Dangerous comments for the Salvos (take 2)

Without any doubt my most visited blog entry was the one I made about this topic on February 25th..this year.

this blog entry had in excess of 500 hits over a 2 week period, the most of any of my blog entries at any time since I have been blogging.

I have pondered why that is....

one reason is perhaps people thought I was going to be a  heretic and bag TSA out.
perhaps others wondered what I was going to say that was just so dangerous.  who knows....

I guess when it comes to TSA we all have our opinions, hopes and dreams and thoughts.

as a leader I hear them all the time, especially if I make  a decision to do something that is a little out there.

everyone is entilted to their opinion, even if their opinion isnt correct.
(even me, you too !!!!)

sometimes its best to keep your opinions to yourself, you know, wait to be asked and all that, and at other times, injustice demands that we speak up and suffer the consequences of our opinions being spoken.

there are some pretty hot potatoes going on around us these days that affect TSA, us as Christians, Leaders, worshippers and churches. Our nation is bordering on making decisions and choices on all kinds of  issues that distract and divide belief and morals and opinions.

take the following: ( which I am not defending or accusing, just noting)

1. assylum seekers... the boat people
2. gay marriage...
3. abortion...
4. legalising marijauna

you may form an opinion on one of these, only to find some who will agree and some who will disagree.  That's life isnt it ?  you will never please everyone, and neither will everyone agree with you on everything.

so how then should we live ?  what is right and what isnt ?

who should make the decisions  ?


for me, as a Christian, and  for TSA, has at its core the truth of the bible, for me, for us, we live by His Word. by the direction of Christ and the commands laid out for us in His word.

what does God say about these topics ?


then we have people divided about the interpretation of the Bible and what is truth in that ...


Complicated isnt it ?

Sometimes TSA makes statements about certain thngs that makes us look like we are sitting on the fence....  sometimes we need to sit on the fence.

and sometimes we mustn't.

for me, I have made up my own mind about the assylum seeking... gay marriage, abortion, drugs issues...  I am at peace within my soul about it, and the truth is, there will be many who would agree with me and take my stand as well.  and ..there will be just as large a group, who would disagree and yell and scream at me, for my opinion also.


I know some things to be true for me.....

I am called by God to serve in TSA
I am here as His servant to lead His church where He wishes it to go.
TSA is His idea.
His bible truth hasnt changed....its been the same for as long as you have been alive and even before that !!! and will be long after you and I have gone.

maybe if we put our trust back into God and His ways in our nation, in our churches, in our lives, then some things may become a little more easier to manage and govern and understand and live out.


Just a thought.  just my opinion .


and one final opinion !!!!!

the bible says that we are in a war.

that our enemy ( Satan) is intent on destroying any hope we put in Christ.

our enemy wishes to distract us away from our mission and purpose of following Christ and serving Him in His way.

the enemy would have us distort truth...he would have us compromise our faith and water down our belief to accomodate all sorts of heresy and biblical untruth.

making God out to be someone He isnt.... and making out sin to be something better than what it is.

satan is a coniving, deceiving, tricking, destroyer of life..... there is nothing good about him, he desires only to lead you and I and the rest of our world away from the demands of Christ and the invitation of Christ, to be in a loving relationship with the saviour of the world. (JESUS)

We all have free will choice, we all have the right to an opinon, I have chosen Jesus as my life, and even though I fall and fail Him at times. He is my light,  He is my hope and He is my truth. every step of the way, and when things get cloudy and confusing by the choices

our world is making these days ???.

Jesus is my fall back foundation. 

On Him I stand.

An Attractive Distraction !!!!

Saturday Morning July 13th....

I often come down to the church office to get some work done on Saturday mornings, as I dont get interupted and its quiet and there are no distractions.

Life is full of distractions.

Things that happen to you,  or around you, that cause you  to get off track, out of focus and even confused.

not all distractions are ugly !!!! 

from a spiritual perspective, often the reason why people fall and fail in their spiritual journey is because of a very attractive distraction.

but I am not writing today to speak of that.... 

I wonder if we ever think or long for an attractive distraction from God the Holy Spirit.?

if we ever put ourselves into a position where we desire so much after Him that we find oursleves distracted away from the mundane and ordinary....  and into the supernatural.  ?????


now just quietly.... over my short life of 53 years I have had my fair share of inappropriate distractions. I have made ample enough mistakes to last a lifetime, I know it, Julie knows  it, and my God knows it.

and I dont want to be distracted by sin, and the temptations that seem to come my way all the time...

I think humans can be complicated at times.  I think I can be complictaed at times.   (sigh)

Paul talks of it in Romans...

The thing we dont want to do, we do. Even though we say we dont want to do it, secretely, deep within us, can be this other secret desire of yeah but lets hope it happens anyway.

When we surrendered our lives to Jesus we laid down our desire for inappropriate distraction, but it still comes doesnt it ?

We want to pray, and read our bible and worship and learn and study, go to church....but Masterchef is on TV, or the Tour De France, or the Ashes or the dog, or the   ?????  ( you fill in the blank)

what would it take for us to move into the realm of distraction by God only ?

for me.... I have some distance to still travel, life for me is often out of control and out of balance and that needs correction all the time, everyday I start my day talking to God about that bit.

distracted by work......... by the next pressing issue to deal with..........

if we were all to be honest, sometimes the  distractions come that shouldn't as well. !!!!!!!!!!

