Function with Unction.

unc·tion

[uhngk-shuhn] Show IPA

noun

1.

an act of anointing, especially as a medical treatment or religious rite.

2.

an unguent or ointment; salve.

3.

something soothing or comforting.

4.

an excessive, affected, sometimes cloying earnestness or fervor in manner, especially in speaking.

5.

Religion .

a.

the oil used in religious rites, as in anointing the sick or dying.

b.

the shedding of a divine or spiritual influence upon a person.

c.

the influence shed.

d.

extreme unction. ( thanks dictionary.com)

I want my life to function with unction. Extremely.

Led by the Holy Spirit, anointed and sealed by Him, useful for His purpose.

I don't think you want to be a Christian minister any other way.

What does it mean, to be in "unction" ?

When you pray, something supernatural happens around you and within you and those you pray for.

There is authority in your message .

There is a sense of freshness and vibrancy that rises when you lead.

God can use you, because you have positioned yourself for His use.

You know, you are no better than anyone else, just clay in the masters hands, being made for His purposes and plan, ....

The difference is...you have already willingly laid down your life and all you are for His use. And now you function in a different manner than you did previously. With Unction.

I have observed many styles and behaviors of Church leaders, pastors, officers.

Some are arrogant, think they have it altogether and know all things.

Some are weak and insipid and behave in such a manner as to demonstrate no leadership authority.

Some are strong and have authority the moment they enter a room.

Some are defeated.

Some are living life in fear of the next complaint or critic.

Some are ignorant of the power of the Holy Spirit.

And there are heaps of others also...

And of course there are the " unctioned ". ( no such word but I am going to use it)

Those officers, pastors, leaders who know who they are, know why they are here, know who they serve, have surrendered their will to His, have willingly allowed their spirit to be filled and shaped by His Spirit, and everyday lay it down in surrender and commitment to His Kingdom purpose on the earth and especially in the church.

I guess this blog entry is for leaders, officers and pastors.

But also for every Christ follower, that is, for every Christian who desires their lives to be fully used by God for His purpose at least.

I challenge you, get your life, and ministry into a place where you function with unction.

Allow the wonderful Holy Spirit to empower you, shape you, mold you, fill you, and see what God can do through you then.

Blessings !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted with Blogsy

Jesus Loves you

It's Sunday afternoon, and it is time to unwind, and reflect on this mornings worship service.

I felt it was pretty good, considering that close on 100 people were away today, either in Perth or taking the advantage of the long weekend here in Melbourne.

Nevertheless, church must go on, and it did, and it was special being with others who gathered to worship Jesus.

I love church, I don't love the politics and squabbles that often come in churches, but for the most part, the church inspires me. I love it that I am called to the local church.

I don't think for one moment that I am brilliant as a pastor or officer, but I do give it a crack and my best.
Here is a link to today's sermon...podcast...

http://salvos.org.au/ringwood/podcasts/


Currently I am reading a GHC book called Crossing over, by Paul Scanlon...

It is a very good book and it is helping me grapple with what I need to get, to be able to take
Ringwood where God may wish us to go.

I fully recommend it to you, you can get a Kindle version in Amazon and read it on iPad.
Here are 3 quotes from that book...

"Everything that wants to grow and have a relevant future has to change, and change is God’s gift to humanity. “Crossing over” is my language for and description of the change which thousands of churches must embrace, or they will face extinction."

" All over the world God has and is raising men and women to lead His people into an awesome future.These new leaders are smart, sharp, streetwise, and acutely aware of what is and isn’t relevant to the twenty-first century church. "

"To every pastor reading this I want to say, you are a life saver! The choices you make, particularly during a generational transition for your church, will be life-and-death choices for you, the church, and the community. May the Joshua within you wake up!

God doesn't want us to stay the same, He wants us to grow and become healthy as Christ followers and as churches.

We don't want to be a church looking backwards to the "old days", we need to be a church looking to God
To lead us into His purpose and plan and the new days that lay before us.

