Hello Friends,
I want to share something with you something that happened this past friday night November 14, 2008. I have some very dear friends who live San Francisco. They are there for the purpose of fueling a Justice House of Prayer, contending with the spirit of this age that is manifesting through the ideology of Homosexuality. And crying out for God to break into the life of the Homosexual with His love.

Here is the account of what happened last Friday night, written by one of the JHOPSF Team members, and then below that is some video footage of the aftermath. WARNING: The footage could be consider offensive to some. There is some language in it:
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Statement concerning Friday November 14, 2008 in the Castro District of San Francisco

Last Friday night our team of thirteen people, mostly ranging from eighteen to twenty-two years old, left the house around 5:30pm to head to the Castro District as we have done for the majority of Friday nights for the past three years. Over the course of the week we had actually been out in the Castro every night, singing and worshiping in the neighborhood. This night we arrived at Castro and 18th Street, with one guitar to simply worship and bring the presence of God to the Castro District. We understood that since Proposition 8 had passed it would seem instigating to talk with people, so we decided to only play the guitar and sing rather than to engage with anyone on the streets.

Our intention was not to stir up anger, but to worship Jesus on the streets the way we had worshipped there for the past three years. As we were worshiping a man approached us and began yelling “You are haters! Get out of here!” A girl on our team simply told him “We are only here to worship God. We love you.” This man became angrier and was screaming at her using profanity and obscene language. When he noticed that we were standing in front of a memorial that had been dedicated to an AIDS/HIV activist he became even more enraged. We had stood on that particular street corner numerous times when there had been a memorial and it had never been an issue before this night. She continued to answer him “We are only here to worship God. We love you and Jesus loves you,” and eventually he left the street corner. A police officer then came and asked us how long we would be out there. We told him until nine o clock and he said “ok” and left.

Our team continued to sing as a young man approached us. He stood near by until another man joined him. He was wearing a headdress, which led us to believe that he was affiliated with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This man in the headdress began to surround us with a cloth and shoving us to encircle us fully with the cloth. He wanted to do this so that people on the outside could not see us. While this was happening the other man instigated to people walking by that we were the “Yes on 8 people”. When in reality, we were only doing what we had always done at the Castro since before proposition 8 was even in sight. This was not a proposition 8 event.

At this point our team was standing in a circle holding hands singing “Amazing Grace.”

While they were holding the cloth around us someone from the crowd threw hot coffee over the cloth and it hit our team, including splashing two of our girls in the face and one on her head going down her back. At first the girls thought it was boiling water until they smelled that it was coffee. During the event people lunging through the crowd to get at us hit a couple of our girls in the face. We also had alcohol and soda thrown on some of those on our team.

Then a man picked up one of our Bibles and started to walk away with it. A girl from our team walked out of the circle after him and said, “Excuse me that is our Bible. Could I have that back please?” He turned to her and said “no” then hit her on the head with the Bible knocking her to the ground, then began kicking her legs. A man from the crowd pulled him off of her. A police officer then came and detained the man who hit her. One officer asked the girl on our team if she would like to press charges. She said “No. Tell him I forgive him.”

A couple of the people who were holding the cloth around our team walk up to her and said “We are sorry that happened to you.” and “He is not with us.” referring to the man that hit her. Then the man who had been responsible for making the crowd think we were there concerning Proposition 8 said to her “I’m glad to see that you’re feeling better, but let that be a lesson to you not to come here.”

At different points throughout the night one girl on our team had her camera and was able to film some of what was happening.

The crowd around began to grow as people started to scream “Shame on you! Shame on you!” over and over. They were yelling all kinds of obscenities and cursing us. That is when one of the young men who was with us called the police department to let them know what was happening. It was difficult to say how many people were surrounding us due to the chaos of the situation. We were trying to focus on worshiping rather than the masses, but we would guess anywhere from 200 to 500 people. One of the girls then stepped out to see how the girl who got hit was doing. And as she rejoined the team singing, she overheard a few men saying things like “we should grab them.” As well as “yeah we should grab their butts.” At that point we realized that it was climaxing into a really hostile situation.

Then it seemed like out of nowhere hundreds of whistles were being blown in our ears. Around that time someone removed the cloth which enabled the crowd to enclose around us turning the situation into what resembled a mob frenzy. The people in the crowd were shoving us against the wall blowing the whistles in our ears so close that we could feel the spit from the whistles hitting our faces. Around that time we began to sing “Oh the Blood of Jesus.” Things grew more intense and the crowd came in closer around us shoving and pushing us. Some men from the crowd began grabbing a few of the young men on our team inappropriately, sexually assaulting them and trying to take down the pants of one of them. When that began the young men with us quickly pulled all the girls into the middle so that no one could get to them.

