Why should the devil have all the best pumpkins!

In the powerful name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth; who died and rose again and who now lives; seated at the right hand of God the Father - in his powerful name I stand against the 'principalities and powers, the rulers of this dark world' and I rebuke them and bind them up with chains forged in the precious blood of the lamb.

I command them to go to the place that has been prepared for them and to leave my heart, mind, body, soul and any sphere of influence they may have over me or my family. In the almighty name of Jesus Christ I forbid any demon, evil spirit or stronghold to have any power or influence over my life or the lives of my family. I remind those that dwell in the spiritual realms that 'no weapon formed against me can prosper' I remind them that 'he who is for us is greater than he who is against us' and that 'the battle is the Lord's!'

I pray that the same Holy Spirit who led Christ to victory at Calvary and who subsequently led Satan captive in triumph through the heavens would move today in the town of Dartford and beyond, I pray that dear Holy Spirit you will send ministering angels to confuse and negate the work of Satan and all who serve him.

I wash myself, my home, my family, my hall, my car and my people in the precious all powerful, deep cleansing blood of Jesus. We are children of God and nothing can harm us!

Jehovah is our Strength,

And He shall be our Song

We shall o’ercome at length

Although our foes be strong.

In vain does Satan then oppose,

For God is stronger than His foes.

The Lord our Refuge is

And ever will remain;

Since He has made us His

He will our cause maintain.

In vain our enemies oppose,

For God is stronger than His foes.

The Lord our Shepherd is;

He knows our every need,

And since we now are His,

His care our souls will feed.

In vain do sin and death oppose,

For God is stronger than His foes.

Our God our Father is;

Our names are on His heart;

We ever will be His,

He ne’er from us will part.

In vain the mightiest powers oppose,

For God is stronger than His foes!

Amen

The waiting game...

The dilemma over holiness continues...

Is it hardcore asceticism that drinks only water and has a cold shower every morning? Or is it a celebration of freedom in Christ that knocks back black coffee and indulges in every, and ‘all good gifts around us’?

I want to get it right because holiness matters and the outcome of this inner debate will determine what I preach for the rest of my life.

Contrast Paul’s advice to the Corinthians with John’s words in his first letter;

“If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Of course holiness ought to be joyful and obvious celebration of ‘life in all its fullness’ but the mantle of a prophet brings with it a ‘fasted lifestyle’ that seems eccentric to all, other than the Holy Spirit who motivates it.

There’s the rub! Holiness has to be motivated by God. Holiness is what Finney called ‘disinterested benevolence’ what Wesley called ‘perfect love’. Holiness has got nothing whatsoever to do with what I do - but everything to do with what I allow God to do in and through me.

Holiness is a reflection of God’s love; it is ‘Christ in me the hope of Glory’! If Christ in me wants to drink coffee and go to the occasional football game that’s his prerogative – on the other hand if he wants to shower in cold water and eat dry bread so be it!

I need to follow the instruction he gave to the apostles following the resurrection and simply ‘wait’. It is in the waiting, in the ‘hiding’, in 'the secret of his presence' that holiness truly begins!

Lord come and educate
And teach my keen desire
That only where souls learn to wait
Falls Pentecostal fire.

If I would see the way
Where you would have me walk
Then I must when I kneel to pray
Allow you time to talk.

Revival shall be mine
In strict proportion to
The sum and quality of time
I spend alone with you.

Your word oh Lord is clear
The sentiment so plain.
If we would see and know you near
Then still we must remain.

The shells that God employs
To force his foes to ground
Though packed with loud and happy noise
Are fired without a sound.

Love and prayers - A

Two visions - not for the faint-hearted!

2 Visions over 100 years a part and yet strangely similar.

The first is taken from one of William Booth’s lectures at the 1904 International Staff Officers Councils. The second is from the founder of the 24/7 Prayer Network.

I can’t overestimate just how critical I believe these prophetic words are to our generation – aggressive, pure, incarnational holiness - lived out in a simplistic lifestyle is the way forward!

What the world needs now is a George Scott Railton or a St Francis of Assisi or maybe just you and me!

THE FUTURE

Do not limit the possibilities of the future. God has many ways of fulfilling His purposes towards the sons and daughters of men. Here is one, of which I dreamed a dream. The one I am going to mention came to me when thoughtfully wondering, as I so often do, what The Salvation Army of the coming years was likely to be.

In this vision I beheld many things that were novel and fascinating, but nothing that took greater hold of me at the moment than the one I am about to describe. Perhaps the superior interest it excited in my feelings arose out of its intense practicality. It seemed all so natural, so possible, so fruitful, and the results so desirable, that I came almost to feel that the thing was not a dream, but an actual occurrence, literally happening before my eyes.

I thought I was looking at The Salvation Army in its varied future operations, and while I looked I thought I saw a new body of Officers suddenly start into existence. In many respects they strongly resembled the comrades with whom I am familiar to day. In other respects they appeared strangely dissimilar.

I will try to describe them, and while I do so you will be able to judge of the probable usefulness or otherwise of such a class, the possibility of creating it, and whether you would or would not like to belong to it, if it were created.

As I looked at this new people, they appeared to manifest extraordinary signs of earnestness, self-denial, and singleness of purpose; indeed, they had every appearance of being a reckless, daredevil set. On inquiry, I found that they described themselves as "Brothers of Salvation" or "Companions of the Cross of Christ." They went forth, two and two, strengthening each other's hands, and comforting each other's hearts in all the work they had to do, and all the trials they had to bear. They seemed to welcome privations, and to revel in hardships, counting it all joy when they fell into diverse persecutions, and facing opposition and difficulties with meekness, patience, and love.

As I looked, and looked, I wondered more and more, for I observed that they had voluntarily embraced the old-fashioned vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience. These vows I observed, further, were regarded as only binding upon them for a term of years, with the option of renewal for a further term at the expiration of that period, or of being able at that time to honourably return to the ordinary ranks of Officership.

As I looked at these new comrades, who had as it were suddenly sprung out of the ground, I saw that they wore a novel kind of uniform of simple shape, but very pronounced, and displaying very prominently the insignia of The Salvation Army. They were evidently proud of their colours.

And then I saw another thing that was peculiar about this new Order – I do not know how else to speak of it. I saw that they refused to accept any money or gifts for themselves, or for their friends, or, at most, not more than was necessary to meet the very humble wants of that particular day; while I saw that they were pledged not to own any goods of any kind, save and except the clothes they wore.

And then I saw that they were great wanderers, continually travelling from place to place, and that very much on foot, as this gave them the opportunity of visiting the hamlets, cottages, farmhouses, and mansions on the way, and speaking to the people in the streets, market squares, or other open spaces on week-days as well as on Sundays, as they passed along.
I saw that they assisted at the services in The Salvation Halls wherever they came, always working in friendly co-operation with the Officers in Command; visiting the Soldiers, sick or well; hunting up backsliders, and striving to promote the interests of every Corps they visited, to the utmost of their ability.

I saw that they visited and prayed with the people from door to door, in the great cities as well as in the villages; talked to them in the streets, trains, or wherever they had opportunity, about death, judgment, eternity, repentance, Christ, and salvation.
I saw them in my dream addressing the workmen at the dock gates, at the entrances to public works, in the factories at meal hours; indeed, they were talking, praying, and singing with whomsoever they could get to listen to them, singly, or in company wherever they came.
And as I looked, I saw their number, which was very, very small at first, gradually increase until they reached quite a multitude. And the educated and well-to-do, charmed with this simple Christlike life, swelled its numbers, coming from the universities and the money­making institutions and other high places.

Do you ask me about their support? Oh! I answer, so far as I could find out in my dream, they never lacked any really necessary thing, having all the time what was above all and beyond all in worth and desirability - the abundant smile of God, and a great harvest of precious souls.
(International Staff Council Addresses 1904, General William Booth, p144-147)

The Vision

So this guy comes up to me and says "what's the vision? What's the big idea?" I open my mouth and words come out like this… The vision? The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.

The vision is an army of young people. You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism. They laugh at 9-5 little prisons. They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday. They wouldn't even notice. They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won. They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport .People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence. They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying. What is the vision? The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure.

Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation. It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games. This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause. A million times a day its soldiers choose to loosethat they might one day win the great 'Well done' of faithful sons and daughters.

Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again:

"COME ON!"

And this is the sound of the underground the whisper of history in the making, foundations shaking, revolutionaries dreaming once again, mystery is scheming in whispers, conspiracy is breathing… This is the sound of the underground

And the army is disciplined. Young people who beat their bodies into submission. Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms. The tattoo on their back boasts "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain". Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners, Martyrs. Who can stop them? Can hormones hold them back? Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them? And the generation prays like a dying man with groans beyond talking with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and with great barrow loads of laughter!

Waiting. Watching: 24 – 7 – 365.

Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its cosy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside. On the outside? They hardly care. They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide. Would they surrender their image or their popularity? They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row - guilty as hell. A throne for an electric chair.

With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them. Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.) Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus. Their words make demons scream in shopping centres. Don't you hear them coming? Herald the weirdo's! Summon the losers and the freaks. Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension. Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.

And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon. How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is his 3D. And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great 'Amen!' from countless angels, from hero's of the faith, from Christ himself. And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.

Guaranteed.

Love and prayers - A

Dartford Corps 122 years old today!

This weekend we celebrated our 122nd Corps Anniversary. Malcolm and Stephanie Jones led Sunday worship. On the Saturday all the Corps sections praised God and entertained the troops!

The Saturday night included the debut performance of our new YP Band!

Thanks to Xander for the following 4 1/2 minute highlights video! Let's aim (unless Christ returns before then) for another 122 years!

God bless Dartford, God bless the Salvation Army - Amen! Love and prayers A

To the brook and beyond!

In the “The Salvation Soldier's Armoury” morning reading for October 12th I came across the following verse in 2 Chronicles 30:14 –

“They removed the altars in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.”

This verse is part of the account given concerning the purification, by Hezekiah, of Judaic worship from the influences of Assyrian cults.

I couldn’t help being pulled up by those words ‘Kidron Valley’.

The Kidron Valley runs along the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, separating the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. It then continues east through the Judean Desert, towards the Dead Sea.

Once a river ran through this valley, but the water was diverted through Hezekiah’s tunnel to supply Jerusalem with water. In the time of Christ a seasonal stream or brook ran through the valley. It is that brook that Albert Orsborn refers to in his song from which this blog drives its name:

“My all is in the Master's hands
For him to bless and break;
Beyond the brook his winepress stands
And thence my way I take,
Resolved the whole of love's demands
To give, for his dear sake.”

