Dear Salvation Army, What’s The Reason For The Holiness Table?

Why do we have this large table in the front of our sanctuaries? What is it for? Is it for decoration? Is it to accompany the old modesty rails? What purpose does it serve?

Have you ever wondered these questions? -So have I!
So I pondered on this, I did a little digging…and here’s what I know:

Phoebe Palmer’s “Altar Theology”

Sometimes we see the term “theology” and automatically stop paying attention because some theologies are either so convoluted and dry or they are way too complicated. Palmer’s Altar Theology is neither. In fact, it is the very life-blood which gave birth to The Salvation Army’s Holiness theology. Much of who we are, theologically, can be traced to the turn of the century Holiness/Higher Life Movements. These evangelists, Palmer being a major contributor, incorporated a major focal point in their service: a call to take a stand, come forward to the Holiness Altar and receive the second blessing, i.e. Entire Sanctification. This was less a place of kneeling (like our modern day Altar) and more a place to literally take a stand and receive this second blessing.

A lot has changed since the days of Palmer, yet this Holiness table still remains, but predominantly in the United States and England.

Is The Holiness Table Just A Relic Now?
Few understand its significance anymore.
Very little is taught on it. Is it still important to the Army, or is it just a relic of a bygone era?
This table has now become a place to put flowers, where the offering plates most likely reside, and perhaps a very large Bible with illustrated pictures. Have we lost some of our understanding of Holiness because we no longer understand what a Holiness Table is for?

Major Phil Davisson, author of Revelation: A non-scary approach Volume 1 put it this way when I asked him about the Holiness Table;
“We should teach about holiness but emphasize Coutts (General Frederick Coutts) more…The table itself has had little resonance because it has become a display table, and because no one–neither soldiers nor officers–have a very deep experiential knowledge of holiness living, and have been put off by second-blessing / second work of grace confusions…” Could it be that our lack of teaching is to blame for its near extinction?

Major Jim Garrington recently told me that he himself has given little to no thought of the Holiness Table itself and stresses the education of our soldiers as a must have in worship. If we are to use it, our soldiers ought to know what is going on. He went on to say that he is more interested in the outcomes and less the methodology of getting there. I would tend to agree with Major Garrington, as well as the thoughts of Major Davisson.

Am I making too much of this modern day center piece?
I requested more information from other scholars and historians of The Salvation Army and very few responded to my requests, which makes me wonder even more as to its perceived relevance in our modern worship and/or even historian’s understanding of such an item. Perhaps it is understood that the Altar (mercy seat) has, in some way, taken the place of the Holiness table as the site of repentance and commitment (or re-commitment to Christ)…but what of the Holiness table then? Has it become a sacred cow of sorts? A glorified decoration table?

Steve Simms, author of Beyond Church: The Lost Word Of The Bible – Ekklesia, is also a faithful Soldier with the rank of Sargent (Envoy) in the Nashville Tennessee area; I asked Steve his take on the Holiness Table, its significance in our Army today. Here’s what he said; “Personally I believe the holiness table was “sacramental” for the early Salvationists (in the best sense of the word). It was a physical object (location) that they could approach to help them release their faith beyond their physical environment and circumstances and touch the supernatural presence of the living, resurrected Jesus…Thus, the table itself is not the goal. The goal is to go beyond the table, encounter, and surrender to the living Jesus…Although the early Salvationists set aside the official sacraments of church, they (unintentionally, I believe) raised other things to the level of sacraments. Truth is, sacramental objects and/or actions are not supposed to be the center of attention. Their purpose is merely to lift our attention beyond our natural surroundings and focus it on the real presence of the living Christ. Once we are enthralled in the presence of Jesus, those things fade into the background. (examples of things treated like sacraments in TSA are the holiness table, the uniform, the soldier’s covenant, and various ceremonies we conduct.”

Steve raises an excellent point here as well!
Perhaps in exploring and even maintaining the Holiness Table we have inadvertently made it a sacramental item – and something it was never intended to be. Also, Garrington’s point is further solidified by Simms, in that it was never about the object, or in this case, the furniture in our worship halls – it is, and always should be, about the very presence of God living amongst His people. The outcome of worship, and every element within, should point to a glorified Christ preparing us to be like Him in every way!

