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Doug222 (Doug222)
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2003 - 8:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I found this post on another forum. I thought all here might be interested in it. I have included my response at the bottom (in italics):

On Tuesday night this week, a story leapt out of the horrors of the war in Iraq that carries a profound parallel to spiritual warfare. That night, we heard of the courageous rescue of Jessica Lynch, the 19 year old aspiring teacher from West Virginia, who had been missing since her supply convoy was ambushed in southern Iraq. While, as of this writing, we do not know the details of her nine-day ordeal, Iím sure many of you, like me, have imagined the atrocities this pretty young woman might be experiencing at the hands of her captors. After her rescue, one of the U.S. senators, Jay Rockefeller commented that ìAll of West Virginia is rejoicing.î He could well have observed that all of America is rejoicing.

How similar this must be to how God feels when one of his children is rescued. In fact, Jesus told us as much: ìIn the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.î (Luke 15:10) What makes this particularly excruciating is the realization that God does not have to imagine what is being done to a captive of sin-he knows exactly what kind of atrocities are being perpetrated by the enemy.

Jessicaís father could only hope while waiting to hear news of her situation- he could only rely on the courage and resolve of the American military to find her and bring her home. And Tuesday night a band of commandos entered enemy territory and fulfilled his fervent prayers.

God provided the means for rescuing spiritual captives through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, but he needs commandos here to carry out the mission. In a very real way, what we refer to as ìThe Great Commissionî (Matthew 28:18-20), is a co-mission. God has provided the tools, and we-His army-must locate the lost, venture into enemy territory, and bring the captives home!

Which of us would not have gladly joined the mission to save Jessica Lynch? How can we be any less committed to joining the mission to save a lost world? All of West Virginia cheered the militaryís success. All of heaven will cheer ours!

Dick,
What an amazing parallel. I had not thought of it in that way before.

What the members of the Special Operations unit did was very similar to what Jesus did for us in rescuing us from the enemies grips. He risked it all on our behalf.

The way the Iraqi's treated Jessica is very similar to how the enemy of our souls treats us (abuse and torture)--and we are in no better shape for it than Jessica was from her ordeal (physically and emotionally). When he is done with us, he casts us aside in the same way that the Iraqi's did the other nine soliders. Jessica's fate would have been the same were it not for the Special Force's intervention.

We find ourselves in the same dilemna that Jessica found herself (a prisoner of war with no means of escape) through the same same means as she--by taking a "wrong turn."

God the father rejoices just as much for us when we are found as Jessica's dad is rejoicing now.

God's interest in our injuries is the same as Jessica's dad's interest is in hers. He wants her to be well again (because he wants nothing but the best for her), but even if she doesn't fully recover, there is NOTHING she could do that would cause him to send her back to the Iraqi's. In the same way, there is nothing we could ever do that would cause God to take away His wonderful gift of salvation

The only hting I would take issue with is the comment that everyone would have wanted to be part of the rescue team. My Bible tells me in Romans 5 that, "very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I'd like to think that I would have volunteered for that mission, but...

What a beautiful illustration. Thanks for sharing.


Doug
Doug222 (Doug222)
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2003 - 8:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

One more parallel (although I am sure we could come up with many more):

The only criteria for Jessica's rescue was that she was an American soldier in need. She contributed nothing--except her cooperation with her rescuers.

Doug
Susan_2 (Susan_2)
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2003 - 10:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

When the rescuers went in to get her she had the sheet pulled over her head. Not sure if Jessica was fully aware of what was about to happen to her the rescue person in charge said to her, "Don't be afriad, Jessica. We are U.S. soliders and we are here to rescue you." She immediatelly responded in a faint voice, "I'm a U.S. solider, too". Everytime I think of her first response, "I'm a U.S. solider, too" it brings tears to my eyes. The young lady is one veryu special lady. Now my prayers are not only for her but for the loved ones of the deceased from this war. BTW, Jessica is being treated at the same hospital where my grandbabies (yes, grandbabies-it's twins) are going to be born later this month. Yes, our military medical personalle preform great miracles at that facility.
Colleentinker (Colleentinker)
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2003 - 11:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Doug, thanks for sharing the article and your responses. It's a great parallel.

Susan, congratulations on the imminent arrival of your twin grandbabies!

Colleen
Another_Carol (Another_Carol)
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 12:35 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I too would say this is awesome and a great parallel and having said that and after praying this morning for the Lord's will in bringing freedom to my son-in-law I am left with a paradox.

On the one hand we are to free those who are being oppressed but in light of freeing those who have been taught false doctrine I have heard so many say you cannot do anything except pray.

I am a little confused because if all the soldiers would have done is pray I think Jessica Lynch would still be there or worse, and I don't mean death because there are things worse than death.

I understand you cannot give any pat answers but what would you do if your child came home from school and said 2+2=5 would you just pray or would you go down to that school and try to resolve it and if you couldn't resolve it would you just hope it would go away or would you pull the child out of there?

