Life Line to Members of the New Apostolic Church

Escape from an apostate church through knowledge of Scriptures.

The following testimony is given to us by a sister who was saved out of the NAC.  Her heartbreaking testimony is is a witness against the reprobate NAC doctrine that is not ministering to "souls in eternity" but is rather deceptively inviting the subtle attack of demons from the pit of hell.  Praise Yah that she has been set free from those demons masquerading as "souls from the departed."
 

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. .

 





Also See

  • Warning About Seeing Souls From the Departed
  • Email Regarding the Spirits In Prison
  • A Fight with a Demon

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