The intensity of the mob around us grew until finally the police had to shove the crowd off of us and they made a wall between the crowd and our group. There was one moment when a man from the crowd around us pointed out Roger, the leader of our team, and said, “I’m going to kill you!” An officer overheard and said to him “What did you say!?” The man said “nothing.” And the officer replied, “I heard what you said.” Then one officer said to Roger “Do you want to leave?” and he replied, “We would like to stay” because we knew we had the freedom to be there. A few minutes later as the crowd was growing quickly the officer said to Roger “I am sorry, but we need to get you out of here because we fear for your life, you no longer have a choice.” Roger turned to our team and explained that we were going to honor the police and follow them. The officer came back, asked us where we were parked and told us we would be moving out in five minutes. At that point there was somewhere between 15 and 25 police officers. They surrounded our team and escorted us to 20th and Eureka Street where our van was parked. As they were escorting us to our van the crowd followed our team and continued to scream and threaten us. They even threatened to follow us all the way home. As we were being escorted out a man with a news camera showed up and began filming us. (Later we found the footage on KTVU, a local news station in the Bay Area) They had reported that we were doing a religious march regarding Proposition 8, when in all actuality we were being escorted out of the Castro. Realizing the hostility of the people who were still following us, and their threats to “follow us all the way home” we covered our license plate with post-it notes that a guy on our team had in his wallet. We did this so that they could not identify our vehicle later. We then loaded our entire team into the van and drove home. The time when we left was 8:30.

In closing, though this event was one of the scariest moments in our individual lives, because of those who have died in America to purchase freedom, we felt in this situation we were to stand firm and not be intimidated out of our rights. Furthermore our faith in Christ calls us to be willing to die for the sake of the gospel, and we are not to sacrifice for the sake of comfort or a false peace. Though the American church has not often been tested in this, these days seem to be upon us. We love the LGBT community and we do not believe that everyone in this community is filled with hate or anger. What happened on Friday night was different than what we have ever encountered. We forgive those who assaulted us physically and sexually. We forgive the anger and threats of violence against us. Our desire has always been to be a bridge to bring the love of Jesus.

Thank you,
JHOPSF team.

When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

~ Abraham Kuyper

Many in America, including some of my best friends, would probably not agree with what I’m about to say. Most have been very conciliatory over the election results and have counseled unity and peace. But I have not been afforded the option to debate politics and reason around election results. Five years ago, while reading the biography of William Wilberforce, God supernaturally apprehended me and called me to raise up a prayer movement for the ending of abortion, and I believe I am under divine restraint to obey this commission. I understand my friend’s conciliatory responses but when 50-million babies have been killed since Roe v. Wade, and these elections basically ensure the ongoing legality of this march of death, then I cannot live in pseudo peaceful coexistence for 40 more years of death. For me peace has become sin and battle is my calling. It’s easy to counsel peace when you’re not the object of the abortionist forceps and scalpel. Hundreds of years of equivocation over the issue of slavery brought us into a divine collision with heaven’s justice in the civil war, and I believe that this nation is headed for another divine collision as a result of the indifference within church over the issue of abortion and her lethargic “halting between two opinions.” In this election we have bowed the knee to Baal and chosen prosperity over posterity.

Wilberforce argued concerning the murderous slave trade of his time, “There is a principle above everything that is political, and when I reflect on the command that says, “thou shall do no murder” believing the authority to be divine, how can I dare to set out any reasoning of my own against it. And when we think of eternity and of the future consequences of all human conduct what is their in this life that could make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion, and of God.”

I believe we have reasoned around God’s command “thou shall not murder” in this election. And I believe there are eternal, individual, and national consequences that rest upon us all because of it. None of us can point the finger; the cry for mercy must sound louder now than the cry for change.

Click here to read the rest of this post…

This is a quote from one of my hero’s. If you haven’t seen the movie “Amazing Grace” Def rent it! It will stir your heart for Justice, I sit and weep through it. Even as Slavery was every man issue. Abortion is every man’s issue today.

“Policy, Sir, is not my principle, and I am not ashamed to say it. There is a principle above everything that is political. And when I reflect on the command that says, ‘Thou shalt do no murder,’ believing the authority to be divine, how can I dare set up any reasonings of my own against it? And, Sir, when we think of eternity, and of the future consequences of all human conduct, what is here in this life which should make any man contradict the principles of his own conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion and of God?”

–William Wilberforce, speech in the House of Commons, May 12, 1789

To the pro-life remnant in America,

I’m sure this email finds many of you still trying to process and make sense out of last week’s election. No doubt there are more questions today than answers. If you’re like me, then you’ve been looking for responses from Christian leaders to help understand where we are today. Please bear with me as I attempt to construct thoughts regarding what has happened and what it means for Bound4LIFE and the pro-life movement.

Response
First of all let me express my sincere gratitude to all those that have followed through with their vows concerning prayer for the ending of abortion, voting for pro-life candidates and obeying God when it comes to compassion and justice. I believe the Life Band represents something larger than any of us realize right now. It helps us align with God’s heart and purposes in the earth, and we can never go wrong following this simple path. As always God has moved through a remnant to make his will known.

It has become quite clear that the majority of the American Church has chosen to promote pro-abortion agents and pro-death policies. I believe God is grieved over these choices. It was within our ability to propel life-saving efforts for the unborn and plead the cause of the helpless, but because we have rejected that sacred responsibility I believe judgment will begin with the house of God. I also believe it will cost us dearly. Some will be tempted to dodge their culpability declaring “Well, it happened so it must have been God’s will all along.” This would be flawed thinking in the extreme. To quote Dutch Sheets, “Too much emphasis on God’s sovereignty and we’re worthless; too little and we’re hopeless.”

A rule of thumb that I have embraced is “A casual approach to the prophetic word will produce casualties.” In this case, the cry for “change” was greater than the cry for “mercy.” We have asked for a king, and a king has been given to us. We will now collectively drink from this cup, and concerning the pre-born children the casualties are quite literal. Today we find ourselves standing knee deep in the blood of 50 million children asking God to bless us and fix our economy. So still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether”.

Repentance
The responsibility lies with the Church. We are supposed to lead the way; we are to be the head and not the tail, and we will be forced to live with the consequences of our choices. Please forgive me if this sounds overly harsh. My intent is not to accuse; instead it is for us to accept responsibility. After all the Church is the hope of the world.

Now is the time for God to work repentance in our hearts; deep repentance on behalf of a confused Church and wayward nation. We should all review Daniel 9 as a model for this. May God do a quick work in us and restore us to our proper place. The scripture remains just as true today as it did before the elections, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Ch 7:14)

Regrouping
If I learned anything during this campaign, it was how powerful it can be when a people that feel disenfranchised from government mobilize at the grassroots level around a singular, unwavering message. As we pick ourselves up from this moment and move forward let us not depart from the place of intense prayer and fasting. God has driven us here for a reason, and it must continue. We are all in the School of Prayer now. God is bringing forth a revolutionary prayer movement in the earth, and it is still in its infancy. The Church must learn and embrace that the prayer meeting is the governmental center of the universe. Not only does prayer directly effect change for God’s purposes, but we should also expect an explosion of creativity if we will remain focused in the place of prayer.

• Creativity for new pro-life strategies
• Creativity for public policy
• Creativity for unity and mobilization
• Creativity for shifting culture through media
• Creativity for adoption reform

Our prayer mandate remains the same: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Ti 2:1-4)

Relentless
Moral authority is on our side. Abortion and the pro-death culture is heavily entrenched in the American psyche. The blood of the innocent has fueled the demonization of our culture for nearly 36 years. That is no excuse, however, to give up or even slow down now. On the contrary let us double our efforts and continue to face the giant that dares to mock the armies of the living God. Yes, we have lost an important battle. Yes, our efforts have experienced a great setback. Yes, the days ahead will be difficult to say the least. But history reminds us that the light of revelation can dawn on even the most difficult of social evils–slavery. Decade after decade passed while God relentlessly raised up voices for righteousness ultimately aligning the nation to His divine will.

There is good reason to think that without the steady drumbeat of Christian condemnation from the abolitionist preachers, there would never have been sufficient antislavery sentiment–to say nothing of antislavery interest–to enable the nation finally to go to war over the issue. Equally important, there might never have been sufficient antislavery preaching if not for the tireless evangelizing of such abolitionists as Charles Finney and his protégé Theodore Weld, who successfully targeted, among their many audiences, young college students who would, they knew, be the nation’s future leaders. From town to town they went…at every stop bringing their message that slavery was contrary to the Gospels. Until, finally, people came to believe it.
Stephen L. Carter, God’s Name in Vain

President-Elect Barack Obama has stated that “culture wars are just so 90’s and their days are growing dark.’ Let our posture reflect that we are just beginning and that we will not give up on America and the next generation. We will continue to pray for this President, Congress and Supreme Court and then for those that come after them. Let the government of earth know that God has already installed His King on His holy hill.

ALSO: Please stay tuned for an important and BIG announcement coming next week regarding DC and the Supreme Court!

Continuing to strike the arrows (2 Ki 13:17-19),

Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.

Friends,

I’m writing to let you know about a terrible piece of legislation called “The Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA). President-elect Barack Obama has stated that one of his first acts as president will be to sign this into law.

FOCA would establish the right to abortion as a fundamental right (like the right to free speech) and wipe away EVERY restriction on abortion nationwide. It will eradicate state and federal abortion laws that the majority of Americans support and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

Please read the expert analysis by Americans United for Life (AUL) and sign the Fight FOCA petition at:
http://www.FightFOCA.com

Thank you!

November 6, 2008
Dutch Sheets

I feel certain that many in my stream of the Church want a statement from me concerning Tuesday’s presidential election. I will be frank in my remarks but I do not, however, intend to vent anger or attack anyone. I have read several statements from friends and colleagues I respect very much.
Their thoughts are well stated and, for the most part, insightful.  None of them, however, seem to want to say some things that I believe need to be said. I do not claim infallibility or to have the final word, but my convictions run deep and I believe I bear a God-given responsibility to share them.

Was This God’s Will?

Was what happened Tuesday God’s will?  I am quite confident it was not.  America was offered a very clear choice between moving further toward protecting the unborn or further away; between a Supreme Court that would move toward honoring God, life and morality or away from it.  The stakes couldn’t have been higher nor the cost greater. As a nation we put on blinders concerning Barak Obama’s background, associations, beliefs and practices, and set these causes back years, possibly decades.

And in doing so we took another step away from God and His plans for America, and another step toward judgment.

Judgment Will Increase

This is not a fire and brimstone warning from an angry, legalistic preacher.  In fact, I feel more sadness and grief than anything else.

Perhaps I feel what Jesus felt as He wept for Jerusalem while announcing its judgment. I am not hoping for judgment; I am saying it is inevitable. I don’t know where the unbiblical belief comes from that says a nation can live any way it pleases, can reject God and His ways-even mock Him-and not receive His judgments.  Nor do I know when the belief came that it is always mean-spirited or judgmental to warn of these things.  To the contrary, I believe it is our responsibility.

In warning of judgment, I am not suggesting that God is going to intentially and directly hurt people.  Much judgment is simply the absence of God’s protection and provision, caused by a rejection of His laws and ways.  We have been experiencing some forms of judgment in America for years, but God in His incredible patience and mercy has kept us from the level we’ve deserved.  I believe this will change to a degree and judgment will now increase:

• For those in the Church who aligned themselves with pro-abortion forces, I believe judgment will result.
• For leaders in the Body of Christ who refused to take a stand for fear of losing people, money, and tax-exempt status-I believe there will be a degree of judgment.
• For those, both within the Church and without, who voted money over morality-a potential raise or better health insurance over the life of a baby-there will be judgment. (The irony is that this decision to base one’s vote on the hopes of a better economy won’t produce the hoped for result anyway. The scriptures teach that it is righteousness which exalts a nation and that the nation is blessed whose God is the Lord.)

I have heard the argument that God cares as much about social justice issues (such as poverty and racism) as He does abortion, making a vote for Obama OK.  I certainly believe God puts a very high priority on caring for the poor and I, too, have wanted to see equality demonstrated through a “minority” president. But to equate having a better income or the desire for a first black president, regardless of his positions on abortion and morality, to the issue of killing 50 million babies is not justice-it is a gross distortion of justice and great deception. I fear that we have been desensitized to this issue of abortion.  I believe it kills babies and takes innocent life.  I also believe it is blood sacrifice that empowers demons. Let’s not forget this in our noble attempts to be kind and conciliatory.

For African Americans I can easily see how it could bring healing to have a first black president, just as it would be for Native Americans to achieve this or for women if a woman were elected president.  Again, I have wanted to see justice in this way.  I am only saddened that the price for this healing ended up being Barack Obama, a man that will set the cause of life and, most-likely, our God-given destiny as a nation back so drastically. (I also realize there are some who interpret any criticism of Obama as racism. Racism is so NOT what I am about nor what I live, that I will not even dignify any such accusations with a response.)

What Can We Expect?

What are some of the judgments we can expect on our nation from this election?

• More economic woes
• More violence in an already violent nation
• Disease and death (satan, who is responsible for these things will have greater inroads to our nation.)
• Natural disasters (weather-tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, drought; fires; earthquakes; etc.)
• Terrorism (they will fear us much less now)
• War, perhaps on our own soil
• Judgments relating to the Court. The stacking of the Supreme Court against the sanctity of life and God’s influence on America will occur, which will in turn cause the shedding of more innocent blood, more rejection of God’s laws and the stealing from us of our godly heritage-all of which will perpetuate a cycle of even more judgment.

How Did This Happen?

I’ve been asked if this could have been averted had there been more prayer.  I’m not sure. I believe there was a remnant of Christians fervently praying over these elections-I don’t think there was anything more they could have done. Others, obviously, should have done more.  The complacency and lack of discernment concerning our real condition in America-especially by the Church-is both appalling and horrifying.  America is in serious trouble and it seems no one wants to say it.  Fewer still are willing to do anything to change it.

Though I understand our reasons, we must be careful in our attempts to placate our feelings and calm our fears through religious phrases like “God is still on the throne” or “God has a plan”.  He was on His throne 35 years and 50 million babies ago.  And He had a plan back then.  The problem is, it was us.  I understand our reasons for waving high the banner of God’s sovereignty at times like these-it gives us hope.  I will wave it, as well.

But please be careful with this. Too much emphasis on God’s sovereignty and we’re worthless; too little and we’re hopeless.  Maybe we should say, “we lost a critical battle but God will give us strategy to win the war.” Then find the strategy.

But still yet, since God is usually willing to work through a remnant, I thought we had enough prayer. Obviously, God decided otherwise.  There comes a time when He will not forgive or bless the majority based on the prayers or actions of only a few.  America rejected God and asked for a king; I believe we now have our Saul (see 1 Samuel 8:5-7)-a man who does not have God’s heart for America but his own. Like Israel in scripture, our nation believes it can turn from God and still be blessed.  In His mercy and justice He will show us otherwise.

Like many, believing I had many promises and confirmations that God would “grace” us with a pro-life president in this election, I failed to consider strongly enough that all promises-even scripture-are conditional 99.9% of the time. Though I never prophesied or made guarantees that McCain-Palin would win, failing to factor this principle in strongly enough no doubt caused me to share my optimism with others inappropriately. If this caused any harm or confusion, I apologize.

Has the fact that my prayers weren’t answered shaken my faith? No. I’m a little confused and discouraged. I’m also somewhat angry at the nation in general and much of the Church. Mostly I’m grieving over the nation and what this will cost us. I am not, however, angry with God and do not question His justice. And it is not true that we wasted our time, energy and money in our efforts anymore than it is a waste when we share the gospel with people who don’t get saved.  We must keep in the forefront of our thinking the fact that ultimately we are doing this for Him and that He will reward us for our faithfulness.  And who knows, perhaps He will store up all those prayers for the next battle (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-5).

A friend and fellow warrior said it well: “We did ‘give it our all.’ I know the Lord was pleased with that. A coach wants to know one thing at the end of a heartbreaking sports loss: ‘Did you leave it all on the field?’ (your passion, your commitment, your strength, your courage, etc.) I know that we ‘left it all on the field.’ We didn’t hold anything back until the game ended. Tragically, it ended in defeat. We will rise for another day because Jesus is worthy.”

Where Do We Go from Here?

Does this election outcome shake my faith that we can see a great awakening and ultimately reformation in America? Absolutely not (and it strengthens my resolve).  We will simply get there through greater pain and loss.  Even my passion to see the Supreme Court shift is not from a presupposition that there can be no spiritual awakening without it.  It is simply due to my deep conviction that their decisions bring so much death, destruction, curses and judgment to America; and because our full destiny as a nation is unquestionably linked to their decisions. So, yes, we will get an awakening and reformation; but the reality is that this reformation of the nation will reform the Supreme Court (and government, in general), not vice-versa.  My faith has never been in people or a political party; my faith is in the God who works through them.

I’ve been asked if my feelings about Sarah Palin have changed.  They have not. I believe she is an Esther, a Deborah, with a huge mantle from God for reformation. God has a great destiny for her related to this nation if she chooses to continue down this path.

So, in conclusion, we must re-group as an apostolic, praying church and advance.  We must maintain an immovable faith in God, His plans for America and His mercy.  And we must move beyond simply asking God for a spiritual awakening and ask Him for strategy to produce reformation, as well.  I, for one, am just getting started!

For God and this great nation,

Dutch Sheets