Be Careful What You Sing For!

Like other Salvationists from all over the world passionately engaged with the #Boundless2015 Congress, both in person and online, I too was inspired to hear the collective cry in our worship for God to "Send the fire today" and the corporate desire expressed through song that "We need another Pentecost" in The Salvation Army!  

But do we really want it?  Are we prepared for what it might look like?  Can this fresh outpouring of the Spirit be fully released within our existing structures?  Will we ride the wave or will we erect breakwaters to protect the harbour?

When we sing "Look down and see this waiting host" - how expectant are we?

When we sing "We need another Pentecost" - how well did we respond to the first one?

When we sing "And make us fit to live or die" - what price are we willing to pay?

When we sing "To burn up every trace of sin" - do we have a truly repentant heart?

When we sing "The revolution now begin" - will we try to risk-manage it?

When we sing "The fire will meet our every need" - how does that influence our fundraising efforts?

When we sing "For strength to always do what's right" - is that in spite of unpopularity?

When we sing "For power to walk the world in white" - will holiness precede tolerance?

When we sing "To make our weak hearts strong and brave" - are we prepared to be persecuted?

When we sing "To live a dying world to save" - do we still believe the world is in need of salvation?

When we sing "Oh see us on Your altar lay" - does that include what we have always done?

It is easy to sing such stirring words in the security and affirmation of a united gathering, but living such words is quite another story when immersed in the trenches of mission, navigating layers of bureaucracy or soliciting community and government support!  

While it is true that The Salvation Army ministers in challenging and complex times, it is equally true that "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness" (2 Peter 1:3).  

Therefore, when we sing "Send the Fire" let us dare to allow Holy Spirit to consume the dross and reignite a Christ centred, Spirit empowered, faith driven, and prophetically guided movement that repositions God's salvation message as central to our mission!

I'm Dreaming Of A Holy Spirit Revival!

Every time I sing the Brooke Fraser song Hosanna I am captured by the words, "I see a near revival, stirring as we pray and seek, we're on our knees, we're on our knees."  And when I hear the song Revival by Robin Mark my heart beats a little harder in sync with the rhythm as I sing the words, "I feel it in my spirit, feel it in my bones, you're gonna send revival, bring 'em all back home."

We are currently in a season of ministry where God is stirring a 'Holy Discontent' deep within our spirits and repositioning our church for a mighty movement of His Spirit!  In such a season a spiritual battle is raging personally and corporately as resistance to the work of the Spirit is being confronted and blockages are being revealed to make way for a Holy Spirit revival.  

We are being called back to submission to the authority of God's Word.  

 

We are being challenged to engage in passionate corporate prayer.

 

We are being confronted by the presence and power of Holy Spirit.

The other night I had a dream about a Holy Spirit revival that was so vivid: I dreamt that I was attending a large gathering at the Melbourne Town Hall where there was a loud commotion going on in the main auditorium.  Those gathered in the foyer were clearly concerned by what was going on inside and there were people trying to block the doors and prevent others from entering.  As I tried to get a look at what was happening I too was physically blocked from going inside.  I pushed my through the obstruction and forced my way past the person blocking the doorway into the commotion inside.  What I found was a hall full of people slain in the Spirit with many manifesting various other signs of the Spirit.  There was a loud noise and it became clear that there was a mighty movement of Holy Spirit going on!  As I progressed down the aisle I was overwhelmed by the presence of God and what was happening around me.  When I exited the rear of the building I was left pondering the meaning of what was happening both inside the auditorium and in the foyer by those who tried to prevent me and others from seeing this movement of the Spirit.

