Pastoral Letter - July 2010

Dear Fellow Salvationists,

I greet you each one in the sacred Name of Jesus. His Name is without equal. Only under his Name can salvation for our souls be found. Let our hearts leap upward with gratitude.

As I write to you, London is going through a mid-summer heat-wave - or at least a heat-wave by London standards! We are grateful for every comfort in this sophisticated western city, yet we remain mindful that not every Salvationist has such things. I thank God for the Army world that shares more and more regularly, more and more effectively, as a global family. We remember constantly our Lord's teaching that we should carry one another's burdens. We are partners in a holy mission and must be watchful of each other's needs.

I hear many prayers in all kinds of places and settings. You also hear them where you are. I am moved by the prayers I hear being offered by my fellow Salvationists. God is helping us to be more and more a prayerful Army. At the heart of prayer is thanksgiving. We come before our Heavenly Father in a spirit of humble gratitude. Philippians 4:6 teaches us to come to God in prayer with a grateful heart. As we pray, we must offer thanks more than offering requests. The Holy Spirit helps us as we pray and in this way we can get the balance right.

'Thank you' is a phrase on every Salvationist's lips, many times each day. We affirm one another in this way and at the same time we honour the God we all adore and obey. When we know how to thank God, we will also know how to thank our fellow believers. Similar courtesy can and should be offered to the unbeliever so that others see the courtesy of Christ in us.

Luke's Gospel (in chapter 17) tells us about the ten lepers healed by Jesus. Only one healed leper went back to Jesus to express gratitude for his healing. One in ten! Only a tenth! Just 10%! It is difficult to understand why the other nine offered no gratitude. It costs very little to say 'thank you'. I am asking God to make us more and more a grateful Army, an Army that constantly gives thanks for every help and blessing.

You will know the Old Testament account of Hannah and her longing for a child (see 1 Samuel 1:9-28). She offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for her son, Samuel. He became a great man of God.

In 1 Corinthians 15:57 the Apostle Paul declares gratitude to God for spiritual victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We join Paul in that burst of thanksgiving. Try to read the words for yourself and perhaps say them aloud as you read. You can say 'me' instead of 'us' and in that way make the verse very personal. It is a verse that you could include in your prayers every day. What a great way to begin and end a prayer.

As I end this Pastoral Letter I offer deep gratitude to God for your faithfulness. I thank God for you! You are my comrade, my sister or my brother in Christ. God bless and keep you in all things.

May you know the Lord's loving touch today.

I commend you to his matchless grace.

Sincerely in him,



Shaw Clifton
General

What is truth?

ALMOST half the people who took part in a poll carried out by American Marie Claire magazine said that they lie up to three times a day while they are at work. The survey also found that when it came to calling in sick, 71 per cent admitted to ‘stretching the truth’.

One feature writer admitted to inventing a sick aunt to gain a day off work and knowing a woman who massaged her CV by making up previous projects in an effort to boost her job prospects.

If we discover that someone has lied, it can be easy to take the moral high ground and shake our heads at the untruths told. But what about us? Do we always tell the truth?

What would we do if in a war zone we were hiding some refugees and a soldier knocked at the door, demanding to know if anyone was hiding inside the house? Tell the truth and condemn those people to certain death or lie to protect them? Many people would lie, and such scenarios have helped to bolster the belief that there are no moral absolutes.

So do we believe in right and wrong? Is ‘fibbing’ the same as lying? What circumstances, if any, condone the telling of untruths?

People may argue that there are degrees of lying, of right and wrong. It is argued that things are not always black and white – there is a grey area. Some people claim to be moral relativists, saying that what is right for one person is not necessarily right for another. Or that ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ depend on the situation.

Sometimes ‘the truth’ is not as straightforward as we think. Consequently making the right decisions becomes difficult and makes life confusing.

Jesus said some very strong things about the truth. Often he told his listeners: ‘I tell you the truth.’ The Bible says that ‘truth came through Jesus Christ’ (John 1:17 New International Version).

If we are looking for truth in a way that we can apply to our lives, we can find it by following Jesus. He said: ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:31, 32).

When we know Jesus’ truth, decision-making can become easier. The truth that Jesus offers can remove confusion and give direction to our lives.

UK War Cry July 2010

Announcements

1. Corps Cleaning Day (Gotong Royong)
Date: 7th August 2010, Time: 08:00am Venue: Penang Corps
Cleaning the Corps compound and beautify the house of the Lord.

