Fulfilling Gods calling to love your neighbour

Imagine you’re tucking in a child at night. You put the covers over them so that they are warm and cosy, you give them a hug and a gentle kiss on the forehead and then whisper goodnight. Then, the moment of all moments, with those innocent little eyes looking at you a tiny voice replies: “I love you”.

Such precious words! There’s nothing quite like hearing: I LOVE YOU. They can melt your heart; can change a heart of stone.

But Love isn’t just about saying those words; it’s about actions like a smile to someone who walks by. That smile could change a person’s day or giving someone a hug shows that you care and are there for them. One action or gesture can turn things around for someone just like in Les Mis.

There is a fantastic scene where the main character, Jean Valjean, is released from prison after serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. He finds refuge in a church where the bishop shows him kindness and yet Valjean gets up in the middle of the night, returns to a life of crime and steals the church silver.

The Bishop had every right to hand him over to the police but the bishop immediately tells a lie. He says that he did give Valjean the silver. And then when it should have been enough to have let Valjean go free, the bishop walks over to the table and picks up the two large candle sticks and gives them to Valjean saying to him he had left the best behind.

This shows that one man’s kindness sets another man free. It was love that went the extra mile and we can do the same for others. That love, to set someone free is so powerful it needs to be passed on to change a person’s life.

…In 1 Corinthians chapter 2 it tells us that even before time began....., because of that great love for us, he put into motion a plan that started with the creation of this world in order to create man in his own image. And out of his desire for us to freely love him in return we have been given the ability of free choice.

God also at that perfect moment in time sent his son to this earth to complete his plan. Jesus was the fulfilment of Gods deep love for mankind and gave himself up for us so that we might have life through him. 1 John 4 verse 10 says This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God has loved us since before time began and will love us till the end of time as Jeremiah 31 verse 3 says I have loved you with an everlasting love.

This love that God has for us is impossible to keep to ourselves! We should share the love that we have for him as well. It’s like the women who wept at Jesus feet, letting her tears fall and wiping them with her hair. Kissing his feet and pouring perfume on them. That woman could not contain her love for God.

For all of us to pass on God’s love we have to experience it for ourselves and express it like the woman at Jesus feet and only then can we love our neighbour. It is in discovering Gods love that we learn how to love each other.

We can only love our neighbour when we love God and when we do love God we will love even the unlovable. We won’t just love the people of God..... We will love all people......

This means even people we don’t like and most of the time the people we don’t like are those who don’t like us.  Well known author and Christian spokesperson John Ortberg says that it is far easier to love people who like us than to love people who don’t. For us to love our neighbour we must not judge them, we must see them through the eyes of God.

It means loving a next-door neighbour who annoys you, loving a person who says something horrible to you and loving someone who you lose all respect for.

Fulfil your calling today by loving your neighbour.

(Based on Mark 12:28-34)

Sermon preached on May 12, 2013 by Officership applicant Laura Jones pictured here with Major Sheila Loman, CO Birkenhead Corps

Today in Canada The Salvation Army has 877active officers (clergy), more than 18,000 soldiers (church members) and close to 44,000 adherents; that is, people who claim the Army as their church home, but who are not formal members. There are 311 corps (churches) and more 

than 330 social-service institutions of various kinds. As well 

as the many thousands of volunteers, more than 10,000 people 

are employed by The Salvation Army in the Canada and 

Bermuda Territory. Fifty-five Canadian officers and lay staff 

also serve overseas in countries from Papua New Guinea to South Africa.

____ 

A comrade salvationist is trying to shake us awake from the sleep in one territory that SHOULD be in crisis mode but which, according to argument, seems to be snoozing away while the titanic is sinking…

Immediate actions?

Address the precipitous officer decline (his suggestions):


Re-activate retireds

-       write to the DCs (whether retired now or not) with a list of all of the retireds (those who have retired in the last five years) who served in their commands, asking for confirmation that there is no reason not to reactivate them;

-  reactivate all of those retireds (who want to be reactivated)

. accelerate older training
- implement by September a three-month training system for candidates over 45;

. keep current officers
- write all officers

- ask who's considering leaving and what would get them to stay

Our take:
retireds – sure, let’s try to get a bunch of them reactivated.  Canada and Bermuda Territory deployed a bunch of them in last week’s appointments.

But let’s adjust the system.  Let’s bump up the retirement age.  68 or 70 is a good start…  (the general population lives a lot longer than it did when 65 was made retirement age; officers in UKI live a decade longer than the general population – clean living!; we USED to have retirement age of 70 (and then 68) for generals (who have a tough workload); and in the west most officers have to work anyway to afford to live in retiredment)

Accelerate older training – sure.  We’d lower the minium age proposed from 45 to 18.  Again, let’s adjust the system.  Let’s set an entry profile for commissioned officership and then bring cadets to match that profile.  For some it might take a couple of days; for others it might be a couple of years.
Not only that, but we train using an incarnational apprenticeship method so that the training period is more effective and efficient and more productive in the salvation war.

Keep current officers – great call.  His suggestion included flexibility to match the officers’ ‘what could get me to stay’ proposals…  That’d be interesting to observe.  Regardless, let’s care for people. 

