On the 10th of November 2023, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider visited the country of Bangladesh for the first time. The Divine service was held in the capital of Dhaka. Despite the many challenges that were faced, the service drew over 800 attendees in person and was broadcast globally via YouTube to 60 locations.

Praise and Worship for our Heavenly Father

The Bible text for the service was taken from the Book of Psalms 92:5 "O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep”. The sermon highlighted Christ's impactful work on Earth and the great example He set in trusting and surrendering to God’s plan. 

The Chief Apostle said, “Together we can praise and worship our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ today, and that is exactly the meaning of our Bible text today. That is why we gather together in every Divine Service. Every service allows us to remind ourselves how great the works of God are.” 

God's Work through Jesus

The Chief Apostle recounted the profound works accomplished by God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Despite facing persecution and ultimately death, He stayed faithful and fulfilled the Father’s will perfectly. Through all of that, he remained without sin.

His love was perfect. He extended this love and compassion to the weak, marginalized and sinners alike, even amidst His own suffering. Furthermore, Jesus' actions were guided by God's will. He focused not on meeting people's immediate desires for miracles. They expected Him to drive out the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel—but He brought them redemption.

“That is why we worship and praise God in every Divine Service,” the Chief Apostle explained. It is not because God needs it. “We do this for ourselves, not for Him.” The Chief Apostle pointed out, “The works and the victory of Jesus Christ are the most important things in our life.” 

God's Offer of Salvation 

Next, the Chief Apostle focused on God’s offer of salvation. God does much more than just help us in our everyday lives. While we expect God to solve our day-to-day problems, God's plan is a much bigger one. He wants us to be completely freed from the evil one.  

God transforms us completely. He takes us poor and imperfect sinners and transforms us into the perfect image of Jesus Christ. God’s actions are beyond our understanding, but we have the guarantee that He is at work.  

Although these great works come from God, we often only think about what we as human beings do for God. “Let us change our way of looking at things,” the Chief Apostle added. “Let us think about what we receive from God, what we will become through the transformation.”  

God Wants to Save all Human Beings

The Chief Apostle continued about God's redemption, which includes the salvation of all human beings with no one excluded. God wants to lead us all into His kingdom.  

God desires us to live in perfect fellowship with Him and with one another.

Redemption is an action of God that defies human understanding. The members of the Church will not be perfect by the time Christ returns. But instead of focusing on people’s weaknesses, we need to remember that it is God’s work. He can use the weaknesses of human beings to do great things.  

It is God who directs His church, not human beings. That is why God’s will is done, not ours. We are called to trust in Jesus Christ and follow Him until the end. When we can experience confidence in God's guidance, the work of salvation in us can be brought to its completion. 

The Divine Service also included Holy Communion for the departed. This special act invites souls from the yonder world to partake in this Holy Act, preparing for the return of Christ.

This Divine Service was a very special event for the members of the New Apostolic Church in Bangladesh. In a time of deep unrest, members were able to receive strength and comfort and be in fellowship with each other in unity and faith. 

We would like to express our appreciation for every member who prayed, offered, and yearned for this visit. We hope that our faith has strengthened manyfold through this experience.