Friday, April 30, 2010

...the choice has become increasingly clear.

.
The Bishop of Durham, Dr N. T. Wright, has announced that he will be retiring from the See of Durham on August 31.

Dr Wright, who will be 62 this autumn, is returning to the academic world, in which he spent the first twenty years of his career, and will take up a new appointment as Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Announcing his move, Bishop Tom said, ‘This has been the hardest decision of my life. It has been an indescribable privilege to be Bishop of the ancient Diocese of Durham, to work with a superb team of colleagues, to take part in the work of God’s kingdom here in the north-east, and to represent the region and its churches in the House of Lords and in General Synod. I have loved the people, the place, the heritage and the work. But my continuing vocation to be a writer, teacher and broadcaster, for the benefit (I hope) of the wider world and church, has been increasingly difficult to combine with the complex demands and duties of a diocesan bishop. I am very sad about this, but the choice has become increasingly clear.’

read more: http://www.durham.anglican.org/news-and-events/news-article.aspx?id=127

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

What Does Paul Teach about Hell?

'On the basis of a concordance, one might expect an article about Paul's teaching on hell to be very short. In most English versions the word 'hell' never appears in the letters of Paul. And for good reason... [but] Paul says much about it' - Moo

read more: http://www.djmoo.com/articles/paulonhell.pdf

from: “What Does Paul Teach about Hell?” In Hell Under Fire, ed. Chris Morgan and Robert Peterson, 91-109. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.

---
www.sheepspeak.com

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Aaron and Miriam

Dr Was: Daily Rations with a Smile

Join us as we read through the Bible in a year.
Click the Scriptres to read the passages:
2 Samuel 3 and 1 Chronicles 12 and Matthew 15

Read more Bible and comics: http://drwas.blogspot.com/

or go home: www.sheepspeak.com

Monday, April 26, 2010

Moo and Matthew 5:17

Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

Selected Qutoes from, 'The Law of Moses or the Law of Christ' by Douglas J. Moo:

“The history of Israel reaches its ‘fulfillment’ in Christ (cf. 2:15); and, in a striking and most suggestive statement, Matthew has Jesus declare that ‘all the Prophets and the Law prophesied unitl John’ (11:13). In other words, Matthew presents a theology of salvation history which pictures the entire OT as anticipating and looking forward to Jesus” (Cf. Greg L. Bahsen, Theonomy in Christian Ethics (Nutley, NJ: Craig, 1977), p.48.)

“Jesus’s new, eschatological demands do not constitute an abandonment of the law but express that which the law was all along intended to anticipate.”

“The OT law is not to be abandoned. Indeed, it must continue to be taught (Matthew 5:19) – but interpreted and applied in light of its fulfillment by Christ. In other words, it stands no longer as the ultimate standard of conduct for God’s people, but must always be viewed through the lenses of Jesus’ ministry and teaching.”

“The Christian is no longer bound to the Mosaic Law; Christ has brought its fulfillment. But the Christian is bound to ‘God’s law’ ( 1 Corinthians 9:20-21; cf. ‘God’s commands’ in 1 Corinthians 7:19 and 1 John, passim). ‘God’s law’ is not, however, the Mosaic Law, but ‘Christ’s law’ (1 Corinthians 9:20-21; Galatians 6:2), because it is to Christ, the fulfiller…of the law (Romans 10:4), that the Christian is bound. In that ‘fulfillment’ of the law, however, some of the Mosaic commandments are taken up and reapplied to the New Covenant people of God. Thus, while Mosaic Law does not stand as an undifferentiated authority for the Christian, some of its individual commandments remain authoritative as integrated into the law of Christ. In practical terms, this means that the Christian must always view the whole law only under the condition of its fulfillment. No commandment, even those of the Decalogue, is binding simply because it is part of the Mosaic Law.”

read more from “The Law of Moses or the Law of Christ.” In Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship between the Old and New Testament. Essays in honor of S. Lewis Johnson, Jr., ed. John S. Feinberg. Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1988. : http://www.djmoo.com/articles/lawofmoses.pdf

Leviticus 25 1-23 in the Context of the Holiness Code: The Land Shall Observe a Sabbath.

Sabbath days, sabbatical years and years of jubilee are all significant to the LORD. Chapter 25 of Leviticus deals specifically with the year of jubilee and the sabbath year: “the Lord instituted a land reform of return to the old homestead every fifty years. Actually, the Jubilee was one of the first land reforms known in history…The sabbatical year likewise was a humane and very advanced social program. Imagine all debts forgiven and slaves released every seven years! Ingrained into Israel's laws and faith was a concern for the poor and unfortunate. It is observable in many of the laws already noticed and is made most emphatic in this chapter [25].”[1]

While God’s concern for the poor and the needy is marked throughout scripture, it is notable that “Leviticus 25 is indeed unique among all the chapters of the Torah, for it is the only chapter that deals with the subject of land tenure in ancient Israel.”[2] Through a brief examination of relevant background, contextual, historical, and rhetorical evidence and a close examination of Leviticus 25:1-23, I will discuss the significance of the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee as it relates to the land. I assert that the land reform of the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee are of great importance to God due to his concern for the land itself.

read more: http://sheepspeak.com/OT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Leviticus 25 1-23

---

www.sheepspeak.com

Friday, April 23, 2010

What is my responsibility to the environment?

