repentance

Having seen three people get saved in two days at our shelter and non of them having seen anything what we call discipleship I feel pretty ashamed.

Sorry, God.
Sorry for not caring for your babies in the faith, so that they will grow and stand firm.
Sorry for not giving them the opportunity to tell about their new joy in you.
Sorry for not making sure they get instruction of how to continue to live with you victoriously.
Sorry for not sheltering them against the attacks of the enemy.
Sorry for asking you for people to get saved but not being ready to sustain them.
Sorry for not holding them up in prayer.
Sorry for not sacrificing time and effort to lead them on.

Forgive me, Jesus. Forgive us.

"If we are faithless, he will remain faithful." (2 Timothy 2:13)

God, show yourself faithful to our converts. Sustain them in your love. Don't let them be taken away. I can't do it. But help me to do what I can do.

Teach me how to care for your children. So that you can entrust me with them.

quenching the spirit

Reading Brengle's book "When the Holy Ghost is come" gave me some new insight into what it means when the bible is warning us not to "quench the Spirit". Ever thought about that?
What about this explanation? Makes me at times be pretty close to what is so fatal to our walk with God.

"You do not need to do some great evil, some deadly sin, to quench the Spirit. Just cease to rejoice, thorugh fear of man and of being peculiar; be prim and proper as a white and polished gravestone; let gushing joy be curbed; neglect to pray when you feel a gentle pull in your heart to get alone with the Lord; omit giving hearty thanks for all God’s tender mercies, faithful discipline and loving chastenings, and soon you will find the Spirit quenched. He will no longer spring up joyously like a well of living water within you. "

consecration

Back to Vancouver, back to blogging!

"We are not our own, but we are bought with a price, and consecration is simply taking our hands off from God’s property. To withhold wilfully anything from God is to be a God-robber."

(Samuel Logan Brengle, "When the Holy Ghost is come")

Nice way to put consecration!

Hands off!

immeasurably more

Yesterday God added two people to his kingdom during Knee Drill, our prayer and worship meeting. And he did it all by himself. Not that we were pushing towards people getting saved, not even that we were inviting people, or even were expecting more than just Jamie and me the only ones praying together, or that we would have asked God to show his power in a particular way this evening.

No, I was praying for myself to get freedom to pray and worship when one girl knelt down next to me. And God kept bringing them. One after the other kneeling down, receiving prayer, and two of them eventually asking God into their lives.

All the time I was wondering where these people came from, and why God suddenly chose to bring them into his presence. All I know is that we can not plan for God to show up with his power. Or to save people. Or even us successfully inviting them. Probably, so that we can't take the credit for ourselves.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21

shared blog

Check out this blog of Jonathan and Carla Evans, faithfully continuing to win the world for Jesus, starting in Maple Ridge by leading the first 614 outpost of the big vision of MMCCXX.

Jonathan invited me to contribute to his blog. Read my new entry - and other good, righteous stuff from the Evans'. If you're into discussing covenant in relation to the Salvation Army - that's the place to be!

http://suburbanoutpost.blogspot.com

declaration

I don't want to be satisfied with the second best alternative of God's plan for my life.

But, I want to strive for the highest possible fulfillment of God's purpose of my life.

u-turn

There is something about God making me stop and calling me to go back and finally do what he originally told me to do. In the book "Purpose-driven life" from Rick Warren I read, that obedience, that is not done immediately equals disobedience. Outch! That's me!

Thank God for his patience, and for second chances. Thank God for his second reminders to do what he told me to do, now! And thank him for the powerful rewards for obedience.

Always, when God clearly told me to stop and go back to where I just failed to fulfill my mission, he rewards my obedience with the powerful confirmation of exactly having done his will. One time he made me turn around on my bike and go back to the youth center I just had left and give one of the guys a bible. Today he made me go downstairs again to ask one guy to give me his crack pipe.

Whether I never heard about the effect my action had like in the first case or whether I was honestly given thanks for my concern - what it runs down to in my accountability to God is me obeying his call. Ideally, immediately.

effective evangelism

Thanks to Steve, he found these quote stating two reasons for what makes an evangelist effectiv in his ministry:

- he is hungrier for Jesus that anyone this person has met; and,
- he is committed to evangelism, not only before big crowds, but, even in the early days, on the streets, day after day after day.

