Volume 16 Issue 6 - June 2001 MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE "And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever." (Joshua 4:5-7) The following message was delivered in St. Louis where we conducted an official military Memorial Day Ceremony right at the gates of hell on May 26th, 2001 in Granite City, IL.. The Word of God teaches us in Psalm 88:12 that righteousness cannot long endure in the land of forgetfulness. This being the case, God throughout Holy Writ instructed His people to build memorials in order to recall their history, to have faithful object lessons to teach their children, and to prayerfully pass on to them a godly heritage. We see this truth conveyed in the Book of Joshua. When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to possess the Promised Land, God instructed Joshua to pick twelve men, who would gather twelve stones to build an altar to the Lord. The purpose was to put future generations in remembrance and to have a point of contact to powerfully witness to children when they would ask, "What mean ye by these stones?" It was memorials like this that provided testimony that upheld the veracity of God’s promises, recounted His miraculous deeds of deliverance, and put God’s people in remembrance of God’s undying faithfulness to those who put their faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us desperately need to have an Ebenezer stone of remembrance in our lives, a place to recall God’s help. It is important to acknowledge the times when God spoke to us, answered our prayers, and performed mighty acts on our behalf. It provides a reference point that will keep us on track. It encourages us with the revelation that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It proves if God was faithful to deliver yesterday, we can trust Him today, and can be assured that our tomorrows are in His capable care. Brother and sisters, without memorials, without recounting our history, without acknowledging God, we have no accurate concept of where we came from. Thus we surely won’t have the proper vision to know where we are going or what to do to get there. One gaze at this local death camp reveals the painful truth of that sobering reality. Sadly, our history has been robbed, our godly heritage deleted. Consequently, there is no rudder to steer this great ship called America through the dangerous seas of life in this perverted and crooked age. Consequently, we are adrift, tossed to and fro, without a root system to keep us on course. A Russian philosopher once said, "that the surest way to destroy a people is to severe their roots." Abortion and the homosexual agenda that is drowning America in a sea of blood and perversion confirm this harsh reality. Literally, the righteous foundations that our founding fathers fought and died to secure are literally crumbling beneath our feet. The Psalmist asks. "What can the righteous do, if the foundations be destroyed? Well for one thing, we can start with holding a memorial service right here at the gates of hell. It is fitting and most proper to be here today to honor those who have fallen in battle in order to pass on to us a legacy of freedom and liberty. A legacy that I’m afraid we have forgotten, squandered, and with the advent of the American Holocaust, we have betrayed. Abortion in every conceivable way violates. It violates the child in the womb who is made in the image of God. It violates God, His Person, and His Holy Law. It violates nurturing in Motherhood and responsibility in Fatherhood. It is a destroyer of families. It violates civil government and betrays their sacred trust. It violates our national covenant that declares the right to life is God-given and must be protected by the civil authorities. And for our purposes today, we will see how abortion spurns the memory of those slain in battle, how it betrays their sacrifices, and violates the sacred principles for which they fought and died for. George Washington viewing his rag-tag group of weary soldiers who were starved, exposed to the harshness of the elements, outgunned, and out-manned inspired them with these words, "The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore to resolve to conquer or die." Our Founding Father pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor and were willing to have their blood spilled out and die to pass on to the unborn a legacy of freedom. Tragically, we have taken that same freedom that came with the price of blood and now use it and abuse it to slay the unborn and shed their innocent blood. This betrayal is allowed to flourish with the blessing of the state and the silent consent of the Church! What a travesty! God have mercy on us! Dr. Leo Alexander who studied the Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials came up with a profound and concise definition of Nazism. He stated, "Nazism and Fascism occurs when a government or a culture utilizes death to solve its economic and moral problems." Tragically, what the World War Two generation fought and died to end in Germany is now alive and well in America. The Jews in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust came up with a motto that declares "Never Again." Well "Never Again" is most certainly happening again to our collective disgrace and shame. Can anyone of us even remotely imagine our brave American soldiers in World War Two fighting and dying so "Never Again" can happen again in our beloved land? Can we truly believe that the so-called right for parents to kill their unborn and for homosexuals to parade in our streets committing unspeakable acts is what inspired and sustained those who were storming the beaches of Normandy or dropping from planes on D-Day? I think not! The idea