In this insightful episode of Washington Watch, guest host Jody Heiss delves into the pressing issues discussed at the recent PrayVoteStand Summit. Listen as Vanessa Sivage, a former FRC intern and whistleblower, shares her courageous story of confronting Medicaid fraud related to transgender procedures for minors. Her experience shines a light on the ethical challenges and risks faced by those who choose to expose corruption.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
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Good afternoon. Welcome to this special edition of Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss, Senior Vice President at the Family Research Council and President of FRC Action. Happy to be filling in for Tony today and thrilled to have you on with us as well. Well, the end of 2024 is fast approaching, and today we want to bring you some special content from our most recent PrayVoteStand Summit. For those of you who may not know, PrayVoteStand is an annual event that draws Christian voters literally from all across America to our nation’s capital. And the summit addressed many very important issues, and it included sessions with leading political as well as theological experts who talked about topics like Israel, education in America, the transgender movement, corporate wokeism, the war on women, and lots of other things. It was an outstanding event. And today we’re going to share with you two sessions from that summit. One is the session featuring whistleblower and former FRC intern Vanessa Sivage, who was fired from her job as a nurse after exposing alleged Medicaid fraud related to transgender procedures for minors at the Texas Children’s Hospital. The second is a powerful address by ministry leader Dr. Voddie Bauckham. And like all the speakers did at the summit, both Vanessa and Voti really encouraged those who attended. So we’ve got a great, great show lined up for you today. I want to encourage you. If you miss any portion of it, you know where to go, TonyPerkins.com. Well, as I mentioned this past October, Family Research Council and FRC Action held our fourth annual Pray, Vote, Stand Summit. Again, drawing tons of Christian voters from all across America to our Capitol. And what an amazing event it was. Among the sessions at the summit was one featuring whistleblower and former FRC intern, Vanessa Sivich. She drew national attention. earlier this year when she exposed the alleged Medicaid fraud at the Texas Children’s Hospital for transgender procedures that they were performing on minors. Well, for this session, she sat down with FRC’s Joseph Backham to share her story. Here’s how Vanessa got it all started.
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Well, it is such an honor and privilege to be here today. And the ironic thing is that three years ago, when I was interning at the Family Research Council, I came home and not knowing what was awaiting me at Texas Children’s Hospital. I am a pediatric nurse, and I came home from that internship here at the Family Research Council and immediately started seeing children confused about their sex at my clinic on a weekly basis. and started noticing how parents were manipulated and deceived into believing that a hormone would solve the confusion and the inner turmoil of their child. And I noticed how these girls were confused, they were depressed, they were anxious, and they had multiple instances of harm. ER visits for suicide attempts, and I decided to come forward to show what was happening at the nation’s largest children’s hospital, and that’s exactly what happened in May of 2023. I worked with a phenomenal journalist named Christopher Ruffo, and together with Dr. Eitan Haim, who is now public, we both separately anonymously came forward to reveal how the hospital had engaged in a pattern of deception to conceal the fact that there was a robust transgender program happening. And parents and lawmakers had no idea who we’re looking in. And two months later, the FBI showed up at my house. I was having dinner with my husband, who’s here today, and with some friends, and there was a knock on my front door. And the Department of Justice had sent two federal agents to my house, and they informed me that I was a person of interest in an investigation targeting a whistleblower. They proceeded to tell me that they had come to my home because they knew what I believed. They knew of my views against transgender medicine. And they told me that if I did not cooperate with their investigation, that there would be consequences, that I was not safe, that my job was at risk, and my safety was at risk. And in the months that followed that FBI visit, my husband and I came to the realization that children deserve to be defended. and that the Bible holds the blueprint for believers in Jesus who are faced with trials and tribulations. James says that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, and that if you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all who ask. And so that’s exactly what we did. We fell to our knees and we begged God for his wisdom. Because despite the fact that the FBI visit was unforeseen and unexpected, this was not a surprise to God. God knew exactly that this would happen when it did. And so we also turn to Ephesians 5, which says to take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness, but expose them, and that everything exposed by the light becomes visible. And so from that moment on, we decided that we would not make decisions out of fear, but we decided to move forward with faith and with conviction.
