I met two of the loveliest girls you could ever wish tomeet. One of them hails from Brazil, theother from the USA.
They are both part of the Centre for spiritual lifedevelopment (CSLD), covering all sixty two territories that make up theInternational Salvation Army.
I want to say what a fantastic department that is.
God has been pouring prophetic juices into my speaking for awhile now essentially with the message that the Salvation Army has to get backto the spiritual.
So I was really taken and deeply blessed by what these amazing girls had toshare with me.
Not that the Salvation Army is not spiritual, or there areno spiritual people.
That’s a bit daft really, and definitely untrue.
But what I am talking about is where the spiritual becomesthe big thing.
The biggest thing.
The only reliable source of power the Salvation Army willever have is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
No programme, no mission plan, no evangelistic campaign, nostrategy will ever succeed unless it flows from the heart of God.
So this centre, this small group of people led by Lieut- ColJanet Munn, Is like a heart.
I remember when I worked in open heart surgery in myprevious working life before becoming a full time minister, every day seeingfirst hand actual human hearts, and studying the intricacies of the anatomyattached to them.
When the heart doesn’t work the body is useless.
Spiritual life can be likened to that scenario quite easily.
On the front of the leaflet that the CSLD there is aprophetic statement from the SAs current General, Linda Bond, it says, “I see aGod-raised, Spirit filled Army of the 21st century.”
I see it too.
I really do.
When the heart is beating.
When prayer becomes the focal point of the whole Army. When weare not afraid to lay down the sacred cows of bland religion. When from thesacredness of being on our knees we rise and run towards the lost. When ourhunger is for God alone and what he is doing in the world today. When we turnour eyes from the material side of the Salvation Army and turn our eyes uponJesus. When holiness becomes more than a doctrinal concept and becomes ourwhole being. When the word of God is our only mandate.
Then the heart is beating.
It is spiritual life.
And spiritual life is the lifeblood to the future of theSalvation Army and the lifeline to the millions who desperately need a saviour.
I guess the crux of spiritual life is taking responsibilityfor the inside of ourselves, for our personal spiritual life. And I guess thisis what the Centre for spiritual life development is keen to encourage.
It seems to me that we could do with spiritual life centres everywhere, we need them so much.
More than that we need to take responsibility for the inside of us!
spiritual life is everything.
Otherwise the body can’t live.
It will always be our heartbeat.
And the Salvation Army will not live unless the heart isbeating.
The spiritual heart.
Bless you big time today guys.
