The Salvation Army Chatham

One of the signs of springtime in London is the holding of the marathon, an event in which thousands of runners of all ages, size and description, including the elite sportsmen and women, turn out in support of charities.

in Parliament Square

Whilst admiring the effort and dedication shown by so many people, one cannot help but notice the physical and mental suffering many undergo in pursuit of their particular cause and the phrase “who’s the fool?” can easily come to mind. On Sunday morning, whilst the runners were still making this super human effort on behalf of others, Major Drew was asking the same question of our morning congregation.

Major Drew McCombe

His subject this week was not, of course, those running in the marathon but rather those who ‘build their house on sand’. He chose songs 171, 479 and 705 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 935, 478 and 480 from Songs of Fellowship. Scripture used was from Matthew 7:13-27 and musical ministry was provided by the Singing Company and Songsters who brought ‘On this Rock’ and ‘Vesper’ respectively.

Emma Davis was commissioned as an Assistant Songster Librarian.

Emma receives commission

In his message Drew quoted the words of C S Lewis “a man who was merely a man and said the sorts of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher, he’d either be a lunatic – on a par with a man who says he is a poached egg – or else he’d be the devil of hell. Either this man was who he said he was or else a madman or something worse… But don’t come up with any patronising nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He hasn’t left that open to us… he didn’t intend to” and said we are asking who is wise and who is foolish. A clip from the TV show ‘Only Fools and Horses’ was shown (the crashing chandelier for those who remember it). Jesus reminds us of another crash to look out for; how we live our daily lives. He claims that He is the fulfilment of all that he talks about; He is the rock of our salvation. He is the one and everything hinges on Him. Anything built on Him will stand but built on anything else it will crash. We must choose between the broad and the narrow way, an awesome choice. We must be fully immersed in Jesus. Are we really JESUS people? Are we in it or not? Once in our lives must change and we shall be judged by our fruits. We must ask ourselves if we are building on a solid foundation. Are you struggling to find God? Have you realised that, in  fact, God is trying to find you? The question is not “how can I find God?” but “How can I let myself be found by Him?” This is God’s plan for mankind.

Our evening meeting was led by Major Beverley on the continuing theme of ‘Jesus on the Spirit’, this week taking ‘Spirit of Truth’ as her topic. The meeting included plenty of singing using songs 224, 194, 870, 730, 650 and 218 all from the Salvation Army Song Book. She also used songs 42 and 955 from Songs of Fellowship.

Major Beverley McCombe

Including a period of testimony under the heading ‘The Bible speaks to me’ helped us focus on the truth of God’s Word as several people spoke on this subject. This was supported by musical ministry from Band and Songsters with ‘Lord, Thou art questioning’ and ‘Lord, you know that we love you’ respectively. Major Beverley’s message was centered on John 14:15-26 and she said Jesus tells his disciples what his leaving them will mean. It will allow the Holy Spirit to come into the world to be with us for ever as an advocate, counsellor and helper. Christianity is not religion, it is a relationship as God comes to live in those who love Him. The spirit of truth comes alongside us and teaches us all things. For the disciples the learning did not stop when Jesus left them. Don’t just open the Bible at random but read it in context. You will find the spirit of truth points to Jesus. Then you will understand what it is that God has freely given you.

Next Sunday Majors Drew and Beverley will be on holiday. Our morning meeting will be led by Major Grayson Williams, currently the corps officer at Maidstone. In the evening our leaders will be Majors Robin and Joy McIntosh. Major Robin is the chaplain at Gatwick Airport. We look forward to the ministry of these officers with enthusiasm.