Service for the Departed: A Doctrine of Darkness
The New Apostolic
Church’s Service for the Departed doctrine is wicked. The Bible plainly warns
against such practices. Those who take
part in the Service for the Departed are exposing themselves and their children
to demonic attack. It is especially heinous
that members of the New Apostolic Church lead their children to partake in this
act of occultism.
Mark 9:42
If anyone causes one of these little
ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large
millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.
I have good
memories of growing up New Apostolic.
Church picnics and fellowships with fun activities. Spending time with
many people who were not actually related to me, but that felt like my family. Watching my father serve with his whole heart
and seeing my mother reach out with charity.
Going on youth trips with my sisters where we made lifelong friendships
and great memories together. I am so
thankful for those times, and I will always cherish those reflections of my
childhood.
Unfortunately,
most of my memories of growing up in the New Apostolic Church are not favorable.
I could write about how I felt very
restricted from exploring my relationship with YHWH, because I was never
allowed to attend church anywhere else and was only permitted to read church
literature for spiritual guidance. Being
constantly preached to about the limit of 144,000 in the Kingdom of Heaven
(according to the NAC), I knew that statistically my odds were terrible since
there were so many church leaders (living and dead) that would definitely be
accepted by the Heavenly Father before I would ever be, and that the 144,000
was probably already accounted for. I
was taught that the Heavenly Father’s acceptance was based on my church
attendance, or whether or not I participated in unbiblical church rituals and
unquestionably followed the requirements set by church leadership. I could go into detail about these and many
other damaging traits of growing up New Apostolic, but for now I will focus on
one of the most abusive aspects of the New Apostolic Church, the service for
the departed.
Ever since I can
remember, I prayed for dead people. I
prayed for them to come to church, hoping that I would see the evidence of
their arrival. I wanted them to receive
communion and be baptized and sealed in accordance with New Apostolic
doctrine. I prayed for them to overcome
the struggles that they could not conquer on earth. And, in accordance with New Apostolic
doctrine, I prayed that I would be an open vessel to receive the dead during
the week of preparation that preceded the service for the departed.
The leadership of
the church told me as a child that I had a mark on my forehead, which was
sometimes referred to as the mark of the lamb.
This mark on the forehead could be seen from “eternity” (this is what
the NAC calls the place where you go when you die) as a glowing church
emblem. They told me that the dead could
see this mark and that they would know that they could turn to me for
help. I was also told that if I ever
strayed from the New Apostolic Church, this mark would become a dark symbol of
my doom.
Luke 25But Abraham replied, “Son,
remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus
received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And
besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that
those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from
there to us.”
New Apostolic Church
doctrine teaches that dead members from the New Apostolic Church can travel
from “realm” (this is what the NAC calls the divisions of eternity) to “realm,”
while the deceased that were not New Apostolic during their lifetime are
confined to their “realms” similar to a prison cell. It is the work of the deceased New Apostolic Church
members to visit the dead in the other “realms” and to testify to them about
the service for the departed. The
deceased members of the New Apostolic Church tell the other dead about the
service, and invite them to come. It is
the duty of the living members of the New Apostolic Church to pray for this
“work” of the dead New Apostolics, as well as to pray and invite dead people
who were not New Apostolic during their lives to come to the altar so that they
can receive communion via a living human proxy and to be baptized and “sealed” through
a living human proxy. Dead New Apostolic
Church members are also invited to come to the service to receive communion
through the living human proxy.
During the service
for the departed, the congregation longingly prays and sings hymns of
invitation to the dead. These are not songs
of praise and worship to the Heavenly Father, but rather they are songs sung to
the dead, inviting them to come into the presence of the living. The service concludes with the preparation of
the living proxy, and the officiant prays to connect himself with the leader of
the church (called the Chief Apostle) who is believed to have the keys that
open the gates to Hell or the “realms of the departed.” So the belief is that the gates to the dead
are opened, and that the dead come directly to the congregation to receive the sacraments
through the living proxy. After the
sacraments are dispensed, the dead are then released into the care of the
District Apostle, who then releases them to the Chief Apostle, who then
releases them back into the “realms of the departed.”
Isaiah 19 When someone tells you to consult mediums
and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their G-d?
Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult G-d’s instruction and the testimony
of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light
of dawn.
