Matthew 25: When are Cariboo Sheep?

Presented to TSA Cariboo Hill Temple, 20 September 2026

By Major Michael Ramsay

 I have a riddle for you. When is a Cariboo a sheep? A Cariboo is a sheep when it serves God by serving others. Here at Cariboo Hill Temple we are sheep when, as Matthew in Chapter 25 says, we see someone hungry and we give them something to eat, we see someone thirsty and give them something to drink, we see someone we don’t know and we welcome the stranger, we visit the sick and spend time with those in prison... We know this parable, right? Two groups of people call Jesus Lord: the sheep and the goats: To the sheep who do all this, Jesus says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The goats, who called Jesus Lord too, but did not do all this, they do not inherit his kingdom. 

Cariboo Hill Temple has a long, great history of being sheep. You do amazing things. You really do! It was 20 plus years ago that I first came to CHT – when Jamie and Ann Braund were the Officers here. Susan and I were soldiers with Danielle, Stephen and team who were starting 614. I remember even back then you had so many interesting outreaches. I even joined the CHT soccer team. There were 2 of them back then, I can’t remember which one I joined – maybe the silver team. I also remember your food truck ministry. 

Every week soldiers and members of this congregation would make food for those in need in Vancouver. Those of us from 614 would walk around the streets praying with people and conclude at the CHT food truck. From that ministry in a little over a year, the 614 corps went from 1 or 2 cell groups to more groups than I could fit on business cards that I would hand out to people I met. People were being saved, lives were transformed. We were serving God by serving others, we were feeding Jesus’ sheep - we were Jesus’ sheep. There are so many testimonies from that time.  

In the time since then I have seen many transformational ministries in community. Powerful outreaches from courtroom to prison ministry, shelter ministry, EDS, more street outreach, lots of food ministry: community meals, soup kitchens, food trucks. In our most recent appointment (on the Island) we were feeding between 700 and 1000 people each day – but that wasn’t the exciting part. The exciting part was people were joining the ministry from seeing the truck, then serving on the truck; eating at the soup kitchen, then serving at the soup kitchen. They would see the work the team was doing in the community and want to join the team. They would move from receiving food to serving food; from receiving prayer to offering prayer; from no Bible study, to attending – to leading Bible study! We have seen lives transformed; people delivered from homelessness, addiction, fear; we even saw people delivered from human trafficking. God has raised up people from their lowest point to be eager to serve and then as they offer their lives to Him, God has transformed their entire lives from the inside out. 

Now I am blessed to be able to return to this area, a couple of decades after I left the lower mainland to become an Officer. I notice now that Burnaby and New West Salvation Armies are starting to work very closely together. This is excellent! We have been serving people on the streets, in the community, and in our buildings. 

I have been blessed to be able to be tasked with part of the food outreach here in Burnaby and New West. God is calling His sheep to do His work here; and I have been asked to let you know of some of the different ways you, we can serve Him in that area. 

1. God and the Army are bringing food here –in this building- every Thursday morning. Who is free Thursday mornings? There is an opportunity for a small team of people to sort the food to go people in need 

1. Maybe you are a driver and want to pick up the food with us 

2. Maybe you are a cook and want to make something creative out of some of the food that come in before it goes bad  

3. Food ministry is powerful way to see lives transformed – to actually see how we are before during and continuing in transformation  

2. Do you have an hour or two on a different morning (other than Thursday) or a different evening. Major Bill and I went out on the food truck at 6:30am one morning last week, we handed out water, food (cake), and prayed. It was a real blessing. A week ago Saturday, I was on the food truck with Captain Carlos and his team from New West handing out fruit, sandwiches, coffee, etc.  at Recovery Day. 

1. When I was in Port Alberni, at every community event and every weekday evening we had the food truck delivering food to vulnerable people – and you know what? Lives were transformed. People were fed physically and spiritually. People were saved both now and forever; lives and communities were transformed. If you and one or two friends would like to take the truck out once a week with me or someone else, let me know. I guarantee you it will be a blessing. 

 

There are many other ways to serve as well – you can talk to majors Bill and Debra Blackman about that but if you want to join us in serving on the food lines on the front lines like this, you will see God’s miracles, you will be transformed and as we continue to serve God in the amazing ways He calls us, we will all be sheep. 

1 Peter 1:22- 2:10: Stepping on Lego

Presented to The Salvation Army Harvest Community, 09 September 2026 by Major Michael Ramsay

  

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, 

“All people are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

25     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you. 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

 

Peter tells us that as we obey God and the Truth, we will love one another truly and deeply. This is a result of being born again.  

 

Grass doesn't live very long – especially during water restrictions in the summer or when it is covered by snow in some parts of this country in the winter. (That is good because it means I don't have to cut it!) Grass is fragile and dies. This is us. We – people – don't live very long, maybe 100 or so years. And maybe much less.  But Peter says that the Word of the Lord endures forever and that those of us who have been born again will be imperishable through the seed of that enduring word. We will live forever.   

Because of this we need to purify ourselves. How can we do this? 

