Do you believe that you are
fearfully and wonderfully made?
00:00:01.36\00:00:04.47
It's true friend. Join us
today on Life After Choice
00:00:04.50\00:00:09.40
and take hold of all that
the Lord has declared you to be.
00:00:09.44\00:00:13.48
Hi, my name is Antionette Duck,
00:00:31.19\00:00:33.50
Welcome to Life After Choice.
00:00:33.53\00:00:35.60
In this series we are going to
be exploring story after story
00:00:35.63\00:00:39.93
related to crisis pregnancy
and abortion and brokenness
00:00:39.97\00:00:44.74
and the most
incredible redemption.
00:00:44.77\00:00:46.84
This issue is so
important to me personally
00:00:46.88\00:00:50.51
because I myself was
rescued from abortion
00:00:50.55\00:00:54.48
and it was because of those
who were willing to lift up
00:00:54.52\00:00:58.35
voices to speak on behalf
of those who could not speak
00:00:58.39\00:01:02.56
for themselves
that I myself was saved
00:01:02.59\00:01:05.86
and my mother along with me.
00:01:05.89\00:01:08.26
I am a part of a ministry
called MAFGIA Ministries.
00:01:08.30\00:01:13.23
When I came into the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:01:13.27\00:01:21.34
after studying
for a period of time.
00:01:21.38\00:01:24.01
I was raised a
Christian and knew the Lord
00:01:24.05\00:01:28.05
but as I began studying the
Seventh-day Adventist doctrines,
00:01:28.08\00:01:32.25
I saw a truth there that
I had not known previously.
00:01:32.29\00:01:37.96
I absolutely fell in
love with this church,
00:01:37.99\00:01:41.20
I fell in love
with it's teaching,
00:01:41.23\00:01:43.30
I fell in love with
their love for the Lord,
00:01:43.33\00:01:45.90
I fell in love the way
that they really sought Him
00:01:45.93\00:01:50.04
and wanted to honor
Him with their lives.
00:01:50.07\00:01:52.01
The more that I
became familiar though
00:01:52.04\00:01:56.01
with church doctrine, I
was saddened by a silence
00:01:56.04\00:02:02.15
that surrounded
this issue of abortion.
00:02:02.18\00:02:06.25
The Seventh-day Adventist Church
has been given so much truth,
00:02:06.29\00:02:10.73
so much light and to be
the standard bearer in so many
00:02:10.76\00:02:17.03
areas and my heart was to
see this church, our church
00:02:17.07\00:02:22.87
be the standard bearer in every
way, especially on an issue
00:02:22.90\00:02:27.44
as critical as this one
that speaks about us being made
00:02:27.48\00:02:32.08
in the image of the Lord
00:02:32.11\00:02:33.78
of us literally
bearing His likeness.
00:02:33.82\00:02:39.55
When I came across this silence,
I was moved to do something
00:02:39.59\00:02:47.50
about it. I had
actually encountered a woman who
00:02:47.53\00:02:51.13
happened to have a very
providential conversation
00:02:51.17\00:02:54.40
with her and she said you
know what, you don't do nothing.
00:02:54.44\00:02:58.67
You join, you become a part of
this and you seek to change it.
00:02:58.71\00:03:03.68
So in January around early 2011,
the MAFGIA Ministries began.
00:03:03.71\00:03:11.95
MAFGIA is a Hebrew
word for "intercessor,"
00:03:11.99\00:03:15.22
it comes from the
verse Isaiah 59:16.
00:03:15.26\00:03:18.33
We are committed as a ministry
to interceding for the value,
00:03:18.36\00:03:23.50
for the sanctity of human
life from our very beginning,
00:03:23.53\00:03:27.44
from conception until natural
death but we're also committed
00:03:27.47\00:03:32.47
to reconciliation and redemption
for women and men who have
00:03:32.51\00:03:37.35
experienced the
tragedy of an abortion.
