Calvin Synod Herald, 2014 (115. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2014-09-01 / 9-10. szám
2 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD calvin urnAi p) synod ntryALL/ Official Organ of The Calvin Synod - United Church of Christ Founded in 1900 AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA Volume 115 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014 NO. 9-10 Official Organ of the Calvin Synod United Church of Christ - Founded in 1900 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD (ISSN 0161-6900) is published bi-monthly for $15.00/year for individual subscriptions; $10.00/year for groups; 50 or more copies. Please make checks payable to the Calvin Synod Herald Editor in Chief: Rt. Rev. Bela Poznan, Bishop 79 Birchwood Drive • Fairfield, CT 06430 Tel.: 203-259-6392; FAX: 203-255-0713 e-mail: belapoznan@aol.com Co-Editor: Rev. Stefan M. Torok 68 Cherrywood Drive • Somerset, NJ 08873 Tel.: 732-917-4566 e-mail: sctorok@comcast.net Co-Editor: Rev. Joseph Vásárhelyi 220 Fourth Street • Passaic, NJ 07055 Tel.: 973-778-1019 • Fax: 973-778-1026 e-mail: vasarhel@optonline.net Business Manager: Wilburn A. Roby Jr. 264 Old Plank Road • Butler, PA 16002 e-mail: warajr@embarqmail.com Newsletters prepared by: Cathy Paksi 419-733-5829 • cathy.paksi@gmail.com Newsletters printed by: Gazette Printers 724-349-3434 Periodicals postage paid at Butler, PA POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 264 Old Plank Rd„ Butler, PA 16002-3810 Manuscripts and photographs are not preserved or returned. Send all correspondence to the Editor. The views and opinions of the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the position of the magazine or Calvin Synod. CALVIN SYNOD HEADQUARTERS: Rt. Rev. Bela Poznan 79 Birchwood Drive • Fairfield, CT 06430 Telephone: 203-259-6392; e-mail: belapoznan@aol.com OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS Vacancies Beaver Falls, PA Columbus, OH Dayton, OH Kalamazoo, Ml The proper procedure is for all interested ministers to send their completed PROFILE (as provided by the United Church of Christ) to the Bishop’s office at Rt. Rev. Béla Póznán 79 Birchwood Drive • Fairfield, CT 06430 Questions may be directed by telephone to 203-259-6392 Confession of Faith in Word and in Deed “Are not two sparrows soldfor a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, 1 also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. ” (Matthew 10:29-33) Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ! Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls His Disciples to confess and acknowledge Him before men and then He makes a promise that He will also acknowledge those before His Father in Heaven. In our church tradition, confirmation is a time for the confession of our faith as well as at Holy Communion and other occasions. Parents and Godparents make a promise at the time of the baptism of their children that they will teach their children so that they may confess the crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ as the Savior of their lives. Confession of faith is required as the Apostle Paul wrote in the Epistle to the Romans "For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, 'No one who believes in him will be put to shame.'" (Romans 10:10-11) Our confession by words is valid if our deeds and our behavior confirms our true commitment to Jesus Christ. He wants to be the center of our lives. He will not be satisfied if we put Him in second or third place. That is the reason He said: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy ofme; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37) Throughout history, the cost of discipleship was high. During the rule of the Roman emperors, Jews and Christians endured persecution. During the time of Nero, Christians were placed before wild animals in the coliseum in Rome as entertainment for the people. They were accused because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The emperor wished to be honored as divine and demanded obedience from his subjects. It was impossible for Jews and Christians to honor a human being as divine. On the other hand, they were called atheists because they honored Jesus as the eternal Son of God, the Savior and the Messiah although He was also human who walked on the earth. Jesus suffered for the sin of humankind on the cross. Those who sentenced him to death and those who crucified Him thought that this Jesus movement will be over with His death. His crucifixion was designed to humiliate Him and discourage His followers as He was executed as a common criminal. But the enemies of Jesus miscalculated. They did not believe the promises of God. To their amazement, the inner circle of His Disciples, the Apostles, and the women joyfully experienced the miracle of Easter and the power of His resurrection. On Pentecost they experienced the fulfillment of God's promises of His presence through His Spirit who will guide, inspire, and comfort His Dis-
