Leaving New Apostolic Church
And They Believed the Scripture!
Falk Peiler
Introduction
“And they believed the scripture, and the word that Jesus had spoken.“ – John 2:22
Raised New Apostolic from childhood, I had learned to believe in God as Heavenly Father and in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as my friend and brother. That he founded a church “personally placed under the direction of Peter and his fellow apostles.” (‘Questions & Answers’ (Q & A) until 1992, No. 216), was just as much a part of my New Apostolic faith as the conviction that one can always rely on the words spoken by Jesus and handed down in Holy Scripture, for I had always sung along very consciously in the New Apostolic congregational choir: “If thy word be no more, upon what shall faith rest?” – New Ap. Choir Folder No. 156
For this very reason, however, I now came into conflict with other contents of the New Apostolic doctrine. According to the account of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus had prophesied about the development of His Church: The powers of the underworld will not overcome them.” – Matthew 16:18
The New Apostolic Church, on the other hand, teaches that the ‘first’ apostolic church founded by Jesus ceased to exist soon after the death of the biblical apostles, and therefore had to be re-established around the year 1830, so that a ‘new’ apostolic church came into being.
I Concluded:
If the church of Christ was not overwhelmed at all in fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction, it did not need to be restored at any time.
According to the account of John’s Gospel, Jesus had foretold about the duration of the Holy Spirit’s activity: “…I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever. It is the Spirit of truth…” – John 14:16-17
The New Apostolic Church, however, maintains that with the death of the biblical apostles the time of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the Church also ended. Around 1830 a second outpouring of the Holy Spirit had to take place, because before that one had tried in vain “to replace the missing power of the Holy Spirit by diligent study of the handed down scriptures.” (Q & A until 1992 No. 196)
I Realized:
If the Holy Spirit has remained with His Church forever in fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction, the power of the Holy Spirit has never been lacking from the Church at any time, so that a second outpouring of the Holy Spirit was not necessary.
Furthermore, the New Apostolic Church assumes that after the death of Apostle John no one was able to continue the apostolic succession, so that the ‘effectiveness of the apostles’ was interrupted.
Jesus had predicted uninterrupted apostolic activity when he assured his apostles: “Be assured, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” – Matthew 28:20
Furthermore, the New Apostolic Church does not expect Christ’s return and the associated resurrection of those who have died in Christ (1 Thess. 4:16) to take place on the last day, to be more precise, the “Last Day”, to which Jesus, according to the Gospel of John, has referred them. 6, 39-54. several times, but already on a so-called ‘Day of the First Resurrection’ that lies far before this point in time.
After I had become aware that I could not believe in the fulfillment of Jesus’ predictions and in the correctness of the New Apostolic doctrine at the same time in the cases mentioned here before, I decided to do so, “…the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken” – John 2:22 to believe.
Therefore I officially left the New Apostolic Church on 05.06.1992.
The first non-New Apostolic service I attended then featured the gospel of the healing of the man born blind according to John chap. 9 the focus. I felt immediately addressed. Was I not also born blind = New Apostolic in a sense? And above all, have I not been completely blind to the fact that with my New Apostolic faith I was ultimately implying over and over again that Jesus would not keep his word? But Jesus also healed me and opened my eyes.
So Now I No Longer Believe:
- ▫ That the church Jesus founded had to be restored or rebuilt at some point,
- ▫ the Holy Spirit had to be poured out a second time.
- ▫ That the apostolic succession was interrupted and
- ▫ Jesus will come again far before the Last Day and raise the ‘dead in Christ’..
“For the word of the Lord is true, and what he promises he surely keeps!” – Ps 33:4
Many greetings Falk Peiler
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