General William Booth’s last words were “Others”.
Give this podcast a listen today “Others” Podcast
May we be continually challenged by the Holy Spirit to serve others and share the good news of Salvation with them where ever we go!
Dear Salvationists, dear fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ…
let me ask you two questions –
Is there a cost to discipleship?
Are we called to make sacrifices?
The answer to both of these questions is “Yes”.
Check out our latest “Ponder Cast” – #9 “Setting Our Sights”
Please share our Ponder Casts, and also please subscribe!
Our Scripture Focus today is:
Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the [a]air have [b]nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Let me be vulnerable with you for a moment.
We have a son who struggles with disabilities.
He has some severe educational challenges coupled with ADHD.
One might say, “oh, well they have medication for that kind of thing”…and you’re right, but did you know that usually when providing medications for ADHD it’s a crap-shoot as to what will ACTUALLY work? Did you also know that there are some severe side-effects to these medications? Some even have long term effects that only exhibit themselves later in life through health problems. Our son has always been extremely sensitive to medication. We tried some of the ADHD medications, one made our son as high as a kite. Another led our son to have extreme bouts of anxiety that forced us to consult a counselor.
He’s a great kid. He’s extremely creative, and he’s also very sensitive about it even if he doesn’t let on that he is. He also privately suffers from anxiety and depression because of it.
I don’t say this to make you feel sorry for us, I just want you to understand what I’m about to say.
One moment in particular still strikes the protective parent chord in me. We were attending a required army event. We were all at this meeting including our son. You have to understand that children with ADHD have difficulty sitting still for prolonged periods of time…it gets better with age, but it does take a. lot. of. time. Anyway, back to the meeting. There wasn’t a youth track for this event, and so all of the families were to sit through a three hour meeting…in ADHD time this is the equivalent of a year sitting in an uncomfortable chair.
Our son became rowdy and restless even with various distractions provided for him. Finally, after another restless shuffle in a metal chair and a very loud exhale of frustrated breath, a soldier seated in front of us turns around and looked at us and our son with daggers in her eyes and a dirty look on her face. Not a word was said, but words weren’t needed, we knew what she wanted to convey to us and we weren’t all too happy about the situation either. It was at this point that we took our son out of the meeting despite the “required” attendance. I wish I could say that this was the first time this has happened…it wasn’t. I also wish I could say that it will never happened again…I can’t. We struggle. It’s not easy. Perhaps some of you out there with kids who struggle with ADHD and/or other special circumstances can relate and understand.
Give Special Needs Kids A Break! 
Churches and Corps should be sensitive to families who have children with special needs. Don’t just assume anything. Please don’t judge or condemn. If you happen to have new families come and visit your corps building who have kids who seem disruptive please don’t automatically judge them and assume that their parents don’t know how to control them. Please respond with compassion and care. Perhaps help if you can. Some parents would really welcome the help…trust me on this. Please don’t lecture us either, we are trying, we really are!
Our current corps has a child who attends with his family who is autistic.
His father really, really tries. He’s a single father…and he needs a break.
This child might not fully understand what he does, but he knows that he is loved in our corps.
He might be disruptive from time to time, but our corps members help out with this child.
Are there any churches who are completely capable to handle special needs children? I doubt there are many…but there are many patient, and compassionate soldiers and church members out there who could help, and usually do help.
So What?
Why do I write this today?
What’s my point?
My point is this:
Don’t judge or presume to know what parents with special needs kids are going through if you yourself haven’t been there. Perhaps instead of judging, which takes much less of a concerted effort, you could help. Try to be compassionate and understanding. Yes, we go to church to listen to the message and get blessed but so do these parents who have special needs kids, and most of the time they only get half of a service. Church is not only about the message and “getting blessed” it’s also about being the hands and feet of Christ. It’s also about being a united community helping one another along in the faith.
So I guess what I’m saying is be aware of kids who might have special needs.
Don’t just pigeon hole them and label them as disruptive, disrespectful children.
They need our understanding…and so do their parents.
Give them a break!
Something more to ponder today!
