January 2006

January 2006

33 YEARS OF UNABATED CHILD KILLING

Sometimes it is very difficult for us to comprehend the magnitude of the toll that the abortion holocaust has taken over the past 33 years. When one says that over 50 million children have been slaughtered by legalized abortion since January 22, 1973, the numbers just don't seem to register. Below is a map of the United States of America indicating the number of states that would have their populations totally wiped out if war were to come to our shores and 50 million people were killed.

If this shocks you, perhaps you might want to rethink who the real “terrorists” are. We are being destroyed as a nation by an enemy from within. We are being destroyed by a lie that was birthed in the very pit of hell. The lie took its physical form in the Roe v. Wade decision issued by the Supreme Court of the United States of America on January 22, 1973. Yes, the Supreme Court in its malevolent wisdom magically found in the United States Constitution a “woman's right to privacy” (she could kill her own child in the womb if she so chose).

Never mind that for more than 300 years our Pilgrim forefathers, Founding Fathers, past Presidents, legislators, and Supreme Court justices had never dreamed of such a malicious precedent. Today, the lie has become law. It is a lie that transcends every racial, ethnic, political, and geographic boundary. It is a lie that cuts across every human heart in America. It is a lie that divides us (red states versus blue states). It is a lie that is destroying us.

Abortion reveals, more than any other issue, the devastation of the lie and its true identity. It shows that the real battle in our nation is spiritual, and therefore can never be resolved politically. It is the ancient battle that began in heaven and moved to this earth. It has swept across the pages of the Bible and history ever since. It is a battle between two world views - the seed of the serpent vs. the seed of the woman (read Genesis 3:15).

The lie (my rights, my body my choice) brings enslavement and death. The truth (not my will, but Thine be done) brings liberty and life. There is no middle ground! We must “plead the case of the fatherless to win it!”

THE ABORTED STATES OF AMERICA

The map above has 17 states blacked out. The population of these states is equal to the 50,000,000+ reported “legal” abortions since 1973. Perhaps this visual will help demonstrate the magnitude of the slaughter. The lie has wreaked its horrible devastation and is destroying America . This lie can only be overcome by the Truth. The Truth has but one name: Jesus Christ! “They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation 12:11. Ours is a call to the Church to storm the gates of hell!

Please join us on Monday morning, January 23, 2006, as we “plead the case of the fatherless” who have been slaughtered in our nation. We are asking that you “give ‘em heaven” at your local abortion mill that morning and then hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. We will bring the theology of the church house into the streets of our cities and allow it to become biography as we give a voice to voiceless children.

Abortion will come to an end in America when the Church of Jesus Christ makes up her mind it will come to an end, not one second sooner!

OSA TO TAKE THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO THE STREETS OF THE NETHERLANDS
by Dr. Pat McEwen

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'” Matthew 28:18-19.

Flip has been invited to speak at an international conference in The Hague Netherlands, December 7-11, 2005. The Joint Conference of International Right to Life will be attended by pro-life leaders from all over the world including Schreeuw om Leven (Cry for Life), Life Coalition International, Silent No More, Dutch Russian International Center, and Be'ad Chaim, Israel.  This truly is an international leadership meeting and is being held on the anniversary of the signing of the International Human Rights Declaration.

Flip, David Lackey, Mike Warren, Sam Green, Scott Heldreth, Gib Killion, Pat McEwen, Shekinah Thomas, Destiny Thomas, Abby Benham, Christian Sugar, and Michelle Ball will make up the OSA contingent. Many other ministries attending have never experienced street ministry as we practice it here.  In the spirit of the great commission, we will train, disciple, and equip them to take the Gospel to the gates of the world. Our daily street ministry will include abortuaries, coffee (drug) houses, and the red light district.

This is a most opportune time for us to go! The Netherlands review their laws periodically and this year during the review of the abortion law, problems were noticed with women being given misleading or inadequate information prior to their abortion and also problems after abortion.  Abortion is now on the minds of the people as never before.  God is opening a door for us to carry His message to the Netherlands first, and then to the world. A full report will follow our return.

