“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” – Ephesians 4:29
The Holiness Movement is far from dead.
We, as Salvationists, have within our veins more than the figurative colors of red, yellow, blue…we have the image of Christ within our hearts. Not to say that other Christ-followers do not, or that we are better than anyone else, but this message, this pondering is primarily for Salvationists in our world today.
We face difficulties in our communities and in our culture which makes it hard to be truly set apart for God. The lure of many things comes knocking at our doors and begs us to participate, to comprise, to ignore this calling. Is it possible to look so much like the culture that our effectiveness in mission is compromised? Is there a line that begs and pleads alluringly to be crossed? What of our attitudes, our hearts, and our speech? Do these go hand in hand with our lifestyles, with our mission?
There isn’t a time clock that we punch when we accept this holy mission of Christ’s. We are either all in or not at all. We don’t wear the uniform to the corps but once it’s off at home we become someone else, with a different set of life rules. We are beckoned to “go into all the world…” We are asked to “take up our crosses” and follow Christ. If we are to imitate Him in every way (Ephesians 5:1), then this includes what we say.
Confession: 
I can be cynical at times (That’s not a shock to some of you).
I always joke that I have the spiritual gift of sarcasm, but sometimes that sarcasm takes a very harmful turn. My speech isn’t always as it should be. Words can become barbs that are razor sharp that can cut to the heart of people faster than any blade could ever penetrate. I know this of myself. I make no excuse of this. Does that mean I wish to continue to the live my life in a verbal rut? Of course not!
Dear Salvationist
Do you have the deep desire to continue to grow in Christ?
Is there, within your heart, the Spirit’s pleading to become more than you are right now?
Are we settling for the verbal ruts, the bad habits, the inexcusable behavior? Do we make excuses and/or rationalize these away in order to make them more palatable and accepted? I can tell you truthfully that you will never really know peace within your heart as long as you continue to reside where the Holy Spirit does not want you to reside – in regards to ungodly habits and behaviors that are contrary to your covenant or promise to Him.
Like our tithe, like our commitments to God – if we continue to only give Him a portion, we will never be truly satisfied living within His will. What is God’s will for us? Read Micah 6:8 again “He has shown you, oh man what is good and what the Lord requires from you. To live justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Watch Your Mouth!
Be mindful of your mission field.
Be aware of how ungodly speech corrupts your heart and those around you.
What kind of speech am I talking about? Not just profanity and course language, but (and more importantly) unkind words towards others, Gossip of any kind, malicious-hate fueled speech. Words that do not build up but instead destroy. Soldiers of this Army; more importantly Soldiers of God do not act this way…should not act this way! Watch your mouth…it can build souls and help them become more Christ-like, or it can burn the heart and fuel it into hatred towards God…that is how helpful or harmful your words can be.
Questions to Ponder Today:
How can I change my patterns of speech?
Do I recognize those moments when my words become barbs and are used as weapons?
What is the Holy Spirit instructing me to do within my actions and my use of speech?
What kinds of changes do I need to make right now?
Have I settled for where I am right now or am I willing to grow through the direction of the Holy Spirit?
Something more for our Army to ponder on today.
To God be the glory!
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.
The gift of giving truly is the meaning of Christmas.
What I find intriguing is the story of second chances and redemption in the character of Finn. I think he is both afraid and brave at the same time. He despises what the First Order represents as well as what his old life within the First Order. Although He can’t change the past, he longs to fight against the dark side. This is something that the antagonist (
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.
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.
I wonder sometimes if we truly mean what we say. And what if we say those words with a half-heart and the Lord doesn’t provide for that person…could they end up blaming God, faith for their hurt? What if we say those words and nothing happens? What kind of testimony do we present to the world through half-hearted comments and insincerity of faith? Are we doing more damage than good with our niceties and generalities?
cliche’ “Christianese” phrases. The big problem is that these phrases can lose their significance and meaning if we simply overuse them without thought or true heartfelt faith. Anything can become routine or ritual – devoid of meaning if faith and belief are not sincere and present in them. This is ESPECIALLY true of our words!
If all we do is programs and our hearts remain at home, we will have a soul-less building devoid of people seeking spiritual growth, holiness and this new creation we are to become. Sometimes I fear we settle for what is instead of what could be…or what SHOULD be. Soldiers, in essence we listen to the lies of the Great Deceiver when we buy into the acceptance of where we are right now and that we are incapable anymore of growing in the grace that Christ offers. We convince ourselves that we aren’t good enough to receive entire sanctification, or we must become biblical scholars to get there. We make every excuse in the book to NOT change that we run the risk of becoming stagnant and meaningless. This is exactly where Satan wants us to remain. If we remain here, we are no longer fit to be called an Army of Salvation, but instead the Army of Stagnation. This is pretty harsh, because I believe we buy the lie that we cannot grow, or that we are limited in our growth. I believe we stunt our growth and the workings of the Holy Spirit when we don’t allow Him access to EVERY corner of our hearts, minds and lives.
We need to understand that what our corps do – matters.
Be Intentional
This message is for Adherents, Soldiers, Officers, Commissioners as well as the General. It MUST be a matter of the heart. We cannot only rely on “the law” to prop up what we do – we must first be HIS, and from that everything else must flow. How is your heart? Have you been guilty of listening to the lie? Have you sold your need of Holiness short? Is it incomplete? Are you stagnating right now in your faith journey? Perhaps this is my wake call…perhaps this is yours. It is a matter of our hearts. Forget all the programs that we throw around to “attract people”, forget all the “doing” that we are good at…it means absolutely nothing if our hearts are not completely His.
Pastor's Ponderings 