In order to get from Gethsemane to the ‘winepress’ of Calvary Jesus had to cross the ‘brook’ of Kidron.

In other words he had to cross the valley into which his forbears had tossed their foreign Gods and broken idols.

This link really spoke to me, how often we, on our pathway towards holiness, hesitate over the worldly debris we have sacrificed. If we want to experience holiness then sacrifice is only part of the journey. Sacrifice must be followed by obedience. For Christ the sacrifice was made when he prayed ‘thy will not mine be done’, but it was obedience, evidenced by the crossing of the brook, that led to our salvation.

Then in my devotions I read the following verses from 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

“3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual
immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that
is holy and honourable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not
know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take
advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already
told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a
holy life.”

Let us make sure that our own sanctification is not corrupted or maybe even invalidated by a longing for the things we have surrendered – let’s make sure that we go ‘beyond the brook… resolved the whole of love’s demands to give, for his dear sake.’ Let there be no lingering, no hesitating, no looking longingly into the waters below, but instead a determined stride towards Calvary and the glory that awaits us there!

Love and prayers A

Todd Bentley and the dangers of partial consecration...

I’ve just read the following on the web page of www.God.tv in response to the revelation that Todd Bentley of the Lakeland Revival has filed for divorce following an affair with a member of his team and bouts of binge drinking.

“Was it because Todd was vulnerable and certain areas of his life were not surrendered wholly - Yes - like so many of us - in all probability. Was it because the character of Christ was not yet formed in him in the equivalent measure to his gifting? Yes - like so many of us - in all probability. Could it be the case that ‘there but for the grace of God go I’… Yes - In all probability.”

If the ‘rich young ruler’ were a Salvationist then he would probably be considered the holiest soldier we knew! He had been obedient to his ‘soldier’s covenant’ (in his case the law), he tithed his income and was punctilious in his duty to the local Corps. If Jesus had carried out an appraisal of this man it would have contained just once comment ‘he lacks only one thing!’

There’s the rub – entire sanctification is exactly what it says on the tin – entire. Even when we give 99.9% of what we have, what we hold back invalidates the rest of our surrender.

When we hold back even 0.1% we place ourselves at risk! This is especially so for Christian leaders. Let’s pray for Todd and for Future Fire Ministries and for the Lakeland Revival and let’s make sure that we leave no unguarded place – this is war and in war there are casualties on both sides!

Love and prayers, A

Something we always knew anyway...

For centuries, religious believers have endured suffering with impressive fortitude. Now scientists claim to have discovered that faith in God really can relieve pain.

New research at Oxford University has found that the Christian martyrs may well have been able to draw on their religion to reduce the agony of, for example, being burnt at the stake.

In a bizarre experiment, academics at The Oxford Centre For Science Of The Mind ‘tortured’ 12 Roman Catholics and 12 atheists with electric shocks as they studied a painting of the Virgin Mary. They found that the Catholics seemed to be able to block out much of the pain. And, using the latest brain-scanning techniques, they also discovered that the Catholics were able to activate part of the brain associated with conditioning the experience of pain.

The findings were welcomed by the Anglican Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Tom Wright, who said: ‘The practice of faith should, and in many cases does, alter the person you are. ‘It can affect the patterns of your brain and your emotions. So it comes as no surprise to me that this experiment has reached such conclusions.’

The experiment is one of a series being conducted by the academics, a group of scientists, philosophers and theologians from different departments at the university. A sparking device was strapped to the back of the participants’ left hands to deliver an electric shock.

The scientists then asked them to contemplate two paintings, Sassoferrato’s 17th Century Virgin Annunciate (Virgin Mary) and Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th Century Lady With An Ermine.

The researchers hoped that the face of the Virgin Mary would induce a religious state of mind in the believers, while da Vinci’s painting was chosen because it did not look dissimilar and would be calming.

The volunteers were not told the true purpose of the experiment, only that it was designed to judge how people felt pain while contemplating pictures of different things.

They spent half an hour inside an MRI scanner, receiving a series of 20 electric shocks in four separate sessions while looking at either the religious or non-religious picture.

Each time, the volunteer had to rate how much it hurt on a scale of 0 to 100.

The Catholics said that looking at the painting of the Virgin Mary made them feel ‘safe’, ‘taken care of’ and ‘calmed down and peaceful’.

More significantly, they reported feeling 12 per cent less pain after viewing the religious image than after looking at the Leonardo.

The front right-hand side of their brains lit up on the scanner, indicating that the neural mechanisms of pain modulation had been engaged.

There was no such brain activity among the atheists, whose pain and anxiety levels stayed roughly the same throughout the experiment.

Writing in the scientific journal Pain, the researchers concluded that at least some religious believers can moderate their pain by thinking about it more positively.

Why go to all that bother when they could have just asked us?

Love and prayers - A

Spike Milligan on Christian Basics!

If I have learnt anything in my 14 years as a Christian then it is this - there are some basic building blocks within our faith without which, we cannot function. If we want to be useful to each other and more importantly useful to God then these blocks have to be in place. Christianity is about discipline, obedience, sacrifice and perseverance but it is also about joy, victory, peace and fulfilment. If we find ourselves this morning less than ‘conquerors’ then it will probably be because the enemy has undermined our faith, quite literally dug beneath our foundations causing spiritual instability and potential collapse.

