Rescue Mission

It was one of the most inspiring news stories I’ve ever seen: 33 miners from Chile were recently rescued after being buried alive for over 2 months nearly ½ mile underground!  During the first 17 days of their nightmare they had no communication with the outside world and they had almost nothing to eat.  A team of people finally discovered them and then worked to get them supplies and drill a hole to rescue them.  Rescue workers were sent down to the miners and all 33 were pulled up one-by-one in an escape pod barely big enough for them to stand in.  The rescued miners were embraced by friends and family and surrounded by a crowd of cheering people.  Finally, the rescue workers were brought up as well.  There are some things about this story that parallel our experience as Christians:

1) We were also rescued from a dark pit.
We were lost in our darkness until the light of the Gospel came to us.

2) Now we are the first-responders sent to rescue those who are still in the darkness.
We are the only preachers God has.
Romans 10:14  “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher?”

3) There was only one way for the miners to be rescued- through a very narrow passage.  For us there is only one narrow way to salvation also, through Jesus Christ.
Mat 7:14  “…strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it.”
Joh 14:6  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

4) Those being rescued couldn’t do anything to save themselves.  All they could do was get into the pod and trust it to carry them to the surface.  All we can do is trust Jesus to raise us up from darkness to light.  We can’t do any work to contribute to our own salvation.

5) The rescuers worked as a team, each having their part to play.  Each of us in the
church have a part to play in the rescue of lost souls.  Some preach, some provide
support to the preachers, but all need to consciously work toward the same goal.  Ultimately it’s
only Jesus who saves people.  But he chooses to use us to preach the good news to others so that
they can accept or reject His salvation.  We don’t save anyone.  We “rescue” people by pointing
them to the only way of being rescued.

6) Each saved miner was celebrated.
Luk 15:10  “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth.”

7) The rescuers needed to be rescued too.  As a believer, we too face dark times.  Sometimes it’s because of disobedience (like Jonah running from the call of God to preach).  Sometimes the darkness comes as a test while we are actually obeying the Lord.  Either way, we need to trust our lives to the same Jesus Christ that the sinner does.  Maybe God gives us dark times to help us remember the hopelessness of people without Jesus.

We’re here on a rescue mission!
Luke 19:10  “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
It only makes sense that we would have the same mission as our Master.  Have you been
seeking those who need to be rescued from the darkness?   There are MORE than 33
trapped people waiting for you this time!



-Mark