'The Spirit of God is working in hearts and minds and transforming people'
Hillfields Church in Bristol has continued to see baptisms and salvations throughout 2023 and into 2024 - lead pastor Rich Rycroft explains more
More than a year ago I shared our story and at that moment I had no idea what was about to happen.
The story of the past year begins with one young man called Callum, late on Sunday 5 March. We received a prayer request from a girl who is in our church and was baptised a year previously on our church messenger chat group. She asked for the church to pray for a friend who had gone missing, and she was worried about him.
The church prayed.
Later that night a message came through to say he’d been found safe and that he was going to come to the men’s gathering on Monday night with the girl’s dad. That lad was Callum: he came along; we prayed with him, and we found out that he had a belief in God but not a relationship with Jesus. We invited him to come Sunday.
That Sunday he came along and when an invite went out to give your life to Jesus, he responded. What an incredible joy it is to see one sinner repent and call on the name of Jesus. Callum was suicidal and felt lost, but not anymore.
At the time of writing, Callum was the first of more than 200 salvations we have seen in the church, in just over 13 months. 200 lives who have heard the gospel and responded with Yes to Jesus’ and His awesome gift of salvation.
The following week Callum invited his brother Kye and he too responded to the gospel and gave his life to Jesus. We found out later that Callum and Kye had not spoken in a very long time, but Callum being transformed and knowing his brother was struggling with drugs and depression invited him to come and know the Jesus he had just been introduced to.
As we got to know these boys, we found out about them having an abusive father and a lot of neglect was suffered, including homelessness, so it may shock you to hear that 11 months later (this February) both boys got to baptise their father, Callum publicly forgiving his dad before his baptism.
This is just a small example of the work the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of people.
We are discipling and encouraging, and we are available for questions, but what we are seeing through people inviting Jesus into their lives and making public declarations to be baptised is a supernatural transaction taking place. The Holy Spirit moves into their lives, and they are transformed and changed. The Spirit of God is working in hearts and minds and transforming people, helping them to give up alcohol, drugs, relationships that are not honouring God's Word and helping them to forgive people who have harmed them.
Earlier this week at a prayer meeting someone said to me they have known about Jesus and gone to church for two years, but have never known him until the last couple months since their baptism. Now God is everything to them and in their thoughts everyday, now they cannot do life without Him fully in their life.
To hear that is overwhelming, because surely our goals as Pastors to lead people to become 100 per cent dependent on God and for Him to be their everything?
In the past year we have seen whole households saved and baptised, we have seen unsaved husbands start coming to church and giving their lives to Jesus, we have seen prodigals who had walked away from Jesus coming home to Him and even people who were part of our youth group 20 years ago (when I was a youth worker) coming to church and giving their lives to Jesus.
We have seen gang leaders renounce their old lifestyles and leave the gangs, we have seen a lady in her 80s giving her life to Jesus and getting baptised by her sons, and children having visions and dreams of Jesus that has led to them knowing they have to get baptised the next day.
At the time of writing I have just got home from church on a Wednesday evening having witnessed another baptism, the 100th we have witnessed in just over one year. We have now seen 166 baptisms since lockdown.
Our previous article explains the foundations that have been laid to make space for God to move like He is. I believe what we are seeing right now in 2024 is an increase in the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon people, that they are seeking to change, they are seeking to turn away from their lifestyles and have a desire to get to church and get baptised.
This year it has become normal practice to get messages from people saying they do not want to live the way they are living that they need change and that they want to live a life for God. This excites me because we have a heart to see revival and when people are turning to God and seeking to change without the aid of the church that is exciting to witness.
I am not sure what God is going to do in 2024 in our church but I believe God is moving upon our nation and we are seeing more and more people seeking the Truth, and if we as churches are available with the Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and our doors are open and our pools filled, God will send them in.
It is so important that everything that you see and read about our church is because of the Power of God. We can do preparation, we can be available and we can step out or step into things, but without the power of the Holy Spirit moving the church is powerless. Nobody can take glory for what God is doing because it is too perfect a plan to have any person or churches name assigned to it.
Our hope is many more churches will experience what we are and more and more lives will turn to Jesus in our nation. We praise God for all He is doing and we cry out for revival in our churches and communities across our nation: we desperately need you to move Lord across our nation.
If anyone has questions or wants to know more do not hesitate to connect.
Baptist Times, 03/04/2024