“Let us not get stuck in traditions, but truly live our faith! Such was the appeal of the Chief Apostle. In a recent divine service he summed up what this really entails.
On 1 June 2025, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider celebrated a divine service in Moscow, Russia, which was attended by 242 participants. His sermon was based on a Bible text taken from John 20: 30–31: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
“Let us have a living faith, not a traditional faith,” appealed the Church leader, adding that “this is the kind of faith that defines our lives”. He then went on to explain in detail exactly what New Apostolic Christians believe in the first place—and how such a faith can come to expression in a manner that permeates our entire being.
The fundamental elements of faith
“Faith is the […] evidence of things not seen,” quoted the Chief Apostle, before going on to say: “Whatever God tells me is the truth, even if I cannot see it.”
Jesus Christ: even though He looked like an ordinary person and was treated as a criminal, He is the Son of God. “We believe that He has overcome death, sin, and evil through His death and resurrection.” Evil is just as present today as it was in His time, but “we believe that Jesus has gained the victory—and that He will always have the last word.”
The gospel: “We believe that God will save those souls who do His will and who structure their lives in accordance with His teachings.” Often it appears that “sinners are more successful than believers.” After all, “Those who respect the law of God are not always successful in life.” Nevertheless, the faithful can be assured: “This is the right path. This is what we must do in order to please God.”
His return: the return of Jesus has been preached for some 2,000 years, and yet He has not yet come. Nevertheless, “We believe in the real and literal return of Jesus Christ. He will come in person, just as He has promised.”
The Holy Spirit: because He is a Spirit, it is impossible to see Him, but He is there nevertheless. “We believe that Jesus Christ is still at work in the present through the Holy Spirit today.”
The Apostles and the church of Christ: “We believe that Jesus Christ is preparing us for His return through His Apostles. I cannot see that God has sent the Apostle, but this is something I believe.” Even the church of Christ, that is, the community of all true believers, is not visible—especially since the reality we experience in the congregations does not always correspond to the gospel. Nevertheless, “we believe in the activity of God in His work.”
Holy Baptism and Sealing: even though we do not witness anything spectacular in these acts of blessing, “we firmly believe that it is God Himself who is at work in these sacraments.”
Salvation and glory: God works tirelessly for our salvation. Even if believers do not receive everything they desire for themselves, He nevertheless sees to it that they receive everything that is indispensable for their salvation. When it comes to the subject of eternal glory, we are quick to arrive at the limits of our imagination. “We believe that this glory will be so great that no human being will even be able to remember earthly life.”
What is a living faith?
“Our New Apostolic faith must come to define our lives, our thoughts, our words—whether spoken or written—our activity, and our entire being,” stressed the Chief Apostle. A true and living faith incorporates:
- obedience—because “the will of God has become our will,”
- trust—because “God does everything right! God loves us! God provides for us!”
- love—because then “we will no longer do good works out of personal interest or in order to receive some kind of reward”,
- the strength to never give up, no matter how great the power of the evil one, but rather to say: “No! I will endure to the end! God will do exactly what He has promised”, and
- the longing for fellowship with God in the Church. After all, if we truly believe in the activity of Jesus Christ—and He is active in His work—then we will also long to hear His voice, to have fellowship with Him, to be very close to Him. Then it will be important to us to do that which is important to Jesus. He wants His own to be one.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, please take a little time to think about these things: what do we actually believe as New Apostolic Christians?” appealed Chief Apostle Schneider. “And then we must each ask ourselves individually: does this faith also define my thoughts, my words, my actions, my entire being?” After all, “those who have a living faith will be accepted by Jesus Christ— by Him who bestows eternal life—at His return!”
Photos: Andrey Lifantiev