Here are some links to check out:
Church helps Special needs
Additional Helps
Sometimes I wonder if Church, the way it is right now, is the way Christ intended it to be. What I mean is, over time the early “Christians” met in houses and broke bread together, sang some songs of praise and prayed together…but soon the incorporation of “things” and “elements” within those worship settings were added. These things and elements aren’t a bad thing, but what if those things and elements begin to shape our worship so much so that now we have actually lost some of what “Church” was supposed to be in the first place? What if Church has become so mainstream and so institutionalized that we have lost some of its initial significance and power?
Ear Phones, Tangles & Church
If you’re anything like me you probably have some of these:
lying around your home.
They are really pesky to keep straightened out.
They can become easily tangled by just putting them down on the kitchen counter or in the dreaded pocket of your jeans. Undoing the tangles on these earbuds is a necessity in order to use them properly. If we allow them to remain tangled or if we yank them apart in frustration we will most likely break them.
This simple illustration is kind of how I see the Church today.
We’re often times just a big, frustrating tangled mess.
We have allowed some elements and even the institutionalization of the Church to become so embroiled in complications, rituals and non-biblical traditions that these sacred cows have entangled us and restrained us from experiencing what true “Church” is all about.
We think that everything points to what we do on Sunday morning in our very rigid “bulletin” format.
We think that what we do in these elements is what matters most…but if nothing translates from ritual to spiritual disciplines and real life application in our lives, then it is all for naught.
So…perhaps instead of tightening our rigid formats in worship we need to undo them.
Perhaps part of the dwindling attendances on Sundays has less to do with “worship styles” and “cultural distractions” and more to do with our complicated worship practices and formats.
I am not saying that we toss the baby out with the bath water…but perhaps the bath water is tired, dirty and cold, if you know what I mean. Why do we do what we do on Sundays? Is it because that’s the way we’ve always done it? Is it because this is what feels comfortable to us? Is it because we’re mandated by the powers that be to conduct our services this way? Are we so tangled up in complicated knots that we wouldn’t even want our families who don’t go to church to come to our services?
4 Ways we miss the mark:
1. Beating the same, tired, broken drum. 
I won’t beat up on traditional music, there is still a place for it.
Music is vital, but it is not our focal point in worship. It ought to lead the worshiper towards what God is saying…it should never be a performance to show off the talents of the few. The drum we beat that is tired and old actually lies in our format of worship. There is this sort of rigid format that we follow every Sunday where we always have the message at the end, and before that we sing a song, and before that we have the bible reading…and so on. It’s a worn and beaten path. It gets old. It’s a tired and broken drum. Sometimes I believe we lose the significance of our worship if we don’t change things up. I believe that we can lose new comers, not because of the content of our service, but because of how we – the long timers – respond to it in our own hearts and expression. If the drum is broken, if worship is mundane and uninteresting, if we just keep plodding along like a tired mule on a familiar path, then, perhaps it’s time to change.
We also miss the mark many times because –
2. We fear change so we lag behind
We don’t want to upset the apple cart.
We don’t want to “break with tradition” even when “tradition” has nothing to do with the true origins of Christian worship. So, because of this fear of changing, we drag our feet for as long as possible. This is just one more rung in the clumpy, tangled mess of the church. Sometimes it’s not so much culture that is prodding us to change and adapt, but it is the Holy Spirit who is doing the prodding. Even then, the steeped traditions and tired drums keep being played without so much as a cadence change. Our fear of change as a body of believers might be the death of us. I might receive some negative criticism for this, but I believe it doesn’t make it less true. I have said it before and I will say it again that I despise the phrase “We have never done it that way before” …which sometimes translates as “We’re not about to try either!”
Perhaps, in the undoing of church, we ought to be less fearful of change and more fearful of not changing and adapting as the Lord leads us.
