Are we still The SALVATION Army ?? - Or are we just The Army ??

Are we still the SALVATION Army, or have we become just an Army ?

the definition of the word Salvation can be seen in 2 main formats...as follows:

1. 1.

   preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.

   
   

   "they try to sell it to us as economic salvation"

   synonyms:

   lifeline, preservation, conservation, means of escape "she clung to that conviction, knowing it was her salvation"

   • a source or means of being saved from harm, ruin, or loss.

     noun: one's salvation; plural noun: one's salvations

     
     

     "his only salvation was to outfly the enemy"
2. 2.

   Theology

   deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.

   
   

   "the Christian gospel of salvation for all mankind"

   synonyms:

   redemption, deliverance, saving, help, reclamation "we are here to bring you to salvation by way of repentance"

In other words then, Is this movement (TSA) still getting people saved from sin by ways of delivering people to Jesus to be redeemed, reclaimed for Him ?   Is that our main priority in life and existence as TSA or are we more about other things these days ?

Are we still more concerned about a persons spiritual destiny in Christ or are we more concerned about their human lifestyle choices for the here and now ?

Is it that we care more about justice on the earth than the saving power of Jesus to set a persons soul free for eternity ..beyond the earth ? ( as well as justice on the earth ) ( if one wins over the other, which one wins ?)

Jules and I got talking on the way home from church today about The Salvos and who we are and what we have become. This pic above was taken  around 1981 ish... the Perth Fortress band was a large band, in this pic, is my dad, and my brothers and I  and we were fair dinkum about our music and witness in those days ... or were we ?

I got to thinking about my very early years at Perth Fortress and someone may be able to clarify and adjust my memory, but I seem to remember Saturday nights  open air meetings, and other open air meetings where the junior band would conduct a separate open air meeting to the senior band and then they would march around and pick us up and we would all march back to the Old Fortress where the pic above was taken.

But it is the Saturday night open air meeting and the prayer meeting before hand that has exercised my thinking.

I remember as a young boy, my dad going to that prayer meeting with a handful of others and I would sometimes go also. It was a "boring as" meeting ...by my memory, and I guess that's why not many attended.  In fact if I was to be truthful,  in most prayer meetings I have participated in over the years, they are not super popular, no matter when they are on.

I wonder why that is ? I really wonder what that is about ?

You will be speaking quietly to yourself all the reasons why you personally wouldn't attend a prayer meeting  or why you would ? But for me I am wondering, what is it about us, as people that causes us to shudder when we think about praying with other Christians ?

When a person challenges this in our ranks we find good cause to defend ourselves, even criticize that person... but I even wonder why we do that .  

I wonder why and when  our music became more important than our prayer meetings ? 

As Jules and I discussed it today, it occurred to us that we don't see many miracles these days, and perhaps the reason why we don't see many miracles is because we don't pray together  for them.

Let's be clear, the greatest miracle of all time is when a person is SAVED from sin and set free for Jesus. ( Salvation)

so are we still the Salvation Army or are we not ?  

The best way to answer this question, is for us to self evaluate, are we still seeing people saved in our corps/churches,  or around us... or are we just going about our business doing a good thing - rather than a GOD thing ?

Some of us have forgotten what a brand new baby Christian looks like. And that is an indictment on us, not God..... simply asked.... are we still asking God, crying out to Him for souls to be saved and added into our corps/churches these days ? or did we stop asking ? or believing that it can still be done.  

Ask yourself when was the last time a mercy seat at your corps was filled to overflowing with people seeking Jesus to be saved for the very first time ?                          Are you not still hungry for that ?

Maybe your corps is seeing that and for you I applaud your faith and commitment  and prayer life...

but what about the rest of us, are we just turning up and playing Army ? 

or have we lost our passion for the Salvation bit ?  It's just a question.  Hope it's not ruffling your feathers too much ?

...so let me tell you about my dad.... Murray Grant.

He is in heaven these days and yet he taught me so much truth about prayer and the Christian journey  in the years I was influenced by him.  In the pic above he is the one on the far left  hand side at the very end of the row... he was a great man of God, a bit strict at times and certainly a bit of a nagger from time to time, but he sure was convinced about who he was in Christ and he demonstrated it and lived it out passionatly.

Every morning at our home he would be up around 5am to pray and have his quiet time, kneeling quietly in our lounge room praying and reading the bible. No doubt praying for  me and our wider family. 

It didn't stop there though, he was the spiritual leader of that band, the band sergeant...the young guys used to call him "B"... and if there was prayer meeting on, dad would be first there, sometimes the only one. 

It used to distress him deeply, to the point of tears sometimes, that others didn't seem to want to pray together.

It's most likely where I inherited this passion for prayer from. All I can do is try and live it out, encourage others to do the same and pray myself. I will be forever grateful for dads example on this. 

Prayer changes things hugely, and when we pray together even bigger things happen in us and around us, even some miracles.  

I miss  my dad. He was a good man who I respect highly.

So, in closing I wonder if you would indulge me another thought.... have those who have gone before us, who paved the way for our own faith, and how they prayed for us faithfully for years, and for our salvation... let us not let that be in vain, let us continue the inheritance by "praying in" others also to the Kingdom... and let us be the  true .... SALVATION army once again.

Let us celebrate together, let us enjoy the music yes... let us speak up for juctice yes...

let us gather for worship and praise, yes...

let us run our programs and groups...yes.... 

but let us also be a praying movement shaking the very earth at its core, 

with our belief and trust and hope in the Living Almighty God 

and let us gather together again and pray

in the powerful miraculous of heaven for the earth..

