What John Wesley said that is IMPOSSIBLE to Ignore

In the 18^th Century, John Wesley preached to thousands of people, and became a prominent religious teacher, whose actions prompted the beginnings of the Methodist movement. He is mainly known for his teachings on holiness, and the privilege of believers to live holy, sanctified lives before the Lord.

There was something John Wesley said that is impossible to ignore!

In an English society that was becoming increasingly individualistic in outlook, Wesley said that there is no holiness without social holiness. Now what did he mean by that? I have never really understood the gravity of this statement until recently.

He meant, that when someone lives a holy life, the impact is not just on the individual, but on society as a whole. A holy life affects the community at large.

Think about the Christian politician who is challenged publicly by a journalist about their faith in Christ. We have heard the response numerous times before, ‘My faith is between me and God, and is private matter.’ This sounds cute and safe, but what is actually being said is, ‘My faith is between me and God, and won’t affect anybody.’ Wait a minute, how is that even possible? If I am a Christian and I walk through the supermarket and someone falls over and hurts themselves, does my faith matter? One would suggest that if I have any depth to my relationship with God, then I would feel compassion on the person who has fallen and desire to help them. My faith has a social impact. Now, that’s not to say people who aren’t Christians don’t help people in need, far from it (and many are better than Christians), but it is clear that a relationship with God changes the way we interact with society. Social holiness is about lives committed to Christ, that impact society, by virtue of what God is doing in their lives.

So back to the politician. Say she needs to make a policy decision about asylum seekers. If she truly is a follower of Jesus, she would surely request the wisdom of God in formulating that policy. That would not be unreasonable to suggest. Now, go with me for a minute. If the policy is created and communicated to the society at large, her faith has not been private, it’s made a wider impact. You  cannot have holiness without social holiness.

You may think your faith is private and you may want it to be private, but what God does inside of you, impacts others. In fact, it should. If what God does in your life does not impact others, then go back to God in prayer and ask why!

Let me labour the point a little further. Your faith cannot just be a thing that is ‘between me and God.’ This is a cop-out and dare I say a response made in fear of the repercussions of what a public faith would mean. Irrespective of how overtly you communicate what you believe, your actions will show society the depth of your belief. You cannot divorce your faith from its impact upon society.

An interesting passage is found in Leviticus chapter 19. Have a look at verse 1-2:

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”   

This is gold. The Lord effectively says to Moses, ‘Quick, get EVERYONE together, I want to tell them something!’ God doesn’t pass on a message to a select few, but God wants everyone of the people of Israel to hear what is about to be spoken. Then the challenge comes, ‘Be holy!’ The reason you are called to be holy, is because God is holy and you are called to reflect the image of God. God is holy, therefore you should reflect holiness.

Now, that’s not simply the end of the story. As you may well know, if you’ve fallen asleep reading the somewhat repetitious laws outlined in Leviticus, you see that holiness has some expectations attached to it. Amidst laws around forgiveness, sickness, sexuality and personal renewal before God, we see this pearler just further on from the passage in Leviticus 19:1-2 that we just looked at:

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God (Lev. 19:9-10).

Let me recap. God challenges the people to be holy, as God is holy. Then, out of that holiness, when you’re gathering your produce from the farm, leave some for the poor. You see what happened there? Individual holiness affects society. When you are holy, these are the things you will do: you’ll look after the poor. 

Your faith affects others!

As John Wesley said, there is no holiness without social holiness. Your depth of relationship with God affects others. Will it affect others for good?

Getting Our Hands Dirty - Guest Blogger - Captain Scott Strissel

“While we have been standing UPON OUR DIGNITY- WHOLE GENERATIONS HAVE GONE TO HELL- if the Bible is true, how much longer shall we stand there” - Catherine Booth


Dear Salvationists,
 
Our hearts need to be broken once more for those we serve and love.   It can be easy to become jaded by this work.  It is dirty work.  It is hard work. 

Service and love should always walk side by side.  We don’t simply hand a homeless man a cup of warm soup because it is “our responsibility and obligation”, no, instead we do it because we care for that man.  It is not just a duty to perform and then we are on our way, it MUST go deeper!  God’s prevenient grace came to us even when we did not deserve such a gift.  He came to our level and poured out upon us such a lavishing love – His One and only Son Jesus Christ.  This is why we serve.  This is why we put on our uniforms and go out into the streets of our communities. 

