Frequently asked questions
Where did the name “New Nation Church International” come from?
In the Apostle Peter’s first letter in the Bible, from the Amplified Bible, I Peter 2:9-10 reads: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, God’s own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Once you were not a people at all, but now you are God’s people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy.” This is one of the two “key verses” from which we get our name. The other is Hosea 2:23 “And I will sow her for Myself anew in the land, and I will have love, pity, and mercy for her who had not obtained love, pity, and mercy; and I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people, and they shall say, You are my God!”
The vision that the Lord gave for New Nation Church International includes the uniting of people of every nation, tribe and tongue, all over the world as a single ‘new nation’ in Jesus Christ and the affiliation of local congregations of born again Christians all over the world as New Nation Church International.
Are you part of a denomination?
The short answer is, “No”, we are a non-denominational Christian Church. The long the answer is that New Nation Church International does not just include one local church; we are part of a family of local churches around the world (called congregations) that are all members of the New Nation Church International family. To some people that makes New Nation Church International a denomination in its own right, and if that makes sense to them, then that is okay. We just know that the mandate we have been given by God is to establish local groups of Christians all over the world and/or partner with existing local congregations of like-minded Christians and work together as one people for the Glory of
God and the good of His people.
Do I need to become a member of New Nation Church International?
While anyone can attend church gatherings at our congregations, we desire for those people who are truly a new creation in Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, to be more than just ‘attenders’. If you belong to Jesus Christ, then you are part of His body, the church, and you are meant to be firmly connected to the rest of the body in the community where you live. For those who desire to become committed members of NNCI, new member classes are available as needed. It may sound odd to have to take classes in order to become part of a church, but it is actually the law in the United States of America for all churches that are approved as 501(c)3 non-profits. When we learned of this requirement, we prayed about it and decided it is actually a great opportunity for you to get to know us as we get to know you.
Our new member classes include four sessions dubbed ‘3 Who’s and a How’:
1) Who is He (God)? 2) Who are You? 3) Who are We (the church/NNCI)? 4) How do He, You and We all fit together?
We do require that all members of NNCI have confessed their sin to Jesus Christ, repented (turned away) from old sinful lifestyles, received His free gift of saving grace whereby we are forgiven of our sin; accepted Jesus Christ as the One and Only Savior and the Only adequate substitute for the penalty of sin.
We also require that members are baptized as an adult by full immersion in water in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If your baptism was not done in this manner, you will need to be baptized again by full immersion as an adult. If you were baptized this way, we do not ask that you do so again.
I want to get baptiZed, what do I do about that?
Talk to a church leader at your local congregation and they will make arrangements with you.
Can I have my children baptiZed?
When we look at what the Bible teaches about baptism, we see those who are being baptized have made that decision personally; this is called “believers baptism”. If your child has reached a level of maturity where they genuinely understand and desire to be baptized as an expression of their faith in God through Jesus Christ, your local minister can discuss this further. If you have any doubts about your child’s understanding, explore that with a local minister. It may be best for you to dedicate your child to God, and commit to raising them in your Christian faith, and look forward to them choosing to be baptized in the future.
What do you believe about miracles?
We love miracles! What person in their right mind doesn’t hope for God to do a miracle? Even people who don’t believe in our all-powerful Lord who created and sustains all things hope for miracles; how much more should those of us who know the Creator of Heaven and Earth pray expectantly for miracles? The Bible even tells us that God has given some of His people the gift of working miracles. We do not believe that such things have ceased being possible, and through God, all things are possible.
What do you believe about prayers for healing?
We believe that we should pray with the hope that the sick will be healed. We have seen many people receive healing in part and in full from a large variety of illnesses and injuries. Not every person that is prayed over for healing gets healed. Honestly, we don’t know who will and won’t get healed, but we pray in faith. Sometimes elders, ministers, and other church leaders may anoint those whom we pray for with oil and place our hands on the sick as we pray. If you would like prayer for healing of any physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual affliction, please ask any leader and we will pray in faith for your healing.
What about speaking in tongues and prophecy?
