There was a very strong underlying message to the ministry this week: Be with God. Get stuck into it.

We read in Daniel 3:24-26 the outcome when Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were cast into a extremely hot furnace. The particular piece that we want to pull out of this passage is the comment by King Nebuchadnezzar: He sees 4 men in the fire, and one is like the Son of God. Where was God during this whole time? In the midst of the fire!!! Stand fast with God.

Question: What do you think God’s will is? Answer: Hmm, actually that is a really good question. There is no fancy review or scriptural reference today. Just a question and my answer. To me the will of God is:

• That mankind can be healed.
• That the righteous have blessing and peace.
• That the overcomer hears “Well done good and faithful”.
• …

Isn’t it funny. It is God’s will. But it is all about a species of animals. A species we call humans.

It is a shame that my second From the meeting needs to be a little negative: It is unavoidable. Today we heard that those that worship God must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The topic of Worship really made me ask: How would I instruct people to worship God? Well, obviously, in spirit and in truth. But what does that really mean? And I think the meaning is different for everyone. To me, its hard to describe, but it has something to do with Lifestyle, Attitude and Humility.

What’s the negative part then? During the second meeting we watched a documentary (it was actually something new, not just a remake for those who were wondering). The documentary promised to observe and explain certain severe weather and then, at least in theory, use this to demonstrate God’s awesome power over His creation. First warning sign: Belief in God assumed. After a brief introduction the documentary walked through lightning, tornadoes, and hurricanes, lasting approximately 40 minutes. At an elementary level the information was good, scientifically sound and well presented. All Good!

Where things went pear shaped:

1. The documentary was interspersed with “interviews” with survivors of severe weather. People struck by lightning, lived through tornadoes, etc… They didn’t add to the science; all they really did was soften people up for the conclusion. In fact it made the documentary feel more like an episode of Worlds Worst Drivers than anything else.
2. The concluding 5 minutes of the film tried to reconcile the documentary with God’s awesome power. Ignoring the lip-service time period; I seriously felt I had missed some important connection. I can’t quote literally but the line went something like this: through science we observe the great power and complexity of weather so we can see the great power God has over His creation. What???

This documentary was seriously flawed. However, in the theme of worship, they truly were seeking to show people the power of God: A God truly worthy of our worship. As we discussed above, worshipping God is an exercise for the spirit, something which must be approached truthfully, whole heartedly. Be awe struck that God can put such powerful forces in motion. But worship God through the connection you have too Him; not through the power of a storm.

Back in February a few people, myself included, were asked to try and re-word the RCI We Believe statements. However I have further developed my thinking over the last few months. And I said this last night. A church meeting today is run very similar to how they ran 500 years ago. The way we outreach is dated much more recently, but still has remained, in its basic form, unchanged for 20+ years (This is my opinion but its definitely subjective).

This is the 21st century! We need to modernise. We need change.

Most people will be familiar with the parable of the servants who were given 10, 5, and 1 talents. In Matthew 25:25-30 we read the response to the servant who was given 1 talent and buried it. I’m not trying to condemn anyone; However, I would like to draw the comparison between this servant and us. We are called to action, not inaction. We are called to preach the gospel to every creature. We are called to compel people to come into the wedding feast (i.e. a relationship with God). Are we/you really doing this? (rhetorical)

Just a little bit of food for thought while you consider the above:

• Jesus was not accepted in his own country; our overseas missions are booming.
• It is God that gives the increase.

The whole point of this post is to suggest we need to start changing things to connect better with people. The We Believe statements, generally printed on all RCI paraphernalia. I have reproduced the existing statements in this post, but you may also read them on the What We Believe page. It is probably wise to check that list for changes if you are reading this sometime in the future, they may have changed .

