Thank you for joining us today on the PonderCast! Today is an encouraging audio pondering on the topic of encouragement. Give this a listen, share, subscribe and tell us what YOU think!
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I am certainly not advocating trying these out today in your corps, actually I’m pleading for all of us to do the opposite. Our various ministries can, and should be paramount to our faith and to those we serve. How we lead others, how we conduct ourselves in our corps makes a difference!
With that being said, dear Soldier, here are 5 ways to kill a Corps!
5. Gossip 
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. (James 1:26)
The Fastest way to burn your corps down to the ground is to strike the match of the malicious tongue that wags and pierces hearts. Be aware of what you say and how you say things. No one likes to be around people who are asinine in their speech and malicious in their actions and opinions of others. Gossip has no place in the corps, unless you long for it to die a slow and agonizing death.
We know that gossip shouldn’t be, but why do we tolerate it and even entertain it in our halls? Dear Salvationist, have nothing to do with idle chatter and people who only want to slander and smear the truth. (2 Timothy 2:23).
4. Favoritism
“My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?” (James 2:1-6 NASB)
It even happens in Corps buildings.
It might not necessarily be about rich and poor, but perhaps personalities and someone’s available gifts. An Officer can favor only a specific few corps members and by doing so, unknowingly cause dissension, envy and strife. The same can be said for local officers who choose corps members to help them in their daily duties. Be fair to all who come into your halls! Show love and compassion and be aware that favoritism can happen even if we’re not cognizant of it. Favoritism is a true, perhaps unseen danger in our corps, and if left unchecked will cause jealousy, anger and disharmony to occur which can lead to a terminal corps.
3. Lording Power 
“Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder andwitness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will ofGod; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:1-3)
This Salvation Army was founded upon a militant structure and sometimes we can get carried away with ourselves in places of leadership and authority. Many of us have heard story after story where, one who was entrusted with power and authority, has used it in very unbiblical ways to hurt others. I would hope that this is not the norm, but rather isolated incidents of worldly ambitions becoming visible to all.
Dear Soldier, be keenly aware of the pending dangers of authority and power. If you are or ever become entrusted with any kind of power – use it wisely and with every amount of Holiness that you can muster! What you say, how you lead, what you do – makes the world a difference! Although we have a militant structure, keep in mind who is the head of our army – it certainly isn’t me or you, or even the General – It is the King of kings and Lord of lords!! Be good leaders! Be kind leaders. Be wise leaders. Set a godly standard by exercising grace, love and hope.
2. Find Fault In Everything and Everyone!
“Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.” (Romans 14:1-2)
I have met some deeply cynical people in my day. Many were housed within the corps…these individuals could never be pleased no matter how hard one might try. No matter what took place, these individuals always saw the negative and very rarely the positive. After time, no one wanted anything to do with them, because bitterness tends to bleed into the very fabric of our corps buildings if we let it. 
This blazing fire that could consume your corps, is like that of gossip. It can invade and taint everything it touches. People become disillusioned by it because no matter how hard you try fault and imperfections are always seem instead.
Examples (just to name a few):
“Well Captain, the service is just too dry for my tastes…”
“That worship band plays too loudly and I hate that sort of music…”
“We’ve never done it that way before, and we’re not about to try!”
“That man in the back has been coming to our corps for three weeks and he smells…”
“I might stop coming to the corps because _______(name here)___ is still there and they are horrible people!”
Sometimes, these nay-sayers use the old phrase “This and better will do” to justify their salty – never satisfied – fault finding attitudes that they have. The problem isn’t everyone else, the problem stems from these individuals who can find nothing good to say…ever! Don’t the the corps burn to ground because of fault-finders and judgmental people!
1. Abdicate All Leadership and Responsibilities
“Let someone else do it!”
“I don’t have the time to come to corps programs and activities…”
Corps Officer – “So, who will lead adult Sunday School for the next three months?” (silence fills the space…no one volunteers even though there are many capable individuals in the room)
This Army isn’t fully functional until ALL capable members of our corps are engaged and serving! Officers – you cannot abdicate your calling and role in the corps! Soldiers, you cannot let or conceive that all things done in the corps is the sole responsibility of the officer!
If we want our corps to die – then never step up.
If we want to preach to empty pews during holiness meetings – then never lead.
We can die by not taking responsibility. We can allow stagnation to set in and wilt away as one generation dies and there is no one left to take their place.
If you suffer from self-esteem issues or you question if you’re good enough to lead – you can do it! You just need one person to believe in you. We all make mistakes, it comes with the territory of leadership. Being responsible means we own up to our victories and our failures…and then we keep going and we don’t quit simply because the going got tough. We need more soldiers and officers with backbones – there I’ve said it. It’s not a slam again those who are faithfully serving (Thank you for what you do both behind the scene and in front of everyone!)…we cannot afford to abdicate our authority and leadership IF this is where God has called us to! Be faithful in the good times AND in the not so good times! This Army needs you! It needs good leaders! It needs consistent, prayer driven leaders.
Wrapping it up.
So this is my top 5, it’s a primer…what’s yours?
Share with us your top 5 things that will kill any corps from your experiences!
Together, we can avoid these pitfalls!
Something more for the Army world to ponder today!
*Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent The Salvation Army’s thoughts and opinions, reader discretion is advised*
Dear Salvationist,
How does evangelism work?
Does the word “Evangelism” turn you off?
Does that word evoke in you some sort of imagery of phoniness and deceptive means to introduce people to Christ?
Is there a proven method to reaching people?
Is that what we’re called to do – to “reach people”?
What does “Evangelism” look like in our world today?
Obviously it differs from culture to culture.
You’ve seen them before in your neighborhood.
Is it dishonest to NOT answer the door when the Jehovah’s Witness knocks on it?
You keep telling yourself to be polite, yet you’re still in your pajamas and your hair is a mess, you can’t help but feel embarrassed and that your personal space is being invaded.
Have you been here before?
Most of us have.
Is this the proper way to evangelize?
Is there really a blueprint to evangelism?
Do you have to rehearse cue cards and scripture passages, until you’re polished and prepared to really “sell it”? Is that what evangelism is – selling a product, selling Jesus?
I don’t think so.
There’s something harsh these days about cold calling and neighborhood canvasing.
Don’t get me wrong, perhaps in some ways it can be successful…I’ve just never seem much evidence to that fact, instead quite the opposite. People are put off by it. Most want to have nothing to do with what “you’re selling”. I’m not proposing we stop evangelize, I just think that perhaps we’re going about it all wrong.
1. True Evangelism Happens Organically. 
Genuine evangelism happens naturally and because the sweet aroma of Christ is evident in our compassion for others. This isn’t a forced, “cold-call” or a cue card session. This is Christ being seen in us, spontaneous and real – no pretenses, no ulterior motivations, just a Christ-follower wanted others to experience the free of grace and love.
2. Relationship Building
True evangelism and even discipleship takes place when we care more about the person than we do a “pew-filling”. Relationship building costs more in us, perhaps that’s why people are less inclined to invest in relationships than they are in the door knocking type of evangelism. When we intentionally seek out people, befriending them, caring about them, showing up for them – we will see a deeper type of compassion and love in us. We will want to fully commit to sharing Christ. We will take the time to be the very reflection of Christ. Relationship building, to me, carries the most authenticity when it comes to evangelizing to people around us.
3. Coffee Shop/Bar Gimmicks
Pastor Offers “Free Prayer”…
I cringe at the word “Gimmick” but it means more than just phony pretenses and cold
Don’t be someone you’re not. Don’t be fake. Don’t put on a show – Jesus isn’t a show, or a facade, and I wonder sometimes how God-honoring some of these evangelistic methods truly are. Does God need us to sell Him to the masses? Is that what we do? Is that in the job description? I mean, sure, we need to be intentional, we need to care about others, but do we have to go door to door? Do we have to pass out tracts at a sporting event? – No. I think that REAL evangelism looks nothing like that – I think it can present itself as hateful instead…and people are so turned off by it, that no one pays attention to it.So what’s your groove?
Where has God led you?
How has He used you to bring others to Him?