These essential building blocks are prayer, God’s word and obedient faith. Prayer is the ‘Christian’s vital breath’ and when used in conjunction with the word of God encourages it directs, chastises, empowers, heals, restores, forgives – without these two foundation stones solidly set in place our Christianity will not work and cannot be productive. As blood and breath are to the body so prayer and God’s word are to the soul. Faith is the fuel that enables these two avenues of grace to move us forward. Faith is the ‘evidence of things now not seen’ and replaces our dismal outlook with God’s bright future.

Do we make time every day for serious (and delightful) intimacy with God, do we memorise his word and ‘walk with him and talk with him along life’s narrow way’? Do we hear and obey his voice? If the answer to these questions is no, then our lives are probably full of despondency and personal disaster. I remember once seeing a Spike Milligan cartoon, the drawing showed a series of small insect like creatures each reciting out loud simple mathematical problems – the caption underneath simply said ‘it’s the little things that count’ when it comes to Christianity that is so true.

It is the little compromises, the small sins, and the casual neglect of prayer that causes us to fail and fall. Being a lazy parent, an insensitive spouse, an indifferent employee – once these things have been dealt with then God will lead us on. We need to start our pilgrimage from where we are and not from where we want to be, one step at a time, moment by moment. As Jesus once said "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10)

Love and prayers A

Xander and the Battle for Bull Centre

Saturday 13th September was a significant day in the life of Dartford Salvation Army.

First of all - we have reinforcements in the shape of Brother Xander Coleman from Australia - I discern powerfully that Xander is going to be a big blessing to Tracey and I personally and our Corps ministry here in Dartford. Xander shows a spiritual maturity way beyond his years.

Secondly we celebrated the 'Battle for Bull Centre' with an amazing march of witness, open air meeting and a grand music festival and salvation meeting which culminated in five souls at the Mercy Seat. and the town Mayor in full regalia joining in a glory march!

Rather than duplicate stuff here, there are some great reports starting to appear around the internet - some including video footage - chck ou the links below:

Chatham Savation Army

My Dad's report on Facebook

My Dad's photos on Facebook

Forgive the laziness, but time is a premium and these good folk have probably said it better than I could!

God bless Dartford, God bless Xander. God bless The Salvation Army

Yours set apart by Christ, for the lost, in the Army.

A

Countdown to the Battle for Bull Centre 1

This is the front page of The War Cry, Sept 4th 1908 (if you click the image you'll get a bigger version). In the centre is a picture of Mrs Ensign Roy, who together with her husband, commanded the Dartford Corps a that time. This Saturday (September 13th) we are celebrating her release from prison (she was put there for preaching the gospel!). We are goingto have a full out assault on the enemy, a march of witness (aided by Chatham Band) and open-air and a festival/salvation meeting.

I'm not sure we'll get arrested but we certainly will shake up the town a bit :-)

The following is a local press report concerning the absurdity surrounding what became known as the 'Dartford Disgrace'.

Hopefully Xander will be with us on Saturday - no time for jet-lag in God's Army :-)

PUBLICANS OFFER TO PAY SALVATIONIST’S FINES.

The current issue of the “War Cry” contains several interesting comments on the situation at Dartford. Under the heading of “Persecution,” the official organ of the Salvation Army makes the following remarks: —

“Were it not for the significant fact that the names of various Salvationists continue to be taken at Dartford, one might be justified in concluding that the good sense of the magistrates and the voice of the people had at last prevailed. Whatever may be the cause of this “willing-to-wound-but-afraid-to-strike” attitude on the part of the authorities, there is no mistaking the growing interest in, and sympathy with, the Army’s position by the public.

“Amongst those who have come forward with offers to pay the fines imposed on our comrades are two publicans, while the demand for the War Cry’ which contains latest news of the proceedings, has necessitated a rise of twenty dozen during the past week, and even then would-be purchasers have been disappointed.

“Encouraging and helpful, however, as the approval and goodwill of the people may be, the calmly confident attitude of the Salvationists is not based on this so much as on the knowledge that they are standing for liberty to preach salvation in that locality in the town “where people most do congregate”. This is a matter that vitally touches Salvationists everywhere. It is of such supreme importance to them that prison bars are, in comparison, mere trifles.

“Dartford comrades feel this most keenly, and there is not a soldier amongst them who is not willing to suffer the ignominy of imprisonment in defending this sacred principle.”

Cutting from the ‘Chronicle and District Times, Tuesday August 18th 1908”

War is declared!

The way of holiness continues to be travelled and my consecration remains (by God's grace) intact. However, the bullets have been flying. The fighting has been constant - literally a moment by moment wrestle with the enemy.

Dartford has become a definite front line and we are all on red alert.

The fighting is undoubtedly tough and intensely demanding yet in an unexpected kind of way exhilarating and deeply fulfilling.

I have rediscovered the truth that there is only one way to take ground and advance on the enemy's territory and that is clad in the armour of God with the name of Jesus on your lips, bathed in the blood of Jesus and obediently trusting his command to 'attack'

Recent enemy activity promises a great time of spiritual refreshing and even revival of that I am sure. If we were no threat to the devil then he would treat us with the contempt we deserve. So let me remind him, as the Captain of God's Army in Dartford, as the Lord's anointed in this corner of Kent, in the name of Jesus Christ take your leave for we mean to win and by God's grace 'we never, never will give in!'

Yours under Christ, set apart for the lost, in the Army forever! Hallelujah!

