Lloyd Pulley's Blog, page 39
August 21, 2014
A Voice for the Voiceless
The Church: A Voice for the Voiceless
Amazing Grace,
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Slave trader and brawler, John Newton, penned these timeless words after having a personal, life-altering experience with the God of the Bible. Not only did he write “Amazing Grace,” but John Newton also helped spark a movement that mobilized Christians to be a voice for the voiceless in his day, and to ultimately abolish the slave trade in England during the 18th century.
God used a former slave trader to help end slavery.
Isn’t that God’s way? Using Saul, a persecutor of God’s people, to later pen the epistles, or a wretched sinning woman, like Rahab, to help save her family and her community…
Today God continues to use broken yet yielded vessels, this time to address our generation’s holocaust, abortion.
Abortion is an uncomfortable subject within the church. So many have been affected by it, having had abortions, paid for them, encouraged them, or been silent in addressing those who have had them. In fact, anytime I mention abortion from the pulpit, I am quick to acknowledge those who have been complicit in it, and how God even uses that sin as a goad to lead them to Christ. I point out that many who have been beaten down by the guilt of abortion have found lasting grace and forgiveness in Christ, and are in turn helping rescue others caught in abortion’s trap.
Still, many struggle with addressing abortion because they feel Christians should be more focused on sharing the Gospel and striking at the root of sin, rather than being distracted by sin’s symptoms (even a symptom as significant as abortion).
But if the main role of the believer is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings forgiveness from sin and restoration to God, then what greater a welcome will the Gospel have than in the aftermath of guilt and brokenness caused by abortion? “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,” (Roman 5:20).
The church is God’s messenger of grace, and also His arms, offering restoration to those whose lives have been destroyed by abortion. The church was on the front lines of ending slavery and restoring slaves. So must the church be today, to those trapped in the dark and deceptive abortion industry.
We are seeing this happening in a number of churches that have strong pro-life ministries, which often consist of those who have suffered from abortion and have experienced forgiveness in Christ. These faithful men and women do not want to waste their former sorrow and often come to the aid of those struggling with the temptation to abort their child. They are involved in crisis pregnancy centers and sidewalk counseling, and many offer a listening ear to young women and their counterparts in a difficult time in their lives.
But sadly, many more churches see this as a divisive and controversial issue, and thus avoid this type of pro-life ministry. As a result we are missing a critical opportunity to make an impact with the Gospel, and to save lives, both physically and eternally.
I am personally involved in helping with the production of a Biblically-based film, called Voiceless, created by the leader of our pro-life ministry and an elder of our church, Stuart Migdon. Voiceless is focused on motivating the church to speak for the little ones, to be a voice for the voiceless. It is presently in the beginning stages of filming, which is taking place in the Kensington region of inner city Philadelphia.
But why a film? The medium of film has had a dramatic impact on the development of American culture. Not only has watching movies become one of America’s most popular past-times, but it has also become one of society’s most powerful pulpits. You don’t have to look far to see the commanding influence that Hollywood has had, on those both inside and outside of the church.
Pro-life movies have been shown in theaters before. What’s different about this one? Voiceless doesn’t talk about the politics of Roe vs. Wade, or even discuss the scientific proof that the unborn child is a real human being. Rather, it encourages people to get involved, speaking more directly to the body of Christ and their obligation to speak up against abortion. The film aims to help many come to grips with this sin, to bring the Gospel, and to prayerfully rescue unborn children in the process.
The hope is that Voiceless will be in theaters everywhere and then eventually on DVD, but our prayer is that pastors and churches will help get the word out about the film and mobilize those who are passionate about ending our present-day holocaust.
To learn more and get involved, please go to www.voicelessthemovie.com and take a couple of quick steps:
Watch the two, 5-minute videos on the homepage. These share the vision of the film.
Click the “Get Involved” link. Once you do that, you’ll be asked to fill out some information to help you get started.
Additionally, spread the word on Facebook! www.facebook.com/voicelessthemovie
Many of us were once like John Newton, or Saul the persecutor, or Rahab the harlot. Who can tell how God will use each of us, like He used them, to reach souls for Christ and to give a voice to the voiceless?
August 20, 2014
Are We Asleep in the Light?
Following the news these days is SERIOUSLY sobering. In a 5-day news cycle, I have watched children be beheaded in Iraq. I have heard of ongoing tensions in Gaza, and the continued face off between Ukraine and Russia. And let’s not even look that far away geographically – how about the recent, unspeakably brutal unrest in Ferguson, Missouri?!?!?
What lies at the root of all of this turmoil???
I was JUST reading in Jeremiah and was struck by God’s indictment…
He says in Jeremiah 2:13,
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. ”
You see, the world in large part has forsaken the fountain of LIVING WATER – and is happy to grasp onto broken, useless jugs… Imagine it! Someone is dying of thirst, and yet willingly gives up a fountain of water, for some broken vessel!!!
Godlessness pervades abroad and here at home – and now I stand to offend some – but could it even be true within our churches? Could we be so busy chasing the American dream – keeping up the Jones’s – or admiring someone else’s toys that we have forgotten God? That we have failed to LOOK UP?
Perhaps Keith Green said it best in his indictment of the church in his song, Asleep in the Light:
Oh, can’t you see such sin?!
The world is sleeping in the dark,
That the church just can’t fight,
’cause it’s asleep in the light!
How can you be so dead?!
When you’ve been so well fed
Jesus rose from the grave,
And you!
You can’t even get out of bed!
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead!
Come on, get out of your bed!
We know sin is at the root of the devolution of humanity and the turmoil we see, but the church has no power against the world and sin if we have forsaken God.