This can be a very divisive topic for many Christians, especially, but not exclusively, in North America. In an attempt to give a short answer; at New Nation Church International we affirm that all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit found in the Bible are meant for service in the church and need to be used in love. Not all people have all gifts and not all of the gifts that people have are as easy to recognize as others. We do not believe that you must have the gift of tongues as the evidence that you are filled with or ‘baptized in’ the Holy Spirit. If the Lord has given you a gift that is more expressive, do not think that the person who humbly and quietly cleans up after a church meeting isn’t gifted with a spiritual gift of helping just as great as you are gifted with the gift of speaking in tongues. Similarly, just because you may not have the gift of prophecy, don’t think that you are any less important to the ministry of the church or in the eyes of God, and also, do not assume that people with more expressive gifts are showing off. Some of the more expressive gifts can be very challenging to deal with, especially for the people who have those gifts. Divisions over spiritual gifts are often less about theology and more about coveting gifts that God has
given to others or past negative experiences of spiritual gifts used arrogantly instead of humbly.
Why are some of your leaders called Apostles, I thought they all died a long time ago?
Scripture tells of a category of ministers that are often referred to as “The Five-Fold Ministry”. These five categories are apostle, prophet, evangelist, preacher and teacher. Very few people think that evangelists, preachers and teachers are no longer active ministries, but for some reason, some people like to pick and choose which ministries are still allowed to continue to use their God-given names in our day. The Bible does not use terms like “missionary” or “church planter”. We prefer to use the God-given terms as much as possible and we believe that all, not just some of what God’s Word says about this is
just as real today as it was when the various parts of the Bible were written. The word “apostle” means “sent one”. We believe that the purpose for which Jesus sent people is still in need of being accomplished and He is still sending people today. Some people think that the Bible teaches that there were only twelve apostles, but that is not at all what the Bible teaches. There was a specific group of Jesus’ followers who were called “the twelve”, but they are not the only apostles referred to in the Bible. The Apostle Paul was not one of the twelve, and when Judas betrayed Jesus and died in guilt and shame over his actions, he was replaced by Matthias. In fact, the Bible names five more apostles, one of whom was a woman named Junia. The primary work of the apostles is to lay the foundation of the church, and that foundation is made of the same unchanging Rock that is Jesus Christ, but the work of laying that foundation is still very much in need of completion as there are still people groups around the world who have never heard the Gospel, and that foundation still needs to be laid in the hearts and minds of people right here in our own communities. If you believe that one of the “Five-Fold” ministries apply to you, approach a leader in the church and they will explore your gifting and calling with you.
What does your logo symbolize?
Our common logo, in updated and older versions, is a cross over the earth with a halo coming from the cross. This tells us that Jesus died on the cross and that His victory over sin and death by His resurrection is powerful enough to be for everyone in the world. While not all people will accept what Jesus did on the cross for us all, His suffering on the cross demonstrated His love for all people or every nation, tribe, and tongue, throughout all of time.
Our continental logos are very rarely used. They all have the same content as one another, but each has a unique shape, one for each continent. Each continental logo is in the form of a shield that is broadly representative of the traditional cultures of the continent. In North In America, for example, the majority of the early people groups used round shields adorned with feathers, while in Africa the average shield tended to be oblong. Each logo has twelve uniquely coloured areas. The number twelve represents both the twelve original tribes of Israel, the first nation that God set apart for His purposes, and the twelve original apostles of Jesus Christ, who were set apart and sent by Jesus to take the Gospel to the nations to create one new nation out of the many nations of the world. The unique colours represent the rainbow, which is God’s promise to mankind that He will never flood the earth again as He did in Noah’s generation. The face of each shield has four sections, the number four representing the four Gospels of the New Testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In the top right section is the Hand of God representing God as Father; in the top left panel is a cross representing God the Son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us on His Cross at Calvary; you will notice that Jesus is at the right of the Father; the bottom left panel contains a dove, representing God, the Holy Spirit; the bottom right panel represents God’s creation, the Earth and all that is in it, including the Church with hands of many different skin tones stretched towards Heaven to worship God; all of these panels overlay rays of light representing the Glory of God.