Calvin Synod Herald, 2010 (111. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2010-05-01 / 5-6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 5 Tower of Babel PENTECOSTAL POWER Great was the day, the joy was great, When the divine disciples met ’ Whilst on their heads the Spirit came, And sat like tongues of cloven flame. What gifts, what miracles he gave! Andpow V to kill, andpow V to save! Furnish'd their tongues with wondrous words Instead of shields, and spears, and swords. Thus arm’d, he sent the champions forth, From east to west, from south to north; “Go, and assert your Saviour ’s cause, “Go, spread the myst ’ry of his cross. ” These weapons of the holy war, Of what almighty force they are, To make our stubborn passions bow, And lay the proudest rebel low. Nations, the learned and the rude, Are by these heav ’nly arms subdu d; While Stan rages at his loss, And hates the doctrine of the cross. Great King of grace! My heart subdue; I would be led in triumph too, A willing captive to my Lord, And sing the vict ’ries of his word. L.M. Anon. E&R Hymnal alt. tune #335 “Jesus, Thou Joy” [German Reformed Church U.S. 1834] Rev. Albert W. Kovács A Human Approach To the Mystery of the Holy Spirit “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ’ ” Acts 2:1-8 “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean? ’ Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine. Acts 2:12-13 The story of Nicodemus is one of the best examples concerning the origin, power, and ministry of the Holy Spirit. We learn in John 3:1-15 how Jesus taught Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to Jesus at night to ask him, “How can a man be born when he is old? ” This was Jesus’ answer: “ 7 tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again. ’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:5-8 The Holy Spirit, whose outpouring we celebrate at Pentecost - indicated above in the passages from Acts - will remain a mystery to science and logic. However, using the Bible, our faith and knowledge, we can get closer to His person and work. According to the Webster Dictionary, the word metaphor means: “A figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another.” If we use medicine as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit, we will find some similarities between them. They are similar to some extent but definitely not identical. So in what way do the Holy Spirit and medicine resemble each other? We are talking about regular people such as patients, not doctors and pharmacists. When a patient takes a medicine they do not know or do not feel how the medicine works, they only experience the result. If a medical professional would explain the chemical formula of a medicine, could the rest of us understand it? We know that there is not a single medicine “that fits-all.” Even identical medicines do not help every person in the same way. We need professional advice to receive the best medicine and the most effective dosage to obtain the best outcome. We also know that some medicines are not compatible with other medicines or certain food or drink. Likewise, we should not expect the Holy Spirit to help us when in our lives there are things or actions that are not compatible with the intention of the Holy Spirit! Medicine is medicine - and not a basic food staple. In other words, the medicine is a plus - a bonus - to what we should take Continued on page 6