• in the infallibility of the Word of God
• Jesus Christ is the Son of God
• the Gospel of His death, resurrection, and directive to repent, be baptised, and receive the Holy Spirit
• we are baptised into the Body of Christ (the Church) through the Holy Spirit, with the Bible evidence of speaking in tongues
• in the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church
• in prayer for the sick and healing by the power of God
• the Bible identifies the Anglo-Saxon people with the Old Testament nation of Israel, describes modern nations, and gives signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ

These are, generally speaking, correct (except the last one: it says the wrong thing). However, in the 21st century we need a set of statements that engage people. In fact I think we really should change this into two distinct lists:

1. What we believe
2. Who we are, what we do

So that people understand both where we are coming from, and perhaps more importantly these days, what they can do with us.

Here is my reworking of the “We Believes”. I would expect that some scriptural references would be added to this eventually. However for the time being I’m really just brainstorming.

• The Bible is the inspired Word of God; it is infallible and still relevant in the 21st century.
• Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
• His Gospel offers a more abundant life to all; we are asked to repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.
• The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are alive in the Church.
• Believers will speak in tongues.
• We can pray for the sick and God will heal them.
• The Bible documents God’s plan for the Biblical Nation of Israel, and the world we live in.

I have a few notes too:

1. I originally had “offers salvation to all; we are directed”. On reflection, I feel the more “come in gentle from the bottom” approach is required. People need something tangible to their natural their lives to make them interested.
2. Would examples of the manifestations be better an this general statement? I don’t know.
3. Is “you will be healed” that too bold? Can we be accused of false advertising if the healing was not instantaneous?
4. I’m not sure how the structure of “Gods Plan” would be perceived: is it “Gods’ plan for the world we live in”; or “Bible documents the world we live in”. I want the second one, and I think the comma does that.

This is obviously an unfinished process, and a few others have suggested different changes. Really I just want to get a ball moving in changing how we do things so they are more suited to people today. NOTE: I do not want to change the message we preach.

I thought it might be nice to, each week, share thoughts that I get out of the meetings. Today one topic was Experience. In 1 Timothy 6:20-21 we read Paul encouraging Timothy to oppose ideas derived from knowledge, science in the KJV, where this knowledge is false (i.e incorrect, based on bad facts, etc…). The warning is very clear: false knowledge leads people away from the faith.

Given certain discussions, and some posts, that I have had over the last year this really made me think. Have I been arguing from false knowledge? In the end I decided the answer is: No!. Still, I feel this is a fair question, especially given some of the topics: aliens, evolution, lost tribes of Israel, tongues, etc… A few of us have truly intellectualized, or used knowledge, beyond any reasonable level. This really boils down to the question: Is it OK to question your beliefs?

The obvious answer is yes! But let’s be a little more conscientious: Paul’s exact works are “guard what has been entrusted to you”. It is only through our knowledge of the scriptures, our understanding of faith, our experience with Christ that truly equips us to perform this task.

There are obvious spiritual areas that should be addressed, however, questioning your beliefs, or more correctly, questioning your understanding of your beliefs also will certainly help build experience. Naturally this doesn’t work for everyone, and, there are other ways: John 16:13 tells us that the “spirit will lead us to all truths”. Yes. It is OK to question your beliefs. But do it looking to build your experience and understanding: to “guard what has been entrusted to you”.

Oh ooh! What am I getting myself into with this?

I have had many discussions about the role of women in The Church (i.e. Gods people, the ecclesia) and in parallel, the role of women in the RCI. This is an important issue for me: I personally believe that in the foreseeable future, given the growth of gender equality, the issue of women having an active role in a church is going to become an large and painful sticking point. Unless a suitable balance can be derived.

Firstly I would like to divide the two components of the discussion.

The Church: Is God’s chosen people. This is where the ministry should come from. It is where the benchmark of salvation and a spiritual life should be set. The Church is what we invite people into when witnessing. All decisions should be completely reliant on scripture.

The RCI: Is a subset of The Church. It is first and foremost an organisation that must function in the surrounding society: this requires a workable business model and structure. Under the RCI banner people should hear ministry of The Church, they should feel welcomed by The Church.

In the confines of The Church lets look at what women shouldn’t do. Two things: a) Teach, and b) Exercise Authority!

