Prayer Walking with The Salvation Army Flag (Part 9 of The Misunderstanding of Christianity)
Ernie and I continued to learn, step-by-step, that the more we walk in the Spirit and let God lead us beyond the bonds of bound-up religion, the more our faith abounds. We love how the more we encounter and surrender to the Lord’s presence the more we are transformed from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Our next step directly involved Ernie. Through being involved with The Salvation Army ARC we met the Nashville Area Commander who oversaw the work of The Salvation Army in the Middle Tennessee area. He learned that Ernie was a corporate trainer and hired her to do some training with his employees.
The Nashville Area Command operated a large community center in the most dangerous neighborhood in Nashville and needed someone to lead it. He called Ernie and offered her the job as a full-time position. He said that every time he prayed about who to hire, she came to his mind. The salary he offered was quite a bit larger than mine.
Ernie wasn’t looking for a job, but after much prayer she felt led to accept it. The center housed numerous community services including a day care, a food pantry, counseling services, and more. It had a full gym and a very active after school youth programs and sports that reached hundreds of children and youth.
The new position added a lot more to juggle to Ernie’s already busy schedule. She knew that she needed to rely on God to balance it all (including parenting our early teenage daughter on weeknights without my help). So, she prayed — and prayed – and God worked. I hope she will add more of the details sometime. God had also previously led her through some experiences and a job that helped prepare her for inner-city ministry.
On my way to work at the ARC I would sometimes stop by the community center to see Ernie and to pray with her. The neighborhood was very rough and dark. Sometimes you would see drug deals being done on the sidewalk. There were quite a few homeless people. Gangs were trying to recruit children and young people. Drive by shootings and other acts of violence were common. Once someone was stabbed outside Ernie’s office window.
As we prayed, we were drawn to The Salvation Army Flag. It has a large square, red center area bordered by a dark blue border. There is a large yellow star in the center of the flag. The words, “BLOOD & FIRE” are written on the yellow star. They refer to the blood of Jesus and to the fire of the Holy Spirit. We started to feel like we were supposed to carry the full-size flag around the neighborhood and pray as we go. So we did.
Ernie and I and usually two or three other people began once a week to carry the “BLOOD & FIRE” flag through the neighborhood praying intensely as we walked. We met a lot of people that way. We did it for years and were never once threatened.
Once during our first year of prayer walking, we were turning the corner to walk down Second Street a police car stopped beside us. One of the two policemen rolled down his window and asked our small group of prayer walkers, “Where are you going?”
We told them that we were prayer walking and about to go down Second Street. They responded that Second Street is the most dangerous street in Nashville and we shouldn’t go there.
One of the women with us said something like, “God’s told us to walk and pray there so that’s where we are going. Can we pray for you guys?” After a shocked pause, they said sure. We laid hands on both of then prayed a few powerful prayers.
The policemen thanked us. Then they drove off as we carried the flag down Second Street. We prayer walked that street often.
One day there were 6 or 7 of us walking down Second Street. A man who looked like a pimp was standing by two sexy-dressed women. He yelled, “What’s That Flag?” We told him that it was The Salvation Army Flag and that it stands for the blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit.
He looked puzzled. Then responded: “If I had grown up under a flag like that, I’d be a different person.” We talked with “Chief” and the two women and shared with them how Jesus can turn them into different people. When we asked if we could pray with them they all three said yes. There were many tears as we prayed and afterwards hugged each other. It’s odd, but we never saw Chief and the two women again (or if we didn’t recognize them.
After the prayer time someone suggested we join hands in a circle and pray more. A few people who had been watching us came and joined with us as the circle grew into the street. As we were about to start praying a skinny man with no shirt on came running toward us shouting, “Wait I want to get in on that.”
Then people started taking turns praying. It felt like something supernatural was happening as several of the neighborhood prayed. I opened my eyes and around the circle tears were falling. I looked down the street, and several people were watching from their porches. God was demonstrating His presence. After the praying stopped, there was more heart-felt hugging. That scene has stayed with me. I can still see it like I am standing there.
Over the years we had similar experiences (but with fewer people). Almost every time we prayer walked people would ask about the flag. (One guy even asked if it was a Confederate flag.) We would share with them about Christ’s “BLOOD & FIRE” Then we would pray over them. Almost no one turned down prayer.
We prayed with drug dealers, gang members, homeless people, and many other people who were doing their best to survive in a devastating environment. Over and over again we experienced the compassion, love, and encouragement of Holy-Spirit-led, heart-to-heart connection. Many of those people became friends. There are far too many stories for me to tell.
Ernie and I (sometimes it was just me) prayer walked with The Salvation Army Flag in that neighborhood almost every week for about 12 years. We saw many of our prayers answered as the neighborhood gradually began to change.
Once as a small group of us were prayer walking with the flag we passed by the empty Salvation Army church building that was being used like a storage building. We laid our hands on it and prayed that God would open it up to be a Spirit-led church. Then we prayed that the shady convivence story across the street which was a hang-out for much illegal activity would be torn down.
Both of those prayers were answered. Within a few weeks the store was gone and only a concrete slab remained. Within a couple of years Ernie and I were asked to start a “nontraditional church” in that abandoned Salvation Army chapel.
Christianity
Is misunderstood.
It’s not religion.
It’s an infusion
Of Christ inside you
So you can let Him
Tell you what to do
And be Spirit-led.
Keep reading these posts to see how we learned to go beyond church as usual and beyond the misunderstanding of Christianity. Up next: Part 10 of The Misunderstanding of Christianity, “Beyond Church as Usual.)
#BeyondChurch #thesalvationarmyflag
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