what disqualifies you becoming a salvation army officer

[JoshuaCh1v9]

I never once doubted their integrity or their faith. They helped me through some difficult times and I learned much from them. Personally I never asked and honestly didn't care what their lives were like before they came to Christ, what I saw was Jesus, and to me that is all that mattered.

 

[Amisk]

Ultimately, it takes more than the Army having a stance on an issue to decide who is an officer. It takes a genuine calling from the Lord. God will call and use who He chooses to call and use. However, and in whatever capacity He decides. I'm sorry if that messes with your head Amisk, but there you are.

Come judgement day you will have your chance to tell Him He was wrong

Friend,you will get no argument on that one from me.

Any man or woman thinking of entering the ministry had better have a genuine calling to the ministry.

We are all called to be Born-again Christians and an example before the world. Over and above that we need to be practicing the scriptures. However when it comes to entering the ministry the calling demands more than just that. A minister needs to be a constant Christian example by his or her life style. Also as Paul instructed Timothy "...shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Every one entering the ministry had better be sure that he or she fits the bill, otherwise they will fail in the ministry.

 

[Amisk]

And before all of that there was God. And God will call whom He chooses to officership. Neither the Bible, nor the church, nor even you my friend, can question His authority to do that and the fact that His decisions will always be the right ones.

The Lord founded the Army on a bunch of men and women whom you would class as totally unfit for officership.

Drunks, crooks, thugs, pimps, addicts, prostitutes...you name it, God called them. And you deign to question His right to call someone to officership with financial problems, or who has been through divorce?

You and the Lord seem at odds on this issue. Personally, I'm on Gods side.

Have a good day

It appears you just want an argument, but I will take the time to answer another one of your anrgy attacks.

You are totally correct that God will call into ministry whom He choose. The problems for too many of us is that we see the glamour of being the man in the pulpit and we really don't wait for a call from God on the matter.

Yes, you are correct that God has called "Drunks, crooks, thugs, pimps, addicts, prostitutes...you name it, God called them. And you deign to question His right to call someone to officership with financial problems or who has been through divorce?


On the hand of those He calls, He demands repentance for their sin and the forsaking of the sinful life style of the past. In some cases it has meant apologies and where possible restitution has had to be made, not just to enter the ministry but even for the layman to show sincerity in their new life in Christ.

 

[heirmiles]

Please don't misunderstand me with the above post,

I am not saying that repentance is not repentance from sin, because it
is, but it is not merely repentance from sin. Many people repent of
actions every day, and make real changes in their lives, but that is all
they do, there is no repentance to God in their actions or thoughts.
They repent because it suits them. They may feel sorry for their
actions, and apologize. But God is completely out of the picture as far
as they are concerned. Without repentance from sin to Christ, repentance
isn't complete. Without turning from sin to Christ, repentance is only
moral, not spiritual.

Secondly, Sin is sin in the eyes of God. Sin is against God. Sin is a
transgression against the very nature of our Creator. It is rebellion
against His justice, His righteousness and His holiness. Sin is worthy of
death in the eyes of God.

Third, Christ's ministry is a ministry of reconciliation. By giving
His life and taking it up again He has reconciled God's anger against us
so that He can forgive of us.

Fourth, Different from "moral" purity, Spiritual Purity is living in
communion with Christ in the spirit of His righteousness by the working
of the Holy Spirit through love, wrought by the cleansing of His blood,
the spirit of regeneration, and the sincere milk of the word.

In the above post I was trying to point out that we have all been
guilty of some sin, that having been a sinner should not disqualify
somebody from ministry. Divorce is a sticky subject because a minister
is to be 'the husband of one wife', (though written in a time of blatant
and excessive polygamy) this can be understood as disqualifying single
people who have never been married from the ministry just as easily as
people who have been divorced due to adultery by their partner and
remarried widowers as well as women. I believe Paul exhorted believers
to remain as they were (single, married, widowed, divorced, a slave) when
they first came to Christ. (Which makes life pretty lonely for young
people.) For me this means that the list for ministerial leadership is
getting pretty thin.

This leaves only men who have become Christians after having already
been married to their first wife (regardless of her faith or practice).

Now I'm only an adherant to the Salvation Army, not a member.
As such I have no right to criticize its teachings or practices, and I am sorry
that I had done so in criticizing the standards which some members
demand of ministerial staff.

