Filling with the Knowledge of His Will and a Thousand Thank Yous

This is just a portion of the gifts that Truth and Mercy Pro-life Ministries showered yesterday on one of the mamas I work with. It is always a joy attending the baby shower of a mama who at one point was considering aborting her child. The lavish love of Christ is exemplified in these showers. The gifts come from a whole host of pro-life supporters, and are lovingly packaged and prepared by the ministry founder, Sheryl Chandler.

This mama, K, was overwhelmed, and grateful. She told me, as so many do, "I cannot believe I ever thought of killing this baby. I am so glad you all were there that day." Every piece of our Cities4Life network of support is critical. The baby showers are tangible support -- providing the first two years of clothes and supplies the baby will need.  K could not stop thanking Sheryl for the incredible overflow of gifts. She said, "I love this, thank you so much," with almost every single article of clothing and supplies. It took 1 1/2 hours of nonstop pulling items out of bags to get through them all. She must have said thank you a thousand times.

Both our initial contact with the moms on the sidewalks of the abortion mill, and the baby showers are gospel oriented. In this particular case, K and her boyfriend heard the gospel and asked Jesus to be their Lord and savior a couple of months ago when they first chose not to abort. At the shower, the gospel was reviewed again by Sheryl, and the mom was able to hear it more clearly. Sheryl followed the same general format I follow in presenting the gospel (check out Ray Comfort's excellent method of reaching others for Jesus.) K said she had never thought about that, several times. This gave me pause. I knew she had, because she had thought about it when I discussed it with her two months ago. In fact she had answered the very same questions in very much the same way. It reinforced what Sheryl said later. Sometimes truth must be heard many times before it really sinks in.

It struck me again how critical it is to have an on-going mentorship with these young new believers. It is impossible for the sidewalk counselors at the abortion center to do this effectively. Most of us follow several women, and the work on the sidewalk itself is an enormous emotional and time-intensive undertaking. We are desperate to have Christians, along with the support of great churches, step in and take over after our initial contact with these new converts.

When I became a Christian, I had no clue really of what I had just done when I believed Jesus died for me. I believe my salvation that first day I proclaimed Christ was real, but it was filled with ignorance of truth as well. My faith was shallow, and undeveloped. I had a million questions, and a very murky understanding of what it meant to "be saved" or to follow Jesus. My doubt could well have snuffed out the spark of faith. I was fortunate enough to get plugged into a good church right away, and my faith and understanding grew. This is what these moms need as well.

I try to stay in touch with the moms I personally counsel at the abortion center sidewalks, but at this point I am following about twenty regularly. I send them daily Bible verses, but I just don't have the time to give each of them the personal discipleship they need.

Might you have the desire to help one of these moms grow in their faith? You don't need to be in our city to have ongoing contact through texts and emails, to encourage and help them in their Christian walk. Or if you are in the Charlotte area, perhaps you could encourage your church to be willing to mentor and walk alongside one of these mamas.

If interested, please go to Charlotte.cities4life.org for more information on how you can help. Or contact me at vickychooseslife@yahoo.org .

This morning, my team and I will once again be on the sidewalks of one of the busiest abortion centers in the entire Southeast. My prayer is that babies will be saved, and that precious souls will see how bankrupt they are without Jesus. I pray many will stream out of that awful place, new life in their spirit, and a thousand thank-yous on their tongue.
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Colossians 1:9-10 

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

1 Peter 2:1-25 

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ...

2 Peter 3:18 

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Matthew 5:6 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Ephesians 4:15-16

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.