C.S. Lewis Quote...

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Quote from Samuel Logan Brengle

Someone recently passed this great quote to me, apparently from Brengle...

Samuel Brengle (Salvation Army) said, "The axe cannot boast of the trees it has cut down. It could do nothing but for the woodsman. He made it, he sharpened it, he used it. The moment he throws it aside, it becomes only old iron. O that I may never lose sight of this."

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A prayer from one of my youth group...

Today I'm passing on a prayer written by one of my youth group... hear the heart, the need, the surrender... and make sure you take the time to regularly pour out your heart to God today as well.

"Dear God, Please save me, from myself.
You Yeshua, explained the way. Explain my way!
I want to Yearn for You, and ONLY YOU!
For You're my only hope.
All my other paths are hopeless, and reckless.
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Holy One, Saving Son.
MY SAVIOUR. I've turned away for far to long.
Now, I'm nothing without you.
I have NOT patiently waited, but I'm crying out now!
Please lift me out of my pit, the one I dug for myself.
I was blaming others for my mistakes.
This was all me. I am the disobedient one.
Please oh God, take from me anything that is displeasing.
I lay at Your feet everything I have put before You.
You and only You are my life, my strength, and my love.
My whole life belongs to you. Clean me lord. Search me!
Take me apart. Everything unclean, please take away, and throw away.
I know now, that you are the only reason for living.
The worldly things seem so good, from far away.
I let myself get caught up in everything I knew was wrong.
You Lord, are my everything. All mighty and powerful.
Heavenly Father, help me through all my troubles.
While through the whole thing being glorified.
Help me glorify you through my words, my thoughts, everything.
You deserve more then I can ever give you.
Words are not enough.
Through everything tomorrow, and everyday Lord, give me the words to speak.
In every situation, I need you with me.
Thank You for being with me, the whole time.
Even when I didn't want to know.
You are my strength, I need You.
Amen "

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Generalisations - from "officer magazine"

This quote from General Paul A. Rader....

"Is my approach to holiness total enough? Is our holiness too therapeutic in its emphasis? There are dangers of beginning with our human problems instead of God's purpose. Is my approach to holiness sometimes too cosmetic? Holiness deals with the essential inner orientation of the personality. The self dies hard. The cross is painful and total. I must confess that I have sometimes had cause to wonder if the holiness I profess and proclaim has made me tender enough. The truth is that we live in an age that is seductively desensitising us to evil. What once might have appalled and embarrassed us, perhaps even angered us, now only makes us sad. What does it take to make us cry out in indignation? What miscarriages of justice, what indifference to standards of integrity, what crass immorality would move us to tears and stir us to action? How much do I care about purity, justice, and integrity? Finally, is my holiness telling enough? Our age cries out for men and women of God whose lives stand in stark contrast to the darkness that surrounds us.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

St. Augustine's words about prayer.

St. Augustine, the early church father and theologian, described prayer as like a man in a hapless boat who throws a rope at a rock. The rock provides the needed security and stability and life for the helpless man. When the rock is lassoed it’s not the man pulling the rock to the boat (though it may appear that way); it is the pulling of the boat to the rock. Jesus is the rock, and we throw the rope through prayer.

Have you spent time in prayer today? Honest, real, warfare, intentional, time searching the heart of God, time spent in quietness to hear the voice of God... PRAYER?

Take some time - right this second to pray - then devote some real time to pray intentionally and uninterrupted today.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Meditating on Philippians 4

Paul ends his letter to the church located in the Roman colony of Philippi this way...

Philippians 4:22 reads... 22 “All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.”

What an amazing thought that while Paul was under arrest in Rome, most likely under the Ceasar - Nero, people were coming to Christ right in Nero's own palace.

How hard would it be to live for Christ under Nero's roof???

Alexander Maclaren said about this passage. “Our duty is to stand at our post however difficult our surroundings and unfriendly our company, and if we are sure that He has set us there, we may be sure that He is with us there, and that there we can live the life and witness to His name”
From Maclaren’s expositions of the Holy Scriptures Volume 15 Pg 80

Where must you stand for Christ today? No matter how difficult - God's grace is sufficient - You are His ambassador!

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Just a great quote today...

Today just a great quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon...

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

Mark 16:15 He (Jesus) said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

Go be obedient to our Savior and preach the gospel to the world. The world is waiting for you to point them toward Jesus, who alone can save them from their sins and hell, and give them abundant and everlasting life.

BE A MISSIONARY TODAY!

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The Salvation Army purpose - straight and to the point

The great fact remains that, unless we are saving sinners, our very existence as an Army is not justified. — Catherine Bramwell-Booth

Evangelism Quotes

One of England’s greatest preachers, W. E. Sangster, in Let Me Command, said, “The easiest way to embarrass a congregation of twentieth century Christians is to ask them two simple questions. ‘When is the last time you personally led another person to Jesus Christ?’ and ‘When is the last time you tried?’”

"Lord grant that the FIRE of my heart may melt the lead in my feet." - Unknown

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Evangelism Quotes

"Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you 'go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin." Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there." - William Booth

We can’t all witness the same way, but we can all witness some way.

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3 SPURGEON quotes on evangelism

The most terrible warning to impenitent men in all the world is the death of Christ. For if God spared not His only Son, on whom was only laid imputed sin, will He spare sinners whose sins are their own?


I would sooner bring one sinner to Jesus Christ than unpick all the mysteries of the divine Word, for salvation is the one thing we are to live for.


If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

3 Salvation Army Evangelism Quotes...

The Army’s objective has not altered. Its call is to save. Its tactics and maneuvers may change, but they must always aim without compromise directly at undermining the Devil’s kingdom by aggressive means. — Florence Booth

If you cannot go to the rescue one way, go another. — William Booth

How many compassionate tears does this perishing world get from you? — William Booth

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A week of quotes - Quote of the day

“The way to stimulate and provoke others unto good works is to strive to outrun them in the race. The way to rebuke the cold and indifferent is to be always full of zeal and ‘abounding in the work of the Lord’ yourself. Men will be much more ready to answer a call to come up to your level, than a command to advance beyond you.”

- Record of Christian Work, May 1909

"The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness."

- A. W. Pink

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A week of quotes - Quote of the day

“The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came...Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.”

- R. A. Torrey

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A week of quotes - Quote of the day

“The chief danger of the Church today is that it is trying to get on the same side as the world, instead of turning the world upside down. Our Master expects us to accomplish results, even if they bring opposition and conflict. Anything is better than compromise, apathy, and paralysis. God give to us an intense cry for the old-time power of the Gospel and the Holy Ghost!”

-A. B. Simpson

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A week of quotes - Quote of the day

"As I was walking in the fields, the thought came over me with almost overwhelming power, that every one of my flock must soon be in heaven or hell. Oh how I wished that I had a tongue like thunder, that I might make all hear; or that I had a frame like iron, that I might visit every one and say, 'Escape for thy life! Ah sinner! You little know how I fear that you will lay the blame of your damnation at my door."

- Robert Murray M'Cheyne

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Captain's meditation on Luke 18:9-14

Do you remember the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector? Luke 18:9-14 reads this way... To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Two quotes to consider...
"God is just as concerned with self-righteousness as He is unrighteousness".

"The only man who the Lord cannot fill, is the one already full of himself".

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Safe From Harm Training Reminder & Scripture thought

This is a reminder to any reader from Homer, pass the word we are having our annual Safe From Harm child protection course from 9am - Noon on Saturday Feb. 28th at The Salvation Army Corps (church) building. We have had visitors from many churches, day cares, foster parents, even schools in the area attend in the past. It's all free so everyone is welcome.

scripture thought for life and our child protection plan...
When concerned about attack while rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem we read this advice from Nehemiah 4:9 - But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Nehemiah new that the first line of defense, protection, and safety comes by God's answer to prayer. He also realized it is foolish to pray for protection and then not be prepared.

William Booth said... "Work as if everything depended upon your work, and pray as if everything depended upon your prayer."

Let's always pray for God's divine protection, but let's also be vigilant in all we do.

Hope to see you at the meeting!

Quote of the day

The servant of God goes on working for God
by good report,
by evil report
and – hardest of all –
without being reported at all!
— Frederick Coutts

Why social services? Holistic Ministry?

To my fellow Salvationists and those of us who try to help meet people's physical needs in Jesus name,.... Let's make sure we actually mention His Name.

I read a "William-Boothism" that said, “I must assert in the most unqualified way, that it is primarily and mainly for the sake of saving the soul, that I seek the salvation of the body.”

One of my constant concerns is that we can get so good at "cranking out food boxes" that we forget WHY we are doing WHAT we are doing.

To invest such time, energy, money, and resources into paying an electric bill this month, or giving out a food box, and not take the time and opportunity to witness about Jesus Christ, is shameful and heartbreaking.

I hope our love for Christ always compels us to meet human needs without discrimination, but if we are just busy "cranking out food boxes" and building up our stastistics, and if we are just staying busy fund-raising, serving, and reporting, then I begin to believe we are motivated more by our love of the work, or the approval ratings, than we are motivated by our love for Jesus and our concern for our clients eternal destiny.

Please mention the Name of Jesus every chance you get today - for there is no other Name under heaven given to men by which they must be saved.

Can we call it "Holistic ministry" if we seek to save a client from hunger or homelessness, but never seek to save them from Hell for Heaven?

Can we call it "Holistic ministry" if we never see a client "made whole"?