Normally when I dream, the details are sketchy and I rarely remember the dream beyond waking up.  There is conservative part of me that is even a little reluctant to read too much into dreams, but the Scripture clearly says, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams"  (Acts 2:17).  Now, let me be clear - I am not an old man!  However, I did dream a dream that has left a strong imprint in my mind and on my spirit!  As I have reflected upon and prayed about this dream over the past 24 hours I believe it reveals our current spiritual reality locally and beyond.  In a season where God is wanting to unleash Holy Spirit revival, I feel this dream confronts me (us) with some powerful questions:

• Who or what is obstructing me from seeing and experiencing Holy Spirit power in my own life?
• Who or what is obstructing us from seeing and experiencing Holy Spirit power in our church/es?
• Are we standing on the shores watching the wave of the Spirit pass us by or are we in the water riding that wave?
• Who are those around us acting as gate keepers trying to contain the movement of the Spirit?
• How hard are we pushing through that which is blocking this movement of the Spirit?
• Do we really want to see Holy Spirit revival in our lives and our church/es?

 

My dream and desire is to experience the fullness of the presence and power of the Spirit and for a Holy Spirit revival to be unleashed in our church and across the entire movement of the Christian church!!

Who Stole Christmas?

Tis the season for Christmas movies, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

One of the more off-centre Christmas movies, based on a Dr Seuss children's rhyme, is 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'.  While not my choice of Christmas movies, I fulfilled my dad duty and watched it with my kids the other night, who seemed way more entertained by Jim Carrey's antics than I did.  However, it wasn't until the end of the movie that I really appreciated the deeper message of Dr Seuss' rhyme.

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,

Was singing! Without any presents at all!

He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!

IT CAME!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

Secularism has stolen the miracle of the Christ Child and replaced it with the magic of Kris Kringle.  Consumerism has stolen the gift of the Christ Child and replaced it with a credit card.  Yet, neither of them have stolen the Spirit of Christmas, because the Christ Child is God with us through the continued presence of the Spirit of God, who cannot be replaced or bought!  

Christmas indeed "means a little bit more" than the "packages, boxes and bags" and cannot be stolen from the hearts of those where the Christ Child resides.

Wilful Desires

I love those one liners that capture your attention and cause you to sit up and take notice when you are sitting in a class, listening to a sermon or attending a conference.  A couple of weekends ago, we were blessed at our church to be under the ministry of Major Marney Turner at our Spiritual Retreat weekend.  There were many powerful and Holy Spirit inspired words spoken at the retreat, but it was this one liner that confronted me with an uncomfortable truth.

"When we deliberately sin, we are not weak, we are wilful."

Major Marney Turner

I immediately connected it with an equally uncomfortable Scripture that reminds us that we cannot be tempted by what we do not desire.

"but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed."

James 1:14

When we connect these two truths together we are challenged with the reality that deliberate sin is a wilful pursuit of what we desire!  Ouch!!  This is very difficult to justify or defend if we are to make an honest assessment of any perpetual sin we may struggle with. 

• Adam and Eve desired the forbidden fruit and wilfully ate it, despite being told not to.
• Jacob desired the birthright of his brother and wilfully deceived his father, despite the inevitable conflict to follow.
• King David desired Bathsheba and wilfully pursued her, despite knowing it was wrong.

If you have ever raised children, you will be all too aware of how this works every time they wilfully pursue what they desire even when they are told 'no'.  Or, if you have ever struggled with an addiction, you will know the power of an unhealthy desire that drives your will, despite all the warnings about the dangers. 

The paradox of wilfully pursuing what we desire is that if we change our desires by submitting them to God, then we can wilfully pursue the Spirit instead of sin.  This is affirmed by Paul in Romans 8:5, "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

So, we have a choice:  Instead of wilfully pursuing sin that is driven by misplaced desires, let us instead, wilfully pursue the Spirit of God who transforms the desires of those whose minds are set on Jesus.

Keep In Step With The Spirit

  

"If you place 32 metronomes on a static object and set them rocking out of phase with one another, they will remain that way indefinitely. Place them on a moveable surface, however, and something very interesting (and very mesmerizing) happens."

A friend of mine posted this amazing link on Facebook and I couldn't help seeing beyond the physics of this demonstration and connecting it to a spiritual principle that is at work in the church.

When Christians who are living out of step with the Spirit gather together, they resemble the metronomes on a static object, in that there is discord and disunity amongst believers who live according to their own desires.  In this static, immoveable environment where the status quo is unchallenged and there is nothing to facilitate a change of momentum, there will never be unity in the church. 

