Divine Service Guide

New Apostolic Church

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3 AprilYour kingdom come

6/7 AprilA difficult way and

a narrow gate

10 AprilPhysical and

spiritual bread

13/14 AprilThe patience of God

17 AprilForgive as

I forgive

20/21 AprilWays to peace

24 AprilThe praise and glory of God

27/28 AprilThe purity of the congregation

Youth serviceThe mighty Saviour is with you!

A monthly for the ministers April 2016

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April 2016 Foreword

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The focus of the Sunday services in April is on the Lord’s Prayer. The sermons will focus on a significant statement from this prayer that Jesus Christ has taught us. Although we speak this prayer in every divine service, we probably do not always reflect on its rich content. This is why the wealth of the Lord’s Prayer is to be made clear and comprehensible to the congregation.

The sermon on the first Sunday in April will explore the open-ing lines of the prayer: the significance of the “kingdom of God” will be addressed. The kingdom of God has both a present and future dimension: it is present in Jesus Christ and in His church, but at the same time is also of the future, and will only come to its completion in the new creation.

On the second Sunday the basis of the sermon will be the peti-tion: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Here the bread serves as a symbol for the preservation of natural life by God, but is at the same time also a reference to the fact that the will of God itself is a kind of food that provides sustenance. Finally, the bread is also an allusion to Holy Communion. Bread is an image of sustenance for spirit, soul, and body through God.

The third Sunday in April is devoted to the plea for forgiveness and the profession of our willingness to forgive. In order to have a life with Him, it is necessary to ask God for forgiveness of our sins, and to have the firm resolve to change our conduct and atti-tude. Willingness to forgive is a direct implication resulting from this plea for forgiveness. Only those who exhibit such a readiness to forgive can reasonably ask God for forgiveness. The important thing is for the congregation to understand that forgiveness of sins does not occur automatically, but rather that their participa-tion—that is to say, their willingness to forgive—is also required.

The last Sunday in April is dedicated to the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, the doxology, which is the praise of divine glory. This passage once again makes reference to the kingdom of God, the presence of which we already experience today—and the future of which is the subject of our longing. Also addressed is the “power” that is God’s, which finds its direct expression in His creatorship. The “glory” referenced here signifies holiness and inviolability. We encounter this glory directly in Jesus Christ and in the sacraments which He has instituted. The word “for- ever”, with which the doxology closes, alludes to the fact that God is also the creator and ruler of time.

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The Lord’s Prayer – The kingdom of God

Sunday 3 April 2016

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.Matthew 6: 9, 10

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Your kingdom come

Message

Let us manifest the nature of Jesus and experience fellow-ship with God today and into all eternity.

Elaboration

The Lord’s Prayer is of great significance in our divine ser-vices. Already through the address, “Our Father”, Jesus Christ shares with us the spe-cial relationship He has with the almighty God. When we invoke God collectively as a congregation, it becomes clear that the triune God is in the midst of the congregation. This heartfelt collective prayer has a unifying effect, which can lead to a good sense of together-ness within the congregation. All petitions are brought to the Lord collectively: thus we pray both for ourselves and for our brother and sister.

The kingdom of God

The kingdom of God is pres-ent in Jesus Christ. He began His public activity with the announcement of the king-dom of God (Mark 1: 15). The focus of His preaching was on

the kingdom of God in its pres-ent and future form.

The kingdom of God is thus

■■ Jesus Christ Himself.

■■ His church.

The image of the kingdom of God is also a clear reference to the fact that Jesus Christ rules His church (Fourth Article of Faith).

A decision for the kingdom of God

By way of various parables, Jesus introduced the kingdom of God with different points of emphasis (Matthew 13). In each of them He describes various features that comprise the nature of the kingdom of God. For example, the par-able of the treasure in the field expresses how important it is to set priorities and make clear decisions in order to attain the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God in us

Our striving should be to allow the kingdom of God to become a reality within us, in other words, to develop and reveal the nature of Jesus in us with the help of God. Ultimate-ly, the objective is to internalize and embody the characteris-tics of the kingdom of God.

