sharing bread and wine with each other – Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht

Reason enough to be baptised and become a member of our community

Mai 11, 2024Mai 10, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans ??? Questions asked, Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, Christadelphian, Faith, Jesus Christ - son of God, Questions & Answers, Thought for today

When we talk to several people, we discover how many people have many questions about faith and how many are not even really well aware of the doctrines or teachings of the church community in which they are baptized and of which they are members.

Catholic church, — Photo by Ivan Drau017eiu0107 on Pexels.com

In Great Britain, forty years ago it was not surprising to find several religious communities in villages. At that time there were a variety of churches there. In Belgium, on the other hand, there was not much diversity and in the villages there was usually only a Roman Catholic Church. Today, when many people and even on television in Flanders are heard talking about ‘the Church’, they usually mean the Catholic Church. Many are not even aware that there are still many subdivisions or denominations in that Catholic Church.

Nowadays, there are more Protestant churches in Belgium, compared to the last century. But when people talk about the Protestant church, they are more likely to talk about a collected set of Protestant churches, with the Belgian Protestant Church and the Pentecostal churches being the two most important, in addition to the evangelicals.

It is striking that among Protestant believers there are many more believers who know what the teachings of their community are. In those groups, no one will be found to deny the Trinity if they belong to a Trinitarian Protestant movement, unlike Catholics.

Over the years, there are more Catholics who are more aware that Jesus is the son of God. However, we also encounter Catholics who say that they believe that Jesus is not God but the son of God. They do not realise that this goes against Catholic teaching where it is taught that Jesus is god the son, assuming that God came to earth to deliver humanity from the curse of sin and death.

There are also many people who doubt any faith and are more likely to ask what it can bring them. People like what they do and get them something. Faith is no different.
The Catholic Church has always been a master at promising people everything. They used to go so far that people buy off their sins with indulgences. No one seemed to think that in such a case one could bribe God and that the rich could rather be remitted of temporary punishments (penitence) for sins, while people who were poor had to suffer longer in purgatory.

It is strange that those members of the traditional churches no longer asked their clergy about these matters and about the specificities of God and Jesus.

Thus one might ask:

If God is an unchangeable eternal Spirit who no man can see, how could He appear as a man on the earth and be seen by several?
If Jesus were God, why does he claim not to be a spirit, and can anyone who sees him continue to live while the Bible says that the man who sees God is dying?
If God is a God who doesn’t lie, why does He claim that He knows everything and that Jesus is his son, who in turn says that he doesn’t know things, because it is only given to God to know those things?

Strange that those believers are satisfied as quickly as their spiritual leaders say that they cannot understand that, and that they should believe those many things as dogmas, even if they do not understand them.

The Catholic Church has succeeded in scaring people with many things for centuries, so that they would step in with that Catholic doctrine.

A neighbour I had suggested to come to our Anderlecht ecclesia was told by his Catholic Church that he would then commit a mortal sin.

Rather, we believe that those who continue to adhere to church rules of doctrine rather than Biblical rules that they will remain in the world of sinfulness and will not have a chance to enter God’s Kingdom.

If one wants to be able to go through the narrow gate of the Kingdom of God, we believe one would do well to live according to Biblical norms and teachings. Scripture is not as difficult to understand as many churches claim. If one reads the Bible carefully, one will gain sufficient insight to know which path to take.

Baptême, doop — The Baptism of Jesus Christ by Library of Congress is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

In this way one can also see that God is an Eternal Spirit and that Jesus is his beloved son who has put aside his own will to fully realize God’s Will. The 66 books that make up the Bible provide a clear insight into how things are going. If there are still many questions, it is up to the spiritual leaders of the churches to give an honest and effective answer.

In the Community of Brethren in Christ, believers are open to receive outsiders and assist them with counsel.

We do admit that certain activities, such as participation in bread and wine, are only permitted to be enjoyed by believers who have enjoyed a Biblical baptism. If one really wants to become a partaker of that memorial meal, the community is open to educating you in their faith and giving you the opportunity to be baptised by immersion in water, as a sign of surrender to God and as a sign of accession to our community of faith.