3. We fear change in our church because of what denominational leaders might think 
Dare I say that “undoing the church” isn’t only about addressing the fear of change, but it is also about addressing this misguided notion about fear of what institutional and denominational leadership might think. I am not advocating anarchy or rebellion against leadership, in fact, for the most part, God has placed leaders in those positions for specific tasks and they should be honored and respected…but…if we spend so much time pleasing our leaders and worrying about what THEY will think or say, I believe we will have lost our way and will have only added to the tangled mess that is the church today. Yes, denominational leaders set the vision and motivation for the churches but we in those churches must meet the communities in which we live. We must be innovators of the Word of God. We must please God and fear Him above all else. We must move when He asks us to move. We must change when He prods us to adjust.
4. Our focus is inward instead of outward
Another way in which we miss the mark is the internal focus of our mission.
We, as a church, can become so internally focused that we lose the great commission unless it means the “lost” come to our doors. I find this inward focus to be extremely entangling and detrimental to our mission as a church! We must be welcoming of new comers to our worship services, while at the same time be community focused and attempting to serve the needs of others. Sometimes, when our church has been a long-time established we can have this air about us…that we are “amazing” and think “why wouldn’t people want to come to us?“; or even ask condescendingly (God forbid we ever say this) “well those people really wouldn’t fit in here!” Do cliques occur in church? I wish I could say “no” but as sure as they exist in schools, they are in church as well! Sometimes these cliques are inclusive of new members and many times (without saying so) they are not. We miss the mark of true “Church” when we lose the love of the “outsiders” and instead insulate ourselves inside our own glass bubbles.
If we are to “undo” Church, we will need to adjust these issues, and untangle our hearts.
Perhaps we must revamp our worship services even though we fear change.
Perhaps we must question why we do the things we do and what real significance they actually play in leading others to Christ and into a deeper relationship with Him! If we beat the same drum and refuse to undo church, we could face church extinction…I don’t say that as a threat, it’s just simply the truth…and sometimes the truth hurts.
Something more to ponder today!
God bless you!
I am drawn to this vital topic like a bug to a floodlight.
It speaks intimately to my heart.
This topic hits me directly, and at times I am found wanting and in need of some fixing.
Our First Flock.
As a pastor and officer of The Salvation Army there is a lot that goes on in our ministries.
We are busy people and everyone is in need of our time, advice, and shepherding.
Sometimes it can take a toll on your life if you do not take time to replenish and rest.
I am not saying disconnect yourself from the flock, but find intentional times when you can simply get away and rest. Pastoring is not easy. It has its blessings and is certainly fulfilling when lives are touched and transformed…but the pastor’s life is also like having a big red target painted on you as well. If something should happen to go wrong in the church – blame the pastor…if sin is confronted (appropriately and biblically with grace) and some people choose to leave the church because of it – it’s the pastor’s fault that numbers are now down on Sundays. There are times when the flock will take out its pain and distress on the pastor.
Be aware that despite perceived successes and failures in ministries that you have been called not by the deacon or by a supervisor or by a divisional/territorial leader – but firstly and most importantly – you have been called by God. Be faithful to that calling above everything else.
With that clearly said, let me poke at a sensitive topic in my life and I’m sure yours as well.
Your Immediate Family – Is Your First Flock!
Yesterday, I took my boys out to camp.
We are in the process of moving and currently our time is predominately occupied with boxes, transportation logistics, writing farewell briefs…in other words our house has currently been turned upside down. Honestly, I haven’t been thinking much about what my boys might be going through in all of this. I have been so consumed with packing and cleaning and preparing that my children have sort of been forgotten.
Anyway back to camping.
We left the house, got into the van and pulled out of town as we headed out to our divisional Salvation Army camp. (It’s about an hour and a half from our house) That night on the way (I had already packed our fishing poles) I bought some worms and as soon as we arrived at camp we headed straight for the lake. The sun was just setting as a few fire blazed clouds floated through the sky…it was a perfect evening. As I sat there on the dock, by the lake, some of the stresses and concerns just seemed to melt away. I looked over at my boys as they disturbed the tranquil waters with lines baited with worms and neon bobbers, and my heart just swelled with a feeling a love for them. Momentarily, in the midst of all of our pastorly duties, responsibilities, frustrations AND PACKING, we had begun to starve our first flock – our kids. I had been guilty of neglecting their feelings, their concerns, even their spiritual well being. Sitting there on that dock fishing and talking with them about life and what was happening in school, I reconnected with my first flock. I reconnected with my heart again…not that I don’t minister as an Officer with my heart, but when there is a disjunctive note at home, the heart can not fully be in tune. That moment fishing with my boys is something that I will always cherish…and I don’t want to miss out on any other moments that I have with them. I don’t want to starve my first flock anymore.