Join me in a call back to our first love, back to holiness, back to the passion we had when we first became His. Return with me to the foot of the cross, and pray with me for forgiveness where we have fallen short. Pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon His people and His protection over those who call out to Him in the midst of their deepest distresses!
Oh Lord that you would revive us again!!
August 13, 2014
Eyes, The Window to the Soul
Like the entire world, I too am deeply saddened by the suicide of comedic genius, Robin Williams. I had always felt and even remarked that there was something deeply sad in his eyes … a sadness you can see, even in his profound moments of hilarity and genius wit.
The eye takes in information based upon our choices. As Jesus aptly remarked,
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:22-23).
Truly, how we receive, perceive, and process information coming to us from the outside world determines much about whom we really are.
But the eye also reveals what is on the inside. William Shakespeare expressed it in this way, “The eyes are the window to the soul.”
Perhaps this tragic death of one of the funniest and wittiest men I have ever seen will make us more sensitive to those small signals all around us.
I remember observing one of my pastor friends remark to a cleaning lady whom he had just met while traveling, “I see a sadness behind your eyes.” She seemed otherwise quite happy and friendly, but upon hearing his concern for her she immediately welled up with tears and opened up with her story. It was a record of sorrows no one would have ever guessed.
Everyone has a story. But most keep their tales locked up tightly and try to maintain a level of normalcy. Solomon the wise remarked by the Lord’s inspiration in Proverbs 14:10, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy.”
For Robin Williams, when a person reaches a level of fame and has a reputation that they must uphold, they become trapped in a lonely world unable to share their woes with anyone, since everyone wants them to be the life of the party.
But watch the eyes! Those are the windows you can get a peek into a person’s soul. They are a dead giveaway. Even in the many pictures of Robin Williams, you can see that deep sadness.
If you have eyes to see a sadness coming from another’s eyes, pray for them. And if you also possess a gift of mercy and have wisdom and sensitivity, then see if you can open a door into that soul and help that person open up about their demons. This is precisely what Jesus did with that woman at the well, recorded in John 4, and it saved her life and her entire community. God burdened me about this a few years ago, as I encouraged the body of Christ to build a bridge with people, following a model of patient evangelism that I describe in my book, Everyday Conversations, Eternal Impact.
This sensitively seeing and reaching people is what someone apparently did with Robin Williams at one time, from some reports we have heard. And more personally, it was two sensitive Christians who noticed a profound emptiness in me and my future bride, despite our outside persona. God used them to help us make our journey back to Jesus.
So see those people around you – really SEE them… It may save a life! More significantly it may save a soul!
August 1, 2014
Pastoral Staff Teaching During The Summer
I hope that you have been blessed by our Pastoral staff as, each Wednesday, they have taught from the Word of God. Of course, summer isn’t over, so there is still time for you to catch our Pastors teach on a Wednesday night.
If you have missed any of the messages, just take a visit to ccob.org and listen to the past messages!
June 11, 2014
New Article Up!
Hey everyone, check out my latest article that I wrote to preview this years Bridgefest! You can read the article by clicking on the following link.
April 2, 2014
Joel Rosenberg – Tonight at CCOB
Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30 pm – Joel Rosenberg will be at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge, an hour before he teaches the midweek Bible study, to spend time with the family of God here!
Joel is the NY TIMES bestselling author of 8 novels and has served as a communications advisor to US and Israeli leaders, including Steve Forbes and Benjamin Netanyahu. He has been featured on hundreds of radio and news programs, including ABC’s Nightline, CNN, FOX News, The History Channel, MSNBC.
Join us to speak to Joel, to grab a copy of his latest book and have it signed, and to hear his heart and thoughts about the church in these last days.
Doors open at 6:30 pm for the meet and greet with Joel Rosenberg – and the Bible study begins at 7:30 pm.
Listen to my recent interview with Joel Rosenberg.
March 25, 2014
Good Friday & Easter Services
Friday, April 18th at 5:00pm and 7:00pm – Join us as we remember the death and resurrection of our Savior.
Saturday night service will be cancelled.
Sunday, April 20th at 8:15am, 10:00am and 12:15pm* – Easter Sunday services will be held at our regular times.
**Simultaneous Spanish interpretation available (Interpretación simultánea disponible en español).
March 4, 2014
Redefining Suffering Seminar
Saturday, March 15th at 10:00am – 2:00pm in the Main Auditorium.
The Bible promises suffering but it also promises tremendous blessing as a result.
Join Joseph Bonacci, CCOB Elder and cancer survivor, as he hosts a seminar on suffering and the purposes behind it.
It is a universal truth in life that people do indeed suffer. Rich, poor, young, old, man, woman, non-believers and believers, it does not matter.
As Christians, trials, tribulations and suffering are a fact of life. We need to understand that everything that happens to us is God’s way of preparing us for what is going to happen next in our lives.
As believers, we need to suffer…
in order to grow and mature
if we are going to be better equipped to serve
if we are going to be a source of support for others
so God can use us more effectively
to sometimes remove those things from our life that separates us from God.
Joe will make a very clear and concise case as to how as Christians not only can we learn to embrace suffering but also to use it in way to change our lives in positive ways we never thought possible.
For more information, contact Joe at jbona25@gmail.com.
February 11, 2014
January 31, 2014
Radio News
Every people group on the globe are found in New York City, that’s why when we build The Bridge 95.1FM to New York City, we are bringing the Gospel to the world! Join us! You can get details and join the team at bridgefm.org.
Pastor Lloyd is the featured teacher on The Bridge throughout January 2014! Tune in (at 89.7FM in Monmouth / Ocean Counties, NJ, 91.9FM in Southern Middlesex & Northern Monmouth Counties, or online). Visit the Media Window to learn more or to pick up a copy of D.L. Moody on Spiritual Leadership, when you support Bridging the Gap with a gift of any amount!
