Rescued for a Reason

Each of us came to Christ because of His love. God moved in our lives and did something great: a healing, a rescue, a door that opened, a prayer answered when we had no other hope. But somewhere after that, we forgot why God called us.

Look across our nation. In India, we are only about 2.3% of the population. Only a few know Jesus. And if you asked a group of born-again believers why they were rescued, many of us might not have an answer. Were we rescued only for the situation we were in at that time? That may be true for you. But look at it through God’s eyes. Why did He rescue you and me, and call us to be His chosen?

God called us to fulfil His calling. We are to be used as soldiers in God’s plan on this earth. Jesus said it plainly to Paul on the Damascus road, and the same words stand over every one of us who has been rescued.

Why Did God Save Us?

[Isaiah 49:16 NIV]  16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

• God knows us by name. He has engraved us on the palms of His hands.

• He saved us and He keeps us, not only so that we are safe, but for a purpose.

• We are children of the New Covenant, His chosen generation, sons and daughters who will inherit His kingdom.

To do what? We were once Gentiles, but He rescued us so that He can send us:

[Acts 26:17-18 NIV]  17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Notice the two words Jesus used with Paul: rescue and send. That is the language of a soldier, not a spectator. And it is not new. God brought Israel out of Egypt, counted every man able to serve, and led them in to take the land. They were rescued, then sent into battle. The same God rescues us today and sends us out. The calling to fight has not changed. What has changed is the battlefield.

Old Testament People and New Testament People

When we read the Bible, we meet Old Testament people (Before Christ). We are New Testament people (After Christ). It is the same God and the same call to fight, but on a different battlefield.

• They fought for a land. We fight for souls.

• They used swords. We use the gospel, the Word and prayer.

Our calling is to be used as soldiers and servants in God’s covenant warfare. We have been set free from sin to serve God:

[Romans 6:22 NIV]  22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

[2 Timothy 2:3-4 NIV]  3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

Here is how the two compare, and what it means for us today:

	Old Covenant (Read - Numbers / Joshua)	New Covenant (Read - Acts / Ephesians)	What It Means for Your Calling
People	Israel, chosen by bloodline and counted for war [Numbers 1:3]	A spiritual people, chosen in Christ [Ephesians 1:4] [1 Peter 2:9]	You were chosen by grace, not by birth, and counted into His army.
Land	A promised land, taken little by little [Joshua 1:3]	The kingdom of God, entered by new birth [John 3:3] [John 18:36]	You belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Enemy	Seven nations, larger and stronger [Deuteronomy 7:1]	Satan and the powers of darkness [Ephesians 6:12]	People are not your enemy. They are the ones you are sent to rescue.
Battle	Physical battles: Jericho, Ai [Joshua 6-11]	An unseen battle for minds and hearts [2 Corinthians 10:3-5]	The war is won first on your knees.
Weapons	Sword, army and trumpets [Psalm 20:7]	Gospel, Word, prayer and the Spirit [Romans 1:16] [Ephesians 6:17-18]	Your weapons are in your hands every day: the Word and prayer.
Inheritance	Land divided by lot [Joshua 14:1-2]	An inheritance that never fades [1 Peter 1:4]	You fight from an inheritance, not for one.
Goal	Capture territory [Numbers 33:53]	Rescue souls [Luke 19:10] [Jude 23]	Your territory is people: the colleague, the neighbor, the relative.

Same God. Same call to fight. A different battlefield, and a different goal.

We are His chosen people, sent to declare Him:

[1 Peter 2:9 NIV]  9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We fight a different kind of battle, with different weapons:

[2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NIV]  3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

And our goal is the same as our Master’s:

[Luke 19:10 NIV]  10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Goals of the Spiritual Calling of the New Covenant Chosen

Paul named the battle plainly:

[Ephesians 6:12 NIV]  12 For 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.

So what is this warfare, what happens in it, and how do we overcome?

What This Warfare Is: The Three Heavens

First Heaven: The Sky

• The visible sky, where birds fly. Where God’s abundance come to Earth.

[Genesis 1:20 NIV]  20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

Second Heaven: The Heavenly Realms, Where the Battle Happens

• Ephesians 6:12 lists four ranks of the enemy: rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil.

• In Daniel 10, Daniel’s prayer was heard on the first day, but the answer was resisted for 21 days.

[Daniel 10:12-13 NIV]  12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”

Third Heaven: God’s Dwelling, Where Our Help Comes From

• Paul was caught up into God’s presence.

[2 Corinthians 12:2 NIV]  2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.

• Christ is seated far above every power, and we are seated with Him [Ephesians 1:20-21] [Ephesians 2:6].

[Psalm 121:1-2 NIV]  1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Note: Scripture names only the “third heaven.” “Second heaven” is for teaching & better understanding I used this label for the “heavenly realms” that I used for - Ephesians 6:12.

