"Go Where Eagles Dare" Rob Gross

The Eagles Beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII

On Sunday, millions of Americans watched an amazing see saw, back and forth, epic battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and the defending champions, New England Patriots. The final score was Philadelphia 41, New England 33. During a subsequent post game show on ESPN, following the game’s conclusion, sports commentators unanimously agreed that the key to the Eagles’ victory over the heavily favored Patriots was Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson’s repeated willingness to “go for it” on several fourth down situations.

Conventional coaching wisdom said to “play it safe” and punt the ball, or take the three points by kicking the field goal. Coach Pederson however, refused to “play it safe” or settle for the “sure thing” and called an incredible trick play that will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, plays in Super Bowl history. Because Coach Pederson was “in it to win it” and the Eagles brought home the coveted Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia.

Boldness is Coming to the Church

Where Eagles Dare was a 1968 British World War II action film that starred Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, and Ingrid Pitt, and was shot on location in Austria and Bavaria. The plot of the movie unfolded as a crack team of Allied soldiers staged a daring rescue during World War II of a U.S. general being held captive in an imposing castle fort, high in the Bavarian Alps. The audacious plan called for Lt. Schaffer (Clint Eastwood), Maj. Smith (Richard Burton), and other operatives to parachute down wearing Nazi disguises to penetrate the mountain, rescue the general before he was interrogated, and escape German capture on top of a cable car.

During the Super Bowl game on Sunday, I heard the Lord say, “Where Eagles Dare,” multiple times. Having watched the 1968 action film multiple times, I knew the Lord was referring to the daring, against all odds, rescue of the U.S. general portrayed by Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. In this moment, I sensed that there was an acceleration in the spirit and the Lord was about to release the spirit of boldness upon the Church.

Throughout the Acts of the Apostles and other New Testament epistles, three words have always caught my attention: Bold, boldness and boldly. These words describe the New Testament Believers who courageously proclaimed the Gospel in the face of ongoing persecution.

The New Testament Believers

Just read these verses below about the bold Church moving boldly in boldness:

“Now when they saw the (boldness) of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

“‘And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your Word with all (boldness), while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with (boldness).” (Acts 4:29-31)

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached (boldly) in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching (boldly) in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 9:27-28)

“And Paul and Barnabas spoke out (boldly), saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.” (Acts 13:46)

“So they remained for a long time, speaking (boldly) for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” (Acts 14:3)

“Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak (boldly) in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” (Acts 18:24-26)

“And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke (boldly), reasoning and persuading them about the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 19:8)

“For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak (boldly). For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.” (Acts 26:26)

“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all (boldness) and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:30-31)

“Since we have such a hope, we are very (bold)…” (2 Corinthians 3:12)

“To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth (boldly) to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it (boldly), as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18-20)

The Lion of Judah Filling Us with Boldness

“Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping. Look! The mighty Lion of Judah’s tribe, the root of David—He has conquered! He is the worthy one who can open the scroll and its seven seals.'” (Revelation 5:5)

A year ago, I attended an Aslan’s Place Discernment Summit convened by Dr. Paul Cox in Hesperia, California. During one of the meetings, Dr. Cox discerned a messenger angel and asked a prophetic intercessor to step into the center of the room and receive the message. As the intercessor stepped forward, she looked at me and said, “Rob, I think you’re supposed to be here too.” Hesitant, I stepped into the middle of the room and immediately sensed that the Lion of Judah (the Lord) was present. In an instant, I was filled with supernatural boldness and declared that the Lord wanted to heal specific physical conditions. To my surprise, 20 people responded.

Among those who joined me in the center of the room was a woman I did not know who had a debilitating lung condition. She approached me later and told me that as soon as she joined the circle, her lungs were “instantly” healed. The Lion of Judah had moved powerfully on her behalf.

It’s Time Eagles!

Romans 8:19-21 says, “The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children.”

These power packed verses say two important things: First, all of creation is waiting for the sons of God (that’s us!) to be revealed and secondly, only the sons of God can break the “curse off the earth”. If we are going to break the curse off the earth, we’re going to need the boldness of the Lion of Judah to rise up in the midst of a hostile world and proclaim the Gospel with signs and wonders following.

Like Eagle’s coach Doug Pederson, we’re going to have to leave our comfort zone, exercise our faith, and boldly step into the unknown. I believe we will be blown away by the miracles the Lord will perform if we “cross the chicken line” and go where eagles dare! 

Rob Gross
Senior Pastor, Mountain View Community Church
Email: rgmvcc12@hawaii.rr.com
Website: http://www.mvcchawaii.org

Rob Gross is pastor of Mountain View community Church in Kaneohe, Hawaii. He is known as a pastor to pastors and has a prayer-counseling ministry known for releasing breakthrough and healing in peoples’ lives. Rob earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii and his MDiv degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Rob has been married for 32 years to his wife Barbara. They have three adult sons Jordan, Brandon and Jonathan and two daughter-in-laws Stephanie and Michelle and one beautiful granddaughter Olivia.

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