What are your proven means to evangelism – not cold-calls and passing out tracts, but real, tangible relationship building, loving, caring compassionate, authentic evangelism?
Dear Salvation Army…what is your groove?
Dear Salvationist – Where is God leading you?
Who is He leading you to?
Something more for our Army world to ponder today.
Check out our latest pondercast entitled “Loneliness”
(Song used in this podcast is “Fight ‘Til the End” by Jack Savoretti)
Or Download here:
PonderCast – “Loneliness”
Thanks for listening, please, if you’re able to, share and subscribe!
These are some basic Questions that we as Christ-followers ought to ponder…also, I would really love to hear your answers! This is a safe place to ask and answer Please comment below or on this social media feed…let’s dialogue together!
“Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.” (1 Peter 3:15 The Living Bible)
1) What is Salvation & Stuff?
What does it mean to you?
How do you receive it?
Can you keep it – what does maintaining that salvation look like?
2) How do biblical texts apply to modern society today?
Do they still apply?
How do I know which ones still apply?
How to I pick and choose these?
3) Why does it appear that God is morbidly violent in the Old Testament, yet Jesus seems to be a pacifist in the New Testament? 
How do we reconcile the two if God and Christ are both a part of the Holy Trinity?
How to we reconcile deaths of children in the old testament when Jesus says “suffer the little children to come unto me” in the new testament?
What has changed from the old to the new?
4) How does free will affect my faith?
If God preordained all things, where does that leave us?
Does this mean I actually have free will or is it a selective type of free will?
If I have this free choice/free will does that mean God doesn’t know what I will choose?
5) Why do you believe? 
Is it because of your family or parents?
Is it because of your personal experiences in life?
How do you quantify your faith to those around you?
What makes your faith in Christ better or more tangible than other religions or faiths?
I look forward to your personal ponderings on these questions…
There is no dumb or wrong answers here…This is a safe place to question, to search and to help one another along this faith journey! So please, don’t hold back…let’s talk about it!
“We are sent to war. We are not sent to minister to a congregation and be content if we keep things going. We are sent to make war…and to stop short of nothing but the subjugation of the world to the sway of the Lord Jesus” (William Booth)
Dear Salvationists, allow me but a few minutes to ponder and dissect this quote by our Founder:
I understand this quote…I really do. 
In some ways it resonates with me.
I know that within our world there is a spiritual war that wages on for the souls of men, women and children.
I also have the understanding that for forces of darkness (Satan, demons, sin & death) are not (nor will they ever be) equal to the force of Light who is God – the Creator and sustainer of all life.
I agree with this quote…and yet I have trouble with it.
I agree that we are to engage in a spiritual war as soldiers – not of just an army formed by men and women from the 1860’s, but as an army called by God. We face opposition almost daily, and even when we wear the uniform (or because of it), we encounter resistance and even contempt. The spiritual war, which is unseen, is real…it is evident. This war has claimed millions of souls, and it will not cease simply by ignoring it.
I agree we are to wage this war.
I agree we fight for more than “good works”.
I agree that this army of salvation is here for more than just Sunday church services.
We are more than just a congregation.
“…We are not sent to minister to a congregation and be content if we keep things going…”
However, I wonder if this type language is insulting to churches around the world today?
I understand the context and time that this was written in. I’m not bashing the Founder, or disagreeing with our mission. I just wonder if these words apply more for the time in which General Booth lived than it does today? There was a certain segregation in the industrial age from the working class, the aristocrats, the poor. Even among the churches, in that era, the marginalized and poor were not being reached. Does this still happen today? Was this about bashing the contemporary church of Booth’s day or about rallying Salvationists into action? I believe it was the latter. I believe William & Catherine intentionally set out to do what needed to be done in their day and their mission and purpose certainly went beyond the perimeters of “Church”.
(Coincidentally, I wrote about this very topic last week entitled “Are we ‘Doing’ Church All Wrong?” and you can read more about that pondering by clicking that hyperlink. )
I wonder if we, as an Army are STILL fully committed to this war? 
I wonder if we’ve become lacks in some ways.
Is there still a fire in our hearts?
Are we still willing to wage to the very gates of hell for the lost and hurting?
