We Are At War: Man on a Mission Part 2

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost,"--Jesus from Luke 19:10 (NIV 1984).

A large majority of the Church is not accustomed to attributing words such as fierce, wild, and warrior to the name and reputation of Jesus. It is much more comfortable with meek, mild-mannered, nice, and humble. These terms tend to stand in stark contrast to the others like a ketchup stain on a white shirt. One of our fears in ministry is the assumption that we prefer one set of personality traits to Jesus over what has been long preserved in the traditions of the church. If we want to attempt to fully understand Jesus and learn to trust him, he must be taken in as a whole. He is all of the above and a whole lot more. A further look into his mission will shed more light on the man.

Simply stated, this is a search and rescue mission. "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). One of my all time favorite films is Saving Private Ryan. It is a story set in the Second World War of several army rangers handpicked to save a single paratrooper dropped deep into enemy territory. It is a mythic representation to what Jesus is out to accomplish. Jesus must go deep into enemy territory on a rescue mission of epic proportions. On the surface, the mission hardly seems worth the risk. However, it will prove to be his greatest accomplishment. The likes of which would require the guts of a Navy Seal.

What is Jesus really after? Notice the verse says "what was lost." We tend to use this verse to refer to lost souls without the hope of Jesus by saying "the lost". There is no problem using it in that way, however, the implication is not limited to the salvation of persons. Jesus is offering restoration of the whole person, namely the Image of God. He is not trying to scrap the project, nor is he just simply wanting to salvage what is left. His business is in restoration of what was lost. Jesus is after the whole person, transform them by restoring his glorious image and likeness, making them new.

This will not be easy. In fact, it will require even more than a warrior's heart. It is not a "lust for blood" that drives Jesus, it is his passionate love for us that compels him to stage his invasion of the world. Jesus is not looking for "subjects" to obey him (obedience has it's place, but that is not all Jesus calls us to). He is looking for lovers, or intimate allies who will join him on his mission to retake the world. This is why Jesus seems to be so shy when it comes to demonstrating his power. Love cannot be forced. It must be chosen. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NIV 1984). He fights for us, because he loves us.

Winning over our hearts will require even more than service, it means he will have to die. Philippians 2:8 says of Jesus, "being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" This is a passionate move of love on the deepest level!

The heart is tenderized and we are awakened to the beauty this man emanates. When we see Jesus as all of what he was meant to be as a warrior, as lover, everything comes into focus. He lives as both, not to confuse and distort one way over another. Rather, they complement in him a need to both love those in need and at the same time take a stand against evil. In a world at war, Jesus is the fierce warrior come down from heaven to face the stench of the enemy and give his life to save his beautiful beloved bride, the church. We live in a captivating love story set in the middle of an awful war. It is in Jesus, who inspires our love and confidence, we place our hope.

"Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5: 25-27)

**Disclaimer**
I know there are men who are uncomfortable with the understanding of Jesus as intimate lover for obvious reasons. This is part of the great distortion of the evil one and a message like this can dissuade rather than invite confidence in Jesus. It must be understood, that it is the church who is the bride of Christ and not us individually, men or women for that matter. In keeping with the Scriptures, the love Christ has for the church can only be likened to that of a husband and wife. It is the deepest knowledge of love that we can understand in this world. Individually, we love Christ intimately, not in a sexual sense, but more like a Son and his Father, or better a band of brothers on a shared mission of dangerous proportions. It was Jesus who chose twelve men who followed him and loved him. There were several women, as well. They looked up to him and enjoyed his personality and companionship, none of which was sexual in nature. Take Jesus in as much as you are comfortable with. Like any relationship, it takes time. With every encounter with the words and personality of Jesus, you will learn to trust him more and more.

What is Rally Point? Part III

[If you haven't read parts I and II yet, I strongly encourage you to read those first.]


This part is just as important as the man, and the message. It is the mission. If you were to take a soldier, tell him we're at war, and ask him to do the best that he can without giving him a mission, you've set him up for failure. Most men do not have a clearly defined mission, so their passion for battle, adventure, and beauty get misplaced. Next thing you know, he gets taken out.


Here's the mission of Rally Point. The objective is simple. Restore men to their proper place in the world as image bearers of God. It was Jesus' mission and has now become ours. Luke records it in an important story from his gospel.


"God's Spirit is on me;
he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to
the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free,
to announce, 'This is God's year to act!'" (Luke 4:18-19 The Message)


The words come from a pivotal passage in Isaiah 61. They were words that when he read them before the local synagogue they would be easily recognized. Then, he says to the people, guess what? This has just come true! All of Christ's work, His death, resurrection, and ascension, were meant to complete this mission. His miracles were pictures of what it would be like for the Kingdom of God, His kingdom to come upon others. The work was about restoration, not just to make life easier for us, but to renew and recreate mankind into what it was originally meant to be, turning it back to its original glory. You can bet, its still the work He's trying to accomplish today, and he has chosen to complete it through us, those that love and serve Him.


How, then, do we do this? Every Christian organization, church, or group has a mission. Our mission ought to be the same and many times it is, however, we have different means of going about it. Rally Point is about reaching men, and this is our strategy:


First, we want to wake a man up and pull him out of his matrix he has been connected to for so long. There was a time in that man's life (usually as a boy) he enjoyed a life of carefree, innocent fun. He was daring and would try things he'd never done before. He was a fighter, even if you tried to take away toy guns from him, he'd carve out little pistols from his graham crackers. That little girl that caught his attention, would help him find a strength and an ability he never knew he had. Then, his life took a devastating turn. Somewhere along the way the little boy was wounded and taken out. Fear set in. Confidence waned. Resignation became his only way to deal with his plight. We want to tell that man the desires he had as a boy are still there. We want to wake that up, stir him up a bit, and let him know that he can have that glory back, but it must be fought for.


Second, is to come alongside him and offer a place of fellowship where he can commune and grow with other men fighting the same battle as he. This life cannot be lived alone. We were not meant to be alone. Jesus himself called out twelve to be His disciples. They were not just students, they became brothers, companions along His journey. How far could he have gotten without them? I shudder to think about the answer to that question. The fact is, He chooses us to complete His mission. It sounds ludicrous for the God of creation to need us...but He does. If Christ needed others, how much more do we need others to come alongside us, encourage us, and help us grow.


Finally, teach him how to fight for his wife, his kids, and others. This is what Nehemiah said in chapter 4, verse 14:


"Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."(The Message)


The man must be taught that strength is for others, especially those whom he loves. He does not find his strength just so he can kick sand in the little guy's face on the beach. He is to fight for others who cannot fight for themselves. Those fellowships will become places for him to exercise His strength. His home will be the primary battlefield of his life. His work will take on new meaning as he receives the life God has for him. What are we protecting others from? Christ tells us in John chapter 10 verse 6:


"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (NIV)


Jesus knows what He has to offer, but he recognizes that there is one who comes to take life away. It is this evil one and his kingdom that we must make our stand against and the only way is by the life we have received through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Thank you for taking the time to read our three part description of Rally Point. These are truly exciting times for all of us, and I hope you've been able to pick up on our excitement. I want to personally invite you to become a vital part of this ministry. Take time to become a follower of this blog and stay connected to the action. Soon we'll be announcing some exciting news, and you'll want to be around for that. We are in desperate need for intercessors. If you would, email us at rallypnt@gmail.com to become an intercessor. Just type "sign me up" and we will send you updates and prayer needs for the ministry.


Again, thank you for the time spent reading these blogs these past couple of weeks. Keep coming back for more, because there is so much more to share. You can look forward to my next post coming soon which is the vision for Rally Point. I'm really excited about this one. Have a great day!