(www.armybarmy.com/blog.html, July 22nd)

I can learn from that!

love the fight

"A soldier will find a well'spring of true enjoyment and happiness in the salvation war."

(William Booth)

Fits together with what he says in his vision "Who cares?":

"To go down among the perishing crowds is your duty. Your happiness from now on will consist in sharing their misery, your ease in sharing their pain, your crown in helping them to bear their cross, and your heaven in going into the very jaws of hell to rescue them."

I guess, I would not be happy, if I would not would not know that I had given my life to the war for the salvation of souls.

officership

How do you treat your calling to be an officership?

William Booth suggests when talking about soldiers raising up their children towards officership, the "highest aim in life" to seek that their children are not only "a good soldier, but an officer, counting it the highest possible honor should God see it fit to make them the leader of his people".

(Orders and Regulations for Soldiers of the SA)

What a privilege!

satan's counter attack

Satan is at work.

On one single day we had one lady freaking out at a staff member and being taken by the police, one of our worship team members almost leaving during practice because of a dispute because of the sound system, one guy getting into a fight with his brother on the shelter property and fighting against the police till they finally managed to bring him down and two guys being close to starting a fight right next to our food truck during street ministry.

After having two eggs thrown at our food truck and members of our team the same day one lady commented the fights going on around our shelter:

"I have not seen one single day without a shot gun going off. Is has become worse since you guys are here. They don't want you to be here."

That's for sure. Satans doesn't want us to be in the midst of human misery and desperation.

"Opposition! It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. (...) When the Church and the world can jog along comfortably together, you may be sure there is something wrong. The world has not altered. Its spirit is exactly the same as it ever was, and if Christians were equally faithful and devoted to the Lord, and separated from the world, living so that their lives were a reproof to all ungodliness, the world would hate them as much as ever it did. It is the Church that has altered, not the world. " (Catherine Booth)

Looks like we're doing something right.

"They consider us dangerous - which we are!" - Dare-devil faith!

aggressive christianity

Whenever people are confronted with the term "aggressive Christianity" there are two general responses. They either run away screaming because it reminds them of the worst example of evangelism they've ever seen on TV, or they give their life to it - because they know what it's about.

It's not about beating people up with the bible because they won't believe you're message about God's coming judgment.

It's about being aggressive on yourself concerning your walk with and commitment to God. Following Jesus without compromises.

End of September there is this conference coming up that I'd certainly would go to if I wouldn't be just back in Europe at that point of time: ACC - Agressive Christianity Conference.

Some reasons why I would go:
- it's focussed on "equipping you for passionate and effective ministry" - I want that! And nothing less!
- it "seeks to re-ignite passion in the movement (of the Salvation Army) for the things which we should be fighting for" - Yeah! We need another pentecost! Send the fire today!
- the speakers:
Michael Collins - If I could choose to go for street ministry with one of my current leaders just in order to learn from him, it would be him!
Captain Danielle Strickland - I know what kind of Salvation Army officer I want to be!
General Eva Burrows - Not just because she was one of the very few female generals of the Salvation Army, but because she's a woman of God, having the true Spirit of Salvationism and living out the example of aggressive Christianity of General Catherine Booth

(facts ACC: 30.9.-02.10.05; SA CrossCulture Center Vancouver/Canada; worship - teaching - training; featuring General Eva Burrows, Major Ross Hailes, Major Eddie Hobgood, Captain Danielle Strickland, Michael Collins; contact: darrenhailes@hotmail.com, www.armybarmy.com/ACC)

the powerful prayer of the righteous

My friend at the War College prayed that for us - hitting the nail on the head about what is on our heart:

"God, thank You for the Martyrs and everyone else who will read this. Thank You for the time they've dedicated to You, and the lives they've dedicated to You. Please use us. A lot. please help us to grow and be more like You, so that if You spent a day as us, things would turn out the same because we only do what You do. I pray for huge bunches of humility to be poured over us and that all pride just leaves us. I pray for us to be contenders, that we press in and get things done. I pray for growth so that we are unrecognizable from each other. I ask for eyes to see, and ears to hear, and hands that heal and perform miracles. I pray that you unleash a crazy amount of miracles and healings through us- and that you are glorified through everything we do. Keep us close to you and dont allow us to take any steps back but to always move forward. Make our hearts more in tune with yours, and teach us justice, mercy, patience, and LOVE. thank you! amen!"

