Take my Life

No Christian rises higher than their prayer life -2-

Salome:  A Place of Rebuke

The second person I want us to consider  is Salome.  She was Mary’s sister, the Mother of James and John, and the wife of Zebedee.  We remember her as the woman who came to Jesus with her sons, asking Him to let them be enthroned on his right hand and His left hand in His Kingdom.  (Matt 20: 20-28)

If we asked Salome what the cross meant to her, I think she could have replied, ‘The Cross to me is a place of rebuke’.  I stand here rebuked because of my selfishness.  I wanted my two sons to have the place of honour.  And yet I stand here seeing Jesus on a cross, not on a throne, and I’m ashamed of myself for praying as I did.’

Salome wanted something grand and glorious for her sons, but she didn’t consider what the answer to her prayer would cost them and her.  Her prayer was born of pride and arrogance, not of humility.  She was concerned only about her sons, not about the glory of the Lord.

Thrones are something we have to deserve, and for Jesus, the way to the throne was through the cross.  First the suffering, then the glory...  Salome had forgotten the cost of reigning with Jesus:  ‘If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him’ (2 Tim 2:12)  If we want to wear the crown, we must be willing to drink the cup.

No Christian rises any higher than his or her prayer life, and sometimes the selfish things we do come from selfish praying.  How can we pray selfishly in the light of the cross?  How can we ask for easy lives when Jesus had to endure so much?  

God delights to honour His servants, and one day we will share in His glory.  But before the glory there must come the suffering.  ‘But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered for a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.’  (1 Pet 5:10)

Major Glad Ljungholm

How Close Would You Come?

If you and I had been in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified, how near to His cross would we have stood?  It’s one thing to be able to sing in church ‘Jesus, keep me near the cross’, but something else to actually do it.  After all, Jesus was ‘despised and rejected of men’, and it would have taken a great deal of courage and love to stand by His cross.

The Roman Soldiers were standing near the cross because they had to be there; it was their duty.  Four women were there, because they all loved Jesus.  They were there out of devotion, not duty.  They wanted to be with Jesus and so did John, the beloved disciple.

Today, we use the phrase ‘near the cross’ to announce our dedication and devotion to Jesus.  Perhaps there have been times when we have prayed and sung:  ‘Lord, keep me near the cross’, without stopping to think what we are really praying for and whether we are willing to pay the price if that prayer were answered.  The Lord could say to us as He said to James and John, ‘You don’t know what you ask.’  (Mat. 20:22)

Obviously, being near the cross isn’t a matter of physical proximity, but it is a spiritual position, a special relationship to Jesus Christ; a intimate and committed relationship.  To be near the cross means to identify with Christ in His suffering and shame.  It’s what Paul called ‘the fellowship of His sufferings.’  (Phil. 3:10)

This 2012 Easter season I want us to consider again what it means for us to be near the cross and by doing so, look at Mary Magdalene, Salome, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and the Apostle John.

Mary Magdalene – A Place of Redemption

If we were to have walked up to Mary Magdalene that afternoon and asked:  ‘Mary Magdalene, what does it mean to you to be standing near the cross of Jesus?’  I think she would have answered, ‘To me this is a place of redemption.’

Jesus had redeemed Mary Magdalene and set her free from the terrible bondage of demonism.  According to Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9, she had been delivered from seven demons.

When we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ we go from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to the power of God.  God begins to control and use our lives.  We go from guilt to forgiveness, and from poverty to wealth as an heir of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  This is what Jesus did for Mary Magdalene.

The miracle of redemption is a costly thing.  When Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from the power of Satan, it cost Him His life.  Standing there at the cross, Mary watched Jesus pay the price of her redemption.

Jesus had to die that we might be set free.  For us to move from the darkness into the light, He had to move from light into the darkness.  For us to be delivered from guilt to forgiveness, Jesus had to be made sin for us.  For Him to make us rich, He had to become the poorest of the poor.

No wonder Mary was standing at the cross!  And that’s not all.  She was at the tomb when Jesus was buried and she was at the tomb early on the resurrection morning.  Mary Magdalene had experienced redemption, and Jesus was precious to her.  As she stood near the cross she could sincerely say, ‘The cross to me is a place of redemption’.

Let us ask ourselves; ‘Is the cross a place of redemption for us?’  ‘Is the cross a place of redemption for you?’

Major Glad Ljungholm

Officer Recruiting.

A few places are doing it great (Army grapevine suggests that US West is shooting for 100 cadets in this year's session). Most places in the developed world aren't. Maybe it's time to check out the old days.