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And there has been a cost because you chose to move forward and tell us about that journey. You clearly made a choice. You made a prayerful choice and you thought you knew what God wanted you to do and you did it. So the good, the bad, the ugly of that, what has been the consequences for you?
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Well, you know, one of my favorite quotes, Booker T. Washington once said that a lie does not become true. Evil does not become right. And wrong does not become good just because it is accepted by the majority. I pledge allegiance to the unchanging word of God. And that is what has driven my decision to speak out and to do the things that I’ve done. In August of this year, I was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on Medicaid fraud as it relates to transgender treatments, cross-sex hormones, and puberty blockers. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, in June, just a couple of months ago, I came forward publicly this time with my name and my identity, with journalist Christopher Ruffo, once again, to reveal that Texas Children’s Hospital had violated Texas law by using Medicaid to cover these treatments for children. And since 2015, gender-affirming care covered by American tax dollars in the state of Texas has been illegal. Doctors and organizations and hospitals in Texas cannot use Medicaid to cover transgender medicine, and yet the hospital was doing this very blatantly and very obviously. And I came to the realization that American taxpayers deserve to know what their tax dollars were going towards. And so I came forward in June to bring that to light. Promptly, the hospital placed me under investigation and placed me on leave. And two months later, in August, I was officially fired. And this is illegal for multiple reasons. Whistleblowers have protections under Texas law. But the hospital chose to ignore that and chose to fire me in retaliation for my decision to come forward in alignment with my beliefs. And many good things have happened as a result of my coming forward. Number one, our State Attorney General has opened an investigation into the misuse of funds at the hospital. Our Texas Speaker of the House has also initiated a probe into the hospital. And the House Oversight Committee of the United States House of Representatives has also issued a letter into the misuse of Medicaid funds on a federal level. So good things have come about, God is so faithful, even though I have now retained attorneys, I’m fundraising for my legal defense, because I do believe that I was wrongfully terminated, and I am very committed to challenging this in a court of law.
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Now, Vanessa, a related issue here is that you’re part of a profession as a nurse and part of an industry that we all want to believe has our best interest in mind. And that when we go see healthcare providers, all they’re interested in is what’s good for the patient. How do we make you well? How do we do the right thing in this situation? As you have walked this path, What has been the response from your colleagues, now former colleagues, your friends? Is this a situation where the medical industry basically sees the problem, but they’re just too afraid to say anything? Or is this something where the medical industry has been captured?
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That’s a great question. You know, I do believe that there are wonderful people left in the medical industry, that there are doctors or nurses who affirm biological truth and who are committed to defending that. But something that I want to just make sure everyone is aware of is how… highly lucrative the transgender medicine industry is. There is so much money to be made in this arena of medicine. And many people estimate that when a child is initiated into this irreversible path, starting with hormones, weekly checkups, lab draws, and then, God forbid, if they continue on and then get the surgeries, which is the most egregious of all, that could result to a total of upwards of $80,000 per child. And the medical industry looks at that, and unfortunately, they only see a dollar sign. They only see that dollar sign. And I think it’s also important to talk about parents in these situations because Most parents are well-meaning and they love their children deeply and they want nothing but the best for their child. But it’s a very intimidating thing when a doctor comes in in a white lab coat and tells the parent emphatically that if they do not affirm their child’s confusion and initiate them into this path of transition that the child will commit suicide or harm themselves. And what parent wants to be responsible for that? And so, in my view, that is the most egregious lie, the most egregious form of emotional manipulation that the medical industrial complex has ever sold to parents. And unfortunately, the children are the ones who pay the price.
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Vanessa, last question for you here. What’s your word of advice to somebody today who, in their own context, in their own life, is facing a situation where they see the truth, they know the truth, there’s a cost potentially for speaking the truth?
SPEAKER 07 :
The cost is always worth it. And I have tremendous compassion for people in the medical industry or otherwise who are working in an environment that is hostile to their beliefs. I remember what that felt like. It feels like you’re alone, that you’re overwhelmed. You feel helpless because you’re outnumbered. But the reality is we must fear God over the fear of man. We must ground ourselves in what is true. And God will take care of, the consequences will take care of themselves. But we must ground ourselves in what is true and affirm what the Bible calls true.
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Amen. Please join me in thanking Vanessa Sivage. Thank you so much.
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That was FRC’s Joseph Backholm and whistleblower Vanessa Sivich during the 2024 PrayVote Stand Summit. You’re tuning in to Washington Watch, and today’s a special edition as we’re talking about some of the content from the PrayVote Stand Summit. You can catch it if you download our StandFirm app. Do so by texting the word APP to 67742. We’ve got much more to bring your way today. After the break, we’re going to share another session from the PrayVoteStand Summit, a powerful address by ministry leader Dr. Votie Bauckham. So stick around. Much more coming your way in a moment.
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During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family, and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we’re making an eternal impact. 2024 has been another year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, D.C. This fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC’s outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with a community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God’s intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel’s peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government, Launching in January 2025, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us for another year of standing for faith, family, and freedom.
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Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC’s Stand on the Word spiral-bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into scripture with thought-provoking questions, note-taking space, and context for each book and author. This second edition, covering Isaiah 2 Revelation, will guide you in tracking your journey through God’s word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc.org slash store or text journal to 67742. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
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GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME BACK TO WASHINGTON WATCH. I’M YOUR HOST JODY HEISS. THE WEBSITE TONY PERKINS.COM. TODAY WE’RE BROADCASTING SPECIAL CONTENT FROM THE 2024 PRAY VOTE STAND SUMMIT AND IN THIS NEXT PART YOU’LL HEAR FROM MINISTRY LEADER DR. VOTEY BOCKHAM WHO STARTED HIS ADDRESS BY NOTING THE MARGINALIZATION OF CHRISTIANS TODAY AND BY THE WAY THAT MIRRORS THE EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRST CENTURY CHRIST FOLLOWERS AS WELL. HE TALKS ALL ABOUT THIS IN CONTEXT OF ACTS CHAPTER FOUR. So we’ll start from right there.
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Look at verse 13. Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished, and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Now, they perceived that they were uneducated common men, The Greek words used here would almost lead you to believe that they thought these men were illiterate men, but that’s not what’s being said here. Not that they are illiterate men. Unlearned men does not mean that, you know, they didn’t have education. In fact, these were incredibly literate men. If you don’t believe me, these men gave us 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, 3 John, and the Gospel of John and Revelation. They could read and write. So that’s not what’s being said here. This terminology of them being, you know, unlearned, unsophisticated, uneducated men didn’t mean that they weren’t educated. It mean that they didn’t have the right kind of education. They’re being marginalized because they don’t hold to the right truths. They’re being marginalized because the things that they believe and hold dear are seen to be on the outskirts of what is acceptable. We have that in our day, do we not? It’s very interesting. It doesn’t matter how much education you have. It doesn’t matter how many letters you have behind your name. If you don’t hold to the right beliefs, then they still call you an untrained, uneducated man. It’s interesting, as I said earlier, I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I spent most of my adult life in the promised land, in the great state of Texas. Yeah, I’m a Californian by birth and a Texan by the grace of God. And it’s really interesting. There are a couple of Texans who, on a political level, they’re shining examples of this. One of them’s a former president. George W. Bush. George W. Bush is seen to be this untrained, uneducated man, although he graduated from Yale. Many people don’t know that. Another one is a current senator by the name of Ted Cruz, who went to law school at Harvard. but because of their views, they’re seen as untrained, uneducated men. They’re marginalized. And from a spiritual theological perspective, those of us who have the audacity to believe the Bible are seen as untrained, uneducated men. It doesn’t matter how many letters we have behind our name. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been educated or where we’ve been trained. had this experience once in my own life, because I’ve often, because of the things that I believe, I’ve often been marginalized, basically as an untrained, uneducated, or unsophisticated man. And I remember on one occasion having an interaction with someone and them basically making this charge about the simplistic nature of my faith because I believe crazy stuff like, you know, six-day creation and inerrancy of the Bible and marriage between one man and one woman. I mean, just all kind of just crazy, you know, out there stuff. And as I was being, you know, marginalized, there was one person as part of the conversation, I was on a college campus, and they kind of, you know, nudged the person and said, this guy did postdoctoral work at Oxford in England. That’s about how the other person responded. But at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that I have an earned doctorate. It didn’t matter that I studied at Oxford. Nobody cares. If you don’t hold the right ideas, you are still marginalized as an untrained, uneducated man. We’re marginalized. in this post-Christian culture, just like they were in their pre-Christian culture. But beyond the marginalization, look at verse 14. But seeing that the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, conferred with one another saying what shall we do with these men for that a noteworthy sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of jerusalem and we cannot deny it here’s the second similarity neutrality is not an option That’s what they’re saying here. Neutrality was not an option. Here’s this man that this miracle was performed on, and we all see him. We’ve all seen him at the gate. We all know that he was lame. And now he’s walking. We know it. They know it, everyone in the city knows it, and it’s spreading like wildfire. What are we going to do? Because neutrality is not an option. And you need to know that that’s where we are today. Neutrality is not an option. There are many Christians who believe that if we just keep our heads down, that if we just go about our lives That if we just stay off social media and if we just don’t say the wrong thing, that somehow we will come out of this unscathed. You’re naive if you think that. Because what they want from us is not our silence. What they want from us is our submission.
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That was ministry leader Dr. Votie Bauckham during the 2024 PrayVote Stand Summit held in Washington, D.C., and you’re tuned in to a special edition of Washington Watch. After the break, we’ll continue with Votie’s address, so don’t go away. We’ll be back.
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So if you like to think and you like to pray, FRC is the place for you.
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I think it is the best program out there.
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Yeah, I’ve absolutely loved my experience interning at FRC.
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They really are making waves out in the political world and doing it from the light of the Lord.
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It’s really humbling for me as a college student who has been involved in the life movement for only a couple of years to be able to witness it alongside of some of the people who have spent their entire lives fighting. A huge thing that sets FRC’s internship apart from others is they are looking for what they can pour into you instead of what they can get out of you.
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I have talked to so many of my friends who have interned. other places and they’re responding to emails or taking phone calls and doing things like that. But here we get real hands on experience and get to talk to important people and do important things that we get to see the impact of.
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The throne of Jesus Christ is unchallenged. His name was never on the ballot to begin with, and it’s never gonna be on the ballot. He’s the King of Kings, and He’s the Lord of Lords, and nothing’s gonna change that. And so our mission stays the same, preach the gospel, make disciples, get ready for heaven. In the meantime, that we’re to advance the concerns of the kingdom of God here on earth.
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America has entered a critical and vulnerable period from now until January the 20th. Join Family Research Council for Operation Prayer Shield, a 10-week prayer initiative for our nation. From now until January 20th, our country faces global challenges, a transition of leadership, and a lame duck session of Congress. This season calls for heightened spiritual vigilance, discernment, in prayer. Text the word SHIELD to 67742 to join us. You’ll have access to prayer points, scripture, prayer calls. Text SHIELD to 67742. Unite with us and pray for our nation.
SPEAKER 02 :
Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your host Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Glad to have you with us today. We’re giving a special edition of our 2024 Prevost Stan Summit and some very special speakers over there. The last segment had Dr. Votie Bauckham. We’re going to continue his discussion about the marginalization of Christians in the first century. and how that mirrors what we’re seeing today. So we’ll go back and recap a little of his first point before we dive into his second point. This is a great info. Here’s Votie.
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We’re marginalized in this post-Christian culture just like they were in their pre-Christian culture. But beyond the marginalization, look at verse 14. But seeing that the man who was healed… standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, what shall we do with these men? For that a noteworthy sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. Here’s the second similarity. Neutrality is not an option. That’s what they’re saying here. Neutrality was not an option. Here’s this man that this miracle was performed on, and we all see him. We’ve all seen him at the gate. We all know that he was lame. And now he’s walking. We know it. They know it, everyone in the city knows it, and it’s spreading like wildfire. What are we going to do? Because neutrality is not an option. And you need to know that that’s where we are today. Neutrality is not an option. There are many Christians who believe that if we just keep our heads down, that if we just go about our lives, That if we just stay off social media and if we just don’t say the wrong thing, that somehow we will come out of this unscathed. You’re naive if you think that. Because what they want from us is not our silence. What they want from us is our submission. It’s not enough for you not to speak. You have to speak. Use my pronouns or lose your job. Acknowledge this marriage, in quotation marks, between these two men or these two women. Bake the cake or lose your bakery. Make the clothes. or lose your business. Neutrality is not an option. It’s not enough. It won’t work like that. Eventually, this will come to your door. Now we have a law in Minnesota where if you don’t believe in this transgender nonsense and someone gets wind of the fact that your child believes that they were born in the wrong body and they want to have something done about it, your child can be taken from you so that they can go there and be treated. Neutrality is not an option. There’s a third parallel. Verse 17, but in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Don’t use that name. Don’t speak that name. And that used to be, The end of it. Just don’t speak that name. That’s where a decade or so ago, that’s where we were. Just don’t speak that name. Valedictorian, you’ve got the highest grade point average in the class and you get to make a speech at graduation. That’s awesome. Thank you so much. Can I quote Gandhi? Absolutely. Quote Gandhi. People will think that you’re an enlightened person. That’s cool. How about if I, can I quote the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi? We don’t know who that is, but sure, sounds great. Can I quote Jesus? Ah, separation of church and state. Any other name but that one. And still, we love it when people are out and they’re public and they’re religious, even if they’re Christian. As long as they’re the kind of Christian that does not believe too strongly in that name. As long as they’re the kind of Christian who does not hold their faith too firmly upon that name. As long as they’re the kind of Christians who go along with the culture, who smile and nod at all of this nonsense and won’t use that name. But the minute they recognize that you’ve been with Jesus, it doesn’t matter that there’s a man standing in front of them who was lame and is lame no longer. In other words, they don’t care about your deeds.
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That was ministry leader Dr. Votie Bauckham speaking at the 2024 PrayVote Stand Summit back in October. You’re listening to a special edition of Washington Watch. After the break, we’ll share the conclusion of Votie’s address. So don’t go anywhere. We’ll be back.
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Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But do you know the Bible talks about four institutions of government? Do you know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this thing, separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn’t be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
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Let’s not be discouraged. Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose the faith. Stand now strong because the Lord has given us the great privilege of living in a time when our choices matter, when our lives matter, when our courage matters. So let’s stand together and save this great country. God bless the United States of America.
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The American Republic has a freedom like no other. It has roots in the scriptures far more than any other heritage. And if we as followers of Jesus and conservatives don’t defend it, who will? Neutrality is not an option.
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There are many Christians who believe that if we just keep our heads down, if we just don’t say the wrong thing, that somehow we will come out of this unscathed. You’re naive if you think that, because what they want from us is not our silence. What they want from us is our submission.
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Part of the dilemma of Christianity in our generation is that we’ve relied a little too much on human wisdom and human reasoning, human strength, human resource, and we’ve relied too little on the power of God and God’s ability to open doors that we can’t open and do things that we couldn’t even hope to begin to do.
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This may not be an easy task, But we are living in a moment of challenge, but also a great opportunity. And we know always that we are not alone, that his spirit empowers us and protects us, and that he can do the unimaginable. Dobbs, after all, was never supposed to have it.
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father we thank you you have entrusted us with this moment in history and i pray that we would be found faithful and that as a result of our faithfulness to you that thousands millions would come into the kingdom as they would experience the forgiveness of sin and the new life that is found only in jesus christ amen
SPEAKER 02 :
Good afternoon, and welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your host, Jody Heiss. Thrilled to be filling in today for Tony, and thanks for tuning in to this special edition. We’ve been playing some of the highlights from the 2024 PrayVote Stand Summit that was held in Washington, D.C. Hope you’ve been enjoying these. Before we jump into the last segment, I want to again encourage you to help Family Research Council shine the light of biblical truth in the new year. Time is running out, but you can still give a tax-deductible gift by the end of the year and double your giving. Simply text the word LIGHT to 67742. Remember, it will be doubled. You have until midnight tomorrow. That’s LIGHT at 67742. All right, to close out today’s special edition, we’re going to finish up with the address that was delivered by ministry leader Dr. Votie Bauckham at the 2024 PrayVoteStand Summit. In this last segment, Votie was discussing how many in this post-Christian culture are fine with Christians so long as they’re the kind of Christians who go along with the culture. They just smile and nod at all the nonsense. Is that what we saw recorded in the book of Acts? Well, I’ll let Vody do the preaching.
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If you notice, Christianity is often maligned in the media. We all see that. We all talk about that. But what I’ve noticed is there’s a certain kind of Christianity that’s never maligned in the media. The kind of Christianity that just does soup kitchens and 12-step programs. The kind of Christianity that just focuses on, you know, feeding the poor. The kind of Christianity that’s involved in sort of leftist, you know, political movements and things like that. Nobody ever worries about that brand of Christianity. Nobody cares when a Raphael Warnock runs for Senate. Why don’t they care? Cuz he’s a leftist that doesn’t take this book seriously, and that’s fine. But the minute you do, we have a problem. And the problem is that you are using that name. By the way, when I say using that name, I don’t just mean putting those five letters together because those people over there will use that name, but they will not use the name the way it’s intended in this book. They’re not referring to the Jesus of Scripture. Don’t use that name. Well, here’s where the parallel ends. Verse 19, today would read something like this. But Peter and John answered, that’s okay. We’ll just witness with our lifestyle. Not in there. But Peter and John answered, it’s all right, we’ll just keep our faith within the four walls of, no. But Peter and John answered them, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge. for we cannot but speak of what we’ve seen and heard. Isn’t that the testimony that we just heard? You do what you have to do, but we have to speak. And this is difficult. This is hard, and we’ve seen it, we saw it recently. And I know we don’t like to go here, but we saw it recently with the COVID lockdowns. Stop meeting together. Yes, the Bible says, do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, but I’m saying stop meeting together. And the overwhelming majority of us said, y’all’s a boss. There were very few who said, you do what you have to. Very few. On the issue of abortion, back in 73, 74, 75, early on, there were Christians who spoke out who were outraged because of the Roe v. Wade decision. But over the years, all of that changed. And it just was what it was. There were Christians who stood up and who boldly opposed this whole movement toward so-called same-sex marriage. But after Obergefell in 2015, now the response is, well, it’s the law of the land. How long before we roll over and play dead on all this transgender nonsense? This is where the parallel falls apart. Because we’re just not willing to say, you do what you have to, and we will accept the consequences as they come. Instead, we shave off the edges, just a little here, just a little there, until eventually the sound of that name is so faint that we may as well not be saying it anymore. But what’s the difference? Verse 21. And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people. For all were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom the sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old. There are two things present here. The first thing that’s present here is that ultimately they couldn’t deny the power of God working in the lives of these men. The evidence was there. But there’s a second thing. I love that phrase, it says, and when they had further threatened them. How does that work? I have this picture of it in my mind, right? And the members of the Sanhedrin, they come and they say, you know, yeah, this man is healed and that’s fine. You know where you want to go and you want to heal