An example of this is our clear and continual decision for the Lord and His gospel, and the doctrine it imparts. For this

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we need His grace, as well as our own willingness to grow in accordance with the example of Jesus.

The kingdom of God in the future

The kingdom of God also stands for our future expecta-tion. After the return of Christ, the kingdom of God will be manifest in

■■ the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19: 6–7),

■■ the kingdom of peace,

■■ the eternal rule of God in the new creation, and in

■■ eternal life.

Our collective plea, “Your kingdom come” thus also in- corporates our longing to become like Jesus and to live in eternal fellowship with Him.

Context

The Lord’s Prayer is certain-ly one of the most important texts of the Sermon on the Mount. It was there that Jesus taught the disciples how they were to pray, namely with few words but rich content.

“Your kingdom come” is the plea for the perfect manifes-tation of the kingdom of God. The message of the imminent and approaching kingdom of God is of central significance in preaching.

Notes

The kingdom of God

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Summary

■■ The Lord’s Prayer is of central significance in our divine services. As a collective prayer it has a unifying effect for the members of the congregation.

■■ The petition: “Your kingdom come,” clearly expresses the sig-nificance of the kingdom of God, which is present in Jesus Christ.

■■ The kingdom of God is also to become a reality in us, in that Jesus’ nature takes on form and shape within us.

■■ The kingdom of God also repre-sents our future expectation: eternal fellowship with the triune God.

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Bible study – A difficult way and a narrow gate

Midweek6/7 April 2016

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7: 13–14

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A difficult way and a narrow gate

Message

Without effort it is impossible for human beings to make their way to God.

Elaboration

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) Jesus con-fronts His listeners with the choice of a life with or without God. Human beings cannot help but make a decision either for God or for evil. God will not accept any compromise between the two (Revelation 3: 16).

The wide versus the narrow gate

The image of the narrow gate used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is borrowed from the architecture of walled cities at the time. In addition to the large main gates through which people and goods gained access to the city dur-ing the day, there were also small and narrow side gates.

At night, when the main gates were closed, people could only enter the city through the small side gate, the so-called eye of the needle—which was easy to guard. It was so small that they had to bend down in order to pass through.

If a human being desires to gain access to the kingdom of God, it will not be comfort-able or easy for him. He must bow down—which means he must humble himself—before the Almighty, omniscient, and ever-present God. He must be prepared to subordinate himself to the divine will.

In Matthew 19: 24 Jesus warns that it is “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”. The dangers of wealth are complacency and arrogance. It is therefore impossible for a complacent, arrogant person to enter into the kingdom of God. This is made clear by way of this image.

The broad versus the narrow way

The comparison is familiar to us from daily life. The narrower the way, the more care must be taken not to bump into anything, take a wrong step, or deviate from it. The broad way, by contrast, is character-ized by carelessness, thought-lessness, and superficiality. Followers of Jesus are to walk along the difficult way, in other words, they must pay heed to

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the doctrine of Jesus, not be thoughtless with regard to their neighbour, and gladly fulfil the will and laws of God (Psalm 40: 8). The narrow way is also the difficult way of following, the way of hardship, of perse-cution for the sake of Christ.

Jesus’ words concerning the two ways do not only refer to the gates through which one may pass into either life or destruction, but also refer to the pathways leading to each: they comprise an image for different lifestyles. It is the nar-row, difficult way that leads to salvation—which means that salvation cannot be attained without afflictions and con-straints.

The way to the gate of heaven

It is clear that one cannot access the kingdom of God by way of the broad way and the wide gate, but rather only by way of the difficult narrow way and the narrow gate. It is thus not outward rectitude and righteousness that will gain access to the kingdom of God, but rather the genuine renewal of the spirit, as Jesus taught.

Jesus Himself only encoun-tered very few in Israel who believed in Him. Only a very few followed Him. That is why He stated, “… and there are few who find it.”

Let us therefore dedicate our lives to pursuing this way persistently until we reach our goal.

