Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. (Proverbs 24:11)
Every Christian should be a rescue worker. I’m not sure that’s what comes to mind when people think about Christians, even good Christians. If someone were to describe a devoted Christian they might say he or she believes in God, loves the Bible, attends church, is kind and generous, and does not participate in many sinful things society freely indulges in.
This little verse in Proverbs, however, along with many other passages in the Bible, calls us to rescue people. But when we look at the people around us, we don’t see anyone drowning. No one we walk by on the way to work is sinking in quicksand or stuck underneath the rubble of a collapsed building. If we did happen to see someone in situations like this we probably wouldn’t personally try to rescue them but would contact trained rescue workers. So, what is God exactly calling us to do?
Staggering
To rescue the perishing and to save those who are staggering toward death is the essential work of all followers of Jesus. As Christians, we slowly begin to see the world from God’s perspective. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. The word “staggering” or “stumbling” brings to mind drunkenness. I picture someone intoxicated walking toward the edge of a cliff. It could, of course, be literal, but it’s a metaphor. People are staggering along toward death intoxicated by poverty, pain, loneliness, addiction, bitterness, confusion, uncertainty, or any number of other things. Most people don’t realize they are headed for a cliff into eternal death. They stagger along in life like a drunken man walking alongside a busy highway. One stumble into the road when a Mack truck passes, and the man will be in eternity—lost forever.
The call of the Christian is to rescue the staggering sinner. To wake them. To sober them. To pull them to safety into the arms of the Savior.
Social gospel?
If you’ve been a Christian for some length of time you’ve probably realized there is tension amongst Christians over the call to save people spiritually or to save them practically. Some Christians place the emphasis of the call on preaching the Gospel to people, because, after all, it is the Gospel that saves a person. If we fed and clothed a person—and gave him the whole world—but the person was never spiritually saved, it would be in vain, they say. Other Christians emphasize practical works like feeding the hungry, providing clean water, helping refugees, caring for the sick and dying, and so on.
I think this dichotomy is unfortunate as Scripture calls us to both. I think most Christians acknowledge that both are important, but oftentimes the way they live swings one way or the other.
I’ve noticed through the years that it’s easy for us to help people in practical ways as long as it eventually leads to them converting to Christianity. You know what I’m talking about. We help an individual or our church helps a group of people in the hopes they will “see the light” and become Christians. But if they don’t receive Christ, then, well, we stop helping them. The message we inadvertently send is that we are helping them only to convert them. And if they won’t convert, then, we won’t help. Some even go so far as to only help fellow Christians.
Being like the Father
I want to caution us to be careful not to make our works conditional in any way. Yes, we are called to invite people to know Jesus, but we should actively help people around us who are suicidal, sick, addicted, poor, distraught, abused, homeless. There are orphans and widows with practical needs. We have elderly neighbors who need help with practical things. There are refugees in every city who need practical support. We should pour ourselves out for people, not to convert them or to “buy” an opportunity to preach to them. We should help because it is the nature of God.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:43-45)
In this verse, the reason for serving people who aren’t receptive to the gospel—and may even persecute us!—is “so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” It makes me think of the ministry of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. One of the main things her ministry aimed at was to care for the dying. She took in many people who were so ill that there was no chance of recovery. She and those in her ministry sat with the dying. They talked with them, they fed them, they changed them, they prayed for them. They put blankets on the dying when they were cold. They placed a cold cloth on them when they had a fever. Yes, I’m sure that they shared Jesus. But the fact is that many who they cared for were Hindu or Muslim or atheist, and did not convert to Christianity. But Mother Teresa did not abandon them.
This ministry to the dying expanded into thousands of nuns in 133 countries around the world. Protestants may not agree with Teresa’s theology, but she has left an example for all of us regarding what the works of Jesus should look like. We are called to spend ourselves for people in need. Some will receive the message of Jesus. Some won’t.
Fanny Crosby
It seems fitting to mention one of the great hymns written by the blind hymn writer, Fanny Crosby. It’s called Rescue the Perishing written in 1869. There are slightly conflicting stories out there about the origin of the song, but it seems that it was inspired by her time at the Bowery Rescue Mission in NYC. She was pleading with the folks present that, if any had strayed from the house and teachings of their mother, to return. One man came forward that she ministered to. It seems he didn’t feel worthy to go back to his mother. But Fanny preached the gospel of grace to him and he was rescued. Here are the lyrics of this beautiful hymn.
“Rescue the Perishing”
By Fanny Crosby
1 Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.
Refrain:
Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying;
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.
2 Though they are slighting Him, Still He is waiting, Waiting the penitent child to receive; Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently; He will forgive if they only believe. [Refrain]
3 Down in the human heart, Crushed by the tempter, Feelings lie buried that grace can restore; Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, Chords that were broken will vibrate once more. [Refrain]
4 Rescue the perishing, Duty demands it; Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide; Back to the narrow way patiently win them; Tell the poor wanderer a Savior has died.