00:03:37.38\00:03:39.88
It's not a ministry where
it's only concern with the value
00:03:39.91\00:03:46.19
of the child or only concerned
with the value of the mother
00:03:46.22\00:03:49.56
the Lord holds all of us equally
valuable and He wants all of us
00:03:49.89\00:03:56.50
to esteem the other as
being equally valuable.
00:03:56.53\00:04:00.94
So we are very much seeking
to reach everyone involved in
00:04:00.97\00:04:06.24
this situation, especially in
the midst of a crisis pregnancy.
00:04:06.27\00:04:10.35
In this series, you are going
to hear the most incredible
00:04:10.38\00:04:15.42
testimonies, testimonies of
pain, of shame, of brokenness,
00:04:15.45\00:04:22.79
of women hiding,
hiding the crisis pregnancy,
00:04:22.82\00:04:29.06
of women needing to...
experiencing all sorts of self
00:04:29.10\00:04:35.97
loathing and self-hatred
as a result of their abortion
00:04:36.00\00:04:40.31
experiences.
00:04:40.34\00:04:41.68
You're going to hear from
men, men who can tell you that
00:04:41.71\00:04:45.35
they experience shame,
they experience self-hatred,
00:04:45.38\00:04:49.58
they experience suicidal
thoughts over not being able
00:04:49.62\00:04:54.09
to stop the abortion that
was taking place, you will hear
00:04:54.12\00:04:59.69
of their own struggle...
00:04:59.73\00:05:01.93
You will hear from
parents, parents whose daughter
00:05:01.96\00:05:04.90
became pregnant and what
do they do because they're in
00:05:04.93\00:05:08.34
pastoral ministry, how
are they going to survive
00:05:08.37\00:05:11.41
in the situation that they're
in? and they are so concerned
00:05:11.44\00:05:14.84
with what other
people are thinking.
00:05:14.88\00:05:16.75
You're going to hear so
many stories that are raw,
00:05:17.11\00:05:20.18
they are gritty,
they're vulnerable
00:05:20.22\00:05:22.42
and they are so
desperately needed to be told.
00:05:22.45\00:05:26.22
Because the reality is, we are
made in the image of the Lord,
00:05:26.25\00:05:33.40
that is simply true.
00:05:33.43\00:05:36.56
You listening to me today,
you were created with purpose,
00:05:36.60\00:05:42.74
you were created with destiny
and it's a purpose and a destiny
00:05:42.77\00:05:48.94
that you alone can fill.
You possess intrinsic value,
00:05:48.98\00:05:53.95
eternal significance.
These things are so fundamental
00:05:53.98\00:05:58.62
to who you are that they cannot
be diminished and they will
00:05:58.65\00:06:02.79
never be destroyed.
00:06:02.82\00:06:04.99
You are not valuable
because of what you do,
00:06:05.03\00:06:08.16
or what you've
achieved or what you possess...
00:06:08.20\00:06:10.90
You are not valuable because
of how intelligent you are,
00:06:10.93\00:06:14.00
or how wealthy you are or
the kind of influence you have.
00:06:14.04\00:06:18.14
You're valuable because you are
made in the image of the Lord.
00:06:18.17\00:06:22.04
The Lord is asking us
to live in that place.
00:06:22.08\00:06:28.32
He's asking us to live
with that kind of humility.
00:06:28.35\00:06:31.85
To acknowledge the fact that
we are valuable because of Him,
00:06:31.89\00:06:36.56
It's Him and Him alone
who established our value
00:06:36.59\00:06:40.40
through creation, He established
our value, He fortified it
00:06:40.43\00:06:44.27
forevermore at the cross and
it's something that no one and
00:06:44.30\00:06:48.14
nothing will ever
be able to take away.
00:06:48.17\00:06:51.81
Abortion is a thing
that can not be undone,
00:06:51.84\00:06:58.61
that's simply true,
you can't undue abortion.
00:06:58.65\00:07:04.55
You can't roll back the clock,
you can't turn back the hands
00:07:04.59\00:07:09.52
of time and if we're not
willing to speak light into
00:07:09.56\00:07:16.30
that darkness. Where are men
and women who have experienced
00:07:16.33\00:07:21.77
the tragedy of abortion?
