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Blood and Fire
by Steve Bussey
Not popular in the Roman Empire in AD
33.
Not popular in the British Empire in
1878.
Not popular in today’s current
globalized world.
Nope. Madison Avenue’s marketing
strategies would never recommend using “blood and fire” as the
most enduring and visible statement for The Salvation Army.
The blood and fire never was popular.
Never will be. It will always be counter-cultural. The Booths
clearly understood that reality. Do we realize why this is so
essential today?
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 remind us, “Our
lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this
fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being
saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are
perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to
those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And
who is adequate for such a task as this?”
It never has been “popular,” but
friends, the blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit is
THE answer to EVERY conceivable need in the world! Without it,
there is no hope.
The Blood and Fire was, is, and will
always be relevant!! There is a reason why this was put on our
crest and flag - that we might never forget the key to our
success in our mission!
This message doesn’t need to be
massaged or modified or marginalized. If anyone says
otherwise, Scripture warns us they are fools!
Hide it under a bushel? NO!! I’m going
to let it shine. Will you?
Let’s stop listening to the “wisdom” of
the world. Let’s not be ashamed of the gospel. I honestly
don’t care if I look a fool or seem weak in the eyes of the
world!
Let’s heed the words of Paul in 1
Corinthians 1:18-31:
“The message of the cross is foolish to
those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being
saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where
does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the
world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this
world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the
world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used
our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish
to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish
to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that
Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles
say it’s all nonsense.
But to those called by God to
salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God
and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than
the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than
the greatest of human strength.
Remember, dear brothers and sisters,
that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or
wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the
world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they
are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame
those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the
world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to
bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a
result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
God has united you with Christ Jesus.
For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made
us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us
from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to
boast, boast only about the LORD.”
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