2. Old Photos (Penang Corps Heritage Collection)
Any of our corps members who have the old photos which regarding to The Salvation Army, kindly gave it to Captain Tan to have it scan. We want to make it a heritage collection for Penang Corps. Original copy will be given back once scanned is completed.

3. TSA Open Day
Date: 28 Aug 2010, Venue: Penang Children's Home
Target to raise RM60,000.00 for Corps, Children's Home and Community Service Centre. Please help to sell coupons.

4. Band Practice
Those who involve or interested please stay back after the refreshment. We will start commencing the practice every sunday after refreshment.

Prayer Request

1. Prayer for Bro Tan Thean Sin, the brother of Colonel Tan for speedy recovery.

2. Penang Open Day, pray for our sponsors and donors and selling of the coupons

3. Please keep Brother Sam in prayer who will be going on 3 months mission trip to Kuching.

4. Pray for SAFE commmittee in the planning for the coming Corps Retreat, and Adult Gathering fellowship.

The man who gives life

SO, how clean is your house? Do you know what not to wear or how to eat yourself thin?

A flick through the TV channels will uncover programmes advising how we should be looking after our homes, looking our best, eating well and – if we have them – bringing up our children.

Whether it is Gok Wan in Fashion Fix, Kim and Aggie in How Clean is Your House? or Dr Christian Jessen in Supersize vs Superskinny, there are no end of experts telling us how to get the most out of our homes, food and clothes and feel better about ourselves.

They are broadcasting’s life coaches who come into our homes for free.

It’s just as well they are free on telly as a personal life coach is expensive. For anything up to £200 an hour these gurus will help their clients determine and achieve their personal goals.


Dr Christian Jessen from TV show 'Supersize vs Superskinny'

There are numerous adverts in newspapers and on the internet that offer, or sometimes ‘guarantee’, success because of the input of professional life coaches. Some people might wonder how we can possibly live in the modern world without their help.

But this raises the question of whether we really need someone to tell us how to live our life, what to wear, where to live or with whom to have a relationship.

Life is a journey, and we do well to look to someone to guide us through. But that guidance can be given only by someone who totally understands us, is purely altruistic and has no other agenda than our best interests.

It might sound impossible to meet someone like that – but it’s not. Jesus matches up to all those requirements.

When he was on earth he said: ‘I am … the life’ (John 14:6 New International Version). The life that Jesus embodied was a life of fullness in which we get the most from every day, regardless of our circumstances.

Not only can Jesus guide us through life, but he is also the source of a full and purposeful life. We don’t need to spend large amounts of money paying for life coaches when the best coach of all is available.

If we commit ourselves to following him, Jesus will show us how to clean up our lives and enjoy a great life that will last for ever.

UK War Cry July 2010

The man with a name

WHAT’S in a name? I wonder if you have ever thought about what your family name means, pondered its origin and speculated about who else may be related to you. They are big questions. In England alone there are around 45,000 different surnames, each with a unique history attached to it. Our name identifies who we are, or at least narrows it down a little.

Before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, people did not have family surnames that were passed down generations. They were known simply by a personal name or nickname. That was OK in a hamlet or village, but imagine how confusing it would be among millions of people.

The sources from which surnames were drawn were many and varied – nicknames, physical attributes, counties and trades. Later, with immigration, new names were brought into the country.

In biblical times, a baby might be given a name from circumstances associated with his or her first days – as in the case of ‘Moses’ which means ‘draws out’, after he was discovered and pulled out of some reeds where he had been hidden for safety. In other cases children were named from nature – for example Deborah, which means ‘bee’, and Jonah, which means ‘dove’.

Some names were given at the prompting of God and some hinted at the destiny of the child or of a whole nation.

Jesus was given the name that the angel Gabriel instructed his earthly father Joseph to give him – a name of divine inspiration and destiny. Jesus means ‘God is salvation’.

After Jesus had completed his work on earth and had returned to Heaven he made a supernatural appearance to Saul on the road to Damascus. He declared: ‘I am Jesus’ (Acts 9:5 New International Version).

God used Jesus to bring salvation to all people.

Unfortunately, today the name of Jesus is often used disrespectfully as a swear word. But his name means everything to people who love and follow him.

It is the name that reminds them they are free to live the full life God wants them to have. It means that they can be forgiven for the wrong things they have done and receive a new start from God.

The Bible also says that Jesus is ‘the name that is above every name’ (Philippians 2:9) – it is the name that can change our lives.

UK War Cry June 2010

TSA Penang Corps Outing

Corps member enjoyed the journey to the Penang BM MengKuang Dam Outing on the 10 July 2010. The journey started from the Corps at 6:30am and reach there around 7:20am. Everyone enjoy the nature walk and jogging around the dam. Bro Chin Keng who was our tour leader took us to the location and also brought us to nice coffee shop for Hokkien Mee breakfast at Taman Indrawasih.

