Hamburg. With a Pentecost greeting of particular kindness, Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the international leader of the New Apostolic Church, appealed to his brethren in faith around the world: “Do not let yourself be shaken!” A deep faith in God and in the Lord Jesus will also help in difficult situations.

For many years it has been a tradition in the New Apostolic Church for the incumbent Chief Apostle to issue a special greeting to all the congregations on Pentecost. This year’s Bible passage was taken from the gospel of John: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me!” (John 14: 1). Chief Apostle Leber, for whom this was the second Pentecost celebration of his tenure as Church leader, derived from this passage that we should remain firm in faith even in difficult situations of life. “It might well be that we are frightened at times,” he said during his sermon, “but let us not allow ourselves to be shaken in our innermost being!”

In his Pentecost sermon, the Chief Apostle emphasised that it is important to develop into the nature of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Christ always fostered a strong prayer life, His life was defined by serving others, and He truly devoted Himself to all mankind. The faithful of today are also called upon to incorporate these characteristics of the gospel into their own lives, said Chief Apostle Leber.

Over the next few days we will conclude our extensive coverage of Pentecost 2007 with a number of further reports.