The newsletter of the New Apostolic Church Cape African

16 Pages·2015·3.3 MB·English

T h e n e w s l e t t e r o f t h e N e w A p o s t o l i c C h u r c h C a p e
African
Edition 2 July 2015
Free issue
Divine service: Chief Apostle
in Tanzania
Joy in Christ Regional news
The Chief Apostle in
Tanzania
Chief Apostle Schneider visited Tanzania from 16-19 April 2015. On
the Friday he held a service in Mbeya during which he placed
Apostles E Mwaisaka and W Mtiga of Tanzania into retirement.
Thereafter five apostles were ordained: three for Tanzania and two
for Kenya. On the Sunday he conducted a festive divine service at
Dodoma. Here he retired District Apostle S Lubasi and ordained his
successor District Apostle J Ekhuya. More than 50 000 were con-
nected via transmission.
Dear brothers and sisters, dear guests, it show how great your love is for me?” Jesus
would be wonderful if all we had to do was to produced evidence long ago that He loves us:
ask Jesus and He would fulfil our wishes. But He died for us.
He attached some conditions to this promise. Many people today would like to ask
First of all, we have to believe that He is the Jesus, “Can’t You change Your gospel? Why
Son of God who came to bring salvation and don’t You adapt it to our time.” Those who
to prepare us for eternal life. believe that He is the Son of God know that
The second condition is that we have to what He said is valid for all eternity. He will
ask in His name if we want our prayers to be not change the gospel; there is no point in
answered. They have to be prayers that Jesus asking Him to do so.
Himself could be praying. When somebody It is also pointless to ask Him to punish
came to Jesus to ask for something and He sinners. The disciples tried once. Jesus
realized that they did not have enough faith, rebuked them. Another time, the scribes and
or that He could not agree with, He refused to Pharisees brought a woman to Him “Teacher,
do what had been asked. Some Pharisees this woman was caught in adultery. . .” (John
came and said, “Teacher, we want a sign 8:4). They expected Him to punish her. Jesus
from you.” But He refused. We cannot come refused because these were not His thoughts.
to God and say, “Can you not do a miracle to He is the Saviour and wants to save the sin-
ner and not punish him.
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d i v i n e s e r v i c e
There is also no
point in asking Jesus to
bless a divided heart.
In the Sermon on the
Mount He explained
“Many will say to Me
in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied
in Your name . . .?’ And
then I will declare to
them, ‘I never knew
you’” (Matthew 7:21–23). He knew that even
though they had done great things in His
name, their heart was divided. If we have a
problem we can ask the Lord to help us. What
we cannot do is solve the problem by lying. If
we do that, we are actually asking Him to
bless our disobedience. He cannot bless a
divided heart.
One last example. When Jesus was with
Mary and Martha, Mary was
sitting at His feet. Martha
came and asked Jesus to tell “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it”.
Mary to come and help her.
And Jesus answered, “Mary John 14:14
has chosen that good part”
(Luke 10:40, 42). We cannot
bour. Then He will grant it to us. He is in
expect Jesus to attach more importance to our
heaven and intercedes for us. So if we ask for
earthly life than to eternal life. The soul will
grace with a humble, repentant, and forgiving
always be more important than the body. So it
heart He will grant it.
is useless to ask Him to shift priorities.
In another prayer, Jesus prayed for the
So what can we ask Him for? We can ask
unity of His Apostles and for all those who
Him to give us a strong faith. If we ask for
believe in Him through them. Therefore He
this, He will do it, because He prays for exact-
also prayed for us, for our unity. I would like
ly the same thing (cf. Luke 22:32). We can
that each and every one in every congregation
pray, “Lord, Your will be done.” That is not
prays sincerely for the unity in our congrega-
easy, because sometimes we have misconcep-
tion. Jesus will grant it because He is praying
tions about the will of God. We think God
for exactly the same thing.
wants us to suffer and to die. God does not
If we ask Him, “Please shorten the time
want us to suffer. God wants us to remain
and come quickly,” He will fulfil our plea,
faithful even if we have to suffer.
because He is praying for exactly the same
Praying in the name of Jesus also means
thing.
asking Him for grace. For this we have to be
(Shortened)
humble and repentant and forgive our neigh-
July 2015 African Joy 3
Joy in Christ!