What Happens in This Warfare: Three Goals from Acts 26:18

When we pray to God, this is what happens in the spiritual realms:

• Our prayer is heard from the first day, and heaven moves in response, as we saw in Daniel’s experience earlier [Daniel 10:12].

• The prayers of God’s people rise before His throne, and He acts on the earth. The enemy has no power to stop your prayer.

• Prayer opens a door for the gospel to reach people: [Colossians 4:3 NIV]  3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

• Through prayer, the three goals below are carried out in people’s lives.

1. Open Their Eyes: Free the Eyes from the Enemy’s Blinding

• People see physically but cannot see spiritual truth. They cannot see the light of the gospel. But when God opens their eyes, they see His works, and His glory is revealed to them.

[2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV]  4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2. Turn Them from Darkness to Light: So the Mind Is Filled with the Light of Christ

• Darkness means sin, deception, ignorance and separation from God. Light means truth, holiness, Christ and revelation.

• The same God who said “Let there be light” now shines in our hearts.

• This light opens our spiritual eyes to see that it is the work of God’s glory. We feel the difference between darkness and light, and it opens the door for conviction and confession of sin.

[2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV]  6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

[Colossians 1:13 NIV]  13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

3. Turn Them from the Power of Satan to God: Deliverance and a Transfer of Allegiance

• Once the door to confession of sin opens, we are rescued. The Word of God frees us from the dominion of sin.

  • There are two kingdoms: Satan’s kingdom of darkness and Christ’s kingdom of God.

• The gospel is not just information. It is rescue.

• Result 1: forgiveness of sins. Guilt is removed, we are reconciled, and access to God is restored.

• Result 2: an inheritance among the sanctified. We become sons and daughters, heirs with Christ, citizens of the kingdom.

[Romans 8:17 NIV]  17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

How We Overcome: The Armor of God

[Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV]  10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

[Ephesians 6:14-17 NIV]  14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Piece	Spiritual Meaning
Belt of Truth (v.14)	God’s Word is our foundation
Breastplate of Righteousness (v.14)	Christ’s righteousness covers our heart
Feet Fitted with the Gospel of Peace (v.15)	Ready to go with the gospel
Shield of Faith (v.16)	Faith quenches the enemy’s lies
Helmet of Salvation (v.17)	Assurance of salvation guards the mind
Sword of the Spirit (v.17)	The Word is our attacking weapon

Key point: The first five pieces protect us, and only the Sword attacks. We are protected people sent out to advance, not just to survive. And prayer in the Spirit is how the whole armor is worn.

[Ephesians 6:18 NIV]  18 And 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 Lord’s people.

Common to Old and New: Obedience Is the Key

The common thread between the Old and the New is obedience. The battlefield changed, but what wins the battle did not.

[Numbers 1:54 NIV]  54 The Israelites did all this just as the LORD commanded Moses.

[John 14:15 NIV]  15 If you love me, keep my commands.

Why Obedience Matters

• God commands the battle, and we follow His orders. A soldier “tries to please his commanding officer” [2 Timothy 2:4].

• Obedience keeps us under God’s authority, and that is where our protection is. Only God has the power and authority to break Satan. Jesus conquered that power through His work on the Cross and His resurrection, and He is now seated in authority as the Son of God [Colossians 2:15] [Romans 1:4].

The Example of Saul

• God told Saul to destroy Amalek completely [1 Samuel 15:3]. Saul spared King Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle. That was partial obedience.

• He called it worship (“for sacrifice”), but God called it rebellion. Saul lost the kingdom.

• God equated this disobedience with the sin of divination [1 Samuel 15:23].

• The same Amalek that Moses defeated through prayer defeated Saul through disobedience.

[1 Samuel 15:22 NIV]  22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Why the Enemy Goes After Our Obedience

• From the beginning, his first move was “Did God really say…?” [Genesis 3:1].

• He doesn’t need to beat our strength. He only needs to break our obedience, because a disobedient soldier is out of the battle.

• The order of battle is to submit first, then resist.

[James 4:7 NIV]  7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Engraved, Rescued and Sent

Fewer than three in every hundred people around us know Jesus. That number is not meant to discourage us. It is the field God has placed us in. We are the salt of this nation, here to protect and to rescue [Matthew 5:13].

Our names are engraved on His palms. He rescued us from sin, from darkness and from the power of Satan. But He did not rescue us only to keep us safe inside the church. He rescued us to send us. Israel fought for land. We fight for the people around us: the colleague at the next desk, the neighbor in our apartment, the relative who still walks in darkness.

So put on the armor. Pray in the Spirit. Obey, even before it makes sense. And go.

[Isaiah 6:8 NIV]  8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

We were not rescued to sit. We were rescued for a reason.