0059S Greater Love And The Rescue Mission

The room gets quiet when we stop clapping and start counting the cost. We speak directly to veterans who signed a blank check and to believers who feel the pull to do more than offer thanks. The theater has changed—no longer soil and flags, but souls and eternity—and we lay out a mission brief that is clear, courageous, and grounded in scripture.

We start by honoring veterans as image bearers who have practiced greater love, naming the weight they carried and the wounds they still carry. Then we define the ethos that guides our movement: readiness from Luke 22, perimeter from Nehemiah 4, armor from Ephesians 6, tactics from Jude 23, and orders from Matthew 28. The result is a posture that is meek yet unshakable—power under control, deployed for the weak and the needy. We address a hard truth about church culture: baptisms without discipleship leave sheep to the slaughter. The fix is biblical and practical—teach obedience, build real fellowship, keep comms open, and measure success by transformed lives.

You’ll hear a step-by-step SOP designed for the veteran community but fit for every street: identify the prisoner, close the distance with compassion, open the Book, and escort them into the shield wall of church and small group. We set rules of engagement to protect both rescuer and rescued: go two by two, same-sex care for sensitive issues, meet in public first, maintain sobriety, escalate wisely, and involve authorities when safety is at stake. We name the real enemy—deception that blinds minds—and refuse to treat people as targets to hate. They are captives to rescue, and success looks like eyes opened, lives transferred from darkness to light, and steady disciples who then rescue others.

We close with seven battlefields—faith, family, fitness, fundamentals, finances, fellowship, and fidelity—because a resilient life sustains a relentless mission. If you’ve laid down your sword, this is your call to repent, reload, and report for duty. Subscribe, share this with a veteran you love, and leave a review with one name you’re moving toward this week—who will you pull from the fire?

CWM Intro with Drums

1:20 TS Ad

CWM Outro with drums

Chapters

• 0:00 Honor, Cost, And Calling
• 2:32 Mission Brief: Souls Not Soil
• 3:57 Scriptures That Form The Ethos
• 7:07 Readiness, Meekness, And Perimeter
• 9:27 Armor, Tactics, And Orders
• 12:57 Ambassadors: Courage And Compassion
• 17:15 Honor With Action, Not Applause
• 19:55 Commission, Authority, And Urgency
• 22:55 The Real Enemy And Deception
• 25:45 Success Metrics And Rules Of Engagement
• 29:25 Weapons, Prayer, And Comms
• 31:05 Tactics For Reaching Veterans
• 34:15 Snatch Tactic And Boundaries
• 37:05 Micro SOP And Aftercare
• 39:55 Seven Battlefields For Daily Life
• 42:55 Repent, Reload, And Report For Duty

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:27

First, thank you. Veterans, you signed a blank check to this nation, payable up to and including your life. You gave what most never will: body, mind, time, family, and for some, pieces of your very soul. You bled. You missed kids being born, birthdays, funerals, graduations, entire chapters of your family's lives. You carried weight others will never understand. Some brothers didn't come home. Some came home breathing, but broken. Some were still behind invisible enemy lines. Nightmares, addictions, isolation, shame, and sin. Today we refuse cheap applause and empty slogans. We answer with reverence and resolve for the price you paid to stand between danger and the innocent.

SPEAKER_00: 1:32

We carry their names. We carry you. Hear me, warrior.

SPEAKER_01: 1:40

Your mission in one battlefield may be over. But your mission is not over. The area of operation has changed. The war did not. The fight before us is different. It is not for soil or flags.

SPEAKER_00: 2:06

It's for eternity. It's for souls.

SPEAKER_01: 2:11

We are now on because Jesus won the war on the cross and in the empty tomb. We are now on the greatest POW rescue mission of all time.

SPEAKER_00: 2:30

We're going after souls, not soil.