Sometimes within the Church we (all of Christians) are so horrified when a drunkard walks into our sanctuaries…or someone who smells…or someone who is a criminal…or someone of ill-repute…yet, isn’t that what we the “Church” should be all about? It should never be about the disruption and the order of our services…after all, I believe even the Holy Spirit disrupts our services from time to time because He has something to share that our “order of service” didn’t squeeze in.
We are pretty good at dressing up our buildings. We make them look inviting. We spending millions of dollars on new edifices with beautiful plaques of dedication on them…but these places are still only buildings. They ought to invite everyone in. They ought to serve the purpose of saving souls…but that shouldn’t be all that we are..all that we do. We should never be static and firmly planted in just our buildings…we should be an Army on the move – working in our communities…going to the poor, the lost, the marginalized, those without hope…instead of waiting for them to come to us, which they never will.
“…and to stop short of nothing but the subjugation of the world to the sway of the Lord Jesus“
I know, dear Salvationist, that we are Christ’s hands and feet in our world, but does that mean that He needs our help to “subjugate” the world to the sway of Jesus? I know what Booth means here, but I have trouble with the language. I recognize our responsibilities and being Saved to Save, or Saved to Serve, but we also recognize that without the power of the Holy Spirit – nothing is possible. We are without power…and though we might claim certain victories in our own strength, we are never more powerful than when we call upon His presence to guide and to provide.
The world within the “sway” of the Lord – is the Lords work to be done – not ours. 
We, in my opinion, are called to obedience, and in that obedience we become pliable to God’s workings and will. It is a power surrogacy or sorts. We stop talking about our war plans, and our building plans, and our fund raising goals, and we listen to God’s battle plan and His redemptive power will surge through us so that the “sway of the world” has, and always will be His to command.
I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.…(John 17:15-17)
Something more for our Army world to ponder today.
To God be the glory!
Do you struggle with this fear of failure in your life? Check out this pondercast today, find some encouragement and let’s ponder this together! Also please subscribe, and share your ponderings with us! We want to hear from you!!
If you have something that you’ve been mulling over and pondering for a while, please let us know and we’ll attempt to ponder it here with you on a future episode!
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The PonderCast – “Fear of Failure”
We’ve been in our sermon series entitled “Stories” for about a month now, and today’s story is another great lesson for us to glean from the Bible! There are stories within these pages that tell of failures and success of God’s people. Today, we explore the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua – and their failure to capture the city of Ai.
Listen to our teaching today entitled “Getting ready to Fail”
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”
Sermon Notes – “Getting Ready To Fail”
For continued victory in life we must…
We sat there on a blood red double decker bus peering down into the street below. The amber glow of street lamps bending soft shadows onto the course pavement as shoppers arrive and depart rather infrequently.
It’s a quiet night as we peer from above. It seems tranquil, almost melancholy, ring a certain chord within my heart that makes me yearn to remain for a little while longer.
My eyes shift from the random shoppers regaling of their adventures and rejoicing in their store sales and paper bags with their prizes as proof of their successes…I shift my glance to the red bricked victorianesque shop quietly nestled into this all too tranquil street, like a shiny priceless pearl amongst the clams devoid of riches.
Somewhere within a shop owner pleasantly spreads a wisp of a smile as the glowing orange lamp light cast shadows of yet another patron searching for unique wares within this pearl. They exchange glances, the owner nods politely as the new shopper examines the “maybes” and the “I need these” purposely priced and placed on retro 1950’s shelves. It speaks of a different era, a much simpler time…oh how we have complicated things since then, thus this store pulls its patrons into a time machine of sorts, striking that chord and halting the insanely fast paced life we are all so victimized by and accustomed to.
I see all of this from our double decker bus within my mind and I long for simpler times. I yearn to bring it all to a screeching halt. All of the “to dos”, all the appointments. All of the deadlines. All of the traffic jams and blaring horns. I want it all to stop…and for a moment it has as I stare out into a space where time stands still. And in this moment, I breathe, I exhale and I am found again.
Now I hope I can find him again as I step back into life and out of this street.
Pastor's Ponderings 