is absolutely repugnant and ludicrous and yet it is now become mainstream in the land of the free and the home of the brave. We haughtily proclaim abortion is a Constitutional Right and homosexuality is a civil right. But what does our Constitution actually say? It states, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." Notice the Constitution is not just for ourselves, but for our posterity. Abortion is the height of selfishness and if we are not willing to grant life and freedom to others, we are not worthy of it ourselves. In closing, I’m a military veteran. I served our nation during the Vietnam Conflict. I was a 60-machine gunner with the 101st Airborne Division. Because of my young age and due to the fact our nation was no longer sending fresh troops to Vietnam in 1973; I was spared the horrors of that war. I was prepared though to kill or be killed on the behalf of our nation. I was in service at a time when our nation turned its heart against our military. To be honest, I rarely wore my uniform out in public because of the disdain that was shown to our returning Vietnam veterans. Soldiers were spit on and called "baby killers" by a self-indulgent, misguided generation that blamed the soldier for the foolish policies of our government. Little did I know or could even imagine at that particular time that within such a short span of time, the same nation that called its returning soldiers "baby killers" would actually become a nation of baby killers. How many veterans out there? Let’s honor and pray for them right now. Gentlemen, when you enlisted in the military, you raised your right hand and swore to defend the Constitution from both foreign and domestic enemies. Brethren, this place is without question the most formidable domestic enemy that has ever savaged America. Even the Civil War with all its carnage cannot compare to what is happening today under our watch. The French Philosopher, Alexis De Tocqueville, once stated that "America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." America was great because America’s foundation was Christianity. The reason why we were so successful militarily is because we used our strength to help aid and defend the weak nations of the world against strong, tyrannical oppressors. And now because we have abandoned God, excluded Him from the public life of our nation, and trashed His Holy Laws by which men are to live by, we now use our strength to exploit and destroy the most vulnerable amongst us, the unborn child. These things ought not to be, brethren! Military men and veterans of the USA, our nation and our unborn children require your services once again. How many will join with me today to commit ourselves afresh and anew to the vision of speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, defend the poor and needy and deliver them out of the hand of the wicked, and rescue those unjustly sentenced to death? Please come forward and let us pray. May God hasten the day when not only abortion will be made illegal, but it will be unthinkable, just like slavery. And may we join together today and add our faith and amen to the words of Abraham Lincoln who stated at the Gettysburg Address, "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." In Jesus’ Holy Name! Amen! MEXICO REPORT "For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in." (Matthew 25:35) Mission accomplished! Not only did the Lord answer our prayers to locate, drill, and establish three water wells, we also had the added honor of replacing a roof that was blown off through a horrific storm. The winds and rain blew through like a freight train. It was somewhat exciting to say the least as we watched trees bent in half by the sheer force of the storm. Ironically, the night before the storm hit, our hosts assured us that we were in the dry season. They told us the rains were not due to appear for a couple of more months down the road. Nature however, had other plans. Praise God, no one was hurt, but a lot of damage was done to the area. On the spiritual front, there were 9 souls who made public confessions of Christ and surrendered their lives to His Lordship. Though there was a language barrier, if anyone could even speak a little English, we were on them with the Gospel of the Kingdom like white on rice. We witnessed to the cabbies, the hustlers, and others. The hustlers we confronted head on as they were attempting to seduce us with offers of prostitution. We showed them our wedding rings and told of our fidelity to God and our wives. We then shared with them that they were placing stumbling blocks before men. Jesus warned that offenses must come, but woe to the man who brings the offense (Matthew 18:7). Basically, we shared with them that they were in deep trouble and they needed to do something about their wicked condition. Thankfully, most of them responded with contrite hearts and asked the right question, like, "what must we do to become children of God?" With hearts such as these, the Holy Spirit was faithful to reveal the salvation of the Lord. I want to extend a personal thank you to all those who helped financially and with your prayers to send us to Mexico. May the Lord add to your account and may you partake of the fruit of the labor in Jesus’ Holy Name! KLI IN WICHITA, JUNE 17th-23rd "O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wonderful works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come." (Psalm 71:17,18) Two weeks before I left for Mexico, Esther, a KLI graduate from Wichita, gave me a call about our upcoming KLI in her city. During the conversation she mentioned that it was sometimes discouraging being involved in the battle at the Central Abortion Mill. I immediately sought to strengthen her resolve to