SPEAKER_01: 2:34

Eternity, not territory. Tonight, I'll lay out the mission brief: the enemy, the area of operations, the rules of engagement, and the extraction plan. So stand up, lock shields, take your slot in the shield wall. By the authority of King Jesus, we are drafting veterans and saints into this rescue mission. To pull men from the fire, to stand between the lost and the abyss, to bring brothers and sisters out of darkness into his light. No retreat, no man left behind on foreign ground or in a living room or even in the darkness of their own mind. John 15, 13. Greater love is no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. The reason why, and I covered this last week in my sermon, that was, you know, um basically why God loves warriors. Or what is a Christian warrior and why God loves them. Because God's identity is a warrior. He identifies himself as a warrior. And the reason why God loves warriors in us, because one, we're made in his image and we're made to do that, but because the warrior exhibits the greatest love every day of his life. That he's a warrior. He risks all for people who love him, for people who don't, for people he doesn't even know, even for people who hate him. And who does that sound like? Jesus. Other than those who are truly serving in the most dangerous and dangerous places of persecution where they be had and murder and kill. So the next one is Psalm 82, 3 through 4. Give justice to the weak and to the fatherless. Maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy. Deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Rescue the weak and the needy. Maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Only a warrior can protect those things. Proverbs 24, 11 through 12. This is our orders and the consequences implied by them, not fulfilling them. Rescue those who are being taken away to death. Hold back those who are stumbling to slaughter. If you say, Behold, we did not know this. So you're claiming ignorance because you're a coward or you're too lazy? Does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it? And will he not repay man according to his work for failing to act? So let's go ahead and go to prayer. Lord Jesus, our captain and king, thank you for our veterans. See their scars, seen and unseen, heal wounds, quiet storms, and steady hands. Put us under your flag, clean our hearts, train our hands for war and our fingers for battle by your word and spirit. Draft us into your rescue mission. Help us lock shields and leave no man behind. Establish the work of our hands for good, for the good of your people and the glory of your name. Amen. So there's some foundational things else we're gonna read here. And one of them I've already said, but then the others we're gonna drive home where we get our foundation from. Greater love is no more than this that someone lay down his life for his friends. This is our ethos. Sacrificial love is more is the moral center. It points to Christ's greatest love. Let me go to Luke 22, 36. He said to them, But now let the one who has a money bag take it, and likewise a knapsack, and the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. Luke 22 is our readiness. We are in a hostile field, wise, prepared disciples, spiritually and practically, under Christ's authority. Not a license for aggression, but a sober posture for a hostile word. World. True meekness, power under control. To be meek is not to be weak. To be meek is to be the deadliest man in the room and in control of it and using it only for God's purpose. Nehemiah 4.14. And I looked in a rose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome. And fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes. This is our perimeter. Redeploy your protective instincts to guard family, church, and the vulnerable. Ephesians 6, 10 through 11. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Identity and kit, armor on.

SPEAKER_00: 8:39

Stand firm against the real enemy's schemes.

SPEAKER_01: 8:45

Jude 23. Save others by snatching them out of the fire. To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garments stained by the flesh. These are our tactics. Rescue under fire, mercy with caution, snatching without getting burned or pulled back into your sin. This is why when we get into tactics, we're going to talk about not going alone when we're going after others, particularly in high-risk environments. And Matthew 28, 18 through 20, and Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. These are our orders, the commander's authority, mission, task, and promise. To go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always. Churches really suck at the second part of that. We get the baptizing done. Oh, we'll line up for days and brag out how many people we baptized on the weekend. You know, we baptized 700. 8,000 people were baptized and gave their life to the Lord. Yeah, where's the follow-up of that? Where's the discipling on that? You baptize them and sent them out the sheep to the slaughter. Half of them don't even know what they're getting baptized for. Half of them are just caught up.

SPEAKER_00: 10:37

Like, we gotta stop baptizing people that don't know what the heck they're really doing.

SPEAKER_01: 10:49

Because teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, so they will not hear at the end, I never knew you. For he who does not do as I command does not love me. Those are the words of our Lord. All this is from God, whom through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled onto God. This is our role, our call sign. We are ambassadors, and our message is reconciliation. Our tone is God making his appeal through courage and compassion, but most of all, truth. Many in the church want to think themselves John the Baptist and wag their finger at everyone. And there's a time and a place for that. There's a time for peace, there's a time for war, right? There's a time for everything. Everything must be done in truth. But there's also a time for compassion. Those who do not know. Do you hold a toddler to the same standard as a teenager? Do you hold a teenager the same stay, you know, the same standard as a 20-year-old? Do you hold a 20-year-old to the same standard of wisdom as a 50-year-old? The answer is no. The answer is no. Yeah, we have baby Christians out there that don't know any better that people are doing this to. And they should be corrected in truth and in compassion because they don't know. They don't know. So we're to do this in courage and compassion. These texts give us the why, love, the posture, ready, the perimeter, family, the kit, armor, the tactics, snatch, the order, make disciples, and the role, ambassadors. Now here's how we execute. We honor, we must honor veterans as image bearers who practiced the greater love in costly ways. And we see this in First Peter two, seventeen. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood.