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Further related

Christadelphian beliefs

Our first baptisms in our brand-new ecclesia

Mai 5, 2024Mai 8, 2024 par Christadelphians, publié dans Announcement, Behaviour or attitude towards others, Christadelphian, History & news feed, News

A few months ago, we started a trek with some mums that was to lead us past deep valleys, swamps, marshy meadows, but also past beautiful flowering valleys and beautiful mountains rising upwards.

During the trek, many rants were raised and Brothers Chris, Tim, Steve and Marcus tried to answer the questions and present good ground where there was doubt. Sister Miriam was given the honour a few weeks ago to ascertain whether the baptismal candidates were ready to fulfil their beautiful act of surrender.

Today is the day. Brother Steve left early this morning to pick up Brother Marcus to drive to Anderlecht together. On Saturday, Brother Method had already provided the swimming pool for the occasion. Today we expect to find it in his house filled with water.

For today, 5 May, is the big day. Our brand-new ecclesia will be able to greet its first baptisms in a few hours. From Newbury, our fellow brothers and sisters will join us for the service. They may start Sunday with their usual Sunday service at 10 o’clock English time (11 in the morning here in Belgium).

At 12 o’clock, Brother Marcus then initiates the baptism service, with first a look at the journey of many questions and answers. Then we testify that we are convinced that we may find a place of refuge in God’s House.

During the trek, everyone was allowed to meet the good shepherd whom the Great Chief Shepherd sent to this world and whose gate for the new sheep has also been opened.

After the scripture reading about what happened in Cornelius’ house, Brother Marcus will proceed to baptise Pascal, Donatien and Méthode, who will then be welcomed into our community as brothers. For the first time in their lives, they will then be allowed to join the table to eat the bread and wine symbolising the body of Christ.

And then the great family feast may begin! From then on, these new brothers will be allowed to join in the symbolic act and further proclaim the Good News to others to invite them also to the table of Jesus Christ.

Participants bonded together into one body

avril 18, 2024 par Christadelphians, publié dans Behaviour or attitude towards others, Christadelphian, Faith, Jesus Christ - son of God, Thought for today

In the ecclesiae of Christadelphians, members meet regularly to pray with each other and share bread and wine together.
There is also an annual high day commemorating Jesus’ last supper. This year, that commemoration celebration will take place on Monday 22 April. That evening, 14 Nisan is commemorated in recognition of God’s acceptance of Jesus’ ransom offering, offering Himself as a Lamb before God and instituting the Last Supper as an event to be repeated regularly.

At the service of remembrance Jesus Christ initiated at the “last supper” on Nisan 14 he broke bread and asked his disciples to do that likewise in the future. Jesus commands us to do this (eat bread and drink wine) in remembrance of him, until he comes. For followers of Christ, it is an important message and an act of connection with the master teacher.

As Paul expounds later, doing this is a participation (communion, fellowship, partnership) in the body and blood of the lord. He also emphasises that this is a communal act, and the participants are bonded together into one body. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)

“16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not [the] communion of the blood of the Christ? The bread which we break, is it not [the] communion of the body of the Christ? 17 Because we, [being] many, are one loaf, one body; for we all partake of that one loaf.” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Darby)

As brothers and sisters, we want to go through life united and testify for the Nazarene teacher who declared himself willing to stand up for us and even die for us.

Before Jesus was betrayed, he had prayed that there could be unity among his followers. He said:

“20 And I do not demand for these only, but also for those who believe on me through their word; 21 that they may be all one, as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou hast given me I have given them, that they may be one, as we are one; 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one [and] that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and [that] thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me.” (John 17:20-23 Darby)

Note in which directions this unity extends. There is unity between Jehovah God and His son Jesus Christ. Likewise, there is unity between Jesus and his followers. These followers should be one with Jesus and His heavenly Father as Jesus is one with His heavenly Father. Some wrongly see Jesus’ unity with God as a reason to assume that Jesus would then be God. They then forget the text that people should also be one with Jesus and with God as Jesus is one with his heavenly Father. Their way of thinking would then mean that people are also God and would even be God. (So that mindset is more likely to invalidate their Trinitarian thinking.)