By Captain Michael Ramsay
The Nipawin Journal, September 2008.

"As people are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), we have been entrusted with the care of the earth's resources (Genesis 2:15). Stewardship requires that we use these resources in a manner which ensures the well-being of present and future generations. God's instruction to 'subdue' the earth and 'rule' over every living thing (Genesis 1:28) cannot be interpreted to justify abuse or disregard for any life, not only human life. The privileges granted require our accountability to Him and one another" (TSA Canada Position Statement).

God cares about the environment, the land itself. He lays out some important commands concerning it (specifically relating to Palestine; Lev. 25, 26) in a part of Scripture that is – interestingly enough - known as the 'Holiness Code'.

We are directed that the land itself shall enjoy its Sabbath rest (Lev. 25:2, 26:34,35) just as man is commanded to (Exod. 20: 8-11, Deut 5:15), and as God did (Exod. 20:11, Gen. 2:3). If we, as 'tenants' of His land (Lev. 25:23), fail in our responsibility to carry out this duty to take care of the land, then the owner of the land -who cares about His land- may remove us from it.

He did remove Israel from the land as it neglected its environmental responsibilities: "He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah" (2 Chronicles 36:20-21). When Israel neglected the land, the LORD held them responsible. The land is the LORD's. He cares about His land and therefore so should we.

Given that God cares about His land and given the finite resources of our world, its expanding population, and the impact of industrialization, we each need to accept responsibility for the environment by taking practical steps to regenerate and conserve God's creation.

Captain Michael Ramsay
The Salvation Army
http://www.sheepspeak.com

Dr Was (Daily Rations with a Smile)

April 22

Join us as we read through the Bible in a year.
Click the verses to read the scriptures:

1 Samuel 25-26 and Psalm 63 and Matthew 9

read more Bible and comics: http://drwas.blogspot.com/

or go home: www.sheepspeak.com

Thursday, April 22, 2010

God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.

Today we are looking at the section in Matthew's Gospel where God is preparing Jesus for a major transition, when he is about to start his full-time ministry. We read from Matthew 4 earlier where God, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the desert for 40 days.

This is right when Jesus is about to be released into ministry. And just before this happens – in 3:13-17– Jesus is baptised along with a number of other people (Luke 3:21,22; cf. Matthew 3:5,6; Luke 3:7) and the Holy Spirit himself descends upon Jesus like a dove. God says to him, ‘you are my Son’ (Luke 3:22); He says, ‘this is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16,17; cf. Luke 4:22). Jesus is beginning a new stage in his life and ministry and his father, God, is happy and like any proud papa he announces it here to any who can hear it.

God is like a proud parent here when His child wins an award; graduates from school; or -as is the case here- is baptised. But what happens next? As soon as Jesus has been baptised, as soon as he graduates to his next stage in life, the Holy Spirit descends upon Him and leads Jesus into the desert to fast for 40 days and then Jesus… is tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2; cf. Mark 1:11-12, Luke 4:1). This is quite the graduation present: the Holy Spirit sends him to desert with no food to be tempted by the devil.

Now, I should explain something here that is very important. Looking quickly at James 1:13, it says there, “No one, when tempted should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.” Jesus cannot be tempted by evil and God tempts no one.

The temptations that happen in our life like the tempting that is happing in the text here, it isn’t by God.

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/matthew-41-11-resistance-to-temptation.html

or go home: www.sheepspeak.com

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

...Am I in danger of being carried away with worldly desires to be rich or admired?

From www.Armybarmy.com
April 18, 2010
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

----
Holy. now.
----
TEST FOR SELF-EXAMINATION

The following are questions taken from The Salvation ARMY ORDERS AND REGULATIONS FOR SOLDIERS.

1. Am I habitually guilty of any known sin? Do I practise or allow myself in any thought, word, or deed which I know to be wrong?
2. Am I so the master of my bodily appetites as to have no condemnation? Do I allow myself in any indulgence that is injurious to my holiness, growth in knowledge, obedience, and usefulness?
3. Are my thoughts and feelings such that I should not be ashamed to hear them published before God?
4. Does the influence of the world cause me to act, feel, or say things that are unlike Christ?
5. Do my tempers cause me to act, or feel or say things that I see afterward are contrary to that love which I ought to bear always to those about me?
6. Am I doing all in my power for the salvation of sinners? Do I feel concern about their danger and pray and work for their salvation as if they were my children?
7. Am I fulfilling the vows I have made to God in my acts of consecration or at the Penitent Form?
8. Is my example in harmony with my profession?
9. Am I conscious of any pride or haughtiness in my manner or bearing?
10. Do I conform to the fashions and customs of this world or do I show that I despise them?
11. Am I in danger of being carried away with worldly desires to be rich or admired?
----
Remember the poor.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