Steve Bussey, who wrote an extensive article on the History of the Holiness Table entitled Discovering The Origin of the Holiness Table , and with whom I hope to interview next time, writes this at the end of his article that I believe summarizes where I believe we stand currently, “General Paul Radar is quoted Nigel Bovey in The Mercy Seat Revisited (2010) as saying, “The presence of the Holiness Table is a constant reminder of the central importance of the holiness of heart in the life of our Movement – a reminder that we are and must be a holiness movement. Ours is a gospel of Blood and Fire!” (p.90)

Army Ponderings Continued…
I do not believe we have finished this discussion, I believe we have only just begun.
Next time, I will have some additional contributors as we delve further into this topic.
But for now here are somethings to ponder:
* Is the Holiness Table still significant in modern worship?
* Do we inadvertently make certain objects and practices into our own sacraments – even though we perceive ourselves to be non-sacramentalists?
* Should we educate our soldiers and officers more about the Holiness Table and perhaps even reconsider our Holiness Approach and make more of an effort to circulate more of General Coutt’s ‘take’ on holiness?
* Where do we go from here? Do we remove the Holiness Tables from our halls if they have become decorating tables? Or do we overlook this so that our outcomes and focal point is always Christ?

Something more for our Army world to ponder today!
For more reading on this subject, please check out these sources:
Discovering the Origin of The Holiness Table – By Steve Bussey
Called to be God’s People – by Robert Street
Articles & Blog – by Steve Simms
Phoebe Palmer’s Altar Theology – by Lampstand Restoration
Phoebe Palmer History – by Barbara A. Howie

October 11, 2016 5

Holiness – The Only Prescription!

“…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:14

The Doctor’s Visit:
Suppose I had an ailment that could only be cured by going to the doctor on a regular basis. Now, suppose after my very first visit (which was fantastic and successful) I believed myself cured and instead of taking the doctor’s advice, I left and never came back…how foolish would I be? I felt great for a short time, but soon enough, my symptoms returned and I was right back where I began. You might say that I should have taken the doctor’s advice, and followed through with my treatment plan. You might also say, that I was stubborn and foolish.

The RX Application:
This is how Holiness should be to a Christ-follower!
God has prescribed to us the perfect example by which we should live – His Son Jesus Christ.

But you see, I don’t believe that Salvation is the end of this spiritual journey, instead it is only the beginning! Once we accept Christ in our lives and believe He saved and redeemed us from sin and death, we are essentially at the very first appointment at the doctor’s office! We still struggle. We still need help. We can still fall into temptation!

Christ’s prescription to us? A daily/moment by moment conversation with Him. The more we visit with Him, the more we begin to reflect who He is in our lives. Our goal (and the simple definition of Holiness) is to become like Him in every way day by day – by taking His prescription for life! Without it, we will be like the patient (me…) leaving the doctor’s office the very first time and not following his treatment plan!

Salvation is just the first dose and Holiness is the cure!
Something more to ponder today!

October 5, 2016 0

5 Indicators of a Rotting Church

“The Church right now has more fashion than passion, is more pathetic than prophetic, is more superficial than supernatural.”
― Leonard Ravenhill, Revival God’s Way

I believe that the Church is truly in trouble in the Western world.
It is not one organization or singular church but Christianity as a whole.
I do not want to sound like another alarmist or crackpot spewing lists to indicate an end of days, but I do want to cast some light into what many would deem the foundational crumbling of the Church. What are some indicators? What would some of the symptoms be of a dying and decaying church?

Here are a five indicators of a rotting church:

5. Professional Preachers
“You can have all the doctrines right, yet still not have the presence of God” -Leonard Ravenhill
We see the flashy, eloquent preacher on television and we demand that our churchs hire preachers like that…or we long to change how our “performance” at the pulpit is executed. I wonder if Jesus encountered flashy pharisees in His day? If He did Jesus certainly didn’t have many nice things to say about them. Rather, Jesus called those religious people who prayed outloud in the streets “actors” and “hyprocites”. We can have the most professional preachers in our pulpits, but if there is no substastantive message of conviction, salvation and holiness, it is all meaningless.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3

Preachers, this is no excuse to go to the pulpit unprepared and unstudied, no! Instead, we must prepare harder, study more intently and lead with self-conviction and prayer! We dont’ need any more prosperity preachers. No more fluff and phoney messages with very little substance of the spiritual journey that we are all called to walk.

