Dear Salvation Army, Do We Shoot Our Wounded?

We are an Army of Salvation.
An Army of Holiness.
An Army of Hope.
An Army of Compassion.

But do we shoot our wounded?
Those who have worked on the front lines…
Those who have fallen…
Those who have broken ranks…sometimes..

This is probably an uncomfortable topic. This is most likely similar to picking a scab…but I think we should.

Years ago, and in some places still today farmers will treat the wounded horse if they can. Many will send for veterinarians. Most will find means to help the wounded animal…but every now and then there are just some wounds that won’t heal. Every now and then a break in the horse’s leg is irreparable. Sometimes this is done out of compassion. Other times because the animal is now more of a liability than an asset it is shot and killed. There are far better solutions. I am not a hippologist or an equestrian by any means, but it seems to me that others have found ways to save these animals. Some have sent these wounded horses “out to pasture” to become therapy horses or they are donated to petting zoos or camps. Most of the time there is a way to save these animals besides shooting the wounded.

Dear Salvation Army, are we seeking out ways to save the wounded, the weary, the broken, the ones in need of reconciliation and spiritual saving? Or…are we shooting the wounded?

Can an Officer or Local Officer Admit To Sin & Temptation?

It almost seems like a “hush, hush” type of topic. “Well we don’t talk about sin in the corps and in our leadership”, one might utter under their breath grimacing as they do. “We can’t admit we too struggle with this sin. We can’t let anyone know.” Why is this such a touchy subject? Why can’t we all admit that we are still sinners saved by grace? I must be careful here because I do not wish to imply that we just go on sinning, but we can be redeemed and given the power to overcome…but why are we hesitant, why do we pretend and hide these things from each other? Are we not to keep each other accountable? Are we not to be vulnerable before each, those in whom we can trust? Ah, I think this is the crux of the situation…because there are still many within our Army that shoot the wounded.

Changing Our Focus
All too often we focus so much on the mission and saving the lost that we neglect the solider. I do not intend this to mean that we cater and prop up and pamper, but when all of our energies are focused outwardly into the world we possibly run the risk of weakening our ranks. There must be edification, concentration and preparation of spiritual care given to our soldiery or our Army. We cannot allow temptation to take hold where we are able to prevent such a decay to occur in the first place. There must be pastoral care given to both Officer and Soldier. It must be intentional. It must be emphasized. It is brother helping brother, sister helping sister as we fight shoulder to shoulder. When one of our brothers or sisters slips and falls we must help to pick them up, we must help to carry them not shoot them! We must lovingly restore them! (Galatians 6:1)

Is There A Sin That Is “Shootable”?

Yes there ought to be consequences to sin. Immoral behavior, which includes slander, and gluttony (Thank you General Cox), must be dealt with and addressed. In so doing, can we still restore a dear soldier or officer within our ranks? In the past such situations were dealt with harshly and people were turned out of our army with nothing. I am thankful in some circles who have seen the error of this response and have begun to deal justly but with compassion and grace.

What happens to one who is “tossed out” or thrown out? Is there some measure of a restoration plan in place or are the Army’s hands washed and done with such an individual? Is there any sin that is shootable?

Grace & Compassion

Grace, which Christ bestowed upon us has to be evident in how we deal with others. Grace and compassion is beyond our human grasp and yet the Holy Spirit can and will provide this to us when we love instead of shoot those who are wounded. Do you remember the parable of the unmerciful servant? He was forgiven by the master a sizable debt and then he goes and attempts to viciously extract the debts that were owed to him. When the master found out that unmerciful servant was punished. I do not want to be an unmerciful soldier and officer of this army. We cannot operate solely within a mind set of stiffness, legalities and policies and procedures…where does grace and compassion fit into this?

Punish? Yes.
Shoot? I sure hope not.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 3:23-24)

Dear Salvation Army, we are so outspoken about the need for more soldiers and officers, could it be that impart we have already shot some of our wounded who could have facilitated some of our need? We do need more able bodies on the front lines, but do not forget about those who are wounded and are in need of loving restoration when this is possible. God’s grace still outshines the grace that is evident in our Army today.

-Just something more for our Army world to ponder today.

Lord, you grace is enough!
Come Lord Jesus fall afresh on us again!

September 18, 2014 8

Mark Driscoll Was Right…

Questions some of you might be thinking about right now having read the title:
“What was Mark Driscoll right about?”
“Did I miss something?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Barf, barf, barf…what?”
“Has this blog and its writer joined the dark-side?”

The Preamble:

Let me clarify what Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church was right about before the pitchforks come out and the mobs with torches attack.
We all know him because of the recent news stories and the controversy surrounding his ministry in the recent years. If you have been living under a rock or haven’t really cared one way or another, here’s a link to read up on: Driscoll Controversy

I am not here to throw more fuel on the funeral pyre of Pastor Driscoll’s ministry. I think there are plenty of bloggers out there who are doing a bang up job in that department…maybe a little too much. I do not wish to become a bitter blogger who dances and celebrates whenever a “celebrity Christian” falls from grace. I pray that this never becomes my identity or the identity of this blog http://www.pastorspondering.org.

Mark Driscoll’s response – Update from Mark Driscoll

Here’s what Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church got right:
Mars Hill Church was founded in 1996 and has since become the largest multi-church “Mega Church” in the United States.

Why did they grow so fast?
What was their secret?

Mars Hill Church understood and was a major catalyst for the Emergent Church movement. Along with its modernistic church/rock feel they had a way of connecting with younger generations of our country. They were able to plug tech-savvy generations into a very relevant God with whom they could relate to and understand. Mars Hill Church, not just Mark Driscoll, branched out and created a relevant heavy worship music driven service(s) to reach the young adult/single adult communities in over 5 states. At their peak they had a weekly attendance of over 12,000 members. They were successful at being cutting edge. They were willing to take risks. They were creating other disciples and branching out through small groups and para-churches…they. got. evangelism. right.

What We Can Learn From Them:
There is much to learn from Mars Hill Church and other churches out there who have been very successful at reaching people for Jesus. There should be something good to take away from such ministries. Are there downsides? Negative implications? Controversy and inaccurate/jumbled up theologies? Yes, yes and yes.

But…

Could we be more cutting edge?
Could we take more risks in evangelism and discipleship?
Do we develop leadership based ministries that cultivate and grow additional disciples and leaders?

Another lesson to draw from Mars Hill Church in my opinion is this:
Success is not solely about numbers.
We can play the statistics game. We can do “splashy” events to draw in a few extra families…but is it only about sheer numbers of attendees? No.

Success in ministry is about being faithful to the place(s) God has called your ministry to be. If He has called you to minister to a senior citizen demographic then minister to those seniors through relevant and dynamic methods that will be suit them. If God has called you to minister to the outcasts and rejects in society, then prepare relevant and hard hitting applicational methods to best suit the down and out. Where God has called us, we must respond and be willing to step up and extend a hand to all who would hear and receive.

From Discoll to Willow Creek – Change is tough!
A few years ago (2008) Mega Church Willow Creek recognized that their ministries needed to have a “re-alignment” from Seeker-Sensitive services to developing a more mature discipleship growth initiative (to read more on this, see this article: Willow Creek’s change). This adjustment took guts and could have been seen as a detriment to their ideology and mission as a church…but they took this step anyway.

I am not trying to lump Willow Creek in with Pastor Mark Driscoll here. But what I am attempting to do is display the need for change in any church regardless of where God has placed us. We cannot operate in the long term using the same tools we first began with. Perhaps for Mars Hill Church the old tool here is Pastor Mark Driscoll…perhaps a long term change requires a new identity and new leadership…I don’t know, I’m just spit-balling here.

When it comes to change there are some truths here to be grasped:
Life changes. Times progress. Culture and society changes. I also do not believe that the Holy Spirit is ever static in reaching out into our brokenness and restoring shattered lives. We too should recognize the pivotal moments when change must take place. We too ought to be prepared to move when the Holy Spirit tells us to move.

Can we learn something from Mars Hill Church? Yes.
Can we learn something from the whole Mark Driscoll debacle? Yes.
Are we willing to adjust our ministries and are we prepared to move when the Holy Spirit moves us?…..um…maybe? I don’t know if we truly are. I’m just being honest. I can’t say that we are really prepared for such a venture. It’s scary. Change is frightening to a lot of people. Risks also have their downside which is known as failure. Are we prepared to face failure?…I don’t think we truly are.

My Two Cents:

Mark Driscoll, Lief Moi and Mike Gunn did something right when they founded Mars Hill Church. They longed to engage a younger generation. They took risks…and they adjusted and changed. I cannot say that I agree with Driscoll’s stance on a lot of topics, especially Women in Ministry, his use of language (in the past), his treatment of former staff members, his use of mission funds… I cannot say that I am all too pleased with what has taken place on either side of this debacle in Seattle…honestly it’s quite sad for the Church (big ‘C’). I also know that I have no right to judge. I also know that I am not in any position to criticize, but I would rather err on the side of grace, prayer and compassion than I would on harsh judgement, negative responses and name calling.

Jesus was very harsh with certain teachers of the law in His day. He did not hold back…but He was also God’s Son. He understood what people were thinking and He cut to the quick when dealing with judgmental, hypocritical law abiding scholars. I sure don’t want to end up on the wrong side of that conversation with my Lord. That is why I think it prudent to prayerfully point out inaccurate theological teachings. We should conduct ourselves with prudence and respect while attempting to live out holiness practically and reverently. Does that mean there isn’t room for debate, constructive criticism and disagreement? No, not at all…just be careful because in the process we may miss out on or overlook some very teachable moments.

Just something more to ponder today.
Okay, now you can light your fires and hoist your pitchforks. 😉

September 8, 2014 1

Dear Salvation Army – Hell?…No!

“We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has by His suffering and death made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.” (Salvation Army Doctrine # 6)

People are going through hell right now.
Sometimes life choices and wrong decisions lead to hell on earth.
Sometimes hell breaks loose upon the innocent by others or financial woes and health issues.

Hell is alive and well here on earth.
But…

Does it have to be? NO!

You see, though hell in the realms of eternity is “eternal separation from God”, there are many, many people who are enduring hell while they live here and now. Suffering is real. Sin is real. Sorrow, anguish, guilt, pain…all real. What can we do about this hell on earth? Are we not called to do something? Are we not called to offer compassion and care?

Who is the whosoever?

It was you and me.
It might have been our Moms and Dads, our brothers or sisters.
It is that neighbor across the street.
It is that person who comes to our food-shelf.
The drug addict who is on his fourth round of rehab.
It is anyone who is living through hell right now and wants to be saved from it.

Jesus came to free us from hell both on earth and after earth.
He came to redeem us from certain death because of sin.
He chose to willingly die in our place and His blood makes us clean.
Jesus died for the whosoever…regardless of the depths of sin and decay in the heart.

What if I’m not good enough to save?
This question is such a lie. Don’t buy this lie!
“For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23
That’s right…ALL. Everyone one of us is not good enough. Everyone of us has fallen short, messed up, screwed up, royally wasted every opportunity and burned every bridge in our wake. It is for everyone who has thought hope – should never, could never be ours…but it is!
Jesus has saved you. You don’t have to be good enough…we will never be good enough to save ourselves. Jesus comes to our level and plucks us from our own personal hells. He can do that for others as well.

Dear Salvationist, people around our corps buildings and other places that we hang our shield and crest…some people around our neighborhoods are going through horrific hells right now. We can help! We should help! This isn’t some sort of social fellowship without an outward reaching – NO! We are called to be Christ’s hands and feet and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, help extinguish the flames of hell in peoples lives today. We have this sacred duty to perform. We are charged with not only the souls of our brothers and sisters in uniform, but in the soul care of the helpless, downtrodden, the outcast and the poor. All of whom have experienced hell on earth. All of whom may never have felt the soft touch of compassion and love before. Who may initially spurn our efforts and attempts to help because they fear we have ulterior motives because that is what the world has taught them through hard lessons.

Sin and death and hell are here and now. People aren’t required to wait to reap these rewards in some sort of horrific afterlife punishment because they are enduring them now.

Beware of Hardened Hearts and Apathetic Care!
We minister to many who have been marginalized and cast out from society. Many carry with them that bitterness from hard living. Dear Soldier, it would be very easy to become angry with such a soul. It could sometimes be very justifiable. We serve many who might take advantage of our gifts of compassion, and yet because of God grace that we have firmly accepted, we cannot in good conscience and love, harden our hearts and provide empty apathetic care to those in need. We may be the only light of Christ in a world of hell that they see. Take every opportunity to share that light! Take every opportunity you have to rescue these poor souls from their own personal hells.

Can we leave a poor wretch in such a condition if we have the power to transform lives in Jesus name? I say ‘no we can’t’!
Hell is more than some fire-pit of punishment doled out on the wicked at the end of all things. Hell is here and now among us. Hell’s flames of sin has decimated families, wrecked havoc on the hearts of men and women and Satan would love to convince us that there is nothing that we can do to help extinguish such a fire. Don’t buy that lie! We are witnesses for Jesus! We can live as kingdom people here and now, and in so doing we can say to Hell – NO! While we aid our poor brothers and sisters who are without hope by employing the Holy Spirit as our guide and strength.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7-7

“Storm the forts of darkness, bring them down, bring them down!
Storm the forts of darkness, bring them down, bring them down!
Pull down the devil’s kingdom,
Where’er he holds dominion,
Storm the forts of darkness, bring them down.
Glory, honor to the Lamb,
Praise and power to the Lamb;
Glory, honor, praise and power,
Be forever to the Lamb.”
(Storm the Forts of Darkness, Robert Johnson 1884)

Something more for our army world to ponder today…to God be the glory!
“Go for souls…and go for the worst!”

September 5, 2014 2

Sometimes Hope Sucks…

It is in the still small, lonely moments when we come face to face with a lingering trace of hope. It is in those moments when it seems all hell is about to break loose that, with a pinkie finger, we cling onto that last thread, praying it doesn’t snap. We pray. We cry out. We make ultimatums. We wait. Thanks Tom Petty for reminding us that the “waiting is the hardest part.”

I remember many occasions clinging to that last, frail thread of hope.
One moment still sticks out in my mind even after all these years.
My Great-Grandmother suffered a life-threatening issue on my thirteenth birthday. My father took her to the hospital, it didn’t look good. I remember praying earnestly for her…I felt as if God didn’t listen. Sometimes hope sucks. She passed away soon after and hope’s thin, frail thread seemed to snap in my hands. It hurt. It sucked.

Another occasion >>

With tears streaming down my cheeks, I was trying to comfort my wife at the news of her mother’s tragic accident. How earnestly I prayed that God would provide us a miracle in the midst of horrific circumstances…He didn’t. She didn’t make it. We were devastated. It hurt. Pain was immense. Sadness entered our hearts like a flood. Hope totally and completely sucked that night as wave after wave of grief swept over our family. We didn’t get the answer we were praying for. The frail, shredded thread snapped in our hands, yet something else took hold. We felt the prayers of others. Literally felt them. We were being upheld, carried, protected, comforted, assured and loved. Hope sucked…

But…

Hope isn’t always about getting what we want.
Hope isn’t always about God answering our prayers the way that we want Him to.
Hope isn’t even about God delivering us from situations in this life…I wish it did, but it doesn’t always happen.

Sometimes hope. just. sucks…yet…another question rises up in my heart.
Another pondering takes place and is formed in the brain and attempts to reserve carefully placed words on the tongue to inevitably chew on and spit out.

The question?

Here it is>> So what?
The follow-up question that rings out like a loud, noisy bell in my heart
is this >> Even then can you still persevere in your faith?

The Answer?
Is amazingly – “YES“.

Because...
>Sometimes ~~hope~~ life sucks.
>Sometimes things do not always go according to OUR plan.
>Sometimes God chooses to answer our prayers differently from what we had hoped.
>My faith doesn’t revolve around ME getting everything that I want.
>Despite life’s circumstances and the temporal nature of this life I serve an eternal God who has an eternal plan
for me.
>I know in Whom I have Believed!

The Apostle Paul believed this way too, I’m convinced of it. He believed despite hope and life sucking royally. Not life with God, but circumstances beyond his control. Oppression sucked. Beatings sucked. Not life with His Savior, but with imprisonment and chains and even death. Despite all of these things which totally and completely sucked, he persevered and carried on.

Can we carry on?
Even when our notion of “hope” doesn’t pan out?
Even when our prayers seem to go unanswered?
Even when hope has run out the backdoor and you’re left in a house that is burning to the ground around you?

Circumstances and our perception of hope can seriously suck sometimes…but can we carry on?
Can we persevere?
Can we press on in our steadfast faith?

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed...” 1 Peter 1:3-8

How is your faith today?
Can you stand firm despite hope sucking royally sometimes?
Can we persevere?

Something more for us to ponder today!

August 29, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army – Salvation Isn’t Enough!

Dear Salvationist,
It isn’t enough to merely accept salvation at the penitent form when we initially accept Christ as our personal Savior. It is not enough to repent of our sins just once at that penitent form. Once we have received this initial sanctification we have invited the Holy Spirit to take up residence within our hearts and lives. The very same Holy presence who bore witness to the creation of the universe and to the crucifixion and resurrection wants to bear witness to and actively engage in our spiritual development. Salvation isn’t enough because it only leaves us forgiven. Receiving forgiveness and being cleansed is only the beginning of our spiritual journey.

Transformation must begin to take root within us. It is like scraping off the old, worn wallpaper in a home. Once the old wallpaper is gone and the bare walls are exposed one does not simply leave them naked and exposed. Those walls will only reflect the barrenness of an unfinished place. A true craftsman and interior decorator will not let those walls remain unfinished. Those walls will be painted with diligence and focus. Not a spot will be missed. Those walls will be finished, and when they are finished they will reflect beauty again and make that home hospitable once more. So it is with our lives. The Holy Spirit does not wish to leave us unfinished. Yes, we have been stripped of the old, broken, sinful interior. The walls of our lives are now clean, but they are unfinished. They are incomplete. Something is missing. The Holy Spirit longs to then begin this transformation within us. He longs to diligently focus us. To expose unfinished places of our hearts. He longs to repair us. To patch the holes. To remove the rot. He longs to remake us in a way that we will reflect our original beauty again. The Holy Spirit longs to make our lives holy. He longs to restore in us the image of the true Master builder.

Salvation (Initial Sanctification) Is Not The End But The Beginning:

Once we kneel at that altar and confess our sins we do not then claim to have gained holiness, no! We have only just begun to allow His Holy Spirit to begin this work within us. This sacred moment is not an ending, but a life long beginning. I am not saying that Holiness will always take a lifetime to fulfill within us, but that this spiritual journey IS for a lifetime!

The Goal: Christ-likeness!

Dear Salvationists, our goal isn’t to look and act like our founders of this army!

No! For even our dear founders were striving to look and act like the very One who gave up His life as a living sacrifice for us all! Our goal in this thing that we call “holiness” is to act and reflect the very nature of Christ! Some might respond, “but that’s simply not possible!” I would agree with you if we only approach this daunting task as a human and with the only strength and power of humanity as our guide. But we have One who is within us! We have One who has more strength and power than we could ever fathom. We have God’s Holy presence with us to be that bridge amongst the impossible! A surrendered life is the reflection of Christ! We do not simply accept salvation at the penitent form and get up complete and transformed. Yes, we must be careful to conceded we are being transformed at the moment we say “yes” to Christ, but that completion of holiness can only be accomplished when every fiber of our being is fully surrendered to the will of Christ. Is it fully surrendered in you and me? Are we prepared to make that full submission? It will cost us everything and yet we will gain everything in the process.

Salvation Begins The Transformation In Us – Get Up!
Dear Salvationists, get up from the penitent form! Do not linger there forever! I do not mean that this sacred moment wasn’t important but there is still work to be done within us! We cannot fully realize that completion if we are not prepared to move. If we are not prepared to get up from the altar of our salvation and step into a deeper fuller relationship with the One who saved us! He longs to transform us, but we must be willing to surrender those places exposed by His conviction and prodding. When He prods us, it isn’t to shame us, it is to heal us completely from the ravages of our old lives. These remnants of depravity must be removed from us. If they are not completely removed, they will hold us back. They will prevent us from fully realizing Christ in us. Refusing to relinquish such a stronghold can and will limit our reflection of His light into this world as well! We were saved and set apart for a higher calling, but how can we realize this higher calling if we still entertain the whispers of the old life? We were saved for so much more than mediocrity in our faith walk! Get up, dear soldier and listen to His still small voice in your life today!

Yes, Salvation isn’t enough…it is only the beginning of our mighty and holy transformation!
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

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

August 25, 2014 2

Dear Salvation Army – The Walking Wounded…

“We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(The 10th Doctrine of The Salvation Army)

We are certainly a unique ministry of Jesus Christ are we not?

Those who become members of our ecclesia whether they be adherents, volunteers, soldiers or officers make up many different demographics. Some are educated, some are not, some are young, some are old, some are wealthy, many are not…but they all make up this army of salvation. I do not want to assume anything within our army but from what I have seen there are many of whom we minister to that are “the walking wounded”.

What do I mean by walking wounded?

Circumstances of life whether by extreme poverty, illiteracy, abuse have left wounds upon some of our soldiers in this army. Some of these wounds are emotion, some are physical, some are psychological…all have inflicted wounds, some very, very deep.

Many of the walking wounded may struggle with identifying with a “Heavenly Father” because their earthly father was far from heavenly. Many of the walking wounded struggle with the concept of forgiveness because this was a foreign idea at home. Some of the walking wounded have lived within deep trenches of depravity and habits that seem to always linger in their lives.

Frustration:

It would be easy to become frustrated with those who are walking wounded…sometimes we may not know that they are wounded at all. Many times the wounds and scars are carefully hidden away and are scarcely revealed or acknowledged. As an Officer, I have caught myself uttering words under my breath, words like “Why can’t this person see what they’re doing with their life?” or “I just taught this subject in bible study and five minutes after nothing has changed and nothing has sunken in.”

Be careful, fellow teachers of the gospel. Be patient with those you instruct, some are walking wounded and you may not know it. It is easy to become frustrated with those who seem to make little to no progress. Yes, we should keep the standard high, and at the same time be distributors of God’s grace and loving mercy. I do not wish to imply that we allow sin to remain in the lives of those we serve and love. We should confront sin when we have the opportunity to do so, but may it be done in a loving, caring manner. I believe that the Holy Spirit can certainly transform lives. Sometimes He transforms lives immediately, while other times it is a gradual, slow process. We, who are very temporal, want to see immediate change. We, who are teachers of the gospel, long to see the “fruit of our labor” and yet is that our place? Is that our right? Sometimes the walking wounded may only make incremental progress towards becoming “wholly sanctified”…yet I believe in a God who dispenses such an amazing grace that goes beyond our understanding. Again I do not wish for us to give up or to settle for mediocrity within our soldiery, but sometimes I wonder if certain members of our body are capable of attaining the measure that we as humans set for them?

Love, Grace & Sanctification:

When it comes to ministering to the walking wounded (this definition of “walking wounded” anyway) we as soldiers and officers of our army must love as Christ first loved us. All of us are unworthy of His grace and yet His unmerited favor has fallen upon us. May we in turn make every attempt to reciprocate that grace upon those we serve and love.

They may not attain “our level” of sanctification (and even saying “our level” seems arrogant and pretentious) and thank goodness we are not the measurement of holiness – Christ is! Instead of focusing on “our level” perhaps we can all attempt to instruct and teach personal holiness to those we serve and love. Personal holiness begins at home, in the heart, soul and mind. Personal holiness is prodded by corporate holiness but has the capacity to transform and shape a person’s life in their time and by the Holy Spirit.

We are all called to be “wholly sanctified”…and in so living it may we administer love and grace to those who are walking wounded among us…perhaps, quite possibly, that includes ourselves as well.

-Something more for our army to ponder today.

August 15, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army – 3 Surefire Ways To Succeed In Our Mission

Please do not misunderstand these letter that I have felt compelled to write. They are not meant to injure or cause strife within our Army. Instead, I have felt rather strongly that we can improve, we can do better, we still have room to grow. If you have read one of these letters and perhaps interpreted these thoughts as destructive or harsh, please rest assured I hold no ill will towards the army, I only wish to dialogue and discuss ways we CAN adjust our vision and pathway.

Today I would like to discuss ‘success’.

What Success Is Not:
Success in our Army isn’t about some sort of “name it and claim it” prosperity theology. We have faith in God through both the prosperous times and in the not so prosperous times. Success is not about statistics either…statistics alone are only the evidence of positive trends. These can be helpful as tools towards realizing our mission, but should not be our “mountaintop” conclusion.

Success is not measured in wealth of our army. Money is also a tool that can do great good but also has the potential of doing great harm if mismanaged. Wealth in our army should be measured in the health of corps, divisions and most importantly its Soldiers. Success should not be based upon the financial stability (though as mentioned already money is a very helpful tool).

Having set aside some of the erroneously preconceived notions about success, let us now delve into the 3 surefire ways to succeed in our mission as an Army…

Our Mission As A Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian
Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

3 Surefire Ways To Succeed In Our Mission:

1. Love For Christ And a Love For Others

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’ (Matthew 25:35)

The principle of a successful mission begins and ends with love. It goes beyond our “lovey-dovey” kind of love that was evident in summer camps as teenagers. It goes beyond a simple “like” of people. We must love God first. Simply put, without this love and devotion to Him we will never contain the capacity of love for others that is required of our Army. We administer God’s grace to some very unlovable people from time to time. Some have been hardened by the world around them and through horrendous circumstances that no one else knows. Loving the unlovable is not possible unless we possess, retain, frequently reconnect with the love of God. Our relationship to Him and our love for Him must continue to be the catalyst of our mission. Without His love we can do nothing. Without the love for “Others” our mission is incomplete and will not see continued success. We mustn’t lose this connection with our first love, because from it pours the compassion and grace to love those around us that He has called us to.

2. Be An Avid Reader And Student Of God’s Word:

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

We must not misplace our desire to know more about our wondrous Savior. Secondly we must not ever get to a point in our spiritual formation and education and say within our hearts “I have learned it all, nothing more can be taught to me.” God help us if we ever become so prideful of our own human wisdom and foolishly think that the Holy Spirit can not instruct us more. The Word of God is living and active and we must ever be good students of His Word. This goes far beyond going to bible studies or even teaching Bible studies. This takes us to a place that we intentionally carve out blocks of time in our daily schedules to feast and meditate on His Word. Do not take it lightly or only pick it up in preparation for a sermon or for Sunday morning. God’s Word is our life’s blood and our source of truth in an often very murky world. We cannot and will not ever success in our Mission as an Army if we are not first students of His Word. Becoming a student of God’s Word will not only give us passages to share with the hurting and lost but also provide us deeper insight in God’s presence with His holy people.

3. Holiness, Holiness, Holiness:

I keep coming back to this point of ‘Holiness‘ in my life and perhaps there are implications here for all of us. More and more I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit that I still have more to give, more to surrender to His will in my life. This isn’t a ‘One and done’ deal or some sort of check-off list of action steps this is living a life of holiness everyday. Some days I succeed, while other days I am a complete and utter disaster of holiness. Becoming like Christ in every way shape and form in our sacrificial living as an Army MUST be first our individual goal and then our corporate aim. We can “go through the motions” of works. We can walk the pathway of duty and never reflect Christ in our hearts. We can be very good at pretending sometimes around other soldiers, officers and even those we serve, but we cannot fool the Lord. If we do not have our hearts bent and rent to the will of our Savior we cannot be prompted into a deeper surrender by the Holy Spirit. Every day we should have words similar to “I surrender all” on our lips and in our hearts. Every moment of every day we should attempt to include God’s Holy presence with us in whatever task we perform until we can walk, live and even breathe holiness. You might consider this impossible. You might view a full surrender of your heart to God as something of a dream that could never come true…is God not capable? Can He not perform this miracle in our lives? We must be willing – Yes, this is true. We must possess some measure of faith. He can transform us and make us new. He has already begun this great work within us.

Dear Salvation Army,

Our Mission is Christ and Others! We cannot perform these tasks here on earth without our first love and the love of others. We cannot complete our mission without sound doctrine and becoming students of His Word. We cannot realize the vision of the lost within the sea of sin and drowning hopelessness without individual and corporate holiness in this army. We need each other as accountability partners. We need reconciliation when brokenness of organization has occurred. We need soldiers willing to fight and to stand in the gap even when it seems all hope is gone…because God has not departed from us. He will ever be our guide. He will always lead us if we are truly listening to our first love…are we?

Something more for our Army to ponder today.

August 7, 2014 1

Dear Salvation Army – The Blood and Fire!

For those unfamiliar with this phrase, let me clarify:

The Blood –
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is not glamorous. He bled and died for our sins and for the sins of the “whosoever”. His blood covers our iniquity, our sinfulness, our fallen selves. The blood of Christ provides a way for us to stand before God because Christ has redeemed us and reconciled us to Him.

The Fire –
The Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples of Jesus as they waited and prayed. His Holy Spirit provides us direction, insight, inspiration and guidance. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit that prods us to live sacramental holy lives. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit that requires more of us…more than we ever thought possible…more than we ever knew could exist within us. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit which demands us to surrender everything, to lay down our lives as a living sacrifice so that we can get back up and serve the Risen Savior and do it with every fiber of our beings.

Dear Salvation Army,
how are you living Blood and Fire today?
I don’t mean wearing the uniform and hoisting and waving the flag, for these are simply outward expressions of that inward change…but how are you truly living ‘Blood and Fire’ in your communities and to ‘the whosoever’?

To the Blood and Fire Salvationists – You keep up the fight! Keep waging this war, keep fighting in Jesus’ name for those who are still blinded and lost in sin. Keep pressing onward. Do not quit…we need you! Do it all in love, be love and grace and compassion to people who have never felt the kindness and grace of Christ. Be reflections of Christ in not only word but most importantly deed, because eyes can perceive far faster than ears can understand. Continue to be that witness not only in your corps’ and homes but in the streets and in the parks and in the schools. We must not allow that fire to dwindle or burn out. Satan would love nothing more than for this army to become weary and ill-equipped and bogged down by the drudgery of it all. Dear Salvation Army, the World still needs you! The world still needs fighters and soldiers and officers and volunteers to administer God’s grace and hope. The world still needs YOU!