Secondly, we serve a Mighty God for the purpose of bringing others to Him!  The Salvation Army Mission Statement says this:  “The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”

Never discount the work of the Holy Spirit in this vital salvation mission!  He can and will transform the worst of sinners.  He will change lives!  What He requires from us is to get our hands dirty.  He longs to have “dirty Salvationists.” 

What do I mean by “Dirty Salvationists” you ask?  What I mean is that we have to go to the places where the lost are located.  We were once lost until we came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Since we accepted that saving, we should be willing to go to those places where the lost and dying are still chained to their sin!  It might not look like a church, where are must go and reach those who are hurting, but the places that Jesus went didn’t look like a church either! 

Didn’t someone, long ago seek YOU out?  Did they not take the time to come to your level, to roll up their sleeves and get dirty so that we might be cleaned?  I recall countless of godly examples of Salvationists who embodied Christ to me while I was still ignorant in my old ways of living.  Their kindness and love showed me what it meant to be like Christ.
With that being said, we cannot be afraid of those “dirty” places.  Those places where the “unclean” or unsaved reside.   We cannot cower within our corps buildings and expect people to come to us.  We have to get our hands dirty by accepting this important work that the Master calls us to.   This work first begins within our hearts.  Are we prepared to say to Christ, “Use all there is of me for Thy purpose”?   This statement can be deeply impactful on our lives.  It places God’s priority over ours.  It clears the various barriers of “self” away so that we might be Holy and then do Holiness in our lives. 

Catherine Booth once said these very profound and I believe prophetic words, “It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. If there were no other evidence of it being wrong, I could tell from just that. When the Church and the world can jog comfortably along together, you can be sure there is something wrong”.

Today, it is very easy for the Church to simply ignore sin and its effects on people.  I don’t wish to meddle or prod here, but the easy road is often taken because we don’t want to point out immorality in our world for fear of criticism and loss of popularity.  The sad thing is that many within the Church are more afraid of what the world will say rather than what God will ultimately say. 

Salvationists, if we aren’t willing to get our hands dirty…if we aren’t willing to stand up for those without a voice in our communities…if we aren’t willing to be sent out by God anymore because we are fearful of critics and hatred, then we have truly lost what it means to be a Salvationist. 

So let us roll up our sleeves.  Let us become dirty Salvationists who are willing to get on our knees in prayer for the drunk who loiters on “Army property”.  Let us throw off the fears of public condemnation and worries of how it may be perceived – and live out our calling within this Mission as Salvationists and as Christ-followers!   Jesus went to people where they were…shouldn’t we as well?

______________________

Find more from Captain Scott Strissel at Pastor's Ponderings

Spiritual Breakthrough in Difficult Times: The Dam Walls are about to Break!

Spiritual Breakthrough in Difficult Times

"Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn't quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse." - Frank Abagnale Sr.

We're about to churn some cream into butter.

Sometimes we feel like we've fallen into a bucket of cream and we can't get out. We're stuck. 

At times we feel like we’re in a season of drought. We sense we're in a season of incredible challenge and growth. It's painful. It hurts. But the season is there for a reason.

I want to share a message with you, called, ‘The Dam Walls are about to Break!’

God at times can be the one who leads us into the desert. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. He spent 40 days in the wilderness, then, he came out of the wilderness full of the power of the Holy Spirit.

This desert experience can do a few things:

It realigns our focus on what matters.

We need God more.

We cry out to God more.

We establish a foundation on God rather than self.

We develop an understanding that without God we are nothing.

We are caused to rethink what we value.

We begin to value prayer over programs.

We start valuing each other more than ourselves.

We appreciate gathering together to support one another.

We realise that we can’t do it through our own strength.

We say things like, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible!'

If you’re looking to get out of a time of drought, I’ve got some good news for you.

One of the sure fire ways to get out of a time of drought is through prayer and repentance. Now, don't tune out just because I've given you a couple of answers and you can tick it off the list. This is crucial.

There is power in repentance.

In the Old Testament we see a common picture of the importance of repentance. In the lives of the Israelite people we witness a circular kind of journey. The Israelite people were known for being blessed by God, but then would begin to sin before the Lord. Then the Lord would rebuke them, the Israelites would repent and then obey, and then they would be blessed and so it goes on. A circular kind of journey was at play:

Obedience -> Blessing -> SIN -> Repentance -> Obedience -> Blessing

Let's have a look at an Old Testament Scripture.

Leviticus 8:36 says, ‘So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses.’ 