Context

Already through Moses in the old covenant, God presented each and every human being with a choice: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30: 15). The prophet Jeremiah likewise referred to these alter-natives: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death” (Jeremiah 21: 8).

Notes

A difficult way and a narrow gate

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Summary

Human beings have the choice of a life with or without God. They must decide for the narrow gate and the difficult way, meaning

■■ they must be able to humble themselves before the almighty, omniscient, and ever-present God. They must be able to subordinate their will to His.

■■ they must pay heed to the teaching of Jesus, must not be thoughtless with regard to their neighbour, and must gladly fulfil the law of God.

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The Lord’s Prayer – Daily bread

Sunday10 April 2016

Give us this day our daily bread.Matthew 6: 11

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Physical and spiritual bread

Message

We ask God to give us the things we need for both physi-cal and spiritual life.

Elaboration

Bread for physical life

Jesus spoke of prayer in the Sermon on the Mount and taught His listeners the Lord’s Prayer. The petition: “Give us this day our daily bread,” applies first of all to our life on earth.

■■ We ask God to give us what we need in order to live; thereby we express our trust that our heavenly Father knows our needs (Matthew 6: 32) and He provides for us.

■■ We ask God for His help in fulfilling the task He has set for us, namely to cultivate and preserve the earth; thereby we express our awareness that everything comes from God and that we are grateful to Him for it.

Bread for spiritual life

This petition also applies to our souls, however. When we speak of our daily bread, we are also referring to the word of God as food for our immor-tal souls (Jeremiah 15: 16) and our spiritual life (Matthew 4: 4).

■■ The prayer for our salva-tion is to be just as intensive as the prayer for our physical needs.

■■ Preparation for the divine service is up to the con-gregation as a whole. All are called upon to pray for the ministers who are to preach.

Jesus’ food

Jesus’ food consisted of fulfill-ing the will of the Father (John 4: 34). We likewise take direc-tion from this.

■■ Only those who do the will of God will attain eternal life (Matthew 7: 21). Let us ask God to give us the strength to subordinate ourselves to His will every day.

■■ Doing the will of God is also a kind of food that provides strength. Those who fulfil the will of God can be assured that they are on the right path and that God will help them.

■■ For those who love Jesus Christ, it is vital to have fellowship with Him.

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The bread of life

The petition: “Give us this day our daily bread,” also refers to the bread of life: Holy Com-munion.

Jesus once said, “I am the liv-ing bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6: 51).

God will see to it that this bread is always available to us. It imparts to us the fellow-ship of life with Christ and we receive strength to overcome. Let us partake worthily of Holy Communion so that we may live in Christ and grow into His nature.

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about the three most important practices in Judaic devotion, namely giv-ing alms, praying, and fast-ing (Matthew 6: 1–18). He pointed out that those who practised such things for the purpose of gaining human ad- miration did not understand this devotion correctly (Mat-thew 6: 3–6, 17–18).

Jesus rejected people who were wordy in their prayers and taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 7, 9). The Lord’s Prayer is a valu-able legacy which Jesus gave those who believe in Him. With it the Son of God set an ex- ample as to how we are to pray to the Father in heaven (Catechism 12.1.7 / Catech-ism QA 630–642).

Notes

Daily bread

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Summary

We ask God

■■ to give us what we need for our lives every day,

■■ to give us His word,

■■ to give us the strength to do His will, and

■■ to make it possible for us to par-take worthily of Holy Communion.

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Midweek13/14 April 2016

And consider that the longsuffer-ing of our Lord is salvation.2 Peter 3: 15

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The patience of God

Message

The patience of God makes it possible for us to prepare our-selves for the return of His Son.

Elaboration

The second epistle of Peter interprets the seeming delay in the return of Christ as an expression of the patience of God. This Bible passage is not merely intended to comfort us, but rather holds deep meaning for us. It points to the mercy and compassion of God.

God’s longsuffering and consistency

The patience of God comes to expression in His longsuf-fering: instead of dealing with human beings with the sever-ity of His righteousness, He opens up the possibility for them to change for the better.

