Take the Plunge - Officership

In Commissioner Knaggs vision, outlined in the book One Day, he says, 'I have a dream that... our officer training programs would be taxed by the unusual response of the called to serve as officers in The Salvation Army. '

God needs warriors. He needs people willing to say, 'I'm here to serve', 'I'm here to lay down my life for the cause of Christ'. We are each called to follow Jesus, and I know many are called to step into a life The Salvation Army calls, 'Officership'. I'm believing for more than just the typical 10-20 Cadets to go into Training College. It's time for a new generation to understand their calling in life and then take the plunge. Scary, I know, I've been there. But 17-18months into Training, I'm feeling more and more equipped to be a leader in this Army... Lately, it feels as each day passes, God is cementing my calling in my heart...

For those attending Cadidate's Weekend in Melbourne AUS, I hope God blesses you heaps, and that God leads you and guides you to the place set for you...

1,000 CADETS IN 2009?!!!
All things are Possible through Jesus!

KENYA: 1,000 Cadets!
CANADA: 1,000 Cadets!
CHILE: 1,000 Cadets!
UK: 1,000 Cadets!
USA: 1,000 Cadets!
AUSTRALIA: 1,000 Cadets!
INDONESIA: 1,000 Cadets!
SRI LANKA: 1,000 Cadets!
INDIA: 1,000 Cadets!


Every Country, Every Territory. (Dream and organise big, and then we'll move forward faster than if we didn't dream at all!)

'Too many Indians and not enough Chiefs'

I heard recently the common known phrase, 'Too many Chiefs not enough Indians'. I thought on that briefly, and thought, in many Salvation Army contexts we have, 'Too many Indians and not enough Chiefs'. I mean this, not in relation to having authoritarian leaders, or arrogant, proud leaders, but rather people who are merely touching the surface of their potential might need to step up and become a leader.

Leaders can either build followers, or build more leaders who will build more leaders. There are people in our Church congregations who have a spark of potential, if only there was someone to ignite the spark, and empower these people to step up to the next level.

For example, the garden in the church needs to be maintained. We have one person who faithfully caretakes for the garden most days of the week, but unfortunately she can never keep up with all the work. What do we do? Do we merely encourage this lady to work harder and more effectively? Possibly, but what it we empowered her to become a group leader of a gardening team? She would recruit volunteers. She would delegate jobs to them. She would encourage maybe one of the helpers to become the co-ordinator every Wednesday, as this is her day off. You understand the point.

Jesus had twelve disciples. Three of which he mentored closely. Then came Paul, who mentored Timothy to be a leader as well, among many others.

The church needs good leaders, not just great volunteers.

A Private Faith

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was on the hot seat last night, on ABC1's new show 'Q and A'. He was asked about his religious beliefs and he said that he keeps his religious beliefs private. Someone else said that to me recently; they said, 'I like to keep my faith to myself...'

I believe that a private faith, is not a biblical faith. The Bible calls us to go. Isaiah records God saying, 'Who will go for me?' Matthew writes of Jesus, 'GO into all the World...' We are told in the New Testament to be ready to give a testimony about our Lord. We should have such a close relationship with Jesus, that others need to hear the good news.

By keeping our faith to ourselves:
(1) Christianity will be dead within a generation. How does anyone ever hear about Jesus??! (It's kinda like every couple choosing never to have Children! The Human Race goes extinct)
(2) We are really showing our own selfishness. We have a message of hope, of redemption, of full salvation, and we want to keep it to ourselves!
(3) We highlight a fear/decision of not wanting to share the message of Jesus.
(a) because the message of Jesus hasn't really impacted us much in the first place...
(b) We are afraid of the consequences of sharing the faith we have
(c) We've never really thought of what our testimony about God actually is, and so we are unsure what message we are sharing.

A public faith, is a passionate faith. It makes us vulnerable. It relies on God for protection, and personal self-esteem. It does not let fear hold it back.

Do you know one of the greatest things The Salvation Army in the Australia Southern Territory struggles with? Is sharing its faith with other people (NCD results 2006/7).

The tide is turning though. Go from private to public (and I'm not talking about healthcare!)