'Physical objects cannot mediate spiritual occurrences' (JAC 66)


Zwingli: Ancestor of The Salvation Army?
by Lieut.-Colonel Richard Munn

Introduction

Does the sacramental theology of The Salvation Army find its roots in Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531)? Implausible though it may seem, there does seem to be a strong historical and theological connection between Zwingli’s belief that physical objects cannot mediate spiritual occurrences and the Salvationist’s “experience of mediation of divine grace without symbol or sacrament.”

While most surveys of sacramental theology begin their discussion of sacramental controversies with Zwingli, this turbulent man is also part of my personal spiritual journey. I have always had a special regard for Zwingli, from my first discovery of his life and work as a cadet, to my later, chance encounter with his imposing statue in Zurich. His 16th century revolutionary insights influence the way I continue to think today. I trust that the following will also be of value to Salvationists exploring their theological roots, and indeed to all who value sacramental grace.



---

Related articles on Zwingli:

Zwingli, Huldreich (Ulrich) - 1484–1531: ‘The Third Reformer’ and the root of the purely symbolic sacramental position in the reformation: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_History_TSA.htm#Zwingli

John Wesley's Means of Grace Compared with Ulrich Zwingli's as Seen Through a Salvationist Lens: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_History_TSA.htm#Wesley1

Monday, April 19, 2010

Be prepared!

Presented to Swift Current Corps, 18 April 2010
By Captain Michael Ramsay


Today we are going to be speaking about Jesus’ preparation for ministry. I have a couple of comics here about preparation.

Our times of preparation in life are very important...

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/matthew-41-11-resistance-to-temptation.html

or go home: www.sheepspeak.com

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Friday, April 16, 2010

It is necessary to attempt to see and think, as best as we are able, in the same way Jesus did (JAC 66)

JAC Online - Issue 66

Good Works Might Distract Us from our Mission!
by Cadet Matt Kean


There is an ideology circulating throughout The Salvation Army that requires soldiers and officers alike to seriously consider their calling and purpose. It is a deliberate effort to return The Salvation Army to mission. There are numerous books and articles, sermons and conferences that are intentionally geared toward emphasising the Army’s mandate to reach out to the poor and marginalized. This ideology looks good and seems to get off on a right foot (so to speak), but it also might carry a subtle danger. To begin this discussion, it is essential that the reader try to envision the world and perhaps the church through the eyes of our God and Saviour. Although one could argue that this request is too transcendent to expect, I still must insist that it is necessary to attempt to see and think, as best as we are able, in the same way Jesus did. The reason for this is because I believe that the concept of MISSION for the Christian is one that cannot be separated from the thoughts, convictions, and even compulsions of our Lord. Basically, I believe that mission, both its purpose and its priority, is nothing different than the function and role of Jesus as the Messiah.

Having said this, we must consider what exactly was the mission of Christ and what this means for all who inherit his life.

read more: http://www.armybarmy.com/JAC/article9-66.html

---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

...You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? (Matthew 3:7)

Matthew 3:7-10:

7But when he [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

This is interesting because if we just read this pericope it can look like an uncalled for attack upon the religious leaders of the day. It could be like if myself, a priest or pastor or even the ministerial executive all heads out to a Christian concert in the park and Larry – or whoever is singing – puts down his guitar mid-song and says to us, “you snakes…who told you about this event; you think you’re so good, well, you’re not! You say you have Christ as your saviour, I tell you he can make followers out of this dirt here, if he wants to!”[1] You can see how we and they might be taken aback but as we read through the rest of Matthew’s gospel, John’s reaction to the religious leaders showing up at his concert – though still very bold - doesn’t seem quite so out of context as all that (but cf. Luke 3:9).[2]

Biblical Scholar Eugene Boring draws our attention to the fact that, “in Matthew’s view they [the Pharisees and Sadducees] represent the Jewish opposition who come to inspect him rather than to be baptised by him”[3] (cf. 21:5, 23-27; but cf. Luke 3:7). It would be like a year ago or so when the federal Conservatives were spying on the NDP and they got caught, the NDP rightfully weren’t so happy to have the Tories hiding in the crowd and they publicly called them on it.[4] Our scene here would raise the same emotions for those present as the Conservative spies being caught at a NDP meeting (after the Conservatives had already gotten in trouble for allegedly illegal actions and secret tapes around Grewal and the Cadman affair…); for the people with John outside in the wilderness, it would have the same emotional effect as if a venomous snake is seen in the grass; or of a brood of vipers being spotted very nearby, ready to strike. This latter phrase is the one that Matthew lets us know that John used as a comparison. He called the religious authorities a ‘brood of vipers’ (cf. Matthew 12:34, 24:33). As well as the remark just being an insult that John feels he is entitled to deliver here, John could very likely be comparing the religious leaders of his day to the snake in the Garden of Eden. The phrase that is translated ‘brood of vipers’ literally means ‘sons of snakes’ and could be interpreted to mean ‘sons of the deceiver’, whose teaching is like venomous poison (cf. Genesis 3; Jeremiah 46:22).[5]

