From Stuck to Saved
The first time my mum grounded me I was 7 years old, and had found myself very, very, stuck. At the bottom of our road were a series of garages belonging to a selection of the houses. At the very end of the garages was a tree. It was the sort of tree that, if you were to design a tree perfect for climbing – nice thick branches arranged somewhat like a staircase, but lacking leaves and brambles and small branches that only hinder such an expedition – that would be the very tree you’d design. It was a warm spring day in the Easter holidays, and in an attempt to gain valuable ‘street cred’ with the older boys in my neighbourhood, we’d climbed on top of the garages via the tree. Five minutes after climbing up, the older boys realised there really wasn’t much to do once on top of the garages, and had decided to climb down. That left me. Up on the garage. All by myself.
Now climbing up had been relatively easy. I’d received a leg up and a hand up to help me on my way. The way down was trickier, namely, because those who had been so ready to help me up, were down and long gone. In a time before smartphones, GPS tracking and WhatsApp messages calling for help, I was well and truly stuck. And I think this paints a picture of the world we find ourselves in.
The world we live in, and the people that live alongside us, are stuck. Stuck in pain, sickness and illness. Stuck in unhelpful thinking patterns. Stuck without hope, or peace, or joy. Stuck in a mundane, 9-5 routine, with the only excitement being an annual holiday to Butlins or maybe even the Mediterranean if you can find yourself a good deal!
Some are aware of their stuck state. Many are not. Some are at fault for their stuck state. Many are not.
You yourself have probably found yourself stuck before too. Paul, the great early church leader, himself wrote to the church in Rome, ‘I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.’ Stuck.
The word and imagery the bible often uses to describe this ‘stuck-state’ is slavery. The New Testament describes us as slaves to sin (Romans 6:16), slaves to elemental spiritual forces (Galatians 4:3), and slaves to depravity (2 Peter 2:19). Even creation finds itself in bondage (Romans 8:21).
But, and this might be the most important but of our lives… ever since our natural state of slavery was prescribed in Genesis 3, God has been on one big freedom mission. From the patriarchs to the prophets and with everyone in between, God’s goal was freedom. Then in Luke 4, with Jesus in the midst of a church service, this freedom mission began to reach crescendo, as he speaks these words:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19).
For the next three years he lives in overdrive. The lame walk, the blind see, the dead are raised. His teaching and wisdom are like nothing else the world has experienced. He dies a perfect death, and three days later rises from the grave. In turn he defeats death forever, and opens up an eternal door to freedom. When he departs earth a few weeks later, the Holy Spirit is sent. And suddenly the freedom his disciples had received themselves now came with fresh power and fresh purpose. They were sent to free their world.
2,000 years later the freedom mission is still in operation, but the personnel have changed. Gone are the disciples, the apostles, the early church fathers. And you’ve been tagged in. The freedom you’ve received was on purpose, for purpose. To bring freedom to your world.
He’s still the God of miracles, signs and wonders. He’s still the God who comes through on his eternal promise. He’s still the God on a freedom mission.
This week I met a young man from our church for coffee. A few weeks ago he’d received the Holy Spirit and gift of tongues. But there were still some areas of thinking where he found himself stuck. As we unpackaged the bible together, and I shared some of my story with him, a spirit of freedom became so evident in that coffee shop. As we spoke, the power I’d received gained new purpose. The freedom I’d received led to liberation for someone else.
Can I challenge you to reflect on your own life and ministry for a moment. Identify areas of slavery around you and ask God to guide you in bringing His freedom. What part of your world is stuck? Who in your world is caught in slavery? And who do you think God is sending to the rescue?
The analogy of young Greg stuck on top of my neighbour’s garage some-what breaks down at this point… My mum came looking for, and found me. She helped me down before giving me a strong rebuke and my first grounding. But I was no longer stuck – freedom had come!
God’s freedom mission is ongoing, and we are His instruments to bring liberation to a world caught in sin. Embrace your role with courage and faith, knowing that the same Spirit that empowered Jesus and the apostles is with you today.
Greg Wooster