God grant it!

grace

The more I desire to see God moving through me the more I realize how little I can make that happen by myself and how much it is God's answer to my hunger, to my prayer - and his grace!

And, I believe, it's in response to our faithfulness with encounters with people he wants to meet or messages he wants us to deliver on how much he can entrust us with that.

But something happened: The last two days God was out of the blue just showering me with opportunities to pray for people, speaking his truth and encouragement into their lives - and all not out of some kind of general feeling of duty but out of the Holy Spirit driving me to do it.

And all started with me asking for more of God in my life and ministry.

More, Lord!

pressing on

Going to a meeting of the "Joel's Army" conference in Abbotsforth, I felt like some giving their testimony about their conversion, how they went to church and wondered how the preacher exactly knew every detail of their life and was talking about it.

My whole week was about seeking more of God's power, his authority, his victories in my life and in my ministry. A prayer which I could see how God answered it.
In the morning I prayed for God to give me the faith to believe in signs and wonders to happen through me here and today. In the evening the speaker was talking all about "pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Phil. 3:12). God's answer to me.

How big is my hunger to see God's power at work? How great my desire to see the world around me rocked by the moving of God's Spirit?

"God determines what you receive by how we press on."

Or how one of our 614 leaders expressed it:
"Run, run, .... RUN!!! RUN!!! RUN!!!

"I WANT TO KNOW Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death..."

purity as condition

"To be pure in heart is to hold the key to soul-winning success."

Holiness is the solution for every problem!

Psalm 51: 10-13:

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

THEN I WILL TEACH YOUR WAY TO SINNERS, AND THEY WILL RETURN TO YOU."

dissatisfaction

I'm unsatisfied.

I want more.

I'm reading all this books, read stories and meet this people that God literally is changing the world with. So I know that it is true that God can do it right now, with me. And I want it, not less. Not being satisfied with some kind of mediocre outcome. But fullness. World conquest. Victory.

I want God to turn the world upside down through my life.
I want to see my city changed through my prayer.
I want my prayer to break strongholds, call down the fulfilling of God's promises, start revival.
I want people added to the kingdom daily through my testimony.
I want to see heaven open, I want to be one with Jesus, be filled with his Spirit, every day.
I want to see God's fire falling down from heaven, igniting our Spirits, turning the hearts to him.

How do I get there? I don't know.

Through consecration, sanctification and anointing, I guess.

God, forgive me my hidden sins. Reveal my sins to me. Increase my faith. Transform my heart. Let me be like you. I am yours. Fill me with your Spirit. Bring glory to your name.

condemnation

I often tell people about what I do here in Maple Ridge: praying and talking to people (which means building relationships). Right from the beginning I knew that continuing to do that would require a lot of perseverance. Why?

- because it seems insignificant
- because we seldomly see immediate resultes
- because they seem prone to lose motivation and start slacking

Still, I want to hold on to doing this because I believe that these are the two most important streams of ministry: PRAYER and WITNESSING.

Some interesting fact from my daily schedule: On a normal day I spend an equal amount of time praying intentionally and hanging out with clients intentionally. Seems to be in perfect balance.

Satan, shut up! I'm not willing to receive condemnation about the insignificance of my ministry any more. I WILL NOT BOW!

Lord, give us souls

Some hardcore prayer I prayed for PTB this morning from the Salvation Army Songbook:

LORD, for a mighty revival we plead,
LORD, GIVE US SOULS; LORD, GIVE US SOULS;
Thy saving power in this meeting we need,
LORD, GIVE US SOULS; LORD, GIVE US SOULS.
Quicken our hearts by the Holy Ghost's power,
pour out thy Spirit, a greaqt mighty shower,
of sin the sinner convict, Lord, this hour,
LORD, GIVE US SOULS; LORD, GIVE US SOULS.

