Feeling a little fed up and angry, at some stage, come the election the British electorate will be taking the moral high ground at the expense of our political leaders at the ballot box.  The pun is intended because of the shameful conduct of some MP’s who have taken liberty with the rules over claiming expenses, which is in some cases if it hadn’t been so serious would have been laughable.

But here we are, with many hanging their heads in shame having created a crisis of confidence, truth and trust.

Fortunately for us all, despite being disillusioned with those in political authority, there is a higher authority, one place, where your voice is heard, listened to, somewhere that has clear, accountable standards, a place to build trust and hope for the future. We find the answer in a book sometimes left to gather dust on a bookshelf.

If you pick up and blow the dust off the pages of this book – the Bible, you will learn that ‘…the truth will set you free’…certainly from dodgy politicians! However the real angle on God’s truth, is that His truth is not meant to be hidden. The scriptures reveal how to be found of God…in other words how to be saved from a world separated from the love of God.

In the New Testament scriptures we learn that God’s binding contract for all mankind is founded through His Son, who at Calvary, died and rose again in victory after three days in the ground, overcoming sin, sickness and death. In this way we were set free, with a new found ‘born again’ liberty that Jesus shares with Nicodemus in John 3:3-7.  Now this isn’t a five minute wonder, or a quick fix or a band aid solution, from the shortest Psalm we read in Psalm 117 ‘ …the truth of the Lord endures forever…’.

As a church, RCI has a few ‘We believe…’ statements, which are really articles of faith, likened to faith   Post-it’s. Here is a run through of the first:

We believe: ‘in the infallibility of the Word of God’  – put simply, the Bible is God’s plan and revelation to you and me on the 3rd rock from the sun. It is an accurate record of events that actually took place and have consequences for today. It also stands up very well to the tests of evidence.

You can work your way through a mountain of journals and books, and find that the Bible is astonishingly accurate and consistent with archaeology and secular history. Another aspect of consistency in the bible is the amazing link between the hundreds of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and the exact fulfilment of these in the life of Jesus.

All over world people are reading and finding the truth of God’s Word, whose lives are changed forever when they repent and are baptised by full immersion, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).

The dilemma is now that you know the truth…what will you do about it?

Pastor Chris Reed
RCI London

I don’t suppose God has a head to scratch to muse about the trouble mankind gets itself into, whether it’s the current global financial melt down, or the never ending sequence of wars, social conflicts, personal addiction and dependency of one kind or another.

What I can be certain of, is about the truth of God’s Word which is just as relevant today as it was to Saul (later renamed Paul) on his trip down the Damascus road (Acts 9). Despite popular belief, this was not the moment of Paul’s big bang conversion, when he was confronted by the vision of the risen Christ. Blinded by the glory of the Lord (light), he simply ate dirt when he fell to the ground. Paul was later converted or changed when he called out to the Lord (Acts 9:11), receiving not only his sight (with new vision) but also the Holy Ghost in a house in the city of Damascus, in a street named Straight, which still bears that name today.

Paul himself then became a believer and member of the early church, who called themselves ‘the Way’ (Acts 9:2), perhaps reflecting the way of life or the way of salvation.

The power of conversion became a reality to Paul and others in the New Testament story when they spoke in tongues, one of many gifts and benefits given freely by God to His people. The truth with proof is evident today, as many thousands of RCI members worldwide will testify, of how God changed their lives for the better…..signed and sealed forever.

The truth is, tongues (glossolalia) is not redundant, despite the error of teaching or misguidance of others. In fact it is the only gift involving praise and prayer to God. There have been many Spirit Filled churches throughout history praising God in the prayer language of men and angels as the scriptures put it. Many more churches today do exactly the same, with people drawn from every culture and social background, brought together by one common experience they can all relate to, one common story that still pours out from Pentecost (Acts 2).

Pentecost kick started a faith driven loving revelation, that reaches out to those who seek truth in a world that beguiles many, by insisting that its PC to think that there are a thousand different ways to Heaven.