VICTORY IN THE CITY OF CONCORD, NC
City rescinds citations, fines, and permit requirements

A miracle has just taken place here in the City of Concord, North Carolina. We would be remiss if we did not shout it from the housetops. Below is an email from our superb attorney and Director of the American Liberties Institute, Rick Nelson:

The City of Concord has decided to rescind the citations issued to you following the October 14, 2005, event with prejudice. This means that the city will never pursue the citations against you. As a result, the hearing set for this Thursday, December 1, 2005, in the City of Concord is cancelled. At this time, we would like to keep the planning meeting set for Wednesday, November 30, 2005, at 10:00 a.m. on the calendar because we are still waiting for final confirmation. More good news, this City Council will meet this Thursday to strike the parade ordinance in its entirety. This means that you will no longer be subject to any enforcement of the city's parade regulations. Of course, they will likely enact a new ordinance regulating parades early next year. At this time, we are working through the details. We will update you again on Wednesday. Thank you for your prayers. Please do keep praying because we still need final confirmation.

Your servants, Rick Nelson and Mike Schmidt.

Our response: What incredible news! I can't wait to tell everybody what God has done through you. Rick and Satu, you have truly allowed this verse to come to life for all of us at OSA, “In the same way, let your light shine before men that they might see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16. I'm praising God right now, not believing this wonderful turn of events.

No more permits needed to preach on the public highways and byways in the City of Concord, North Carolina. No more gargantuan fines hanging over our heads. No more fear of what a police officer might decide to do when enforcing this unconstitutional ordinance. We are free to proclaim Christ anywhere in the City of Concord. What liberty! The Gospel of Christ is once again allowed to be preached in the City of Concord without apology, without compromise, and without a permit. Hallelujah!

We have won a major battle here! We are rejoicing in the Lord and giving all praise to our great King Jesus. Attorney Rick Nelson of the American Liberties Institute and Michael Schmidt, our local attorney, have confronted the City of Concord with its very grave error in restricting the First Amendment rights of its citizens.

When the City of Concord realized it was being sued by several citizens for its flagrant violation of the Constitution of the United States of America, it contacted the Brough Legal Firm in North Carolina for advice. When our city officials feel the heat, it often results in their seeing the Light.

What was the advice Nick Herman of the Brough Legal Firm offered?

1. Drop all charges and fines levied upon anyone preaching the Gospel of Christ on a public venue with prejudice. With prejudice means that these charges and fines are dropped and can never be brought up against us again. OSA Director Flip Benham was fined $5,000, while Curtis Fennison and Scott Heldreth were each fined $1,000. All of this for preaching the Gospel of Christ without a permit?

2. The City of Concord should immediately do away with all permit requirements regarding the free exercise of First Amendment rights.

Why were we preaching without a permit? Our permit for October 14, 2005, was revoked. Though we had applied for it in appropriate time, place, and manner, and had the permit in our hand, it was revoked by the Concord City chief of police. The chief is a friend of this ministry, a man of integrity, and an unashamed professor of Christ. He was concerned about the fact that he could not protect us – NASCAR was in town. There have been threats made, rocks and bottles thrown, paintball guns shot at us, but this is all to be expected for those following hard after Christ. We asked him if we could sign a waiver relieving the city and him of the responsibility for our welfare. He could not, in good conscience before God do that, so we, in good conscience, were left with a choice—obey God or obey man. “…Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20.

Do we need a permit to preach or assemble on a public sidewalk in America? Absolutely not! We have known for a long time that Concord City Code Sec. 50-47, requiring that permits be issued (48 hours in advance) wherever two or more are gathered together on a public venue to promote any cause, was unconstitutional on its face. This ordinance made criminals out of every church witnessing team that spontaneously decided to share Christ on a public sidewalk. It made criminals out of every political action group that posted signs for its candidate. It made criminals out of every department store or grocery store that placed employees outside with signs to draw people to the store. It made criminals of us all.

