Divine treasurers

“That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider used this passage from 2 Timothy 1: 14 in a divine service in Singapore on Thursday, 14 March.

“What is this precious treasure?” the Chief Apostle asked and went on to answer the question.

• The gospel of Jesus Christ: “It is the great message that the Son of God came to earth, became man, suffered, and died for the salvation of humankind, and that all those who believe in Christ can be saved. This is the biggest treasure imaginable.”
• The Apostle ministry: “The Apostles teach us in the right manner, dispense the sacraments, and prepare us for the return of Christ.”
• The sacraments: “God has delivered us from original sin, has given us the Holy Spirit, and made it possible for us to enter the kingdom of God as firstlings. Another treasure is that we can take part in divine services and can celebrate Holy Communion together.”
• The fellowship of believers: “We are not alone. We are part of the church of Christ, we are part of the community of believers, the children of God. And even if there are only two or three of us, it is such a blessing to have brothers and sisters who share our faith, who fight the same battle as we, and who pray for one another.”

Preserving the treasure

The Chief Apostle went on to explain how this treasure could be preserved.

• “We need to keep the gospel because there is a risk that we will forget it and then it will become less important in our daily lives. The whole gospel is important, not just the part that is convenient.”
• “What about eternal life? What about the preparation of the bride of Christ? Preserve the Apostle ministry. I am not talking about the person, I am talking about the ministry.”
• “Protect the sacraments. For the sacraments to unfold their effects, you must believe and be willing to do the will of God, and allow yourself to be prepared for the return of Christ.”
• “We are all human, nobody is perfect. There is always something that happens in the congregation and the devil wants to use it to destroy our unity. But we have been given this treasure, namely the fellowship of God’s children, which we want to keep and protect.”

The Bible text says that the good things, the treasures, have been entrusted to us. That means we must guard them. “We must make sure that others can share in them. Make sure that the next generation can receive them, that they can participate in the gospel, the apostolate, the sacraments, and the fellowship. Let us make sure that they can get all of this, that there are still people who serve God, who can comfort one another, and who can be taught and sanctified.”

There is someone to help us

“God has done His part,” the Chief Apostle said. “Now, however, we must do something. We must use the Holy Spirit who dwells in us to defend and keep these treasures.” To this end, the Chief Apostle recommended taking some time after the divine service, say later on or next week, to reflect on how the Holy Spirit works in us.

• The Holy Spirit reminds us of the teachings of Jesus: “It is nice to remember what Christ did and said, but it is useless. The Holy Spirit’s task within us is to tell us what it means for us in our daily lives and to help us use the teachings and actions of Jesus to make our decisions.”
• The Holy Spirit reminds us that we are children of God: “When we go through difficulties, when we don’t understand God, just allow the Holy Spirit to talk to us in our heart. The Holy Spirit tells us that we have been baptised and sealed. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is still valid.” Jesus Christ has called us. He loves us, the Chief Apostle said.
• The Holy Spirit draws attention to the needs of our soul: “The Holy Spirit tells us: your soul is hungry; your soul needs peace, forgiveness, and blessing.”
• The Holy Spirit tells us how to pray: “To protect and keep the treasure it is important that we know how to pray,” the Chief Apostle said.
• The Holy Spirit admonishes us to walk the path of love: “The best way to express our love for God is to do good things for our neighbour. Be kind to your neighbour out of love for God. The Holy Spirit always tells us that the most important thing is that we remain united.”

The message of the divine service: “Let us allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.”