A Strong indicator of rot comes directly from those we have in our pulpits and those we choose to listen to on a weekly basis.

4. No Hunger For Scripture
With professional preachers, also comes a lack of hunger. Mind you, these are not always connected. I believe this is a stand-alone problem for many within our western world. If one were to journey to some of the poorest countries in the world, you would find a see hunger for scriptural truths and churches memorizes whole chapters of scripture…where is this hunger in the more prominent and prosperous countries? I believe there is a direct correlation between comfort and security and the shallowness of scriptural knowledge! Why rely on the scripture if every want, and all of life’s comforts are met (roughly speaking)?

This may sound negative, but I fear our western culture has become so soft of faith and scriptural knowledge that we are bound to enter another dark age – this time devoid of any of the truths and life lessons found in Scripture.

Is your church rotting? Ask yourself how much time is devoting throughout your week to the study and interpretation of scripture?

3. A Church That Is Prayerless & Building Bound
“A true church lives and moves and has its being in prayer” -Leonard Ravenhill
With the comforts of a western culture comes prayerlessness.
A church that prays together stays together – or so I’ve been told. How much emphasis is placed on prayer anymore? I am sure there are still some deeply prayerful places in this world. I know that I have experienced some of these moments, but I wonder if prayer has become an after thought in our services, in our weekly schedules, in our lives as congregants? Do you remember the old prayer meetings? Many of those have disappeared in our churches. They’ve been distilled down to just a five minute inclusion in our services or bible study…but should they be more prominent, more substantive? Do we still have worries and fears, sick and dying? Do we still have things that require corporate prayer?

Secondly, another indicator (a twofer for my Minnesotan friends) of a rotting church:
We become building bound – meaning that we expect our communities to come to us. We put up amazingly designed billboards, posters, flags and we wave them at the community…it’s like we are scattering bird seed in a trail hoping that people will follow it right up to our front doors. We have this grandeous idea that everything we do must be done in our buildings – what happened to evangelism? What happened to getting out into the streets? Do we still have a concern for the drunk down the street who is caught in a habitual addiction of stumbling out of the bar that they frequent? Do we still feel compassion for the family down the street that is dirt poor and cannot find a meal to eat in their cupboards? A Church who remains stuck in their building (no matter how beautiful it may be) is a dying church with little mission or outreach into the community they were birthed from.

2. A Loveless Congregation
Dare I say that perhaps this is cog in the chain reaction of not being community driven and lacking mission & compassion for others. Obviously no church ever desires to become loveless…but it can happen over time. I honestly hope that this evidence of a rotting church is the dying gasp before the doors are closed for good, and all I hope to accomplish by saying that is – we (the Church) needs to love each other more! This should be a siren call to the church to offer more compassion and selflessness amongst its congregants and its community.

If we lose the love of others, we have also lost the love of God – these two are inseparable! “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” 1 John 4:20
If this happens – we will have a rotting church on our hands!

1. Comfort & Apathy
Signs of a rotting church can be born out of the comforts that have become common place in the western world. We have no need of want. Our church buildings, many of them, are being built larger and larger. The church, and its congregants, become apathetic to the needs of the community (again because all things “ministry” take place inside not outside of the church walls). Apathy is a death knell to the church. If/when we reach this point of not caring for people – we might has well lock the doors and burn the scriptures because it is useless to a dead church.

These are strong words – because I feel at times we are deaf to the warnings such as this!
We cannot allow apathy to take root in our hearts. We cannot pretend all is well when suffering is taking place in our communities. We cannot rest until mercy and compassion becomes our life blood again! Sometimes our churches get so big that we start to treat it as a big corporate business and in so doing we unintentionally leave Christ out of our missional planning.

Ponder This:
Are we striving to be or have professional preachers in our churches?
Is there still a deep hunger for Scripture in you and in your church?
What of Prayer? Do we consider supplication to be vital and intrinsic in who we are?
Have you prayed for God to give you His vision for people around you? If not begin to pray this prayer every day! When you do, may your love increase for others and any residue of apathy – may it flee from you!

Something more for the Church to ponder today – to God be the glory!

September 27, 2016 3

An Overwhelming Victory?