FLIP ARRESTED IN NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

On Saturday morning, November, 19, 2005, while across the street from Planned Parenthood, I (Flip) was arrested for holding the Baby Malachi sign on a public sidewalk. I spent several hours in jail and then was miraculously released with a “Promise to Appear” bond. This was amazing because I had no identification and was an “out of state” resident. God, however, has friends in every city. I was then asked to appear in court on Monday morning at 9 a.m.

Monday morning at 9 a.m. sharp, we arrived to find out that court does not truly begin until 11 a.m. This gave us time to head over to Yale Law School just up the street. There, Marilyn, Carmen, and I walked through the hallowed halls of Yale. We placed the “Theft of Thanksgiving” brochures in strategic places (where students might read them) to remind them of the rich heritage of our Founding Fathers, and Yale's original love for God and His Law. We were thrown out of Yale Law after about 45 minutes of Gospel terrorism.

We then moved to a marvelous cemetery right across the street from the law school. On its portico for all to see, were the words, “The Dead Shall Rise.” I wonder how they are going to do that if Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead. We spent about an hour walking through the cemetery attempting to read the inscriptions on the gravestones. Some dated back to the late 1600's and early 1700's. Much to our consternation, we could not read most of the inscriptions as weather, rain, and snow had eroded all but the deepest of etchings. It was as if these great monuments to the glory of God and to history were erased by time and erosion. I looked again over at Yale Law School and realized that the very same thing had happened there.

Yale is a school that has forgotten her rich heritage as a college set up in 1701 to train men for the ministry. Ten of her first 12 presidents were clergymen. But this history has all but been erased by time, and by an enemy of the Gospel of Christ, the devil himself. If you haven't noticed, Yale isn't raising up proclaimers of the Gospel of Christ anymore. She is raising up enemies of God.

It was nearing 11:00, so we headed back to the courthouse. It turned out that my case would not be heard until 2:30 p.m. This left us with time to spend on the beautiful city green just in front of the courthouse in New Haven . It was a cool and cloudy day, and thoughts were on our Pilgrim forefathers and what they must have endured that first winter when they arrived here in 1620. The city workers were decorating the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the green. It made my heart sing as I thought about these most sacred of days that should remind us all of our rich heritage and the miracle of the Word of God becoming flesh.

My eyes then focused on two beautiful church buildings to my right. I walked over to visit, but they were simply empty buildings. I read on the portico over the large church door that this was the first church founded in New Haven in 1639. Next to that were the inscriptions of two names: Theophilus Eaton and John Davenport. John Davenport was the first pastor of the City of New Haven and Theophilus Eaton was its first “governor.” In George Bancroft's History of the Colonization of the United States, it is written about the founding of the City of New Haven , “After a day of fasting and prayer, they rested their first form of government on a simple plantation covenant, that ‘all of them would be ordered by the rules which the Scriptures hold forth to them.'”

I was touched to my innermost being to think that I was standing on such hallowed ground, but this is history (His Story) that has been erased by time and by an enemy who hates God. I stepped back from the church door praising God and thanking Him for this very special revelation to me. Then I noticed a large banner to the left of the door. That banner screamed, “NEVER PUT A PERIOD WHERE GOD HAS PLACED A COMMA. God Is Still Speaking! ” My heart sank to the very pit of my stomach. It made me almost physically ill. The enemy is here and he has stolen the history and heritage of this wonderful church and claimed it as his own. That banner is shouting the mantra of the United Church for Christ (an apostate church) which opens the door to universalism (the acceptance of all gods and goddesses, and all lifestyles, and all sin). Another banner read, “It doesn't say, ‘Oh Come some of ye faithful…'”

What we realized at Yale Law School , and what we saw (or could not see) at the graveyard, had happened in the Church of New Haven . Her history was gone—stolen by an enemy of God! I looked up at the marvelous steeple on this church and on top of it, the very top of it, was not a cross but a weather vane, “Tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine!” The downfall of New Haven began here!

Keep storming the gates - Flip