The Apostolic Churches This lesson is historical in nature and therefore the only Bible reference used is the memory verse itself.

Transcription

1 Winter 2017 ~ Religious Instruction Lesson #9 The Apostolic Churches This lesson is historical in nature and therefore the only Bible reference used is the memory verse itself. Learning Objectives 1. The children will explore how the Lord s work developed under the first Apostles of the end time. Memory Verse: If the Lord doesn t build a house, the work of its builders is useless. --Psalm 127:1 Getting Started Pure Gospel Activity See: object talks Pure Gospel You will need a bottle of water for this activity. You will use it to start a discussion about different types of water that are offered today. Please see the above website for detailed instructions to guide the discussion. Then continue the conversation: The gospel of Christ also started pure. The source was Jesus himself. But man tries to change the gospel of Christ too. There is but one gospel, that which came from Jesus himself and as preached by the Apostles. We must only put our faith in the pure gospel of Christ. In today s lesson we will learn about the beginnings of the New Apostolic Church and the spreading of the word of God. Lesson Message: We can all help to build God s work. Teacher Background Information: (From God s Ways Volume 3) TEACHER NOTE: The following information is for YOU to read as you prepare for your lesson. This will give you the background information to help you understand and answer questions. This information is NOT to be read word for word or analyzed in detail during class. Refer to the section below entitled: WHAT DO THEY NEED TO KNOW? for the main points the children should understand. Teach the lesson using the Activity section and Real Life Application section. They will guide you as to how to teach the key ideas from this historical information. Remember to try and make it as fun and interesting as possible. Food/Snacks to enjoy during the lesson may help keep your student interest up as well, and you are encouraged to bring them in each week (or have a volunteer do so) as we explore the history of the church. 1

2 The name Catholic Apostolic Church The churches had rejected the Apostles appeal to accept the Apostle ministry. Although this rejection had already been predicted through prophecies, the Apostles viewed this somewhat as a failure of their commission to: - Place the one and only church, which from their perspective was formed by all the baptized, under Apostolic leadership, and - Preach about Christ s imminent return to all of Christendom. It had not been their intention to establish a new church from the beginning. What remained now was for the Apostles to concentrate their efforts on the congregations in which they had been accepted. On January 10, 1849 Apostle Cardale named the English congregations Catholic Apostolic Church. The first Holy Sealings The first Holy Sealings were performed by Apostle Cardale on May 31, 1847 in London, England, and Apostle Carlyle in Frankfurt on the Main, Germany, on October 17, The Apostles had established that only those who were baptized and at least 20 years old could receive the Holy Spirit. The Apostles performed this official act by praying, laying their hands upon the faithful, and anointing them with consecrated oil. Coadjutors With the spread of God s work it became more and more difficult for the Apostles to cope with their work, because they assumed that the number of Apostles was limited to twelve. In 1852 they decided that each Apostle may ordain a helper, a so-called coadjutor (from the Latin word adiutor, meaning assistant or helper). With the authority of their Apostle, the coadjutors were able to carry out all Apostolic ministrations such as ordinations and sealings. The coadjutor s commission ceased with the death of the Apostle, unless he was assigned to another Apostle, which happened regularly. At the death of Apostle Woodhouse on February 3, 1901 there were still two coadjutors. They immediately stopped sealing souls and ordaining ministers following the Apostle s death. Further developments When Apostles Mackenzie and Carlyle died in 1855, a question arose for the remaining Apostles about the consequence of these deaths on the twelve-fold Apostolate: Should the vacant positions created by the death of the Apostles be filled again? After detailed discussion, the Apostles decided to do nothing. The reason they gave for their decision was that they did not consider themselves authorized to fill the vacancies left by Apostles who had passed away. In their opinion, the Holy Bible did not give them authority for this. R. F. Edel writes about the consequences of this fateful decision: With respect to their continued existence the congregations to the extent this was in their hands had thus sentenced themselves. The prophetic calling of additional Apostles, however, from within or outside of the congregations was certainly considered possible. There indeed were such prophetic callings; however, these were rejected by the Apostles. When the Evangelists Bohm and Caird were called as Apostles through H. Geyer s prophecy during a May 1860 council meeting in Albury, the Apostles college rejected this calling. C. Bohm and W. Caird were active just like Apostles because they were ordained as coadjutors in 1859 and 1865 respectively, and authorized to perform all Apostolic acts, including Holy Sealing. 2

