Theology is a word well understood by those who have gone to school to study religion. For the rest of us, the meaning and usefulness of theology may be limited. Merriam-Webster.com defines theology as “the study of religious faith, practice, and experience”. To be clear, theology does not establish faith. Properly understood and used, theology can help support our faith.

Interestingly, a media report on theology^{i, ii},  noted 100 per cent of pastors surveyed at growing churches agreed it was very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians. These growing churches also appear significantly more likely to:

• agree with statements such as “God performs miracles in answer to prayer.” and “Jesus rose from the dead with a body leaving behind an empty tomb,” (New Apostolic Catechism Q&A 189 speaks of a “resurrection body”)
• pray and read the Bible daily.

Nothing above conflicts with our New Apostolic Christian beliefs.  What is needed perhaps is to voice our conviction a little more often and with a little more courage. With confidence, we testify of:

• God’s desire to save all mankind
• Jesus’ mission, sacrifice, resurrection, ascension, and return
• The one ministry Jesus directly gave His church - the Apostles ministryⁱⁱⁱ
• Jesus Christ’s promise to return for His bridal congregation^iv

Theology can help us learn more about God, how we can worship Him better and apply His teachings to our life.  It may seem like theology is only an academic exercise but you may find that even a little study can help understand the bible more and get closer to our heavenly Father.  Our New Apostolic catechism^v shows where our beliefs are supported in the bible and is a great start.  Or, if it is more your style, there are plain-language and easy to understand books on theology available on-line^vi.

Ultimately, spiritual knowledge will give us the confidence to bring another soul closer to our heavenly Father.  God decides the outcome of our efforts but perhaps He is just waiting for us to dig a little deeper.

---

ⁱwww.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/churches-that-grow-tend-to-adhere-to-conservative-theology-researchers-say/article32945463/
ⁱⁱProfessor David Haskell and his team researched Southern Ontario churches in decline and on the rise. http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1007/s13644-016-0255-4?author_access_token=4cnqfDuiJLgG5YypvFNgwPe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY4uWGlKkdKyz8j0fCX6gA3SJIAQwZK6dWXHpe4ZBaVuNTIcax_m_XGIOIJfiwR1p_iFf_rXaGNrMHT1Sqb7_tUAfucxHSk5WBSEz25RE4ms0A%3D%3D
ⁱⁱⁱMark 3: 13-19, Luke 6: 13-16, New Apostolic Church Catechism 7.4
^ivJohn 14:3, Acts 1:11, New Apostolic Church Catechism 10.1.1, 10.1.2, 10.1.3
^vhttp://www.nak.org/catechism/
^vihttps://www.amazon.ca/Theology-Dummies-Chuck-Corwin-ebook/dp/B00KHI7Y0E