SPEAKER_00: 15:21

Love the brotherhood. Veterans are our brothers. Christian veterans are our dearest brothers.

SPEAKER_01: 15:37

We must acknowledge the cost. Some didn't return, and many returned wounded.

SPEAKER_00: 15:47

And we must carry memory, pain, and each other.

SPEAKER_01: 15:54

We must stop honoring with words. We must honor with action, with companionship and fellowship.

SPEAKER_00: 16:06

Broken people are hard to be around. They are.

SPEAKER_01: 16:29

As we pray for their healing and help them get healing. But we must also offer help, child care, rides, repairs, meals.

SPEAKER_00: 16:42

Again, fun and fellowship. Not stand and clap.

SPEAKER_01: 16:54

Where are you hurting, brother, and how can I help you? Imagine that. Imagine if churches actually invested in their own people instead of everyone else.

SPEAKER_00: 17:08

It would be uh, well, it would be biblical.

SPEAKER_01: 17:17

Veteran love points to the greater love. Christ laid down his life not only as an example, but as a substitute and a victor. As we read in John 15, 13. Jesus did not die to inspire us. Okay? He did not die to inspire us. He died to save us. Substitutionary atonement, victory over death. He jumped on the grenade of sin for on every grenade of sin for all time, for all sake, for those who believe in him. Our mission orders, the warrior king commands and equips Matthew 20, 18, 28, 18 through 20. Make disciples in Ephesians 6, 10 through 11, armor on. So what we must do is this. We must receive his rescue. Let him rescue us. Surrender to him.

SPEAKER_00: 18:18

Then mirror his love and strength with sacrifice, courage, and compassion.

SPEAKER_01: 18:33

Veterans and all believers are drafted, enlisted or drafted for the new theater. Souls. Matthew 16, 14, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. We've already heard the Great Commission that we're disciple all nations and train them up. You have been ordered, commanded, commanded by God Himself to do that. How many people I know who sit with their salvation on their couch in their home alone at night, not investing in anyone? How do you square that? How do you square if you're a fully functional person or even a not fully functional person and you are not trying to on-ramp somebody to Christianity every day?

SPEAKER_00: 19:30

How do you square that? I couldn't live with myself.

SPEAKER_01: 19:59

All authority, make disciples of all nations, all authority on earth has been given to me. There is no place we cannot go, no place we should not go to bring the gospel. Now, who has our brothers and sisters in bondage? And why are we on the greatest rescue mission of all time? Second Corinthians 4 4. We see in their case, the God of this world, the devil, has blinded their minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Our brothers are deceived, our sisters are deceived. Many of them were raised by the state religion of atheism, indoctrinated against God from their earliest ages. Others have suffered church hurts and woundings and fallen away. And unfortunately, a vast majority of our brothers and sisters, if they ever knew the church, were not even discipled. They were cultural Christians at best, which is many of the 212, of the 212 million, that all four four to six percent of that are actual Bible-believing Christians. The rest are cultural Christians. So do the math, that's like 3.5 to 4.5 million out of 212. The hell's going to be packed. And we see in Colossians 1.13, he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son. About the flesh and blood. Yes, our true enemy is the devil and all those who have allied with him. And those are the powers and the rulers and the principalities and everything else, the cosmic powers. But they often use meat puppets to do their work. Veterans had to go fight those meat puppets and those powers and have confronted them dead on. Deceit, that they have gone mad, that they think there's 120 genders. When you don't know basic things that are real, and you're not, they're either crazy or deceived. Or deceived into being crazy. And if you could just sit there and reach across to that and get that person, whether it be Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Antifa in front of you, whatever it is, if they gave their life to Christ and all their delusions vanished, they'd be just like you.

SPEAKER_00: 24:16

And you would love them. You'd like them.

SPEAKER_01: 24:23

But we must be prepared to defend ourselves against the meat puppets who are dangerous, who are doing the biddings of their dark masters. So our ultimate enemy is them, and then the meat puppets are their victims.

SPEAKER_00: 24:44

And let's face it, most people who are bad people were victims first, and that made them bad. So let's see what success looks like.

SPEAKER_01: 24:57

Acts 26, 18. To open their eyes so that many may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. In Jude 23, as we said earlier, save others by snatching them out of the fire. Proverbs 24:1, rescue those who are being taken away to death. Hold back those who are stumbling to slaughter.

SPEAKER_00: 25:30

Here's the rules of engagement.