Before you became a pastor and was given the responsibility of tending the church flock, you had a family as well (at least most of you do, I would imagine). If you are raising children and have a spouse – you cannot neglect this first flock!
Some might argue that we shouldn’t differentiate between the flock at church and the flock at home, but I disagree. After all, for the most part, the flock at church doesn’t live in your house. They are not as intimately acquainted with you as your family is. These important people in your life need to know that they matter to you! If you hole up in your office for 60 hours a week and they hardly ever see you, perhaps it’s time to reorganize your priorities. Perhaps it’s time to get your heart back in tune again. Your first flock needs you! It’s not an ego trip to say that they need you…you aren’t superman or superwoman, but your kids deserve to have a Mom and a Dad who are physically there for them. They deserve to know you care for them, that you take time for them, that you want to be there when they achieve certain milestones in life.
Don’t starve your first flock!
You only have about eighteen years to feed this first flock the appropriate spiritual and physical nourishment that they will need to live godly lives. Don’t neglect this time! Don’t regret not doing enough. Don’t count solely of Sunday School teachers and other mentors to do your job. These instrumental people are a support to the family, but they are not the parents that your children need. Don’t starve your first flock!
Something more to ponder today!
To God be the glory!
A new Ponder Cast is up entitled (here is the hyperlink) “Getting Over It” check it out!
Do you still harbor anger and bitterness towards someone?
Have you ever been hurt by people and you have struggled to forgive let alone let go?
Jesus asks us to forgive our enemies.
Could it be that in our forgiving others we release the burdens and the baggage in our own lives that we have held onto for far too long? I believe that forgiveness is the start of living again. It is when we do not harbor the ugly bitterness and rage that God can begin to fill us once again with something beautiful. Are you prepared to get over it?
Dear Salvationists this applies for all of us today!
We cannot be a functioning Army for the Lord while holding grudges and struggling with unforgiveness in our hearts. We must seek reconciliation, we have to get over it so that we can move on!
Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.“
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Dear Bitterness (a poem)
I’ve journeyed with you too long my friend
You have eaten too much of my soul
With great energy I labored on
and you were always a burden on me.
I’ve journey with your icy stare
your knives as sharp as razor blades
I never knew how deep they cut
Nor how long I’ve harbored this rage
I’ve journeyed with your heavy weight
that forced me ever to my knees
I’ve feasted on your bitter roots
my sanguine meal both night and day.
But I’m finally ready.
I’m ready to let this go.
I’m ready to say goodbye
I don’t need you anymore
I’ve clutched too tightly onto this
it has killed my soul
It has poisoned my heart
It has held me back for far too long…
Dear bitterness…you don’t own me anymore
I am no longer your prisoner
I am no longer your whipping boy
And so I say farewell
I choose to forgive
I choose grace
I choose to be free.
Something more to ponder today!
Please subscribe to our ponder cast, and share it with your friends!
God Bless you today!
Discipleship leads to holiness.
Holiness is the intentional shift from self to becoming the very reflection of Christ.
If we are to hear the Holy Spirit’s prompting in our lives we need to be discipled into a deeper faith.
The Problem:
There are a lot of baby Christians who have never taken the next step.
Some have decided, whether because of low self esteem or doubts in the possibility of their personal growth, that this is as good as it gets. Some simply get saved and maintain the same level of commitment to Christ. It might not be intentional, as I’ve already stated, it might be because they just aren’t convinced growth is possible for them. Sometimes relinquishing perceived “freedom” is the issue. If the new convert were to commit further they fear they would lose their personal identities or have to give up the things they love to do the most in life.