Dear Brothers and Sisters around the world,
A few months of the year 2015 have already passed. They have brought
happiness and tragedy, distress and grief, joy and confidence. When I
published this motto—“Joy in Christ”—at the beginning of the year, I did
not realize how multifaceted it was.
Some may even have been thinking about earthly happiness. And who
would not be delighted about that! But there is so much more to this motto:
for example, there is the joy we feel in divine services, the joy that results
from the forgiveness of our sins, and the joy we experience in Holy
Communion. Have we not all experienced such beautiful moments of fel-
lowship, of togetherness, of encouragement, and support? I am confident
that our motto will continue to live on. It is far more than just a slogan.
Following are some thoughts concerning our motto “Joy in Christ”.
■ We can rejoice that we are part of such a beautiful fellowship of
God’s children. We are members in a congregation and are not alone on
our path of faith.
■ The Lord loves us and has died for us. Our sins are forgiven and He
calls us to His table to have fellowship with Him. In every divine service He
steps into our midst and we experience Him.
■ The Lord will return. He has promised this and will keep His promise.
Is that not what we are looking forward to most of all? He will return to
take home His bride. And we can expect His coming!
You have to admit: this is wonderful!
This is something in which we can all rejoice together Remember the
words in Psalm 103:2 “Forget not all His benefits.”
Wishing you a joyful time ahead,
Yours,
Jean-Luc Schneider
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d o c t r i n e

The Creed
In September this year, the Catechism of the New Apostolic Church in
Questions and Answers will be published in book form. community pres-
ents excerpts of some of the 750 questions and answers. In this issue we
will look at the creed and the triune God.
What is a creed? Which are the most important of the
A creed is a summary of the essential early church creeds?
content of a doctrine of faith. Such a creed The two most important early church
contains all the things which the members creeds are the
of a particular religious denomination pro- Apostolic Creed (“Apostolicum”) and the
fess. It is by way of its creed that a Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople. The basic
religious denomination distinguishes itself features of the Apostolicum were compiled
from another. in the second century and lightly supple-
mented in the fourth century. The Creed of
How did the first Christian creeds come Nicaea-Constantinople is the result of the
into being? Council of Nicaea (in the year 325 ad) and
The first Christian creeds are called the the Council of Constantinople (in the year
“early church creeds”. They came into 381 ad). The main purpose of this creed
being between the second and fourth cen- was to enshrine the profession of the trinity
turies ad. It was during this time that the of God.
doctrine of the trinity of God and the doc- A council is an assembly of senior reli-
trine of the essence of Jesus Christ, that is, gious dignitaries, who come together to
of His nature, were formulated. discuss important matters of faith.
This had become necessary because
there had been disputes about various con- What significance do the early church
tents of faith. For example, there was the creeds have for the New Apostolic Church?
opinion that Jesus Christ did not really die The doctrine of the New Apostolic
on the cross and that He did not really res- Church is based upon Holy Scripture. The
urrect. The function of the creeds was to early church creeds summarize important
distinguish the faith from these heresies. contents that are attested in Holy Scripture.
July 2015 African Joy 5
d o c t r i n e
The New Apostolic Church professes human being in the Holy Spirit, and that the
belief in the triune God, in Jesus Christ as person baptized is adopted into the fellow-
true God and true Man, in Jesus’ birth by ship of those who believe in Jesus Christ
the virgin Mary, in the sending of the Holy and profess Him as their Lord.
Spirit, in the church, the sacraments, the “I believe that Holy Communion was insti-
expectation of the return of Christ, and the tuted by the Lord Himself in memory of the
resurrection of the dead, as formulated in once brought, fully valid sacrifice, and bitter
the two early church creeds. suffering and death of Christ. The worthy
Despite the differences between the indi- partaking of Holy Communion establishes
vidual denominations, these professions our fellowship with Jesus Christ, our Lord. It
constitute a binding element among is celebrated with unleavened bread and
Christians. wine; both must be consecrated and dis-
The term “confession” can mean “creed” pensed by a minister authorized by an
or “church affiliation”. The different Apostle.
