A Promise Kept - A Ministry To Fulfill

Some of you may recall a 4 part post I did recently about Chaplain Hank Austin. Last night I was on a Zoom call with his children.  They wanted to hear more about the story of the impact Chaplain Austin had on our family. And more, it was an opportunity to fulfill a promise I had made to my mom in 2001, to find him and thank him for sharing the Gospel with her husband, Don Pierson, my step dad and spiritual father. (That is a picture of Don in Korea pasted by my mom in the Bible Chaplain Austin gave him) Chaplain Austin had passed in 1997. Twenty years later, my sister, Candie, found a reference to one of his children on Facebook, Dave Austin.  She contacted me and suggested that I try to connect with him – which I did. And through that I made connection with his whole family.

They wanted to hear more about the impact their dad had for the kingdom of God through that meeting on a hill in Korea in 1951.  As I shared with them, I could see a family resemblance – both physically and by their personalities.  It was through that Zoom call that I got to, in directly, meet Hank Austin. His image was cast into his children. I thanked the family and kept my promise. Which caused me to think of the family resemblance that we Christians are to have as sons and daughters of the Creator God.

 “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” – Genesis 1:26-27

Have you given much thought to that? When God created mankind, He created us in His image. Nothing else was created in His image. Mankind was to rule over the rest of earthly creation – that was and is God’s intent for us.  But that rule was to be in the context of our relationship with Him – not independent of Him. But you know what comes next – things changed. Mankind rejected God’s plan and went his own way. But ….

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” – John 3:16-17

God had a plan – not a plan B – but a plan that defies anything His creation or Satan might do to thwart it. Our sin did not surprise God, although because of His love for us, I am certain that He was saddened for us. Just like with your children when they choose to go a way that will only lead to their harm and heartache.  Do you feel it? That is what love and wanting the best for you children feels like and I suspect the God, whose love surpasses anything we might imagine, felt the same. 

So placing our faith in Jesus – the Reconciler – the Restorer – reestablished the relationship that sin had severed. We have been adopted into the family of God. And God is doing a work in us. Conforming us into the image of His faithful Son – Jesus. We cannot reflect Jesus apart from walking in harmony the Spirit of God.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” – Romans 8:29-30

The world needs to see Jesus and the way it does is through the Body of Christ – you and me. What a great privilege and responsibility that is. We are to be salt and light. We must be so careful to not lose our saltiness through compromise with the very world for we have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone