- Another key value that we live by is that we multiply through reaching the lost.
It is non-negotiable that:
WE ARE EVANGELISTIC
When a task force was sent into Ripon, our previous appointment to research and pray about the possibility of planting a Salvation Army corps someone commented that they would like our soup but not our salvation. We were not put off and the mission began in 1993 and still continues with the people whom we unashamedly evangelised. We just couldn't help it.

EVERYONE IS INVOLVED IN MISSION
The comment often made to statements like that above is that it is not just the officers job to win the lost but the whole congregation. But actually in our generation, in the program dominated, management oriented churches we have where congregations are sometime spoon fed their faith and are so pastor dependent it is the officers who need reminding it is our job to be soul winners. I don't find that a bind because there is nothing like it when someone responds to the good news.

I have been in prison this morning doing a basic Christianity course called QUEST.
As I was putting a lad called Martin back in his cell he thanked me for the Bible verses I had given him a few weeks ago and for the advice I gave him, which was that if he wanted to know if God was real he should just ask him. He had been too shy to say anything in the group but he had done what I said. After praying a specific prayer he had looked in his diary for that day and there in print was a direct answer to his prayer. He has been praying and reading his Bible every day since. He has a long way to go but he is so hungry to know God and is excited by the quest.

Incidently the heating was not working in the chapel today so it was freezing. Every lad had the option of staying and watching TV in their warm cell or going to the cold Church to talk about Jesus for an hour and a half. All but one came with us up and nobody moaned about the cold. Now on Sunday morning if the heating is off.................

EVANGELISM IS TO THE WHOSOEVER
I had a conversation recently with a Salvationist who said that he didn't think we should try to evangelise people from other faiths. They were off limits.
The argument was that if they are happy in their faith we should encourage them to be good Moslems, or Hindu's or whatever. I said we never ridicule someone's faith but happiness isn't a lot to do with it. We can have a great journey in a car with no brakes until we need to stop, then no only do we not get to our planned destination we are in real trouble!
We should just keep on sharing our testimony about the reality of Jesus in our lives. He's too good for anyone to miss. If a person is interested in truly knowing God and not just interested in culture or religion then not only with Jesus bring them to God, God will always point to Jesus. (John 6:45)

I also believe that the following are also non-negotiable:

-the message never changes
-we are aiming for disciples not decisions
-we need a God-given passion for souls
-the priority is mission over maintainance

We have 12 hours of prayer tomorrow dedicated to seeking God's guidance and power for our mission here. I'm asking God to do an Acts 4:31

"After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."