Why oh why oh WHY ???? --there is some nasty stuff on this earth.

Many people who know me well would know that Eagles have a very important place in my life. I have many times shared this, either on my blog or on facebook or personally, and also from within some sermons. 

 I apologise to those who think I may be a stuck record, and I certainly do not apologise, to those who may criticize me for the way in which I live my life, and the way in which God speaks to me through these most majestic birds of prey.

This all started for me a very long time ago. God has used these creatures that He created to communicate promise and blessing as well as confirmation and  assurance of His touch upon my life.

There was this one guy,(sadly a retired officer) who let rip at me about this, saying stupid things like it was a form of idolatry and some other stupid word he used.  

I reject that completely, so don't go down that track if you have bothered to read this blog right now.

One of the key times I was first impacted by the presence of an eagle, was not long after I had endured the stress of the Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania. It was one of the most horrendous times of my life, so many people were killed that day and I found myself in the middle of it, ministering to a devastated hurting community and trying to offer peace and hope.

So in the weeks following  and my first trip back down to Port Arthur after the event, as I drove the back roads heading down there, wondering what on earth I was supposed to say to these incredibly sad and hurt people, - I sensed God speak to me and say to me He would give me the words to speak.

As I turned a corner, there hovering very close to the road at eye level were 2 majestic Wedge Tail Eagles just hanging in the air right near me. No one else was around, so I stopped and took it all in and allowed God to minister to my soul as he reminded me of Isaiah 40:31...

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.  (NLT)

He renewed my heart and soul that day. He used those Eagles then to re-inforce the message  directly downloaded into my being. It was a key powerful event in my lfie and no one can ever take it away from me.

I have had countless exposure to these kinds of events.  Seriously hundreds of them. Bizarre, uncanny and sometimes downright confronting, but every single time I have sensed God there with me.

One other event I will share, is the time when we closed the gates at Craigieburn Corps after 12 years of planting and ministering in that community and building that fine church for Jesus.  We had been moved on and it was a sad day, for us, and a day that we always knew would eventually come. It was time to move on.  As I got out of the car to lock the gate, I turned around, and as I did, 3 wedge tail eagles came soaring around the building and hovered right above my head and the car park of the church about 50 feet up. I called to Jules to come and look , and together we stood at the gates of the church, cried our heads off, hugged each other tightly, and allowed this promise, from God..... that all would be ok for us moving forwards, was in fact a promise from God for us in that moment.   The eagles were there for a few moments and then flew away and simply disappeared. 

Eagles are very important to me.

Can you imagine then my total despair when I hear that some cruel individual in the country, (my ministry area right now),  kills 136 of them and their carcasses are found on the ground ?

I was in shock when I was told and read the article, horrified and devasted and deeply sad. It messed with my head, it still is. 

You see every time I face struggle or hardship or a new venture or a promise needs to be given to me, then an eagle will appear, and lately there have been few sightings for me when I am on the road in my area of South East Victoiria. 

I have wondered why...and now I know why, they have been mostly killed off. 

I only heard about this yesterday by the way, and I struggled so much to sleep last night, it felt personal to me.

For me it's a horror story. !!!!!

So that leads me to why I am blogging tonight.

As I drove to the country again this morning and was pondering the spiritual implication of this for me personally,  ...humour me, I posed a number of potential issues/questions in my head..

Was God punishing me ?

Was God trying to say to me, you dont need eagles ?

Was God saying my dreams are dead ?

What was He saying ?  was it even Him ?

And then, bang like a lighting bolt it hit me.... there is so much evil in the world its everywhere, and bad people do bad things and Satan doesnt like me and wants to destroy my dreams and hopes and promises and what better way than to destroy the very promise vehicle that God uses to communicate with me deeply ...and further more, right bang in the middle of my ministry arena. ?

In this area I have started cranking up the prayer base with our churches, and started praying against the enemy of the cross, it seems to me, clearly (even if no one else agrees, I dont care whether anyone agrees or not...actually) Satan has it in for me and my family and will do everything to destroy all hope or any hope I have left.

Its always been like that, but it has hit me right between my eyes this time and it hurts like crazy.  That what God uses to bless and encourage and build up, the enemy uses to destroy and rob us of our joy and hope, and he hurt me big time yesterday.

So what Now ?

My relationship with Jesus isn't based on an eagle. It is based upon an inner faith and core belief that God loves me and I love Him. That He has called me to His purposes and to lead others to Him.  

God commands the earth still. 

He commands the birds of the air. 

He commands the animals on the land, and He will find a way to speak into my life's  promise and hope once again, I know it. 

I just know it.

Satan has hit us over and over and over again, in various ways, but I don't live to serve Him, I have fallen trap to him many times and every time, I mean every single time.... I go back to God, I apologise for my mess and failure and get back on the right road every time. 

why ?

Coz I am a child of God, the son of the King and I have a destiny in Him and a design for my life based upon Him and no one, no cruel barbaric act or enemy of the cross can ever take it away from me  - ever.

just sayin !!!!!

Those poor eagles never deserved that, and it really isnt my complete fault for their demise... 

but just let it be known, that whilst 136 of the promises may be removed, 

it doesn't change the foundation of my faith, not built on eagles, 

but built on Jesus Christ.

My strength will return... Coz my hope is in Jesus Christ.