Action on the Front Lines . . .

 . . . at home and in the city.

Advancing toward ADOPTION!!!!

"Adoption is, on the one hand, gospel.  In this, adoption tells us who we are as children of the Father.  Adoption as gospel tells us about our identity, our inheritance, and our mission as sons of God. Adoption is also defined as mission.  In this, adoption tells us our purpose in this age as the people of Christ.  Missional adoption spurs us to join Christ in advocating for the helpless and the abandoned. 

As soon as you peer into the truth of the one aspect, you fall headlong into the truth of the other, and vice versa.  That's because it's the way the gospel is.  Jesus reconciles us to God and to each other. As we love our God, we love our neighbor; as we love our neighbor, we love our God.  We believe Jesus in heavenly things--our adoption in Christ; so we follow him in earthly things--the adoption of children.  Without the theological aspect, the emphasis on adoption too easily is seen as mere charity.  Without the missional aspect, the doctrine of adoption too easily is seen as mere metaphor. 

But adoption is contested, both in its cosmic and missional aspects.  The Scriptures tell us there are unseen beings in the air around us who would rather we not think about what it means to be who we are in Christ. These rulers of this age would rather we ignore both the eternal reality and the earthly icon of it.  They would rather we find our identity, our inheritance, and our mission according to what we can see and verify as ours--according to what the Bible calls "the flesh"--rather than according to the veiled rhythms of the Spirit of life.  That's why adoption isn't charity--it's war."

Russell Moore, "Adopted for Life" - - pages 17-18

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."
Ephesians 6:12 NLT

"The protection of children isn't charity. It isn't part of a political program fitting somewhere between tax cuts and gun rights or between carbon emission caps and a national service corps. 

It's spiritual warfare." 

Russell Moore, "Adopted for Life" --page 65

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Advancing against the evil schemes of the enemy (ABORTION) . . . 

 Thanks for the reinforcement, Johnson Family!

Russell Moore and Andrew T. Walker in "The Gospel for Life Series: The Gospel and Abortion

". . . .we must get off the sideline and get involved.  This is not a popular position to take.  Standing for life will not make you seem enlightened to your peers.  Numerically, I will not grow my church by preaching about this, which is a small price to pay for rallying God's people toward what is true and right and good before the King of Glory.

We must get involved.  Involvement isn't all you think it is. When all's said and done, involvement must not shake its fist at the darkness, but be like light in darkness.  To call abortion murder is calling it what it is, but it doesn't fix the problem.  The church and its people must become a beacon of hope and light for women in difficult circumstances."
page 41

"Years from now, when my grandchildren ask, "Hey Pops, this seems like it was so barbaric.  What in the world was going on?  I want to be able to say, "We fought our guts out.  In fact, the reason you know it's barbaric is because a great number of people sacrificed and labored and didn't quit."  This has to become our heartbeat.  This has to be consistent.  It has to be "what we do" moving forward."
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