Following the
service there are many accounts exchanged of how dead people appeared to the
living during the service, as well as during the preceding preparation
week. When I was growing up in the New Apostolic
Church (in the 1980s), letters were regularly written to the leadership stating
how many dead attended the service with elaborate details written as to the
appearance and state of the dead. Many
notable dead were reported to come to these services to become New Apostolic. One account even stated that Abraham Lincoln
was in attendance and had been converted.
I remember that one very well.
These letters were ratified by leadership and read to the congregations
following the service for the departed.
The reading of these letters served to validate the efforts of the
living on behalf of the dead.
Although accounts
of visits from the dead were fairly common, it was considered a special “gift”
and privilege to experience these visits and to see apparitions of the dead in
the presence of the living. Due to outside
criticism, these letters are no longer read aloud to the congregations, yet the
accounts continue to be published and shared within the New Apostolic Church
following the service for the departed. The service for the departed takes
place three times per year, although communion for the dead may occur at any
given time during a service with the approval of leadership, and it seems that
communion for the dead is becoming a much more frequent occurrence.
Deuteronomy
19 This day I call the heavens and
the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses. Now choose life,
so that you and your children may live.
As I said, ever
since I can remember, I prayed for the dead.
From the moment that I could talk, my parents taught me to pray for dead
people. We were lead to pray for the
dead people that were not New Apostolic, and then we prayed for those who were
New Apostolic. Being that this service
occurred three times per year, we were to prepare for a week ahead of time, and
then there were accounts of the dead within the weeks following the service; I
was constantly praying for and focused on receiving the dead. This left very little time for life. My focal point was death, yet I was only a
child. This vicious framework set me up for suicidal impulses from the age of
five. In fact, I thought about killing
myself almost every day until I was an adult.
I had a few attempts that I only survived by the Father’s grace and the
fact that he had a plan for my life.
My mother
regularly had visions of dead people.
Sometimes it was just a dead individual in our living room that wanted
to have a conversation with her. Other
times, she would tell us that the walls of our home expanded and suddenly she
stood before a “legion” of dead people that wanted to communicate with
her. The visions could occur when she
was wide awake, or when she was sleeping.
I remember my mother falling asleep on the couch and then screaming and
yelling due to “spiritual” dreams that she was having. Sometimes her descriptions of visions were
extremely gruesome, as she vividly described them to us. Many times a familiar dead person would give
my mother messages that she was compelled to share with the living.
As we were
instructed to pray for the dead, my sisters and I obediently did so. There was a priest in our congregation whom
we loved very much. He passed away when
I was a child. After he passed away, we
would pray for him and other dead people.
One night while we were praying for dead people, my mother told me that
she saw this priest sitting in our room writing down all of the names of the
dead. He was making this list so that he
could visit them. I remember feeling
very glad that he was still with us and that he was going to visit these “souls”
in the different “realms,” so that they would join us at church. Usually my mother’s messages from dead people
revealed things that I thought I held in secret. She would tell me that the dead person
informed her of something that I was doing. Now I understand that these
messages were from the devil himself, but as a child I believed her, and these
messages served to manipulate and defile me.
Leviticus 19:31
Do not turn to mediums or seek out
spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the L-RD your G-d.
There were
constantly monsters appearing in our home.
My sister and I shared a room and many times we saw manifestations of
demons. I could share many stories about
demons, but being that I do not want to dwell on stories about evil, I will
just mention a few. One night there was
a large blob of a dark figure hovering in the doorway of our room. He had long teeth. He just lingered there,
pointing at us. We did not know what to do. My sister was older than I was, and she took
charge, telling him, “I command you to go to the altar of the District Apostle,
Michael Kraus! Leave us alone. We do not have what you need, but he
does!” The demon left. The next morning, we tearfully told my
parents about it, and they told us that we did the right thing. They assured us that the “soul” would be
helped. Little did I know at the time,
that this “soul” was a demon.
I was especially
“gifted,” as the New Apostolics say, at having “experiences” with the
dead. While I was sleeping one night, I
felt a heaviness on my blankets. I soon
realized that there was an individual crawling on top of me. They were bleeding heavily. I felt their hot blood drip right from their
forehead onto my own. I told them that I
would pray for them and they suddenly left me.