stay faithful and to encourage her that help was on the way. I reminded her that another KLI was planned that would prayerfully increase the Lord’s Army of young people at the gates of hell. I also reminded her that Operation Save America was coming on the heels of KLI with a national event to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Summer of Mercy. Surely between these two events the Lord would give added grace and raise up more good soldiers of Jesus Christ to aid in this battle. Well, when I returned from Mexico, lo and behold, the Lord did not wait for another KLI or for our national OSA event. He just encouraged His weary daughter, Esther, by shutting the Central Abortion Mill down before we even got there. May 28th, 2001 was the last day of slaughter. The abortionist Kristin Nuehaus Caddell quit killing children in Wichita. Though she still has an abortion mill in Lawrence, KS, her husband recently told a faithful sidewalk counselor the plan is to have his wife and the mother of his children come back home and to completely get out of the abortion business. Please pray that not only God delivers them out of child-killing and the shedding of innocent blood, but that He would grant them the gift of repentance, that He would save their souls, and have them ready to give a powerful testimony at our OSA event in July. All things are possible, especially when abortionists start to leave the darkness and come towards the light. The media spin on this glorious victory is that the Caddell’s were fearful of violence, especially in light of the fact that OSA was coming back into town. There is however another perspective, one that was written by Steve Mashburn, a local Wichita minister. Steve’s desire was to set the record straight, in spite of what the media reported. Reading his perspective brought me to tears and encouraged my heart to see how the Lord is using OSA and its outreach to youth, the KLI, to inspire, train, and send forth the next generation of leaders. The Lord is using these young people in a powerful way to plunder the gates of hell and to advance His righteousness and Kingdom in the earth. There is hope in Jesus’ Holy Name! The real truth is that last year when Rusty Thomas held a Kingdom Leadership Institute here in Wichita, 5 teenagers made a commitment to pray, preach, sing and display Jesus and the truth about abortion until the 1-day-a-week mill on Central closed. Joined by a couple of sidewalk counselors and Jeff & Michelle Herzog (who moved to Wichita because God told them to), these shared the love of Jesus faithfully each killing day week in week out. At first they were met with nothing but hostile resistance. Then the witness of Jesus’ love and God's Word began to bear fruit. The retired cop whom Mike Caddell paid $300/week to guard the mill for about 6 hours on Fridays decided to quit and found a job in Arizona outside of the abortion industry. This left Mike Caddell with 1 paid deathscort, Rex, and he had to come guard the mill himself (actually, he needed to be here to hear the Gospel and see the love of God in action). Soon Mike hired another guy, but he quit, too. Numerous conversations were held with Mike Caddell asking questions about the Scriptures. After calling the police each week on Christians singing (maybe crying wolf a few times too often), Mike and Rex began requesting hymns. For the past couple of months, it's been sing, preach, pray all we want with no police. Kristin Neuhaus Caddell (the killer & wife) is in hot, hot water with the KS Board of Healing Arts (hard to do with THIS board) to top it off. Now, Mike & Kristin Caddell are fleeing what they *think* is the source of the conviction. Any fear or dread they now have is the terror of the Lord. Knowing these young teenagers came out of a KLI with another KLI here this June, they have good reason to expect these gentle warriors for Christ to multiply. Add to the mix the Summer of Mercy Renewal this summer and rather than face the Church BEING the Church, they caved in and will *try* to hide with her mill in Lawrence, KS. O Holy Spirit pursue!!! KLI GRADUATE "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth." (3 John 1:4) The following article is an e-mail message sent to me by our pastor’s son, Johnny Wachsmann. Johnny is also a KLI graduate and a committed young man to the call of God upon his life. Recently he shocked his parents and our church by announcing that the Lord is calling him to the mission field in Belize. He is a young man of quality that the Lord has set apart for Himself. I have always loved and been greatly encouraged by his refusal to go the way of the typical "Christian" American youth and to live a consecrated life before God, regardless of the ridicule and rejection of his peers. I’m enclosing his first newsletter which states his heart, mission, and appeal to be sent out to fulfill God’s call upon his life. I pray as you read this the Lord would move upon your hearts to sow a seed that could help launch a young man as he seeks to serve the Master. He needs to raise $2,000 of initial expense to move to Belize. Our newsletter is our primary source of support for Elijah Ministries. The last several months our regular support has dropped dramatically. Not only do we pray that the Lord would put you in remembrance of Elijah Ministries when you give to the Lord’s work each month, but that you would for this month give a special offering to help send this young man off to find his destiny in God. If you are moved by God’s Spirit to help this young man, make your checks out to Elijah Ministries and on the memo write Johnny Wachsmann or Belize mission. Thanks and God’s richest blessings upon you.
IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas |