Dear Salvationist – Arrogance Beware!

Luke 18:9-14(NLT)

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

⁹Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ¹⁰“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer^[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! ¹²I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ ¹³“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ ¹⁴I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Beware dear Soldier of the trappings of arrogance, for it can creep into that uniform of yours and corrupt your heart and attitude! We do not wear this uniform and associate ourselves with this army because we are better than other people, instead we should wear it as as sign of utter humility, servitude to Christ and as a constant reminder of our mission in this world.

Could our corps halls feel like an exclusive club to outsiders? -This should never be the case! We might become tempted, at times, to puff ourselves up with all of our corps’ accomplishments and fortunes, instead run from such thoughts and temptations! Do not become like the Pharisee in the parable Jesus told – who was so enamored by his own pride and arrogance that those earnestly seeking were criticized and despised.

No, instead fight this war against pride and arrogance as a Soldier of this army! We ought to fall to our knees and repent every time we become prideful of who we are instead of Whose we are. We must recognize and repent every time we aspire to places of position and power out of personal gain and selfish ambition. Pride and arrogance will poison our army if we are not careful; and although we do good in our communities lest we not forget Who our faith is in and for Whom all of these good works are accomplished.

If we as soldiers exchange this true calling of sincere holiness in our lives for earthly recognition and these temporary places of authority the world bestows upon us, we will have lost it all – and our identity as an Army for God.

Jesus despised the hypocrite and the religious zealot who couldn’t see past their own personal needs and desires. Beware dear Soldier of the trappings of arrogance and pride.

Prayer:
Lord, make us humble. May we be mindful of our fellow man – and the hurting world around us. Give us Your heart and eyes – may we ever be on our knees earnestly seeking after you. Holy Spirit, instill in us this servant-heart. Break us of our pride and arrogance. Remove the dross, wipe away the old life. If need be, remove us from places of prominence so that we may be yours and yours alone. Lord, forgive us when we have had a divided heart – you want us all to yourself, and there have been times when we have strayed. May Christ-likeness be our goal as we humbly serve. Amen.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly^[a] with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

April 6, 2016 1

Dear Salvation Army, 3 Things Corps Officers Should Know About Their Soldiers!

Last week I wrote part 1 of this “two sided coin” so to speak – 3 Things Soldiers Should Know About Their Corps Officer(s)

Today I would like to conclude the second side of the coin on the topic of “things the Corps Officer should know about their Soldiers!” Understandably without Soldiers in our corps doing the amazing work that they do, we are hopelessly lost! We need strong soldiers to lead. We need strong leaders to help the Corps Officers. I understand that sometimes these two dynamics in the corps does not “gel” the way it should. Both sides of this coin ought to recognize that we are all on the same team…but sometimes, unfortunately, it doesn’t feel that way. I believe Satan thrives upon our disunity and polarizing leadership directions. He wants us to fail. We, often times, will fail in our corps, not because we lack the appropriate resources to complete the mission, but because we can’t see eye to eye, or we all think that we know what is best for the corps and we take opposing directions.

The Corps is the forefront of The Salvation Army mission – make no mistake about that!
Yes, vital lifesaving missions are also located in the Harbor Light, and ARC’s and Schools and Shelters, and in a way they are a corps unto themselves. At the Corps level we engage the enemy and we see the hopelessness of those who come to us for help! This fight isn’t just about who the Corps Officer is (it was never about that in the first place) but about who will lead and who will serve Christ in every aspect of this mission to the lost.

3 Things Corps Officers Should Know About Their Soldiers:

1. They Are The Long-term Investors
Local Officers and Soldiers have been there long before you came to that appointment, and they will be there a long time after you are gone. They have invested in that the local Corps’ mission. They understand that community probably much better than you ever will, no matter what education you might have and what your grade point average was at Training College. I do not mean to sound snarky here by any means, I simply wish to convey how invested most soldiers are to that current Corps. They are the backbone of the corps…or at least they should be. Sometimes (and I know this is true) Corps Officers have run over Soldiers and Local Officers to accomplish what they believe the direction of the corps should be. Sometimes this has happened the other way around as well. Every Corps is different, this much is true, but when Corps Officers and Soldiers work together side-by-side, we work for the same purpose, the same cause. Understand, Corps Officers, that your Soldiers and Local Officers are the Long-term investors of your corps!

2. They Want To Be Led By Godly, Consistent Officers!
Corps Officers, it is imperative that we lead our corps and its constituents in a godly manner.
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” 1 Peter 5:2-4
Yes, hold your local officers and soldiers accountable, but be accountable to these same standards as well!
Don’t ask something of others that you yourself aren’t willing to do either. Be the kind of leader that leads by example and does the hard work right along with your soldiers! God honors holy leaders who are consistent in word and deed! Be consistent leaders! Lead by humility and love, not by power and might! Don’t lord over others with your authority, after all, you can and will be replaced one day. Invest in your soldiers, but also give fully of yourself where possible.

3. Delegate, Lean And Learn!
There is a HUGE difference between a seasoned Officer and a salty one. Don’t be a salty one! There will be difficult days as officers in this Army. There will be times when you will want to take out your frustrations upon soldiers. Choose your battles wisely. Confront when you need to confront, but do so in love and by first praying about every situation that you face!
If you think of yourself as Super-Officer that wears a navy blue and red cape and one who doesn’t need any help from soldiers and local officers, then you need to kill Super-Officer. There, I’ve said it for all soldiers everywhere. YOU. CAN’T. DO. EVERYTHING. YOURSELF. So stop trying to be Super-Officer, because Super-Officer will ultimately burn out, fade away and become discontent.

Corps Officers, you need to understand the vital usage of delegation. Moses couldn’t do everything and so, thankfully he began to delegate responsibilities. Don’t hold the reins of everything so tightly that you begin to slowly strangle your corps to death. Let others lead when you have individuals willing and able to lead. It may not meet your standards at first, but trust them, teach them…don’t enable your soldiers to always rely on the Officer to do everything! You shortchange and stunt the growth of your soldiers and leaders when you become Super-Officer who leads and does everything! So get rid of Super Officer, and delegate, teach and lean on your Soldiers!

Lastly, do not think for a minute that you have learned all there is to know about leadership, and that your soldiers and local officers can’t teach you something new! Always be pliable and teachable yourself! Recognize that book-learning sometimes isn’t enough and that life-learning can aid you to become a better, more godly Officer. Your Corps, your present appointment can and will teach you something wonderful if you are available to be taught. Do not become so prideful in your abilities that you become arrogant and incapable of the kind of change that you yourself preach about from the pulpit to others.

These are just three things Corps Officers should know about their Soldiers.
There are many more…but it begins by listening.
It begins by listening to the Holy Spirit, to your Soldiers and to the community that you serve!
So listen, lead your flock that are long-term investors, and lead them well! Allow them to teach you something. Allow them to learn with you. Help them develop into the best leaders that they can be as well! Together we can accomplish this great mission. Together we are a stronger army! What say you?

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

February 23, 2015 3

Forgiveness and Peace

Anger

Bleeds

Red…

Sometimes

the things

said

make

jagged

broken

beds…

we lie in them

the cumbersome

oozing regret.

BUT

Reconciliation

is Not

NOT

too far away.

Make a break

get away

turn your

pride

into

Forgiveness…

clean

the mess

confession

regress into

peace again.

February 13, 2014 0

God called His Bride to be Sheep-stealers and growth competitive??

We utter agreements to work together. We vow to ‘come along side one another’. But are all these promises false? Are we faking it ? I’m speaking to fellow pastors and church members. Do we really intend to support each other even if we don’t belong to the same denomination or brick and mortar church?

It seems all too often that we are so preoccupied with what we are doing in our ministries that we do not have time to support the greater ecclesia. We have our heads down and we are plodding onward completely oblivious that there are other Christians in our own community struggling and in need of Christian fellowship and support.

Is this what Christ had in mind when He prayed to the Father “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20-21 I don’t think this is what Christ had in mind at all. In fact I believe that He is greatly saddened by our separation from one another.

Conversely then, if we are called His bride, we the church, how can we justify the sheep stealing that takes place among churches? Are we in competition with one another? Has it become strictly about who has the most congregants in the pews? Will God, one day reward us in heaven for the amount of sheep we have stolen from another flock? NO! I’ve literally seen the smirks and pride on the faces of some pastors when they compare their churches. This ought not be!!! I have witnessed the arrogance of some who look down on smaller congregations simply because of their size of memberships. This cannot exist in the body of Christ! I am not saying this because I grew up in small congregations and also now pastor one. I’m saying this because when we start comparing our church flocks and when we start looking down our noses at other Christians we allow sin and pride into our midst. After all didn’t Jesus say; “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

Pastors, stop acting prideful of your accomplishments. Stop comparing yourselves with what other churches are doing and looking down your noses at smaller congregations. Don’t let pride seep into who God has call His body to be. Congregations stop trying to be better than the church down the street. Stop wearing a fake front in order to impress and steal congregational members from other churches! You are hurting the body of Christ!

Is this an indictment on the Western Church? Perhaps. But am I to judge? It’s not my place to throw blame anywhere, I’m just as guilty as the next pastor is. But what I am saying is beware, be careful pastors and church members! Satan would love nothing more than to tear you down with your pride and arrogance so that you resemble more of the world and less like Christ. Watch out, because he would love nothing more than to destroy our fellowship of believers!

God’s Bride needs to stop comparing. She needs to stop the sheep stealing and competing with itself. We cannot act like the world because we are made for so much more than this. We are to reflect the very heart of Christ…and if we aren’t then we either need to readjust our course or be prepared to face His displeasure and judgement.

August 20, 2013 0

“Get Off Of Your Laurels!”

“Nothing wilts faster than laurels that have been rested upon.” –Percy Bysshe Shelly

The hero takes the stage as the crowd explodes into cheerful celebration. After grueling torment and near defeat, the hero stands alone from the rest of the competition. He has defeated his adversaries masterfully and now he is crowned with a laurel wreath on his head and the affections of the crowd. He is their champion and hero.

But what happens to many champions after victories such as these? What becomes of them? Some continue to strive for excellence and gain victories again and again, while others stumble and fall upon their pride and face humiliating defeats later on.

Dare I say it is what happens after the victory that matter most! In the Christian world we face temptations on all sides. We experience real spiritual warfare for our souls. Sometimes we go to revival meetings, camps, youth/adult conventions and we experience real victories by the Holy Spirit in our lives at the ‘High Places’. These are mountain top experiences and we cherish these experiences for the rest of our lives. They are milestone markers in our relationship to Christ. These moments in actuality become sacred to us and rightly so because they were real tangible moments when we felt God’s presence in our lives.

But what happens when we come down from these mountaintops with our laurels of victory having done battle with sin and temptation? Do we think those temptations and sins will simply disappear on our descent into the ‘real world’? Can we ride that victory all the way to the gates of heaven? Of course not! The real battle is still ahead of us. We have to enter our lives again fresh from victory and engage the enemy (sin) once again. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we go into the world looking for sin, that’s not what I mean. But in our attempt to live holy lives we will most certainly face sin again on the battle field. When we come down from the mountaintop we must realize that Satan is waiting for us. He doesn’t want us to succeed continually in our victories but would rather we face the cold realities of a world wrought with sin.

When we come down from a mountaintop experience, high with the Holy Spirit, we need to be mindful that we cannot rest on yesterday’s victories to get us through today or even tomorrow. The Apostle Paul wrote of his own struggles, and in his wisdom he said this: ^“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

What Paul is saying here is that though he had won other victories at other mountaintop experiences he couldn’t rest his laurels on the past because the prize “heavenward in Christ Jesus” was still ahead of him. He had to keep on going, and this is what we must do as well!

We cannot rest on our laurels from previous victories and expect to grow into holiness without engaging in our present battles as well. I think there are two key words here to remember: “Pride” and “Press”.

Pride:

The Apostle Paul understood the dangers of pride in his life and clearly says, “I am not there yet, my destination isn’t complete.” C.S. Lewis once said, When we allow pride to enter into our hearts (pride in what we’ve already accomplished, pride in our holiness, pride in our efforts) we, unknowingly take two steps backward. We begin to compare ourselves with other Christians along this same journey instead of comparing our image with that of Christ’s. Pride allows us to keep our laurels yet resting upon them will not propel us forward rather will create in us a stagnancy and therein lies the real danger of an atrophied soul!

Rather…

Press:

Instead of pride leading to our spiritual demise, we ought to humbly press on toward our ultimate prize which is the very image of God within us – Imago dei. Without this heavenward goal, which is holding captive our thoughts, actions and speech, we can become so much like the world around us that we blend in completely and are no longer ‘set apart’. We must press on from victory to victory…keep on keeping on. We don’t have time to hang our laurels. We don’t have time to rest and admire them, but we journey on because we haven’t reached our destination yet.

Let me ask:
Are you resting on your laurels of past mountaintop victories? If so, it is time to set them aside as glorious as they were and press on. Our ultimate victory is assured in Christ if we are faithful to Him. Our goal to be like Him and in so doing we shine before the world so that His redemption is visible to all. Eternity is our reward as we press on towards our goal!

August 6, 2013 0

Wisdom or foolishness? (Poem)

Brandishing the hand of wrath

the vanishing grace evaporates

like the morning’s dew in the sun shine.

Finding our hearts again

like a widow in search of a coin

that would buy her bread

for a day…are we prepared?

Clothed with wisdom

or naked in our foolishness?

There are times where

we wish for fig leaves

in our foolish follies

laying flat on our faces

purple with bruises of pride

wishing we could rewind the

moments of our lives.

There are two journeys

of which we must choose

a path that leads to our downfall

plagued with illusions of grandeur

jagged and cliffed with failure…

the other path, a journey both difficult

and rewarding, yet here we stand

with a choice to make

wisdom and a ship of fools?

April 25, 2013 0

What do I stand for? (Day 1 of 5 Selfishness/Selflessness)

What do I stand for? The music video linked here by ‘Fun.’ asks a very good question, and within the context of living as Kingdom people, followers of Christ, this question begs an answer in all of us! If we are truly honest with ourselves we have asked this question a time or two. This question encompasses a whole spectrum of things from political beliefs and ideologies to intrinsic ethical and moral convictions of our personal worldviews. This question can be a very existential pondering. For when we ask this solitary question, other questions in the sequence of our lives beg to be asked as well.

Automatically, when thinking about what we stand for, we will recall the ‘golden rule’; “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”. And certainly this is applicable, but what is it that we would like others to do unto us? Love us? Yes. Treat us fairly? Check. Be honest? Certainly. Be kind? Absolutely. All of these qualities and more is what we would have others do to us.

Enter Selfishness:

We hold to those truths listed above for others, but what about the way we treat other people? Do we treat others the same way? All too often we peer through rose colored glasses in how we treat others but if we were to look harder at our motives and intentions, we would quickly realize that many times we do things that will benefit us. If there isn’t something in it for us, then we quickly lose interest and pursue things more self-involved and self-fulfilled. Selfishness is our down fall most of the time. If we aren’t fulfilled by the things we do, then no one will be fulfilled. This is our old sinful self that is rearing its ugly head. If there was a weakness in the Christian armor, the chinks in the armor would be selfishness and pride. If we let our selfishness reign supreme in our decisions and in our lifestyles then we aren’t fulfilling our calling as Christ-followers. Selflessness and Selfishness cannot take up the same space within our hearts; it’s either one or the other. This is the crux of our world today, many of our sin issues that is crumbling any sense of morality comes from our pursuit of selfishness.

What Does Selflessness look like?

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be your slave– just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV)

If we stand for Christ and for what He seeks to do for the lost in our world then we must become servants and serve! Becoming a servant of Christ isn’t easy, and it never will be if we still operate from our old selfishness. Before we knew Christ we were consumed by this selfishness. Now that we know Him and identify with His suffering we too must stand for more than just ourselves. That old operating system of self cannot and will not lead others to God. It will only perpetuate that sinful selfish cycle that this world is so used to. What Christ did, was turn selfishness on its head. What He asks of us as Sons and daughters of God is to follow in His footsteps as we fulfill that great commission:

^“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

When we ‘go’ we are called to leave our selfishness behind. This, from the start is where we begin this journey of what we stand for!

TO BE CONTINUED….

Like a television series, imagine the old announcer say, “Tune in tomorrow, we’ll explore ‘Standing for God’s justice’.”

April 15, 2013 0

Spinning like a Merry-Go-Round

James 1:5-8 (NIV)
⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

A few years ago I experienced a very bad bout of vertigo. I was laying on my bed, looking up and the room was spinning round and around and around. It was like involuntarily being on a merry-go-round as it spun faster and faster and faster. It was a very disconcerting thing for me. I felt sick to my stomach; I had lost control and couldn’t stop this awful ride. To put it plainly it was hell. Eventually I had to go to the emergency room and get checked out. After a series of tests it was revealed that I had a buildup of fluid behind my ear and this was the culprit to my world spinning around.

Isn’t it funny how such a small thing can become such a problem in life? I struggled with my world seemingly spinning out of control and it happened that one of my ears had an issue. It makes you really appreciate and also realize just how delicately balanced our lives and bodies are.

So it is with our faith as well. Not so much on God’s end, but our end. We are often like a merry-go-round in our faith. We go round and round and sometimes we never come to any decision and we make no long term commitments to God. Yet God is standing there ready to supply us with the wisdom that we need if only we ask Him. Why is it that we forget that He’s there? Why is it that we don’t cry out to God every day when our world seems to be spinning around us?

I think pride is a part of it. All too often we feel as if we need no one’s help and if we were to ask it would be a sign of our weakness or inability. Yet God wants us to call on Him in every season of life, spinning or not. He knows how difficult life is because Christ lived it. Jesus came to our level and He can truly identify with our struggles, our temptations, and our pains. Having this knowledge of His intimate understanding of the human existence, it would be foolish NOT to call upon Him in our times of need and contentment. Pride shouldn’t play a part in us missing out on His wisdom and strength.

Lastly, as James writes, we shouldn’t doubt that when we ask God that He will or will not respond. God is always faithful to those He loves…and guess what? He loves YOU! So don’t have second thoughts about God hearing you, answering you or being there for you…He will be there, He will hear and He will answer! If there’s one place in the Universe that you can place your faith and your hopes upon it’s our Father in Heaven. He will never let us down!

A closing word of caution:

Even though He will never let us down and He hears us when we call, don’t treat God like a good luck charm or a ‘Get out of Jail’ card. He doesn’t work like that. His desire is for us to seek Him every minute of every day. He desires a relationship with us that is so much more than a word of prayer in the midst of our troubled times. God desires our hearts, our lives our love. When we have this type of relationship, He not only intercedes amidst our merry-go-rounds of trouble, but He joins us in the battles and in the struggles.

April 3, 2013 0

Tag: pride