Although I was so upset by this happening, this was another experience
that my parents and New Apostolic Church leadership encouraged and I was told
to write a letter about it for the District Apostle. Now I understand that it was another demonic
visit. Demons were constantly visiting
our home as if they owned it. Strange
and scary things were always happening.
The stranger and scarier they were, the more they were relished by other
New Apostolics. It all made me feel sick
inside, but I was constantly reminded by leadership that this was a “gift”
given only to those who were capable of receiving it.
This “gift” lasted
from my early childhood through my twenties.
I didn’t question it. I felt like
it was a part of me. A very formidable
part of me. One Sunday morning, when I
was about twenty-four years of age, I brought a friend to church with me. After we left, he told me, “Michelle, that
church is dead. Very dead. It is one of those churches that Paul warned
about. You need a Bible. You need to read a Bible that is
well-translated and you need to do it soon.
Start with the New Testament, then read the Old.” He didn’t say anything else about it. I loved
my church. It was the only way for
me. I kept wondering. What did he mean, dead? It was just your basic Sunday morning “divine”
service. What did Paul warn about? Why did I need to read the Bible? Why the New Testament, and again, why did he
say my church was dead?
That afternoon, I
bought a Bible at a used bookstore. I
didn’t know what was “well-translated,” but I knew I needed to get something,
so I picked up an NIV. I could
understand it, and that was good start for me at the time. I started reading the New Testament and I
couldn’t put it down. I realized that my
friend told me to start with the New Testament because it aptly deciphered the
topics of apostleship, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. It was in complete contradiction to the
teaching of the New Apostolic Church. The
next day, I took it to work with me so that I could continue reading it during
my down time. My jaw was dropping. My eyes were opening. I was fascinated by this book and my heart
was filled with love as I was getting to know the Savior. I thought I had read it before because I had
read and memorized a few verses, but I was so wrong. I had never really read it before.
I knew that I had
to make a change, but I felt that I could not miss service at the New Apostolic
Church, so I secretly started attending another church while still attending
the NAC. I would just sit there and cry when
I heard the teaching and worship at the “other” church. I needed to make a change. I dove into my Bible some more. I could not get enough of the truth. I was being filled with a new life and
perspective. As I sat through more
Sunday mornings at the New Apostolic Church, so many questions flooded my mind.
Matthew 15: 8
These people honor me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in
vain; their teachings are merely human rules.
I
had always been taught that the New Apostolic Church was the only way to
receive forgiveness of sin. I learned in
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. So why did the New
Apostolic Church pronounce forgiveness of sins saying, “in the stead of my
apostle,” when YHWH himself forgives our sins?
New
Apostolic Church doctrine also taught that the Holy Spirit had to be received
through the laying on of hands of a living apostle. During my confirmation, I had memorized all
of the articles of faith, and the eighth states, “I believe that those baptized
with water must, through an Apostle, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to
attain the childhood in G-d and thereby the prerequisite for becoming a
firstling.” Yet the Bible clearly
contradicted this teaching. Just a few
examples: Ephesians 1:3 13And you also were included in Christ when
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you
were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our
inheritance until the redemption of those who are G-d’s possession—to the
praise of his glory. Judges
15:14 As he approached Lehi, the
Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the L-rd came upon him in
power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped
from his hands. Acts 28:25-26And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul
had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the
prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say, "You will
keep on hearing, but will not understand." Acts 2:1 Now - when the day of Pentecost
had come, they were all together in one place. 2:2 Suddenly a sound - like a violent wind blowing - came from heaven - and filled the
entire house where they were sitting. 2:3 And tongues
spreading out like a fire - appeared to them and came to rest on each
one of them. 2:4 All - of them were
filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages - as the Spirit enabled them. Matthew 16 After being baptized, Christ came up immediately from the water; and
behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of G-d descending as a
dove and lighting on Him. There are many more examples from scripture
about the Holy Spirit descending and filling people. The Holy Spirit always was from the
beginning, and is not specific to “apostles.”
This was all news to me, and was very enlightening.
2
Corinthians 11:12 And I will keep
on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want
an opportunity to be considered equal
with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such persons are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as
apostles of Christ. 14 And
no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15
It is not surprising, then, if his
servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what
their actions deserve.