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/matthew-37-10-security-clearance.html

more sermons: http://www.sheepspeak.com/sermons.htm

---
www.sheepspeak.com

It’s the old affirmative action argument in a skirt (JAC 66)

JAC Online - Issue 66

Affirmative Action
by Major JoAnn Shade

In Salvation Army circles these days, the development of women leaders is a hot topic. As one who has long advocated for opportunities for women, both married and single, at first glance I’m encouraged by the attention being given to the subject. Even as I write today, there is a conference going on in London with the goal of preparing women for senior leadership. At first I thought, “Good, it’s about time,” but that reaction was quickly matched by a second – how patronizing to women. Are you telling me that somehow men can figure it out on their own, but women need special conferences in order to "catch up”? It’s the old affirmative action argument in a skirt.

Writing for The Officer in Spousal Syndrome – Delight or Dilemma, Lt. Colonel Lynda Watt suggests that “when it is time to find the right person to fill a particular leadership position, the officer-wife options often become limited, with few having the necessary exposure or experience.” Reaction #1: Hogwash!


read more: http://www.armybarmy.com/JAC/article7-66.html

JAC on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

---

www.sheepspeak.com

I've been thinking about leadership... (JAC 66)

JAC Online - Issue 66

Thinking Out Loud about Leadership
by Captain Andrew Clark

I've been thinking a lot about leadership. More specifically, leadership I've given and leadership that is the current 'flavour' in the Army at the moment. I have a conviction, which may be slightly controversial to some, about how the future of leadership will need to look for the Army. I also have a conviction that our current modes of leadership...i.e., what it has turned into, is currently moving counter to where we need to go.

What I want to do, however, after this brief confession (which will follow shortly) is rather than focus on the negative I see in the current leadership modes and structures; I want to paint what I believe it should be in order to paint a different image. I will then contrast that with what sometimes happen and leave you good folks to make the conclusion.

The confession: although I may have made some good leadership decisions and seen some good things come out of my leadership, I acknowledge and confess that as a whole my leadership has been poor so far in my officership. To be brutally honest, in many senses I feel it should disqualify me from being a leader at all.

read more: http://www.armybarmy.com/JAC/article4-66.html

JAC on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

---

www.sheepspeak.com/

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

God is blessing and deepening our unity in Christ and in our callings to be Salvationists in a hurting world.

PASTORAL LETTER EIGHTEEN

UNITY


Dear Fellow Salvationists,

This eighteenth Letter comes to you with warmest greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ. You are constantly in my prayers. Prayer unites us before the Throne of Grace. We are bonded in prayer. Please continue to pray for me – for wisdom and for constant guidance from Almighty God.

My wife and I, ably supported by my Private Secretary, Major Richard Gaudion, have recently made visits to the Congo (Brazzaville) Territory and to the USA National Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. What contrasting locations! Yet we met in each place the same spirit of Salvationism and the same ardour for the Gospel that marks the Army in every corner of the globe. These two visits reinforced our awareness of the unity of God’s Army.

In Brazzaville I was blessed to enrol 190 new Junior Soldiers, and the next day 185 Senior Soldiers – every child and adult in full uniform. The children and the adults made the same sacred promises and entered into the same holy covenants that are such a strong and unifying factor for Salvationists everywhere. The Territorial Commander, Commissioner Mfon Akpan, invited me to sign personally every single Promise Card and Soldier’s Covenant. What a marvellous privilege to see the names appended to these God-blessed commitments. Many thousands attended the meetings to encourage the new Junior and Senior Soldiers.

Endless miles away, just a few weeks later, we encountered the same spirit of Salvationism as we met the officers and employees of National Headquarters in the USA. What a contrast from Brazzaville in terms of affluence, as once more we visited the richest nation on earth. Yet the Army spirit is the same. The goals are the same – the souls and needs of others! The commitment is the same – to serve in the Name of Jesus regardless of self!

How moving it has been, how inspirational, to witness our unity in the Army’s global response to the Haiti earthquake and shortly thereafter to the quake in Chile. The instant, godly response has been wonderful, resulting in personnel, money, and equipment from across the globe in answer to the plight of the victims. Again, God is blessing and deepening our unity in Christ and in our callings to be Salvationists in a hurting world.

Unity pleases God. The Scriptures make this clear. In John 17 we read our Lord’s passionate prayer that his committed followers would not allow discord to divide them. In Romans 12:5 Paul reminds us that ‘in Christ we who are many form one body.’ So let us each work for unity, especially in our local corps. A united corps is a growing corps. A united corps is an attractive, and attracting, corps.