The patience of God is also demonstrated in His consist-ency in accepting our needs. Just as He provides the latter rain, which is necessary for a good harvest in Palestine, so too He provides for us everything necessary for our spiritual maturity and ripeness (Joel 2: 23; James 5: 7).

God grants us His word

In His patience, God grants us His word so that we may be prepared for the return of Jesus. Jesus promises that He will come again: “Behold, I am coming quickly!” (Revelation 3: 11).

■■ When we heard these words the first time we rejoiced in the assurance that we would be able to escape the great trib-ulation if we remained faithful.

■■ Later on we understood that Jesus is coming to take His bride unto Him-self and that we must grow in our love for Him.

■■ Ultimately we recognized that He will come in order to form the royal priest-hood from among our ranks. From this we con-clude that we must learn to serve God and love all human beings.

God grants grace on the basis of His patience

God grants us His grace in every divine service in order to

■■ give us the opportunity to make a new start, and

■■ give us the opportunity to make better and better use of grace, and cleanse our entire being.

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God sends us trials

From time to time, God also sends us trials. The reason for these is not to make us suf- fer, for suffering is not the foundation for our redemption! If anything they are to enable us to

■■ concentrate on what is essential: our relation-ship with God (Psalm 73: 25–26).

■■ be an example and a source of blessing for others in our loyalty and perseverance.

The patience of God gives us the opportunity to

■■ better understand His love,

■■ distinguish what is of importance for our salva-tion from what is based on tradition or our social environment, and

■■ learn to love all human beings, no matter who they may be.

Let us take advantage of this time of grace, which God grants us in His patience!

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

The author of the second epis-tle of Peter warns against false teachers, those who call into question the belief in the return of Jesus Christ, and exhorts the believers to be patient. He refers to Apostle Paul and his letters (2 Peter 3: 15–16).

The same theme can also be found in the epistle of James. In Israel the early and latter rains referred to precipita-tion that fell before and after the rainy season. These rains were—and still are—of great importance for the quality of a harvest (James 5: 7–8).

Notes

The patience of God

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Summary

■■ Instead of judging us on the basis of His righteousness, God gives us the opportunity to concentrate our efforts on changing for the better.

■■ He grants us His word in order that we may be prepared for the return of Jesus Christ.

■■ God also sends us trials so that we may learn to concentrate on what is essential and become a blessing for others.

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The Lord’s Prayer — Forgiveness

Sunday17 April 2016

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.Matthew 6: 12

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Forgive as I forgive

Message

The forgiveness of our sins is inextricably linked to our forgiv-ing our neighbour.

Elaboration

Prayer was part of Jesus’ life. His reference to the proper way of praying—that is to say, in secret and without being wordy—was not intended to eliminate public and collective prayer. Rather He left the dis-ciples a legacy in the form of a prayer that is simple, succinct, and comprehensive.

Today the Lord’s Prayer is a firmly established component of the liturgy in our divine ser-vices, and enjoys a special status owing to its proximity to the celebration of Holy Com-munion as well as its petition for forgiveness.

Forgive us our debts …

Before each celebration of Holy Communion we hear the proclamation that our sins are forgiven—together with all related guilt. Let us, however, be aware that for-giveness cannot be attained on the basis of any human

accomplishment or merit (Romans 3: 24), but rather only through the unique and fully valid sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 5: 18). God does not reject the sinner who turns to Him in repentance and asks for forgiveness. He grants the sinner grace and forgives his sins.

However, forgiveness of sins does not occur automatically, but is rather linked to certain conditions. These are

■■ the awareness and acknowledgement of our own sinfulness (Romans 3: 23). In addition to con-scious and unconscious misconduct, sin also includes unbelief and the failure to do good.

■■ the recognition of the necessity of forgiveness (John 8: 24). After all, sin leads away from God and into the dependency of evil.

■■ confession of our sins, as well as belief in the forgiveness of sins, just as it is already formulated in the early church creeds and in our Third Article of Faith.

■■ sincere remorse and repentance. Not only John the Baptist, but also Jesus Himself, referred to this at the beginning of His public activity (Matthew 3: 1–13).

