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So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Ezekiel 33:7-9
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Pastors, Get Your Congregations Involved!
February 2 – Good news! The Northwest Georgia Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America just approved unanimously at its winter meeting the following motion concerning this year's Pro-Life efforts. Why not seek out your denomination's or regional association's support for HB1? NWGP, Concerning The Sanctity of Life: HR 536 and HB1 Whereas: God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), and so we understand that every human being, albeit marred by the Fall, bears the image of God, and Whereas: In declaring to His people His Law, God commanded that, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13), and so we understand that the taking of human life is among the gravest of crimes and offenses to God, and Whereas: God reveals through David that the Lord, “formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb,” and “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,” (Psalm 139:13, 15a), and further that “from my mother’s womb you have been my God” (Psalm 22:10b), and so we understand that God is intimately acquainted with unborn children from their inception, and Whereas: Jesus Christ the Son of God considered human life precious enough to take upon Himself human life and die so that His elect would be redeemed into everlasting life (John 3:16, Colossians 1:15 – 23, Philippians 2:5 – 11, Hebrews 2:10 – 18, etc.), and Whereas:Medical advancements in diagnostics and technology continue to demonstrate the personhood of the unborn child at ever earlier stages of development, cohering in this area with the revelation of the Word of God, and Whereas: The Lord instructs those appointed to proclaim His Word, “you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person will die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 33:7 – 8), and so we understand as elders and teachers of the revelation of God that we bear responsibility for warning the people when they engage in practices contrary to that Word, Whereas: The widespread and prolific acceptance and resort to the practice of abortion has resulted in the deaths of approximately 40 million unborn children, and Whereas: Various members of the Georgia State House have proposed legislation that promotes the sanctity of life beginning at conception and outlawing the practice of abortion (such as HR 536 and HB 1), Therefore the Northwest Georgia Presbytery, assembled together for our stated Winter meeting in the year of our Lord 2008, does hereby urge and encourage the Teaching Elders of the Presbytery to:
And finally that the Northwest Georgia Presbytery endorses Pro-Life legislation which saves the lives of pre-born children (including such initiatives as HR 536 and HB 1 in their present form) such endorsement to be made public via the Presbytery website, through local church bulletins, and by communication from the Moderator.
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear Dear Co-Laborer in the Glorious Gospel of Christ, Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As a fellow serving pastor in God’s vineyard I recognize that your time is very precious. However, let me take a moment to encourage you to read, prayerfully consider, and then respond to the information contained on this Let Them Live, Human Life Amendment website. I believe the biblical truth concerning the sanctity of every human life and our biblical calling to be watchmen for God’s people require from all of us a bold, biblical response. I also believe that HB1offers us the best opportunity to preserve and defend the sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death, a position clearly taken by God in His Word. Biblical Truth: I’m sure you will agree with me that the Bible clearly declares the preciousness of human life in God’s sight. It is also evident from Scripture that the great worth God assigns to each and every human life extends from conception until death and beyond. We read in the beautiful verses of Psalm 139:15-16: My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. We also read in Job 10, Jeremiah 1:5, and elsewhere of the intimate connection our Creator and Sustainer of life maintains between Himself and developing infant boys and girls in their mothers’ wombs. Since the crucial debate presently going on between pro-life and pro-choice proponents revolves around the definition of “personhood” and prenatal development, let me also remind you of the account we have in Luke 1:39-45. Particularly significant is verse 44. After Mary the mother of Jesus has greeted Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, Elizabeth tells Mary: behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Biblical Calling: Our calling as ministers of the revealed Word of God is to interpret it faithfully, preach it boldly, and apply it wisely to the flocks of God’s people entrusted to our care. Included in our vocation of proclamation and application is the work of a ‘watchman,’ much as the Lord charged His prophet Ezekiel so long ago. We have a sacred trust to warn the house of Israel and call them to repentance and to action. This means that if we agree that Scripture declares life to be sacred, and a human being to have personhood from conception, the practice of abortion is in fact murder – a direct violation of the sixth commandment: You shall not murder. Biblical Response: Fellow servants of Christ Jesus, it is now time for us to fulfill our calling as watchmen for the people of God. It is time for us to seize this important opportunity God is raising up within our own state to stem the tide of prenatal murder. I urge you to join with me in sharing this important information on HB1 with your congregations. In doing so, prayerfully seeking God’s empowering Spirit, may we bring an end to this modern-day holocaust within our land. May the Lord abundantly bless you in serving His kingdom, and may God use us all to preserve the lives of all those unable to protect themselves. In Christ and for His Glory, PS We need your help in getting your congregation on board helping us get HB1 passed. We are looking for every Pro-Lifer to become a Let Them Live Letter Lobbyist. Check out our program for writing our elected officials during this crucial legislative session, Letter Lobbyist. Download our Let Them Live Church Packet. Download our Latest Bulletin Insert Download a Black and White Version
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Our calling as ministers of the revealed Word of God is to interpret it faithfully, preach it boldly, and apply it wisely to the flocks of God’s people entrusted to our care. Included in our vocation of proclamation and application is the work of a ‘watchman,’ much as the Lord charged His prophet Ezekiel so long ago. We have a sacred trust to warn the house of Israel and call them to repentance and to action. This means that if we agree that Scripture declares life to be sacred, and a human being to have personhood from conception, the practice of abortion is in fact murder – a direct violation of the sixth commandment: You shall not murder. Rev. Martin Hawley
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