In my life I have noticed a few things:

1. The moment I start to  drive forwards in my spiritual journey, growing larger in the inside, the greater the distractions come to tempt me to stay shallow and weak and insipid and powerless.

2. The moment I step up and stand up and own up to who I am, and my calling, something comes into my life and trys to steal away that commitment, and distract me away from my call and try's to destroy me.

3. The other thing I have observed is...that when I stand true and remain unswayed, and focussed and  "un distracted ", that is the time I grow the quickest and achieve the greatest results in my life, spiritually especially.



so why do we allow ourselves to become distracted by anything ? other then Jesus ?

 we are human, and we fail sometimes.


if that's you today, then its a simple step of refusing the interuption and settling for the peace of Jesus.
its called repentance and I choose it today for me.

AND FINALLY BEFORE YOU THROW YOUR HANDS UP IN HORROR....

 a balanced life is good, its good to have outside interests, sport, tv, relationships, fun.... its important for us to live our lives to the max and enjoy life.  Its just that if we have chosen Jesus, then put Him first and above all other choices  and watch how life starts to become even more peaceful than you  have ever known before.

dont get distracted by a lesser choice than Jesus.
get and be distracted by Jesus Himself.

                Peter walked on water.... He was called by God,                 He stepped out of the boat and had a real crack.

He was succesful until he got distracted by the storm raging around him. It was only then that he started to sink.   

just a thought !!!!

Wouldn't you love to be like Peter and take the risks. attempting things thought impossible ? Well I think we all need to know that the storm rages, but we need to be distracted by the Jesus who walks on the water and He calls us to live above and beyond our human mindset and limitations, and enter into the realm of the supernatural where nothing is impossible.

What a sweet distraction that would be for this world and our churches.

I can't stop crying .....

What a week I am having. I can't stop crying.

 

All the revelation and truth and reminders and prophecy and restoration ....I am being renewed and refreshed, blessed and overwhelmed.

God has taken me to a whole new level this past couple of days and it just keeps rolling.

So many people in the local church, mine, probably yours as well, (and hopefully not you personally) criticize so much and so often.

If its not worship style, or the loudness of the music,or media, or uniforms,or the words you say, or labeling you as an exaggerator or something else....

It seems to me that there are more that have a critical spirit than those who don't !

Yet Jesus is here, and He strengthens us and blesses us. Why would we willingly choose to be critical of anything about the Kingdom. ???

Perhaps its jealousy, or maybe even envy, perhaps its a competitive attitude .....I dunno,

but one thing I do know, Hillsong is not to be criticized, but rather blessed and thanked for bringing thousands of people from hundreds of churches, from all kinds of denominations, into the one place at the one time, to worship Jesus, and allow God to teach hearts and restore and heal and refresh and bless and equip and empower and release.... I am here, and He has done all that in me. And around 30,000 other people also.

 

I don't know why Christians feel the need to criticize other churches and other Christ followers. Or leaders and pastors and officers.

 

I don't know why people in Salvo churches get so threatened either....

 

I think it has something to do with "us" losing what we think is ours.

Our identity, our mission, our purpose, our music, our uniforms, our songs, our history !?!?

Here's a little secret, .....Our identity, our mission, our purpose, our music, our uniforms, our songs, our history, are not ours to keep or protect. They all belong to Jesus.

Everything we are, everything we do, everything we could ever hope to be or become, is all about Jesus.

When we get guarded about protecting this thing called the Salvation Army, we lose sight of the fact that God raised us, created us, birthed us to do and be unique in our world. But not exclusive. And certainly to not be prideful,or " better" than any other church. ( or worse )

We need to understand and celebrate our uniqueness and relationship as brothers / partners with the other churches.... To know...deeply.... Jesus is Lord, of TSA as well as Hillsong, C3, Lakewood, Willowcreek, Saddleback, Anglicans, Uniting church, Catholics, Baptists, AOG, Church of Christ, and everyone else as well.

I want to tell you.... Something profound has happened inside my spirit this past couple of days.

I want to tell you... Whatever my future holds, wherever that means I will serve Him, I have decided once again, that I am following Jesus, I am not turning back. I am His. He is mine.

I have been called to serve Him, to speak for Him, to wear a uniform for Him, to partner with other churches in helping the mission and Kingdom advance.

I will keep going. Many criticize. Few step up.

Its way easy to have a critical spirit, but it sure does nothing for anyone in leadership in the church.

Don't try to get "your" way.... Do everything you can to make sure that..."JESUS " gets His way in your church and in your life.

Would you be free from ...... ? ( being critical)

There is power in the blood, .... Name of Jesus,.....church of Jesus,....(including TSA and Hillsong)

Let's start living like we actually believe that to be true.

Finally....

This particular blog entry isn't because someone criticized me....

It is because God has shown me, that I have been doing some pretty good things in the Kingdom, that " HE" is actually pleased with me, that my best days of ministry and preaching are still ahead of me.... That I will be instrumental in being used for His Glory on the earth, wherever He positions me... And right now that's at Ringwood Salvation Army church. He has gifted me, and wired me for His purpose, I am His. He has placed a mantle on my shoulders, I will not shrink back from that mantle. I am designed and destined for His purpose and to lead in His church. I never would have dreamt that would be the case, but that is how it is.

Come and hear me tell my story.... I am soldier bound for Glory. (His story, His glory)

Rise up, and be faithful.....
Rise up and be an encourager...
Rise up and be a part of this great story...
Rise up, and don't you ever shrink back from Him and His call on your life.

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