Paul asks the risen Lord at Damascus “… what do you want me to do?” I could hazard at a guess that many have asked a similar question. The answer given by Jesus in Acts 9:6  makes it plain what ‘must’ be done. This was the same message Peter gave on Pentecost (Acts 2:38) and as Luke puts it in Acts 22:16:  ‘And now why are you waiting? ‘Arise and be baptised, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord’. These are not optional extras, but essential, in fact mandatory to be saved.

God’s Word is described as sharper than a two edged sword, it challenges preconceptions, dividing misinformation and dogma from God’s truth, plan and purpose. Now, that may come as a bit hard to those who peddle soft cuddly man-made religion, which has nothing to do with God of the bible.

God makes it perfect, complete and simple, which is why salvation comes with a kit bag of goodies that can’t be earned, but come on the back of a) reconsidering where you stand with God (shorthand for repentance – turning around your thinking), b) water baptism (this means to be dunked under the water, to be submerged – like a burial service, saying goodbye to that old ‘me’ and then c) this is the life changing bit, by grace, God fills you with His Spirit of redemption, lifting you up from a messed up world, through his Son, who willingly paid a price he did not owe at Calvary, to set us free.

This is God’s liberty involving His people (the church), called to represent a new and living way, ‘in it but not of it’, sharing the truth, as well as maintaining and reflecting different values, not as Holy Joe’s, but as people who lives are reshaped by a powerful, exciting life changing event.

Pastor Chris Reed
RCI London

I was recently reflecting on the sheer enthusiasm of a number of young folk emulating Guitar Hero – a fast and furious new way, of capturing the feeling of what it must be like to be the master of the fret board.

Whether you can relate to Jesus as a hero or not is a debatable point.  The dictionary defines a hero as a person noted for feats of courageous action or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. For the Jews who lived 2,000 years ago that is exactly what they wanted, someone who would lead the charge, who would overcome their oppressors and give them back their freedom.

The religious authorities of Jesus’ day must have been surprised when they realised that His way was not their way, and that Jesus came to change people from the inside out and not with a size 11 boot.

It may be difficult for some to relate to the noble actions of God, who sent His Son to live among us, who in turn as an ultimate gift, gave His life for the ransom for many (1 Peter 2:24). The Bible story centers around God wanting to share his creation with mankind, by calling out his people (the church), to bring us to a place where we can enjoy the benefits of a one-to-one relationship with Him. So, regardless of who you are and your circumstances, Jesus substituted Himself, by doing so freely gave His life to save (purchase back) yours.

By this sacrifice, we learn that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) would be sent (John 16), because the world found it difficult to believe in the Son of God made man. It is this same Spirit who would reveal the ‘truth’ of a promise, that every man has a birthright to claim, to be adopted into God’s family forever (Titus1:2).

You can never earn the right to stand before God by your own good works alone. In John 4:24, it tells us that God’s people ‘worship Him in Spirit and in truth’.

This is not wishful or aspirational thinking or blind faith, it happens today just as it did when the Pentecostal story first hit the headlines in Acts 2. Believe it or not, this wasn’t God planning a one off occasion back then. This was the beginning of the ‘born again’ (John 3: 3-7) signs following experience of Mark16 that has changed the lives of many throughout history.

You will find in our church today, people from diverse backgrounds, who share the same experience and evidence of God’s power in their lives, as a result of repentance, water baptism and receiving God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, with the bible evidence of speaking in new tongues, as a sign or receipt.

You are welcome to come along, why not bring along someone with you to our meetings, to hear accounts of how God answers prayer, of healings, liberation from dependence from drugs, alcohol and smoking, release from worry and anxiety, as well as a myriad of situations met where people prosper defying science and logic.

‘Call unto me and I will answer thee’: Jeremiah 33:3 – God’s hotline, the switchboard is on air 24/7.

Try it. What have you got to lose? I did in my mid twenties, not understanding anything about God or religion at that time, let alone that Jesus was my Saviour. I thank God for His patience, that through curiosity He proved to me in a way I could relate to, that He is a living God who works wonders in a time when people need hope and confidence.

Pastor Chris Reed
RCI London