SPEAKER_01: 25:33

Galatians 6 1. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a gent in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch of yourself lest you be too tempted. And then in it. Be careful when fighting monsters to not become monsters yourself. And when remember, when gazing into the abyss, the abyss gazes long into you. I probably horribly butchered it, but it's something like that. You're so on fire to save people, and I you should be. But don't get pulled back into your sin. Right now, picture this. You're on a vat, the world is a vast ocean of oily black sewage. Oily black sewage. And everyone out there is drowning in it. And there's these white, perfect, clean, brilliant rafts of light floating around. Those are Christ. And you got pulled onto the rife, the right, the life raft of Christ. And you are now sparkling clean.

SPEAKER_00: 27:13

Do not get pulled back into the ocean of sin.

SPEAKER_01: 27:20

Remember to always, like in Ephesians 4:15, we must be speaking in truth and love. Speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ. We are to die to self and become more like Christ, which is painful. Our weapons and kit. Second Corinthians 10, 4 through 5. For the weapons of our warfare are not the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. A summary of Ephesians 6, 14 through 18 says, Truth, righteousness, gospel, readiness, faith, salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God praying at all times to the Spirit.

SPEAKER_00: 28:20

But we also need weapons of kinetic nature for the mean puppets of this world.

SPEAKER_01: 28:26

That's the sell your cloak and buy a sword. Okay, that's not me saying that. That's Jesus saying that. And first Thessalonians, well, that's four times in a row, I got that right. Um 5.17. Our calms and air supporter, pray without ceasing. In Ephesians 6, 18, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and all supplication. Our tactics, how we move. This is how we advance the gospel within the veteran community. Identify the prisoner, name them. Those who are lost, addicted, ashamed, isolated in sin, heading to hell. Close the distance with compassion. Listen, eat together, build a relationship, apply scripture and testimony. Your testimony and your life and your actions are the most powerful thing they're going to encounter.

SPEAKER_00: 29:34

Your living proof that God is true. Open the book.

SPEAKER_01: 29:46

Tell what the Lord has done. And then this is very important. Escort them back into the shield wall. Okay? The shield wall protects you and them. All right, so you're grabbing them, snatching them from the enemy's grasp and pulling them into the shield wall where you have reinforcements. Gather them into the church, small group in discipleship. Stabilize and restore with patience, gentleness, accountability, and real help, not just thoughts and prayers. Real help. Then we exfill, retask, baptize, teach, knight, and deploy. James 5, 19 through 20 says, My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James is telling you that it is noble and right and good to bring somebody who's fallen away back into the fold. And it will cover a multitude of your sins. Which who doesn't need that? Isaiah 49, 25. Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant will be rescued. For I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.

SPEAKER_00: 31:35

God is coming for you. Nehemiah 4, 19 and 20.

SPEAKER_01: 31:43

And I said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people The work is great and widely spread. Are separated on the wall, far from one another. And the place where you hear the trump, the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there, or God will fight for us. The trumpet here is prayer and presence. Call, text, knock, sit, read, pray, repeat. Do not give up. You are fighting for someone's eternity. Someone who's already shown the greatest love.

SPEAKER_00: 32:18

Prayer, presence, call, text, knock, sit, read, pray, repeat, no man left behind. So field SOP. Simple and repeatable.

