Evangéliumi Hírnök, 1992 (84. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1992-04-01 / 4. szám

1992. április hó 3. oldal “What is the Gospel” (Address by Dr. Edward V. Hill at the Moscow School of Evangelism, July 8-13,1991) (Published in "Brotherly Messenger", 5/91, Moscow, Page 42) I Szabadságra ! vagytok elhíva \ A Galatákhoz írt levél 5. fejezetének az aktualitása lenyűgöző. Engem a „szabad­ság — szolgaság” gondolatpár kapott meg. „Krisztus szabadságra szabadított meg minket... ti testvéreim szabadságra vagytok elhíva”— olvasom egyszer, aztán: „...ne engedjétek magatokat újra a szolga­ság igájába fogni". Ha a legalizmussal har­cot vívó, és azon győzedelmeskedő gyüle­kezetét a visszaesés veszélye fenyegeti, ak­kor ez bizonyára áll a társadalmi változá­sokra is: a kivívott szabadság mindig el­veszthető. A dolog tragikuma abban áll, hogy a szabad ember maga mond le a sza­badságról, míg a szolgaságban élőnek ilyen „gondja” soha nincs. Miért van az, hogy a szabad társadalom első „vívmányai” között, a „szabad” nyu­gatot már lezüllesztett erkölcsi szabadosság áll, amit kivétel nélkül, mindegyik most demokratizálódó országban a pornográfia megjelenése, és az abortusz-korlátozások eltüntetése, vagy az ezek iránti társadalmi méretű igény fémjelez? Milyen nehéz kivívni a szabadságot! Milyen könnyű elveszíteni! Milyen kár lenne elveszíteni! Az orwelli szörnytől megszabadult né­pek most a szabadosság szörnyűségei után kapnak, pedig tudniuk kellene, hogy szabad választásuk szolgaságot szül. Le­hetne ez másképp is? Igen! „Mert ti testvéreim, szabadságra vagy­tok elhíva; csakhogy a szabadság ne le­gyen alkalom a testnek a bűnre, hanem szeretet ben szolgáljatok egymásnak" (Gál 5,13). A kommunizmus sikertelen próbál­kozásai is ezt a célt szolgálták volna: szere­­tetben szolgálni egymásnak. Az ideológu­sok elfelejtették, hogy ennek feltétele a sza­badság, amit elvettek a néptől, mert prak­tikus szükség szerint, szolgákra volt szük­ség a proletárok diktatúrájában. Az em­bertárs szeretetteljes szolgálata a szabad ember szabad választása kell legyen. Pon­tosabban, az önzés bűnétől „felszabadított választása” ez a keresztyén közösség tag­jának, a hit közösségében úgy, mint a tár­sadalomba. Döntés előtt állunk mi mind, naponta, kiket Krisztus tett szabaddá. A szabadok döntéseiben van az igazi kockázat! Válasz­­szűk a jót! Rabok többé ne legyünk! Novák József Aki a múlt elmulasztott lehetősé­geiről álmodozik, a jövőről az csak képzelődik. Carlyle Dear Brother President, dear leaders of the Union, brothers and sisters in Christ! I would like to assure you that for me it is a great honor and privilege to participate at this extraordinary event. I am experien­cing one of the most beautiful and most blessed moments of my life. First of all, allow me to convey greetings to you from the believers in the United States of America, and particularly from the brothers and sisters in California. Today I feel compelled to speak about the theme: “What is the Gospel?” Let us read the words of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) What does the Gospel represent? Mil­lions of people, men and women, have turned to God. Their lives have been completely changed, their hopes were realized. They have found meaning in the fact that they have accepted the Gospel, have been guided by it, and they are living according to it. It is obvious that I am a black man, I was born in extreme poverty, experienced discrimination. When I was 11 years old I accepted the Gospel which then both changed my life and liberated me as well as other black people, from the slavery of sin. Then what is actually the Gospel? In order to understand this, we must know what is man in his natural condi­tion. What is man really? From where does he come? What did happen to him in his human existence? Let us read Genesis 2:7. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The Lord placed man in the Garden of Eden for the purpose that man should cultivate it and preserve it. And the Creator commanded this first man, Adam: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17. This is the word of God. And did Adam listen to God? No, he tasted the fruit of the forbidden tree, and died spiri­tually and physically. To be exact, physio­logically he died little by little. And from that time on mankind, the descendants of Adam, lives under a curse. God had ex­pelled man from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:7-19). Sin has separated man from God, his Creator. We see during the entire course of human history how did man try to expiate his mistake, attempt to save himself, but all this ended up in fai­lure. The fate of mankind has been pre­determined by sin. And it appeared that man forever was lost from living a God­pleasing existence. God, however, had a plan for the entire humanity. In Genesis 49:10 there is a promise that a Peacemaker will come and “to him the gathering of people.” And only He (Christ) will restore the lost relationship between God and man. And behold, He arrived, Christ the Sa­vior, the only begotten Son of God, holy and pure. And because He had loved us, he took upon himself our sins. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlast­ing life.” (John 3:16) The only condition for salvation is to believe in the Son of God as your personal savior. “He that be­lieveth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18) God did not send His Son to gather gold and silver but He sent Him to be­come a sacrificial lamb who should die for us on the cross. God’s plan of salvation consists in the fact that on the cross, he opened up a cleansing fountain for the purpose that all the sinners of the world may be cleansed by this of their sins. Through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Golgotha, the hands of God were stretched out to the hands of the believers and man was intro­duced into Paradise. This is the plan of God, this is the Good News about the Sa­vior, and this is our Gospel. Jesus Christ observed every aspect'of the law according to the Bible. He came down to the earth to die “for the wages of sin is death”. He was resurrected for our justification. After his resurrection He ascended into heaven and sat on the right side of His Father. Even now He is interceding for us as our High Priest. And He will return soon to receive all those who believe in Him. Dear brothers and sisters! This is also our Gospel! A good tiding from God. Every person who believes in Christ will be saved. This Good News means that God has

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