An Unlikely Rescue

On May 13, 1945, a crew of 24 soldiers took off to fly over the jungles of New Guinea when their plane crashed into a mountain in the midst of the thick jungle.  Only three of the crew members survived to find themselves face to face with natives that were believed to be cannibals.  What kept them from being eaten by the starving tribe was a prophecy that white-skinned ghosts would one day fall from the sky.  The rescue planes circled overhead for days without a way to land and rescue the crew.  They started dropping supplies and more people into the jungle in hopes that numbers would help keep them safe and possibly help them escape.

After two months, they realized that the plan was not going to work.  They decided to begin dropping the supplies for the crew to build a giant hang glider.  Their plan appears to come right out of a cartoon.  There was no cliff nor enough clearing within the thick jungle for the glider to get in the air.  The hang glider had a long bungee cord with a giant hook.  When it was built, a plane with another giant hook flew overhead and connected with the glider pulling it out of the jungle and gliding to safety.  Everyone was rescued.

I would call this an unlikely rescue.  There were many reasons why it should not have worked, yet the crew was saved.  Proverbs 24:11 says, “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”  There are thousands of people living in this city who are on their way to an eternal death.  Continuing to “do church” like we have over the last few decades is not going to rescue them.  We need to think outside the box with a bold idea, willing to risk our lives, in order to rescue those on their way to eternity without Christ.  Are you willing to do whatever it takes to take the name of Jesus to the dying?