There is much to grapple and work through, but these times are desperate, and TSA, needs Salvos who will understand the times and trust God and His love, and then just go for it.

The best is yet to come.

I pray that today you will be blessed by listening to the podcast, hearing the sincere heart of our church as they  sang in worship unto Jesus.

And hear something from God for your life also.

Why not make it personal at the conclusion and place your hand on your heart or illness area and allow His Spirit To touch your being as well.

May He bless you deeply today.

The challenge for the modern Salvo

I get to thinking, from time to time, that these days are challenging for the modern Salvo.

Are they any more challenging than other days or what our historical forefathers of TSA           experienced ?  probably not ... but certainly the times that we live in and minister in are more complicated than then, in many ways.

take the drama of homosexuality, and Gay Marriage and the can of worms it is to even start speaking about whether it is right or wrong, especially in the church.

what about political correctness ?

and  trying to get people into church and the debate that arises about even that....

whether we are meant to be a church or an Army ? can we be both ?

and let's not get started about worship style, or generational worship, what songs we sing, or dont, whether it be traditional or contemporary...  in the church / Army... !!!

******************************************************************************

Sometimes its just all too hard, and sometimes I feel we get caught up in semantics and rules and regulations and  what things look like, rather than what they really actually "are" .  even that statement will cause someone, somewhere to disagree...   lol

I believe that we all need to determine what is right for us, and what is biblical and what isnt, and what was the intent of Christ for His church ( TSA is a part of that - it had better be, the church, the Bride, is the only thing going through into heaven at the end of it all )

When you feel confused by the politics and culture and gradual wasting away of society  and Christian values, you are going to have to know, deep down in your heart, what it is you believe. And you will  need to  hold onto  it and live for it somehow.

Everything will be up for grabs one day and everything, every Christlike virtue, challenged and debated and deserted.    ( the book of Revelation kind of tells us what will one day be coming  to this earths journey)

There are however some absolutes, well...in my mind there are. 
 ( I have heaps of these, cant mention them all )

• God loves us. Nothing can stop that.

• Jesus will return one day.

• He is still sovereign, and He desires to "power up" - TSA.

• It was He who raised the Salvation Army, we still belong to Him, we are still about His business, and its not just giving a cup of cold water or a bowl of soup, its very much still about getting people saved and added to  the Kingdom of heaven.

• It's not about how we worship, its about who we worship. 

•  God isnt finished with TSA yet. He isnt finsihed with me yet. ( or you for that matter)

•  Our best days are still ahead of  us at the Army.

The modern day Salvo needs to know, deeply know, that we are not living in the shadow of our glory days, but rather we are living in the days of our Vision Reality, and living out our mission, and the fact that our very best days still lay ahead of us, not behind us.

If our best days are behind us, we are in serious trouble.

Our best days are days that have been planned for us by God Himself.

Thousands will be saved and added to our number, lives will be healed, set free, right before our very eyes.  Many will be released from bondage and deception and chains will fall off peoples lives, shackels off their eyes and ear plugs from their ears, will be removed as God moves through His people in TSA.

These wont be easy days, but they will be our best. 

We will be at our truest, and best...........  but not if we make our meetings about something that they are not.

Our meetings, our worship, and everything that happens on Sundays and every other day as well, are about Jesus, and His love and His people..... and nothing else.

It's when we make it about something other than Jesus,  that's when we get it all muddled up and confused, and we start arguing over the insignificant things, which by the way... will not go through to heaven. 

So, I want to challenge, remind, encourage you and bless you into our divine calling and inheritance and heritage. God is with us. He will do in us, what we cant do alone.

He will use us.
He will bless us.
He will grow us.
He will heal us.
He will restore and revive us.
He will renew us and release us.
He will be revealed in us and through us.
He will do it !!!!

all we have to do is keep focussed on Jesus.

Bless His Holy Name.


(and if you think that TSA has lost its relevance, or meaning or hope or purpose or potential ?

think again, 

JESUS IS HERE !!!!  

HE IS OUR  LEADER !!!!  

we haven't even started to do what He has mapped out for us to do and be )