First Responders | Reggie Dabs
Sunday, August 31
Scriptures
Ezekiel 22:30, Jude 1:22-23, Romans 10:9, Micah 6:8, John 8:36, Luke 23:34
Introduction
Today we’ll explore the message, First Responders, by Pastor Reggie Dabbs. The message encouraged us to see ourselves as spiritual first responders—people willing to step into the gap, bring hope, and change the “tags” of others by pointing them to Jesus. In a broken world where many are hurting, God is looking for men and women who will rise with urgency to share His love, mercy, and salvation.
Ezekiel 22:30 reminds us that God seeks someone to “stand in the gap,” Jude 1:22–23 calls us to “snatch others from the fire,” and Romans 10:9 declares the saving power of confessing Jesus as Lord. Just as first responders rush into crises to save lives, we are called to move toward people in spiritual crisis—offering prayer, truth, and hope in Christ.
· What stood out to you from this message?
· Who has been a first responder in your life, and how might God be calling you to be that for someone else?
Key Points
Everyone has a first responder in their life. Someone led the way for you to know Christ. Now it’s time for you to become a first responder for someone else.
1. Go to the King. Man may not be able to put you back together, but if you go to the King, he can put all your broken pieces together again.
2. God can change your tag. Man may not be able to do anything for you, but Jesus can. Everyone else may have given up on you, but God hasn’t. God can change your destiny and wants to use you to reach someone else. You’re a tag-changer!
3. Stand up and proclaim Jesus. People are watching you. You’re a tag-changer. Get on offense for Jesus and change the world today.
Standing in the Gap
In Acts 16:25-26 (KJV), Paul and Silas, though beaten and imprisoned, sang, rejoiced, and praised God in their darkest hour. Their praise wasn’t just for themselves; it echoed through the prison, reaching other prisoners who witnessed their chains falling off and their cell doors opening, leading them to liberty. As Reggie Dabs said in his message, “Your praise is not just for you, it’s for everybody around you.” Our worship can inspire others to experience God’s freedom and hope.
· Inspiring Through Praise: In Acts 16:25-26 (KJV), Paul and Silas’ praise in prison led others to experience freedom, as Reggie Dabs emphasized, “Your praise is not just for you, it’s for everybody around you.” How can your worship or positive actions in a difficult situation inspire someone else to encounter God’s hope, and what specific opportunity this week can you seize to praise God publicly?
When we hear the sirens of first responders, it often signals trouble—a fire, a natural disaster, or a crisis. Yet, those sirens also declare, “Help is on the way!” In the same way, when we see a world in chaos, our first response should be to pray and act. Ezekiel 22:30 (KJV) says, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” God is searching for believers who will stand in the gap, interceding for the lost, the lonely, the sick, and the hopeless. Like Reggie urged, we must be first responders who step up, pray fervently, and reach out to those in need, because Jesus is coming back soon.
Reggie also shared the story of Ruby Bridges, who, at six years old, prayed for those who cursed her, echoing Jesus’ words in Luke 23:34 (KJV): “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” She mimicked the faith of those who taught her, showing us that we, too, can follow the example of godly leaders. Micah 6:8 (KJV) reminds us, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” It’s time to stop being sideliners or fence-sitters in church. God is calling us to go all out as first responders in a lost and dying world. Let’s pray, act, and share the hope of Jesus, changing tags and transforming lives in His name!
· Standing in the Gap: Ezekiel 22:30 (KJV) describes God seeking someone to “stand in the gap” for others. Reggie urged us to be first responders who pray and act for the lost and hurting. Who in your life needs you to intercede or reach out with God’s love, and how can you take a concrete step to stand in the gap for them this week?
· Mimicking Faithful Examples: Reggie highlighted Ruby Bridges’ prayer for her enemies, mirroring Jesus’ words in Luke 23:34 (KJV) and reflecting Micah 6:8’s call to love mercy and walk humbly. Who has modeled faith for you in a challenging time, and how can you mimic their example to show mercy and humility to someone facing adversity?
Changing the Tag
Pastor Reggie Dabbs shared a powerful story from a book his mother, also his teacher, assigned him in high school. During the Korean War, Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH) tagged wounded soldiers: yellow for minor injuries, blue for urgent surgery, and red for those expected to die, given only morphine to ease their pain. One day, a nurse defied a doctor’s order to place a red tag on a soldier who, despite his wounds, told her to assure his family he’d be okay. She removed the red tag, replaced it with blue, and he survived—revealed later as a general’s son. As Reggie said, we are all called to be “tag changers” for Christ.
