Moving the Kingdom Forward - August 2024 - New Apostolic Church USA

New Apostolic Church USA

Moving the Kingdom Forward - August 2024

What does it mean to "Move the Kingdom Forward"? Truly, it is an individual as well as a communal task. As Ephesians explains, we are edified "till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God... to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children... but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body... by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in

love" (Ephesians 4:12-16 excerpts).

To move forward we need to mature, growing in the nature of Christ, and this happens by each of us doing our part in the body of Christ.

Growth and maturity mean moving forward, which is what each sermon this

month will focus on:

• The Samaritan woman will teach us what is means to move from

understanding to action for the sake of others.

• We will learn from Tabitha what it means to serve others with the goal

of moving them from need to dignity.

• A look at the early church will help us understand the importance of

moving from isolation to community.

• Paul will help us understand the need for suffering, and how we can

move from suffering to consolation.

• In our midweek sermon, the story of the tower of Babel will help us

move our language from division to unity.

He is Here!

In December we anticipated the coming of Jesus Christ. Now, in January, we can proclaim that He is here! Each sermon this month will dwell on aspects of the presence of Christ in our lives. Our New Year will begin with the Chief Apostle's 2025 theme for year: It's time to do good! The second sermon will illustrate how God is revealed through Jesus Christ. The third sermon of January will focus our attention on knowing Christ through His teaching. The last Sunday sermon will walk us through the presence of Christ in the sacraments, and how we can respond to them. The midweek sermon will illuminate how the light of Christ permeates our lives.

He is coming!

Advent - a time of waiting and anticipation: "In Advent... it's the waiting that's hard, the in-between of divine promise and its fulfillment. Most of us find ourselves dangling in this hiatus, which in the interval may seem a waste of time... But the longer we wait... the more joyful our expectancy. With such motivation, we can wait as we sense that God is indeed with us, and at work within us, as He was with Mary as the Child within her grew." From "God is in the Manger" In this month of waiting, we will celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ - the King, the Son of God, the Giver of Mercy, the long awaited Messiah, the Immanuel, or "God with us," and the Christ, who will return to establish His kingdom. May you feel in your preparations, the wonder of Jesus' coming and lead your congregation into experiencing the presence of "God with us" on Christmas Day.

Thank God

This prayer of David continues to inspire our Season of Thanksgiving: Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and glory, the victory and majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:11-13). In the month of October, we contemplated the works of God in the past, present, and immediate future: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Now, in November, we turn our eyes to the events of our eternal future and express our thanksgiving to God for what He will do, as we continue awaiting Christ's return. Thank God: for His salvation for both the living and the dead, for His promised return as we continue readying ourselves, for His mercy as the kind Judge, for His care revealed in the continuing rhythms of this creation and His promise of the new creation, and for His time, a gift that we receive from His hand.