William Booth on the poor...

"...the poor are my people. I gave my life to them ever and ever so many years ago. They were my first love, and I shall be true to my bride. It is with the poor that I shall hope to be in the Kingdom, for, although I esteem the rich, it is for their pocketbooks that I care most, because I know that I belong elsewhere".

Taken from NY times archive

More from Hay

'I have a feeling in my heart that, in the plan of God, The Salvation Army was designed to be a great preparer for revival - a great preparer to save the world from giving up Christianity altogether - a great preparer to arrest the impotence of formal Christianity, - a great preparer to keep the positive cardinal and central truths of Christianity to the front and to reintroduce Christianity, awake virile and earnest'.

From Christ, the Aggressor, Pg. 36.

To follow my last blog. Here is a quote from Commissioner James Hay in his book 'Christ, the Aggressor'. Hay urged all Salvationists to live a life of aggressive Christianity.

'I ask my comrade Salvationists to remember that the Army programme includes not only an ending of drink, but bringing men to Christ, to the cleansing blood, to the conscious knowledge of forgiven sin, and of deliverance from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Remember we could not be The Army, we could not be true to the Army's foundation teaching, nor could we be true to the light God has given to us, if we did not with our whole hearts and souls attack all manner of sin'.

William Booth on The Mission of The Salvation Army

"Now the real object for which The Salvation Army exists is know to us all. It is to save men.

Not merely to civilise them. That will follow. Salvation is the shortest and surest cut to civilisation.

Not to educate them. That will follow also; and if it does not, men and women had better live good lives, and get into Heaven at last, than, with heads full of learning, whether secular or religious, finish up in hell.

Not metely to feed them; that is good, very good, so far as it goes. It is true that in our Social work we feed the starving and house the homeless, but it is only a step towards the purpose we wish to accomplish.

The object is to save men from sin and hell.
To bring them to God. To bring God to them. To build up the Kingdom of Heaven upon the earth. The end of The Salvation Army Officer is to convert men, to change their hearts and lives, and make them good Saints and Soldiers of Jesus Christ".

as - God help us to fulfil this mission. Let's not merely civilise people, educate them, feed them, and house them. May we bring them to Christ. May they be saved from sin and hell.

(quote from 'The Seven Spirits - What I Teach My Officers', William Booth 1907)

Here's an old training college timetabe I came across recently from the International Training Home in Clapton during the first session of 1899. And I thought I was busy! (found in 'Servants of All', Bramwell Booth 1899)

TIME CADET’S EMPLOYMENT
6.45 Bugle Sounds
7.15 Roll Call
7.30 to 8.0 Housework, Cleaning. &c.
8.0 to 8.30 Breakfast
8.30 to 9.0 Domestic Work, attention to Clothing
9.0 to 9.15 Prayers with Staff
9.15 to 9.45 Private Prayer
10.0 to 10.45 Lecture, Subject “Danger of Backsliding”
by the Chief Officer of the Homes.
11.0 to 11.45 Classes – Scripture and Doctrine – Subject
“The Two Natures”
12.0 to 12.45 Bible Lesson, Subject, “The Life and
Character of Elijah
1.0 to 2.0 Dinner

THE 1ST BRIGADE (about half total number)
2.0 to 4.30 Private Study and Special Coaching Classes
4.30 to 5.0 Tea
5.0 to 5.15 Prayer
6.0 to 6.30 Examination on Morning’s Lecture
(viva voce)
6.45 to 7.45 Reading Lesson
8.0 to 9.0 Arithmetic or similar subject
9.0 to 9.30 Supper.

THE 2nd BRIGADE (about half total number)
2.0 Leave T.H. for various Corps
2.30 to 5.0 Visiting from House to House, or selling
War Cry on streets and personal
Dealing with the unsaved
5.0 to 5.30 Tea
6.0 to 6.30 Spiritual Meeting by Officer in Command
of Corps
7.0 Open-air Meeting led by Officers or Cadets
8.0 Indoor Meetings at Corps
9.30 to 10.0 Return to the Training Home
10.0 Supper
10.45 Lights out.

Mission principals from Acts 4-8 (cont)

DEAL BOLDLY BUT RESPECTFULLY WITH HOSTILE AUTHORITIES
4:23-31 Pray for courage and wisdom to deal with the authorities (compare with Acts 5:17-42).

CORRECT UNRULY BELIEVERS WITH FIRMNESS
5:1-11 Maintain the purity of the church body by correcting without condemning (compare Matt 18:15-20; Gal 6:1; 1 Cor 5)
NAME PEOPLE TO SERVE THOSE IN NEED
6:1-7 Conserve the pastoral leaders’ time by naming deacons who are filled with the Holy Spirit, to care for those with material needs.