In direct contrast, when Christians who are living in step with the Spirit gather together in a dynamic environment where the movement of the Spirit brings the heart and minds of believers into alignment, the church moves in unison with each other.  Like the metronomes moving in perfect harmony, a church moving with the Spirit generates a spiritual momentum and power that transfers to anyone sharing the same space.

I strangely found watching the metronomes coming into alignment an exciting representation of the potential energy and power of a church that moves in step with the Spirit!  The Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote to the churches, urging the believers to keep in step with the Spirit:

"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." (Romans 8:5)

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:3-6) 

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want...Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:16-26)

Just as the "energy from the motion of one ticking metronome can affect the motion of every metronome around it," the motion of Holy Spirit in the life of one believer can effect the motion of every other believer in proximity.  Imagine the impact of the collective motion of an entire church that is keeping in step with the Spirit can have on other churches...the whole community...a nation...or even the world!!

What Is Your Church Full Of?

“More than churches full of people, God wants (and the world needs) people full of the Spirit.”  (Clark Pinnock, Flame of Love)

As a church leader I understand the want to see your church full of people.  Empty seats hardly inspire or compare to the thrill of a large crowd gathering for worship.  However, is there more to church than a crowd?  Is there a more important want and need for the local church than full seats? 

Churches full of people look great, but churches full of the Spirit are great!

The church growth movement has offered churches helpful strategies to make congregations more contemporary, outward focused and seeker sensitive.  Are good strategies without the Spirit enough?

Church governance has organised churches with systems and structures to effectively manage congregations to be efficient organisations.  Are good structures without the Spirit enough?

Church programs provide opportunities for churches to socially connect congregations with community through a variety of activities.  Are good social connections without the Spirit enough?

More than size, strategies, systems, structures and social connections, the people of God - who are the church - need to be full of the Spirit of God to be a powerful and positive influence in society.  When the people of God are full of the Spirit the growth and impact of the church cannot be contained, as evidenced at Pentecost when 3,000 people were added to the church that day!  

We can strive for growth or we can submit to the Spirit who provides the harvest.  Results will come through human effort, but REVIVAL will only come when the people are filled with the Spirit and there is a Holy Spirit anointing upon the church.

He Who Got Us Here, Will Get Us There

I am inspired and deeply encouraged by courageous leaders who have a strong faith, clear vision and firm convictions!  The Salvation Army was founded by such leaders and it's advancement depends upon such leaders. 

It is exciting to look around The Salvation Army today and see an emerging generation of leaders who are filled with the Holy Spirit and possess a spirit of 'Primitive Salvationism' - which has been described as, "Charismatic-flavoured, mission-focussed heroism; Term describing a strain of Salvation Army philosophy based in 19th century fundamentals of Booth, Railton, Booth-Tucker, and others, and re-emerging in the late 20th century throughout the west."  However, it is frustrating to see another generation of Salvationists who cling to traditions that have long passed their used-by date and are culturally irrelevant.  They resist the very essence of what made The Salvation Army an 'unstoppable force' in advancing the kingdom of God.  They fight so hard to protect what we have become and forget the level of risk, reckless abandonment and raw faith that earned us the reputation we celebrate today.

Therefore, as a leader who is uncompromisingly committed to God's calling to lead The Salvation Army into the future, I find myself drawn to like minded and spirited leaders who have the courage to challenge anything that inhibits The Salvation Army from being all that God has raised us to be.  One such leader, Major Gary Grant, wrote a blog post recently that has generated quite a lot of debate about these issues - What Got Us Here, Will Not Get Us There.  His post expresses a heart and will to reverse the decline and reposition The Salvation Army for revival!  While his message is provocative and has evoked many strong emotions among supporters and critics, I believe it is a prophetic voice that should be echoed throughout the Army world.  

This blog post serves as an echo to that voice!

