Walking the world in white - the Transfiguration

Mark 9:2-13

"His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them."

Mark 9:3

I was just thinking yesterday about the transfiguration of Jesus and how if the colour of our clothes reflected our walk of purity - what colour would our clothes be?

Also we read in Exodus 34:29-35, when Moses spent time with God on Mount Sinai, he came down so 'radiant' that he had to wear a veil! How much more light could we be shining in the world if we spent more time in God's presence.

I just read a comment today on James' blog (see right column) by Xander - in the early church, they spent 10 days in God's presence (in prayer), 10 minutes preaching and saved 3000 people!! Holiness - it's a pre-requisite to changing the world - touching Heaven, changing earth.

One of our well loved songs in the Salvation Army written by our founder, Send the Fire, has a great line that says, for power to walk this world in white, that's what we need to be working towards. Send the Fire!

A couple of weeks ago, we had the young adults retreat. We had a silent retreat for a couple of hours looking at different aspects of Psalm 27 with different coloured tables representing these aspects. One of them was a white table representing Holiness. It was so attractive, a clean, white table just in front of me. It was spiritually attractive - that's what I wanted!

Holiness - purity, nothing standing in between us and God. Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb - ironic, but the blood price paid for our impurities, it's so amazingly refreshing.

God needs an army of pure soldiers at His disposal. How can He call on us for His pure purpose and plan if we can't be used. We are lucky God doesn't wait for a perfect person, but uses us anyway - He deserves the glory don't you think!!

God created us in His image - let's return the favour - become Holy!

Salvation...

Yesterday morning my brother had a phone call @ 530am from a friend who said he had something attacking him and wouldn't get off him and that we had to get around there now!

We got there, he thought there was a demon possessing him, but my discernment told me there was nothing spiritual about it. He did 'manifest' a couple of times but it confused me quite a bit!

Just incase my discernment wasn't working properly since I was still half asleep @ 6am and my hair was still undone, we went through the steps of deliverance and had a huge time of confession and repentance. This still didn't seem to get us anywhere, and he was sweating in amazing volumes and struggling with physical 'distortions' that weren't quite normal.

We ended taking him through the salvation prayer after all was right before God and he was still struggling with whatever was effecting him. We found out a bit earlier, that he hasn't slept for 4 days because he was on ICE!

So the main thing that was going through my mind afterwards was even though he was effected by ICE and it most likely wasn't a spiritual battle, did he still enter into God's grace by praying the prayer of Salvation!? My thought's tell me he is now saved even though he has now been transferred into a 'psych' ward for observations for 3 days!!

It was an interesting day yesterday, and I was quite sick afterwards suggesting to me there could have been some spiritual warfare in it after all.

I still feel God was given the glory through this all since our mate committed his life to Jesus and said he would re-commit himself attending church much more regularly.

Halelujah!

"He said to them .....

'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not belive will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well"

Mark 16:15-18

Did Paul capture all the gifts?

Spiritual gifts - what are they and how do we classify them??

We seem to have depended a lot on what Paul wrote on Spiritual gifts to what we teach about these days. On many Spiritual gifts tests there are some 'gifts' such as artistic creativity and musical ability which many people say are not spiritual gifts, more natural talents people use for God, maybe mostly because Paul didn't mention them as 'gifts'. So did Paul capture all the gifts and do we depend on his 'list' of them too much?

Looking at the old testament it seems to me that gift's such as musical talent and artistic creativity can be 'Spiritual' gifts and here's why...

Exodus 31:1 - 4 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'See I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the SPIRIT OF GOD, with SKILL, ABILITY and KNOWLEDGE in all kinds of CRAFTS - to make ARTISTIC DESIGNS for work in gold, silver and bronze....".

There is one example of the Spirit of God giving the gift of Artistic creativity!

As a slight side note - we as humans love to put things in nice boxes and call everything in clear cut gifts - but we must remember it's the one Spirit which enables all these gifts, therefore many of the gifts can and will blur into each other and may not be perfectly put into a 'category'.


In reference to musical ability through the Spirit, even Paul in Ephesisans 5:18-20 talks about being filled with the Spirit and sing spiritual songs to God but doesn't spell out that it is a 'gift' of the Spirit, but I know personally I've sung out of the Spirit enhancing my musical ability - the only time I've spoken in tongues was when I sung in the Spirit!