The New Apostolic
Church teaches that all spiritual gifts and powers come through the office of
the Chief Apostle. “His position can be compared to that of Apostle
Peter’s in the circle of the first apostles 2,000 years ago. As the highest spiritual authority of all New
Apostolic District Churches on earth, the chief apostle directs the Church as a
whole in all spiritual matters. His primary commission is to proclaim Jesus
Christ’s doctrine continually and conscientiously, and to preserve its purity.
He appoints and ordains district apostles, apostles, and bishops, and also
retires or dismisses them” (“The Chief Apostle”). I had faithfully attended religious
instruction class growing up, and I was well-versed in the history of the
church. I started to wonder, if the
Chief Apostle office was considered to be the cornerstone of the New Apostolic
Church and all ministries flowed forth from the Chief Apostle, then why was the
church established on October 31, 1832 as the Catholic Apostolic Church
and then again in 1863 as the New Apostolic Church, yet there was no Chief
Apostle until 1897? There are also
lapses in the office of the Chief Apostle: there were periods where there was
no Chief Apostle. For example, after the
death of Johann Bischoff (July 6, 1960 until Walter Schmidt filled the office
on July 10, 1960); and after the retirement of Walter Schmidt (15 February 15,
1975 until Ernst Streckeisen filled the office on February 23, 1975). The office of “Chief Apostle” is, of course,
a gross misinterpretation of Matthew 16:18-19, but even without regard to this
misinterpretation, how could the church survive without the “rock,” and why
wasn’t that “rock” in place to build the church? The Chief Apostle must not be essential at
all, being that the church was established without him and the church saw no
need for him for so many decades.
The
most troubling questions that I had were regarding the service for the departed. In December of 1949, the first Sunday in
November of each year was set aside for this service. In June 1954, Chief
Apostle Bischoff, instituted services for the departed on the first Sunday in
March, July, and November of each year.
Why did this occur over an entire century after the church had been
established? The service for the departed
is essential doctrine to the New Apostolic Church. Didn’t the dead people need saving between
1832-1949?
On
the Saturday prior to service for the departed, the Chief Apostle asks G-d to
open the prisons where dead people are held captive. Why did he do it on Saturday in Europe? By the time Service for the Departed was held
in Arizona, that was a lot of time for these dead “prisoners” to roam the
earth. Why did they need to come here to
my congregation? Why couldn’t they just
stay there with the Chief Apostle since we were going to send them back there
after Sunday service anyhow? This all
did not add up for me. This teaching is
incongruous and is certainly diametrically opposed to the Bible. Contrary to what New Apostolics may claim,
this Bischoff doctrine cannot be accepted by faith. While faith is necessary for the things that
we do not understand, and without faith it is impossible to please YHWH, only
biblical principals can be accepted by faith.
It is that simple.
I
was taught that not attending services is considered to be the worst sin. The
greatest evil and the greatest sin which cannot be forgiven either in this or
in the future world is said to be the dissociation of oneself from the New
Apostolic Church. According to Questions
and Answers Concerning the New Apostolic Faith this sin is "the
falling away from the living faith."
But after reading The Bible, I knew that I could not stay in the church
anymore. I thought that I should do the
right thing and talk to my “bearer of blessing” about it. He then referred me to my own father, who was
his “bearer of blessing.” He referred me
to the Apostle, who was his “bearer of blessing.” No one had any Biblical foundation to address
any of my questions. They all just told
me to “stay in the fold and follow until the end.”
Finally
I said to the Apostle, “This ‘mark’ on my forehead. I want it removed. You need to remove it. It was put on my head when I was an infant. This was not my choice. Now I want you to take it off.” He just looked at me and said, “I can’t do
that.” I asked him again, and again he
told me that he couldn’t remove it. I
told him that if he had no authority to remove it, then he never had any authority
to put it there in the first place. Therefore,
there was no “mark.” I left the church and
I never returned.
Deuteronomy
31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do
not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the L-RD your G-d goes with
you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Unfortunately,
the service for the departed was still playing with my mind. I had prayed for these “souls” [evil spirits]
all of my life. Were these spirits angry
with me because I was turning my back on them?