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39

No matter what the world throws at us, we can discover true victory in Christ Jesus, because this temporary realm in which we now live will one day pass away and the eternal will be everlasting! This means that despite Satan’s best efforts, and the sufferings of the flesh, if we can overcome – He can not touch our souls, for that belongs to God!

Do you feel discouraged today?
Are you, or have you experienced physical or emotional defeat? Sometimes we face these battles in life, and the Christian experience was never guaranteed to be easy (in fact just the opposite). Yet through all of this, we have promises like the passage listed above. We will NOT be separated from God…He will never separate us from His love! We will have overwhelming victory because of Christ!

So no matter what you are going through today…
No matter what kinds of persecution or sufferings you may face…
Regardless of ridicule, scorn, malice, hate, violence, jealousy and rage – we can experience this overwhelming victory TODAY!!!

We do not have to wait until we see eternity and we are with the Lord, no – His presence, His love, His encouragement is available to us NOW! Begin to see that despite the battle waging here within the world and upon our flesh, God already stands beside us with the victory over life and death! Know that regardless of the physical outcome – we will overcome and have this overwhelming victory! This is why we must share this fantastic news to all the world. This is why God’s grace must be evident in our living. This is why we must make His ministry Our ministry everyday, because God wants all people, from all walks of life to experience this overwhelming victory!

In Focus
Perhaps, if we cannot see this overwhelming victory today it is because we are focusing on the wrong kinds of things. Yes, life is often unfair. Yes, the world is often unjust and evil seems to permeate and seep into every facet of life. We see these, we know this to be true, and we cry foul and lament all of these atrocities and injustices – and rightly we should. But, despite this fallen world and all of its sins, we need to refocus our vision. We must begin to change our perspective (which doesn’t mean we simply accept that this world is beyond saving). Our perspective begins to change when we ask God to give us His vision for the people we meet. What I mean is, we must ask Him to allow us to see those around us the way God sees them.

Secondly, our perspective must change in the way we view the temporal. Yes we live through it, but there must be a way for us to live this overwhelming victory in the here and now…and we do that by understanding it. In our understanding of what this life is all about – Whose we are and embracing the eternal here and now, we flip the script on what “living”is all about! When we change our perspective, we change the narrative of our souls. What I mean by that is – we no longer simply live for ourselves, we begin to live for Christ. Many times this is a gradual denial of self as we surrender to the will of God. It begins with the little things of life. Soon, as we allow these little spiritual victories to occur, we will be more inclined to seek out the larger “denial of self” moments.

Is anyone there yet?
Some of may be.
I know that I am on this road…although I am not as far along as I would like to be…but again, this is gradual. Admittedly, I still get sucked into life’s many troubles. It is like a swift moving current at times which sweeps out my feet from right under me. I recognize that I too must still change more of my perspective in order to experience this daily dose of overwhelming victory in my life.

How about you?
Do you feel defeated right now?
Are you struggling to see any measure of victory at the moment?
Ask God to help you flip this script.
Ask Him to provide you with an added measure of His strength.
Also, ask Him to grant you His vision for those you encounter…I guarantee your perspective will change, and with it overwhelming victory!

Something more to ponder today!

September 20, 2016 5

Imprisoned By Fear?

There is all sorts of types of fear.
Fear that propels you into action.
Fear that keeps those you love safe.
Fear that weighs the outcomes of decisions yet to be made.
Irrational Fear
Phobias…

When we say the word “fear” sometimes it evokes different interpretations and understandings of this little four letter word. Some see it as a challenge, while others dread.

Fear, when used right can be helpful, but when it is not it can imprison, immobilize and prevent all forms of progress in life.

Our Faith Walk:
The Apostle Paul, after taking those first step in following Christ, post his roadside theophany, could have fear what others thought of him. He could have been held captive by fear following the first time he was thrown in prison or flogged for his outspoken faith…but he didn’t. He rejoiced while in prison. He and Silas sang songs well into the night. Although Paul was imprisoned, he certainly wasn’t imprisoned by fear.

How about us?
How is our faith walk?
Do we find ourselves shouting “Amen” during Sunday church service, meanwhile on Monday at work we whisper to a quivering fearful heart? Does fear hold us back? Are we afraid of how others might perceive us if we professed our faith out loud? What about our attitudes and intentions toward others? Isn’t it harder to remove self from situations than it is to be selfish? So it is with overcoming fear and replacing it with faith. It is not that the fear is removed completely, no, instead we learn to use that fear to our advantage. We recognize when that fear is rising in us and we must consciously decide to step out in faith…or leap. Harnessing fear places us “out on that limb”. We say, yes, I am afraid, but I will trust in God to lead me and direct me. I do not know where this path will lead me, but I will follow the Lord…I will put my trust in Him.

…“I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing Your praises in the congregation.”13And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” Hebrews 2:12-13

Make this your prayer today:
Lord, where you lead me I will follow.
I am afraid, I admit that…but I will not run from
your calling on my life.
I want to live for you in every moment of today.
Lord, take this fear of mine and use it
motivate me into action.
Let me love those around me.
I will become less and you, dear Lord become more.
I struggle with trusting you with all there is of me,
but I acknowledge this and I ask you to remind me of your presence with me
today.
Grant me your boldness, your courage, and your love
as I walk this path that I cannot see.
Lead me Lord.
-Amen.

No Longer Slaves

August 11, 2016 0

Dear Salvation Army, Short Changing Tithe?

This is a pondering that attempts to meddle – I’m sorry.
I was asked by one of our readers to do a pondering on this topic…it’s a good one. It is a rather relevant one too, isn’t it? If we were truly honest with ourselves (and no one else) – we might admit that there are times when we take our resources and our blessings for granted.

Individually
In a world, currently that is consumed with who will win the next Powerball lottery jackpot, we don’t often fathom what we already have to be a true blessing…because we crave more.

I do not mean to step on anyone’s toes today, any more than I am already stepping heavily upon my own – and this hurts. But I can confess that I have, at times, neglected to give the Lord the best…instead I’ve given Him what’s left. Why would we do such a thing? How could we neglect the Author of Life our first fruits? Life does happen. Bills sometimes pile up. Children, like vacuums, suck the dollars right out of your wallet. But are those just excuses sometimes? Am I just attempting to rationalize my spending or my haphazard, inconsistent giving? -Yes.

You might say that I’m being hard on myself…perhaps I am. But who ought to take responsibility for what we do or don’t do? Will anyone else take that blame from me? Is it someone else’s fault when I short change God with my tithes of time, talent and treasure? Of course not.

Corporately
I am not shifting blame, please don’t take it that way.
I wonder sometimes if, as leaders, we set the bar higher for others and yet that bar suddenly doesn’t apply to us? Does this happen? Are there times (in any organization and/or church) when leadership decides these are the guidelines for those under them, but those same guidelines do not apply to the administrators of those same guidelines? Do double standards apply to financial giving from Administration to Subordinates? Does this happen from IHQ/THQ/DHQ/Corps? I certainly hope not, this is not necessarily my experience.

Where does financial accountability play into this?
How important is it to be consistent from Administration all the way down to volunteer and soldier/adherent/attendee?

Let me give you my opinion on this subject – Accountability matters from the top down, and from the down to the top. We must be accountable with the big things, we must also be accountable with the small things regardless of rank or lack there of.

Back To You And Me
We can not, however, afford to look over the fence at anyone else other than ourselves when it comes to being good stewards of the things God has given to us to take care of. We are accountable first to God, then to those He has placed above us. What we do with our time, talent and treasure matters. How we spend any of that – matters. Who we are in and out of church or the office – matters. There isn’t a time clock that we sluggishly punch each day then get home and take off our masks to become someone else. We are His – that should be our identity.

Questions to Ponder:
I find it very interesting that other “churches” (and I know we’re not specifically a church) support the ministries they do through tithing…It is equally interesting that most Salvation Army corps cannot fully support the ministries they do in their communities, let alone World Services through tithing alone…is that a good thing or bad thing? Is it because many of our corps members do not have the financial resources to consistently tithe? (this could very well be the case)

Have I, or am I (on a personal level) short changing God in my tithing?
Am I building MY kingdom here with stuff, trophies of my accomplishments, hoarding my resources…is this who I am?
Are there areas of my life where self-denial is lacking?
Can I be honest with myself and with God when it comes to my tithing habits?
Are there other places in the world that could use my financial contributions?
Do I give consistently to World Services?
Do I give consistently to my Corps?
Do I care about poverty in my world? What can I do to help?
Do my contributions matter?
Am I giving enough? Is it Net or Gross Pay?