3 In October 1862 H. Geyer called Elder Rosochacki as an Apostle in Konigsberg, Prussia. In an 1863 circular letter to all rectors of the Catholic Apostolic congregations, Apostle Woodhouse denied prophets the right to call new Apostles. In 1901 F. V. Woodhouse, the last of the first twelve Apostles of the end time, died at the age of 96. From then on neither sealings nor ordinations could be performed in the Catholic Apostolic Church, except for ordinations of Sub deacons, which were performed by Angels (i.e. rectors). In the course of time more and more congregations were dissolved. In 1971 the last Priest of the Catholic Apostolic Church ordained by Apostle Woodhouse died. In May 1860 conference in Albury As in the preceding years around Pentecost, the seven Apostles who were still alive came together with some prophets in Albury in Prophet Heinrich Geyer from Berlin once again also attended this meeting. During this gathering he prophesied, Yearn for the Apostles who have left your ranks! The Lord gives you two Apostles for the empty seats as a pledge that he will also fill the remaining ones: Charles Bohm and William Caird as Apostles. Following internal deliberations, however, the seven Apostles rejected this as well as any further calling of Apostles. His return journey led Heinrich Geyer through Hamburg. Here he stopped off to inform the Angel of the congregation there about the occurrences in Albury. Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz (April 11, 1815 December 6, 1895) was the Angel at the time. His name was frequently also spelled Schwarz. Both spellings were common then. In New Apostolic literature today, only Schwartz is used. The Catholic Apostolic congregation in Hamburg Testimony of the reestablished work of God had been carried from Berlin to Hamburg around Apostle Carlyle sealed the first believers in Hamburg in At the beginning of 1863 the Hamburg congregation had about 150 members. The calling of Apostles in Germany Initially Apostles Rosochacki (October 1862), Preuss (April 1863), and Schwartz (May 1863) were called in Germany. On October 30, 1864 Prophet Geyer called an additional four Apostles. These were the beginners of the New Apostolic Church, which today has spread to almost all countries of the world. The calling of Rudolf Rosochacki as an Apostle the New Apostolic Church comes into being Rudolf Rosochacki was born in Konigsberg, East Prussia (present-day Kaliningrad, Russia) in May He was a master bricklayer by trade and the owner of a construction business. In the Catholic Apostolic Church he was a Priest and, from about 1860, Elder in the congregation in Konigsberg. On October 10, 1862 he was called as an Apostle by Prophet Geyer, who reported about this event himself, as follows: The same evening, October 10, 1862 Apostle Woodhouse had gone to bed early the spirit of the Lord laid so heavily on me that I was almost crushed physically. Suddenly during the evening prayer, which Rosochacki and I spoke together around midnight, the spirit of God came over me and inspired me to call the servant Rosochacki to the ministry of an Apostle. During this calling he was also told, however, that he should not get involved in the previous Apostles affairs, but to quietly bide his time, since God would acknowledge him before a great gathering of many witnesses. Another series of twelve was to start with him. This calling took place calmly around midnight, and was also accepted completely and joyfully by the one who had been called. Although non-public callings of Apostles were forbidden, this nocturnal calling within the chamber was nevertheless justified for the time being, since in England many Apostles and many a minister had also been called within private rooms during the 1830s. 3

4 In December 1862 Prophet Geyer informed the angel of the congregation in Hamburg, Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz, that the Lord had called an additional Apostle in October, so that the Apostolate would not come to an end before the Son of God had returned. Based on this, Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz invited Apostle Rosochacki and Prophet Geyer to Hamburg for Saturday, January 3, After the Sunday morning service Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz invited the congregation back for the afternoon for a special occasion. During this gathering, both Prophet Geyer as well as Apostle Rosochacki reported what had happened on October 10, Thereafter, Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz asked both men in front of the assembled congregation if they would be able to profess before God s judgment seat that this was done by God. Then they were to confirm this by saying Yes. After both had done this, Angel Schwartz accepted Rudolf Rosochacki as an Apostle and subordinated himself to him. With the exception of five, the remaining members in the congregation accepted the new Apostle, without thereby wanting to separate themselves from Apostle Woodhouse. The Angel in charge of Berlin, C. Rothe, was immediately informed about this event separately by each of those responsible. This divine calling was also not recognized by the remaining English Apostles, however, but rather led to the Hamburg congregation s expulsion. A new Apostolic branch had come into being, which later received the name New Apostolic Church. What do they need to know? The name Catholic Apostolic Church The churches had rejected the Apostles appeal to accept the Apostle ministry. It had not been their intention to establish a new church from the beginning. The Apostles decided to concentrate their efforts on the congregations in which they had been accepted. On January 10, 1849 Apostle Cardale named the English congregations Catholic Apostolic Church. The first Holy Sealings The first Holy Sealings were performed by Apostle Cardale on May 31, 1847 in London, England, and Apostle Carlyle in Frankfurt on the Main, Germany, on October 17, The Apostles had established that only those who were baptized and at least 20 years old could receive the Holy Spirit. The Apostles performed this official act by praying, laying their hands upon the faithful, and anointing them with consecrated oil. Coadjutors With the spread of God s work it became more and more difficult for the Apostles to cope with their work, because they assumed that the number of Apostles was limited to twelve. In 1852 they decided that each Apostle may ordain a helper, a so-called coadjutor (from the Latin word adiutor, meaning assistant or helper). With the authority of their Apostle, the coadjutors were able to carry out all Apostolic ministrations such as ordinations and sealings. The coadjutor s commission ceased with the death of the Apostle, unless he was assigned to another Apostle, which happened regularly. 4