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■■ the longing for grace out of the sacrifice of Christ, and the plea for forgive-ness.

… as we forgive our debtors

The Son of God bound the forgiveness of our sins to our own willingness to for-give our debtors. The signifi-cance of the fact that we too must forgive is underscored by Jesus when He repeats and reinforces this imme-diately following the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 14–15). The parable of the unforgiving servant also speaks to this idea (Matthew 18: 21–35).

What is more, Jesus teaches us

■■ not to give room to Pharisaic thinking, but rather to direct our atten-tion to our own hearts (Luke 18: 13),

■■ to think about whether our brother might have something against us (Matthew 5: 23–25),

■■ to even love our enemies (Matthew 5: 44).

Context

The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of Jesus recorded in the context of the Sermon on the Mount. It demonstrates the proper manner of praying. In this prayer, Jesus incorporates His own into His relationship with God.

Further information with respect to our Bible text can be found in the Catechism 12.1.7.2.6 / Catechism–QA 638.

For more information on the early church creeds and the Third Article of Faith, see the Catechism 2.2 and 2.4.3 and the Catechism–QA 31–50.

Notes

Forgiveness

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Summary

Forgiveness of sins does not occur on the basis of our own merit, but solely on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ. It is granted to repentant sinners who

■■ exhibit remorse, confess and regret their sins, have a longing for grace, and ask for forgiveness.

■■ forgive their neighbour and love him.

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Midweek 20/21 April 2016

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herds-men and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.”Genesis 13: 8

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Ways to peace

Message

The honest endeavour for peace should be the determin-ing factor of our fellowship, not strife and discord.

Elaboration

From our Bible text it becomes clear that Abram wanted there to be peace between his and Lot’s herdsmen. He begins by rejecting the dispute with the reasoning that he and Lot are related. But this does nothing to change the situ-ation. Abram does not want to put up with this situation any longer, and proposes to Lot that they should part ways. He even leaves him the choice of which pasture he wants. By waiving the rights that he could have claimed as the elder of the two, he demonstrated his generosity.

Although these events lie far in the past, the topic of peace is still as relevant today as it was in those days. Causes for dispute

Today too there are many rea-sons for discord, for example:

■■ the lust for power and success;

■■ the bitter battles that are fought to ensure wealth and possessions;

■■ the competing ideologies that result in conflicts of the worst kind;

■■ feeling confined and restricted in one’s imme-diate environment—one’s parental home, marriage, business partnership, or even the congregation;

■■ the disputes over inherit- ances that often cause bitter fights;

■■ family conflicts or the formation of opposing camps—even within the congregation; such matters have often led to enduring and seemingly irreconcilable running battles.

Ways to peace

It is necessary to distinguish between human peace and the peace of Jesus Christ.

Interpersonal peace

■■ Bridling our tongues (James 3: 5), as well as the application of human reason and goodwill, can help avoid a great many confrontations and nip conflicts in the bud.

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■■ Not demanding our rights, and remembering the things we have in com-mon, often contribute to our collective well-being and prosperity.

■■ In the case of unbridge-able differences, a separ-ation can be helpful and useful.

The peace of Christ

True, enduring peace between God and mankind can only be achieved through the sacri-fice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for He is our peace (Ephesians 2: 14).

The enmity between God and mankind, which is rooted in the fall into sin, can now be lifted. God accepts sinful man and desires to grant him salva-tion. This has effects on our life as a whole.

In every divine service we experience that Jesus Christ relieves us of our sins and grants us His peace. In this way we can dare to make a new start every time. If we are filled with the peace of the Risen One, we will endeavour to act in such a manner that we live up to the gift of Jesus. Then it will also be possible for us to become peacemakers ourselves (Romans 14: 19).

Context

Abram had become very wealthy in Egypt. He and Lot moved to the area around Bethel with all their posses-sions and flocks. Since there were still other nations living in the region at that time, the grazing land started to become scarce. This led to open con-flict between the shepherds of Abram and those of Lot—and ultimately to a division of the grazing area and a separation of the two groups.

Notes

Ways to peace

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Summary

Reasons for discord can be

■■ the striving for possessions and power, competing ideologies, confined living environments, inheritance disputes, and family conflicts.

There are different ways to peace.

■■ On the interpersonal level these are common sense and goodwill, waiving one’s own rights, and at times even separation.

■■ Between God and mankind this is the sacrifice of Christ—the pre-requisite for being peacemakers ourselves.

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The Lord’s Prayer – Praising the glory of God

Sunday24 April 2016

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Matthew 6: 13

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The praise and glory of God

Message

The worship and praise of God are sources of strength and confidence.

Elaboration

At the end of the Lord’s Prayer, the praying con-gregation praises and glori-fies God’s kingdom, power, and glory. This collective prayer strengthens us and gives us courage of faith.

The praise at the end of the Lord’s Prayer is associated with the preceding plea: “De- liver us from the evil one.” The Devil is the evil one and the tempter. While Jesus was in the desert, the Devil showed Him all the kingdoms of this world and said, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom-ever I wish” (Luke 4: 5–6).

To this day, evil has continued to unfold its power. Mankind suffers from egoism, lust for profit, and hatred. The distri-bution of wealth is seldom just.

Yours is the kingdom …

The power of the Devil has already been broken, however (Luke 10: 18). The influence of the evil one is limited in time, and cannot stop the develop-ment of the kingdom of God. The kingdom belongs to God, and it will remain His into all eternity! God grants His king-dom to whomever He desires! He wants the salvation of all mankind. He reigns eternally, and He will have the last word!

… and the power …

God is almighty. Those who desire to experience the omnipotence of God must simply believe and subordinate themselves to the will of God. The plan of God is geared toward salvation for all man-kind. It is to this end that God engages His power: He moves obstacles out of the way—but only if they are a hurdle to our salvation. What does the power of God consist of? It is the power of love. God always leaves man-kind the freedom to decide for themselves. He only works with love.

… and the glory The glory of God was revealed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in His love, His power, His patience, His victory, and

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His nature—that is glory for us!For us, this glory also consists of the fact that we are called to enter into it, namely into the fellowship of Jesus Christ, the fellowship of the triune God!

The splendour of the glory that is being prepared for us will enable us to forget all of our previous tribulations (1 Thes-salonians 4: 17–18). Let us glorify God by allowing our fellow human beings to recognize the great things He has done for us. The purpose of the church of Christ is to bring praise and worship to God. It is in this way that attention is directed to the salvation that God prepares in His church through Jesus Christ. When we are with Jesus in His kingdom, we will collective-ly praise the salvation, glory, and power of God (Revelation 19: 1).

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

The doxology, the formula praising the glory of God, was only to be found in later cop-ies of Matthew. It is also miss-ing in Luke (Luke 11: 1–4). It borrows from prayer formula-tions in the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 29: 10–11). We also find similar expressions of praise in Revelation (Revela-tion 5: 13). Christians have been concluding the Lord’s Prayer with this formula of praise since the beginning of the second century.

Notes

Praising the glory of God

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Summary

■■ The kingdom belongs to God, and it will remain His into all eternity! God grants His kingdom to whom-ever He desires!

■■ The power of God is shown in His love, and it seeks to save us. It can only be experienced in faith.

■■ The glory of God, as attested by Jesus Christ, is unparalleled. In order to enter into eternal glory, we endeavour to glorify God.

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Midweek27/28 April 2016

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.John 15: 3

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The purity of the congregation

Message

Let us allow ourselves to be purified and thereby bring forth more fruit.

Elaboration

With the image of the vine and the branches, Jesus address-es His disciples and thereby figuratively describes the rela-tionship between them and Himself. This relationship can also be applied to Jesus Christ and His church.