Were my ancestors upset with me for not praying for them? I felt so much fear. I knew that it was not biblical; or even
rational, but I was afraid. I started to
be plagued by nightmares that were similar to my “experiences” in the NAC. I didn’t know where to turn because my story
was so strange. By this time most of my
family had cut off communication with me, and the final things they had said to
me were quite hurtful. Even my Christian
friend who had told me that the church was “dead” did not know what to do for
me. It was so strange and overwhelming
for him. I started to flounder and feel
lost. I kept studying scripture and
seeking my Heavenly Father. Eventually I
found a good congregation (that I found simply by praying) with caring pastors
that were well-rooted in scripture. They
taught me to walk through my struggle with the Word. It was so strange to go through challenges
and victories without relying on the opinion or affirmation of a “leader.” Many times, even, when I turned to a pastor
for advice, they would tell me to search the scripture. I learned to rely on our Father and not on
man. I also learned that the love of the
Father is the best love and that was all I needed. Psalm 27:10 Though my father
and mother forsake me, YHWH will receive me.
Eventually the Heavenly Father even restored my
relationship with my natural family.
On
my journey of healing, I had so many ups and downs. I was baptized and I repented for all of my
involvement with the New Apostolic Church.
I repented for praying for dead people and for allowing myself to be a
“vessel” for the dead. I was in great
need of healing. I realized that I was
angry with the New Apostolic Church and my family because I had been so
manipulated from birth. I had to forgive,
and release all of my anger to YHWH. He
healed me and set me free. I was truly
filled with the Holy Spirit and I was able to move forward and grow in the
Word.
Yet
my nightmares continued. Almost every
night, I would have horrible dreams filled with demons. I would also have dreams where I found myself
trapped in the New Apostolic Church with no way to get out. In one recurring dream I was being covered by
a demon that had tentacles. His
tentacles would engulf my face. In
another recurring dream, a demon would clamp down on my mouth when I would
pray. These dreams were grotesque and
sometimes even made me feel like I was choking or being smothered to
death. Many times I woke up uttering the
name of Jesus, as this would make me come out of it. I wondered why I continued to have nightmares
even though all of this was part of my past, and now I truly was a Child of
YHWH. Through it all, I had faith that YHWH’s
healing was working in me because I knew that as His Word says, Philippians
1:6 being confident of this, that
he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus. Therefore, I knew that
the nightmares would not last.
Acts
8:5 Philip went down to a city in
Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all
paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were
paralyzed or lame were healed.
Then
something happened that I don’t even know how to describe. One night when I was at a women’s meeting, a
powerful servant of YHWH came from India to visit our congregation. I went up to her for prayer but I did not say
a word, I just stood there with so many
other people. She suddenly was drawn to
me and as she laid her hands on me I hit the floor. The next thing I knew she was commanding a
demon (or demons I’m honestly not sure) out of me. I just laid there shrieking, screaming, and
kicking as I felt the demons leave. She
kept commanding and praying. I kept
shrieking and kicking. As this was
happening, YHWH was prompting me to forgive.
Forgive each person by name.
Every single name that I could remember that deceived me in the New
Apostolic Church. I had to forgive
them. I recalled their names and I
forgave them in my mind while the demons were leaving and I was shrieking and
kicking. I’m not exactly sure of how
long this lasted, but I think that it went on for about five minutes. Afterwards, the servant told me that I was wholly
healed but did not say anything else. I felt
such relief. When I returned home I
didn’t even tell my husband partly because I was so astonished, and partly
because I did not know how to describe what had happened to me. The next morning I woke up refreshed. I did not have any bad dreams or choking
feelings the night before. Now it has
been over two years, and I have never had any kind of nightmare or choking
feeling. It is finished. Halleluiah! I am healed!
John
3: 19 This is the verdict: Light
has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because
their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that
their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be
seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of G-d.
Even though the service for the departed is integral to New
Apostolic Church doctrine, there is little to no information on the official New
Apostolic Church sites regarding this service. If the New Apostolic Church were
to stand transparent about their practices, it would be clear that an
oppressive, malignant demon prevails throughout the New
Apostolic Church and this has driven many followers into occultism and
devotion to the dead.
Consider the following lesson plan outlined for the New
Apostolic Sunday School teachers in 2007:
Divine
Service for the Departed
Learning Goal
At the conclusion of confirmation, students should understand:
how prayer affects or links us to souls in eternity
the basic elements of a Service for the Departed
the magnitude of souls in eternity and the movement therein
what a soul must go through to travel from a realm to the altar.