There is much to discover and ponder in this topic today…I hope the shoe prints on our toes fade…then again, maybe not.

Something more to for us to ponder today!

Disclaimer: The opinions and thoughts expressed in Pastorsponderings.org are the expressed opinions and thoughts of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Salvation Army.

January 13, 2016 8

The Gift Of Giving (Gary’s Story)

Perhaps you have stopped at a fast food restaurant and gone through the drive thru, or you have stopped at a toll booth only to discover someone has “paid it forward” as the clerk cheerfully tells you “The car ahead of you paid for yours”. It’s a surprising feeling isn’t it; experiencing someone else’s generosity? Perhaps for some of us, it’s a little humbling. For others it reinforces the need to give back.

The gift of giving truly is the meaning of Christmas.
We stop to recognize the ultimate gift that was given to humanity – Christ Jesus. Perhaps in some small way we can give back to our communities and to specific people. Giving isn’t always natural…sometimes it needs to be forced, sometimes we need a little convincing.

There is no need to convince Gary though, he has been giving to our Red Campaign this Christmas season in a manner of his time and talent. Gary has been bell ringing for The Salvation Army of Evansville for as much time as he can give this year. Some days, it is a whole day’s shift from 10 am in the morning, until it gets dark outside. He has been vigilant, dependable and a constant feature at one of our Walmart locations. Every evening when the red kettle driver picks up Gary’s bucket, you can rest assured it is a full bucket of much needed funds.

There is something else about Gary you should know, other than his generosity of time and talent. For those two vital assets alone are truly commendable and honorable. But there’s something more about Gary – something that would shake the very fabric of our lives and quake us to the core and make us evaluate everything that we hold dear and consider important in life – Gary has terminal Leukemia.

His doctors have given him roughly nine months to live. He could be doing anything with his precious time that he has left. He could be crossing off things on his bucket list, and perhaps he is. He could have gone home and wallowed in self-pity – no one would have blamed him. Yet, Gary is paying it forward in such a way that lives will be touched and changed. Gary is so much more than just a bell ringer at yet another red kettle campaign. Gary is giving more than just another few hours at a random kettle location. Gary is giving of himself. This is his gift. This is his moment to shine.

I wonder if we’re all capable of giving as Gary is giving today?
I wonder if we could simply give without terms or conditions, and just give of ourselves regardless of the circumstances of our lives? I recognize that life isn’t always perfect, I’m also pretty sure there has never been any promises that life is fair and perfect from the start. Many of us have bruises and scars to prove just how unfair and imperfect life can truly be.
BUT the gift of giving truly MUST transcend our circumstances and conditions. We shouldn’t ever say “well I couldn’t give because the moment just wasn’t right…” well, let me ask you when will the moment ever be right? (and I’m speaking to myself right now) We can’t continue to make excuses in life – it doesn’t matter where we’ve been or the hurts we’ve endured – how we come out of those moments truly will define us.

Gary is testament to a defying circumstances.
He has touched my heart in a way that I am forever changed.
His gift is so much more than eight hours out at a Salvation Army kettle stand. Despite his circumstances, Gary is displaying what living life should look like.

Do you have time to give? Then give it.
Do you have talents to give? Then give it.
Do you have treasure to give? Then give it.
Don’t make excuses, don’t hold back, don’t squander it or hoard it.
Our gifts come in many shapes and sizes…what we do with these gifts matters!

Something more to ponder today.

December 22, 2015 0

If You See This Kind of Post, Keep Scrolling…

We’ve all seen those Facebook posts that go something like this: “Type amen if you believe Jesus is Lord and Savior, Ignore if you want to go to hell”…okay, maybe I made that last part up, maybe not. For those who have but a handful of brain cells left (myself included) can hopefully recognize how manipulative and dumb these posts really are.

Stop sharing these posts…really, I honestly think these posts are doing more harm than good. It’s not a witnessing tool, it’s a guilt trip at best and perhaps worse, it’s a condemning slap in the face.

I mean is this really what Jesus was all about?
Did He go around saying, “You better click amen and believe in me or you’ll burn in hell!” um…no I’m pretty sure He didn’t. Instead, I believe He was more concerned with loving our neighbors and even our enemies; He was more concerned with introducing God’s kingdom to the whosoever, and He did it all without guilting people or manipulating them.

