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Salvationism
Still Works
by
Officer X
I
love reading of the early Salvation Army and how they
empowered ordinary people by sending them out on exciting
missions and for some strange reason it worked! Take this
example from Railton;
“Let us examine a little more closely the method of the Army’s
increase, as illustrated by one of its most recent advances. A
couple of young girls, formerly engaged in domestic service,
declare themselves to be called to go out and preach the
Gospel. For this purpose they place themselves at the disposal
of the only religious organization in the world which thinks
it right to give them this opportunity, and after careful
examination into their character, they are sent off to a
foreign country, where they are to raise an Army corps in a
certain small town. The building in which they are to gather
their congregation is simply a long-disused workshop, where a
number of unbacked seats have been placed. There is not a
single person in the town who can be regarded as friendly to
their mission, and most people consider their appointment as
directly opposed to the will of Christ. Yet night after night
their humble barracks are crowded with an audience consisting
mainly of persons who have never worshipped God before. The
meetings are interrupted, and violent scenes sometimes occur.
Yet, as is common all over the world, those two officers have
raised a corps in a short time.”
Could you imagine sending some young girls to start the work
in your community? What would it look like? Who would you
send? What would you train them to do? How would they go?
Would it work today? I often look back at the early Salvation
Army and marvel at how they got so much right, then wonder,
what on earth does this look like today? How do we be truly
Salvationist in such a different culture? Well, the Lord has
been answering my questions! And in fine tradition, He has
answered by pointing out the faith of a YP. (Young Person)
We
have a Junior Soldier who is thirteen years of age who is one
of these people who has been sent into the world to win the
world for Jesus. Currently she is leading what she is calling,
“Mini Salvos.” This Junior Soldier comes from a Christian
family who are involved in our Corps. They are great parents
who have brought her up in the ways of the Lord. Praise God!
The Corps recently had an evangelism weekend where this girl
was encouraged to step up and start sharing the good news.
So, she did.
She led a friend to the Lord one day. Then a couple of days
later, because the first friend was so excited about having
God in her life, another 2 friends got saved. As she was
testifying to us, the Corps Officers, we told her to start a
YP Corps at her school. We encouraged her to be a missionary
in her school and to lead as many people to the Lord.
Practically speaking, we told her to run it just like we do at
the Corps.
So, she did.
Mini Salvos meets
at the local High School 4-5 times a week. They have
“Get-Saved” meetings, Bible Studies, Question and Answer
Sessions, Be Filled with the Holy Spirit Meetings, and Service
Visits. This
Junior Soldier states that she has lead 11 people to the Lord
in the last few months. However, that is only counting the
people she has lead to the Lord and only the ones that have
stuck around to be discipled.
All up, Mini Salvos has prayed salvation prayers with around
20 people. Our Junior Soldier is the leader of this movement,
whose aim is to get the whole school saved. She said that
recently it has been getting tough because there are too many
people wanting to get saved at one time. People are even
coming up to her asking her how they can be saved. It can be
hard she says, to lead people deep into the Lord when there
are so many people wanting God right now! If she speaks and
prays with one, others miss out, and so she is learning how to
corporately lead and disciple people.
Something else that is happening is that she’ll be praying for
people to be filled with the Holy Spirit but because there are
so many people to pray for, she lays hands on three people at
a time just to get through the lines. Often people will start
shaking and seeing visions! Glory fits are a common
experience. They have tried to steer clear of being “slain in
the Spirit” as they don’t want to be in a trance for too long
and miss their next class.
She also shares that she is extra busy because those who are
being saved are immediately being sent to evangelise the rest
of the school. But because these young converts don’t know
enough Bible yet they often come and grab her to do some
apologetics and explain the way of salvation more fully. She
is also busy because the new converts are holding their own
meetings around the school for other new Christians that they
have lead to the Lord, therefore she needs to give apostolic
oversight. It all seems like it is getting quite big quite
fast.
It
hasn’t all been smooth sailing though. Recently these thirteen
year olds have hit some spiritual warfare. Often as they are
praying people through salvation the darkness will descend and
will manifest the kingdom of darkness in sickness, distress
etc. This means that they also have to kick some demons out at
the same time.
When my wife and I heard all these reports we were blown away!
WOW! How amazing is this! I laughed as she recounted story
after story of people being saved and of the Army’s work
taking so much ground at the local High School. She asked why
we were laughing and we told her that we were just so happy!
As
the conversation continued she said a passing remark, “Adults
Don’t Understand!” She says that these kids are really getting
saved and adults just don’t get it! Just because they are kids
doesn’t mean that they can’t lead people to the Lord. It’s
happening and amazing things are still coming! But adults, the
people who are supposed to be strong and mature in the Lord,
do not understand what is going on...
It seems to me that this Junior Soldier
has definitely captured what it means to be a Salvationist.
She is young, a pioneer, aggressive evangelist, her disciples
know they are saved to save and so they do, they focus on the
importance and practicality of being filled with the Holy
Spirit, they kick out demons, enjoying glory fits, and are
seeing heaps of kids saved! And this isn’t even
Africa!
But something
stood out whilst talking to this girl. She said that, “Adults
don’t understand.” Adults don’t understand that youth can make
a difference, that youth can actually evangelise, disciple and
send. Adults are locked into their world of logic and systems.
Salvationism is not learnt at a university, nor by Training College,
it’s not even something you grow into.
Salvationism is put into the hearts of die-hard followers of
Christ. It comes by total consecration. It comes to those who
choose to live for the glory of God and salvation of the
World. Salvationism happens when passionate Spirit filled
people are filled with a holy discontent for the way things
are, and cannot help but act. It is not planned, there is no
blueprint, it just happens. Like a virus it is contagious and
infects those who choose to lay their lives down for the
salvation of the world. It comes to the humble, to those who
realise that they can do nothing, but God can do everything.
It comes to those who realise that the power of God is far
better than any sentimental, nice and neat prayer or act of
service, as good as that might be. Salvationism is where “I”
die and God lives. Salvationism is a gift from God. Holy
Spirit makes us Salvationists. And Salvationism still works.
This Junior Soldier has asked to remain anonymous for now,
hence the name Officer X.
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