PRRT – Pastors’ Rapid Response Team
Pastors and Christian Leaders,
Have the events that have taken place in Houston — where the mayor subpoenaed five pastors for their sermons on homosexuality and marriage — and in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho — where a husband and wife who operate a wedding chapel and who also are two ordained ministers have been ordered to marry same-sex couples or face jail time — shocked you?
If they have, thank you. Really…thank you.
Thank you because now you are seeing more of what is at stake in this ongoing battle for the definition of marriage — specifically, the religious liberties of every person who holds the conviction of the biblical, natural definition of marriage to be one man and one woman.
That religious liberty to speak truth — based on the word of God — into this society is under attack in real time. The intrusion of government into the pulpits of America’s churches has reached levels today that would turn our Founding Fathers over in their respective graves.
Many pastors saw this coming — what has now happened in Houston and Idaho — and have been speaking out. But as you read this email, perhaps these events were, for you, the shot across the bow — the moment where your eyes were opened to what is happening in our nation and in our culture. If that describes you, then I would like to thank you!
Yes, thank you…thank you for being sensitive to the speaking of the Spirit of God into your heart. Thank you for seeing what is happening in our culture — and your heart breaking at what you see. Thank you for realizing that as pastors this is our time, our moment, to rise up and speak God’s truth on these matters to our people and to whoever else will listen.
You may be wondering what you can do right now to support these courageous pastors in Houston and this courageous couple in Idaho. May I offer a couple of suggestions?
1. PREACH! That’s pretty easy…God has called us to preach, has He not? Preach to your people. Warn them about what is happening around them — and remind them that these issues concerning life, marriage, religious freedom, the role of government, the role of the church in the culture — are not political issues as much as they are biblical issues. Let’s love our folks enough to not only tell them what God’s word says; let’s tell them how to live that word out loud, in every walk of life…even in the realm of government. Let’s tell our people how to take their relationship with Jesus into the voting booth and use God’s word to exercise their responsibility in this society to vote. In other words, to vote for biblical truth!
2. UNITE! You are not alone; there are hundreds, thousands, of pastors across the nation that like you are seeing what’s at stake. Join the movements across the nation such as:
- I Stand Sunday — be a host church for the viewing on November 2 – go to istandsunday.org to learn more.
- Pulpit Freedom Sunday — join the movement to repeal the Johnson Amendment and unleash pastors across the country to do what they have been called to do — to preach the whole counsel of the Word of God unhindered. Go to pulpitfreedom.org to learn more and register your commitment to speak boldly.
- Project 75 — join the movement to register 75% of your congregants to vote. Go to project75.org to learn more and to sign up.
3. SEND! The pastors of Houston request that their fellow pastors across America join them in sending sermons (and a Bible, if you choose), to their mayor. These can be mailed to: Mayor Annise Parker, Houston City Hall, 901 Bagby Street, Houston, TX 77002. As a participant in Pulpit Freedom Sunday, you are also invited to send your “Election Sunday” sermon to the IRS at the following address: IRS – EO Classification, 1100 Commerce Street, MC 4910 DAL, Dallas, TX 75242.
This is our moment to unite, to stand, to love our nation enough to tell them the truth, no matter what it may cost us in terms of popularity, prosperity, comfort, or status. The folks in our churches are yearning for us to lead; let’s not let them down!
Blessings on you as you serve the Lord today!
Chris Clark for the Pastors’ Rapid Response Team
Pastor, East Clairemont Baptist Church, San Diego, CA
More Here:
The World We Live In Radio Podcast 10-21-14 with Pastors Dewey Moede & Paul Holt