Leviticus 9:1-7 – ‘…Moses called together Aaron and his sons and the leaders of Israel. He said to Aaron, ‘Take a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering, both with no physical defects, and present them to the Lord. Then tell the Israelites to take a male goat for a sin offering for themselves and a year-old calf and a year-old lamb for a whole burnt offering, each with no physical defects. Also tell them to take a bull and a ram for a peace offering and flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering. Tell them to present all these offering to the Lord because the Lord will appear to them today….

 ….Then Moses told them, ‘When you have followed these instructions from the Lord, the glorious presence of the Lord will appear to you.’

[They then approached the altar and presented the sin offerings]

Leviticus 9:22-24 – ‘….Then, after presenting the sin offering, the whole burnt offering and the peace offering, [Aaron] stepped down from the altar. Next Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to the whole community. FIRE blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw all this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.’

The Israelites presented sin offerings to God, and then the Lord’s presence came upon them.

They spent time in repentance and THEN the presence of the Lord came.

See here's the thing: Quite often Christians today want the presence of God to bless them, then they'll start being obedient. "Well God, if you start working in my life, I'll start doing what's right." You see, it doesn't work like that. We are called, to present ourselves before God in repentance, then the presence of the Lord will work in a greater measure.

If we flip over now to the New Testament we see that Jesus Christ spilt, ‘his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins…. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.’ – Hebrews 9:11-15

So it is through Jesus that we lay down our sin offerings. Our prayers of repentance are offered through Christ. 

Don't underestimate the power of prayers of repentance. Remember the words of Jesus, ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’

In the drought, we pray prayers of repentance. We humble ourselves. We get ourselves right with God. We say prayers like, ‘God forgive us.’ ‘God, sorry for the times I got it wrong.’ Dare I say, we should always position ourselves to pray like that, but in times of a spiritual drought, such prayers are even more crucial.

Prayers of repentance are what mature Christians say. We read in Luke 24:45-49 [After Jesus had risen from the grave], 'Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”'

In a spiritual drought: PRAY. Spiritually dry moments are where we find ourselves in a place where we need to seek God like never before. No holding back. Prayer is not just a good idea in spiritually trying times, but when you’re in the drought and desperate to get out of it, you see prayer as essential!

Prayer [David inquired of the Lord]:

Check out this Scripture. This is gold:

‘When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the Valley of Raphaim. Then David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” So David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place Baal-perazim. (2 Samuel 5:17-20).

The breakthrough that David is speaking of, is like when a Dam breaks, and the water rushes out. You know, the walls of the dam have been holding the pressure of the water for a long time and when the dam gives way there is breakthrough. Prayer causes the dam walls to break!

How about this: ‘God responds to His people to accomplish His purposes if they will come to Him and seek His strategy for the breakthrough they need.’

David prayed. And God answered. David inquired of the Lord. Now, the word he used in this passage was Baal-perazim, and this means, ‘Master of the breakthrough.’

You need to understand, God is the master of the breakthrough!

You may be in a spiritual drought, but the dam walls can break at any time.

Watch out devil, because what you intended for harm, God is going to use for good.

Prayer and repentance precedes a revolution.

It's time for you to churn some cream into butter.

Don't give up. Don't backslide. Don't run. 

Get ready!

God is the master of the breakthrough. 

Through prayer and repentance, the Lord will take a drought and make it a harvest.

He’ll take lack and made it abundance.

He’ll take anxiety and replace it with boldness

He’ll take uncertainty and replace it with belief

He’ll take hopelessness and the replace it with Hopefulness

He’ll take sin and replace it with holiness

He’ll take tears and replace it joy

He’ll take sickness and replace it with a healed body.

This is the truth. Jesus is the King of Kings. Jesus is the first and the last. Jesus is the ALPHA and the OMEGA. He is the name above all names. He is the Lord of the harvest. He is our peace. He is our deliverance. He is our salvation. He is our Hope. He is our joy.

In him is forgiveness. In him is purpose. In him is joy. In him is righteousness. In him is LOVE. In him is the well spring of living water.

In JESUS’ NAME!!

THE DAM IS ABOUT TO BREAK!

Through prayer and repentance, walk out of the wilderness and the drought with your head held high.

And may you say, God we did it! We made it! We conquered this season!

When you get knocked down, you get up again.

Say to your situation:

I declare a harvest. I declare a new season. I declare a new thing. I declare, God, all the best you have for me. I declare those dam walls to break!