Calvin Synod Herald, 2010 (111. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2010-07-01 / 7-8. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 2 Strive for the Unity of the Spirit in the Body of Christ Ephesians 4:1-7; 11-16 “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Sprit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people ’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in ever way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body s growth in building itself up in love. ” Dear Sisters and Brothers, 1 give thanks to God for His grace and the privilege to serve among you as your bishop. After our Calvin Synod Annual Meeting, the Bishop’s Council of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America had its own meeting, and Bishop Sándor Szabó read the same text which I preached upon after our Synod election (although we both did our preparations on our own). The same Word of God speaks to us when we search for direction for the future when we pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Csaba G. Krasznai, Auxiliary Bishop; Rt. Rev. Koloman Karl Ludwig, General Secretary; Mrs. Lisa Susan Toth-Maskarinec, Treasurer; Mr. Lehel F. Deak, Synod Presbyter. Compiled by Tünde Gurui Save the date! July 18-24: Youth Cump! For information call Gabe Csapó 609- 758-5113 or Les Torok 614- 497-1026. August 28-29: 64th Anniiul Conference, of The American Hungarian Reformed Presbyter's Association will be held at the Bethlen Communities Conference Room in Ligonier, PA. For more information please contact Wilburn A. Roby Jr. AHRPA President at 724-285-8851 ore-mail warair(a)embarqmail. com. September 25 (Saturday): 110th Anniversary’ Celebration of Hungarian Reformed Church of Johnstown-Windber. More information will be published as it becomes available. The same Word of God, in Chapter 4 of Ephesians, nurtures both of our Hungarian Reformed church bodies on our singular faith journey. Let us focus our attention upon the text, "Lead a life worth of the calling to which you have been called. ” The Epistle to the Romans, Chapter 8, describes God’s gracious calling of he elect and it both exhorts and encourages us. Only the new creation can praise God! Our old selves were corrupted by sin and we were unable to live holy lives, but Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and our faith in Him reconciles us with our heavenly Father. We can come before Almighty God with deepfelt humility and our sincere gratitude fro His amazing grace. As Christians we are obliged to be gentle and patient toward each other, bearing with one another with the same kind of love as God’s. This commandment of Christ is true when we are relating to one another in the Calvin Synod, but equally true in relationships with our kindred in the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, and then again with our sisters and brothers all around the world. To have unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace requires effort, dedication and sincere intentions. Christ promised that our united prayers will be heard, so that our Father in heaven may be glorified. The Christian Church, the Body of Christ on earth, can function healthily and fruitfully when there is harmony in the same Body. Unity in the Christian Church can be achieved if we focus on the essentials which come from God, “... one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. ” As parts of the human body can be paralyzed by stroke or injury, in the same way, disunity in the Body of Christ can occur if we are unwilling or unable to appreciate the different gifts which Christ has bestowed upon us. "But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ ’s gift. ’’ There are varieties of Christian ministries according to God’s call. ‘The gifts he gave were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. ” All these ministries and functions must work for one goal, "to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ. ” As hands and eyes and ears all contribute to a healthy life in the human body, similarly preaching, teaching, evangelization, Christian education, pastoral care, leadership, etc., must function harmoniously to build up the Body of Christ. How can the saints be equipped? In the New Testament writings, the "saints” means the true believers. They need to be trained and fully prepared for the multitude of tasks of the ministries of the churches. This is the area in which we need to invest lots of time, attention and energy in the Calvin Synod, training the Consistory members, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, lay ministers, and the whole congregation, to do ministry together for the glory of God and the salvation of the souls entrusted to us. It is not just the function of some individuals, but the task of the entire congregation, and of every church, “until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ” Continued on page 4