Gary's post, "What Got Us Here, Will Not Get Us There," speaks soundly into what needs to change:  "It's insanity to think, that if we keep doing the things we have already done, that we will get a different result. All that we have done so far, in previous weeks, months and years and even decades have given us the results we are seeing right now. If we think for one moment that things are going to change, by doing the things the same way as we have already done them, then there may be a need for seeing a therapist."

This post, "He Who Got Us Here, Will Get Us There," speaks into what needs to remain.  While this might sound like a contradiction on the surface, it is far from it!  For it has nothing to do with 'what' The Salvation Army has done, but everything to do with 'who' has led us to this point in our history.  When we discuss the rich heritage of The Salvation Army and the formation of our mission we naturally think of people like William and Catherine Booth, Samuel Logan Brengle and the like.  However, the central "person" who inspires and empowers who we are as a movement across all generations is the Holy Spirit!  It is the Spirit who stirred the heart of William Booth in East London.  It is the Spirit who empowered Gore and Saunders to leave their homeland and expand the mission of The Salvation Army into Australia.  It is the Spirit who motivates Salvationists to enter into some of the darkest places and stand alongside some of the most broken people in our society.  Yet, it is the Spirit who is resisted, grieved, and dare I say, disobeyed every time we allow our past to inhibit our future!  

The Holy Spirit leads those who will listen and obey into an adventure of faith towards an unknown future of hope and promise.  This future may be unknown and scary, pulling us away from all that is familiar, but the same Spirit who went before us goes ahead of us, so we can be "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).  If we want to finish the journey the Spirit has started, then we need to be prepared to go where we haven't gone before, do what we haven't done before and be who we haven't dared before!!  Let us resist the Spirit no longer and believe that "He who got us here, will get us there" - wherever there may be.

Alignment Of Vision

It always excites me when different parts of the body of Christ who are joined by the same Spirit share a common vision.  Today, we encountered such an alignment of vision at our 'Welcome & Installation' meeting at Cranbourne and the Divisional Welcome to Officers at Camberwell.

The vision for Cranbourne Corps, "Loving God, Loving People, Helping Others Do The Same" is given a three dimensional expression through a sculpture which embodies the three mission components to this vision statement - Engaging with the Community, Belonging and Nurturing, and Journeying with Purpose.

The message I shared this morning as we were welcomed as the new leaders of the Corps reflects the heart of this vision - Pursuing a passion for the LORD, the LOST, LIFE and LEADERSHIP.

This evening at the Divisional Welcome, this common theme was again expressed when Major Kelvin Merrett spoke into the vision for the Eastern Victoria Division - Connecting with our local community, Impacting our local community, Discipling our local community.

It seems clear to me that God is up to something in the Eastern Victoria Division!  When the body of Christ is united around a common vision and is committed to turning that vision into reality, something extraordinary will happen!!  I am excited to be in a position of leadership where what God has planted deep within my heart forms a part of the ethos of the people I am appointed to lead.  Something felt so right about this new appointment as I stood before our new congregation this morning and shared the passions of my heart. We were affirmed and encouraged by the leadership team giving us a strong sense that together we will be a part of a mighty movement of the Spirit in Cranbourne.

God Can Do Great Things

40 Day Spiritual Journey to a More Generous Life
Day 25 - God Can Do Great Things Through One Person Or A Group That Is Devoted To Him
 
""Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord"  (Zechariah 4:6)    

We have adopted the phrase in our church from the Chris Tomlin's song, "greater things are still to come, greater things are yet to be done in this city," because we believe passionately in a God who can do great things!  When we humble ourselves before our mighty God and submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit's work in our lives we can expect great things to happen.

Personalising Holy Spirit

I have been interested this week to listen to the way Leon Fontaine makes reference to "the" Holy Spirit when he speaks.  In referring to "the" Holy Spirit, he omits the article "the" and simply addresses Holy Spirit directly in conversation.  This reflects for me a personalisation of Holy Spirit as a distinct person of the Godhead with whom we can enjoy a personal relationship, rather than an impersonal dimension or force attributed to God.