This is accomplished by:
Explaining to the children the power associated with God's drawing love and the
grace of Jesus, and how they are the actual facilitators for entrance at the
altar.
Discussing with the children about family members or friends who have passed
away.
Helping the children understand the power of our prayers and how they connect
to the eternal realms and are strong enough to pull souls out of captivity to
the altar.
Teaching the children all the details of what occurs at a Service for the
Departed, including the movement of souls from realms to the altar.
Using fun, hands-on activities to help bring a more concrete perspective to
this abstract concept. Note activities listed on the following pages.
Beginners Class
The children learn through activities about how to pray for the souls in
eternity.
Sunday School
The children learn what occurs at a Service for the Departed and begin to
understand the magnitude of souls that are involved in such an event.
Religious Instruction
The children know and discuss what the Service for the Departed is, and how
souls must travel to get to the altar.
Confirmation
The children discuss and understand all aspects of a Service for the Departed,
including ones personal responsibility to the souls in eternity.
Divine Service for the Departed: Lesson Ideas
Lets build a chain
Age Level: Beginner or Sunday School
Objective: Children gain an understanding for how prayer affects or links to
souls in eternity.
1)Two Sundays prior to Divine Service for the Departed instruct students to
have discussions with their families about family members or close friends who
have passed away. Students should make a list of names (1, 2 or more) and bring
this list to the next Sunday School lesson/class.
2)On the Sunday prior to the Divine Service for the Departed conduct a lesson
using the analogy of Chains for our Prayers
Chains are used for connecting to otherwise separate objects and pulling them
together.
Have children link previous experiences with chains ever pulled a toy by a
string? A person? A tree? Or connect two things with a string or chain?
Chains are made of heavy materials, steel, iron, they are heavy to lift and
strong for pulling heavy objects, e.g. Tow trucks use large chains for
connecting and lifting cars to tow. Cranes use chains to lift and carry.
Make the link that our prayers are like chains that connect to the eternal
realms AND that they are strong enough to pull souls out of captivity to the
altar.
Children make chain links with paper, recording the names of their deceased
family or friends on the links before gluing them together.
All students join their links into one congregational chain.
The children should be encouraged to pray for each link in the chain.
The Party
Age Level: Beginner or Sunday School
Objective: The children gain a general understanding for the elements of a
Service for the Departed.
1) Analogy of a Party Elements, Invitations and Preparations.
Parties have:
Guest of honor celebrating something special
Invitations when, where, for what
Decorations balloons, hats, goodie bags
Presents/Gifts
2) Divine Service for the Departed is a Spiritual Party.
Guest of honor is Jesus celebrating the fact that he offers us salvation.
Invitations are sent in prayer to the souls (children could make written
invitations, with the date of the service, where it is located, why they would
want to come, benefits of participating)
Decorations balloons, hats and games make parties fun and happy just like
receiving love and peace gives us joy.
Presents/gifts souls brought to Jesus, repentance.
He gives out Goodie bags of sacraments Communion, Baptism, Holy Sealing.
Please Note: This should not trivialize the seriousness of the Divine Service
for the Departed, but rather provide a means for young children to connect the
spiritual occurrences of the service with real life experiences.
Jelly Bean Count and Jump
Age Level: Beginner, Sunday School or Religious Instruction
Objective: The children will understand the magnitude of souls in eternity and
the movement souls therein.
(Note: Keep white jellybeans out of the jar.)
Get a large jar of jelly beans and have children guess the number of beans in
the jar (if possible make it a large 3 digit number or more)
Have the children count all the jellybeans (they could count groups of 10 and
then count the total number).
When the large number surprises the children, make the link that each jellybean
is like a soul in eternity times 10,000 (or more).
Sort the jellybeans by color and separate them into separate jars or
containers. Then, link how each jar is like a realm in eternity souls that are
alike are together and can not get out to be with another color.
Finally, take out the white jelly beans that you have set aside and explain
that only the white jelly beans can move freely from jar to jar and that they
can bring the colored jelly beans out with them.
Passport and Visa
Age Level: Sunday School or Religious Instruction
Objective: Children gain an understanding as to what a soul must go through to
travel from a realm to the altar.
Use a traveling analogy:
Going to a foreign country you need a Passport and/or Visa to enter and stay
within that country.
Passports have a name, date of birth, place of birth, residence, and citizenship.
