Basil (Pronounced Baa sil)

When I first saw this name in our lecture notes for Thursday I laughed thinking about the seasoning basil. I love that stuff. But, Basil was an amazing man. He lived 330-397AD. At first he wasn't a Christian but after his children were converted from being taken so well care by the church during a plague, he realized that he needed Christ! He became a Christian because the church did their job! They acted as the church is supposed too. When his daughter was sick she was as pagan as she could be, but they took care of her and when we demonstrate love and mercy Christ demonstrates His Lordship. He would be considered a genius now. He very well could of had an amazing career in politics but chose to enter into the ministry. He loved his flock, he spoke passionately and he had 18 services a week! His community of Caesarea was, he thought, all Christian, but it wasn't. There were still pagans roaming in that city. These pagans were called the Sagae. They were a group of abortionist. Think about that. Abortion has been around since 300 years after Christ. During this time, in the early church, Christianity was flourishing.

In the Roman Empire a baby was not considered a human until it was literally raised up by it's father and he declared it so! But, up until then, it was fair game. A Roman mother did not HAVE a child, she TOOK a child. During this time there was NO law that protected babies or children. There was child sacrificing, abortion and walls for you put your babies on for them to be exposed to death. Basil knew he had to end this. He knew that it was not going to be just a battle, but a war! He took action. He realized that those who had abortions were poor girls with no man to stand by their side. So, he started a school to educate men on how to be fathers, that they got themselves in this mess and they are the only ones who can get themselves out of it, he taught them that they have the responsibility of being a father. He started hospitals for these girls. He preached about the sanctity of life, would read a Psalm and say "Hey, Sagae, this ones for you!" He was bold! He went to the officials and asked them if all these acts of child killing were legal, they said they were and even though they did not like them either, if they did anything to the Sagae, they were so wealthy the society would crumble! The reason why the Sagae were so rich was because of their trade. Once the women took the herbs that would kill the baby in her womb (maybe even her), when the baby was out of the womb, the harvested them and sold them to Egyptian traders. These people would take the knee caps and such and make beauty products out of them. Basil fought this. He hated it!

Even though in our society babies aren't killed with offered sacrifices to some god in olympus, or left on a wall to die from exposure, it is the same thing guys! When are we going to wake up and quit walking around with blinders on our eyes! We have to take off our masks and soar on the wings of eagles and do hard things like Basil and fight this! Lets do a little comparison here:

• They killed their babies with herbs-we do basically the same things.
• They offered them as sacrifices-we do the same thing. We sacrifice them to ourselves. We think that it will make us happy, but, it never does.
• They would leave their babes on a wall to be exposed to death-in post birth abortions a babies lungs cannot stand our air but it could survive with the proper medical help, but they are left in a soiled utility room to suffocate.
• I don't see much a difference.

Then, oneday after a service, Basil and a group of faithful deacons went down to the exposure wall and DEMOLISHED it!!! They tore it DOWN! After hearing about this amazing act the Emperor set a law that abortion, child sacrificing and the building exposure walls was illegal! Another law was made that all parents are to support their children. This was the first law, in history, to of ever been made that protected children. Basil has been such an encouragement to me. I hope that he has been to you. He was ready. And we need to be too! He had been waiting on his moment to come and when it did, he knew it and he was ready for it. He had been preparing all his life, God had been getting him ready. He didn't know what for, and I bet that at times he didn't want to do whatever it was God had for him in order to get ready, but, when the time, came he was fully equipped. He changed the course of history. It didn't just happen, he had to fight. He knew that their were no disposable children, that God IS the only giver and taker of life! He knew that there are two worldviews in our world: those who will take life without reserve and those who will fight for lfe without reserve.

God Bless,

Joy.