I've decided to read through the official history of The Salvation Army again, I'd forgotten how gripping these books actually are. The following quote is just crying out to be blogged!
Written by William Booth in 1865 round about the time he had just agreed to preach in the tent meetings in Whitechapel:
"We have no very definite plans. We shall be guided by the Holy Spirit. At present, we desire to be able to hold consecutive services for the purpose of bringing souls to Christ in different localities of the East of London every night all the year round. We propose holding these meetings in halls, theatres, chapels, tents, the open-air and elsewhere as the way may be opened or we seem likely to attain the end we have in view. We purpose to watch over and visit personally those brought to Christ, either guiding them to communion with adjacent and sympathetic churches or ourselves nursing them and training them to active labour."
A couple of weeks before he wrote this William was about to leave London for an evangelistic tour of Derby. Had he gone to Derby then the Army may never have come into being. However, that's not the point I want to make.
Look at Booth's vision – what was it that he was hoping to do? He was going to preach to the lost in the east end of London, disciple them, link them up with local churches and possibly employ them as evangelists, that was it – yet look at what grew out of that simple plan.
In truth, he had no plan, no vision, and no hope beyond a humble attempt to meet the demands of the 'great commission'.
As I return to active service tomorrow (following a public holiday) I don't have to come up with a strategy or a mission development plan all I need to do is to "be guided by the Holy Spirit… hold consecutive services for the purpose of bringing souls to Christ…in halls, theatres, chapels, tents, the open-air and elsewhere as the way may be opened … watch over and visit personally those brought to Christ… training them to active labour." If I do that and encourage my people to do the same then within 2 decades Dartford Corps ought to be opening up its first overseas outpost!
Grace and peace, A
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