Standing firm, moving forward, and truly understanding why we do what we do: this is how growth can be sparked that feeds on itself, spreading from the inside out.
The Corinthian church was a major concern for the Apostle Paul. And because he saw a lack of understanding, knowledge, and faith as the root cause of the problems, he offered the following advice: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15: 58).
This was the focus of a divine service in Colonia in Uruguay on 27 March 2026. Based on this, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider outlined the problems, causes, and solutions he sees in the present day.
Faith under pressure
“I must say, that is a big concern of mine,” the Chief Apostle said. “I would like to be sure that all New Apostolic Christians still believe in the first resurrection.” But he knows: “This faith has become weaker.” The reasons are as follows.
- The passage of time. “For two thousand years it has been preached that the Lord is coming soon, and He still has not come.”
- False teachings. “They want us to believe that the return of Christ is just an image.”
- A downward trend in certain parts of the Church: “The Lord cannot come under these conditions.”
- Doubts about the possibility: “The Lord is not even able to help me in my daily life. And you want me to believe that He can come down from heaven and take us and lead us into His kingdom?”
- Putting off our expectations. “Some still believe in the resurrection. But only at the very end of time, so far away that it becomes a theory.”
The answer to that is: “Let us hold fast to the belief that Jesus will come—and soon. He will intervene in the history of humankind and in my own existence. Nothing should make us move away from this faith.”
Growing from within
“And now Paul says, ‘Okay, now once you have this faith, you must grow in God’s work,’” the Chief Apostle explained. That does not mean that the minister’s work is inadequate. On the contrary: “In order to serve God’s work more effectively, we must deepen the work God does within us.”
And how can we do that? First: “Let us deepen our understanding of God’s work.” And secondly: “Let us strengthen our motivation to serve the Lord.
“What exactly does God do?” the Chief Apostle asked, before going on to explain.
- “God wants to give me eternal life, and He gives me the strength I need to obtain eternal life.”
- “It is not a matter of respecting some rules or doing the right thing. To enter the kingdom of God, we must be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.”
- “Without God’s grace, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. And to obtain grace, we must be humble and love God and our neighbour.”
- “God is not interested in the individual’s performance. What matters to God is the unity of His people.”
- “God does not punish. He respects our free choice. But if we do something wrong, we will have to face the consequences.”
“Let us work on our motivation,” the Chief Apostle said, as he outlined the fundamental principles.
- Faith. “Even if I cannot see it, even if I cannot understand it—God has told me, so I believe it. He is the truth.”
- Gratitude. “We do not serve Him because we want something in return. We serve Him because we have already received so much.”
- Love for Jesus Christ. “I want to be with Him. That is why I do His will. The rest does not matter.”
- Discipleship. “We want to become like Him. He is our model.
- Loving our neighbour. “We do good to our neighbour not for ourselves or to be admired, rewarded, or praised. We do good to our neighbour because we want to help God save our neighbour.”
The upward spiral begins
Then the virtuous circle begins: “We deepen our knowledge and purify our motivation. As a result, we can work more effectively. We can experience God’s help and love more often. And this experience, in turn, strengthens our faith and our love.”
“Doing so, we can be sure that the seed we sow today will sprout,” Chief Apostle Schneider concluded, adding, “Whether on earth or in the beyond, or later on in the kingdom of peace—that is not important. But our work is not in vain.”
Photos: Mauricio Bolletta