If we truly believe that this is false doctrine being taught to our precious loved ones what should we do?

You know If I do nothing someday my son-in-law will say "Why didn't you tell me". Why do I know this? Because it has happened in other matters already.

Please do not take this as an insult to what many of you have said. I just want you to please feel where I am at and having said that I already know you do. I just needed to verbalize it.

Thanks for listening.

I want to leave this thought that came to me after reading Susan's post.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

This woman knew the voice of the ones who would care for her and save her and she had no problem following.

Likewise when we hear the voice of our shepherd we will follow and look now what we will receive when we do.

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Praise God for Jessica's release.

Also Susan as I think of your 2 new lives I also think of my 1 due any time now. I think I now know what his name will be since sister was with me this morning and I think I have figured it out.

Love you all so much, not because of what you do but because of who you believe in, Carol
Doug222 (Doug222)
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 1:23 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Carol,
It could be that the reason you are confused is because you are not makng a distinction betweenthe saviour and the saved. The difference is that the soliders in this analogy represent what Jesus and what he has done for us. Jessica could have rejected them (could you imagine something so absurd), and they would not have taken her against her will. They would have had to respect her freedom of choice.

On the other hand, Jessica represents us. Now that she has been "redeemed," her natural desire will be for other prisoners to experience the same liberation that she has. However, she has limited ability to make that happen. She can pray for them. She can petition the military to conduct further search and recovery missions. She can tell her story, so that others who find themselves lost can have hope. The thing she cannot do is the job of the Special Forces.

The bottom line is that we have to remember whose job it is to liberate those who are slaves to sin. Its when we forget this that we run into trouble.

The other big difference is that the Special Forces unit has limitations. This is the first successful rescue mission of this nature in U.S. history I believe. God on the other hand is omnipotent. He is able to save to the uttermost all that would be saved. Isn't that good news?
Janice (Janice)
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 2:29 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Doug,

You really gave a good analogy with Jessica's story, thanks for the insight.

Janice
Another_Carol (Another_Carol)
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 5:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Doug
Thank you so much for making it somewhat understandable. It has never been presented to me in that exact way and sometimes it takes the right thing at the right time to make things click.

As far as your statement: Jessica could have rejected them (could you imagine something so absurd), Yes I know something just as absurd and that is not accepting the freedom that Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has offered to each and every one of us.

When you see these things from our perspective and you know without a doubt that the person you love, who has been duped into SDA, is very intelligent then you realize something very frieghtening and that is that the Devil is so very powerful.

Please don't anyone think the frieght I have is for myself it is for those I love who have been or good be snared by this thing.

Thanks again for giving me another try at trying to understand where God wants me in this thing. I might add thanks for doing it in such a short time. I have asked questions of many SDA's (as I am sure you all know)and the last one I sent Amazing Facts was March 12 and of course I am still waiting.

Waiting for God's will as I am lifted up by this post and many others, Carol
Susan_2 (Susan_2)
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 8:23 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My dad used to say, "the Lord helps those who help themselves". I never did like that saying and I never would say it. Then I ended up in a church one week in which the minister had a wonderful understanding of the free gift of Grace and this minister said, "the Lord helps those who help others." And, this is so true. Also, the best wittness is by how you live your life as a picture is worth a thouand words.
Another_Carol (Another_Carol)
Posted on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 12:16 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Some things came to me as I was pondering how this does in fact parallel or life with Christ. The first thing I thought is these soldiers were not concerned with their welfare, except to say that they had proper equipment and had prepared the plan of attack and were certainly in agreement with how it all would work together. I think this whole war is a very percision calculated adventure.

Now just as they laid aside their concern with themselves and took up the proper equipment so we are to lay aside our own concerns such as "Doing it right" so that we will not miss the oportuity of rescuing someone from the cluthes of Satan.

If Jessica's rescuer's would have had there minds own their own salvation more than they had it upon Jessica's rescue she would still be there.

Likewise if we worry more about "doing it right" than doing the Great Commission thus sharing the truth of the Gospel then we will be party to NO REJOICING IN HEAVEN.

God provided the equipment for battle Epesians 6 The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

One very important item that I saw was the helmet of salvation.

That helmet for me is the Death, Burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God provided the helmet of salvation by giving His Son so that we could go into battle for His cause not worrying about the "right thing"s" but relying on the ONE RIGHT THING.

Therefore we need to be wide awake to the Lords incredible possibilities in each potentinial that masquerades as a problem.

We can do that only if we are wearing and using the right equipment and I might add using it properly.

I would have to say that I have just convinced myself that sometimes it might be in the Lord's will that I get in someone's face about the truth that they are trying to push down my throat.

In saying that I do not discount what you have said but rather all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.

His purpose is that none should perish just like the soldiers on the mission to free Jessica Lynch.

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