Rescue1 & The Heart of the Gospel

As we have continued to work with Rescue1 this week, God keeps opening our eyes and transforming our hearts to look more like His. Since we are going to the same motels every week, our team has been able to develop some deeper relationships with people who live there. Four girls on our team have gotten to know “A” and now spend time talking with her and praying with her every time we go out. Kathy and I have also developed a friendship with a woman at one of the motels and we continue to have good conversations and spend time prayer each week.

As the weeks have progressed, we have been able to develop these relationships by meeting physical needs like providing meals and clothing for those in need. However, these things alone are a means to an end without the gospel. The gospel is the end goal. Serving is just the bridge to getting to the gospel. That’s how Jesus did ministry. He healed people and he feed them, and then he spent time teaching them about the truth, His truth. Since Jesus did that, we should do too. We meet physical needs to get to the spiritual needs of people. After we offer physical loaves of bread, we need to offer the bread of life, Jesus.

Our lives should not inform us of how much Jesus is a part of us. He is not “a part” of us; Jesus is our life. Our relationship with Christ should inform us of how we are to live our lives. We all need rescue from eternal suffering as well as restoration for spiritual freedom. Here’s how we are to relate the ministry of Rescue1 back to Jesus:

Christ informed:

-  those endangered

-  those who thought they were saved

Christ served:

-  physical needs, touched and loved, went to sinners, spent time with people

Christ solved:

-  Calvary, offered a solution, was the solution, was selfless

 

 

Christ informed to make people aware of their need for a Savior. He served their physical needs. And He solved the problem of sin by going to the cross. Since He did those things, we are to do these things:

Rescue1 informs:

• the community (prevention) 
• the Church (action/rescue) 
• the vulnerable (restoration)

Rescue1 serves: His people à everyone:  least of these through love: food, prayer, physical needs, building relationships

Rescue1 solves:

- the Gospel which leads to: cleansing, purifying, healing, restoration 

- Jobs, protection 

- Reintegration into society: housing, specialized counseling, legal issues, long-term and emergency services: facilities, homes – find people who have an open home, no kids, no restrictions, where they can take victims in.

At the end of the day it all goes back to the gospel and what Christ did. As we continue to serve and build relationships with people through Last Call 4 Grace in Rescue 1 hopes to begin the same type of ministry up here in Nashville.

It has been a life changing experience to see the physical and spiritual needs of people here. We can no longer say we didn’t know. And because of that we cannot return back to our normal lives after this summer. God may not lead us all to work with trafficking victims, but we must always live our lives with Christ at the center, wherever he may call us. God does not want sacrifice, he wants obedience. He already sacrificed Himself for us. As we are obedient to God, our love becomes sacrificial like His.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:16-18

- The Rescue1 Summer Interns

Meet Our Rescue1 Summer Interns

This summer, God has blessed us with 6 interns to help us continue our work. They will be helping us conduct research, hold trafficking 101's and helping us lay the foundation for special ops in Nashville. They will be posting blogs periodically throughout the summer about their experiences working with us.
Here is the first one:


This week we learned all about human trafficking and started working as interns with Rescue 1, an organization that raises awareness and works to prevent trafficking. Last week we spent a few days doing research about trafficking in different states so we could better understand how it happens, who the traffickers are, and who the victims are. After we did research, we went out on the streets to do outreach and pray for victims of trafficking at a few motels in Murfreesboro. Since outreach like this does not happen in Nashville yet, Rescue 1 is working with a ministry called Last Call For Grace to see it first hand in hopes of doing something similar in Nashville.  

Yesterday we spent our first day working with Rescue 1, this is a ministry working with human trafficking. We did everything from researching for five hours to going to the motels where human trafficking actually takes place. There were so many sad things I got to see first-hand. One of the most impacting moments of the night was when I had the opportunity to go door to door with Candy, telling people we had free food. We knocked at one room and a man answered the door. We asked if they wanted some food and two girls spoke up and said “Yes!! We would love some food!” So, one of the girls, named "T" came to get food. She acted so cheerful and happy when we came to the door but as soon as she got away from her “man” her demeanor changed all together. She went and talked to Candy and when Candy prayed for her she broke down. It literally broke my heart, because T didn’t get out. It’s her choice and she went back up to her room. I kept thinking, how can you want to go back to that, but then I’m reminded how I do the same thing sometimes. God gives me a way out of my sin and I just chose to live in it sometimes. I know that T is a daughter of the King and He can do mighty things in her life, if only she will let him. Pray for T!

-        Lexi

Outreach in Murfreesboro has been eye opening. It’s amazing to see how God moves and uses something as simple as a meal and prayer to impact people’s lives. However, it goes beyond food. Our true hope is that these victims would be able to get out being trafficking and that they would be able to start over their lives. Also, our hope is that they would find new life in Jesus Christ.

After doing the research and going out on the streets, we can no longer say we didn’t know. There are 27 million people in slavery around the world, whether it is labor trafficking or sex trafficking, everyone deserves to get out and everyone needs the hope of Christ. Please join us in prayer for everyone who is affected by human trafficking, the victims, and the traffickers themselves.

Ways you can pray:

Pray for the victims to get out and that they would know Jesus 

Pray for us as we do outreach on Wednesday and Friday nights all summer 

Pray for awareness to be raised about the issue of human trafficking  

Pray for the church to get more involved in this issue and for more labors 

Pray for Last Call For Grace and the ministry that they are doing


- The Rescue1 Summer Interns