Evangelism

Evangelism — No Comments
9
Mar 12

Souls Saved…at abortion mills?

We daily run into folks at the abortion mills in Charlotte who either give their hearts to Christ, rededicate their hearts to Him, or ask us to pray for them. Many are friends, boyfriends, or spouses of those who are bound and determined to end their own child’s life. It heartbreaking to watch a father or a friend weeping for a child they tried so hard to save but could not break through the hard-heartedness of its mother.

They ask us to pray for them because they know that they have a friend in Jesus. Yes, at the very last place they expected to run into Him (the gates of hell), they find Him. They are not alone. Through the lives of simple Christian moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, little boys and little girls, living out their faith in the streets, the Gospel of Christ is proclaimed and hope is renewed.

Many are at their wits end when they arrive at the abortion mill. Many times they will hear this little phrase, “There is no pit so deep, that Jesus is not deeper still.” It is a truth that was whispered into the ear of Corrie Ten Boom by her sister Betsy just before she (Betsy) died in a Nazi concentration camp. Corrie never forgot that word and shared its hope and truth with people around the world until her death. People in the most desperate of situations (crisis pregnancy?) have come to Jesus to find these words true.

Because Christ is at the forefront of everything we do and proclaim, literally thousands of folks have recommitted their lives to Christ in the past three years and four months. How many were first time commitments to Christ? It is hard to tell. Most of the mothers we have ministered to that have chosen life for their child have also either given their hearts to Christ or rededicated themselves to him. Many of the fathers have done the same.

On many occasions folks sitting in the parking lot will come and speak with us and ask us to pray for them. We are privileged to see incredible miracles daily in the streets of Charlotte simply because we showed up at the gates of hell.

When the theology of heaven becomes biography in the streets, the gates of hell cannot prevail.

In Christian love,

Flip

Evangelism / Testimonies — No Comments
28
Feb 12

One Pastor’s Take on Christians and Abortion Clinics – Pt. 1

Who am I? Bobby Wilkinson, a pastor/elder of a small church in the greater Charlotte region. I’m a nobody really, a sinner saved by grace, grateful husband and father, a church planter, and fellow pastor who has served 10 plus years in various churches and ministry work in the Charlotte area. I don’t pastor a huge church, or have thousands of people following me. I think I’m as normal as the next guy, and if anything good has ever come from these hands or this mouth, it came from Jesus, who spoke or acted in me while the Holy Spirit was holding back my fighting flesh. I want to help those like me realize that they and their church can make a huge difference in the lives of broken and lost families through prolife ministry. It only takes obedience.

Who are these crazy people? Cities4Life offers a variety of ways for Christians to fight the battle against abortion. For the purpose of this article, I want to focus on one, the one most people have an issue with; abortion clinic ministry. One of the greatest misconceptions about people who go to minister at abortion clinics is that it is a protest, made up primarily of radical, agenda driven, unloving and brash people who are an embarrassment to Christianity. Clearly, any ministry with a hint of confrontation might first attract those whom aren’t bothered by it, and sadly sometimes people are led by the flesh and not by Spirit, as in any area of life and ministry. All the more reason to get more “normal” church people like you in the game! But those “loose cannon” types are the unfortunate and rare minority, the ones who miraculously make it on to the news for all to see, like the woman in the night gown and sponge rollers after the tornado hits the trailer park. The overwhelming majority of people that I have witnessed in action at clinics are just normal Christian people, from different churches and backgrounds, of various races and ages, gifts and abilities, burdened about the same thing; the Glory of God to overtake the destruction of souls and human life that happens at child killing centers.

So why must the church be so concerned with ministering at abortion clinics? Read Part 2 through the rest of the series!

Bobby Wilkinson

Babies Saved / Evangelism / Life Network — No Comments
21
Feb 12

I could never have imagined…

One of my favorite ministry stories is of “Carlos” and “Rosa”. They came to the Hebron mill in Charlotte in 2004. I was sidewalk counseling that day, saw them and motioned for them to pull over to talk. He was driving and was happy to take my information. Rosa, however, was not. Carlos did not want to abort their unborn child. He had even been to a Crisis Pregnancy Center and had their brochure and fetal model in his glove compartment! She had not gone there with him. She was determined to abort.