Our English language Song Book has words that express our unity in Christ. Song 660 speaks of our hearts being bonded ‘in Christian love’, of the sharing of ‘mutual burdens’, and of our being ‘joined in heart’. Song 573 offers an eloquent reminder of the role and place of the Mercy Seat in symbolising our oneness. It mentions (verse 3) our being gathered ‘around one common Mercy Seat’. We are equal, we are one, we are united in our need of grace as we kneel at the feet of Christ.

Therefore I am praying for strong unity in the Army. I am asking God to deepen still further the bonds that unite us. I am praying that there will be no spirit of strife among us. I am pleading in prayer for unity in every part, and in every place where the Trinitarian flag of God’s Army - the yellow, red and blue - flutters in the breeze, whether it be Africa or America, whether it be north or south, east or west.

Thank you for your faithfulness. I thank God for you.

Here today in London, as I write, the sky is overcast, but there glows within our souls the bright sunshine of God’s love! May you know and feel that same love today, moment by moment.

I commend you to the grace of Christ.

Sincerely in Him,

Shaw Clifton
General

Sunday, April 11, 2010

I was assuming that they were joking when Canada’s spy agency said they couldn’t find me. I was wrong. I laughed – they didn’t.

Matthew 3:7-10: Security Clearance
Presented to Swift Current Corps, 11 April 2010
By Captain Michael Ramsay

I can remember when I was in my late teens: I was a janitor. I may have shared some of the stories with you and I will probably share a couple of more with you even before we finish looking at the book of Matthew here. I had a number of different contracts as a janitor in various different buildings and I needed quite a high security rating actually. (I just recently had my RCMP clearance done again here in Swift Current in order to do some chaplaincy work with the RCMP.)

When I first had my clearance done, it was quite something. I was just a teenager then, as I had mentioned, and in my interview they ask me what I did twenty years ago, I respond ‘nothing’ – ‘I’m only 18. I thought it was funny – the police officer interviewing me didn’t. I needed an extra special clearance because one on the contracts I have is to cover for the regular janitor when he is sick or on holidays at the CSIS building (CSIS is Canada’s spy agency, our CIA) on Blanshard Street. As part of the interview, they asked me how come I haven’t held a job for 5 years or more – I reminded them that I am only 18 and smiled – but they didn’t. This interview not only went on for an hour or so but they also fingerprinted me and then they interviewed two of my friends, one by telephone and one in person. In speaking with them afterwards, it was really quite an in-depth interview and because of this I really began to have some faith in our very pre-9/11 security measures and how seriously they take their jobs. I was beginning to have a lot of faith in the Canadian spy agency’s thoroughness and ability, especially when they reviewed this information they collected on me for up to six months before they finally got back to me with my security clearance.

Just out of curiosity, I when I finally did get my clearance back, I asked why it took so long and they said it took so long to notify me of my clearance because they – Canada’s spy agency - couldn’t find me. I pointed out that my address and phone number were on the application form and that I hadn’t moved during that time. I laughed; they didn’t. I was assuming that they were joking when Canada’s spy agency said they couldn’t find me. I was wrong. I laughed – they didn’t. Shortly afterwards I worked my first shift at the CSIS building and as I was emptying one garbage can at a desk, the officer told me that if I looked at anything in it he’d have to kill me, I laughed – he didn’t. The next week, my boss told me to go and cover another shift at the CSIS building because I was the only one with clearance. I said no. She laughed – I didn’t. I had done my last shift as a CSIS janitor. John the Baptist, to some here in our story today, must seem about as humourless as the CSIS agent I encountered (re John the Baptist, cf. Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.2). Matthew 3:7-10:

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/matthew-37-10-security-clearance.html

Friday, April 09, 2010

his soul got a little smaller each year. Hank was not changing...(JAC 66)

JAC Online - Issue 66

Continued Obedient Faith as Holy WitnessThrough Participation in Small Groups[aka Wesley’s “Class Meetings”]
by Lieut.-Colonel Janet Munn


(Presented by Lt. Col. Janet Munn at the “Holiness Ablaze” conferencein Boston, Massachusetts at the 125 anniversary of the Brengle’s sanctification on Boston Common)

In John Ortberg’s, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, is the following description:
Hank – long-time church member, regular church-goer – could not effectively love his wife or his children or people outside his family. He was easily irritated. He had little use for the poor, and a casual contempt for those who accents or skin pigment differed from his own. Whatever capacity he once might have had for joy or wonder or gratitude atrophied. He critiqued and judged and complained, and his soul got a little smaller each year.

Hank was not changing....

read more: http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC66-article3.pdf

JAC #66 on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

--
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6.8).

JAC Online - Issue 66

Holiness and Responsibility – Famous Last Words
by Commissioner Wesley Harris

ASKED to make a presentation under the title Famous last words I doubted whether any words of mine would become famous and also hoped that these particular words would not be my last! There seems to be some fascination about what may have been among people’s last words. Paul said, “I have fought a good fight” which contrasted with the words of his namesake King Saul who could only say, “I have acted like a fool”. Catherine Booth said, “The waters are rising but so am I…” while her husband William could affirm, “The promises of God are sure if you only believe”.

read more: http://www.armybarmy.com/JAC/article2-66.html

JAC #66 on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

--
www.sheepspeak.com

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Instead of WWJD, What Would Jesus Do; we should ask, Jesus what should I do?

I am reminded of an object lesson that I saw from an Officer – Captain Gord Taylor – when he was posted in Maple Creek a few years ago. It made an impression on me. Do you remember those bracelets that were once so popular? They said WWJD or What Would Jesus Do? Now these are good for a couple of reasons: 1) when we see them we hopefully think of Christ and 2) Hopefully they can be a wonderful tool for evangelism as people see them and ask us about them we can share our faith with them. Gord made a very good point about those bracelets though: He said that instead of WWJD, What Would Jesus Do, they should say, Jesus what should I do?

Do you get the subtle difference? The difference is that he is alive – so we can actually ask Jesus what we can do. This is the difference that I invite us all to recognize here on this Easter Sunday. Jesus isn’t just a dead leader - moral, political, or otherwise, whose code of ethics or political ethos we should follow, Jesus is Lord whom we should serve. Rather than just talking about what we think he would do in a difficult situation, we can come to him in any situation and ask him, “Jesus, what should I do?” This is important. We don’t just need to talk about a person who lived 2000 years again, we can speak to the directly to the ruler of heaven and earth, who is alive, who is here and who is -in essence- standing in our midst.

Let us call upon him now.

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/luke-241-12-why-do-you-look-for-living.html

or go home: www.sheepspeak.com

JAC is BACk (Issue #66)

Editorial Introduction
by Major Stephen Court


Salvation greetings to you in Jesus’ name. Welcome to Journal of Aggressive Christianity issue 66. What a line-up God has blessed us with this time around!

We kick things off with Commissioner Wesley Harris’s lecture to FAMOUS LAST WORDS, called ‘Holiness and Responsibility’. This is a big-picture talk fed from the lessons Harris learned over 62 years of officership.

Lieut-Colonel Janet Munn contributes her ‘Continued Obedient Faith as Holy Witness Through Participation in Small Groups’ [aka Wesley’s “Class Meetings”] that was delivered in Boston at the 125th anniversary of Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle’s sanctification.

Captain Andrew Clark does some thinking ‘Out Loud About Leadership’ and comes to a few controversial positions.

Major Kelvin Merrett shares his journal notes on Wesleyan holiness, a wonderful glimpse inside the devotional and theological reflections of a divisional commander.

Anthony Castle, hot of the big success of his first published book (Brave and True – a thoroughly salvo novel for teens), throws us a definition, in ‘Salvationism Is…’

Major JoAnn Shade stirs up more controversy in her commentary on ‘Affirmative Action’. Really, it must get embarrassing for people like her to continually have to beat this drum. No more excuses, people – untie the right hand from behind The Salvation Army’s back (left being the males).

Lieut-Colonel Richard Munn has an interesting piece on our ‘Salvationist Ancestor’, Zwingli – notable, among other reasons, for its timing, in light of the current article in THE OFFICER magazine by Captain Michael Ramsay on the very same subject.

Cadet Matt Kean wonders if ‘Good Works Might Distract Us From Mission’.

Cadet James Thompson makes a ‘Call for Decision’.

Major David Laeger contributes ‘Kindred of the Word’.

Captain Gordon Goodridge has ‘Walking with Christ’.

And there is a short take on a challenging line in the Articles of War undertakings called 'Large Proportions'.

All in all, JAC66 provides more content and intent to stimulate the salvation war. Use it to confirm, challenge, instruct, provoke, and empower. And share it with your friends.

read JAC66 here: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

Monday, April 05, 2010

Hide and Seek: Why do you look for the living among the dead?

Now I must admit that when I was a kid I used to be quite good at hide-and-seek and I still have a great way to not get caught – kids cover your ears – you see, when I am hiding and they are looking for me, I keep my eyes open and watch to see where they are or listen to discover where they are looking and as soon as they have looked in a particular spot, I will move from where I am to that spot where they just were, knowing that they won’t look there again. This works really well with a house with an upstairs and a downstairs because as soon as the kids come upstairs, one can make a beeline straight for the downstairs.

Hide and seek: Did you ever play hide and seek? There is one thing that you notice playing ‘hide and seek’ with mostly little kids – younger than my two – but sometimes with older ones as well. It is really quite neat. Most of them when they are hiding, they close their eyes. So when you call out, ‘1-2-3, I see you’ – you will sometimes hear – ‘no you don’t! …I have my eyes closed’ or ‘1-2-3, I see you’ - ‘you can’t; I’m invisible still…I still have my eyes closed.’ This is not totally unrelated from our text today, as people are here wondering why they can’t see Jesus.