Where are they going to go?
00:07:21.80\00:07:26.27
One of the first times as
a part of the MAFGIA Ministry
00:07:26.31\00:07:32.45
when I founded it in early
2011. I later met my partner
00:07:32.48\00:07:37.92
Diane Wagner who is now my
partner in the MAFGIA Ministry
00:07:37.95\00:07:41.39
and she invited me to come
and speak to various groups
00:07:41.42\00:07:45.29
of people and one of the first
groups of women I ever spoke to,
00:07:45.33\00:07:49.76
there was a woman who confessed,
in this group of people
00:07:49.80\00:07:55.50
who she knew, but none
of them knew that she had
00:07:55.54\00:07:59.54
had an abortion. She confessed
that the enemy of her soul,
00:07:59.57\00:08:04.75
the evil one. One of the
things he attacks her with
00:08:04.78\00:08:07.95
is the reason your children
don't believe in the Lord
00:08:07.98\00:08:12.19
is because YOU had an abortion.
00:08:12.22\00:08:14.29
Think of that, think of
the weight of that condemnation
00:08:14.32\00:08:20.33
what is she going to do? She
is not going to run to the Lord,
00:08:20.36\00:08:26.10
she's not going to run to
the one she thinks condemns her.
00:08:26.13\00:08:28.77
So what does she do?
00:08:28.80\00:08:30.97
Well she tries to fill herself
up, she tries to make it ok.
00:08:31.01\00:08:35.84
She pays penance in a hundred
different ways seeking to right
00:08:35.88\00:08:39.78
a wrong that never can be
righted outside of the cross.
00:08:39.81\00:08:44.75
If we are not
speaking into that place,
00:08:44.79\00:08:49.02
if we are not speaking into
that darkness, there is nowhere
00:08:49.06\00:08:54.60
that she has to go. Nowhere
that's going to set her free,
00:08:54.63\00:08:59.00
nowhere that's going to be
life giving and redemptive.
00:08:59.03\00:09:02.90
This is something the Lord has
given us to do as individuals
00:09:02.94\00:09:08.94
has given us to do as believers.
00:09:08.98\00:09:12.61
We're not saved
because we've never sinned.
00:09:12.65\00:09:16.92
We were not saved
because we are always perfect.
00:09:16.95\00:09:20.56
We're not saved because
we've never done anything wrong.
00:09:20.59\00:09:23.86
We are saved by faith in Christ
alone, we're saved because
00:09:23.89\00:09:29.70
we're covered by
the blood of the Lamb.
00:09:29.73\00:09:32.13
That is HOPE!
00:09:32.17\00:09:35.80
Abortion is a thing
that cannot be undone,
00:09:35.84\00:09:39.07
but that is not
the end of the story.
00:09:39.11\00:09:42.21
The end of the story is the
cross if we will allow it to be.
00:09:42.24\00:09:47.32
The story of the cross
is the story of redemption.
00:09:47.35\00:09:51.45
That is what we have the
opportunity to give the world.
00:09:51.49\00:09:57.63
That's what we have the
opportunity to give men and
00:09:57.66\00:10:01.03
women, young and old,
pastors and lay people.
00:10:01.06\00:10:05.90
That's what we
have a calling to do.
00:10:05.93\00:10:10.57
The question is, will we do it?
00:10:10.61\00:10:14.18
The stories that you
are going to hear this week
00:10:14.21\00:10:17.81
are so incredibly critical
because they prove this need.
00:10:17.85\00:10:24.62
They prove the way this issue
has affected us as individuals,
00:10:24.65\00:10:30.66
the way it's affected us as
a church, the way it's affected
00:10:30.69\00:10:33.70
us in society and in culture.
00:10:33.76\00:10:36.40
Women have been made to suffer
in silence and so to have men,
00:10:36.43\00:10:43.64
and will we be a
people who say, you know what?
