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Deep Change
by Commissioner Joe
Noland
“To make deep change in an organization, we begin by
making deep Change in ourselves!”
– Robert E. Quinn
Embracing Change
“Change” suggests continuous action and implies ongoing
conversion/transformation. The future, both personally and
corporately, will be determined by how we view, interpret and
embrace change.
With this in mind, I have been meditating daily upon Oswald
Chamber’s inspired devotional writings in My Utmost for His
Highest, A pocket sized, leather bound volume given to all
Territorial Commanders by General Paul Rader during his tenure
as International leader of TSA. I’m confessing here that I am
just getting around to reading it now, these several years
later – my loss. For me, the title itself suggests change and
this idea of continuous action comes across loud and clear in
his daily devotionals. I want to share with you a few of the
rich and profound thoughts that I keep going back to over
again and reflecting upon daily.
The gift of the essential nature of God is made effectual in
us by the Holy Spirit, He imparts to us the quickening life of
Jesus, which puts ‘ the beyond’ within, and immediately ‘the
beyond’ has come within, it rises up to ‘the above,’ and we
are lifted into the domain where Jesus lives.
(John 3:5.)
The emphasis of holiness movements is apt to be that God is
producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum…God is
not after perfecting me to be a specimen in His showroom; He
is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do
what He likes.
“He is getting me to the place…” is the phrase that captures
my attention. For me this implies continuous change and
growth. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have
already been made perfect” (Phil. 3:2) is his text for this
devotional thought. Am I at a different place, spiritually,
today than I was 40 something years ago as a cadet, Lt.,
Captain? Have I matured, spiritually, to a place where He can
use me today in ways that never would have been possible then?
Am I in a place where “the beyond” within is allowing me to
rise up to “the above” in ways that I would have never dreamed
of or considered before? Holiness is deep change!
There is no question about it in my mind. I’m at a place where
I can now look back and witness to the spiritual change
(maturity) that has occurred. I am not the same person,
spiritually, today that I was then. I’m not the same person I
was yesterday. Change happens. He is continuously getting me
to the place where He can use me differently and maybe, just
maybe, even more effectively. He is teaching me to adapt to a
culture that is constantly changing around me, socially,
spiritually and theologically. God help me to embrace deep
change CONTINUOUSLY. Amen.
Change My Heart, O God
Our approach to soul saving (which results in Kingdom growth)
is defined by our ability to view and embrace change in a
spiritual context. I am at a point where I can look back
experientially and see this very clearly.
For example, I remember, very visibly, the demise of the
street-corner meeting, as we once knew it, because I helped
influence that change. And it did not come quickly or easily,
let me assure you.
As a Cadet, I stood on street corners preaching to people who
were not there, nary a soul to be seen. This was always
justified by a story that became legend in the annals of
Western Territory history. It seems that an
Open-air meeting was held in
Prescott,
Arizona on a cold, blustery night
with nary a soul to be seen. As fate would have it, an unseen
soul was listening, however, from a nearby, obscure hotel
window, so the story goes. The result was a very significant
financial gift to TSA in that community. I’ve heard similar
stories repeated elsewhere in other contexts and I doubt that
we will ever be able to separate the facts from the
embellishments.
The point being (even if those stories are totally true) is
that, had change come about more quickly, how much more
effective could we have been? That is, if we were quick to
find a culturally contemporary replacement for that which was
being discarded (and I think, in many instances, we failed
miserably in this respect). And if we honestly interpret the
statistics, we are failing just as miserably today within the
Western culture. Why? For me personally, the ability to
embrace change is closely aligned not only with my own
spiritual growth, but Kingdom growth as well.
I can look back and see where I resisted change. There is a
lot of nostalgia associated with TSA cultural context in which
I grew up. My wife looked beautiful in a bonnet and high
collar uniform. I resisted that change (so this isn’t
misunderstood, she also looks beautiful without the bonnet). I
loved marching down the street with the Santa Ana Band to
open-air meeting where we played and preached to a
predominantly Spanish speaking audience in English. I resisted
that change. I loved the spontaneity of Sunday evening
Salvation meetings with their ever-dwindling attendances, the
result of a changing cultural context. I resisted that change.
I resisted changing militaristic terminology with contemporary
words, because there are so many good memories and so much
nostalgia associated with them (“Fire a Volley!” “Fire your
Cartridge!” Huh? Or “Fire the Captain!” as the kids in the
corps were oft heard saying when I preached too long).
I don’t like the contemporary worship services and music where
you stand for an interminable period of time raising your
hands in the air, but my son does. Occasionally, I must take
Doris to Pasadena Tab or Tustin Ranch for her
periodic band and songster fix because it is a part of the
culture she grew up in and where she feels most comfortable.
Not so with my grandchildren.
Back to the point about change being closely aligned with my
own spiritual growth. Before I could embrace change, I had to
let God get me to the place where he could use me. I had to
move from being a museum specimen in his showcase to one who
is spiritually attuned with the culture around me,
and open to those changes designed to move His Kingdom
forward. The following chorus comes to mind:
Change my heart O God,
Make it ever new.
Change my heart O God,
I would be like you.
You are the Potter, I am the clay,
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Change my heart O God,
Make it ever new.
Change my heart O God,
I would be like you.
As the Spirit goes on molding, shaping and changing me, I
become more aware and receptive of the rapid change swirling
round me, culturally – not easy for an aging, septuagenarian
Salvationist. And this includes getting my ahead around the
potential of a cyberspace street-corner, or as we are calling
it in the USA
Western
Territory: SAVN.TV –
Salvation
Army Vision (Virtual Video)
Network.
“Fire a Broadside!” Hallelujah!
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