Nine Things I'm Hoping For During This Term
by Major Stephen Court
General terms are typically five years long
in this generation, when the elected general is young enough
to serve the full duration before retirement.
Here’s the noun: ‘a feeling of expectation
and desire for a certain thing to happen.’
These are nine hopes I have for this next
half-decade*:
1. Jesus High.
That we lift the name of Jesus so high that all kinds
of people from everywhere will be drawn to Him.
There are currently several billion people who need to
submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Let’s elevate that Name!
2. Jesus’ Love.
That we will love people with such love that not only
will they see that we are Jesus Christ’s disciples but they
will be drawn into relationship with Him.
This is impossible in our own strength – this love
comes first FROM God and then emanates out from our lives when
He reigns in each of us.
3. Jesus’ Justice.
That we will fight winsomely for justice and many
victims and oppressed and marginalised and voiceless people
will be dignified.
A happy secondary effect will likely be that many will be
attracted to fight alongside us and then sort out our
motivation and empowerment and come to get to know the Lord
Jesus Christ, too!
4. Holy Spirit Power.
That our covenanted lives will be so spick and span
(think of the words to that old song, ‘If on my soul a trace
of sin remaineth’ – we sang it on Sunday) that God is
comfortably delegating supernatural authority such that the
‘Greater Things’ we read about are regularly and frequently
manifest in our lives and warfighting and sick people are
healed and oppressed people are delivered victimised people
are freed and antagonistic people are softened to Jesus.
5. Every Country.
That we invade the remaining 70 or so countries still
lacking a Salvationist presence.
14/ year.
Not easy. But
we’ve been blogging for 15 years+ now every day and many times
we’ve thrown out goals and challenges to accelerate the
advance of this component of the Great Commission – so if we’d
jumped on some of the earlier challenges, we might only have
40 or 50 or so left now and the ‘job’ would be easier…
6. Every Province / State.
That we invade every province and every state in every
country in the world.
A national beachhead is great.
But we want to strike while the iron is hot and go hard
in expanding, gaining beachheads regionally as well.
7. Every City.
That we invade every city in the world.
Massive challenge.
But success in ‘v’ and ‘vi’ will accelerate our
expansion…
8. No Regrets.
That between now and then we (I) see what He’s doing
and do what we’re (I’m) seeing (lifting this prayer from John
5:19, in which Jesus explains, “The Son can do nothing by
Himself. He can do
only what He sees His Father doing; whatever the Father does,
the Son also does.”
So, this is a prayer for clear spiritual vision and
close intimacy with God.
9. Multiplication Maxim.
That we all throw our lives away multiplying
multiplying disciples multiplying multiplying bases.**
*I admit that these are ambitious.
It would be easier to ‘hope’ for incremental change and
maybe shoot for ‘2%’ increases in this or that area.
But improved efficiencies and refined programming and
intensified attention could all reach such modest ‘hopes’.
These, in contrast, REQUIRE GOD’S INVOLVEMENT.
** For a breakdown of
the Base Network, see
www.armybarmy.com/JAC/jac105.html
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