All Apostles and Bishops from India and Bangladesh were invited from the 8th of November 2017, so that deliberations and meetings could be held on the 9th and 10th, on various topics related to their common responsibilities.
New Sunday School Material
Sister Lily and brother Robert were just back from Manila where the new Sunday school material had been launched. They were thus invited as guest speakers to introduce the program on how teachers could utilize the abundant Sunday School material that was now available online. The NAC India’s 2018 calendar was introduced which accentuated this topic as well.
The highlight of the meetings was the address of our Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider on Saturday the 11th of November 2017, in which the Apostles and Bishops of Pakistan joined via video conference.
A Personal Touch to the Wives
The Chief Apostle opened with a prayer of much thankfulness, and interceded for the presence of Jesus in our midst along with the power and light of the Holy Spirit.
He specially thanked the sisters for their support which was mostly invisible compared to that of their husbands. He acknowledged that it was not easy for them to distinguish between the man (a weak sinner), and his ministry (God’s spokesman to teach us the gospel). He also advised the ministers to cease from misusing their ministerial position at home as chiefs, and to behave and act as an Apostle should.
The Awareness of an Apostle
He then addressed the brothers who were to be ordained as Apostles the next day.
As an Ambassador of Jesus Christ an Apostle was to do what Jesus taught and was thus His servant. They are not ordained to be served but like Jesus himself said in Mark 10:45 and Matthew 20:28, “… the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
He also elaborated that through this ordination, they would get the authority of an Apostle to act as Jesus Christ Himself would. To preach the gospel (and not their own ideas), to announce the forgiveness on sins in the name of Jesus Christ, to dispense the sacraments and to ordain ministers according to the needs of the congregations. They would also get the sanctification, by persistent prayer and seeking His will, and also a blessing, which is the strength to do and fulfil His will.
A Solemn Pledge
As leaders in the New Apostolic Church, the Apostles were called upon to procure knowledge and learn the skills required to fulfil the competencies that will not be received through the ordination.
They then took a vow to become an associate member of the New Apostolic Church International. Every Apostle is bound by the “Articles of Association” which were signed in the presence of the Chief Apostle and the surrounding witnesses.
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