He listened to my pleas, offers of help and proclamations of truth. He painstakingly translated my words into Spanish for Rosa. I told him that she most likely needed his affirmation of her and his commitment to her and their child. At one point he even proposed marriage to her right there in front of me! She declined it, however. About an hour into our conversation, I could visibly see her change. Her expression softened, as did her heart. Victory was won for this child!

It was, however, a seemingly short-term victory. She changed her mind again and made another appointment, this time at a different Charlotte mill, one a friend of hers had been to before. I remember well the late night phone call when Carlos called and begged me to pray. He called his pastor and got him involved. Rosa, once again, softened. This time for good!

Months passed and I spoke with Carlos many times. I was sad that I couldn’t speak with Rosa directly, but the language barrier was too great.

I invited them to a shower at my home. At the time, I was showering 5 moms all together. They cheerfully came and brought a bi-lingual friend to help translate. They also brought Rosa’s mother, who Carlos was providing and caring for.

We all enjoyed a wonderful dinner together. They received many wonderful baby gifts and were greatly blessed and encouraged. Rosa was genuinely happy about this baby and she radiantly glowed with joy! She told me over and over, through the translator, how excited she was and how glad she was we were at the abortion center and that she had chosen life. Grandma was happy, too!

At the shower, the Gospel was presented (and translated) and Carlos accepted Christ as his Savior! We prayed with him and it was such a joyous event! Their living arrangement was specifically addressed at this time. He was told that he could not continue living with Rosa and call himself a Christian. He married Rosa a couple of weeks later! Rosa soon followed with her own commitment to the Lord and profession of faith!

Their child’s life was saved and their souls were saved! It usually doesn’t get much better than that…but keep reading and you’ll see that it does, this time.

Their baby, “Carl”, was born, healthy and whole, a few weeks after they got married. I traveled about an hour south to see him as a newborn. I saw them a few times in the first year. He was about one year old in this picture.

The most amazing and incredible news is that Carlos has become an associate pastor of a Spanish speaking church in his area! He is now preaching the glorious Gospel! The day I met them in front of an abortion clinic 8 years ago, I could never have imagined all that God had planned for Carlos, Rosa and Carl. He is good, far above and beyond all that we can ask or think! He is good!

Sheryl Chandler
Truth & Mercy Pro-life Ministries

Babies Saved / Evangelism / General Pro-Life / Testimonies — No Comments
8
Feb 12

Elijah Ministries: 39th Roe Memorial Weekend Charlotte

We experienced a whirlwind event in Charlotte, NC this past weekend. Rev. Benham’s sons, David and Jason, put together a Roe vs. Wade Memorial weekend headed up by Alex Kendrick. Alex and his brother Stephen lead Sherwood Pictures who produced Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and the recent release Courageous. I believe a powerful seed was sown in Charlotte, NC and something of great spiritual significance was birthed that will have a ripple effect throughout our country.

On Friday morning, January 20th, a group of Christians, media and business leaders met for a breakfast sponsored by the Benham Real Estate Group. David Benham and Alex addressed the meeting. There was a powerful challenge issued. Alex related God’s dealings in his life that birthed a dream in his heart to make motion pictures that would pierce the darkness of Hollywood.

He is sold out for the cause of Christ. He is the real deal. He publicly declared that if he did anything to shame the Lord in his position that he wanted the Lord to take him out. The essence of his message could be summed up in the admonishment of the Apostle Paul. 1 Corinthians 9:27 states, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Roe vs. Wade Memorial Service and States of Refuge Press Conference

Rev. Flip Benham Praying for our Gathering

Friday at noon the saints gathered in downtown Charlotte to participate in the Roe vs. Wade Memorial service and to kick off the new national States of Refuge campaign. Rev. Flip Benham, Alex Kendrick, David Benham, Jeanette Wilson, Ante Pavkovic and I had the privilege to address downtown Charlotte with God’s word.

Brother Flip encouraged the saints with a message that we are winning the battle against the culture of death. He stated:

We believe that now, with the numbers of abortions down by almost 40 percent, the number of abortion mills has dropped almost 65 percent, and the number of doctors doing abortions has also dropped close to 40 percent, we are winning this battle. The time is now for the Church to rise up and wait not for political parties, or the president, or Congress, or the Supreme Court to take care of the issue. It is our responsibility. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ.

