The Great Commandment
... to love God with all that we are and have, and to love everyone else as ourself (Mark 12, verses 30-31)
A great definition of the Glory of God is the invisible qualities, character, attributes, power and majesty of God - made visible to, in and through us in such a way that we know and encounter His Presence. Such an encounter can never leave us unchanged, and leads us to worship, mission and service. We are ruined for anything else.
We are passionate about pursuing God and His Presence. We love spending time with Him in worship and encounter, and we know that one touch from the King changes everything. We believe that the Father’s heart is to encounter once more our nation (and the nations) with the power of revival through the Holy Spirit. As God revives His church, so the lost will be saved and nations impacted for good. “Send revival!” is a big prayer for us, as it is about seeing the glory of the Lord invade our land once more.
Of course, diversity is not just about race or colour. It encompasses age and stage in life as well as social standing and culture. All Nations Church is a hugely diverse family made up of people from many backgrounds. Family is the language of the New Testament church, where brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters know the adoption of our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ the Son. Praise the Lord that He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11).
Our dream is of a church so rich in diversity that worldly divisions, cultural barriers, and natural hostilities are taken down and broken under the gospel of Jesus. That’s worth showing to the world!
Our strategy for going is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and led by Him. That will result in many creative initiatives to reach those not yet saved as well as equipping each person to be active in sharing their faith wherever God gives opportunity (Philemon 6).
That includes numbers, but it’s so much more. It includes growing in love and knowledge of Father God; growing more like Jesus; growing in obedience to his Word; growing in hunger and experience of the Spirit. The overflow of this is that we will grow in love and compassion for the lost, for the poor, for the broken, and for the oppressed (Luke 4:18‑19).
From Bedford, we also have great opportunity to impact our nation as many work in our capital and other big cities. We want to shape our nation for good with the good news of Jesus.
The most effective strategy for changing communities is to establish vibrant, New Testament congregations that go and grow! Part of our vision is to be active in establishing new groups of believers across the town of Bedford, through Connect Groups, Missional Families and new sites. We are also committed to establishing new churches in the UK and overseas as God’s Spirit leads us. Mission for us is not an option – it is our calling.
To be a diverse family, going for and growing from the glory of God, in Bedford and beyond
Here's our "Statement of Faith"; it's what we, as a church, believe that God has said to be true. If you have any questions a about any of this, don't hesitate to reach out; we'd love to talk with you.