We praise God for this great outing. Our numbers are few, however the end result count ~ "God is Good all the time".

Announcements

1. Corps Cleaning Day (Gotong Royong)
Date: 7th August 2010, Time: 08:00am Venue: Penang Corps
Cleaning the Corps compound and beautify the house of the Lord.

2. Adults Cell Group
Date: 16th July 2010, Time: 08:00pm Venue: Community Hall

3. TSA Open Day
Date: 28 Aug 2010, Venue: Penang Children's Home
Target to raise RM60,000.00 for Corps, Children's Home and Community Service Centre. Please help to sell coupons.

Prayer Request

1. Pray for our Candidates & Potential Candidates

2. Pray for Cadet Andrew and Cadet Fiona who on SFOT training till end of this year.

3. Penang Open Day, pray for our sponsors and donors, selling of the coupons.

4. Continue to pray for Sis Jenny Ooi who is now at Australia.

The man who makes things possible

IT was impossible to miss the hype. In 1996 Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, burst on to cinema screens in the action thriller Mission: Impossible.

Hunt is a secret agent framed for the deaths of his espionage team. Fleeing from government assassins, breaking into the Central Intelligence Agency’s most impenetrable vault and clinging to the roof of a speeding bullet train, the action man raced to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.

Cinemagoers were so taken with the action that a further two Mission: Impossible films have been made since. Another is on its way.

The films are based on a television drama series. The episodes chronicled the missions of a team of American government secret agents known as the Impossible Missions Force.

The missions on which they were sent seemed so difficult that only this particular force could hope to tackle them.

The Impossible Missions Force revelled in the challenge; but describing a mission as doomed from the start is not normally the best way to recruit people. Failure is not held in high esteem. To have tried and failed is not acceptable to our modern way of looking at things. Credit is not given just because we tried.

Jesus sent his followers out on a mission. ‘I am sending you,’ he said (John 20:21 New International Version). The mission was to go into the world and spread the good news of what Jesus was doing and teaching.

This may have appeared to Jesus’ followers as another mission impossible. What could they do that he had not already done?

But Jesus sent his friends out with all the resources they needed. They would not be left on their own. He would be with them all the way.

This is the amazing thing about the ‘sending Jesus’. He does not ask us to do something or go somewhere and then leave us to fend for ourselves. Through his Spirit, he goes with us, helping us every step of the way.

Jesus really is the best person to have by our side, the one who will never let us down or forsake us. He makes the impossible mission possible.

It all boils down to trust. Can we trust Jesus, who sends his followers out to do a job? The answer from thousands of people who have followed his way is a resounding yes.

UK War Cry June 2010

The man who'll be back

I’LL be back’ is the catchphrase associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He spoke these words in the 1984 science fiction film The Terminator. The words that Arnie uttered were a slight departure from the original line ‘I’ll come back’, which might not have been as memorable. In 2005 the American Film Institute ranked Arnie’s promise as No 37 in their top 100 movie quotes.

So successful was the phrase that it was used in subsequent Terminator films, and Schwarzenegger introduced it into many of his other movies. It could be said he has made it his personal quotation. Even as Governor of California he has used the phrase during public speeches.

Like many a catchphrase, it often raises a wry smile when people use it in everyday conversation.

Although ‘I’ll be back’ was used as a threat – an intention to return for revenge – not all promises to return are so terrifying.

Welsh boxing hero Joe Calzaghe is rumoured to be looking to return to the ring. The unbeaten fighter known as ‘The Pride of Wales’ turned 38 this year, and has not fought since November 2008. Such a promise of a return would be welcomed and applauded by sports fans in Wales and further afield.

A promise of return can generate hope. The promise of Jesus, ‘I am coming soon’ (Revelation 22:7 New International Version) filled his early followers and, indeed, Christians through the centuries with hope.

History tells of the dark times Christians have endured around the world. Many still suffer persecution and marginalisation today.

On his return Jesus will gather his followers to be with him and establish a new Heaven and a new Earth. In this new world Jesus will rule with justice, put right iniquity and enable us to live as God originally intended, free from the taint and curse of sin.

When Jesus returns there will be no more suffering, sorrow or pain. Death and sin will finally be defeated.

Although Jesus says ‘I’ll be back’ he hasn’t told us when. Whether his words are a threat or a promise depends on our attitude towards him.

UK War Cry June 2010