The Question:
Is Your Corps Designed To Disciple?
I don’t mean is your corps prepared to add another program to its already extremely bloated schedule.
I mean, is it remotely possible that discipleship and/or mentoring younger Christians can happen today in your corps? Are there older Christians who are mature in their faith who can take younger soldiers under their wing? Are we actually serious about training the next generation of Soldiers to become the leaders of our corps…not only to become leaders but to be properly equipped Disciples of Christ?
We are good at talking about discipleship, but do we really know how to disciple?
Sure, it looks great on paper. It tickles the ears of our leadership at DHQ…but are we actually serious about it?
The questions that always trip us up:
Who will teach?
How much time will it take away from our other ministries?
Will it make a difference?
Are we equipped to disciple?
Where do we even begin?
Attached are a few resource links to check out:
Click to access Discipleship%20Handbook-Instructor.1.pdf
Making a Disciple
How To Disciple
What is Discipleship?
Don’t be afraid to keep it simple…we don’t need to over complicate things when it comes to discipling our soldiers and adherents. It’s not that they won’t understand these things, it’s just that by keeping it simple and practical we will show our soldiers and adherents that discipleship is possible!
Discipleship makes holiness possible.
If we have better equipped soldiers in our corps wehave a stronger corps.
If we have committed disciples who are in turn discipling others, we will be laying a firm foundation for the next generation to follow! 
3 Steps To Help Your Corps Disciple:
1. Be in Prayer!
Emphasize prayer for your corps family.
Don’t neglect this vital tool.
Pray in your own personal time with the Lord about discipling and who to disciple.
2. Listen!
Don’t just talk to God, listen to Him.
Hear what He is saying. Listen to those in your corps as well. Hear their needs. Hear the promptings of the Spirit to help you mentor those who need mentoring. When we stop talking and start listening we will find that God has already put people in our path who need discipling.
3. Teach!
I don’t just mean opening up a book.
I mean lead by example.
Take a member of your corps out for coffee.
Spend time with them and share with them the principles of Christian living.
There are numerous resources out there that you can use. There are some wonderful workbooks…BUT KEEP IT SIMPLE! There is no need to inundate your people with overly complicated homework and requirements. Don’t make it a classroom, make it life.
Don’t make it another corps program to attend, make it feel like home as you attempt to lead your corps members into a deeper, more substantive faith in Christ.
Is your corps designed to disciple?
If it is, will you comment on this article and tell us how your corps does it?
If your corps doesn’t, will you also indicate this in the form of a comment?
All questions are welcome, and we can explore the answers together!
Something more for our Army world to ponder today!
To God be the glory!
Dear Salvationists and Friends,
Sometimes we say phrases that perhaps just roll of the tongue.
Sometimes there isn’t much meaning behind them.
It’s more of a cordial welcome phrase “hello how are you” and we never expect much back from the recipient other than “I am fine, thanks!”
Have we ever truly thought about the phrases that we say…I mean really?
Is the phrase – “Everything happens for a reason” really true in all aspects of life?
I recently wrote about this phrase and three others that you can read here: Christian Phrases That We Should Stop Saying
It was also recently featured on Salvationist.ca
Give this Ponder Cast #7 Click here a listen, please subscribe and share it with your friends!
To God be the glory!
I recall how aggressive and proactive our Founder William Booth was when it came to the Ministry of The Salvation Army. In early days, it was recommended that if the corps was not producing, then it should be shut down and our efforts must be applied elsewhere.
This got me thinking.
Do we consistently pour resources, time, effort into ministries that are already dead on arrival?
Are we so organizationally stubborn or reluctant to pull up the rug and move on?
This sounds callous of me, I know.
I also realize the ramifications it could have on families and individuals dependent upon our services.
