About us

01

Our history

Spirit and Truth Church has a wonderful beginning of its own. Our church’s history is unique in that God, having set in motion the idea of the church coming into being, controlled every event connected with its beginning down to the smallest detail.

Although God is the founder of this church and Jesus is the head of the church, the vessel He used to establish it is Pastor Rufus Ajiboye, who was born in Nigeria.

Here is what Pastor Rufus himself says about the history of Spirit and Truth Church:

About two years before God brought my family and me to Latvia, He gave me the name for the church and planted in my heart the idea that a time would come when I would start a church in Latvia. At that point we had not the slightest wish to move to Latvia to live there permanently, let alone to start a church there. Besides, we had a wonderful church in Minsk, in the Republic of Belarus. That is why at first I thought that God wanted to change the name of the Family of God church, where I was pastor at the time, to “Spirit and Truth”. I even began to discuss this question with some of the church’s senior leaders.

Soon after that God allowed my wife and me to be refused visas to stay on and minister in Belarus, so we were forced to go to Latvia.

After we arrived in Latvia, God helped me settle into a good, well-paid job, and alongside the job I helped a local church in the town where we lived, and I wrote books.

All the time I was working in this wonderful job I had no peace in my heart; instead there was a constant sense of dissatisfaction.

When he learned of this, a good friend and teacher of mine, Pastor Sunday Adelaja, invited me to come and serve with him, suspecting that I was not in the right place.

My family and I moved to Kyiv, where for a short time I served as dean of the “Joshua” Missionary Bible Institute, which was attached to the “Word of Faith” church, now the “Embassy of God”.

All this time we still had no clear understanding of whether we were in God’s will or not. When in the end we had to settle the question of living in Ukraine permanently, and that required my wife to give up her citizenship, we decided to seek God’s will carefully before taking this step, and so we returned to Latvia again.

For seven days I shut myself in a room to find out from God what He really wanted and what His will was for the rest of our lives. It was during this time of seclusion that I clearly understood that I had to stay in Latvia and start a church here. Before I shut myself away in the room, I asked a few people to pray for me so that I could understand the next step for my life and ministry. One of them was a minister I greatly respect, Apostle Ulysses Tuff, whose spiritual oversight I was under. Amazingly, three days after my time of seclusion I received a letter from him in which he said the following:

“It is not God’s will for you to stay in Ukraine; go to Latvia and begin the ministry God is calling you to.”

After prayer and fasting, this letter became a confirmation to me that it was God’s will for us to stay in Latvia. Had I received this letter before my time of seclusion, it would have confused me, but praise God that He did not allow that. That is how we came to Latvia and began our ministry in the land blessed by God, Latvia!

I was surprised to learn later that all this time a small group of believers living in and around Lielvārde had been praying to God for a pastor. Some of them had received a revelation that I would be that person, but when we left for Ukraine they thought they had been mistaken. When we finally came back, they were very glad, and the hope awoke in them again that God was giving them a pastor. As I learned afterwards, they did not believe that I could stay in such a small town after ministering in big cities. Yet God directed me to Lielvārde. At first I thought we would start the church in Ogre, but later I understood that the Ogre district would be our Jerusalem, from where we would move further out.

After I understood that we were called to start the church in Lielvārde, I received offers to take over two different churches, with their own buildings, in two large Latvian cities; however, I knew that I had to be where God wanted to see me. One of the offers was very tempting for me, because besides the church building I was offered a four-room flat and a car, at a time when we had neither a car of our own nor a place to live.

Today we are happy that we stayed in God’s will.

Besides the revelation of where to start the church, I asked God various questions about starting the church and our ministry in Latvia. Here are some of these questions:

• What are the purpose and tasks of the new church?
• What are the particular features of the place where we are starting the church?
• What must I do, and how, to fulfil my mission?
• To which categories of people is God sending us?

After further prayer and careful study of the Holy Scriptures, I received answers to these questions. God showed me:

• The purpose of our church.
• The particular features of this area.
• The categories of people God is sending us to.
• How our mission will be fulfilled.

The particular features of the area.