Commissioner Geoffrey Dalziel

Today is our 16th Wedding Anniversary! I can honestly say that I am more in love with Tracey today than I was 16 years ago - why she married me I'll never know but I'm so glad she did - and I thank God for her daily - marrying Tracey was the best thing (outside of religion) that I ever did.

Now what's that got to do with a photo of the Joystrings?

On Thursday Tracey wanted to buy me a present so we went to Bluewater (which is a five minute drive from Dartford). While Tracey went off to buy a present I made my way to Costas for a cup of coffee (that I probably shouldn't really be drinking) the man that served me (on seeing the Army shield) on my shirt refused to take any money and told me that the coffee was 'on the house!'.

We got into conversation and it turned out that his name was Emil and he was the son of Lt Colonels Peter and Sylvia Dalziel! (For those that don't know Peter and Sylvia were members of the Joystrings) We had a good chat about God and the Army and especially about Emil's grandfather Commissioner Geoffrey Dalziel. As we chatted I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit around us in a very powerful way and I sensed that Emil was also aware of this.

Commissioner Geoffrey Dalziel was the British Commissioner when I was a teenager and he led the South London Division Youth Councils in 1976 when I first seriously gave my heart to Jesus. My pilgrimage has been somewhat circuitous since then but it was those formative experiences and the influence of people like Commissioner Dalziel that put me where I am today.

For those who never knew the Commissioner the following is the tribute paid to him in 'Salvationist' in 2007 when at the age of 93 he was promoted to Glory.

"WHEN PEOPLE speak of Geoff Dalziel, they inevitably mention his physical stature and bearing - tall, upright and dignified. This was also a spiritual quality: he was upright in all his dealings, never devious or manipulative, always dignified and respectful in his relationships. He walked tall in the sight of God and man.He was a cadet in the 1933 Witnesses Session, and it was during a second year, as assistant sergeant-major, that he met and fell in love with Cadet Ruth Fairbank. They married four years later.

Their children - John, Peter and Christine - were born during corps commands at Williamstown, Shipley and Staple Hill.In ‘digs' during his first appointment at Cefn Fforest in South Wales, he promised to keep the working timetable of his host, a miner. This meant rising with the family at 5.30 each morning - a habit he maintained for the rest of his life.

A member of training college staff from 1946 to 1951, he poured into fledgling officers every ounce of his own enthusiasm and spiritual dynamism. From 1951 to 1959 he inspired thousands of lives as divisional young people's secretary in the Norfolk, Liverpool and South-West Scotland Divisions, followed by five years as training principal in Australia Southern.

His next appointment as chief side officer at the International Training College was a difficult transition, but - with the careful support of his wife - he accepted it graciously and with commitment.Chief Secretary responsibilities in Australia Eastern and Canada were followed by territorial leadership in East Africa, where the Dalziels opened their hearts to its people and found themselves received and loved in return. The experience left an indelible impression on their lives.

As British Commissioner from 1974, a well-worn path to the second floor ‘inner sanctum' at 101 Queen Victoria Street established that pattern of consultative unity with IHQ so necessary for the Army's continuing effectiveness in the UK.

Always most proud of his children and grandchildren, after retirement in 1980 he and Mrs Dalziel spent a memorable time visiting John, Christine and their families in Australia, and Peter and Sylvia in South Africa. In 1982 he began 20 record-breaking years as President - and later, Chaplain - of the South London Retired Officers Fellowship, for which he received the Certificate of Recognition.The only time he considered breaking into those years of service was with his wife's sudden illness and eventual promotion to Glory in 1990. Further sorrow pierced his heart in 2003 when his daughter Christine died from cancer in Australia.With his eldest son John in Australia, and Peter presently serving in the Netherlands, there is significance in a verse the commissioner loved to quote at family prayers:

There is a scene where spirits blend,
And friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy seat.(SASB 573)
With his passing, there is no break in this certainty."

We could do with a few more Officers like Geoff!

A

8 days after 08.08.08.

So it's 8 days after the 8th of the 8th 2008 and it's been a mixed week.

Back to work (if you can call Officrship work - maybe I should say back to service). I love my job and feel that Officership is a great privilege. Having said that I have struggled this week to get out of holiday mode! Everything that needs to be done has been done but I'm not sure I've got out of 2nd gear yet.

There is an exciting couple of months coming up at Dartford - especially the centenary celebrations of the Dartford Disgrace on September 13th (the imprisonment of the CO and others for preaching in the open air) and of course two days before that the arrival of reinforcements in the form of Xander Coleman on September 11th (hallelujah - thank you Jesus!).

The following contemporary newspaper report gives a taster of what we're celebrating on the 13th.

"In defence of the Salvation Army - wild scenes on the streets of Dartford

There was a massive and fervent response to the arrest of Dartford's Salvationists. A defence committee was formed to co-ordinate the protest campaign. Public meetings of protest attracted large crowds; protest marches were held and banners, slogans and posters appeared all over the town.

Banners declared 'IMPRISONED FOR CONSCIENCE SAKE'; 'DEFEND RELIGIOUS AND PERSONAL LIBERTY' and 'WE DEMAND LIBERTY TO PREACH CHRIST'. 15,000 people gathered at Dartford Station to welcome home the prisoners when released from jail, two of them still wearing their prison uniforms bearing broad arrows.