Spiritual Passport is like the invitation made to a soul directly by our
Heavenly Fathers grace.
Souls must also get Visas to enter a new peaceful realm:
-
Forgiveness
-
Repentance
-
Sacraments (Holy Baptism, Holy Sealing)
Students could make realistic passports for deceased family members or
individuals they are aware have passed away with Visa pages.
The Map
Age Level: Sunday School or Religious Instruction
Objective: The children gain an understanding as to what a soul must go through
to travel from a realm to the altar.
Use the analogy of a map to compare the distance that must be traveled from a
realm to the altar.
Just as when you plan a trip to a far away location, you must prepare your
route as well as the items you will bring, souls in eternity also need to
prepare and understand the route they must travel.
Discuss how souls have to find their way along the paths to get to the living
altar.
Once at the altar, further participation is still required to find a way into
the special realm of peace.
Have students illustrate or create a map from a realm to the altar with the
following:
--Road of acceptance (the invitation) this road might be circular or spiral to
illustrate that many souls are invited many times before they accept the
invitation.
--Road of forgiveness of others (maybe these are very long roads, steep or
bumpy to illustrate the battle that these may cause)
--Road of repentance (of those that hurt them)
--A souls backpack for the road must have:
a belief in God
a willingness to participate in sacraments.
--The final road is the participation in the three sacraments (Holy Baptism,
Holy Sealing and Holy Communion)
Does
that lesson plan instruction seem too bizarre to be true? If you think that could not possibly happen
to children in a “church,” then you need to look at the following link from an
official NAC site:
http://www.naccanada.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=4520&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
There are the invitations written by the
children. Children throughout the NAC
are taught to believe that dead people are coming into their congregations, and
these children are being used as mediums. “We believe such
childlike welcoming invitations along with their prayers surely drew many souls
from eternity to the Service for the Departed.” As the teaching instructions state, “they
[the children] are the actual facilitators for entrance at the altar.”
The spirits of the dead are
said to be in the congregation. Here is another official link from the New
Apostolic Church in Billings:
http://www.nac-usa.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=4446&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
"Many hearts opened to let them come through, and many hearts were
opened to come through." Here is another official link from the
New Apostolic Church in Houston:
http://www.nac-usa.org/AM/PrinterTemplate.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=4419
"The Apostle answered that no our figures were wrong, there was a
multitude in attendance." Again, carrying on the conviction that the
dead come to the congregation in multitudes.
There is very little stated on
the official New Apostolic Church sites because they are very secretive about
this dark practice. Being that facebook is
not official, the New Apostolics candidly share the truth about the service for
the departed (you have to log in to facebook to view this link):
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=146100102152861
The Biblical truth is, no one but Christ
has the authority to be a proxy regarding Salvation.
1 Timothy 2:5 For
there is only one G-d and one Mediator who can reconcile G-d and people. He is
the man Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5: 1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,
we have a building from G-d, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human
hands. 2Meanwhile we groan,
longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan
and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with
our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is G-d who has made us for this
very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to
come. 6Therefore
we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we
are away from the L-rd. 7We
live by faith, not by sight. 8We
are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home
with the L-rd. 9So we make it
our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the
things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.
Clearly, the New
Apostolic Church’s service for the departed doctrine is a wicked practice that
the church keeps hidden. If you have participated in the service for the departed
please think about your life and the life of your children. Please repent, turn away from it, and
everything that is associated with it.
Our loving Father in Heaven is faithful to forgive you, free you, and
heal you. He will do the same for your
children.
Works Cited:
The
Chief Apostle. New Apostolic
Church International (NAC), 2011. Web. 2 November 2011. <http://www.nak.org/en/about-the-nac/structures-ministries/the-chief-apostle/>.
Children’s Invitations for Service for the Departed. New Apostolic Church
Canada | Home. Web. 3 November 2011. .
History
of our Church. New
Apostolic Church International (NAC), 2011. Web. 2 November 2011. <http://www.nak.org/en/about-the-nac/history-of-our-church/>.
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Ed. Kenneth L. Barker.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984.
Print.
Service for the Departed. New Apostolic Church USA | Home. Web. 03 Nov. 2011.
.
Service
for the Departed – A Moving Experience of Heart, Spirit and Soul! New Apostolic Church USA | Home. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. .
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