Christian denominations can also be “I believe that those baptized with water
described as different “confessions”. must, through an Apostle, receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit to attain the childhood in God
What is the text of the New Apostolic and thereby the prerequisite for becoming a
Creed? firstling.
“I believe in God, the Father, the “I believe that the Lord Jesus will return
Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth. as surely as He ascended into heaven and
“I believe in Jesus Christ, the only begot- that He will take to Himself the firstfruits of
ten Son of God, our Lord, who was the dead and living who have hoped for and
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the vir- were prepared for His coming; that after the
gin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was marriage in heaven He will return to earth
crucified, died, and was buried, entered the with them to establish His kingdom of
realm of the dead, rose again from the dead peace, and that they will reign with Him as a
on the third day, and ascended into heaven. royal priesthood. After the conclusion of the
He is seated at the right hand of God, the kingdom of peace, He will hold the Last
Father Almighty, from where He will return. Judgement. Then God will create a new
“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the one, holy, heaven and a new earth and dwell with His
universal, and apostolic church, the commu- people.
nity of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the “I believe that I am obliged to obey the
resurrection of the dead, and life everlast- worldly authorities provided no godly laws
ing. are thereby transgressed.”
“I believe that the Lord Jesus rules His
church and thereto sent His Apostles, and What is the significance of the New
until His return still sends them, with the Apostolic Creed?
commission to teach, to forgive sins in His In ten Articles of Faith, the New Apostolic
name, and to baptize with water and Holy Creed brings the doctrine of the New
Spirit. Apostolic Church to binding expression. It
“I believe that those designated by God also has the function of defining the attitude
for a ministry are ordained only by Apostles, of faith of New Apostolic Christians.
and that authority, blessing, and sanctifica- Beyond that, the creed serves to make
tion for their ministration come forth out of other people familiar with the most impor-
the Apostle ministry. tant elements of the New Apostolic faith.
“I believe that the Holy Baptism with
water is the first step to a renewal of a
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d o c t r i n e
The Triune God
The Catechism of the New Apostolic Church in Questions and Answers
has been designed with a didactic and methodological approach in mind.
By way of 750 questions and answers, readers are taken by the hand, so
to speak, and led from statement to statement in a manner that is easily
understandable.
Who is the triune God? Redeemer who became human and gave
God is a spiritual, perfect, and complete- His life as a sacrifice for the redemption of
ly independent being. He is eternal, without mankind. God, the Holy Spirit, is the Maker
beginning and without end. The one God is of the new creation: He sees to it that the
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. salvation of God is made accessible to
When we talk about “the Father, the Son, mankind and that the new creation comes
and the Holy Spirit”, we are not referring to to its completion.
three different gods, but rather three per- What does the term “Father” mean when
sons who are the one God. it is used in relationship to God?
When the term “Father” is used in rela-
What characteristics of God do we tionship to God, it is associated with divine
know? aspects of creatorship, authority, and lov-
Human beings are incapable of fully ing care. God is the source and sustainer of
describing God. However, we know some that which He has created. In this respect,
of God’s characteristics: He is the One God all human beings are able to address God,
(the only God), the Holy One, The Almighty, who is their Creator, as “Father”.
the Eternal, the Loving One, the Gracious
One, the Righteous One, and the Perfect What does the creation tell us about
One. God?
The creation and the laws by which it
What is the relationship of the Father, functions bear witness to God’s wisdom,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit to one another? the magnitude of which cannot even be
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are names imagined by man. In admiration the
for the three divine persons. Although they psalmist exclaims, “The heavens declare
are to be distinguished from one another, the glory of God; and the firmament shows
they are nevertheless the one God. In His handiwork” (Psalm 19: 1).