The nature of the church

Just as the branches are con-nected to the vine, the church must be connected with Christ in order to bring forth fruit (verse 4; Galatians 5: 22–23). The fruit is the new-est, and at the same time, the multiplying life of the plant. On a spiritual level there is also a kind of fruit. It is revealed in the congregation

■■ that pays attention to its unity with the Lord and among one another (John 17: 20–21),

■■ that is aware of the sanc-tification of Jesus for His own and in which the members make the effort to conduct themselves in a sanctified manner (John 17: 17, 19),

■■ that, like Jesus, does not exclude anyone (John 4: 1 et seq.),

■■ that stands firmly on the foundation of the Apostles of Jesus.

All these points refer to the character of the church of Christ, which is one, holy, uni-versal, and apostolic (Catech- ism 6.4.1 / Catechism–QA 381–386).

The care of the church

In order to receive a good har-vest, the vinedresser prunes the fruit-bearing branches regularly in order to remove the little offshoots that are con-stantly forming, which would impede the development of fruit. Like the branches of the vine, the congregation cannot prune itself either. It is God who undertakes this pruning and purification effort (John 15: 2). No human being is in a position to do this. All too quickly we mistake obstacles for blessing, or consider those things harmless which would actually threaten the fruit.

In our Bible text the disci-ples are assured that Jesus’ word—in other words, His full devotion—already brings about their purification and

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cleansing. The Lord expects the same effects of the gifts He devotes to our congrega-tion today. These gifts are the sacraments, His grace and love, and the word inspired by His Spirit.

Effects of this care

The purity of our congregation shows itself

■■ in that we do not produce anything that would cause our neighbour distress or perhaps even cause him to fall (Matthew 15: 18).

■■ in that the honour and glory of God is the focus of everything we do. He alone is good (Mark 10: 18) and the giver of all good gifts.

■■ in our commitment to the Lord (Luke 16: 13).

■■ in our unconditional pro-fession of the return of Christ and the necessity of the Apostle ministry for our preparation for this event (2 Thessalonians 2: 1–2).

However, this purity is not revealed in that the congre-gation is without mistakes. God’s instructions for repent- ance seek to purify us of any feelings of superiority in view of the splinter in the eye of our neighbour, which all too easily makes us presumptuous and causes us to pass judgement over others (Matthew 7: 1–5).

Context

In John 15: 1–8 , Jesus speaks of Himself as the true vine. He equates His Father with the vinedresser, who cuts off all branches of the vine which do not bring forth fruit. Those branches that do bear fruit are pruned, and undesir-able elements are removed, to stimulate the formation of even more fruit.

Disciples are those who, on the basis of Jesus’ words, exhibit corresponding behav-iour. The hearing of the ser-mon must have implications. In other words, it must bring forth fruits.

Notes

The purity of the congregation

19

Summary

■■ Using the image of the vine, Jesus figuratively describes the relationship between Himself and His church.

■■ The fruit that corresponds to the nature of Jesus is revealed in the congregation that is united, holy, merciful, and apostolic.

■■ The care of this church through sacrament, grace, and the word inspired by the Spirit is intended to purify and cleanse it in order that it may bring forth even more fruit.

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We can rely on God

Youth serviceApril 2016

Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.Zephaniah 3: 16, 17

20

The mighty Saviour is with you!

Message

Because Jesus Christ our Saviour is with us, we do not need to be afraid.

Elaboration

Let us apply our Bible text to the reality of our daily lives.

Fear can come into being as the result of difficult circum-stances in our personal life, or as a consequence of focus-ing too much attention on the overall global political situation, for example. Often people no longer see any solution for dif-ficulties at hand, or they sim-ply have no influence over that which brings them fear.

Those who are fearful are often lethargic and unmotivated as a result. After all, what could possibly motivate us if every- thing leads to uncertainty anyway?

Zephaniah the prophet assigns a task and provides a reason as to why we can be confident.

■■ The task: keep on working without being deterred—“let not your hands be weak”!

■■ The reason for confi-dence: God is with you! He is strong and always helps!

Fears in our time

A look at the events currently unfolding in the world shows us that there are many fears that could burden people, for example, the danger of war, the threat of poverty and illness, and—in very general terms—an uncertain future.