Alex Kendrick stated that he was deeply disturbed by the evil of abortion, “It grieves my heart and the heart of God.” He further declared, “Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them!” Does the Church want to save this generation more than the world seeks to murder them? Truly, when the cry of the repentance of the Church is greater than the cry of innocent blood, God will end the American holocaust.

Brother David Benham admonished the saints to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to the gates of hell. He quoted Proverbs 1:20-22:

Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets: She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying, How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Jeanette Wilson shared powerful testimonies of lives spared and souls saved at the three abortion mills in Charlotte. Brother Ante shared how God opened his eyes to see how God was using Operation Save America to expose the hidden powers of darkness in our nation. Satan is overt in other nations, but he is stealth in America. Satan keeps his cool in the Church of America and convinces most in our society that he doesn’t exist, but when the saints confront abortion, homosexuality, and Islam, demons manifest. For him, this was the clearest sign that Operation Save America was exercising true biblical Christianity and he had to join the fray.

States of Refuge Interview at Roe vs. Wade Memorial Service

States of Refuge Press Statement

“Come now, and let us reason together, said the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Operation Save America is embarking on a new national vision we are calling States of Refuge, Operation: first Abortion Free States. It is based upon a concept discovered in the Old Testament. The Biblical model we are seeking to apply in America today is the Cities of Refuge. As you may recall, there were six Levitical cities set apart in Israel for refuge in the cases of questionable deaths. These cities were established by God to provide asylum till proof of innocence or guilt against the accused could be established. These cities were also designed to protect Israel from blood guiltiness, lest the avenger of blood pursue and kill innocent people. States of Refuge seeks this same protection in our time.

Through much prayer and research, we have determined that there are five states in America with one death camp, (abortion mill), remaining defiling our beloved land. This represents the abortion industry and the culture of death it has spawned at their weakest and most vulnerable points. It also represents for the Church of Jesus Christ our greatest opportunity for victory in these tumultuous times!

Operation Save America is devoting this next year to apply our prayers, labor and resources in these five states, which are Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. It is our blessed hope that God will honor the faith and efforts of His people and will be pleased to liberate America from blood guilt, starting with these five states.

It is our sincere prayer that when people hear of this vision, it will resonate in their souls. We pray they will add a hearty amen and desire to participate in this glorious opportunity to defeat this grave evil in our day.

We are calling upon the Church to join this effort. God’s word states, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” May the States of Refuge carry this mandate and may God be pleased to heal our wounded land in Jesus’ mighty name!

Cities4Life Banquet

Alex Kendrick was the key note speaker at the second Cities4Life banquet. Cities4Life is a vision whose time has come. It seeks to network different aspects of the church, community, medical, and pro-life ministries to create a culture of life that dispossess the culture of death. It seeks to marry the prophetic, front line ministry presenting the gospel of the kingdom at the gates of hell with supportive, mercy ministries.

About 750 folks came out to be challenged with this powerful mission. Church, pro-life, business, and cultural leaders were all in attendance. I believe their lives and the city of Charlotte will never be the same again. I highly recommend their website, http://cities4life.org and their Christian/pro-life model for cities to emulate throughout our nation.

Taking it to the Streets

Shantelle and Jose chose life for their baby after seeing the sonogram of their baby in the incredible sonogram RV.

At the end of the Cities4Life banquet, a call was issued to go to the Latrobe abortion mill. 139 people answered the call and showed up the next morning in the freezing rain. The death camp did not know what hit them. The Kingdom of God was forcefully advanced against the culture of death. A mobile sonogram unit, tents, signs, banners, sound system and most importantly, the love and truth of Christ was made manifest to destroy the works of the devil.

For many, it was the first time they came to an abortion mill to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ. I suspect it will not be their last. God opened eyes and broke hearts as the gospel went forth and spared children from death and saved souls from sin. There were about four children saved and one young man surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It was glorious!

Special Prayer Request

Alex Kendrick and I in downtown Charlotte, NC kicking off States of Refuge Campaign at the Roe vs. Wade Memorial Service.