Christian tradition, each of the three divine
persons is assigned a particular point of
emphasis: God, the Father, is the Creator of Continue on page 10
heaven and earth. God, the Son, is the
July 2015 African Joy 7
GOD PROVIDES WATER IN THE DESERT
(EXODUS 17:1–7)
God had freed His people from The Israelites were complaining
captivity in Egypt. The Israelites because they had nothing to eat.
had been wandering through the So every evening God provided
desert for a considerable time. them with quails and every morn-
They had not yet reached the ing He provided manna that they
Promised Land. were able to find around the
camp. They carried on walking and
then they ran out of water.
The people were very thirsty.
They thought they were going to
die of thirst.
Again they complained to Moses.
“Give us water. Why did you take
us away from Egypt if we, our
children, and our animals are just
8 African Joy July 2015
s u n d a y s c h o o l c o r n e r
going to die here in the desert?” the rock. Strike the rock and
Moses asked them, “Why are you water will come out of it for the
so angry? Why do you not trust people to drink as much as they
God? He cares for you.” want.”
The Israelites were not pacified, And that is what happened.
however. They became more and
more angry.
Moses called out to God, “What
am I going to do with these peo-
ple? It wont be long before they
’
start stoning me.”
God answered, “Gather together
all the elders of the tribes, take
your staff with which you struck
the River Nile and walk ahead of
the people. Go to the rock at
Horeb. I will stand before you on
Wihs el ons itt, sGeoedm ws itl lh haet l pa.l l
July 2015 African Joy 9
d o c t r i n e
In what span of time did God create the also revealed in that He allows angels to
world? serve human beings. From Matthew 18: 10
God created the world in six “days of we may even conclude that children have
creation”. The term “day of creation” special angel protection.
refers to a period of time whose duration is “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy
not precisely specified. A “day” in the cre- angels, which present the prayers of the
ation of God is not to be equated with a day saints, and which go in and out before the
according to our reckoning of time. Genesis glory of the Holy One. … For not of any
2: 2 states, “And on the seventh day God favour of mine, but by the will of our God I
ended His work which He had done, and came; wherefore praise him for ever”
He rested on the seventh day from all His (Tobit 12: 15, 18).
works which He had done.” “Take heed that you do not despise one
of these little ones, for I say to you that in
“… that with the Lord one day is as a heaven their angels always see the face of
thousand years, and a thousand years as My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:
one day” (2 Peter 3: 8). 10).
“For a thousand years in Your sight are
like yesterday when it is past” (Psalm 90: Should angels be worshipped?
4). No, because angels only act in accor-
dance with the will of God. For this reason
Does the creation of God only consist of it is not to them, but to God alone, that
that which human beings can grasp with thanks and worship are due.
their senses?
No. There is also an invisible creation of Angels are “all ministering spirits sent
God. Its mysteries elude human inquiry— forth to minister for those who will inherit
like God Himself. Holy Scripture salvation” (Hebrews 1: 14).
nevertheless contains references to
realms, occurrences, conditions, and Why should human beings concern
beings outside of the material creation. themselves with the invisible?
Man is an entity consisting of spirit, soul,
Is the Devil part of the invisible creation? and body (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5: 23). The
The Devil was originally one of the body is mortal and thus belongs to the visi-
angels. As such he is part of the invisible ble creation of God. Soul and spirit thus
creation. This angel rebelled against God belong to the invisible creation of God.
and was cast out of heaven and the fellow- Because soul and spirit continue to exist
ship of God with his followers owing to his even after physical death, it is important to
disobedience, envy, and lies. concern oneself with the invisible.
The attitude which a person adopts
“For … God did not spare the angels toward God during earthly life will have
who sinned, but cast them down to hell” (2 consequences for his existence in the
Peter 2: 4). beyond. This insight can help him resist the
“And the angels who did not keep their temptations of the Devil and lead a life that
proper domain, but left their own abode, He is pleasing to God.
has reserved in everlasting chains under The significance of the invisible is clari-
darkness for the judgement of the great fied by Apostle Paul, “For our light
day” (Jude 6). affliction, which is but for a moment, is
working for us a far more exceeding and
What is the task of the angels? eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:
It is the task of the angels to worship 17–18). Occupying themselves with the
God, fulfil His commissions, and thereby invisible therefore helps human beings
serve Him. God’s love for human beings is process that which they experience.
10 African Joy July 2015