With awe of Jehovah, we want to form a community together under the care of Jesus Christ. To this end, we are guided by God’s delivered Word, which has defied the ages. People have tried to destroy that Word several times, but have failed. The spread of that Word has also been stopped several times, but that also did not work.
With our ecclesia we now also take over the torch that has already been carried by so many in front of us. It is a privilege to wear that torch of eternal light. We can now shine that light in our environment.
The « one body » of which Christ is the head should not be nameless. For centuries, it was called « Christian« , but shamelessly showed signs unworthy of Jesus Christ. That Christian is no longer distinctive and has been mocked for centuries by wars between nations in which both sides professed Christianity.
In Psalm 22, which is prophetic of Christ, the believers in him are spoken of as « my brethren« , and the Epistle to the Hebrews, which cites the words, says:
« He is not ashamed to call them brothers » (Heb. 2:11-12).
« The Brothers of Christ » is Christou Adelphoi in Greek, and from this name Christadelphian originated. In front of the adelphos there are the brothers as well as the city or place of residence. Like Philadelphia, we are also a hometown of « beloved brothers » here. That love of Christ that we carry within us we therefore want to shine outward. The light we carry with us should therefore bear witness to the love in Christ.
We have seen that the central exhortation of this Epistle is, as expressed in the words of Paul’s prayer
for the believers:
« that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of they mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ » (Col 1:2).
Being united together in a « full assurance of understanding », true brethren in Christ experience a joyous fellowship which greatly surpasses any friendship the world can offer. For the unity of the believers ought to mirror in measure, that perfect unity subsisting between the Father and Son. Thus the lord prayed:
« keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are … neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us … and the glory which thou hast given me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one » (Joh 17:11,21,22).
Being risen with Christ in the baptismal waters of a typical grave (Col 3:1), this is a powerful influence which irresistibly draws brethren together, irrespective of their personal differences. By contrast to the morass of humanity who seek only their own, whose only desire is to satisfy the grovelling instincts of the flesh, Christ’s brethren have no regard for the temporal advantages of this life. Rather, being One with him, and in him, they seek to set their affections
« on things above, not on things on the earth », (Col 3:2),
for ‘above’ is where their Master is, and is therefore where their hope of life is hid (3:3). They are elements of a New Creation (cp 2 Cor 5:17), formed in the image and likeness of their maker (Col 3:10) – the constituent parts of a « new man » (Col 3:10), formed by the living influence of the Word upon the tables of their heart. And as a new man – complete in Christ, having no need of further addition by way of the traditions of men and the Judaising influence of those who would have them believe in « another gospel » – they stand whole, with mutual regard one for the other,
« forbearing one another, and forgiving one another » (Col 3:13),
When we go on a trek we open our minds and come to a time when we as pilgrims think about the reasons why we go to the ‘altar of the world’. Our intention is to arrive at the « Holy of the Holy » with this long and sometimes not so easy journey. We would prefer to be as close as possible to God with fellow human beings who enter into the same faith as we do.
At the start of the journey, the trekkers have an intention and want to keep their promise and find more meaning in their lives. The trek one takes is a conscious choice to think intensely about life and where one wants to go. It is a period of reflection to deepen faith, atone for previously committed sins, and reach a point where one can avoid sinning.
There are many reasons to embark on a pilgrimage, and each pilgrim has a different one.
To walk the chosen path is above all a spiritual experience, which requires prior preparation. Sometime before you go on this journey, you should also think about the reasons why you are going on this pilgrimage. You can look at the others who start the journey, but it is important to carefully examine your own motivations.
When taking walks to prepare for your trip, try to think about the reasons why you are heading, about your questions and the answers you are looking for, and about what you plan to achieve by going on this pilgrimage.
During the big trek it will be noticeable how your view of the world can change. You will notice that many people are stuck with certain churches and their traditions, but that they are not really in accordance with Biblical Truth.
If your opinion is that of the majority, it is time to think carefully about whether you are on the right path with that majority. You will also realise that you have also become a victim of that large group of believers who prefer to adhere to the doctrines of that church, instead of feeling free in the world in which Jesus has cut the chains of slavery by rules.
During the journey, there needs to be a lot clearer and you need to realise that there is no point in staying chained to certain churches. Jesus has freed humanity from the human chains and opened the way to the One True God, who is One and not two or three.
With that insight gained, the responsibility also comes to Jesus and his God, to move further in the right direction and to dare to distance himself from the worldly rules of life.
During your pilgrimage, you must realise that not only are you on the road, but others have also entered the quest. You must therefore take them into account and realise that ‘pilgrimage’ is, as it were, also synonymous with ‘sharing’, even if it is an individual experience. Along the way, you will meet other people and you will have the opportunity to address each other and exchange ideas. Exchanging ideas is important to achieve a good learning process. You will also notice that everyone has ended up on the same path through other means as what you are currently on.
Once you meet one and the other, you will be able to see that you are not alone anymore, but that several are looking forward to reaching that same point.
The Book of Ezekiel teaches us that pure worship revolves around more than formal acts of worship. It requires us
(1) Giving Jehovah full devotion, (2) remaining united in pure worship and (3) showing love for others.
From the clues we receive in the Holy Scriptures about true worship, we learn that it first and foremost requires a certain attitude from the worshipper. Whoever wishes to address God, the Heavenly Father, must do so in all honesty. By the way, God knows and tests the heart, and so no one can pretend to God otherwise than that person actually is.
“But Jehovah, the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not rely on his appearance and his tall figure. I rejected him. It is not about what man sees: man looks at appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” (1Sa 16:7)
“A man always chooses the right path in his own eyes, Jehovah tests what moves him internally.” (Spr 21:2)
“It is I, Jehovah the Lord, who understandeth the heart, who testeth kidneys, who rewardeth every man according to his walk of life, and giveeth unto every man what he earneth.” (Jer 17:10)
If we love God we will also be willing to give ourselves fully to Him. Baptism gives a sign to God that one wants to be purified from past sins and that one wants to enter a new life in which one wants to maintain loyalty to God.
Even though we as a people have countless religious, social and ethnic backgrounds, we realise that we must maintain the unity by which we can be recognised as God’s people, and with immersion in the water we indicate that we want to be purified or laundered from sins and want to be included in the community of baptised people.
Believing in Jesus Christ, with our immersion we also indicate that we want to bow down humbly and enter that world of Christ. Jesus prayed whether his true followers should be ‘one’, working together in unity towards the same goal, just as he and his Father are ‘one’ through their cooperation and unity of thought.
“I have caused them to share in the greatness which you have given me, that they may be one as we are:” (John 17:22)
Being one is an important fact for us. Jesus we want to follow wishes that we will be one, just as God the Father is in union with him and he is also in union with Jehovah.
“Brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I call you to be all united, to avoid divisions, to be completely one in your thinking and your conviction.” (1Co 1:10)
“So we are one body together in Christ and we are, each separately, each other’s body parts.” (Ro 12:5)
“There are no more Jews or Greeks, slaves or freemen, men or women-you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Go 3:28)
Going under in the water we are purified and all differences are washed away. A baptism is not about sprinkling with some water, but about « going under ». We also think of immersing ourselves in Jesus’ blood, so that our conscience can be cleansed from dead works.
“how much more will not the blood of Christ, who thanks to the eternal Spirit has been able to offer himself as a sacrifice without blemish, cleanse our conscience from deeds that lead to death, and sanctify it for the service of the living God?” (Heb 9:14)
“let us then approach God with a sincere heart and firm faith, now that our hearts have been cleansed, we have been freed from a bad conscience and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:22)
Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht 