“I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (Rom. 1:8).
Those are the words of the Apostle Paul at the beginning of his epistle to the Romans, and those are the words that accurately express my thoughts and feelings toward you all this week, as the awful Proposition 1 ballot initiative to expand abortion access in our state was defeated.
This is because a number of individuals and families in this very church were dedicated to this righteous cause, laboring for months to mobilize fellow Christians and citizens in the defense of the most weak among us—preborn babies. Many of you received training, held signs, organized meetings, made phone calls, and knocked on doors. Still others supported this work with prayer, and when the time came, took the time to vote.
This was not an easy thing. It was an enormous task, and many of you sacrificed countless hours for it, all while facing public and personal opposition from those who love the darkness rather than light, for their deeds are evil (Jn. 3:19). Therefore, again, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all and the work that He has accomplished through you.
And so my exhortation to you in the wake of this victory is this: Keep fighting. Keep laboring. Continue to push back against evil in our wicked age. Continue to shine the light of Christ in a nation that has grown dark.
Every week you pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10). We must not merely pray these words, but live according to them, both in private and in public. Therefore, you must continue to ruthlessly kill every besetting sin in your hearts and homes. And at the same time, strive to see Christ magnified in your city and nation, according to the calling and opportunities the Lord has given you.
We want and need righteous laws, but more fundamentally, we want righteous hearts. We long for our God to deliver our neighbors from the power of darkness and convey them into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13). To that end, may you continue to be willing instruments in the hands of our sovereign God.
This exhortation was given on November 8, AD 2026, at Ascension Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho.