Signposts along our way

About 22,500 young people attended a divine service by the Chief Apostle in the Tata Raphaël Stadium in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on 19 July 2015. Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider put the focus of this service on the psalmist’s plea to the omnipresent and omniscient God, “And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139: 24).

“To find out whether you are on the right way, you first have to determine the goal you want to reach,” the Chief Apostle said. “On the day of our sealing, or at our confirmation, we set ourselves a goal, ‘My goal in life is to come to Jesus.’” He continued, “Then we can ask God, ‘Tell me whether I am on the right way.’” The Bible is full of examples where God showed people the right way.

Do what God expects of you!

When David sent Bathsheba’s husband to his certain death, God sent a prophet to rebuke the king and tell him that he had sinned against the Lord (2 Samuel 11). “David listened to the message God delivered through the prophet, and he repented,” the Chief Apostle said. The Chief Apostle then asked the congregation to “accept the admonitions of God”.

Saul thought he could replace obedience with sacrifice (1 Samuel 15). “We too sometimes bargain with God and try to find a compromise, ‘I am not going to do this, but I am prepared to do that.’ Don’t try to bargain with God. Just do what He expects from you when He asks you. That is the right way.”

Jonah fled from God so that he would not have to carry out the mission God had given him (Jonah 1). “Don’t hide from God. It is the wrong way, and it will take you nowhere. Keep your focus on the glory of God.”

Jesus told Peter to put his sword into his sheath (John 18: 10–11). “Jesus does not want us to attack those who do not share our faith. Let us pray for them and set an example. That is the way that leads to Jesus.”

God’s way of telling us to stop

The Chief Apostle gave four examples to show us how God tells us to stop when we are heading in the wrong direction.

• “When you are getting nowhere with your plans, reconsider and ask yourself the question, ‘Can God even agree with my plans?’ Go get yourself information, think about everything, and then start to work on something that is in line with the will of God.” “
• “The servants of God are not there to tell you what to do; they are not there to make decisions for you. God has, however, given them the commission to caution His children, ‘Careful, you are on the wrong way.’”
• “Sometimes the Lord uses the people around you to warn or admonish you and to give you a good piece of advice. Take it!”
• “Just like Jesus broke bread with the disciples of Emmaus, He celebrates Holy Communion with us in every divine service. In the light of the word of God and by partaking of Holy Communion we begin to understand that we may be going down the wrong road.”

The closer you get, the bigger the goal becomes

“The issue is not whether it is good or bad, or whether you are the only one doing it, or that thousands of others are doing the same thing,” the Chief Apostle explained. “The issue is that you want to enter into the kingdom of God, but you are heading in the wrong direction.”

“The more progress you make on the right way, the greater your trust in Jesus Christ will be, and the greater your love for Him. This love will then become your only motivating force. You will begin to look forward to Christ more and more, and will become humble in the process because you realize that you need God’s grace. If we keep this in mind, we will soon reach our goal.”