To the Weary Tired Salvationist Who Is Ready To Quit – DO NOT!
There are times when people will fail us. There will be times when even leadership may succumb to the ravages of this war, for whatever reason, but do not quit. We need you! You may be tired. You may be burned out by seemingly stodgy politics and meaningless banter. You might have witnessed professions of Christ yet seen little evidence of Christ in others, but do not become disillusioned and walk away! You are vital! You are needed! I have walked that tired and heavy burdened trail. Many a time I have considered leaving as well. Many a time I imagine a far simpler life…in fact that “many a time” is very, very recent for me. I still walk with these burdens and my heart is not yet healed…but I know the Lord will provide! Stay the course, rest, but fight on!

To the “Soldier” Only By Rank Or Name…
If you have no passion to live “Blood and Fire”…if you only acknowledge Jesus with your lips but do not serve Him in your hearts consider these words – Either fall on your face at the Altar and pray for forgiveness and seek His healing in your life or Step Away from the front lines! The world has seen its fair share of falsehoods and phonies, it can sense insincerity and half-truths. There are already vipers in the grass, do not become another for other soldiers and would be soldiers. I only use these harsh terms to indicate that this is no game. This is life and death to souls of men and women everywhere and the business and ministry of Christ is not to be trifled with. I hope and pray there are very, very few remaining of the mere “Solider” by title alone. I am also confident that in time the Holy Spirit will reveal those who must be removed from our ranks or reconciled (if possible) those who are not living Blood and Fire.

BE BLOOD AND FIRE!

Dear Salvation Army – It is not just a flag that we wave, it is freedom, redemption, grace, peace, hope and love to many who have understood or received this unmerited gift. Continue to live Blood and Fire! Continue to declare God’s redemptive love to all who will hear. Be His holy hands, provide His holiness in both word and deed to this world around us.

To God be the Glory!
More for our Salvation Army to ponder today!

August 6, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army – Let’s Turn Things Upside Down!

For far too long there has been this imaginary ideological organizational structure which told us (erroneously) that the corps and front-line ministries were at the bottom of The Salvation Army pecking order. Honestly I don’t really get caught up in “who is first” or “who is most important”, yet at times there is this unspoken notion of “climbing the corporate ladder” even in The Salvation Army. As if corps ministry and front-line evangelism is somewhat lacking in prestige and importance. Let me make this absolutely clear – If anyone in our Army has signed up for the express purpose of “climbing the ladder” and to “get out of corps ministry” then perhaps that person should consider finding another army to belong to.

The Army isn’t the only place this happens (obvious statement, I know). The disciples of Jesus had witnessed many miracles and wonders performed by their Rabbi -Jesus and they began to argue amongst themselves about who would be greater. You can almost hear their ego driven argument, “No, I’m clearly the better speaker”, “But I’m better looking in uniform” (I had to put that in there), “Well, I am so much better with finances”, “Oh yeah, but I have better administration skills“…

According to Luke 9:48 Jesus knew their thoughts and cut them off -“Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

Holiness & Humility:
If we could only stop this petty self-defeating ladder climbing mentality. If only we could keep our eyes on what is most important – Being Holy people and from this allowing the Holy Spirit to transform lives through our actions of evangelism. If only we could stop looking over the fence at that other corps which seems more prestigious and more prosperous than ours as we covet what they have. If only we could stop looking at DHQ or THQ as “the next step in our careers”. If only, if only, if only… Why is it that we humans, as imperfect as we are, always seem to be so success focused? Shouldn’t we consider what the Lord said to Samuel when anointing the next (God appointed) king of Israel; “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

How are our hearts? Isn’t serving God with our everything enough? Isn’t being loved by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords prestigious enough?

I have included a couple of diagrams today to help us understand how the true model of leadership and ministry SHOULD look like…and I hope this helps:

What this diagram represents is the way most organizations and businesses are run in our world today. From the top down. But, if we are led by humility and holiness, we would understand that “the least of these” must begin from the bottom – up. Not to imply that we place leadership at the bottom or that administration isn’t important, but rather for us to understand that without active evangelism and the dispensing of God’s love and grace we run risk of losing everything and having nothing to show for our polished efforts. If the terms are confusing to you then let me illustrate this (in my best hand writing

…please don’t laugh)

The "traditional" organizational flow chart/hierarchical structure model — The “traditional” organizational flow chart/hierarchical structure model

How leadership and administration (and soldiers) ought to view the structure active ministry and evangelism.

Turning Things On Its Head:

For far too long men and women of our Army have gone about “position” all wrong. Yes we need administration and leadership but what is our primary purpose? What is that one principle upon which we are an Army? Christ-then Others! If we only look at Salvation Army structure as ranks and office then we are only reflecting worldly hierarchical organizational -money driven, success oriented models, which are rife with politics, maneuvering, ego-driven leadership, power hungry people. Are we an Army dependent upon these things? NO! It cannot be that way with us! It should not be that way with us…and yet at times it has become inexplicably linked with our internal identities. We must continually turn this identity upside down! We must guard our hearts from pride and arrogance and the pursuit of “position” within our Army. It was never about what rank was placed upon our shoulders. It was never about what position we held at the corps or divisional headquarters, or territorial headquarters or any other “headquarters”…it IS about serving Christ humbly and from this one vital relationship (our first love) all things ought to flow in our ministries.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

This is something further our Army must continuously ponder…to God be the glory!

