Chief Apostle Schneider did not mince his words when he addressed the ministers and their service to God. A ministry is not a rank. A minister’s task in the congregation is to be vigilant and warn the members of impending danger.
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Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider was accompanied to Albania by District Apostles Bernd Koberstein and Rainer Storck from Germany …
Photo: NAK Albanien
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… and the Apostles Marat Akchurin and Pavel Gamov (Russia), Wilhelm Hoyer, Franz-Wilhelm Otten, Walter Schorr, and Wolfgang Schug (Germany).
Photo: NAK Albanien
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Twenty-three ministers with their wives from Albania and Kosovo attended the divine service in the capital Tirana
Photo: NAK Albanien
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The sermon was interpreted into Albanian at the altar
Photo: NAK Albanien
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Albania is cared for by the District Church North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany. There are six congregations with 200 members in Tirana, Elbasan, Fier, Lushnjë, Kuçova, and Ura Vajgurore
Photo: NAK Albanien
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The first New Apostolic missionaries travelled to Albania 25 years ago
Photo: NAK Albanien
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Chief Apostles visited the country twice: in 1994 and 2003.
Photo: NAK Albanien
All active and retired ministers from Albania and the neighbouring republic of Kosovo gathered for a divine service with Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider in our church in Tirana on Saturday, 9 July 2016. He based his sermon on Ezekiel 3: 17: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me.”
There to serve
The watchman and the house of Israel are an image for the ministers and the Church, for today’s congregation. “The Bible text says: ‘I have made you’, meaning it is a call from God. We have been called by God to serve Him, not by a human being or an organization,” the Chief Apostle pointed out. And God has called us to serve Him. A minister is therefore a servant of God. Agreeing to accept a ministry does not come with benefits. “We did not become ministers, servants of God, so that we would be better off in life,” the Chief Apostle explained. We are there to serve God and the congregation.
Salvation is not automatic
Fulfilling the duties connected with our ministry and serving God does not automatically earn us salvation. These are two completely different things: “One can be a very good minister and do a fantastic job in the work of God and still have to stay behind on the day of the Lord.” The ministry and our service to God do not help us in attaining our own salvation. Chief Apostle Schneider was unequivocal: “I cannot come to the Lord Jesus and say, ‘Lord, I was your Chief Apostle. You have to take me along!’ He could respond: ‘No, you were only an instrument, one I no longer need.’ If things in my soul do not change for the better, then I will not be there on the day of the Lord.”
The duty of a watchman
A watchman has to be vigilant, recognize danger, and warn others. What the watchman cannot do, however, is fight against the enemy all by himself nor can he prevent the enemy from attacking. It is similar with our faith, the Chief Apostle said: “As servants of God we cannot prevent tribulations from affecting the congregation. We cannot eradicate evil. It is our job to recognize the danger and to warn the brothers and sisters. Neither can we fight on behalf of the members. Every child of God has to fight for its own salvation. This is something the Priest cannot do for the members.”
No dominion over the faithful
The minister does not have dominion over the congregation. “Our ministry is not some kind of rank that allows us to rule over the congregation so that they would have to serve us,” the Chief Apostle clearly said. As a watchman we have received an elevated position through the sanctification, the divine call to serve God, at our ordination.
Excellent vision
A watchman needs good eyes. If he were short-sighted he would be useless. The Chief Apostle mentioned three factors that are important when it comes to serving the congregation.
- Consider things from the perspective of eternal life: “It is not only a question of earthly well-being. Think about the goal, think about the coming of the Lord, and think about eternal life.”
- Do not limit yourself to what you see: “We would be a poor judge of the situation if we were unaware that things continue in the beyond.” We have to look beyond our small congregation and consider the work of God as a whole.
- Do not only see yourself: “The Lord Jesus is the example, not me! If the others are different, let them be. Important is that they follow the Lord Jesus and model their lives on the gospel.”
Remedying deficiencies
Not the ministers define danger, but the Holy Spirit reveals the dangers that threaten us, the Chief Apostle continued. Three dangers threaten the Church today.
- A lack of love for God: we still go to church, we even serve the Lord—but not out of love. “
- A lack of love for the neighbour: people are becoming more and more selfish. This is a general trend in society. People are only interested in themselves.
- The danger that we do not make full use of the grace of God. The Lord Jesus offers us His full grace, but do we accept it? This requires humility and remorse.
Making warnings audible
For a watchman’s warnings to have the desired effect they have to be heard and people have to take them seriously. Three characteristics distinguish a watchman.
- He warns the believers out of love: “It is not a question of the congregation loving us. Important is that we love the members and they can feel our love for them.”
- He is understanding and credible: “If I say, ‘Dear brothers and sisters, this is dangerous!’ and do not act on my own advice, then nobody will take me seriously.”
- He believes what he preaches: “We should always be the first to act upon what we preach. Our conduct is crucial for whether we are considered credible or not.”