God revealed to me in three ways the particular features of the local area He was sending me to:

• Once, while I was praying, I heard these words: “The city that devours the strong.” Later I learned that at one time there had been a powerful revival in Lielvārde and the whole Ogre district, and there were very many believers here who burned for God, but most of them (especially strong leaders) either fell away or grew cold. These were demonic attacks, not chance. Satan drowned all the strong ones to put out the fire of revival that had been kindled, but God will turn this situation around and give us the most powerful revival.
• The second way God spoke to me was through the Holy Scriptures. He gave me three key passages of Scripture that described the spiritual atmosphere of this area.

“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.”

(1 Sam. 22:1-2)

Through this passage God showed me that He would draw to us people who have already been battered by life. They are oppressed people, embittered, disappointed, rejected, who are confused and live in debt. God wants to gather them and turn them into a mighty army, like David’s four hundred mighty men.

• Isa. 49:5-10: here we can see falling away, scattering, emptiness and hunger.

All of this is meant in the spiritual sense. Through this passage God showed me that He wants to gather to Himself the sheep that have fallen away and been scattered, and to feed the hungry and thirsty souls, so that He can then spread His salvation through them.

“And now the LORD says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and My God shall be My strength), indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: ‘Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; that You may say to the prisoners, “Go forth,” to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.” They shall feed along the roads, and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. They shall neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; for He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them.’”

(Isa. 49:5-10)

• Ps. 107:35-38: the desert and the parched land.

Through this passage God showed me that He wants to turn the desert into a lake and dry, parched land into a spring of water.

“He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into watersprings. There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, and sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; and He does not let their cattle decrease.”

(Ps. 107:35-38)

• The third way God spoke to me was through another minister. Before the church was started, while we were praying with Apostle Ulysses Tuff, whose spiritual oversight I am under, he suddenly saw a vision: a vast, dry desert. In the middle of this desert he saw a small, withered flower. Suddenly after that he saw a tree rising out of the water, and the water began to move like a river, and the tree moved along with the water in the river. After prayer God gave him the interpretation and meaning of the vision. And he explained: “The place where you are going is like a desert where there is no life, and you are like a tree that the Lord raises up to bear fruit, while the water is the Word of God and the wisdom that will come out of your mouth. Life will come to this desert through the Word of God that you will proclaim and through the wisdom that will come out of your mouth.” And here are two passages of Scripture that the Holy Spirit gave as confirmation of this vision:

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

(Ps. 1:3)

“Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.”

(Prov. 3:16-18)

Who are we aiming at? (Which people do we want to reach?)

What kind of people are we sent to?

You will have noticed that, according to 1 Sam. 22:1, 2; Isa. 49:5-10; Luke 19:10 and Mark 16:15, we are sent to the following categories of people:

• To people who are embittered, disappointed, offended, broken by life. God wants to turn them into an army of salvation. God wants to set them free from bitterness, debts and offence, draw them close to Himself, and change them into strong personalities who will be able to save others too.
• To scattered backsliders and to the religious. (Isa. 49:5) God wants to gather the scattered to Himself, bring back the backsliders and open the eyes of the religious, and make them a light, so that through them God’s salvation reaches to the ends of the earth.
• To unbelieving neighbours, classmates, co-workers, clients, bosses and so on.

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”

(Mark 16:15)

Each of these points is explained in more detail in the church membership booklet, which is available to everyone who has decided to attend our church membership seminar.

The church began with a small group of people who at first met in a flat to pray for the coming ministry. At the very first meeting the husband of one of the sisters repented, and to this day he keeps growing in God and serves God with his whole family. It was a time of joy, but at the same time also a time of trials, because there was no shortage of ill-wishers.

There were more and more people, but finding a place for the meetings was very difficult. Twice we met in a flat, and after that this door closed. Then twice we met in a hairdresser’s, and once we also met on the Daugava riverbank, because there was nowhere to gather: when we arrived for our meeting, the owner of the premises, without warning us beforehand, had simply decided not to let us in any more.

For a whole year we met in a bathhouse, and after that on a fur farm. Today all of that is just history, because in only these two years God has given us our own building, where we still meet and which we are still fitting out.

Time has proved that Spirit and Truth Church is born of God and is not a human invention or the product of human fantasies and ambitions. A church born of God overcomes the world, surmounts every obstacle in its path and, little by little, enters its divine destiny.

Here is what the first church members and eyewitnesses remember about the church’s beginning:

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02

What do we believe?