In our pericope today the disciples and the women are convinced that they know where Jesus is and what is happening. They look in the spot where they know he went, the tomb for the dead, but Jesus has moved. He is back in the land of the living. And so the angels ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/luke-241-12-why-do-you-look-for-living.html

home: www.sheepspeak.com

Let the fish mulitiply (Dr Was)

April 6

Ruth 3-4 and Psalm 64-65 and 2 Corinthians 6


more Bible and comics: http://drwas.blogspot.com/
home: www.sheepspeak.com

Dr Was (Daily Rations with a Smile)

April 5

Ruth 1,2 and Psalm 53 and Psalm 61 and 2 Corinthians 5

---
more Bible and comics: http://drwas.blogspot.com/


Sunday, April 04, 2010

CBC rolling over in the grave?

I think of some comments that I read on-line recently. I often scan newspapers and such quickly on the computer to see what the top headlines are and what is going on in our world. Nowadays a lot of these stories have an option for people to post comments at the bottom of a story. I was reading this one story recently. It was a horrible story actually. The CBC headline said ‘Christians celebrate Palm Sunday’ or something like that and when you clicked on the article it had nothing much to do with that at all.[4] It was just an open attack on the Roman Catholic Church, highlighting some of the sex abuse scandals that the press likes to report ad naseum.

The headline said ‘Christians celebrate Palm Sunday’ and then the article just attacked the church. This is certainly a sign of the times in our country as we move further and further away from our Lord and Saviour but one of the things that struck me was the comments underneath posted by the general public, readers of the article. There were a number of commentators upset at the article, of course. There were a lot of anti-Christian comments as well, however, and people attacking religion in general and Christians in specific. One comment someone made caught my attention though. This person wrote that with all of this fighting going on about the church, Christ is probably ‘rolling over in his grave’…now I don’t know if you catch the significance to this comment or not – Christ is probably ‘rolling over in his grave’- but someone did because the reply to that comment went like this… Jesus won’t be rolling over in his grave because he is no longer in the grave. He has risen from the grave.

This is an important distinction. He’s not dead; he is alive. We should not look for the living among the dead.

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/

or go home: www.sheepspeak.com

Saturday, April 03, 2010

I had told them not to load the truck when I wasn’t there but I come into work the next day and the warehouse is empty and the truck locked up.

.
(PART II: RESURRECTION SUNDAY)

to read part 1 first click here: http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html#6330985008985881324

Well one Thursday, when I wasn’t there, the truck arrives. Now some of my staff are quite eager workers still at this point and want to get everything done as soon as possible. They think that they know everything that needs to be done. I had told them not to load the truck when I wasn’t there - but…

I come into work the next day and the warehouse is empty[9] and there is the truck locked up, apparently ready to go and not a single inventory sheet was even sitting on my desk. I was so upset not only because that truck was not supposed to be loaded when I wasn’t there but also because they didn’t keep proper records so that whatever is in the truck and whatever is in every box in the truck now needs to be taken out and re-sorted and inventoried. I am upset. I start to raise my voice as I demand that Troy, the only one of my staff that I can find, I yell and demand that Troy that he open the truck and start taking everything out of there. He opens the truck.

Troy opens the truck: it is empty – except for the rest of my staff who are in there laughing at me because I fell for their rouse. They had played a joke on me; I fell for it.

I was upset because, even though the truck was supposed to be empty, even though we all knew it was supposed to be empty, and we were all told repeatedly that it was supposed to be empty, I didn’t think it would be. . I didn’t believe what I should have believed. I looked around the warehouse at the way things seemed and I didn’t believe that the truck would be empty like it was supposed to be.

This is the same as the empty tomb today in our story and indeed in our world today, isn’t it? The women are undoubtedly upset as they are going out to the tomb where – even though Jesus said he would rise again on the third day, even though Jesus said in effect that the tomb should be empty – the ladies are upset because they expect that the tomb, like I expected that the truck, they expect that the tomb will not be empty.

But, halleluiah, they’re wrong and instead of Jesus’ body in the tomb, and instead of my laughing friends in the back of the empty truck, there is a totally different messenger, who in Luke’s account (Lk 24:5) asks the question, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” He has risen.

Today – on this Easter Sunday – on Resurrection Day, today, we have a choice to make. We have a very real choice to make. It is this: we can believe that the tomb is empty or not. This changes everything. We can believe that the tomb is empty or that it is not. Is Jesus dead or alive, what do we believe?

