Salvogesis

Peter tells us that as we obey God and the Truth, we will love one another truly and deeply. This is a result of being born again.   Grass doesn't live very long – especially during water restrictions in the summer or when it is covered by snow in some parts of this country. (That is good because it means we don't have to cut it, then.) Grass is fragile and dies. This is us. We – people – don't live very long, maybe 100 or so years. And maybe much less.  But Peter says that the Word of the Lord endures forever and that those of us who have been born again will be imperishable through the seed of that enduring Word. We will live forever.     We were like grass. Now we are like stones. As we come to Jesus, the living stone, we get built into his spiritual house. Peter says that Jesus is the stone that is rejected; he caused people to fall, but we will be built into a house around him that will stan...

Our Salvation, our inheritance is now in heaven but, in the end, it will come here. It reminds me of a 16-year-old whose dad promised her his fancy car, when she was old enough to drive. The daughter was very excited to turn 16. But even then she wasn’t ready to drive. She had to learn: take lessons, pass tests, practice driving. Even after she had turned 16 her dad was still holding the car for her until she was ready to drive. This is what it is like for us.  Maybe the resurrection was the promise that God would give us the car of our inheritance, which He is keeping in perfect condition for us in heaven’s garage until we are finally ready to receive it, drive it, care for it, love it, share it, and look after it.  From the time we are promised the car (and even from the time we turned 16) until we are able to drive it, we still need to walk; we still need to get rides from our parents and if we have older siblings or friends, our friends.  We still need to take the bus...

Heather was at Teen Camp last week. Just before that Susan, Heather and I were on holiday for a couple of weeks. We traveled through Cashe Creek, Prince George, Smithers, Quesnel, Merit, and other places. It was a lot of fun exploring our province. I was struck by how nice Smithers is. I was also struck by all the smoke with the fires going on. It was a good trip.    Our family has been on many good trips together. We went to The Salvation Army’s Boundless Celebrations in London years ago. We have visited Denmark, Susan and I have visited France, Susan and Sarah-Grace have been to Italy. We have been to Cuba as a family. We have been to the USA quite a bit – because it is so close.    We have noticed when we are traveling that many things have been accomplished by many people in all these different places. We like to stop and read plaques by the side of the road, visit museums, and look at monuments. It always strikes me when we visit the USA though that some of the ...

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.  We have been unpacking a lot of boxes lately as we have just moved to Burnaby after 8 years on the Island. Moving is a difficult time: saying goodbye to old friends even as you prepare to make new friends; trying to tie up loose ends at your current position and find out as much as you can about your new one; cleaning the house from top to bottom; and packing boxes.  This year as we moved, we moved for the first time without 2 of our 3 daughters. They have grown up. Some of their stuff is still with us; as is all of our stuff. After 8 years in one place, you collect a lot of stuff. As we packed and picked up each item we had to decide: do we want to bring this with us into our new life in our new home, in our new city. That is the same...

 When Sarah-Grace, one of my daughters, was five years old, she would ask us every night if we would read the Bible to her since at Sunday school the teacher sang with the children, “read your Bible, pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow …” She took this truth to heart her whole time growing up was faithful in reminding us to read her Bible.  Reading the Bible has also been very important to me since I was in elementary school. I personally have tried to read my Bible every day since I was ten or nine. I can’t imagine not reading my Bible regularly. It is exciting. It is transformative.  The very first doctrine of The Salvation Army states that “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.”  In Romans 1:16-17, Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...  For in the gos...

  New Year’s Day. This is often a time of resolutions. Did anyone make any resolutions this year? I had one friend who said that they would give up drinking for January – and then they thought about it a while and declared that they would give up drinking on Wednesdays in January.  This year I resolve to keep up my Bible readings (as I have done for many years) and my exercises – mostly stretches. The older I get the more I need to stretch. I was injured during covid and walked with a limp for well over a year and it was through my exercises that God made it so that I could walk without a limp again. It is the same with exercising our spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible study. They strengthen us so that we do not get injured spiritually.    If any of us are looking for resolutions for a New Year, a New Life, Paul in Chapter 4 of Ephesians has some good suggestions.  He says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the c...

  One thing that is a natural analogy is the nature of cruises in general. There are so many people on the trip from all over the world. I met people from Germany, Japan, Columbia, Philippines, South Africa, the UK, the US and elsewhere. People were from different walks of life and different ages. This reminded me of the Kingdom of Heaven and how, Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”   I was also reminded that as is pointed out in Ecclesiastes 9:2-3:     “All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.”   It does...

  My parents took Susan, our kids and I on an Alaska cruise to celebrate their 60 th anniversary. It was great. We were able to see wonderful scenery in Glacier National Park and elsewhere. We were able to see whales – so many whales – and other wildlife. It was good celebrating with family. It was fun to do the activities on ship and explore Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. The girls and I really enjoyed the trivia – especially music trivia - nights. We even won two of the contests and received plastic tulips as a prize! Heather and I were able to be part of a show in Skagway where they invited us up on stage. We also met some very interesting people – One lunch I sat with a lady from Japan who studied at Regent College in Vancouver and is currently working on her PHD on Malachi – she spent 10 years translating Bibles in Uzbekistan. It was certainly providential to have her sitting next to me at lunch one day. She told me how one of the Bible translators working with her, an Uzbek...

  Verses 27-30: Paul has these words of encouragement then 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.   This is Paul’s encouragement to the congregation in Philippi and it is a good encouragement to the congregation here in Port Alberni too. Whatever happens: ·        let us conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with the Good News of Jesus Christ ·   ...

  Verses 18b-26: Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.   Paul is, in essence, like this song [from th...

  Verses 12-14: 1 2 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.   This is significant. Paul, as we said, is in jail. He is literally, not metaphorically, in chains and he is well aware that he is probably going to die. In this predicament he is not complaining about his situation. Rather he is thankful that it has afforded him the opportunity to share the gospel. How many of us, instead of complaining about our misfortune, seek the opportunity in our misfortune to share the comfort of Christ and encourage others who need encouragement- people who are in the same unemployment line as us, in the same funeral home, hospital or -...

Verses 7-8, Paul (and Timothy) writes: 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.   Paul is speaking about being in chains here and he is. Paul is in jail right now as he writes this letter. Paul is in jail and jails then, just like jails now, really are not the best places in the world to be and not only that; Paul is facing a capital charge. Paul, if convicted, is facing execution. He is going to die. And in this letter he writes…   Verses 9-11: 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory...

  Verses 3 to 6: 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.   This is a great blessing for the people in the church in Philippi. If our Area Commander or Divisional Commander, whom many of you know, wrote that to us here, I imagine that we would feel quite blessed and rightfully so. And these words are quite true of you and all of us here. It is true that I am proud of this team. In our community here and when we are at Salvation Army events elsewhere, I am often asked about you: who you are and all you do. I tell them all you do (food bank, seniors’ homes, soup kitchen, events, more) and they are impressed. You all do so much. I am very proud of our team and I am very confident that, like with the Philippians,...

Today we are going to look briefly at the first chapter of a letter that Paul (and Timothy) wrote while he was in prison in Rome. The letter is to a church he was a part of when he was living in Macedonia.   Reading From Philippians1:1: Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:   So, who specifically is this letter to? The Deacons and Overseers are mentioned; they are the servers in the church: corps council, Sunday school, volunteers, etc. It is also addressed to “all God’s Holy people.” Who are “all God’s Holy people”? It's us. 'Holy People' or 'Saints' is what Christians are called in the Bible; so then, in the Bible, every time we see the word ‘saint’ or ‘holy person’ we should read ‘Christian’ and if anyone ever asks you what a Christian is, the straightforward answer is ‘a holy person, a saint’ – or what a saint is; it’s a Christian. And it should also be...

  Hello, I am Major Michael Ramsay from TSA. As well as running The Salvation Army, the Bread of Life soup kitchen, shelter and The Salvation Army thrift store, I am a Christian pastor / teacher. This weekend is Easter. That is the most important time on the Christian Calendar. Christians acknowledge Jesus as God. Our teachings tell us that God, as creator, created the whole world. And when He did it was perfect. Not only did we not harm each other, ourselves or the earth; but we never got sick, we never got injured; and the earth itself – the trees did not fall to the ground and die. Animals did not eat animals. All of creation was in perfect harmony. The Creator even walked in this Garden He created with people He created. Then something happened. The first people created made a choice.   Because of this choice, death, decay, harm and hurt entered the world. Where there was none before, now there was illness, injury and death for all of creation. Plants, animals and al...

 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  We went to see Frankenstein the Ballet last night. If anyone knows that story. The beginning is like the book. Dr. Frankenstein makes a creation out of the parts of corpses who had had terrible things happen in their lives - and then he brings life to the new creation and it becomes whole - with a whole new lease on life. A new chance to live. No matter all the awful stuff that had happened before. Now - the book actually ends poorly after that but the ballet does not. The ballet includes a story of Giselle. This bride, who herself suffered a horrible fate, learned forgiveness and is resurrected. She meets Frankenstein's creation; they fall in love - and start off again, this time living a transformed life. Revelation 21:3b-4: God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or ...

 

2 Timothy 4:2: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.   We went to Ontario couple of days before the Celebration of Life. We spent our first two nights in a community called Woodstock because it was within driving distance of Stratford. You know what Stratford is famous for? It’s Shakespeare Festival! That is quite interesting. Do you know the history of the festival? Stratford Ontario, as we know, is named after Stratford, UK. And Stratford UK has a strong connection with William Shakespeare. So the Tom Patterson a few years after returning from World War II started the festival to help revive his home town. It is really worked and the town and the festival are still going and bigger than ever.   Now, we were one week early to actually catch the festival itself but we did get to see one play: Romeo and Juliet . This was especially good because Sarah-Grace was with us and sh...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: 16 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!   There were many great things about our trip, including just being together but -believe it or not – it was not perfect! The children and everyone else didn’t always get along perfectly – especially when we are travelling in a car for hours together and then sleeping three or so people in a twin bed – when our children aren’t little anymore. And then after having no sleep for a few nights driving and flying through the whole night, one can be tired and cranky. There is a little rainfall in everyone’s life. But here is the thing, the Lord is with us in everything we experience. He will never leave us nor forsake us. A friend of ours, Major David Ivany, whom we have quoted regularly, regularly says, ‘in the end it will all be all right; so, if it is...

Hebrews 13:14 (LB): For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.   2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (CEV): Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. 2 While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home.   It was interesting visiting Toronto, if only for a very little while. We saw the ROM. That was good. We weren’t there long. We didn’t get to see any friends – well Sarah-Grace did; she was prepared but the rest of us didn’t. It did remind me, like it has reminded me when we have visited other places we used to live – Winnipeg, Nipawin, Swift Current, Victoria, Vancouver – that things continue to change when we aren’t there and very quickly the people and places we used to know are not there. Toronto wa...