5 Further developments - Apostles Mackenzie and Carlyle died in The Apostles decided to not replace those that had passed away. The reason they gave for their decision was that they did not consider themselves authorized to fill the vacancies left by Apostles who had passed away. In their opinion, the Holy Bible did not give them authority for this. - More Apostles were called and ordained, as were more coadjutors Apostle Woodhouse denied prophets the right to call Apostles Apostle Woodhouse (the last of the first 12 Apostles) died at the age of No further sealings or ordinations took place in the Catholic Apostolic Church, except the ordination of Sub deacons (performed by the angels or rectors) Last priest of the Catholic Apostolic Church that was ordained by Apostle Woodhouse died. The calling of Apostles in Germany Initially Apostles Rosochacki (October 1862), Preuss (April 1863), and Schwartz (May 1863) were called in Germany. On October 30, 1864 Prophet Geyer called an additional four Apostles. These were the beginners of the New Apostolic Church, which today has spread to almost all countries of the world. The calling of Rudolf Rosochacki as an Apostle the New Apostolic Church comes into being On October 10, 1862 he was called as an Apostle by Prophet Geyer, who reported about this event himself, as follows: The same evening, October 10, 1862 Apostle Woodhouse had gone to bed early the spirit of the Lord laid so heavily on me that I was almost crushed physically. Suddenly during the evening prayer, which Rosochacki and I spoke together around midnight, the spirit of God came over me and inspired me to call the servant Rosochacki to the ministry of an Apostle. During this calling he was also told, however, that he should not get involved in the previous Apostles affairs, but to quietly bide his time, since God would acknowledge him before a great gathering of many witnesses. Another series of twelve was to start with him. This calling took place calmly around midnight, and was also accepted completely and joyfully by the one who had been called. Although non-public callings of Apostles were forbidden, this nocturnal calling within the chamber was nevertheless justified for the time being, since in England many Apostles and many a minister had also been called within private rooms during the 1830s. In December 1862 Prophet Geyer informed the angel of the congregation in Hamburg, Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz, that the Lord had called an additional Apostle in October, so that the Apostolate would not come to an end before the Son of God had returned. Based on this, Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz invited Apostle Rosochacki and Prophet Geyer to Hamburg for Saturday, January 3, After the Sunday morning service Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz invited the congregation back for the afternoon for a special occasion. During this gathering, both Prophet Geyer as well as Apostle Rosochacki reported what had happened on October 10, Thereafter, Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz asked both men in front of the assembled congregation if they would be able to profess before God s judgment seat that this was done by God. Then they were to confirm this by saying Yes. After both had done this, Angel Schwartz accepted Rudolf Rosochacki as an Apostle and subordinated himself to him. With the exception of five, the remaining members in the congregation accepted the new Apostle, without thereby wanting to separate themselves from Apostle Woodhouse. 5

6 The Angel in charge of Berlin, C. Rothe, was immediately informed about this event separately by each of those responsible. This divine calling was also not recognized by the remaining English Apostles, however, but rather led to the Hamburg congregation s expulsion. A new Apostolic branch had come into being, which later received the name New Apostolic Church. Application to Real Life with Journal Question For today s lesson conclusion, give the children time to write in their journals. You may choose to discuss them together first, and then allow the children to choose one to write about. Journal Question: How passionate are you about your mission as a believer in Christ? Do you want to share your faith with others? Why or why not? Write about it. Memory Work Suggestions 5 minutes 1. Recite the memory verse. 2. Practice finding the memory verse and/or Bible text in their Bible! 3. Play a game to review an article of faith (toss the bean bag/stuffed animal, the person who catches it says the next word try to go faster and faster). 4. Allow a volunteer (child) to lead the class in an opening/closing prayer. Activity Ideas with Discussion Questions Church Building Activity See: games Church Building You will need to choose one or more of the options available. If you have time, and enough students, you can also use all three options in a rotating fashion. The object is for the students quickly to build something, working as a team. This is to symbolize how God also chose ordinary people like us to build and lead His church, and by working together, using our individual gifts, strengths, and talents, we can overcome many difficulties along the way. Please see the above website for detailed instructions and further questions for discussion. Follow the Instructions Activity See: activities Follow the Instructions You will need to break up into small groups of about four or five. Each team will be given one task with a set of instructions. Let the students know that they have a task to complete, and only a certain amount of time to do so. The last team finished must clean up the mess. Each team will do one of the following: Build a tower out of Legos, Put together a puzzle, or drop cards into a square on the ground. However, each task has specific rules, and can only be completed by following the instructions to the letter. Please see the above website for detailed instructions. Modify the activity as needed, according to your class size. 6

7 Homework Ideas - Read at home the lesson titled: Growth of the New Apostolic Church. - Learn the memory verse: He looked to his God. He worked for Him with all his heart. --2 Chronicles 31:21 (NIRV) - Work on memorizing Article of Faith #. - How many countries do you think that the New Apostolic is established in today? Take a guess, then check out to find the correct answer. Bring it to class. 7