During the course of the exuberant celebrations the Dartford police were stoned and pelted with rotten fish heads and bad eggs. Hooligans used the occasion to vent their spleen on the local constabulary. Dartford's Superintendent Poole was pelted for four hours. Policemen were stoned to the station. There were violent speeches at the Drill Hall - a torrent of rancorous abuse."

Let's 'do or die for Jesus'

Love and prayers

A

The 8th of the 8th 2008!

There was no alarm clock to rouse me this morning – we’re on holiday. I woke when I woke, had a shower and drove the few miles to Whitstable. I parked the car in the harbour car park at 8:08!

There’s a lovely little coffee shop at the end of the High Street and it seemed appropriate to start this particular quiet time here in the temple of one of my addictions.

There was a great deal to consider as I submitted today’s entry for ‘The Salvation Soldier’s Guide’ and the following verses (all found in today’s reading) held particular significance.

First 2 Samuel 23:5

“Is not my house right with God?
Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,
arranged and secured in every part?
Will he not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire?”

Then 1 Chronicles 22:11-13

"Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Then, perhaps most significant of all I the light of what Finney has to say about holiness -

"My will be swallowed up in Thee;
Light in Thy light still may I see
In Thine unclouded face.
Called the full strength of trust to prove.
Let all my quickened heart be love,
My spotless life be praise."

During this period of quiet reflection it seemed appropriate to read Romans 8.

How can a Christian refuse the validity and (therefore) justified claims of holiness when faced with this chapter?

Verse 8 seems to take the necessity for holiness beyond debate to anyone who wants to be useful to God – “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”

I definitely want to ‘please God’ - it is (as it should be for all Salvationists) my raison d’être. Finney has helped me enormously this week and I believe that thanks to him I now fully understand what needs to be done.

‘Christian perfection’ happens when Christians experience and respond to the love of God. This response must be what Finney calls ‘disinterested benevolence’ – that is love which is given naturally with no thought about what it costs us or what potential blessing it might deliver. This is proper Christian love, it results in a life naturally focussed on God and his desires without room for any other consideration. It is only love like this that can enable us to give up all that is ‘sinful and doubtful’ and devote all that remains to God.

There is a struggle associated with the attainment of holiness, however this fight should not be with the minutiae of our consecration – holiness doesn’t begin with a comprehensive list of those things we must give up. Our struggle must be the struggle that Christ had in Gethsemane. This battle must centre on our will and the will of our Father in heaven.

The ultimate question every believer must answer is who am I going to serve? Who am I going to obey? This is the issue that determined whether Calvary went ahead or not and this is the issue that Paul devotes so much time to in his letter to the Romans.

What then does God expect of us? What standard of behaviour is he hoping to see in our lives? ‘If you love me’ says Jesus ‘you will obey my commandments’. It is loving that matters most, love involves the heart and it is within our hearts that our motives and desires are born – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.’

How do I know if my love is genuine? The answer is simple - If I obey then I love, love and obedience are inextricably linked. Where can I find such love? The answer must always be in our own Gethsemane. Seekers after holiness are still required to go ‘beyond the brook’; for it is only here that ‘the whole of love’s demands’ can be resolved.

Today will prove to be a significant day because I choose to make it so, if I employ my will to meet God full on and in that encounter declare my complete love for him then holiness (and all it promises to give to me, my family and Dartford) will be mine.

Will this happen on the 8th of the 8th 2008?

I see no reason why not – watch this space :-)

Much love and prayers A

Finney and Holiness on holiday!

It's 7:55am and all the family are asleep. I've just posted today's entry for The Salvation Soldiers Guide and have just concluded a short time of personal prayer and reflection.

I've almost finished Finney's 'Lectures to Professing Christians' and it has been well worth the wrestle.

I like reading Finney because (although he wrote 150 years ago) he has a fresh approach to the bible - nobody else quite sees Christianity like he does.

Take for example his attitude to 'Christian Perfection'. Finney says things about holiness that out of context would sound like heresy - for example - Finney declares that everyone (whether regenerated or not) has within them the natural ability to obey God. At first this sounds unbiblical but then Finney unwraps the statement. What is it that really hold us back? Is it inability or a lack of desire? Is the problem that we can't obey God or more properly the fact that we choose not to? Finney then goes on to say that a change in our attitude depends upon two things working together in harmony - the power of grace through regeneration and the submission of our will to God.

Finney is very big on the importance of the will.

I am, according to Finney, what I choose to be and I do what I choose to do. Christian Perfection is nothing more than a man or woman simply obeying God - moment by moment. Such a thought of course calls to mind Paul's 'living sacrifice'.

I have always though that these verses in Romans 12 are key verses in the understanding of holinesss and I further think that the way they are rendered in the message is excellent.

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

It is this 'living sacrifice' - the complete and utter consecration of my 'everyday, ordinary life' my 'sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life' that will become the focus of my prayers between now and Friday.

Love and prayers

A

Holidays...

I’ve always believed that God commanded us to rest because he knew that our commitment to him and our love for the lost would drive us to work for him until we drop. I think that an annual holiday falls into the category of legitimate rest.

Of course people like Booth and Railton (who never took holidays) were constantly breaking down. Railton, in particular, was confined to bed as a result of nervous and physical exhaustion on more than one occasion (sometimes for months on end!).

Holidays are good for several reasons; the following are just a few of those reasons.

Like Christ’s frequent sojourns in the desert - holidays provide us with quality time when we can be alone with God – while the children build a sandcastle – we can close our eyes and meditate on God (with no interruption from a phone call or an email).