Jude 1:22-23 (KJV) urges, “And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” Every day, people around us bear red tags of sin, shame, and addiction. Like that nurse, we must tear off those tags and offer the hope of Romans 10:9 (KJV): “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Micah 6:8 (KJV) calls us to “do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” Let’s humbly show mercy, replacing red tags with the freedom of John 8:36 (KJV): “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Someone changed our tags; now, let’s change tags for the lost and hurting around us.
· Compassion in Action: Jude 1:22-23 (KJV) calls us to “have compassion, making a difference” and to “save others with fear, pulling them out of the fire.” Reflecting on the nurse in Pastor Dabbs’ MASH story who changed a soldier’s red tag to blue, how can you show compassion to someone in your life who feels “tagged” with shame or hopelessness, and what specific action can you take to offer them the hope of Jesus?
· Sharing Salvation: Romans 10:9 (KJV) promises salvation to those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in His resurrection. Pastor Dabbs urged us to be “tag changers” by replacing red tags of sin with the freedom of Christ, as seen in John 8:36 (KJV). Who in your community might be carrying a “red tag” of guilt or addiction, and how can you share the message of salvation with them this week?
· Living Out Mercy: Micah 6:8 (KJV) instructs us to “love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” In the sermon, the nurse’s merciful act saved a life against all odds. How can you embody God’s mercy in a practical way to help someone overcome a struggle, and what might it look like to humbly walk with God while being a tag changer for others?
Turn the Other Cheek
Like Reggie said in his message, Ruby Bridges, at just six years old, walked through a storm of hatred as the first African American girl to integrate a public school in New Orleans, yet she prayed, “God, please bless them. Please protect them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” Her words echo Jesus’ prayer on the cross in Luke 23:34, showing a faith that forgives even those who curse us. Reggie emphasized that Ruby’s courage wasn’t her own invention; she mimicked the faith of first responders in her life—perhaps her parents or grandparents—who taught her to pray in the face of adversity. Hebrews 13:7 calls us to “remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you… imitate their faith,” just as Ruby did. Reggie challenged us to be like her, to “mimic praise in the middle of the fire” and stand firm in faith, no matter the opposition. By following the example of Christ, as Paul urges in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ,” we can become tag changers, showing courage and prayer to transform the world around us, just as Ruby’s faith did in her time.
· Reflecting on Ruby’s Example: Reggie Dabs highlighted how Ruby Bridges, at six years old, mimicked the faith of those before her by praying for those who opposed her, echoing Jesus’ words in Luke 23:34. Who in your life has modeled faith in the face of adversity that you can imitate, and how can you actively mimic their courage and prayer in your own challenges?
· Imitating Faithful Leaders: Hebrews 13:7 encourages us to remember and imitate the faith of leaders who spoke God’s word to us. As Reggie shared, Ruby’s ability to pray in the midst of hostility came from someone teaching her. Who are the spiritual leaders or mentors in your life whose faith you can follow, and what specific steps can you take to reflect their example in your daily actions?
· Following Christ’s Example: Reggie challenged us to be “tag changers” like Ruby, living out faith as Paul urges in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” How can you embody Christ’s love and forgiveness in a difficult situation this week, and what impact might this have on those around you?
Conclusion
As Pastor Reggie reminded us, the church is not just a gathering—it is a hospital, and we are the doctors and nurses equipped by the Holy Spirit to change lives. Too many people around us are still carrying the “red tags” of sin, shame, and despair, but Jesus has given us the scissors of grace to cut those tags and replace them with life, freedom, and hope.
John 8:36 declares, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed,” and Romans 10:9 assures us that salvation is available for all who believe and confess Jesus as Lord. The call is clear: it’s time to move from the sidelines and step into action as first responders for Christ. Let us commit to pray, to act, and to share His love with urgency, knowing that supernatural change begins when we move in faith.
· What practical step can you take this week to be a first responder for Jesus—whether at home, work, school, or in your community
Prayer
Pray this prayer personally or with your group based on Romans 10:9: "Heavenly Father, I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead. I repent of my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. Save me and guide me as Your child. In Jesus’ name, Amen."
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