In many countries, earnest Christians fear that Christen-dom is on the retreat, or is being suppressed by other reli-gions or worldviews. In numer-ous countries, Christians fear persecution and death owing to their beliefs. Many New Apostolic Christians are con-cerned over the future of their congregation. Such fears are not simply taken out of thin air. They are certainly justified.

Dealing with fears

It brings us nothing to lose ourselves in these fears. This would only paralyze us and make us weak. Those who focus only on the difficulties will find no more joy. However, we must still make the effort to see reality clearly.

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True help lies in our con-sistent alignment with Him who is always with us: Jesus Christ. He is the Immanuel, which is translated as “God with us” (Matthew 1: 23). He has promised to be with us always. He, the power-ful Saviour, is a Deliverer whose power is stronger than that of sin (Matthew 1: 21).

The prophet Zephaniah states that the Saviour will be friend-ly to us—we “taste and see” this particularly in the sacra-ments and in the forgiveness of our sins (Psalm 34: 8).

And our God, the Saviour, will delight in us and be joyful. This reminds us of the words from Isaiah 62: 5: “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” This image of joy can be found again in Revelation 19: 6, where the final reunion of Jesus Christ with His own is portrayed in the image of the marriage of the Lamb. Then there will no longer be any reason to be afraid. The joy and delight of Christ the bridegroom and His bride will cause all that which is past to be forgotten.

This is what will be effected by Jesus Christ—the powerful Saviour who has conquered sin and overcome death.

The Lord is with you—always!

Context

The prophet Zephaniah wrote to the people of Israel dur-ing a time in which many had turned away from God. He announced a judgement that was later fulfilled through the Babylonians. But he also announced a future change in these terrible events for those who would trust in God. God would help them like a power-ful hero.

The term “Saviour” signifies “Deliverer” or “Redeemer”. In the New Testament, this term is applied to Jesus (John 4: 42; see also Catechism 4.4.2 / Catechism–QA 247–250).

Notes

We can rely on God

21

Summary

■■ Zephaniah shows why confidence can also prevail even in uncertain situations.

■■ To lose ourselves in fears is use-less, as they paralyze us and make us weak.

■■ We find help by resolutely focusing on the One who is always with us: Jesus Christ.

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Notes

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April 2016 May 2016

1 Fri.

2 Sat.

3 Sun. Matthew 6: 9, 10

4 Mon.

5 Tue.

6 Wed. Matthew 7: 13–14

7 Thur.

8 Fri.

9 Sat.

10 Sun. Matthew 6: 11

11 Mon.

12 Tue.

13 Wed. 2 Peter 3: 15

14 Thur.

15 Fri.

16 Sat.

17 Sun. Matthew 6: 12

18 Mon.

19 Tue.

20 Wed. Genesis 13: 8

21 Thur.

22 Fri.

23 Sat.

24 Sun. Matthew 6: 13

25 Mon.

26 Tue.

27 Wed. John 15: 3

28 Thur.

29 Fri.

30 Sat.

1 Sun. Romans 5: 5

2 Mon.

3 Tue.

4 Wed.

5 Thur. Acts 1: 10–11 Ascension

6 Fri.

7 Sat.

8 Sun. John 14: 16

9 Mon.

10 Tue.

11 Wed. Psalm 29: 11

12 Thur.

13 Fri.

14 Sat.

15 Sun. Pentecost

16 Mon.

17 Tue.

18 Wed. 1 Corinthians 12: 13

19 Thur.

20 Fri.

21 Sat.

22 Sun. John 17: 21–22

23 Mon.

24 Tue.

25 Wed. Genesis 11: 7

26 Thur.

27 Fri.

28 Sat.

29 Sun. Acts 5: 42

30 Mon.

31 Tue.

Trinity Sunday

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Publisher: Jean-Luc Schneider,Zurich/SwitzerlandVerlag Friedrich Bischoff GmbHFrankfurter Strasse 233Triforum A463263 Neu-Isenburg, GermanyManaging director:Jürgen KramerEditor:Reinhard Kiefer

No part of this publication maybe reproduced without the priorpermission of its publisher.

ISSN 1867-867X

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