SPEAKER_01: 32:38

I'm just repeating what I just said a little five minutes ago. Identify one veteran friend behind invisible lines. Move toward them. Listen, share a mail, build a real strengthen your relationship. Witness, share what Jesus has done, and open the scriptures. Bring them to the shield wall. Church, small group discipleship, train Bible, prayer, service. Stay on comms. Check in. Constantly check in. Be there for them. Be the mentor you wish you had. I know when I became a Christian, there was no one. And then advance. Help them rescue others. So I want to explain Jude 23, the snatch tactic. Snatch, urgency under control, fast, decisive, pull from danger, move quickly and wisely. Show mercy with fear. Mercy moves toward the person. The fear is holy caution to not be pulled away from God yourself. Love the person, hate the sin. And then remember that line of garments stay in flesh. Sin contaminates. That's why it can't be in heaven. It spreads. It's a virus that no the never-ending spreading virus. So set clear boundaries. So boundaries. These are practical boundaries that you should set as we do this and go after people to help them, to rescue them. Go two by two, just like in Mark 6-7. And then also make sure you're doing same-sex care, men for men, women for women, particularly for sensitive topics. Public places for first meets, set time limits and check-ins. Many a person with great intentions has done irreparable harm by going after people of the opposite sex and end up falling into an intimate relationship and do untold damage. No substances, substances, stay sober. If substances appear, end the meat and reschedule. Escalate wisely. If there's an immediate danger, protect yourself at all times. Call 911 if it's life-threatening. For abuse in criminal matters, involve civil authorities. For spiritual care, involve elders. So micro SOP, mercy with fear, five steps. Pray and plan. Partner up. Pursue, place, protect. Some openers. You can use this line word for word. Brother, I'm not here to judge you. I'm here to pull you out of the fire, onto the life raft, and walk with you. I will walk through the fire with you. Can we talk and pray? You don't have to do this alone, brother. Come sit with me. And brother, we'll help you take the next right step. Some things to consider for decision points when to pause and hand off. They refuse help and violate boundaries repeatedly. Pause and pray and keep the door open, but it might be time to move on to someone else. When it's a safety risk, suicidal ideation, violence, abuse, or trafficking indicators, authorities and elders. Okay. You feel yourself slipping. Anger, compromise, attraction, substance risk, extract now, debrief with your squad and elders. Aftercare. Set the next meeting before you end the first. Share a simple reading plan. Connect to a weekly gathering. I recommend people read at a minimum. Exodus through Genesis, at a minimum, then Matthew, um Matthew through Revelation, and then go through the whole book again. All right. I also recommend plain speaking Bibles in the beginning when I'm talking to somebody who is coming to Christ. So I don't go to King James. It's a great, beautiful version. I have nothing against it, but it is not the easiest one to learn. So I alert that I recommend the ESV, the English Standard Study Bible. It is solid and trustworthy. And then at other times I'll recommend some of the softest Bible verses out or Bible translations out there as a place to get them on the right street. Like there are times you can read something in the Bible and it doesn't make any sense to you because it's just the way the person's speaking, or it's just your brain is not processing because they're basically speaking a foreign language and you can't process it. So sometimes you have to go to a softer version that translated easier to get you on the same street, and then you go to your trustworthy source to get you to the right address on the street. So share a simple reading to plan, connect to a service, to weekly gathering, or set check-ins, text and voice. Aim for stability, training, and service. Remember lawful conduct. This is a spiritual rescue mission carried out with truth, prayer, mercy, and lawful action. No vigilanteism ever. Okay, and our this is our seven battlefields Veterans Day edition. Faith, daily word, prayer, memorize John 15, 13, and Matthew 28, 18 through 20. Pray by name for your POW list. Family, make your home your first AO. Reconcile, bless, protect. Star family prayer this week. Fitness, use your body to serve. Commit to three times a week training minimum so you can carry, climb, and stay calm under stress. Fundamentals, refresh your skills, your tactical skills and your situational awareness and calms. Be an asset in a crisis. Finances, fund the mission and help a vet you know, then follow up. Help real people in your life that you know you can follow up with and you can track their progress. You're not just throwing it into a black hole. Live below your means, fellowship, lock shields, join a spiritual fire team, which is four people, um, or a squad, which is eight. Check in twice weekly, no isolation, and then fidelity, clean house, kill secret sin, practice truth telling and purity and accountability now. So now, before we do this, before we close out, I ask you to be honest with yourself. All of us have done this in aspects of our life. Where have you laid down your sword? Where have you checked out, isolated, medicated, or raged? In 2 Corinthians 5.19, our assurance is found in Christ God was reconciling the word to himself, not counting their trespasses against him. So now take a moment to repent of your sins, receive your pardon and report for duty, and pick up your or pick up your sword and report for duty. So go ahead and take a minute now, minute now to repent of your sins, of your failures. And then receive your pardon. Pick up your sword and report for duty. Go ahead now and take a minute. We repent, we reload, we rise, and we charge. Veterans, strengthen honor in Christ our King. The war for eternity is eternity is on. Lock shields and charge. First Corinthians 16, 13 through 14 says, Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, let all that you do be done in love. So let us pray. Lord, bind up the brokenhearted, lift heads that hang low, heal nightmares, numbed hearts, and angry hands, fill us with your spirit and send us to snatch from the fire, to rescue the weak, to make disciples, make our homes strong, our hands steady, and our hearts loyal to Christ. No man ever left behind. Amen. May the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his counts upon you and give you peace. Soldiers of Christ, go under the king's blessing, stand firm, lock shields, keep the watch, leave no man behind. God bless you. Amen.