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Lt. Caroline Rowe spoke for the Friends of Christ Session at the Service of Appointments, June 10, during The Gathering.
I am blessed to be called a “Friend of Christ!” The officers commissioned in 2011 were “Ambassadors of Holiness,” and those that will be commissioned in 2013 are “Proclaimers of the Resurrection.” Both session names have a victorious ring.
We are called “Friends of Christ.” Our name sets a different tone. Some would say it sets a softer tone, but I look at our session name as a challenge. There were famous people in the Bible who were called friends of God, and they set a standard for us to live up to as “Friends of Christ.”
Abraham was called God’s friend because of his faith. By faith Abraham obeyed God; he left his country, lived in a foreign land, and offered up his only son Isaac. Today, as the Friends of Christ, we face moments where we will have to step out—make a stand, make a choice, or face adversity—and we do so with our faith in God. We have faith that he is in control and is taking care of us. We face our lives as officers in The Salvation Army with a spirit of reliance and faith in Jesus Christ–knowing that he alone is the one who equips us.
Enoch was called a friend of God because he walked with God for 300 years; he fellowshipped with the Father! As friends spend time with one another, they start to take on the attributes of each other. In the same way, as we spend time with God, we will start to develop his character. Let us be called “Friends of Christ” because we are known as men and women who walk with the Father, seek his guidance in all we do, and exhibit his character.
Moses was referred to as God’s friend because he had a teachable spirit. He said to the Lord, “Teach me your ways so I may continue to grow in your favor.” Today as a session, we realize that although we are finished with our time at Crestmont, learning will never cease. We must remain teachable and open—knowing that the Holy Spirit will mold us, fill us and use us for his purpose.
So—to my fellow session mates—let us boldly declare that we are the “Friends of Christ,” not just because it is the name of our session, but because of our faith in God, our walk with the Father and our teachable spirits.
Today we are ready to go out into the field, humbled by the call God has placed on our lives. In John 15:14-15 Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I heard from my Father I have made known to you (ESV).
We have left behind family, careers, homes and the familiar to start on a new adventure. And this afternoon we embrace with obedience God’s plan that he has made known to us. I have great comfort in knowing that God—our creator—has a plan for me, as he does for all of you. Seek that plan, embrace it, and follow it. In his will lies fulfillment and freedom!