I will conclude this report with a special prayer request. Please pray for Alex and Stephen Kendrick. For Alex, it was his first time going to an abortion mill as well. His heart was plowed. He strikes me as a man that will obey the Lord, no matter the cost. If God reveals His will, I believe Alex will do his best to follow. Perhaps, God will call him to utilize his considerable talent and treasure to “Face the Giants” destroying our nation in Jesus’ name!

Rusty Thomas
Elijah Ministires

Babies Saved / Evangelism — 1 Comment
2
Feb 12

A saved LIFE and a saved SOUL!

Cities4Life called those in attendance at the dinner to act out what they believe at the abortion mill the morning after their 2nd annual dinner. Amanda and Matthew were scheduled to have their unborn baby aborted that morning. This is their story, as told by a sidewalk counselor who showed up with 150 other gentle Christians on that rainy morning.

Amanda and Matthew are a young, unmarried couple who came to the abortion mill on the Saturday following the Cities4Life Dinner. They already have a one year old child and did not think they could afford to support a second child. They were very receptive though to listening to three different counselors who talked with them before they even pulled into the parking lot. Obviously they were struggling with the decision.Matthew is a very responsible young man who works hard and said later on that his focus in life is Amanda and their one year old. He very much wants to raise his son in the right way. This is remarkable since Matthew himself was not raised by his father or his mother. As a result though, he has grown up believing that the only person he could really rely on was himself. Therefore he was facing life and this new responsibility with the weight of it all on his own shoulders. When I talked with them in the car, I knew they needed a support system, and though Amanda professed to know Jesus, Matthew was not confirming the same.

A staff person from the clinic walked out to the street and threatened them. So they pulled into the parking lot right of the abortion mill, right in front of the sidewalk. There were a group of us standing on the sidewalk and I drew everyone’s attention to their car and said that we needed to focus our prayers on them. They talked for about 10 minutes in their car, but then much to our discouragement got out and started heading towards the abortion center. A few of us were pleading with them, but they kept walking. From previous experiences out at the clinic, I’ve learned that God can turn women around who have gone inside and I knew we needed to keep praying.

About 15 minutes later, God answered our prayers when they both came out and Amanda was looking directly at us. I asked her across the parking lot “What have you decided?” She smiled and said, “We’re not going to do it!” I beckoned them to come all the way to us and asked if they wanted a free ultrasound, which they readily accepted.

After some time of talking with them, I turned the conversation to the Gospel and started with Amanda by asking her if she could tell me when she was saved. She relayed a short testimony and I didn’t question her any more about it. I did, however, describe to her what it really means to walk with Jesus in a daily, personal relationship and told her that I would be more than happy to help her really learn how to do that. When I asked Matthew if Jesus was his Lord and Savior, he said he had never really thought about it. He also admitted to not knowing a whole lot about Jesus so I began to share the gospel message with him. At first his response was I just want God to help me stand on my own two feet. I told Him that God very much wanted to help him be responsible and provide for his family, but that he would not be able to stand on his own two feet in eternity on judgement day and again explained our need for forgiveness through Christ’s blood on the cross. He easily admitted that he was a sinner and saw his need for forgiveness. I didn’t want to put words in his mouth, but told him that salvation was a gift he had to ask God for in order to receive it. He did say that he wanted to receive the gift and when I asked him if there was anything standing in his way from doing that right then, he said “only my nerves.” So the two of them and about five adults in the mobile unit at that time bowed our heads and agreed with him as he prayed in his own words to accept Christ.

It was a very joyous environment afterwards and Amanda went back to get ready for her ultrasound. Matthew got on the phone with his grandmother and told her they couldn’t do it. He also told her about getting saved. I was privileged to be the witness of their ultrasound and we saw a 12 week baby’s heartbeat and the outline of a perfectly healthy growing child inside her womb. Both of them were smiling and told me that their son is hoping for a baby sister.

They came to a killing place filled with death that morning, but drove away with their baby still alive and Matthew now assured of eternal life in Christ. The next day my husband and I had this sweet young couple over for lunch. My husband took him through the Bible explaining every part and encouraged them strongly to start thinking about pre-marital counseling which they both were ready to do. We hope to stay a part of their lives throughout this pregnancy and afterwards. We are praying daily for these two Christians to grow in their faith, to make Jesus truly Lord and see a family held together by the love of Jesus. Please pray for them! - Kim F.

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