THE NEW APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN

MESSAGE: FAITH AND PROFESSING OUR FAITH BELONG TOGETHER.

 

Ø Professing our faith is more than just saying that we have faith; it’s more of what we do with regards to the will of God. We profess our faith by aligning our deeds, our day to day nature and thoughts to the will of God our heavenly father.

Ø Ask yourself the following question: how do people know that you are New Apostolic? An answer that may arise is maybe by the way we dress or maybe the way we sing. But it must be more than that, people must see the profession of our faith as New Apostolic Christians, this must be evident in our disposition and our love for one another.

 

OUR CREED

Ø In the ten articles of faith, the New Apostolic creed brings the doctrine of the New Apostolic Church to binding expression. It also has the function of defining the attitude of faith of New Apostolic Christians. Beyond that, the creed serves to make other people familiar with the most important elements of our faith.

Ø It is important to know what your faith entails; this creates in us a willingness to profess our faith.

 

PROFESSING OUR FAITH TO OTHERS

Ø Sometimes we meet with rejection when we profess our faith. What is important in such cases?

·       Self-confidence, and conviction

·       Trust in God

·       Love for God’s work

·       The courage of our convictions

·       The preparedness to occasionally be misjudged or made fun of

 

Ø Openly professing our faith is not always an easy task, because faith is a very personal matter. On the other hand, very few people know anything about Christian faith at all anymore and react to it with incomprehension. How difficult it is to talk about one’s faith is demonstrated by the example of Peter who denied the Lord Jesus in a difficult situation. Matthew 26:33-35 and 69-75.

 

PROFESSING OUR FAITH IN WORD AND DEED!

Ø If we profess our faith salvation is guaranteed. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will confess before My Father who is in heaven” Matthew 10:32

Ø We often tell ourselves something like, “Once won’t do any harm”, whenever faced with temptation. But it is important to remember:

·       Only when we live in a manner befitting to our faith do we truly profess our faith. We want to become like Jesus. We want to have the same approach as Apostle Paul. He said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” Romans 1:16.

 

I TELLOTHERS ABOUT MY FAITH

Ø Every Christian should profess Jesus Christ. We New Apostolic Christians should also tell other people about the belief that Jesus Christ will return and that the Apostles of today prepare us for this event. It is an important task of every New Apostolic Christian to testify of this!

Ø Let us find ways to talk about our faith and make use of the opportunities that present themselves.

Ø Personally professing our faith means:

·       We declare our belief in Jesus Christ, His death, His resurrection, and His return, and we also want to testify of it to people who know nothing about it.

Ø We declare our belief in Jesus Christ by practicing Christian love, which is by trying to help the weak and the oppressed.

 

Jesus Christ has given every Christian the mission to bear witness to the gospel in word and deed.

 

WITH WHAT ATTITUDE SHOULD HUMAN BEINGS OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD?

Ø Those who recognize God in faith as the Almighty, Omniscient, and loving One will inquire into His will, and will endeavor to align the thoughts and actions with the will of God, that is, in accordance with His commandments.

Ø In the knowledge that God gave the commandments out of love for mankind, the commandments are not fulfilled out of fear of punishment, but out of love for God.

Ø That which Jesus taught His Apostles also applies to the congregation: “ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you […] By this all will know all will know that you are My disciples,  if you have love for one another” John 13: 34-35. This instruction to His disciples thus even transcends the “golden rule”. The commandment to love one’s fellow human being and help in situations of need should be especially evident in the congregation: “Let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” Galatians 6:10. All who belong to the congregation have a duty to treat one another with sincere compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. “Love for one another” enables us to accept our brother and sister as they are (cf. Romans 15:7), and protects against irreconcilability, prejudices, and contempt. It is a power that strengthens the cohesion in the congregation, awakens empathy and understanding for one another, and promotes willingness to help one another.

 

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” C.S Lewis.