00:10:43.67\00:10:47.41
Women deserve better than
abortion, men deserve better
00:10:47.44\00:10:52.51
than abortion. The unborn
deserves better than abortion.
00:10:52.55\00:10:58.29
We as individuals, we
as a church will get into
00:10:58.32\00:11:03.16
the trenches with these
people in Crisis Pregnancy.
00:11:03.19\00:11:06.13
We won't reject them, we won't
throw them, toss them to the
00:11:06.16\00:11:11.77
side or toss them in a corner
and say this is too shameful
00:11:11.80\00:11:15.67
to deal with. We will be
willing to go to uncomfortable
00:11:15.70\00:11:19.77
places, to have uncomfortable
conversations so that the
00:11:19.81\00:11:23.58
captive can be set free.
00:11:23.61\00:11:27.22
The Lord is
calling us to worship Him.
00:11:27.25\00:11:34.46
There's a verse in Revelation
that says "worship Him who made
00:11:34.49\00:11:38.86
earth and sun and sky"
and I could say and you.
00:11:38.89\00:11:45.73
Worship the one who made you.
Do you realize that you were
00:11:45.77\00:11:55.48
literally brought into existence
by the hand of the Lord?
00:11:55.51\00:11:59.65
Do you realize that His finger
literally brought you into
00:11:59.68\00:12:06.29
existence and
crafted you and designed you?
00:12:06.32\00:12:09.09
There is nothing about
you that is accidental.
00:12:09.12\00:12:12.56
You originated in the
Lord's mind. As one author said,
00:12:12.59\00:12:18.53
You were His idea and He
put you here at this time
00:12:18.57\00:12:24.41
in the earth's history.
There is such incredible purpose
00:12:24.44\00:12:29.68
to you and it has
existed from your beginning
00:12:29.71\00:12:34.22
from your very first moments
when the Lord created you
00:12:34.25\00:12:39.65
and brought you into existence.
00:12:39.69\00:12:41.56
The purpose and
destiny in your life was there.
00:12:41.59\00:12:45.89
Well, you know what, it
was also there for every other
00:12:45.93\00:12:51.90
human being who has ever
existed, it was there for the
00:12:51.93\00:12:56.87
unborn. The value that
they possess, the purpose that
00:12:56.91\00:13:02.01
the Lord into and onto their
life, it has existed from their
00:13:02.04\00:13:07.15
very beginning. Will we
choose to worship the Lord
00:13:07.18\00:13:12.65
not only as our creator, but as
the creator of every human being
00:13:12.69\00:13:19.63
whoever was and ever will be?
00:13:19.66\00:13:23.23
Will we choose to say
yes to the Lord in this way?
00:13:23.26\00:13:29.87
There are countless men
and women who are desperate
00:13:29.90\00:13:36.21
to believe that the grace of
the Lord is sufficient for them
00:13:36.24\00:13:39.98
because they have
abortion in their past.
00:13:40.02\00:13:43.52
There are countless men
and women who are in the midst,
00:13:43.55\00:13:48.46
the crucible of the
crisis pregnancy and they are
00:13:48.49\00:13:53.50
desperate to believe
that the Lord is for them,
00:13:53.53\00:13:57.23
that He's not set against
them, that they haven't failed
00:13:57.27\00:14:00.87
so completely in winding
up in this situation that He's
00:14:00.90\00:14:04.97
rejected them. They
are desperate to believe
00:14:05.01\00:14:08.54
what is true, but who
is going to tell them.
00:14:08.58\00:14:14.32
That's you, that's me,
that's us. Will we do it?
00:14:14.35\00:14:21.02
Will we take the hand of the
Lord. Will we walk side by side
00:14:21.06\00:14:25.13
with divinity and say
YES! I choose to believe what
00:14:25.16\00:14:30.07
you have said about my value.
I choose to believe what you
00:14:30.10\00:14:33.94
have said about the redemption
that is available for me
00:14:33.97\00:14:36.81
and I choose to believe in
the value you have written into
00:14:36.84\00:14:39.87
every single
human being. Say YES!
00:14:39.91\00:14:44.85