Royal Charter Thoughts

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Heaven’s Royal Charter

So, I had just spent a couple of hours with my friend and spiritual dad, David Shearman, as I often do. We had been sitting in his study at home having coffee. He asked me how we were getting on at New Springs in finding our own building facility. Before I spoke I had no doubt he could see a picture of shear frustration painted right across my face. “Not very well,” I said, “it looks like the industrial unit we have pinned our hopes on for the last seven months or so has fallen through and sadly we are back at square one.” My exasperation was difficult to disguise. “However,” I continued, “we are still believing that in God’s timing the right place will turn up.”

“We’ve got to press in with prayer on this one,” David responded agreeing with me that God would have His way. “It’s gone on too long,” he said “come on, let’s bring it to the Lord.” I bowed my head as he started to pray about our building situation, or more to the point ‘our lack of a building situation!’ But there was one particular phrase he prayed that really grabbed my attention.  I must confess – from there on in, I can’t remember another word he prayed. That one particular phrase whizzed around my mind like a ball in a pinball machine. I just couldn’t shake it! It simply wouldn’t go away! It was as if the Holy Spirit was determined to hammer home the point. There was something almost prophetic about the phrase that came out of David’s mouth! As he prayed about a building for New Springs – this is what I heard him say to God. It went something like, “Lord, whatever the barrier is that is halting this building – please remove it!” Then he prayed, “ Lord, this man is operating under a Royal Charter and because of this – the provision of a building has to come forth….!”

It was this phrase, a Royal Charter that kept reverberating in my heart for the next several days. I knew I needed to research it some more. I’m glad I did, for there is something prophetic about it and this is what I discovered.

A Royal Charter is a formal document issued by a monarch, granting a right or power to an individual or corporate body. They were, and still are, used to found and establish significant organisations and places such as Cities, Universities, Royal Hospitals, Charities and Professional Bodies etc.

Originating in a time when the Monarchy was the usual form of authority, the term “Royal Charter” was common, implying that the right to conduct particular affairs or own a piece of land was given and sanctioned by the reigning monarch.

Charters continue to be issued by the British Crown today, a recent example being the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity which received its charter on 7 April 2011.

A Royal Charter is always required for a British town to be raised to the status of City – that is localities with recognised legal rights and privileges.

A Royal Charter is not necessarily given to enable an organisation to operate, rather as recognition of “pre-eminence, stability and permanence.” This is why Royal Charters should be distinguished from Royal Warrants and Letters of Appointment, as they have perpetual effect. There is a permanency about a Royal Charter.

So in short, a Royal Charter is –

  • when a Sovereign/Monarch calls for something to be established or set up
  • when a Sovereign  gives the legal right along with certain powers and privileges to an individual or Corporate body
  • when a Sovereign makes provision for something to happen or to be instigated
  • when a Sovereign endorses something or prepares the way with a seal of approval. A Charter is always ratified by the attachment of the Sovereign’s Seal which is a validation of Roy
    al Authority.

Both in the case of charities and professional bodies, incorporation should always be in the public interest.

So what of Divine or Heavenly Royal Charters?   

In the initial few chapters of the first book of Kings we find King David, now an old man and about to die, with his dream still unfulfilled. His greatest desire was to build a temple where the living God could dwell and be worshipped by His people. Some years before God had told David that it wouldn’t be him who would build the Temple but it would be his son Solomon.

King David does die and Solomon his lad is crowned as the new King. It took 4 years for him to establish his reign and then he started to build the temple.

God had given him a Royal Charter (see 1 Kings 5 vs 4 and 5).  You could say the King of all Glory had personally called him to build and establish a temple. You could say he had received a Royal Endorsement from heaven, a Divine Validation, a Godly Seal of Approval! This literally meant he had the backing and authority from heaven. Not only this, God had made provision for building this amazing God commissioned Cathedral. He put it in the heart of another King from Tyre to provide all the quarry stone, the timber, the transport and a major part of the workforce. Now that’s what you call a mandate from heaven. That’s what you call a Divine Royal Charter!

The King of all Glory had commissioned it and because of this absolutely nothing on earth could prevent it from coming into being.

When my friend David Shearman prayed with me about our building situation at New Springs, when he made the statement that I was operating under a Royal Charter from heaven – I just knew this was from God. The more I pondered on this, the more I knew there was something absolutely prophetic about it.

The fascinating and interesting thing was, just days after this, God literally turned everything on its head where our building situation was concerned. The industrial unit on Belton Road West that we were told we had definitely lost suddenly all became available to us again. Suddenly, and it was suddenly, the owner decided he wanted us to have the building and he wanted to strike a deal. It was a wonderful moment – I can tell you. It was a God moment!

Over three decades ago God gave Helen and I a commission to build a Centre of Excellence in our lifetime which was to be known as Gospel City. A place where we could minister to people and help to meet the Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Emotional and Social needs of society. A Centre of Excellence where we could minister to the whole person with the whole gospel. This is indeed the mandate God gave me all those years ago, this is our Royal Charter from heaven!!

We can honestly say from that time we have earnestly prayed and believed God’s promise that He would fulfil His word to us. We have been relentless in our pursuit. This is exactly why we continue to relentlessly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why we are passionate about being and making authentic followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is exactly why we are determined to keep pressing ahead and reaching out with our many social action projects and ministries. This is why we refuse to quit or deviate from the vision even though the road is rough and steep at times. The truth is, we are all operating under a Royal Charter from the King of Glory. And this is exactly why we have decided to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus – for it is He who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is He who is faithful and who will bring it to pass!!!

This new building on Belton Road West is simply a part of the Royal Charter over us. It’s exciting and although there are many, many hurdles to jump like gaining planning permission and raising a huge amount of money etc., we believe God will prove Himself faithful. It’s the next big step in our amazing adventure with God. And I have no doubt whatsoever that as we join together in fervent prayer and as each one of us play our part in God – then we are going to take possession and enter in to another part of our promised land – HALLELUJAH, LET FAITH ARISE, LET GOD BE PRAISED AND LET HIS ENEMIES BE SCATTERED!

So until next time – keep believing and remain faithful.