The day Helen fell pregnant I noticed that all the advertising boards seemed to be advertising baby products for the first time. Had they not done so before? How did they time it to coincide with our first pregnancy? The answer of course is not in the advertisers.
When you are not pregnant you do not notice the bombardment of advertising targeting new parents. This subculture is hidden from the rest of society in plain view as our antennae are switched off to pregnancy and the unborn.
So why should we give attention and invest time in those who are not yet born within our church communities, even if we ourselves are not pregnant?
Here are four simple reasons: 1. God is interested in people from before they are born.
God spoke to Jeremiah and said, before I formed you in the womb I knew you and set you apart. God knitted us together in our mother’s womb. God is interested in us and engages with us from before we are born.
2. The enemy wants to destroy the unborn.
We know that the enemy of mankind is seeking to steal, kill and destroy. Satan’s plan is to eradicate the next generation. If the enemy is fighting to destroy then we should be fighting on behalf of the children to bring life.
The battle over abortion is the most obvious form of the enemy’s destruction. Many of us around the world have looked on in horror as Planned Parenthood’s strategies for making money out of selling baby parts has been exposed.
Here in the UK we are far from innocent. When the chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives (responsible for helping babies be born) released a new position statement on behalf of all its members to say that abortion should be allowed for any reason at any stage of pregnancy you know that a battle is raging. Read more here.
3. It is the right time to start supporting parents.Parents are called to be the primary disciplers of their children. Where parents struggle to do this it is usually down to a lack of knowledge: how to fulfil the responsibility that God has given them. This is especially true in a society where the relationships between generations is breaking down and many Christian parents have not grown up in a home which modelled how to pass on their faith in the home.
Many in the church want to help parents to fulfil their spiritual role with their children. The trouble is, inviting parents to a meeting, let alone a whole course, in the busiest season of their lives (namely when they are looking after small children) and when they have already developed patterns of parenting that are now harder to change can be an uphill struggle.
When parents are expecting their first child, there is often a utopia of hope as to how their child will turn out and what kind of parents they will be. At this stage they are forming ideas of how they want their family to run and what values are important to them. This is the best time to come alongside parents and show them from the Bible the responsibility God has given them as parents to raise their children in the ways of God. Supporting parents and equipping families at this time will bear fruit for generations to come.
4. Life in the womb has an effect on life in the world.
Numerous studies have shown how events during pregnancy can have a profound effect on people throughout their lives.
As we bring children in the womb into the presence of God they can taste and see that He is good. That early relationship with God can be part of the spark that the Spirit of God will use to draw them on their lifelong journey with Him. After all a newborn baby know that God exists. As Romans 1:20 explains the invisible God is clearly seen. Verse 21 goes on to say: “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
When young children encounter the God who is clearly seen and who they know, they have greater opportunity to go on to glorify God as He deserves.
So don’t hold back from supporting ministry to unborn children and their families. Let’s work together to raise the profile of the unborn and concern for their spiritual lives and their future destinies. After all these children are God’s solutions for the problems of today’s world. The kingdom of heaven often starts as just a seed before it grows to something great. At this early stage of their lives this is when they need the most support and prayer.
What can you do?We need people in our churches to be ambassadors for this next generation who will support pregnant families in the churches and community and encourage them to expose their babies to the presence of God and trust in God throughout their pregnancy, labour and indeed when their parents. We have seen when a whole church community takes this seriously from the womb it changes the perception of family and the children’s ministry of the church.
If any of you are interested in being ambassadors you could:
1. Invite any pregnant people in your church to join us at Expectant – an event specifically for Christians parents who are expecting. You can find out more here.
2. Give out copies of Jesus, Your Baby and You in your church (you can buy 10 for the price of 5 from our website).
3. Start a womb ministry. Ask us for more information.