FACE PERSECUTION BOLDLY BUT AVOID OPPOSITION WHEN POSSIBLE
6:8-7:60 Let the privileged ones, those who willingly die for Christ, suffer martyrdom (compare Rev 20:4-6). Speak boldly to the authorities (compare Acts 21:37-23:11; chapters 24-26).
8:1-4 Leave communities that reject Christ, to proclaim Him to more receptive people (compare Luke 10:10-11; Acts 13:50-51)

MULTIPLY SMALL NUCLEII OF BELIEVERS TO
WHICH CONVERTS ARE EASILY ADDED
8:4-8, 25 Reproduce churches through those who travel as families or small task forces to new areas (compare the example of Aquilla and Priscilla: Rom. 16:3-5).

Mission principals from Acts 1-3

Today I attended a training session from a guy who is involved in an underground church network overseas. He had some very interesting things to say on evangelism. It is really basic. Witness to someone, and ask them to receive Christ. That simple! What's the worst that can happen? They can say no? The speaker was quick to point out that they are not rejecting us but the gospel.
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Before attending we were given about 18 hours to read the entire book of Acts. From Acts we found a large amount of mission principals that apply just as much to us today as they did in the early church. I intend to share some of these over the coming weeks. Some of this is used to train leaders in the underground church network. Today i'll share from Acts 1 to 3.
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Basic Mission Principles from the book of Acts

PREPARE TO EXTEND GOD’S KINGDOM

1:8 Witness for Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, in four areas:
Locally (our ‘Jerusalem’),
Nearby, with people of the same culture (our ‘Judea’),
Nearby, with people of similar cultures (our ‘Samaria’),
Unevangelised peoples wherever they are (the ‘ends of the earth’).

1:14 Wait in prayer for the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
Start church planting projects with prayer for God’s supernatural help; He enables churches to be born in response to our faith. Compare Acts 10:1-9 where both Peter and Cornelius were praying when God started to move to bring about the new church.

2:1-4 Be filled with the Holy Spirit for a purpose (the experience was never an end in itself in Scripture).

PROCLAIM THE WHOLE GOSPEL
2:14-36 Proclaim the entire gospel account (including Jesus’ resurrection: compare Luke 24:46-48, Acts 13:32-34 and every other occasion in which the apostles witnessed for Christ).

2:37-41 Call the people to repentance (compare Luke 24:46-48)


ESTABLISH THE FOUNDATION OF OBEDIENCE FOR THE CHURCH
2:38-47 Make disciples in the way Jesus commanded in the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20 by teaching them from the beginning to obey all His commands: Repent, believe, receive Holy Spirit.
Study, teach and obey the Word of God (make disciples).
Love God, fellow disciples, people in need (in a practical way) and enemies (forgive)
Break bread (they use a culturally relevant worship form and met in groups small enough for the discipling to take place: compare Acts 20:7,20)
Pray regularly (compare Acts 4:23-31)
Give sacrificially (compare Acts 4:32-37)
3:1-16 Pray in Jesus’ name for those who need physical healing (compare Acts 4:32-37)

Tonight I was doing the pub rounds when I came across an old building. Looking from a distance I thought the building looked like an old Salvation Army Citadel. As I walked closer my thoughts were confirmed. It was an old citadel. I had a closer look at the building and noticed it was built in 1883. I looked even closer and noticed that the building appeared to now be a private residence.

Immediately my heart sank. Actually it does each time I see an old army citadel. I have come across many since moving to Melbourne two months ago. Prior to moving to Melbourne I lived in the inner city of Sydney where I also noticed many old Salvation Army Citadels that were no longer occupied by the army.

Big deal you may say? Well in a way I agree. A building is a building. The thing that dissapoints me is that as I look around and see all of these old buildings I cannot help but ask, what happened? Where are we now?

At one stage The Salvation Army was a militant force of believers that had one intention. To win the world for Jesus. And in looking at our history, they we were well on the way to achieving this. Where did we lose it?

Have we become so comfortable sitting in our citadels (what's left) that we have forgotten about the poor lost souls we have been raised up to reach? Lord forgive us if this is the case.

While I'm saddened, I am also excited for I believe the best days of The Salvation Army are still to come. God is stirring up a passion for souls amongst our soldiers and officers. God is bringing us back to our original mission. He is not yet done with The Salvation Army.

When we align ourselves with God's mission for The Salvation Army, own it, and live it in our own lives, I believe there will be endless parties in Heaven as sinners repent, believe and enter into the Kingdom of God.