The US Coast Guard identifies Search And Rescue (SAR) as one of their oldest missions. They respond to distress calls with cutters, aircraft, and boats linked by communication networks. It is a top priority of our USCG to “ward off loss of life, personal injury, and property damage....” In March and April, All In Men (AIM) are exploring a different kind of SAR mission to understand how our Heavenly Father is searching for and rescuing our hearts. Get info at the Meet Ups tab of this website on how to join us!
Jesus came on a rescue mission to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son in Luke 15 tell us about the Good Shepherd, a diligent woman, and our Father. They searched, rescued, and rejoiced when something valuable or someone precious was lost and then found. From the very beginning, when God called out to Adam and Eve in the garden, He has been asking “Where are you?” He is a searching God.
Even while we are hiding from God, we are also searching for something to satisfy us and fill the emptiness in our hearts. Have you felt like there was something missing on the inside? Men (and women, too) try to fill this void with things or distractions. The thrill of a new car will fade after just a few weeks. Our hopes that “things are going to be different” with a new job or move can be disappointed as we realize the void is still there. This happens by design because God created a vacuum in our hearts in a way that only He can fill! In AIM’s first Spring Meet Up at the end of March we heard about “OUR search: it’s internal and eternal.” Check out Jason's video message with that title here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khm7DlKsGm4
AIM Meet Ups in April will focus on God’s search for our hearts and how he reorients us and restores us. Sing it with me, “I once was lost, but now I’m found!” Both Jesus and Paul had a lot to say about our hearts. In Luke 8:15, 10:27, and Ephesians 3:16-17, we read that our hearts matter to the Lord. That’s why AIM is asking guys to gather round, listen, and even share what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through our hearts. We want to tell others how we were rescued from the penalty of our sin through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We want others to experience what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here!”
AIM small groups will share stories about basic training or on-the-job training, to better understand how much we need training for life, and Life that is abundant. That’s what Jesus promised in John 10:10, but He also warned us in that same verse about a thief who is bent on stealing, killing, and destroying. The Spring Meet Up series closes out asking, “Where do we go from here?” We face a reality where, while we are rescued by Jesus, there is still an enemy actively opposing us. We “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5) and by His power we take on the adversary, the world, and our own flesh. We take our stand as brothers who are All In Men and we hope you’ll find your way to a fellowship near you.
There are nine in-person small groups and two online groups meeting during the months of March and April. Please visit the Meet Ups tab (www.allinmen.org/meet-ups) to find a night, a location, and details so you can be part of God’s search and rescue mission. Our thanks to Michael Thompson for writing the book, Search & Rescue, which guided AIM’s theme.
Blessings,
Ben Shevchuk, www.allinmen.org