We must even recognise that Jesus expects that « All » his followers should be one, not only those who lived then, but that it also concerns those who, by their word — that is, by the word of his disciples — in him would put faith, so that this unity extends into the future and includes all true Christians living today.
At the same time, that unity reaches into heaven to enclose Jesus Christ and Jehovah God, so that his followers could be — as Jesus put it — „in us be one”. And that being one is what will now be commemorated and highlighted next Monday on Nisan 14.

This memory is not merely a ritual, it is something to think about, and it is a time for self-reflection. It is a look back at what Jesus received from his heavenly Father, Jehovah God. But also what Jesus did with those received gifts, such as performing miracles. In addition, it is also a special commemoration of the Lord’s Supper, when Jesus and his apostles were together around the table and saw Jesus break bread and say a blessing over it. Then Jesus indicated that he would hand over his body and that blood would flow. But from then onwards, his blood would be a sign of a New Covenant between God and people.

We cannot imagine a stronger and closer unity than that which exists between Jehovah God and his son, Christ Jesus.

“23 For *I* received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was delivered up, took bread, 24 and having given thanks broke [it], and said, This is my body, which [is] for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 In like manner also the cup, after having supped, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye shall drink [it], in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come. 27 So that whosoever shall eat the bread, or drink the cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty in respect of the body and of the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself, and thus eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. 29 For [the] eater and drinker eats and drinks judgment to himself, not distinguishing the body. 30 On this account many among you [are] weak and infirm, and a good many are fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, so were we not judged.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-31 Darby)

Jesus asked whether his disciples could be included in the closest family association of God, a privileged sonship. The apostles should have seen „the glory as of a Only Begotten of the Father”.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father), full of grace and truth;” (John 1:14 Darby)

They learned how to be one with each other and with Christ. They also proclaimed that their followers should take care to be one. So they had to

„preserve the unity of the mind in the unifying bond of the peace”

and had to be aware that there is one body and one spirit, as those who call themselves followers of Christ were called

« in one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, by all and in all.

Given the many things they jointly possessed, what a closely connected and contiguous body its followers must have become!

The apostle Paul compares the community of followers of Christ to a human body. That body has several limbs, but they still belong to that one body.

Our religious community also consists of many people from different nations. Each ecclesia in turn, has many members, and all its members belong to the same body of that religious community. That body of Brothers and sisters in Christ, however many, form one body. Together they are connected to and in Christ, baptised with one Spirit soaked, absorbed into that one body.

This coming weekend and Monday to Tuesday, we remember, that through Christ and through one Spirit, we have all become one body in the name of Christ.
These special days we are thinking in particular that there should be no division in the body, but that we, as brothers and sisters, as the members of that one body, care for each other equally.

“12 For even as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also [is] the Christ. 13 For also in [the power of] one Spirit *we* have all been baptised into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or free, and have all been given to drink of one Spirit. 14 For also the body is not one member but many. 15 If the foot say, Because I am not a hand I am not of the body, is it on account of this not indeed of the body? 16 And if the ear say, Because I am not an eye I am not of the body, is it on account of this not indeed of the body? 17 If the whole body [were] an eye, where the hearing? if all hearing, where the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them in the body, according as it has pleased [him]. 19 But if all were one member, where the body? 20 But now the members [are] many, and the body one. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, I have not need of thee; or again, the head to the feet, I have not need of you. 22 But much rather, the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those [parts] of the body which we esteem to be the more void of honour, these we clothe with more abundant honour; and our uncomely [parts] have more abundant comeliness; 24 but our comely [parts] have not need. But God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to [the part] that lacked; 25 that there might be no division in the body, but that the members might have the same concern one for another.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-25 Darby)

Let us not lose sight of that message, of that last meeting of Jesus and his apostles around the table in the upper room in Jerusalem, and grow in love for each other with the truth, under the watchful eye of one shepherd, Christ Jesus our lord, so that we will not be ashamed when we have to appear before his judgment seat.

As brothers and sisters of each other, we listen to Jesus’ voice as we unite as one flock with one shepherd.

“15 but, holding the truth in love, we may grow up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ: 16 from whom the whole body, fitted together, and connected by every joint of supply, according to [the] working in [its] measure of each one part, works for itself the increase of the body to its self-building up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16 Darby)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep:” (John 10:11 Darby)

Preceding