Speech is silver, silence is golden. But not everyone can be silent. The Chief Apostle explains why this is important for our own salvation.
“But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him!” (Habakkuk 2: 20). This is the Bible text Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider used for a divine service in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 20 July 2025. Around 4,200 brothers and sisters attended the service.
What is the holy temple?
The holy temple is not a building, but an image for the church of Christ. “God is present in the church of Christ,” the Chief Apostle pointed out, adding, “It is His work, not the work of human beings. It is not the work of the Apostles, but the work of Jesus Christ.” The church of Christ therefore belongs to Him alone; He established it. The Chief Apostle explained what distinguishes the church of Christ.
- Without the incarnation of the Son of God, His death on the cross, and His resurrection, there would be no church.
- The rules and teachings were prescribed by Jesus. To have access to eternal life, one must receive three sacraments: baptism with water and the Spirit, and Holy Communion. The Apostles were sent so that the church could function. The foundation is the Petrine office.
- The work is done by God. The ministers are merely instruments. The Holy Spirit allows the word and the sacraments to unfold their effects.
- The aim of the church is to make eternal life accessible to humanity.
- Jesus decides who will become part of His church.
In light of the above criteria, the church of Christ is “the place where we can receive everything we need to obtain eternal life and enter fellowship with God”, the Chief Apostle said.
How the world becomes silent
“We must learn to be silent.” We cannot come to the temple like the Pharisee and boast about our merits. “Let us present ourselves before God like the tax collector, who prayed, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner. I do not deserve what You give me.’” Let us not reproach God, even if it is exhausting to remain silent and say, “I leave it up to You and trust You.” Nor can we dictate to God what He should do, the Chief Apostle said. All we can do is humble ourselves and say, “Dear Lord, Your will be done.”
“We really need moments of silence, reflection, and meditation,” the Chief Apostle explained and called on the congregation, “From time to time, take the time to do some introspection, to think about the gospel, to think about your life, and to think about your future.”
Silence to listen
Material concerns and needs are perfectly normal and legitimate. “But we must always prioritise eternal life, our relationship with God,” the Chief Apostle said. This is our absolute priority: “In His temple, it is God who speaks to us, and other voices must be silent”—all voices, including those of the accusers. God says to them, “These are My children, I have chosen them and I love them.” To the devil’s protest He replies, “Jesus has paid for them. Be quiet, Jesus has forgiven them. You have no more say in the matter.” The Holy Spirit even silences our own reproaches, “Don’t worry, I still love you and I forgive you.”
Society has changed dramatically in 2,000 years, and the gospel has spread across the globe. Many things have also changed in the Church, but the teachings of Christ have not. In order to attain eternal life, one must receive the three sacraments, believe in Jesus Christ and His word, follow the apostolate, and become like Jesus. Everything earthly must be silent.
“Listen, I also need your help so that the earthly is heard a little less in My church,” the Lord asks us. Jesus does not want money changers in the church who only look out for their own interests. Jesus does not want power struggles or disputes about who is the greatest. Jesus does not want any divisions. Regardless of who we are, where we come from, what gender we are, or who taught us, “In the end, it was God who did the work.”
“Our mission for the future is to make God’s presence ever more visible in His church,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider called. And that means focusing on the many beautiful things in the Church, on the good qualities of our neighbour, and on what God is doing.