However I do stand by the fact that once Christ has entered into a
person's life, that person is completely righteous before God, has the
right to be called a child of God, and is called to go and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that
Christ has commanded us.

 

[JoshuaCh1v9]

heirmiles, my brother in Christ

I was reading your post with interest and very much agreeing with you, and in fact still do agree with you.

Then, towards the end, I read something that I felt I must respond to, and correct what (IMHO) is a misconception on your part.

Firt, you are not ONLY an Adherent. You are an Adherent in The Salvation Army because God has called you to be and Adherent in the Salvation Army. I'm a Soldier because God has called me to be a Soldier. The General is the General because God has called her to be (don't tell Amisk that thought because he doesn't approve).

Secondly, you are VERY MUCH a member of the Salvation Army, just as much as I am, and as the general is. You have every right to be involved in the debate thats going on here, and your view is both valid and welcome.

I should also add that I do not say this because we agree on the issue being discussed. I disagree with Amisk on just about every aspect of his arguement, but I respect his right to put forth those views.

 

[heirmiles]

Hi Joshua, that clarifies a lot for me. I've always thought that membership in a congregation is a great privilege which comes with a great responsibility, and due to health reasons believed that I couldn't meet those responsibilities and thus membership was out of reach. It might sound silly that I thought that way, because in being in Christ we are all in His body, we are all in and are His church.

Also I may have misspoken because I consider myself as an adherent to the Salvation Army, but I do not have official adherent membership. My apologies for the confusion.

Thanks for the admonition. Blessings to you.

 

[JoshuaCh1v9]

Lol...I've said this before and I'll say it again. Some of the best Salvationists I've known have never worn the uniform in their lives.

And it's often those people who do the work that nobody see's.

Us soldiers get seen in our uniforms, out caroling at Christmas, or selling papers, or doing street evengelism or whatever it might be. But behind the visible Army is the ones who work just as hard (and often harder) without being seen.

Sometimes thats physical work. We have a guy at our Corps who does the cleaning, arranges chairs, looks after health and safety, coaxes the boiler through each winter, and does a hundred other bits and bobs too. Without him we'd be stuffed quite frankly.

And sometimes, the people behind the scenes are the ones who are the most important of all. The prayer warriors. Quite oftem age, disabilty, personal circumstances etc mean that a person is not able to be physically active in the war, but their job is to pray for those who are, because without the prayer, we are going through the motions.

If I could enact a new regulation in the Salvation Army it would be an immediate and total ban on the word ONLY

 

[Timyone]

I have known of divorcee's!

 

[JoshuaCh1v9]

I have known of divorcee's!

I AM a divorcee, as is my wife, and I know as a fact that this would not be a problem with regards to officership.

As it is, I do not feel called to officership (at the moment at least...you never know what tomorrow bring with the Lord..lol). For now He seems to be keeping me plenty busy in my home town.

 

[Upper Cut]

As for the call to ministry, qualifications are spelled out in Timothy and Titus. I do not think god would call a person contrary to the qualifications set forth in his word. There are those who would disagree though, Moses was a murderer, don't even get started on David or Paul. It is simply explained in Timothy, one of the reasons I never pursued a Career in the ministry and I did feel the call. The other reason was the cost, to attend an ATS accredited Seminary is as expensive as medical or law school. (that is a topic for a different time)

 

[Righttruth]

As for the call to ministry, qualifications are spelled out in Timothy and Titus. I do not think god would call a person contrary to the qualifications set forth in his word. There are those who would disagree though, Moses was a murderer, don't even get started on David or Paul. It is simply explained in Timothy, one of the reasons I never pursued a Career in the ministry and I did feel the call. The other reason was the cost, to attend an ATS accredited Seminary is as expensive as medical or law school. (that is a topic for a different time)

Call of Jesus is totally different. Not many qualify for that!

Luke 14
26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

 

[actionsub]

First and most significant: age. I'm five years older than the maximum age for commissioning.
Second: physical. I'm riding the ragged edge of maximum BMI. Between hypothyroidism and a sedentary job, losing weight has been a life-long battle even when I was more active.
Third: wife has more than a few physical disabilities; that alone would disqualify her for officership.

But fourth: I really don't need commissioning to perform the ministry in which I am engaged.