people. You want to do this, you want to do that. Just don’t use that name. Just stop using that name. And Peter and John apparently said, no. I mean, essentially, that’s what we see there in verse 19. No, we’re not going to be able to do that. And I can just picture, you know, whoever brought that news going back to the Sanhedrin saying, hey, we warned them and we told them not to use that name. And they said, do what you got to do. Well, threaten them further until he comes back. Stop using that name. Because if you don’t stop using that name, we’re going to take your stuff. Bro, this is Acts chapter 4. We gave our stuff away in Acts chapter 2. Like, what? They got no stuff. Okay. Okay. Stop using that name or we’ll kill you. You mean like you killed Jesus? How’d that work for you? Besides that, for us to live is Christ, to die is gain. Last time I checked, the death rate was one per person. I didn’t look today, but I don’t think that’s changed. They’d laid down their lives already. At the end of the day, it’s impossible to threaten a dead man. And that’s how they considered themselves. And that’s why they were able to stand. Here’s our problem. Many of us are not dead yet. Many of us have not laid down our lives. Many of us do not consider ourselves crucified with Christ. So now we say no longer I live, but Christ who lives in me. And we’re holding on with everything we have to every bit of this life because we do not value highly enough the life that is to come. Saints, may I encourage you, may I beseech you, lay down your life, take up your cross, follow him. May I remind you, this is indeed not our home. We are just passing through. May I remind you, Ultimately, there is nothing that they can take from us when everything that we have and everything that we are already belongs to Christ. My time is gone. But let me say this. Currently in Lusaka, we’re having load shedding, and we’re on a rotating schedule. We get two or three hours of power. First 24 hours, no power, two or three hours of power. Then 36 hours, no power, two or three hours of power. Then 48 hours, no power, two or three hours of power, and then back to 24 again. You know what we’ve been reminded of? That there’s a whole lot we can live without. There’s a whole lot that we just take for granted and get used to and hold on for dear life because we believe that somehow we can’t make it. But as long as we have Jesus, as long as we have his word, as long as we have his promises, ultimately, they can take from us everything. And in the end, if they take our very lives, they’ve only taken what doesn’t belong to us in the first place. And they’ve taken what will ultimately pale in comparison to what is in store for us in the age to come. And so while we’re marginalized, and so while they won’t be neutral toward us, but ultimately will be hostile toward us, while they get angry with us because we use that name, when our lives are hidden with Christ, we will say, You do whatever you have to do, but we cannot but speak of what we’ve seen and what we’ve heard. Let’s pray. Gracious God, our Father, we thank you and we praise you for your goodness and your kindness and your mercy toward us. We thank you and we praise you for Christ and for the redemption that we have in him. We thank you and we praise you for the lives that we live, for this great country of ours. Because as much as we see that’s going wrong, the fact still remains, there’s no better place. And it is our hope that as you continue to pour out your judgment on America, because you are, that it will drive us not to despair, but to repentance. And that you would grant us grace and faith to continue to proclaim and stand firm on the gospel regardless of the cost. Because ultimately, there is nothing that matters more. We pray this. We ask this. the name of our Lord, Savior, Master, and soon coming King.
SPEAKER 1 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, amen to that. And thank you so much for joining into this special edition of Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss. And what you just heard was an address by ministry leader Dr. Votie Bauckham. He was part of our 2024 Pray, Vote, Stand Summit. And it was powerful, as you just saw. If you missed any part of the summit or if you want to go back and watch this again or revisit other portions of it, you can do so if and only if you have our Stand Firm app. So go to the App Store or Google Play, wherever you get your apps, or you can simply text the word APP to 67742. And again, let me also remind you that you can double your impact for faith, family, and freedom by partnering with Family Research Council before midnight tomorrow. You can give your gift by texting the word LIGHT to 67742. Help us shine the light of biblical truth into 2025. Again, thank you so much for joining us today. It’s always an honor to have you on board. Together, we are bringing faith, family, and freedom to our country all from a biblical worldview perspective. Thank you so much. Look forward to being with you again tomorrow right here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 10 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