In simplest terms this really means in The Church women shouldn’t give talks or be pastors (or any other title which implies the person must Shepard others). The word Teach is ambiguous, as it leaves us with questions such as: Why can women teach Sunday school? Remember that in context this verse is Paul directing Timothy how The Church should be maintained. To Teach is to minister to The Church, minister spiritually. Sunday school is to help children understand The Bible, to feed their minds, it is not to feed them spiritually.

Extending this to the RCI. As an organisation women can have equal responsibility with men. As a subset of The Church, the above applies. Merging all of that together: Women can perform any task (or role) with in the RCI as long as such task is not ministering spiritually to all of The Church (i.e. from a platform) and is not Sheparding of the flock.

At this junction I should note that certain societies may impose extra restrictions. As an organisation operating in such a society the RCI must comply with these restrictions. I do not have an opinion on such restrictions, I feel a society should find what works for it.

Presently women have an incredibly limited range of roles they may fulfil. Why is it so?

The best answer to date comes from:

It may be lawful, but a decision has been made with all things considered that it is not a profitable (or expedient) use of people. Allowing women to open / close in prayer or lead choruses may also be unedifying; either for the more traditionalist thinkers or for the women who then get distressed by the restrictions on talks and pastors.

While I do not accept that these decisions should be based on what people will think: If Jesus cared what people thought where would we be? I do acknowledge that managing the operations of The Church inside the RCI is easier with less people. It isn’t a reason to exclude, but it is definitely easier.

As an organisation you can establish an internal code of how things are done. However that must obey the law of the land, and in western society that means such a code can not discriminate on gender. But, in all fairness, it does discriminate.

None of this covers the administration of the organisation.

• Money Management
• Group Activity Co-ordination
• Public Relations (Pamphlet Design / Outreach Organisation)
• etc…

Consider each item: Women could quiet easily perform any of these tasks.

My Suggestion

As change is always enacted in small steps perhaps we should move, for now, to the position that: All tasks involved in running of the RCI subset of The Church, essentially meetings / spiritual stuff, should be left with men fulfilling the role. All other tasks, basically any organisation administration, should be open to anyone who is willing and able. For big ticket events I would suggest a mixed gender team is best.

Most importantly that people keep an open mind to change as we look to the future. The Word of God gives the ecclesia great liberty; we would be crazy to impose restraints on that liberty.

As Will stated Trivia, last night, was a royal trouncing; for our team at least. While I don’t mind receiving a title allowing me access to a spoon, even if it is supplied separately, I would’ve liked the results to be a little closer. But, 21 points, was not ground that could be made.

After some procrastination I went to Sawtell for one of the 2007 RCI Easter camps. The weekend went by really, really quickly, and I had a great time. Travel and accommodation quirks included the camp was very edifying, relaxing, and a great time of fellowship and reflecting that we live our life in the Lord, that is who we are, not what we do. The theme for the camp was “Freedom”, theme scripture:

There was some great entertainment during the night meetings.

A special presentation on “God’s Universal Laws”, as part of a Coffs Harbour assembly outreach, was delivered Saturday morning. While the material was not necessarily ground breaking to those who have received of God’s promises; I felt that it was very encouraging that, from a ministry point of view, we can stand and tell people: “Our God did that”. A parallel was drawn between science, and God’s promises to mankind. Our God established laws such as Gravity and Entropy, which, in a constant frame of reference, always exist and always have the same result when applied. Our God also established promises (i.e. laws) about his relationship with mankind. Once again, these promises always exist and have the same result when applied in life.

Aside from the special presentation the ministry was top notch. While many, very encouraging, points were made these two have really stuck with me.

• We can not [easily/fully] appreciate what freedom is, unless we have experienced bondage. In reality, some people have not experienced bondage or difficulty in their lives.
• After baptism and receiving of God’s Holy Spirit, we are made Holy. It is who we are. We can not, do not, perform some task which makes us Holy. It is simply who/what we are. It is not what we do.

Photos, videos, and other stuff will probably be posted to the Brisbane assembly website or to RCI Home. The camp was great, I would strongly recommend getting to next years.

Andrew