When you listen to Leon speak you get a sense of an intimacy with Holy Spirit as real and personal as with Jesus Christ.  You rarely hear a Christian refer to "the" Jesus Christ, yet you often (as have I) hear Christians refer to "the" Holy Spirit in prayer and conversation.  It is refreshing and revealing to engage with Holy Spirit in this intimate way.

I observed a similar relationship while reading Clark Pinnock's book, The Flame of Love, which reveals his deep personal love for Holy Spirit which challenged me to engage with the Spirit of God more intimately.  Leon has renewed this desire within my own spirit to pursue an intimacy with Holy Spirit that will be reflected in the way I pray, preach and personalise this divine relationship.

A Passionate Life

“To be apathetic is literally to be without passion.”

Erwin Raphael McManus

I was once told that I am too passionate and intense as a leader!  Rather than being offended by this feedback, that was meant as a criticism, I embraced it as a badge of honour - not for my glory, but for the glory of the Holy Spirit who has ignited an unquenchable passion within my spirit.

According to McManus the antithesis of passion is apathy, which can be described as a state of indifference that suppresses concern, excitement, motivation and passion.  I couldn't imagine anything more contrary to the nature of the Spirit who came upon the disciples at Pentecost with such power that the people observing this spiritual encounter thought the disciples were drunk!  

I believe one of the greatest threats to Christian faith is apathy or indifference which robs the Church of the very life that is given by the Spirit.  Without the Spirit of life we are subject to the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).  In contrast, life according to the Spirit is a passionate response to the love of Jesus Christ who sets us free from an apathetic existence.  A Spirit-filled life cannot be constrained nor should it be criticised as being too passionate, for a life without passion will not change the world!

Cultural Revelation

Today, I had a cultural encounter at the office that has deeply touched me.  An Indian woman and her father arrived with a food donation for our Community Support Services.  When I enquired if the donation was personal or from another organisation, she explained that it was a family fulfilment of a Hindu custom when a close relative dies.  Her father-in-law died in January and every month on the anniversary date of his death for a year, they donate food to assist the poor in honour of their loved one.  She has lived in Australia for 30 years, and has found a way to honour her Hindu culture in the context of Australian culture.

It is hard for me to articulate why this has impacted me so much, except I was the recipient of an act of grace that transcended religious barriers and expressed the very heart of humanity.  The words of an old Salvation Army song took on flesh today: 

Except I am moved with compassion,
How dwelleth thy Spirit in me?
In word and in deed
Burning love is my need;
I know I can find this in thee.

Too often when we engage with other cultures or religions our focus tends to be on what divides us rather than what unites us.  As human beings we share a common humanity that is a reflection of our Creator.  While the brokenness of creation has distorted this reflection, the same Spirit who breathed life into us is drawing ALL people to a restored relationship with their Creator God, through the person of Jesus Christ.  The way in which Christians engage with other cultures will determine what reflection of God we project and whether or not that image reveals Christ who is "the way, the truth and the life" or a Church that is a road block to a revelation of Christ.

Global Vision

I pray that these words, "All the families of the earth," may be written on our hearts. It is this expression more than any other which reveals the living God of the Bible to be a missionary God. It is this expression too which condemns all our petty parochialism and narrow nationalism, our racial pride (whether white or black), our condescending paternalism, and arrogant imperialism. How dare we adopt a hostile or scornful or even indifferent attitude to any person of another colour or culture if our God is the God of "all the families of the earth?" We need to become global Christians with a global vision, for we have a global God. (John Stott)

John Stott presents a passionate prayer for a global vision of the Church that captures the missionary heart of God for "all the families of the earth."  His uncompromising criticism of cultural division and indifference is a timely prophetic call to Christ followers to bridge the cultural divide with the all-inclusive love of God.

God promised to bless "all the nations of the earth", the prophets prophesied that God would "pour out his Spirit on all people", Jesus commanded the disciples to "go into all the world", and the Spirit descended upon the disciples in the presence of "every nation under heaven."  

How will the Church respond to this global vision of our global God in this generation?