The Church Is The Red Cross
The Church is called not only to govern as Christ’s Ekklesia, but also to be God's instrument of healing and restoration in a broken world. Like the Red Cross, believers are called to serve with compassion, pray for the hurting, restore families and marriages, and nurture wounded hearts without seeking recognition. As the Church partners with Christ, a season of healing and restoration will bring hope, revival, and renewed life to many.
Introduction
If I were to ask you - What does this world need? What would you answer?
(More development? More innovations? More stringent laws? More Healing?)
The Prophetic Direction & Command for the Church this season is twofold:
To be the Ekklesia (the governing body on earth, which is something the Lord alone will enable by opening ways for the Church to be in positions of influence)
To be like the Red Cross.
It’s not any - one. It’s both.
Just as Jesus is our King, who is also our Saviour! We cannot separate the two.
We have heard and believed and understood much on the first aspect, which is evident in our prayers, our assignments and declarations. But the other aspect of being the Red Cross, the Church unfortunately often paints a sorry picture. Everyone wants to rule and reign with Christ but not many want to be like Him and take the road He took. That is not the Church. That is the description of the world mindset. And that is just not okay, if we call ourselves the church.
Today, I believe the Lord wants us to take note of this aspect specifically, as He reminds us that we are to be nothing but His reflection.
The Red Cross
The Red Cross is the world's largest humanitarian network, dedicated to protecting human life and health, easing suffering, and upholding human dignity (that so sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it?) during wars, disasters, and health crises. The founder of the International Red Cross was Swiss businessman and humanitarian Henry Dunant.
The Battle of Solferino: In 1859, Henry Dunant witnessed the bloody aftermath of a battle in Italy and organized local civilians to help wounded soldiers without discrimination. Dunant became embroiled in a business scandal in 1867 which resulted in his bankruptcy and expulsion from the International Committee. He spent the next decades in poverty and obscurity, living in various places across Europe before settling in the Swiss village of Heiden. In 1895, Dunant was rediscovered by a journalist, which brought him renewed attention and support, and in 1901 he was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize alongside French pacifist Frédéric Passy. He died in Heiden in 1910 and his last words were “Where has humanity gone?”. In his will, he donated funds to secure a "free bed" in the Heiden nursing home always to be available for a poor citizen of the region.
Henry Dunant, inspite of being a businessman and a notable figure in the society had a heart which was moved at the suffering of the people. He didn’t die a businessman. He lived and died a man of deep compassion.
It isn’t enough for the Church to give charity, do our required tithes and offerings and support ministries or people financially. It goes to a much personal level when the Lord says – like the Red Cross. It means getting into people’s situations and holding them up. It means not making a fuss at having to do that. It means not wanting publicity for the one act you did. It means a genuine pain in your heart when you see someone going through something terrible. It affects you. It means to do whatever you can without expecting anything in return.
Usually in the disaster hit areas, the Red Cross volunteers wear masks – most of the times the people whom they help never even see their face. Many a times, the people who are hit are either unconscious or too numb to say a ‘thank you’. It’s the same with us. Most of the times, the people who need the most help are those who are too numb to acknowledge or register anything. Numb with what they have endured or are enduring.
Their response can never be our criteria for forward movement.
Prophetic Picture
One of the things the Lord has been highlighting this season is the portion of Ezekiel 37 – where the Prophet Ezekiel is speaking to the dry bones in the valley. It denotes a ‘Resurrection Ministry’. The bones didn’t ask for help – they were dead. When the bones became a vast army and stood up – they didn’t bow down and say thank you to Ezekiel. It is something like that for the Church this season. There will be people who will not ask for help, will not want to be helped. What do we do then? We pray them through – unceasingly until they are revived and restored. When we partner with God like that, there are miracles that begin to break out!
There will be people who won’t remember what you have done – prayer or in action and move on with life once they are healed or revived. You don’t get upset and decide to never to anything on those lines again, because they didn’t turn around and acknowledge you. It’s unto HIM we do all things! Instead we praise God for the wonders He does. It’s a behind the scenes job. The Red Cross doesn’t wait for accolades. It just does the job and moves on.
In the big umbrella picture of the Red Cross, there are two areas that are being specially highlighted.
There are marriages this season that the Lord is going to restore! It will be an astonishing work of the Lord. Decades and decades of ruin will be reversed in one season. This is a major chunk of the Ezekiel 37 mandate that the Church will enter into. The hold of the enemy on the covenant-marriages will be pulled off. There will be marriage seminars, counselling centres, intercessions, healing prayers specifically for this aspect all across the globe. It is a MASSIVE assignment on the Church this season and the Lord is asking us to be like the Prophet Ezekiel who walked up and down that valley and spoke into those dry bones. The Lord makes the impossible happen!
This is not just a word for those who are not together. This is a word for those who live together but everything is quite fragmented within. They are emotionally disconnected and apart. The Lord will intervene. He has the final word. The Church is to take notes and move into action with the Lord, just as Prophet Ezekiel did. This will require much patience, perseverance and a relentlessness until it’s done.
The other is ‘Spiritual Parenting’. I believe that a lot of hurt and wounded children will find parents who will walk with them through seasons of life, handhold them and nourish their souls. These children are not children in age, but in their heart. So we would see 30 even 40-year-olds being calmed, comforted and healed on their insides because of some alongside them lavishing affection and grace over them. They too, may not ask for love or affection, may not even know how to respond if they receive it – but I believe there will be deep love that the Lord will pour out from His heart into some of our hearts – for them. This kind of parenting doesn’t keep records, doesn’t work on transaction basis, is not deterred by their responses. It’s the unconditional flowing affection of God. It’s relentless in it’s pursuit. The ones who are parenting are not always 50 yr olds – they might be as young in age as 23-24 but have a deep reservoir of God’s love that is able to handle another person’s trauma or hurt without any conditions attached.
That is all Jesus wants – make space/ make room for another person. That is the ministry of Jesus.
Healing will flow like a river and there will be restoration all around. Deep in hearts, in families and generational lines. The Lord is doing a mighty work – a massive, massive restoration is underway, He needs the Church to partner with Him. Hence the emphasis on the Red Cross imagery. This is indeed a season of a grand restoration! Decades and decades of decay and dryness will be erased by the hand of the Lord.
Halleluiah! What is impossible for God?!
Conclusion
Church is where you are re-oriented into life and hope, from the darkness that threatens to take you over. Church is where you find people you can trust to keep your deepest secrets, to share your personal struggles without any shame or judgement. Church is to be a fountain of living water to the Samaritan women coming in. Church is where the prodigals come back to and call it ‘home’, because they feel the love of their Father in everything.
Time and time again, the one thing that keeps coming to my heart is that we are going to be really surprised at the kind of people who are going to be in the Kingdom first! Don’t be dismissive about people, you never know who they are going to be in the Lord, tomorrow.
The harvest is plenty and ready. The workers are being summoned. We are the Church, we are to be the Red Cross. The Lord is trusting us to ride this wave with Him.
The Church will manifest the resurrected glory of Christ to a world that is broken and dried up.
The Church is the Red Cross! Amen.
________________________________________________________________________
Background
Kainos Church India, Bengaluru led by Ps. Manoj and Lincy Iype is a gathering open to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is ideally located for believers in the Koramangala, HSR Layout, Agara, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur areas of Bengaluru and our Church Service in English starts at 10am on Sundays.
These notes are from the Sunday Sermon held on 11th October 2026