Let every heart on this object be set,
LORD, GIVE US SOULS; LORD, GIVE US SOULS;
help us to pray till the answer we get,
LORD, GIVE US SOULS; LORD, GIVE US SOULS.
Give us the faith that will not let thee go,
faith that says, yes, though the devil says, no;
Lord, thy salvation in this meeting show,
LORD, GIVE US SOULS; LORD, GIVE US SOULS.

Lord, we believe thou art going to save,
LORD, WE BELIEVE, LORD, WE BELIEVE;
floods of salvation and power we shall have,
LORD, WE BELIEVE, LORD, WE BELIEVE.
Souls shall be truly converted to thee,
from all the bondage of Satan be free,
made into soldiers to fight well for thee,
LORD, WE BELIEVE, LORD, WE BELIEVE.

I would like to pray this before every meeting! "...help us to pray till the answer we get!"

the founder speaks again

"Obstacles exist to be overcome and converted into victories." (William Booth)

In Jesus there is victory over hell, death, Satan, sin, ... whatever you can think of, whatever may stand in our way.

Get on it, brothers and sisters!

In darkest England and the way out

Listen to William Booth:

"To despair is to lose faith; to despair is to forget God. Without God we can do nothing in this frightful chaos of human misery. But with God we can do all things, and in the faith that he has made in his image all the children of men we face even this wreckage of humanity with a cheerful confidence that if we are but faithful to our own high calling He will not fail to open up a way of deliverance. "

I need to learn that.

Often, when I have to face the hard reality of many people's life stories, full of abuse, desperation, drugs, hopelessness and bitterness against God and his church, I don't dare to speak out about the hope of the gospel anymore. Because it looks too small, powerless.

I know, it's a lie, for "it is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16)

God, I believe, help me, not to doubt!

the call to die

Having to preach this Sunday God asked me to share what he did in my life in the last two years since I got to know The Salvation Army:

He literally changed my life by giving me the possibility to spend all my day purposely sharing his love and word, in active ministry serving him and people. So that I feel like my life with Jesus started all over again!

Three things he changed in my life:
- my attitude towards sin: zero-tolerance, no compromisses, no habitual sin, but active repentance and working towards holiness
- my purpose of life: "I want to make the most of my everyday and live with a purpose of his glory and for the kingdom." - and as a soldier of The Salvation Army a "soldier at war for the salvation of souls"
- my future: listening to and being obedient to his calling

Although often overlooked or kept secret - if I want to follow Jesus he calles me to nothing less than
- giving up my life
- sharing in his suffering
- expecting persecution

and to live my life for the same purposes Jesus came to the earth for. Which are
- to destroy these works of the Devil
- to save sinners

In short: "We'll tear hell's throne to pieces and win the world for Jesus!"

William Booth: "... lay aside your shame, your pride, your cares about other people’s opinions, your love of ease and all the selfish loves that have kept you back for so long, and rush to the rescue of this multitude of dying men and women."

"There is no doubt that the leap for you, as for everyone who takes it, means difficulty and scorn and suffering. For you it may mean more than this. It may mean death."

But still: "You must do it! You cannot hold back. You have enjoyed yourself in Christianity long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, pleasant prospects. There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of hands and shouting of praises- very much of heaven on earth."

"Now then, go to God and tell Him you are prepared as much as necessary to turn your back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days struggling in the midst of these perishing multitudes, whatever it may cost you."

the passion for Christ

Asking about how to keep passion for Jesus alive I got this advice:

To willfully and disciplined pour into my encounters with Jesus.

Makes sense to me. How do I keep my love for someone alive? By enjoying the time we hang out with each other! The same with Jesus.

And since it's so vital, it's so hard. Nothing seems to be harder than stirring oneself up to seek Jesus with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength. But, if I don't do it, I give in to the enemy - and waste time with Jesus.

"Don't let my love grow cold, I'm calling out, light the fire again. Don't let my vision die. I need your discipline."

(Brian Doerksen)