It is not an impossible dream: the kingdom of heaven is at hand. All people should feel this, the Chief Apostle said and gave the brothers and sisters the task of proclaiming the Lord’s return—in word and deed.
Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider conducted a divine service in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 15 September 2024, to which the brothers and sisters of the congregation as well as the senior members from the surrounding congregations were invited. The Chief Apostle had a special mission outlined for them: “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 10: 7). He explained this mission during the divine service.
Interpreting signs correctly
The Jews expected a Messiah who would serve the people of Israel as king, lending them more splendour, strength, and wealth. And then Jesus came and acted like the king sent by God. “He explained the law and the will of God to them,” the Chief Apostle said. “And to prove that He was the one sent by God, He did things that a human being cannot do, but only God can do. He performed miracles: He healed the sick, multiplied bread, and raised the dead. And he said, “Your sins are forgiven.” However, not everyone at the time of Jesus understood the meaning behind this. “They stopped at the miracles, not understanding the signs or their significance.”
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” (John 18: 36). He had not come to disarm evil and reign on earth but to tell human beings, “I have come to give you eternal life so that you can live in heaven and have fellowship with God forever.” And everyone can achieve this. The Chief Apostle listed the conditions.
- Repentance: “That means you must recognise your faults and, above all, you must change.”
- Doing the will of Jesus: “You must turn away from sin and do good.”
- Receiving the sacraments: “To enter the kingdom of God, you must be born again of water and the Spirit and receive Holy Communion.”
- Becoming more like Jesus: “You must be transformed and become like Him and become a new creation in Christ.”
“The kingdom of God is near,” the Chief Apostle promised. “It’s not an impossible dream. You can achieve it.”
Our mission today
Jesus first commissioned His Apostles and then all His disciples to proclaim that the kingdom of God is at hand. “Brothers and sisters, this is our mission today: we are to proclaim and preach that the kingdom of God, the reign of God, is at hand.”
Jesus is already at work: through His Apostles in the church. “Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we understand what Jesus meant,” the Chief Apostle said. “He is here to teach us the will of God, to help us do the will of God, and to transform us into the image of Jesus.”
Show that Jesus is in our hearts
Talking about our faith to others is good, the Chief Apostle said, but what is most important is that we prove through our conduct that the kingdom of God is at hand, because God reigns in our hearts. It is possible to do the will of God anytime and anywhere. “It is not our life or the conditions we live in that decide. It is not society or the people around us that decide. The one who makes the decisions in our lives is Jesus Christ,” the Chief Apostle said and challenged the brothers and sisters, “Show that it is possible today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, here and now, to live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Show that Jesus rules His church
The fact that Jesus rules the church of Christ must also be proven by actions. “The Apostles and the other ministers do not proclaim their doctrine and their ideas. They proclaim the word of Christ as it is written in the Scriptures,” the Chief Apostle underlined. “Nor do the Apostles and the other ministers work for their own glory, but for the glory of Jesus Christ,” he said.
And generally, it is important that the brothers and sisters love one another. Jesus loved sinners and demanded that we even love our enemies. “This is the Christ who reigns in our church. Not someone who wants to punish sinners, eliminate those who think differently, and kill the enemy, but the Christ who is patient and full of grace and kindness,” the Chief Apostle said. Therefore “by the way we love one another in the Church, one can tell that this is the church of Christ”.
Show that Jesus is coming soon
We can talk and sing about Jesus’ return, but we must also prove by our actions that we really believe that the Lord Jesus could come back today or tomorrow, the Chief Apostle said. This sense of urgency must be apparent, the Chief Apostle said. “If I really believe that the Lord Jesus will return today, I will not wait five years to forgive my neighbour. If I believe that the Lord will return soon, I will not wait two years before I do what He tells me.”