 

2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

    4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 

     7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” 

    They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

 

We were like grass. Now we are like stones. As we come to Jesus, the living stone, we are built into his spiritual house. Peter says that Jesus is the stone that is rejected; he caused people to fall but we will be built into a house around him that will stand forever. 

 

Anybody here ever play with Lego when they were young? Picture this: you build a building. There is one piece that is just too big, too small, too wide, or the wrong shape – it just doesn't fit; so when all the pieces are assembled there is one brick still lying on the floor. That brick is Jesus. Then, in comes your mom and she steps on it; or, more accurately, you step on it! You are the one who didn't use it and you step on it – screaming, crying, holding your foot, hopping up and down, using colourful language. Jesus is that brick that is rejected and the one who rejects him stumbles (or hops). But that isn't the end of the story. 

 

Imagine now that there is a stone block that someone has rejected and others have fallen over it. Someone (God) finds that stone block and builds it into this wonderful eternal home that will never topple. In this scenario, the builder adds you and I and all those born again, as stones, into the house built around the living stone. We are solid. 

 

Those who disobey Jesus will stumble over the stone; those of us who obey him, we will be built into his house and we will be a part of his people, declaring his praises forever. 

 

Once we were grass that would perish. Now we are stones built into a spiritual house on that same ground where the grass once was  – and that house, as much as anyone may huff and puff and try to blow it down, will never perish but will endure forever and you will be a part of it because you have received God's mercy 

  

 

What does it look like in your life when you have received God's mercy and are built into His house?

 

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1 Peter 1:3-9: Mercury, T-Bird, Pink Cadillac...

Presented to TSA Harvest Community, 30 August 2026, by Major Michael Ramsay

 Our Salvation, our inheritance is now in heaven but, in the end, it will come here. It reminds me of a 16-year-old whose dad promised her his fancy car, when she was old enough to drive. The daughter is very excited to turn 16. But even then she isn’t ready to drive. She has to learn: take lessons, pass tests, practice driving. Even after she has turned 16 her dad is still holding the car for her until she is ready to drive. This is what it is like for us. 

Maybe the resurrection of Christ was the promise that God would give us the car of our inheritance, which He is keeping in perfect condition for us in heaven’s garage until we are finally ready to receive it, drive it, care for it, love it, share it, and look after it. 

From the time we are promised the car (and even from the time we turned 16) until we are able to drive it, we still need to walk; we still need to get rides from our parents and if we have older siblings or friends, our friends.  We still need to take the bus, other transit, or maybe ride a bike. Even after we are 16, we can’t drive our car until we have our license.  

Just like the written and driving tests give us experience and knowledge so that we can properly protect the car, others and ourselves; so too the tests in this life make us better able to care for and fully experience our salvation which is held for us in heaven. 

Maybe, extending this analogy further, Jesus is your dad, whom you’ve never seen in person because he had to go off to another country to get his PR or citizenship; you love him as you wait eagerly for your 16th birthday to receive your car from your dad and you long for the day when you will be united with him and can drive together forever in this gift that is your salvation. 

 

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How are you getting ready to receive the gift of the culmination of your salvation that is waiting for you in heaven’s garage?

1 Peter 2:11-17 : Tourists (2026 Version)

Presented to The Salvation Army Harvest Community, 09 August 2026

By Major Michael Ramsay

Read the scripture here: http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%202%3A11-17&version=NIV

Heather was at Teen Camp last week. Just before that Susan, Heather and I were on holiday for a couple of weeks. We traveled through Cashe Creek, Prince George, Smithers, Quesnel, Merit, and other places. It was a lot of fun exploring our province. I was struck by how nice Smithers is. I was also struck by all the smoke with the fires going on. It was a good trip. 

 

Our family has been on many good trips together. We went to The Salvation Army’s Boundless Celebrations in London years ago. We have visited Denmark, Susan and I have visited France, Susan and Sarah-Grace have been to Italy. We have been to Cuba as a family. We have been to the USA quite a bit – because it is so close. 

 

We have noticed when we are traveling that many things have been accomplished by many people in all these different places. We like to stop and read plaques by the side of the road, visit museums, and look at monuments. It always strikes me when we visit the USA though that some of the things celebrated by some of the monuments are things that offend my Canadian sensibilities. Their values and interpretation of history are still a little different from ours. 

 

But here is the thing I need to remember: when I am visiting, I am just a tourist. I can't vote in US elections. I can't change their laws or their culture. I don't have the rights of a US citizen and I shouldn't because I am not one. They are a foreign country. When I am there, I am a gracious guest; I am a tourist and I do not forget that I am no more than that. 

 

It is similar in our life here on earth for Christians. We need to stand up for Christ and we need to serve him. We can't, however, get drawn into things that have no relevance to his eternal kingdom.  We need to serve Christ here while still remembering that we are just tourists in this time and place. We need to be gracious guests but never forget that our real citizenship, our allegiance, our hope and our future life is in Heaven. 

   

Question: how can we act as Christians in an other than Christian world? 

 

Click here to read the original version published March 17, 2008: 

https://salvogesis.blogspot.com/2018/03/1-peter-211-25-philippians-315-21.html