______________________


The whole great commission imperative is to GO and PREACH. We are to go and preach that the kingdom of God is at hand. We are to go and make disciples of all nations. We are to go and preach the gospel to all creatures. We are to go and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of satan to God, SO THAT they may receive the forgiveness of sins AND A PLACE AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED BY FAITH IN ME. By all means, save some.

FEEL FREE TO BORROW

FEEL FREE TO BORROW

WE'RE SHARING THE BELOW MEDITATION BY DR. JOHN SULLIVAN IN ORDER THAT YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COPY IT FOR USE IN YOUR PENTECOST SUNDAY SERVICE ON MAY 19.

IT IS A YOUTUBE LINK:  http://youtu.be/mAfyIu3CrsU


VIDEO  PENTECOST; SEND THE FIRE

The 21 Indespenable Qualities of a Leader

John C Maxwell asks: ‘Are People Drawn to You’? ‘And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idemea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude …’  MARK 3: 7-8 Most people think of charisma as something mystical, almost undefinable. They think it’s a quality that comes at birth or not at all.  But charisma is the ability to draw people to you.  And like other character traits, it can be developed. How do you rate when it comes to charisma?  Are other people naturally attracted to you?  If not, it could be because you possess one of these roadblocks to charisma: Pride –nobody wants to follow a leader who thinks they are better than everyone else. Insecurity – if you are uncomfortable with who you are, others will be too. Moodiness – of people never know what to expect from you, they stop expecting anything. Perfectionism – people respect the desire for excellence, but dread unrealistic expectations. Cynicism – people don’t want to be rained on by someone who sees a cloud around every silver lining. If you can stay away from those qualities, you can cultivate charisma. The 21 Indespenable Qualities of a Leader

ARE THEY SERVING BECAUSE YOU AREN'T?

Retired officers assuming full-time appointment responsibilities: Effective: June 28, 2013 (unless otherwise stated) 

BROWN, Major Elsie - Corps Officer - Eastside Citadel (Fairbank), NL (Newfoundland & Labrador Division) 
Effective: June 1, 2013 
BROWN, Major Kenneth - Corps Officer - Eastside Citadel (Fairbank), NL (Newfoundland & Labrador Division) 
Effective: June 1, 2013 
OXFORD, Major Lindsay - Corps Officer - Pilley's Island / Long Island, NL - Circuit (Newfoundland & Labrador Division) 
Effective: August 1, 2013 
PELLEY, Major Lillian - Corps Officer - Robert's Arm, NL (Newfoundland & Labrador Division) 
SHEPHERD, Colonel Eleanor - Corps Officer - Montreal Citadel, QC (Quebec Division) 
WARD, Colonel Marguerite - Assistant Executive Director - Hamilton Booth Centre, ON (Ontario Great Lakes Division 
Retiring May 31, 2013 
WARD, Colonel Robert - Executive Director - Hamilton Booth Centre, Brantford Booth Centre and Oakville Lighthouse, ON (Ontario Great Lakes Division) Retiring May 31, 2013 

PRAYING WHEN PRAYER DOESN'T WORK

PRESS RELEASE

Something for Everyone Who Ever Prayed…And Still Lost!

New guide to effective praying offers practical guidance, gentle encouragement

TUCKER, Ga. – A recent USA TODAY/Gallup poll reported that 92% of Americans say there is a God and 83% say this God answers prayer. Almost that many also claim to pray “regularly”, if not daily. So, when statistics show that most people only spend a few minutes each week engaging in prayer, it begs the question: If we truly believe in prayer, why aren’t we doing it more, and do people even think that it works? According to Jack Corbin Getz, prayer’s true purpose has lost its meaning – and consequently, its effectiveness – in recent times. It’s time to go back to biblical basics, and Getz is here to help with his new guide, Praying When Prayer Doesn’t Work: Finding a Way Back to the Heart of God (published by iUniverse).

Divided into three sections, Praying When Prayer Doesn’t Work begins by defining what God’s idea of prayer is. Asserting that desires and application are more important than formulas or habits, Getz backs up his arguments with examples from the Bible as he reminds readers that “Jesus’ disciples asked to be taught to pray, not how to pray.” Identifying the four primary reasons people give for not praying, Praying When Prayer Doesn’t Work goes on to stress honor, honesty and humility as the three essential attitudes for successful praying.

A second section presents Getz’s helpful, copyrighted “The Lord of the Prayer Rings” chart as a visual guide to circumstantial prayer that is sure to energize readers and get them excited about praying again. A “Prayer Portfolio” is included, adding to the book’s hands-on approach while giving readers a handy guide for making optimal use out of the three main types of prayer – share, subject and silent – outlined in previous chapters.

Praying When Prayer Doesn’t Work concludes with a study guide suited for personal and group use, a number of secondary resources, several Bible prayer studies and a useful reading list. Getz’s extensive bibliography, evidence of his exhaustive research, is full of information for those looking for additional information on the subject. Build your spiritual formation and give your prayers purpose and meaning with this practical new guide.

Praying When Prayer Doesn’t Work - Finding a way back to the heart of God.

Jack Corbin Getz

sample chapter will follow