The old testament has a few references to enhanced singing and praising through the Spirit. One example is when David played his harp for Saul, the 'evil' spirit left Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-23) which didn't specifically say was through the Spirit of God, but must have been due the Spirit of God enhancing David's playing! (What do you think?)

I think I'll leave this blog here - end of part 1 - I'll possibly add a part 2 in the not too distant future! Something for you to think about for now!

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks"

John 4:23

To God be the glory!

Well, this morning was the big celebration meeting of the Salvation Army being in Glenroy for 50 years. What a morning - it was a great time of many past soldiers and their families and friends returning to remember the past and to honour many people that have helped build what now stands as God's army in the Hume City area.

We had one of our founding members give the story of how the Glenroy Corps started and then an emotional standing ovation when he was finally given a framed certificate of recognition of all his hard work. We also had a representative of the women of the corps to give her perspective, then the younger folk (represented by myself) and then our CSM to look at where to from here.

We had my brother enrolled as a Senior Soldier with a powerful testimony - (in summary) 'You have to make a decision - what is it?!' Powerful and straight to the point!

A large brass band and a combined Songster brigade both participated in the celebration with a small number of past Officers leading the singing while 2 past past bandmaster's led the band along with the present bandmaster and also an honorary bandmaster for the celebration.

The meeting was finished with a short word from our 'Spiritual' leader from THQ Lieut. Colonel Brian Hood who has been leading most of our Sunday meetings this year in our absence of Corps Officers. You won't find many better people than Lieut. Colonel Brian and Elaine Hood - please pray for them and the many ways they serve God.

We had a great time of sharing over lunch and watched a PowerPoint presentation of many, many photo's/video's from the past 50 years.

We captured the day on video, a DVD should be released of the morning soon, so if you're interested in obtaining a copy just let me know!

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His"

Psalm 100:1-3a

To God be the glory great things He has done (and is still doing!)

Glenroy Salvation Army's 50th Anniversary

This Sunday morning @ 10am Glenroy Salvation Army is celebrating it's 50 years of service in the the Glenroy community. Many, many people have come through our doors over the years, and many of them are returning this weekend for a celebration of what God has done for us and through us - but also in prayer for what God is still to do through us!!

There is a celebration church service looking over the past 50 years followed by a lunch and a power point presentation with almost hundreds of photo's collected from many people connected with the Corps over the years.

If you're in the area, or were a part of the Glenroy Corps in some way and would like to come along anyway - it will be a great time to celebrate with us!

Starting at 10am Sunday 16th September at 134 Cardinal Road Glenroy

Feel free to join us in our celebration!

Gowans and Larsson

I was watching a DVD last night entitled "A Night with Gowans and Larsson" which would have been around the mid 1990's before either of them became General where the both came to Melbourne and led a night with many of their great songs from their musicals and talked a bit about many of the songs/musicals and how they came about.

There are so many classic songs that they wrote together and General Larsson said that they have effected more lives in this 'hobby' of theirs than in their appointments!!

What length can we all go to, to change the world?? Are our minds limited to our 9-5 job? Are we able to strive to become weekend warriors? Listen to the Spirit - what is the Spirit telling the Church?

And here comes my favourite - what a testimony....

If crosses come, if it should cost me dearly,
To be the servant of my Servant Lord,
If darkness falls around the path of duty.
And men despise the Saviour I've adored.


I'll not turn back, whatever it may cost,
I'm called to live, to love and save the lost,
I'll not turn back, whatever it may cost,.
I'm called to live, to love and save the lost.


If doors should close then other doors will open,
The word of God can never be contained.
His love cannot be finally frustrated,
By narrow minds or prison bars restrained.


If tears should fall, if I am called to suffer,
If all I love men should deface, defame,
I'll not deny the One that I have followed,
Nor be ashamed to bear my Master's name

Gowans & Larsson - from Man Mark II

Lifehouse - Everything

Have a look at this - how well does this portray spiritual life!

Lifehouse Everything

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Amazing Grace - Chris Tomlin