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Tyranny in Waco Update


Tyranny in Waco Update

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! Today was an historical day for the Church of Jesus Christ in the city of Waco. Local saints, pastors, and Christians from Waco, several cities in Texas, and folks as far away as Wichita, KS. came to stand in the gap and make up the hedge for the Gospel, freedom, and for the little babies in the womb of their mothers.

Over a hundred folks gathered in the name of Jesus. We worshipped the Lord, honored His authority, and declared that sidewalk was holy ground. Afterward, we pointed the finger in the direction where it was needed most, at ourselves, the Church of Jesus Christ. We began by prayers of repentance based on Lamentations 4:12,13, "The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her."

Before we dealt with the speck of tyranny from our city government's eyes, we first sought to remove the plank of the church's disobedience from our eyes. We took ownership for the sin and failures of the Church that has created the environment of tyranny that is now stalking the land. The salt has lost its flavor and the enemies of the cross and the powers of darkness are emboldened to legislate the Gospel and expunge the Pro-life message from the streets of Waco. We cannot have tyrannical civil government, without an apostate Church. The two walk hand in hand and you cannot have one without the other. We pleaded on bended knee in front of Planned Parenthood that God would be merciful and forgive us for allowing the sin of shedding of innocent blood that has produced the wretched condition of the wicked ruling over us.

We stood up and took the unjust ordinance and burned it. As we did, we prayed Isaiah 4:4, "When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning." And Isaiah 28:16-18, "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it."

We prayed as that ordinance burned that God would burn in our hearts a new birth of freedom. We prayed that the spirit of burning and judgment would purge Waco of Planned Parenthood and child-murder. We prayed that God would burn away the chaff of tyranny that has risen its ugly head in our city.

From there, several pastors exhorted the saints to stand strong and be vigilant against the arbitrary city, state, and federal decisions that seek to suppress Christianity and Christians. They challenged those gathered not to allow this gathering to be a flash in the pan or some knee-jerk reaction. They encouraged the saints to keep coming out and never surrender the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. It truly is a matter of life and death and if it is inevitable that little children die, it is imperative Christians love their neighbor enough to plead their cause and seek to save their lives.

The police did show up and demonstrated the utmost respect towards us. They patiently stood by while I ministered to the saints on how the church submits to civil government, especially, when government becomes tyrannical. The Biblical teaching is Christians must first entrust themselves to God and then continue to good, regardless of the cost. The police tried to pass out the ordinance and I recommended to the folks that they decline it. We then showed them the pail where the ashes remained of the ordinance we previously burned.

We told those officers that we loved them, pray for them, and respected them. We let them know that we understand this did not spring from them and we are also aware this places them in a difficult situation. They left without citing or arresting anyone for being in violation of the ordinance. When you read the enclosed article that came out today, you will read between the lines and find that police themselves are struggling over this injustice. The police chief mentioned there would be a police presence and that they would act responsibly. But when push came to shove and he was asked what the police would do if they ordered us away, and we didn't disperse, he did not give a direct response. Please continue to pray for them.

Brethren, it is extremely important that the saints in Waco and the surrounding areas come back next Wednesday at 7:30 am. Next week, in some aspects, is more important than this week. Pastors need to lead their flocks out and never surrender that sidewalk to this tyranny. We have lawyers that are going to challenge this in court and by God's grace crush it once and for all. Please continue to pray for us and come out next Wednesday to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

Anti-abortion forces to test city ordinance today

By MIKE ANDERSON Tribune-Herald staff writer

A group of abortion protesters plan to confront the city today on a new ordinance that bans activities on Waco streets and sidewalks in school zones.

Demonstrators plan to gather in front of the Planned Parenthood office at 1927 Columbus Ave. beginning about 7 a.m., according to Rusty Lee Thomas, director of Waco-based Elijah Ministries. The clinic is within the school zone for the Waco Montessori School, which sits across Columbus Avenue.

Montessori school zone hours are 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

On Feb. 3, the Waco City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting "street activity and parades" within school zones during certain hours. City officials say the move was taken with public safety in mind and was not designed to target any particular school or group.

However, groups such as Elijah Ministries, which has long demonstrated outside the clinic, say the ordinance was written with them in mind and that it limits their ability to get their message across.

Thomas said in response to the ordinance, supporters of Elijah Ministries and others will gather on the sidewalk and the street and read from the Bible and pray throughout the morning. He said no one from his group will carry any signs during the gathering.

Last year a group of out-of-state protesters with particularly graphic photographs on their signs drew the ire of parents at the school.

"We want to send the strongest message possible to the city that Christianity is not going to submit to this tyrannical ordinance," Thomas said. "We are going to declare that we will never surrender the public sidewalks of Waco, our constitutional rights and our duty to preach the Gospel."

City Attorney Art Pertile dismissed claims that the ordinance targeted anti-abortion forces.

"The ordinance wasn't designed to deal with them," he said. "It's designed to deal with school zones at all our schools. We are talking about a safety issue when we have kids loading and unloading in these school zones. We have to think about their safety."

Besides area residents planning to gather this morning, Thomas says he's heard from groups from several Texas cities as well as from Wichita, Kan., all planning to join in the demonstration. Thomas says he's willing to go to jail for his cause if it comes to that, though he adds it is up to each individual to decide how to respond if police ask the demonstrators to leave.

Pertile said a violation of the ordinance is a class "C" misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $500 but is not punishable by jail time. Pertile would not speculate what, if any, action by protesters could prompt arrest.

"(Officers) will do like they always do when they enforce a city ordinance with a citation," he said. "I'm not going to get into speculation about how (protesters) might violate a city ordinance."

Waco Police Chief Alberto Melis said his officers would have a "presence" in the area, but he would not be specific about how his officers might respond if the protesters are asked to disperse but refuse.

"I'm not going to speculate on it at this time," Melis said. "We are going to act in a responsible manner and we hope they will act in a responsible manner too."

Waco Montessori School Principal Barbara Williamson said the school sent notes home with students telling their parents about an alternate location to drop their children off to steer clear of the demonstration.

"The bottom line is I'm really concerned about the kids and their safety with all the activity out there," Williamson said. "We are trying to give parents an option for a drop-off place."

Mike Anderson can be reached at manderson@wacotrib.com or 757-5755.


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