Please, tell me what you think by commenting below and leaving responses…let’s continue this dialogue together!

August 5, 2014 8

Dear Salvation Army – A disconnected culture or a disconnected Army?

Before I begin, I must say to those who might remark “why would we worry about our current culture?” That it isn’t the Army’s place to become so immersed in our culture that we lose our mission…however, having said that, there is something to be said about being culturally relevant and engaging of those immersed in it while still preaching the relevance of Christ, salvation, holiness and His wondrous grace! Do not misunderstand me here, I do not long for an Army fully immersed in culture, but I do long for an Army who understands modern culture and is continually equipped to engage souls who live within modern culture.

While it is true that some of our Founder’s methodology from Victorian England might not work today in terms of evangelism, the mold of modern day evangelism is still very much intact! William and Catherine Booth began a movement that addressed the current needs of their day while engaging the souls of people for Christ. Their methods were edgy and risky, many “high churches” would never have dreamed of embarking on such methods, yet it met people where they were at and many joined its ranks and the movement swelled.

Today, dare I say, the employment of Victorian era evangelism techniques may not work the way it once did. I don’t mean to say that we should give up or that we have become an obsolete army, but that we need to modernize and become equipped to engage modern culture.

Questions:
How do we do this? What sort of methods do we employ? Which should we avoid? What are the needs of “the lost”? Who are the lost? How do we become more engaged in this culture yet maintain the holy principles and godly purposes?

3 Easy Steps To Becoming More Disconnected With Our Culture:

1) Stay In The Corps And In The Facility And Never Venture Outside Its Walls.
Long gone (at least in the West) is the use of open-air services and even bar sales of “The War Cry“. If we wish to become more disconnected with this modern culture then we should further insulate ourselves within the walls of our community centers and corps while we pine for “the glory days” which will inevitably forever be behind us!

We should also continue to complain about the fact that our attendance is steadily decreasing while we never seek to venture outside the building and into the neighborhoods and downtown streets…in this way we might as well place blinders on our eyes just as horse riders do to prevent the horse from looking around…why should we look around when all we seem to do is look back into the past? (insert sarcasm here)

2) Pursue More Constricting Federal Dollars, it’s all about the money anyway!

We have become very good at modernizing our social services and our national images, so much so that we are recognized as the most respected charitable organization…but is that all we are? A charity? Do fight for souls of men, women and children? Or do we simply run to the next fund raiser and spend countless dollars on better social services programming? I understand we must do both. I understand that without one we cannot do the other, however is it unequally balanced? Can we pull back from the “pursuit of money” cliff and say “enough“?

Have our hands become more and more bound because of the red ink we have placed on federal and local agreements to service? Are these agreements now preventing us from engaging spiritually those with whom we serve? If we desire to become more disconnected with modern culture, we should continue to chase those federal dollars. We should also continue focusing so much of our efforts on increasing social services programs and inflated staffing while decreasing the size of our worship spaces and perhaps some day leave the bibles and penitent form out of the chapel because we “wouldn’t want to offend or bite the hand that feeds us”. Again, if we want to become further disconnected from culture…and even worse disconnected from God and His purpose for us, we will push for these things and strive to become the best social service agency in the nation when being a social service agency was never the sole mission of The Army.

3) Forget About The Long-term Needs, Focus Only On The Immediate Needs Of People…And DON’T Offend!

As stated at the beginning, our Founder’s methodology was to engage culture, change lives and win souls for Christ. William and Catherine Booth didn’t just stop at the “Soup & Soap” of immediate needs, NO! The souls of people, “Salvation” were the primary targets! We will cease to be a movement and an Army of Salvation should we lose the focus on “Salvation”! If we become more concerned with offending people than we do with loving them and longing for their hearts to be changed as well as their physical conditions, then we will have become disconnected! “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV) I don’t propose that we go looking for fights, but we must engage society and that of modern culture if we are to win souls! We cannot simply worry about offending people because we ask about their spiritual well being…this will (on occasion) take time and trust, but we mustn’t shy away from the long-term needs of those with whom we serve! We will have done a great disservice to those we are commissioned to serve as well as the Holy Spirit if we merely hand out the immediate “bread” of the day without the lasting impact of His Living Bread! But…if we wish to disconnect from culture, the world and most importantly our mission for Christ, just hand out bread and food boxes and forget to pray and discuss spiritual things with those we serve.

Finally…
We need to continue to fight! We must be engaged in culture so that we not only understand culture but we can have the tools to reach those who are lost living in that culture! We must continually evaluate our “modern methods” and how effective they may or may not be. We must be willing to take risks, to, at times, throw caution to the wind. We, as an Army, should not be so bound by governmental constrictions that we place gags on the gospel. Get out of the corps buildings. Get out and love others. Get on with evangelism, relational connections and its vital importance to the lost. Do not hold back, dear soldier! We will face opposition. We will face those who will seek to silence the gospel…but fight on with the power of the Holy Spirit as your guide! We need holy leaders, holy soldiers, a holy Army if we are to avoid the allure of disconnecting from our mission field! Go for souls, and go for the worst! To God be the glory!

-Something more for the Army to ponder today!

August 4, 2014 3

Category: Holiness