BUT…with fields ripe in other places, could our habits of holiness and mission be shunted by lack of courage to close one corps and open others? OR have we become so fundamentally stuck in the mud of being an organization that we are now incapable (by and large) of shutting down broken, financially devastated, unsustainable corps? I realize this is a sensitive topic, when some people look at certain corps with historical romantic lenses on and only see “what was”…but is being sentimental – detrimental to the forward progress of need and mission?
With that in mind, and with our focus upon corps today, I would like to explore the healthy habits.
This should help us better define our corps, its success in ministry and provide us vitals to its future.
What does a healthy corps look like?
What are they doing differently?
Is MY corps healthy?
4 Habits Of Healthy Corps:
1. Prayer is at the forefront, not the background.
“Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a goodly Christian weapon.” -Martin Luther
Prayer is not a last resort but a first response.
If a corps longs to be healthy, its corps members and leaders have to be on their knees in prayer.
It is in this act of humility and petition that we can become sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is more than just offering a wish list to God. Prayer is also more than just asking God to heal our friends and loved ones in their times of health concerns. Prayer is the vital connection between humanity and our Divine God. It is the spark plug of fellowship between believers as well. Without prayer we lose the connection and the conversations with God. He longs to connect with us both personally and corporately.
Have we begun to decline in corps attendances and in our fervor and mission because we have forgotten how to pray? Are prayer meetings still a scheduled “thing” in our corps? I believe that there is a direct correlation between dying corps and the death of the prayer meeting.
I can recall the prayer meetings that took place before Sunday Services. It was specific, set aside time, when the local officers and the corps officers would gather, sometimes as they held hands and prayed for people, and for the Holy Spirit to fall afresh. Are we missing this in our corps’ today? Is prayer at the forefront or is it in the background?
2. A Healthy Corps Has Ministries & Programs That Are Relevant To Its Community Needs.
I understand that there are some tired, old programs that just need to be retired. 
I don’t say that with any trace of cynicism or disdain, but rather, with a sense of concern. Sometimes we still believe that some of the old methods of programming we did in the 1960’s will still be relevant and applicable to today. No doubt, the message of Christ will never change but the method of delivery has to. Culturally speaking things have changed since the 1960’s. I hold nothing against that era by any means, but we can’t live there anymore. We have to progress. We have to, at times, change our methods.
There will always be some who will argue that we shouldn’t search to be relevant, but if we love people…if we wish to connect with this modern generation, many who are unchurched all together, then we have to adjust our methods and our programming.
What are the needs of people in your community?
What is it that no one else is doing or is capable of doing in your community?
Could your corps be that “all things to all people” type of ministry?
We have to adjust.
We have to modify, while we uphold the sacred integrity of the good news of Christ.
Healthy Corps are doing this.
Healthy Corps are doing more than just surviving week to week on tired old programming.
Perhaps, if you see your corps as “not quite healthy”, it could be time to take a step out of the mundane, “same ole” routine and give your ministries a shot of adrenaline.
3. A Healthy Corps Has Godly Leaders Who Are Developing Future Leaders
(Active Discipleship)
Is there a drive to develop future leaders in your corps?
It could be through Corps Cadets classes, it could be through other one on one methods…but there ought to be a push to develop the future of leadership within your corps RIGHT NOW! I don’t wish to alarm you, but many of our present corps are dying out. Many of our currently “healthy corps” are in actually one generation away from being put on life support. Where are the future local officers? Where are the future corps officers? How are we seeking to cultivate those gifts in younger generations? It’s not overly complicated. You don’t need a Phd in education to lead someone and mentor them, you just need to be available and giving of your time.
If you are a leader right now in your corps, you have the utmost responsibility to recruit your replacement and to disciple them. Don’t wait for the Corps Officer to do this, you do it. We cannot just wait for someone else to do what we are all called, as leaders to do. A healthy corps has godly leaders who are developing future leaders. Are you available?
Are you willing to begin this if you haven’t already?
4. A Healthy Corps Is Attractive And People Linger & Fellowship
Here is where the first 3 habits trickle down to this last habit.
This last habit is more of a response to what is already happening in a healthy corps.
When fellowship is GOOD, people linger in its presence.
We’ve probably seen this after Sunday services from time to time.