Holidays afford us time to read – we can chew over some solid stuff whilst sitting in a deckchair (I remember one year on holiday I got through Finney’s systematic theology).

From my experience our demons don’t follow us on holiday but are geographically bound – I have no biblical evidence for this it is an assumption made purely from experience. I’m still involved in spiritual warfare on holiday but the battles are invariably different.

So for the next two weeks I’m legitimately holidaying in Seasalter (just along the south coast from Whitstable). I’m reading Finney’s ‘Lectures to professing Christians’ and (hopefully) the same author’s ‘Revival Lectures’. I’m also expecting a positive time of close communion with God.

My good friend Carol Young told me once that during a time of prayer the number 8 came to her in relation to me – our last day on holiday will be 08-08-08 (rightly or wrongly) I’m expecting great things from this holiday J

Love and prayers

A

The legal status of SA Officers :-)

I found out something recently that struck me as quite refrshing and liberating!

In the UK Salvation Army Officers are not ‘employees’ nor are they ‘volunteers’ the correct legal term for our function is ‘office holder’.

When we signed our declaration and our Covenant accepting that we have no legal relationship with the Army we were accepting our role as ‘officer holders’.

'Office holders' do not have a contract of employment and are not protected by employment law including the national minimum wage rules or the working time regulations.

Anglican priests (working as Parish Priests) are also ‘Office Holders’ and this status is something that the CoE recently decided to retain (the following quote is from their official webpage)

“The review of clergy terms of service concluded that the ministry of the Church was best enabled through the retention of the officer holder status of clergy. Whilst there are benefits to the integration of the majority of employee rights into the life of the Church, the classification of parochial clergy as employees would entail too significant an alteration to the basis on which ministry is provided. The key feature of an employer/employee relationship is the ability of the employer to direct the work of the employee. The nature of the parochial ministry of the Church of England makes such a relationship impossible without a radical change in how clergy are deployed.”

The police are also ‘office holders’ and are not entitled to the rights provided by employment law – for example a police officer can have their leave cancelled at the last moment or even be called back from their holiday, they can’t form a union or strike, they are not protected by the working time directive and they can be appointed to any location in their area without consultation. ‘Office Holders’ can take their ‘employers’ to employment tribunals BUT on the grounds of discrimination alone.

Any agreement that an ‘office holder’ enters into with his ‘employer’ is legally binding - in our case this would include adherence to O&R’s for Officers, not accepting a second income without consent and signing over publication rights. The only way we could gain access to the protection and rights afforded by employment law would be to have our status changed from ‘office holder’ to employee and I don’t think that is about to happen.

I relish the idea that I have no legal rights - it throws me onto the mercy of God rather than the mercy of the courts! I am covenanted warrior who has voluntarily surrendered his human rights to the Salvation Army and it feels great!

Love and prayers

A

The Salvation Army in the Body of Christ - Our Distinctives

Part two of my postings from the recently published statement "The Salvation Army in the Body of Chirst" - Issued under the authority of the General and written in full consultation with The Doctrine Council and The International Management Council as 'an eccelsiological statement'...

"5. WE BELIEVE that God raised up The Salvation Army according to his purposes for his glory and for the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel.

WE DO NOT BELIEVE that The Salvation Army's existence as an independent and distinctive Christian church, having no formal, structural ties with other Christian churches, is an affront to the gospel of Jesus Christ or self evidently contrary to God's will for the whole of his Body on earth.

6. WE BELIEVE that the practices of The Salvation Army have much in common with the practices of other churches, but that being raised up by God for a distinctive work, the Army has been led of God to adopt the following combination of characteristics:

a) its emphasis upon personal religion and individual spiritual regeneration through faith in Christ leading in turn to a commitment in mission to seek to win others to Christ;

b) its commitment to the unceasing proclamation of the gospel and its insistence that this gospel is for the whosoever;

c) its teaching concerning sanctification and holy living;

d) its teaching that the receiving of inward spiritual grace is not dependent upon any particular outward observance;

e) its worldwide tradition of service (arising out of the compassionate love of Christ for all persons) without discrimination or preconditions, to the distressed, needy and marginalised, together with appropriate advocacy in the public domain on matters of social justice;

f) its willingness to obey the 'great commission' of Jesus Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, by ongoing expansion of Salvationist witness and service into new countries, with a consequential celebration, with thanksgiving to God, of its internationalism;

g) its preference for non-liturgical and flexible forms of worship, seeking to encourage spontaneity, for example in prayer and in spoken personal witness and testimony;

h) its tradition of inviting public response to the presentation of the gospel message, and its use of the mercy seat for this and other spiritual purposes;

i) its focus, in self-expression, on the biblical military metaphor of living in the world and of serving God as soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3; Ephesians 6: 11-17);

7

j) its requirement that adults and children wishing to become full members (soldiers and junior soldiers), and thereby wishing to make a commitment to formal membership of the Body of Christ on earth, should publicly confess their faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, the children making a simple statement of faith with promises as to lifestyle and the primary spiritual disciplines (see page 19), and the adults entering into formal doctrinal and ethical commitments, the latter focusing on the sacredness of human relationships, but including also the personal disciplines of abstention from alcohol, tobacco, and non-medical use of addictive drugs (see page 21);

k) its wearing of distinctive uniforms as a witness to belonging to Christ and as a signal of availability to others;

1) its encouragement into Salvation Army fellowship of those who do not wish to enter into the full commitment of soldiership (see j above), but are willing to become adherent members as a step in the journey of faith;

m) its recognition of the equal place within the Body of Christ of men and women in all aspects of Christian service, ministry and leadership including the holding of ecclesiological authority;

n) its readiness to use all forms of musical expression in worship and evangelism, and its encouragement in many cultures of the indigenisation of worship expressions and styles."