As Jesus is alive, if we realise that the tomb is empty and if we recognise that He is our Lord and Jesus is God then whatever difficulties we may have we can bring to him. He will work them out for His good and His Kingdom because He has conquered sin and death so there is no problem that we could have that is too big for him. But if we don’t recognise that Jesus is alive then we are forced to rely on just our own strength and our own passing fancy. So today let’s look in that empty tomb of history and notice that indeed this tomb is empty and today and from now on let’s not come here to eulogize and bury Jesus but to praise Him and serve our risen Lord. He’s alive.

Christ has Risen (He has Risen Indeed)

---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

When Jesus explained his death to his disciples he didn't give them a theory, he gave them a meal - NT Wright

.
...But only a small step. I am under no illusions that, even if I were to write a thousand pages on the subject, I would ever exhaust it. In any case, I am one of those who think it good that the church has never formally defined 'the atonement', partly because I firmly believe that when Jesus himself wanted to explain to his disciples what his forthcoming death was all about, he didn't give them a theory, he gave them a meal. Of course, the earliest exponent of that meal (Paul, in 1 Corinthians) insists that it matters quite a lot that you understand what you are about as you come to share in it; but still it is the meal, not the understanding, that is the primary vehicle of meaning. What is more, I happen to believe, as a reader of the New Testament, that all the great 'theories' about atonement do indeed have roots there, and that the better we understand the apostolic testimony the better we see how they fit together.

read more from 'The Cross and the Caricatures': http://www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/news/2007/20070423wright.cfm?doc=205

---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Spiritual Gifts and Receipt (Dr Was)

April 4

Judges 19-21 and 2 Corinthians 4


more Bible and comics: http://drwas.blogspot.com

home: www.sheepspeak.com

Dr Was (Daily Rations with a Smile)

April 3

Judges 17-18 and Psalm 89 and 2 Corinthians 3



more bible and comics at http://drwas.blogspot.com

home: www.sheepspeak.com

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Repeatedly, I told them never to load the truck when I wasn’t there. Well, one Thursday, when I wasn’t there...


(PART 1 : GOOD FRIDAY)

I remember once when I was in my early to mid-twenties. I had a contract at Defence Research at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt. It was an exciting, yet a stressful time. I had some very skilled people working with me and the work sometimes was very precise and there was a lot that my staff could do and this was good because I personally couldn’t be there every day (I had other contracts to tend to as well) but, even though they could be trusted, there were inevitably aspects of the job that they could and should not do. There were aspects of the job that took my personal attention.

Our contract at Defence Research involved the physical relocation of the lab from the west coast of Canada to the east coast. It was very important that everything that was packed up was to be documented properly. There were things that the scientists were working on that, trust me, you just didn’t want to get loose or mixed up in the trip across the country; so we set up a detailed procedure of inventorying everything and after each box was packed I had to personally clear it before it was put on the truck; so I told them never to load the truck when I wasn’t there. Repeatedly, I told them how important it was never to load the truck when I wasn’t there and it was posted on the doors of the warehouse that they must never load the truck when I wasn’t there.

Well, one Thursday, when I wasn’t there, the truck arrives. Now some of my staff are quite eager workers and want to get everything done as soon as possible. They think that they know everything that needs to be done. I had told them never to load the truck when I wasn’t there - but…

I come into work the next day and the warehouse is empty and there is the truck locked up, apparently ready to go and not a single inventory sheet was even sitting on my desk. I am so upset not only because that truck was not supposed to be loaded when I wasn’t there but also because they didn’t keep proper records so that whatever is in the truck and whatever is in every box in the truck now needs to be taken out and re-sorted and inventoried. I am upset. I start to raise my voice as I demand that Troy, the only one of my staff that I can find, I yell and demand Troy, I demand that he open the truck and start taking everything out of there. He opens the truck...and...inside is...

Well ...I can't tell you what is in it today. The answer to what is in the truck, like the answer to what is in the tomb will have to come on Sunday. Today it is still Friday [or Thursday]. Today, you have to ask yourself the question…what do I believe is in the truck? Anything? Come to church on Sunday and find out…

or check out Sunday's blog entry (PART II: RESURRECTION SUNDAY) here:

http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html#6060250020638649674

---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

JAC is BACk

April - May 2010Issue # 66

Editorial Introduction
Editor, Major Stephen Court

Holiness and Responsibility - Famous Last Words
Commissioner Wesley Harris

Continued Obedient Faith as Holy WitnessThrough Participation in Small Groups(aka Wesley's 'Class Meetings')
Lieut.-Colonel Janet Munn

Thinking Out Loud About Leadership
Captain Andrew Clark

Wesleyan Journal Entries
Major Kelvin Merrett

Salvationism Is...
Anthony Castle

Affirmative Action
Major JoAnn Shade

Zwingli: Ancestor of The Salvation Army?
Lieut.-Colonel Richard Munn

Good Works Might Distract Us From Our Mission
Cadet Matt Kean

The Call for Decision
Cadet James Thompson

Kindred of the Word
Major David Laeger

Walking with Christ
Captain Gordon Goodridge

Large Proportions
Major Stephen Court