Pilgrim Soldier

Today sees us with only 5 weeks left in Latvia, and consequently we are seeing the start of the ‘last things’. Yesterday, saw my last sermon at my current corps. During the meeting I realised that I have spent longer as a soldier here than at any other Corps I have ever been in. It really is amazing to look at how much it has changed over the years and to see the potential it has for the future!

I sense that it is on the cusp of something amazing. There seems to be a lot bubbling beneath the surface just waiting for an opportunity to burst forth in the power of the Spirit. I think this is one of the reasons why so many of the foreigners are returning ‘from whence they came’. In order to be really effective those of us who have been a support over the last few years need to leave and others need to step up and take on responsibility. We have already seen that amongst the young people and I suspect that they will be the driving force over the coming years as they seek to follow God’s will for the corps.

The same can be said for the whole Salvation Army in Latvia. We have so much potential here for reaching out to the lost, but need to find our own way. There is a danger that we just import wholesale the methods of the Army, or the Church in general, from other parts of the world and expect to see it achieve the same things here as it has elsewhere. I don’t agree with this! I pray that there will be those who will seek God’s will and follow the path that Jesus has set before the Army here, so that it becomes effective in a way that will reach the people of Latvia.