End of quote: Love and prayers - A

The Salvation Army in the Body of Christ- Part 1

The recently published statement "The Salvation Army in the Body of Chirst" makes excellent reading. Issued under the authority of the General and written in full consultation with The Doctrine Council and The International Management Council this is 'an eccelsiological statement' and makes some interesting, valid (and from my perspective) very encouraging statements. The document (which only costs £1.99) is too long to discuss in one sitting so I'm going to break it up into manageable sections and post quotes here.

I hope it leads to some good debate. The first section deals with TSA's definition of the word 'church' - as we debate, let's remember that this is an official TSA statement and reflects the Army's most up to date official line.

"WE BELIEVE that the Church, the Body of Christ on earth, often referred to in the New Testament as 'the saints' … includes all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, confessing him as Saviour and Lord, and witnessing to that sacred commitment through loving mutual submission and sacrificial service...

WE DO NOT BELIEVE that the Church universal depends for its existence or validity upon any particular ecclesiastical structure, any particular form of worship, or any particular observance of ritual…

WE DO NOT BELIEVE that an adequate definition of the Body of Christ on earth, the Church universal, can be confined in terms of ecclesiastical structure, but must rather be stated in terms of a spiritual relationship of grace that must find expression in all ecclesiastical structures. Members of the Body are those who are incorporate in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1: 1) and therefore reconciled to God through his Son. All such are in a spiritual relationship one with the other, which begins and continues regardless of externals, according to the prayer of Jesus that those who are his may be one (John 17:23). These words of Jesus ask for a oneness as is found in the oneness of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This oneness IS spiritual, not organizational.

End of quote - Love and prayers A

Holiness Part 7

Section IV. — ITS RESULTS

1. THERE ARE CERTAIN FRUITS BY WHICH THE POSSESSOR OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION MAY CONFIRM HIS CONFIDENCE THAT HE HAS IT.

These will be realized in his own inner experience, and will also be evident in his outward life, although in the case of those who have lived devotedly before obtaining the Blessing there may not appear to other people to be a very great difference .

2. AMONG THE GENERAL FRUITS OR RESULTS found in all entirely sanctified people, are —

(a) Perfect inward peace— the natural outcome of all controversy with God having ceased.

‘The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through. Christ Jesus’ (Philippians iv.7).

(b) Usually a great deal of joy, and sometimes periods of heavenly rapture.

‘Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory’ (I Peter i.8).

(c) A simple, constant trust in God; which relies upon Him in all the circumstances of life, and expects from Him great spiritual blessings.

‘He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief ; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God’ (Romans iv.20).

(d) A perfect and hearty agreement with the will of God, as to all we must do or suffer.

’That ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God’ (Colossians iv. 12).

‘I delight to do Thy will, O my God’ (Psalm xl. 8).

‘It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure’ (Philippians ii. 13).

(e) Steadfast love to God and man, manifesting itself in tenderness of heart towards both, with watchful eagerness to serve in every way possible.

‘Whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected’ (I John ii. 5).

‘If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us’ (I John iv. I2).

(f) Progress in spiritual life and in usefulness.

‘That your love may abound yet more and more in know ledge and in all judgment’ (Philippians i. 9).

‘Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians iii. I3, I4).

(g) Devotion to the service of God, such as entirely does away with selfish ambition and love of worldly pleasure.

‘For the love of Christ constraineth us’ (2 Corinthians v. I4).

‘I will very gladly spend and be spent for you’ (2 Corinthians xii. I5).

(h) Readiness to witness for Christ and of Full Salvation, at every opportunity, both in public and private.

‘Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye sha!l be witnesses unto Me’ (Acts i. 8).

‘That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ’ (I John i. 3).

‘We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard’ (Acts iv. 20).

(i) Complete victory over every besetment, passion, or habit which previously was a cause of defeat or condemnation, and usually perfect deliverance from the besetment itself.

‘In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us’ (Romans viii. 37).
3. IN SALVATION ARMY OFFICERS THE FRUITS OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION ARE SPECIALLY MANIFEST IN THE WAY THEY FULFIL THEIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES; in fact, it is impossible to be a really efficient Officer without this Blessing. In particular:—

(a) Sanctified Officers take an interest in their work in a way that is possible only to those who do what is customary with their whole heart.

(b) They show a careful, earnest love to all their people, without partiality or respect of persons.

(c) They are full of brotherly love to their comrade Officers, esteeming others better than themselves, and willing that others should be honoured equally with, or more than, themselves.

(d) They ever put the interests of God’s Kingdom and The Army before their own ease and advantage, and are, therefore, always to be relied upon to carry out instructions heartily.

(e) They are able calmly to trust God and fight on for victory amidst difficulties of every kind, and humbly to remain childlike amidst the greatest success.

(f) Their private, as well as their public life, proves that they are living for God alone, their spirit and their testimony tending to draw everyone around them nearer to God and to self-sacrifice for Him.

(Taken from the 1922 Doctrine Book complete and unabridged)