Below are the foundations of our doctrine. This is what we teach about God, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit, about the Bible, about man, about salvation, about the Trinity and about eternity.

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03

Our mission and goals

The church is a people called and set apart by God to serve Him. Besides salvation, what unites us in one big family, “Spirit and Truth”, is a divine mission to which every member of our church has devoted themselves. Thanks to the clarity of our purpose, we can all concentrate on one common cause and work together.

Our mission

To bring healing and restoration to society by leading people to God, helping them become disciples of Christ and sending them to serve in the world as agents of change.

Our mission is based on the following passages of Scripture:

“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘LORD, who has believed our report?’ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God…”

(Rom. 10:13-17)

Our mission in short:

Winning souls. Discipleship. Ministry.

Our goals

Why do we want to lead people to God?

Why are many Christians afraid to witness?

There are two types of believers:

• Those who talk about the unsaved.
• Those who talk to the unsaved.

Put away your excuses. God has clearly commanded us to evangelise and has shown us how to do it. If you want to experience the tremendous joy that many believers are already experiencing, you will have to push aside all the excuses that keep you from witnessing to others about Jesus. You will have to learn to walk in obedience and to practise the Great Commission. This will not only affect the lives of your loved ones, but will also help you yourself develop a deeper relationship with God than ever before. After all, God has promised to be with you.

“So He said, ‘I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.’”

(Exod. 3:12)

You will yet see what God can do with an ordinary person like you, who is obedient to God in sharing their faith with others.

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04

Our core values

Values are the core convictions and priorities, taken from the Holy Scriptures, that determine how we act and how we reach our goals. They are not doctrines, but our doctrines shape our values. Values set the distinctive ways in which people in the church do their work and, at the same time, relate to one another. They are the essential principles that guide us in our Christian walk. A value is a filter for the mind and decides how we use our time and resources. It is not our circumstances or wishes that should decide how we spend our resources and our time, but our values. Our values are everything we stand for, the things on which we make no compromise.

Why is a clear statement of values important?

It is very important to define certain values for ourselves and for the church, because our actions usually flow from the values we really hold. As a rule, our actions are determined by our values, and not simply by what we say or write.

Conflicts often arise and plans fail because values were not defined and clarified at the start of a relationship.

Values are the foundation of our statement of purpose and of the direction of the church’s ministry.

Very often many people want to achieve a certain result in ministry, but forget that this result rests on certain values.

For example, a revelation about the importance of home groups will not bring success unless it rests on convictions and values such as:

1. Spiritual growth happens better in small groups;
2. God places a high value on people;
3. Intimacy with God is the source of strength, and so on.

This is exactly what Jesus meant when He said that new wine is poured into new wineskins.

New revelations held with old values can stand in the way of results. For the revelations on this website to have a real effect on you, it is important to get to know the values they are based on.

The values of Spirit and Truth Church and the principles (actions) that follow from them

Many principles and actions follow from our statement of values. By linking specific behaviour to our values, we will be able to help everyone in the church understand and clarify for themselves what we expect.

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05

Our structure

In this section we would like to introduce you to how we are organised and how any church member can take part in the life of the church.

The question of structure is a question of our church’s organisation and order, so that we can effectively achieve our mission and goal.

The Bible says that God is a God of order:

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace.”

(1 Cor. 14:33)

Paul says that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth, where everyone needs to know how to conduct themselves.

“…but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

(1 Tim. 3:15)

• Since the church, by its nature and essence, is a community and a family in which there must be room for interaction, for unity around one common goal and for building strong relationships, the whole church is divided into small groups and ministry teams.
• Since the church is the body of Jesus Christ, which functions like any organism, each of its members does what God has gifted them to do and uses their talents, abilities, knowledge, experience and spiritual gifts for it. We do not appoint people to ministry, but encourage everyone to discover and use their gifts in serving God. The reason for this is as follows: we are not interested only in getting tasks done, but above all in the development of the person and in their fulfilment as they carry out their work of ministry.

“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…”

(Rom. 12:4-6a)

• We believe that every church member is a minister and carries out specific, defined functions for building up the church. That is why the church can have as many ministers as it has members.
• Any church member can start a new ministry. All it takes is to see a problem to which you can offer yourself as a solution, thanks to your knowledge, talent, experience or spiritual gifts.
• Since the church is a flock, it needs a pastor’s care.

