A Tale of Two Churches – Rev. Rusty Thomas
“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them” (Acts 16:9, 10).
On Sunday, July 18th, in the year of our Lord, 2010, OSA ministered our “God is going back to Church” campaign. We broke up the saints into two separate groups. One group went to a mega Evangelical Church called Central Church of God. The other went to an apostate Church called Myers Baptist Church. Care to wager which one received us and God’s prophetic rebuke in their midst? If you guessed the apostate church, you would be right. This synagogue of Satan, which houses workers of Planned Parenthood and allows for open homosexuality in their midst, actually had an open microphone to allow brothers and sisters in the Lord to share God’s word with them.
What was the reception at Central Church of God? If they found out folks coming to their Church were with OSA, they, pardon the pun, continued their banned for life policy. That is right, we were not welcome to worship the Lord with them. You may remember this was the Church where some of us were arrested last February. In fact, the head security man greeted our return by taking our pictures once again. There was definitely no softening in their hearts towards the Macedonia call for help we were trying to provide for the little ones made in God’s image. Rev. Flip Benham described their response as historically God’s people were the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant, but now we see the Church fortified.
“The Church fortified” certainly did not desire to be reminded of what they were leaving undone in their service to God. Jesus stated, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23). This Church does great service to our Lord, but they are blinded to their responsibility of “pleading the cause of the fatherless to win it” (Jeremiah 5). They should by all means continue all the other good works they do for God’s glory and mankind’s benefit, but they should not leave the exposed areas unmanned while babies die a stone’s throw from their steeple.
The last time we were there, the pastor, who is a great preacher of the Gospel, accused us for coming in a wrong spirit. To correct that notion this time, we figured what better spirit could we come in? The answer was the spirit of the Pastor, Loran Livingston, who preached a powerful message against abortion in February, 2004. With great passion, He preached the truth in righteousness. He described in agonizing detail the torment little babies go through when subject to the cruelty of abortion. He warned of God’s wrath against this grave evil scourging our land. He called the Church to battle and to take the Gospel to the streets. He went as far as stating that those who stand by and watch their neighbor die without intervening were just as guilty as those who commit the murder. These were powerfully convicting words he preached with all his might. We had his message looped at the different parking lots that shuttle people to the Church.
So, what is the problem with this mega-church? Simply, Jesus Christ became flesh. Yes, the word of God was made flesh and churches like these are trying to make it mere words and messages again. We pleaded with them to take heed to their Pastor’s message and to put a little feet to their prayers and add some action to their faith. Remembering the words of James, who stated, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:17, 18).
There are two abortion mills that fall under the shadow of their cross and though they profess to be a Pro-life Church, they have failed to follow through with their Pastor’s admonishment. We were there as a reminder to prayerfully join us and help end baby murder within their spiritual jurisdiction. The Church is massive. It is actually more like a city than a Church. It houses between 7000 to 8000 born-again believers. The altars of Moloch and Baal in the city of Charlotte wouldn’t know what hit them, if the Pastor followed through with his anointed message and led the Church of the living God to the gates of hell. Clearly, they cannot prevail against the active, obedient Church of the living God (Matthew 16:18).
Two encounters are worthy of note. One concerned the clerk at the gas station near the Church. He enquired about the nature of the protest. He was quickly informed this was no mere protest. This was a public proclamation that loves righteousness and hates iniquity. He was then challenged to connect the dots between our spiritual and moral state of our nation with the increase of calamity that is coming upon us. His demeanor immediately softened as God’s Word penetrated his heart.
At the same gas station mere moments later, Destiny, my third oldest daughter, led a contingency of the Thomas Nation to the rest room. A man came up to them, brother Flip and Ante. He was thanking them profusely for being out there today with those terrible signs. You see, he was an Iraq war veteran. While he was a way defending our nation, his former wife divorced him to marry another man. And though this was hard for him, the greater tragedy concerned his unborn child. She had his baby put to death by abortion without his knowledge that he was a father. His father’s heart was crushed within him. He longed to be a Dad and the enemy came in through his wife and his son or daughter was led astray to the slaughter without his manly protection. He asked for prayer. His name is Jim. We prayed for him as we wrapped up our outreach at the gate of the Lord’s House. Saints, please lift up Jim and may the healing begin for him in Jesus name!
This post has 5 comments
July 19th, 2010
Central is a prolife church. If you want to be prolife get in the streets like Christ and help the people. Don’t be cowards and hold signs.
July 19th, 2010
????????
Why do you think we were at Central Church of God on a Sunday morning???
We were there to make you aware of the fact that within two and a half miles of the Central Church of God building,(That holds thousands of people on any given Sunday.) there are two abortion mills that kill innocent children. We wanted to invite you to come out and help at the abortions mills.
We have been ON THE STREETS preaching the Gospel and helping women and children for seven years at one of those places. We have NEVER seen anyone from COG there….oh yeah…except for the two people the leadership of COG “banned for life” !!! A lifetime member and a four year member.
One more thing….I have been on the streets all across the country with these dear, precious Saints of God….they are NOT cowards! They are the most courageous, Godly people I know.
July 20th, 2010
I attended Central faithfully for 15 years, learned and grew by leaps and bounds. Holding signs is not cowardice. The people who hold the signs opened my eyes and invited me to see first hand, “in the streets” how I could love mamas and their unborn babies. They are the ones who go, um, like everyday.
I am ashamed that only in the last month have I stepped foot in front of one of those “stone’s throw” abortion clinics. No one at Central ever told me how to get “into the streets” like that to help the people. I voted pro-life, I gave to the Pregnancy centers and I prayed. I didn’t know regular christians were supposed to go. I thought I was doing everything I could.
I praise God for the courage of those sounding a wake up call, a practical call, a real call to action. In the last month I’ve talked to real women, hurting women, seen cars turn around, saw a mother bring a one month old to show those folks “in the streets” that their work is not in vain.
They have a right to hold the signs, because they do go “into the streets.” I have a right to hold the sign, because now I go too. Please join us one day, you won’t regret it.
July 20th, 2010
Never seen OSA helping women and babies at the clinics, have you? Check out the ongoing ministries of OSA and the pro-lifers who put FEET to their BELIEFS…sidewalk counseling, baby showers for mothers who choose life, financial support of those moms and babies, post-abortion help and much more. MANY babies (over 600 since October…JUST in Charlotte) have been saved because people like this are there to meet these women where they ARE, not where we arrogantly WANT THEM TO BE!
Come out to a clinic and see OSA in action before making such odd comments that really have no facts to support the claims.
Fearful beliefs based on fiction and hearsay make you feel better about being a bystander when all hands are needed on deck. Beliefs based on eyewitness accounts, truth and reality spur the necessary action during tumultuous times
July 20th, 2010
When you say pro-life what do you mean by that?