Some note that the application for officership is a long process. Maybe you'd prefer the 1890 application:

http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/CE9/War.html

Some noteworthy questions:

2. What is your height? ............…

15. Have you ever been an open BACKSLIDER?................... If so, how long? ...............….
16. Why?................... Date of your Restoration?...............….
19. Did you ever use Intoxicating Drink?................... If so, how long is it since you entirely gave up its use?...............….
20. Did you ever use Tobacco or Snuff?................... If so, how long is it since you gave up using either?...............….
31. Can you start the SINGING?...............….
43. Do you pledge yourself to spend not less than nine hours every day in the active service of the Army, of which not less than three hours of each week-day shall be spent in VISITATION?...............….
55. Are you willing to come into TRAINING that we may see whether you have the necessary goodness and ability for an Officer in the Salvation Army, and should we conclude that you have not the necessary qualifications, do you pledge yourself to return home and work in your Corps without creating any dissatisfaction?...............….
1. All Candidates are expected to fill up and sign this form themselves, if they can write at all.
____
I'm not making fun of any of it (well, maybe the height question). Three are reasons they were so successful back in the day.
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Check that stuff out:
- 63 hour work week minimum;
- 21 hours of visitation;
- confirmation that you won't whinge if you can't cut it;
- no stress if you can't write (as long, as Catherine Booth famously said, as you can kick out demons).
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Stephen Court
Canada

God’s sovereignt:. He saves those He wills, when He wills.

Having spent only one short mid-day round of meetings with Open Air Campaigners in downtown Chicago, I came away with a profound realization of God’s sovereignty. He saves those He wills, when He wills.

This is how it happened. The fella I was with was preaching. He used the same wooden board, newsprint and poster paints that I had in my arsenal. He sketched a background of Jericho with mountains in the distance, ladder-lettering (now called lightning lettering) at the top to eventually spell out “He Calleth for You.” [This was 30 plus years ago and the King James Version was still alive and well.]

I watched the crowd, ready to witness or to share the Gospel as soon as the message concluded. People who worked in the Loop stopped on their way to lunch or sipped coffee while they watched the B’s being collected: Blind, Beggar, Bartimaeus, Believed, Blessed. I scanned their faces. Would they stay long enough for the invitation? Which of these would I approach?

Here’s the curious part. The OAC fella had given me a copy of the Four Spiritual Laws which I had never seen. Skimming it, I nodded in agreement with what was presented but even I knew that you needed to lean on the repentance part and that salvation had an emotional component and … . Do you see the problem?

At the end the crowd dispersed quickly except for one man. The OAC preacher stepped over to him and in a matter of sixty seconds or less, both heads were bowed. The guy shook his hand and took a tract, waving as he walked away.

When I asked what happened, “He just accepted the Lord Jesus! Hallelujah!” But, but, how could that be? I wasn’t dumb enough to say that out loud then and there but in the van on the way back to the apartment, I voiced my doubt that it could be that easy.

“He didn’t even have time to digest what you were saying!” No, the OAC guy agreed but he had a prepared heart. He had heard the message before and suddenly the time was right to respond.

Huh! Why did I think it had to be harder, earned with groaning or tears? Where had I gotten that idea? Why shouldn’t God be Sovereign? Here endeth my first really profound lesson learned.


Cheryl Hagedorn
USA

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Salvation Army Granted Church Status in Hungary 28 February 2012

sSALVATIONISTS in Hungary are celebrating and thanking God for answered prayer after the country's parliament granted The Salvation Army legal recognition as a church. New legislation which came into effect on 1 January 2012 had cut the number of officially registered churches from 300 to only 14. The Salvation Army was not among this number, despite having worked in Hungary from 1924 to 1950 and again since 1990. An amendment made to the legislation on Monday 27 February 2012 named The Salvation Army as one of a further 17 organisations to be granted church status. Sixty-five groups were unsuccessful in their applications.



A delighted Captain Andrew Morgan, Regional Officer for The Salvation Army's Hungary Region, explains: 'For The Salvation Army this means that our ministries continue unimpeded. We continue to enjoy privileges as a recognised church in areas of taxation, government funding of our social services, and funding of clerical activities such as teaching of Christianity to young people. The confirmation of our church status also opens the way for further expansion of our ministry and services with the full backing of the state and – in some areas – with commensurate state funding.'

The captain believes that 'the heightened media exposure and parliament's affirmation of The Salvation Army's legitimate status as a church will further endear us to the people and open greater opportunities to present the gospel of Jesus Christ.'


The officers, soldiers, adherent members and friends of The Salvation Army in Hungary wish to thank all who brought this issue before the Lord through intercessory prayer. 

Captain Morgan asks for continued prayer for The Salvation Army in Hungary – particularly for 'wisdom and guidance in decision making and allocation of resources' so that the current momentum will lead to the further expansion of God's Kingdom.


Report from the Communications Section

International Headquarters