People just want to continue “hanging out” with each other.
The fellowship of believers ought to be sweet…but sometimes it’s just plain sour.
There are, unfortunately, sometimes corps members who have bickered with each other for years and as soon as the last “amens” are said in church they march right out the door so that they do not have to be in the same room with their “enemy” who just so happens to attend the same corps. REALLY? Again, dear soldiers, this ought not be! If we want desire to have a healthy corps, we have to seek reconciliation with those who are supposed to be our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
A healthy corps offers time to linger within one another’s fellowship.
It is a safe place to share with each other what is really going on in their lives.
The sweet aroma of this kind of fellowship is extremely attractive to those seeking Christ and a church to belong to.
Does your corps have a sweet aroma or a sour smell?
These are just four habits of a healthy corps…there are many more.
This is a mere primer to a larger topic of Christian living and corps health in our Army.
Is Your Corps Healthy?
Something more to ponder today.
To God be the glory!
Let me first clarify,
I am not calling us (The Salvation Army) “The Church of the Hyprocrites”…but sometimes if the shoe fits.
What I am pondering today is whether or not we can fall into this category from time to time without even realizing it. Perhaps it manifests itself in us when a new visitor attends our corps and we immediately judge them on the merits of what they wear or how they act or don’t act. Perhaps we become the hypocrite in the way that we treat each other or how we talk about one another behind their backs. Perhaps being a hypocrite isn’t as simple as “those people” after all. Maybe, just maybe we find ourselves being a hypocrite more often then we at first realized.
Let me first talk to the hypocrite in us all (if we dare to EVER admit that we struggle with this…I should say I am first talking to the hypocrite in ME before I talk to you)…
DEAR HYPOCRITE:
You are destroying the fellowship of believers.
Your words and practices are not always in step with each other.
You say one thing and expect others to follow those commands, while at the same time you are not living up to those expectations either. Stop living this lie! Other DO see you! You are visible to other believers and would be believers. If you want to see this church plateau in its growth, in its fruit of the spirit, in its spiritual nourishment, just keep doing what you’re doing, because soon enough you will see its demise. If you can’t practice what you preach then how can you expect others to do it? If you don’t care about anyone other than how they appear and how they measure up, then you don’t really care at all. Stop judging. Stop playing the role of judge, jury and executioner. This was never your role. This was never yours to command in the first place. The Church of Hypocrites needs to die a fast, sudden death! It cannot continue to flourish. It has existed for far too long within the fellowship of believers. Call it the remnants of sin, call it unforgiveness, call it what you want…but it needs to die! We cannot thrive, we cannot survive like this anymore!
To The Victims of Hypocrisy
Forgive me when I have judged you.
Forgive them when the church of the hypocrites have wronged you.
You have a reason to be angry.
You have every excuse to retaliate.
You have every excuse to walk away and quite your search of godly people.
But don’t.
In your forgiveness, please be the example of Christ that we have failed to be.
Please show us the error of our ways by how you do not return that spite!
Please rise above this.
Please try to see us as fallen too.
Dear Salvation Army,
We cannot ever tolerate the Church of the Hypocrites.
We cannot allow this to exist among our ranks.
There are no favorites in these ranks.
There are no exceptions.
We cannot pursue both Holiness and Hypocrisy.
We cannot thrive with this poison in our veins.
There is not place for it in our corps, or in our halls, or in our offices.
Micah 6:8 Says;
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.“
We can never love mercy and walk humbly with our God when we are better than others.
We can never exist humbly in fellowship with God if we wrong our brother and sister in Christ.
We can never be a holy Soldier for Him while wearing our uniforms and judge others by our human standards.
Dear Soldiers of the faith,
We were never called to be the Church of the Hypocrites, nor allow it to remain within our ranks.
It begins in my heart.
It begins in your heart.
From there we can change.
From there we can eradicate this blight on the soul.
From there we can change this Army from the inside out.
The real question is, are we willing to?
Something more for this Army to ponder today.
To God be the glory!
Pastor's Ponderings 