So, Perhaps the next time you see one of THOSE posts, why not skip the “share” button. Perhaps instead just keep scrolling. I’m pretty sure even if you “liked” the post or you shared it – that $1,000,000 isn’t really coming your way. I just don’t think our faith in Christ works that way…do you? I mean really?! Maybe instead of trying to feed the “Bless Me” crowd, why not seek ways in which you can ACTUALLY help others who live in your real neighborhoods or go to your school, your work place, your church. Who knows, perhaps if we took our eyes away from the narcissism that seems to be prevalent in social media long enough, we might again recognize there are far more pressing needs in our communities than a “click and share” post that speaks of our blessing and our riches.

Okay, rant over.
Something more to ponder today.
Get outside, go for a prayer walk around your neighborhood, ask for the Lord to show you needs in your own community that you can help with. As Christ’s ambassadors it’s less about us and more about Him – let’s help others seem Him through our expressions of kindness, love and grace.

December 15, 2015 4

Christmas…So What?

The lights are twinkling tonight on our indoor Christmas tree. The soft amber glow illuminates and rebounds off of chromed metallic ornaments and festooned handmade trinkets our children crafted years ago.
There are also now shiny, gleaming presents underneath its green bows. They were once nicely arranged a night ago; a night while children slumbered and were clueless to their sudden arrival there. Each present was meticulously placed, end to end, odd shape upon symmetrical spun into a tapestry of beauty only this advent season can contain and hold like a gently rocked baby reminiscent of the One so long ago.

Now, as the day quickly spun into daylight as it always does, the touch of children’s hands began to closely inspect each gift, turning them over, guessing and re-guessed as to its contents, shaking them, listening and then gently shaking them once more. It is the act of innocence. It is the spark of imagination and exuberance only caught in the eye of youth. The quiet sneaking and peaking. The reading of names written there upon the glinting wrapping paper and smooth crimson satin bows. Caught in the act, their mother and I lightly chide them and remind them that the day has not yet arrived. The day that might as well be a thousand years from now to our children seated impatiently there beneath our tree. They begin begging to open just one – their pleas fall upon our deaf ears…it is far too soon. The mystery, or perhaps torture, must continue for another twelve days.

I place a warm arm around my beautiful bride as we witness the glow of excited faces. We glance at one another, a passing, unspoken acknowledgement that this moment too is sacred. It can be as sacred as any moment seated in mighty cathedrals. Though we lack stained glass and their purposeful messages told and passed down from generation to generation…and though we also lack within this moment the “choirs of angels” sharing another “holy night” in resplendent octaves and melodies that glance upon our souls – we still share a moment of pure joy. It is a gift, a worthy moment only share by these few members of family and blood.
In but a moment it draws me back to the story of the birth of Christ. A moment shared only by a very young couple, a bunch of smelly animals and a few humble shepherds. They did not have glory of fanfare. They encountered Christ, God’s Son in the most humblest of moments…and it too was of the utmost sacred of things.

My arm is still around my wife, my love and I can’t help but think – So what if we often get the specifics of Christmas wrong. So what if we don’t always sing on key in church…so what if we don’t read all of the words right as we stumble upon its phrases that should be memorized after all of these years. So what if we take in a little extra time gazing into our loved ones eyes in moments like these as the world seems to continue busily buzzing by. Perhaps that’s the point of all of this anyway. Perhaps in a world of ever increasing cynicism and constant need for glory and power we miss the point all together. Could it be that we miss the mystery of it all? We chide our children, yet in but a moment we glimpse what we once were within their eyes, before the impossible became unrealistic, and we oversimplified this gift of life -of love and of this Christ-mas…perhaps we should instead join them beneath the glimmering tree, and in our gazing up – witness mystery once more. Perhaps then, we will then properly articulate a Savior born long ago. Perhaps then, with it will come a sense of rejuvenated hope and awe… Perhaps then, we will care less about the mechanics of it all and instead focus upon the purpose of it all.

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,…” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Merry Christmas.
Something more to ponder.
To God be the glory.

December 14, 2015 0

Dear Salvation Army – What Do You Know About Unpopular Holiness?

