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