“He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’

He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.’”

(John 21:16-17)

• The pastor is the head of the local church, and his role is to feed, lead and protect the flock.
• The pastor leads the church together with a team of leaders who share with him the care of the flock.
• The pastor and his team train the church members for ministry, but it is the church members who are the ministers.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…”

(Eph. 4:11-12)

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06

Why should I become a church member?

There are a number of benefits that belonging to a church gives us:

1. It gives us a spiritual family for support, fellowship and encouragement in our walk with Jesus.
2. It places us under the spiritual protection of God’s leaders through their prayers.
3. It gives you the opportunity to discover and develop your spiritual gifts and talents in ministry.
4. It gives you the opportunity to be accountable, which in turn is very important for your spiritual growth.

Why attend church, and what benefits does it bring?

“It’s my only day off” “too many hypocrites” “that’s when my favourite team plays” “I’m bored at church” “I’m not interested” “they only talk about money” “I always leave church feeling guilty” “I’ve already had enough bad experiences with churches”

Do sayings like these sound familiar? Perhaps you have thought some of them yourself, or members of your family have said something like them to you. Here are some important reasons that answer the question “Why should I come to church?”

1. Worship helps you focus on God and prepares you both emotionally and spiritually for the events of the coming week.
2. Fellowship gives you support and encouragement from other believers.
3. Discipleship and other ministries in the church help you strengthen your faith by teaching you the truth of God’s Word and how to apply biblical principles in life.
4. Evangelism helps you fulfil your life’s mission: bringing your friends and family members to Jesus Christ.
5. It is a biblical requirement. Heb. 10:25 “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
6. It can protect you from falling away. Although there is no guarantee of this, people tend to stay faithful when they keep in contact with the faithful in the church and from the church.
7. It gives spiritual support and encouragement. Acts 2:42 shows the life of the early church and why God blessed them. “…and they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Everything listed in this passage was a shared activity.
8. It helps you obey the Great Commandment. Mark 12:30 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” How can you love God if you do not obey Him and do not want to be with those He loves?
9. It makes you like Jesus. Luke 4:16 says this: “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” If anyone had a reason not to go to church, it was Jesus! And yet in the life of Jesus we see the habit of attending public places of worship.
10. It shows your support for the work of the Kingdom. Matt. 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” The place you attend shows your agreement with and support for that place, and the church must be your first priority, provided that the Kingdom of God is the first priority in your life.
11. It gives you the opportunity to hear sermons from God’s Word. In 2 Tim. 4:2 the Apostle Paul commanded the young pastor Timothy to preach the Word. This means that God wants the Word of God to be heard, since he commanded it to be preached.
12. It helps you identify with the body of Jesus Christ and experience God together with His people. 1 Cor. 12 and 14 show how important each believer is when they use their spiritual gifts. These gifts are given to build up and instruct the body of Jesus Christ, that is, the church. How can this happen if you do not go where the body gathers?
13. It is a sign of eternal life. Attending church does not guarantee that you have eternal life, but love for the brethren is a clear sign of eternal life: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” (1 John 3:14). How can you love God’s children and show them love if you do not see them and are not with them?

What are the responsibilities of a member of Spirit and Truth Church?

How can I become a church member?

If you have not yet repented of your sins, the first thing to do is:

1. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord and Saviour through true repentance. You can do this by responding to the call to repentance at any of our services.
2. After repentance you will need to be baptised and attend the church membership seminar, where you can get to know our values, doctrine, strategy and the responsibilities of a church member more deeply.
3. If you feel that Spirit and Truth Church is your spiritual family, you simply need to let us know, and you will become a church member.
4. If you are a believer who has received water baptism by full immersion and who was previously a member of another church, but you want to move to our church, we will accept you as a church member only after you receive your pastor’s blessing or consent. If needed, our office can help you arrange this process with your former church.
5. If you are a believer who has fallen away from God, you simply need to come forward during the call to repentance and devote your life to God anew, or do it right where you are.

In any case, church membership is open to a believer born again from above (a trustworthy believer) who has been baptised by full immersion in water, has attended the church membership seminar and has signed the church membership commitment.

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