Dear Salvation Army,
It might feel good to hear the acclaims of the public, to receive accolades for the work that we do…these are certainly affirming to us…but we aren’t in the business of helping people for the purpose of accolades are we?

We didn’t sign up to wear uncomfortable uniforms for the purpose of basking in the limelight did we?
No, the purpose for our movement is MORE than just helping people!
We ARE STILL a Holiness movement! Let us never forget this truth, may it never get muddied in our various pursuits to “do the most good” in our communities.

Holiness is not an easy road for followers of Christ.

It is not the popular route. Why? Because it actually demands more from Christ’s followers. It requires each of us to ACTUALLY face our sins, our hidden sins, our indiscretions, those things which embarrass us and cause us great shame. It demands that we not only look at them but we allow the Holy Spirit to cast his glorious light upon them. When we have given up fighting the Holy Spirit and have finally surrendered to His pleas, (perhaps there are those of you who relinquished right away, and of that I am envious) He then can begin this new work, this revitalizing-restoring creation within us. Entire Sanctification is very real – but it will undoubtedly be the most unpopular thing an Officer or Soldier could ever preach.

Why so unpopular?
Because it is not simple. It is hard. There is sacrifice, and in the Western Church, sacrifice is not something many are willing to really fully commit to in a long-term capacity. We live in a hedonistic culture, even in Church, and dare I say that Holiness will always be in conflict with such a lifestyle.

Samuel Logan Brengle in his book “Helps to Holiness” puts it this way – “Dear brother, do not think you can make holiness popular. It cannot be done. There is no such thing as holiness separate from ‘Christ in you,’ and it is an impossibility to make Christ Jesus popular in this world. To sinners and carnal professors, the real Christ Jesus has always been and always will be ‘as a root out of a dry ground, despised and rejected of men.’ ‘Christ in you’ is the ‘same yesterday, to-day, and forever’ – hated, reviled, persecuted, crucified…He (Christ) will pronounce the most terrible, yet tearful, maledictions against the hypocritical formalist and the lukewarm professor who are the friends of the world and, consequently, the enemies of God…Do you not see the impossibility of making such a radical Gospel as this popular? This spirit and the spirit of the world are as fully opposed to each other as two locomotives on the same track running toward each at the same rate of sixty miles an hour. Fire and water will consort together as quickly as the ‘Christ in you’ and the spirit of the world.” (pg. 92, 93, 96)

Questions to Ponder today:
Can we accept such an Unpopular Holiness?
Are we up to the challenge?
Are we afraid of this world’s ridicule and shame?
Which “spirit” will we select tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that?

Dear Salvation Army – We cannot separate the need for entire sanctification from what we do in our soup kitchens, social services offices or on the gym floor. There should never be a distinction between what we do on Sundays from what we do the rest of the week. The entire thrust of what “we do” is to bring people to Christ for the purpose of entire sanctification – through and through.

This will be unpopular.
Many people, even soldiers will reject such a call…it’s too radical, it’s too much work, it requires too much study, patience and sacrifice…but isn’t that the purpose of becoming a true disciple of Christ – so that we become like Him in every way?! Some are far too comfortable just coming to church on Sundays. Some are happy with this familiar routine in life. They don’t want to be shaken to the core. They don’t want to be disrupted. Some have stopped learning about Christ all together – internally they have become lazy in their studies of the Bible, they have thought in their minds “no one can teach me any more, because I already know everything there is to know about God and the Bible.” -This is entirely far from the truth…I am ashamed to have even considered this phrase to be true in my own heart sometimes, yet God brings this spirit of conviction in me. Dear soldiers, we need to humble ourselves once again. We need to fall on our faces and repent. We need to allow His Holy Spirit to renew us once more…and to allow Him to complete His work in us.

Some may cast this pondering aside today, because it will certainly be unpopular.
But I want to call us back to the Altar. I want us to recognize the work we have left unfinished in our hearts. We cannot go any further in our mission if we do not first stop here and ensure our hearts, our lives are completely His once more. I know there is still work to be done in me…how about you?

Something more for our Army world to ponder today, to God be the glory!

To read more on this week’s topic of Holiness click the links below:
Sin and Holiness
Cheap Grace

Disclaimer: The writings, and opinions of Pastorsponders are the writers expressed opinions and do not always reflect the opinions and views of The Salvation Army.

October 22, 2015 3

Category: Christ