Gratitude says something about our relationship with God. This is something that Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider made clear on Thanksgiving Day in Switzerland. The believers learned how one can show gratitude to God.

This Sunday, 24 September 2023, District Apostle Leonard R. Kolb (1956) will retire. He has served as a minister in the New Apostolic Church for an impressive 50 years.

Whether it is a divine service for children, for ministers, or for the whole congregation, serving God together is always a celebration. All over the world, people come together for divine service and sometimes there is a special reason to celebrate.

Who is supposed to benefit from serving and reigning with Christ? This is the question District Apostle Tshitshi Tshisekedi from the Democratic Republic Congo asks in his article as he reflects on our 2023 motto and takes a look at the coming generations and what we are leaving our children.

Already today we receive extra lessons from the Holy Spirit on the subject of serving and reigning. How exactly He goes about this is explained by District Apostle Helper John Schnabel from the United States in his Spotlight article.

Anger is a bad counsellor. All we need to do is look at the story of Cain and Abel. District Apostle Rainer Storck from Germany explains how self-restraint plays into our 2023 motto.

Why should we serve God and strive to reign, District Apostle Michael Deppner from the DRC Congo asks in his article on our annual motto. In the end, no one gets more than their neighbour. The effort, however, is worth it.

Serving and reigning with Christ: the first part of this year’s motto refers to our neighbour, the second part certainly does not. The case of the third man explains what we need to rule over. Here is a contemporary look at an archetypal incident.

Not only the ministers and those who have functions in the Church are committed, but members of all ages. Everyone contributes their gifts be it in making music, knitting for the less fortunate, or by sharing advice with others.

In preparation for their mission to the moon, astronauts had to prepare for a near-zero-gravity environment. Training for this on earth was very complex and expensive. How much time and energy do we invest in preparing for our future mission, Joseph Opemba Ekhuya from Kenya asks in his Spotlight article.

Already as a twelve-year-old, District Apostle Mark Woll from Canada made the experience that even the boss of a company is really nothing but a servant. In his Spotlight article he explores how much serving there really is in reigning.

To reign with Christ is a higher form of service. This is what District Apostle John Kriel from South Africa says in his article on our annual motto. What exactly this means he explains by telling us what we need to let go of and what we need to hold on to.

Faith, boldness, discipleship, loyalty, truthfulness, and love. These are the key words that District Apostle Kububa Soko from Zambia associates with our 2023 motto. In his Spotlight article he explains what exactly this means for our everyday life.

Our annual motto “Serving and reigning with Christ” does not mean that we should strive for power, District Apostle Michael Ehrich from Germany clarifies. Jesus rules differently than the powerful of the world. After all, He did not come to be served, but to serve.

Church life, doctrinal aspects, and a children’s corner… the latest issue of the community magazine is jam-packed with exciting topics. This edition of the magazine takes its readers to Brazil and South Africa, among other places, and it features the full-text version of the divine service in which the Chief Apostle explained our motto for 2023.

Serving with Christ is clear, but the reigning aspect of this year’s motto is giving some New Apostolic Christians a headache. In his article, District Apostle Rüdiger Krause of Germany explains the importance of reigning.

“This year, the Lord is drawing our attention to our present and future vocation, namely to serve and reign with Christ,” District Apostle Jürg Zbinden of Switzerland writes. Using the story of Joseph, he explains our 2023 motto.

The Chief Apostle described Joshua as a true servant of God and presented him as an example. Here is what this figure from the Old Testament can teach us about our 2023 motto: “Serving and reigning with Christ”.