Go and bring blessing

On his way to Spain, Apostle Paul dropped in on his brothers and sisters in Rome. He had announced his visit in a letter and promised: “But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.” This passage from Romans 15: 29 served as basis for the divine service on 1 June 2024 in Dili, East Timor. Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider noted, “This is definitely a nice description of our mission and our service.”

Go there!

First, God sent His Son, an example of the duty that ministers fulfil. “Sure, He preached and many, many people came to listen to Him,” the Chief Apostle said. “But He also went to the people, He visited them, and listened to them. He shared in their joy and pain. He cried with them. He even washed their feet.”

Even today, the mission of a minister is more than just preaching, he said. “In the New Apostolic Church the ordained ministers are not just preachers. Their mission is to go to the faithful, to listen to them, to share in their joys and sorrows, to cry with them if needed, and help and assist them. That is their mission.”

Bringing blessing

The blessing described in the Bible text does not consist of earthly advantages. “God asks us to bring the blessing of the gospel to the believers, not earthly blessings.” According to Ephesians 1: 3–14 the blessing of the gospel is defined as:

• our election—God has called us
• the fact that we receive the sacraments
• that we have forgiveness of sins
• that we understand the will of God
• that we receive the strength we need to do the will of God

God has entrusted the fullness of His blessing to the Apostle ministry, which in turn has commissioned ministers, whose mission the Chief Apostle specified as follows:

• Our mission is to dispense the sacraments and the forgiveness of sins to our members.
• Our mission is to explain the will of God: God wants us to live with Him in His kingdom forever because He loves us.
• Never forget, believers can experience the love of Jesus Christ through us. Go to the believers and be close to them! Let them experience the true love of God.
• To do this, we must be sanctified by God and we must sanctify ourselves. Someone who is supposed to bless others, cannot curse. We have been sent to bless, not to curse.

“Through the apostolate, human beings can receive everything they need for salvation,” the Chief Apostle said. “The ministers who work together with the apostolate can therefore bring the fullness of the blessing of the gospel.”

Obtaining blessing

And how is a servant of God blessed? Not by being spared suffering or even becoming rich, the Chief Apostle said. And not by being given a special position in the congregation or power. The fullness of blessing for a servant of God definitely does not lie in this life.

God blesses differently. “He gives you the strength you need to fulfil your mission.” The Chief Apostle also shed light on another aspect of blessing: “You can experience the love, power, and presence of God. After a divine service you will feel: God was present today. A faithful servant is endowed with great wisdom: He knows how much God loves His children. He understands better and better how God helps His children and that gives him joy and peace.”

And then there is the “ultimate blessing”, the Chief Apostle said. “I hope you are aware that a faithful Priest, a faithful Evangelist, or a faithful Apostle will not receive more than any other member of the congregation,” the Chief Apostle said, addressing his listeners directly. “The Chief Apostle—if he remains faithful until the return of the Lord—will receive exactly the same as a believing widow who has remained faithful until the end. Both will receive eternal life. They will benefit from Christ’s merit, which he gained for us on the cross. They will become like Jesus and be with God in glory. You cannot get more than this.”

Equipped with new power

To corroborate his statements, Chief Apostle Schneider recalled two parables:

• the parable of the talents (Luke 19: 13–26): “This parable means that God has entrusted everyone with a mission in accordance with their abilities. This parable explains that we have different tasks to fulfil.”
• the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20: 1–16): “Jesus wanted to say that nobody can earn salvation and that you cannot receive more than eternal life.”

The Chief Apostle’s closing words to the ministers were clear, but above all encouraging: “We have been sent to bring the blessing of the gospel to the members. We have not been sent to rule over their lives, but to help them understand the will of God and fulfil it. Those who do this, will do so with the blessing of God. God will give them the strength to fulfil their mission. They will experience the love, presence, and grace of God in a special way, and they will enter the kingdom of God.”