or few, our God is able to save. There weren't many who followed Jesus all the way to the cross, and those who followed Him couldn't see on crucifixion day that Resurrection Day was coming.

The Jail – Over 22 saints affiliated with Operation Save America have been arrested in an attempt to bring a drink of water to Terri. Each one has become a living parable to our nation, living out the Matthew 25 mandate to bring water to those who thirst. As the Light of the World, through His people, was removed from the hospice at 102nd Street in handcuffs, the Light simply changed venues to the Pinellas County Jail.

It was in jail that we had many opportunities to pray for prisoners and to lead several to the Lord. I noticed one young man watching me. Eventually he came over and sat down beside me. He wanted to talk. He had a wife and two children, and was in trouble.

I told him, “God's speaking to you today.” He said, “I know it. I overdosed on drugs several weeks ago and almost died. I knew then God was trying to get my attention.”

“Let me ask you a question. If you were to die 10 seconds from now, where would you go? Tell me the truth.” “Straight to hell.”

“So you know you've broken every commandment of God. You know that if you get what you deserve, you get the death sentence (hell for eternity) with no way out. ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6:23.” He said, “I know this to be true.”

Then I told him, “Put your hands in mine so we can pray.” I said this in front of 40 other guys and I knew it was going to be tough on him. You just don't do that in front of the guys. He hesitated, then he took my hands and we prayed . He prayed aloud, asking Jesus to forgive him and enter into his heart and make him a brand new creation.

On Friday, out of hundreds of prisoners, they put us together again. He noticed me as soon as he arrived. We looked at each other. He said, “It's Good Friday.” I asked, “What makes it good?” “Jesus died for me.”

These men in jail see courage. They know why we are in jail and they also know why they are in jail. This gives us an incredible platform to reach them. When they see a man going down standing up in the name of Jesus, they see courage and desire to do the same. It gives them hope that if Jesus can save a sorry bunch of people like us, He is certainly able to save them.

The People – Just a cursory look at the polls will reveal that the majority of folks in America favor the removal of feeding and hydration tubes from Terri. They also don't believe the government should intervene. Why have we become this way? The media has so framed the argument that God has been removed from the equation. By removing Him, we don't see that God can make the most awful situation into something beautiful. Also, by removing Him, it has ushered us into the place where we can violate the Sixth Commandment (Thou Shalt not Kill) with seeming impunity.

Now who is behind all this? The one who has come to rob, kill, and destroy, of course! Look at our own Steve Mashburn. If he had been asked before his accident whether or not he wanted to live as a quadriplegic, he would have said, “No!” But look at what a magnificent man of God he is today! Consider the glorious kingdom work he has accomplished while confined in a wheelchair. Ask him now whether he would want to live. Or ask Joni Erickson Tada that question. She came to Pinellas Park to speak on behalf of Terri's life. Joni knows that God's grace is sufficient.

Some are saying, “If that were me, I wouldn't want to live like that.” And who would, if there were no God? But there is a God. His Name is Jesus. And because every human being is made in His image – every human being is of infinite worth. We are not to kill the very young, we are not to kill the very old, we are not to kill the handicapped in order to have a better life for ourselves. We are to lay our lives down for them and, in so doing, we become more like God Himself. Yes, when we lose our life for His sake and the Gospel, we find it!

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT BE UNSHEATHED

A Call to Denver, Colorado – July 16-23, 2005
In Denver , this summer, a battle plan will be placed before you. If indeed OSA is the “wheel that brings the Church of Jesus Christ to the gates of hell”; if we are the instrument that God has chosen to allow the theology of the church house to become biography in the streets; then we must fulfill our part in the grand scheme of the battle between two seeds. This is our duty and our privilege! We have no solution but Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

The cross of Christ is our modus operandi. Though looked upon as foolishness in the eyes of the world, the cross of Christ is, nevertheless, God's way of bringing life into a culture of death. Don't miss the fact that it is not just the “imperial courts” of this land that are responsible for ushering us into the culture of death. Long before the courts were used by the devil to pull the feeding and hydration tubes from Terri Schiavo, the lies that bolstered these murderous decisions were allowed through the gates of the Church of Jesus Christ . “The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world's people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous.” Lamentations 4:12-13.

For more information concerning OSA's national event in Denver, Colorado: Go to www.operationsaveamerica.org or call 972-249-9370.

Keep storming the gates - Flip