Evangéliumi Hírnök, 2003 (95. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2003-04-01 / 4. szám
April. 2003 limritWma] Page 9. Bible Verses That Changed the World Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ” (John 3:3) Jimmy Carter (1924-) and Charles Colson (1931-) Throughout the centuries, Christians have used the term “born again ” to describe their salvation. This term was a particular favorite of George Whitefield, the energetic preacher who echoed these words of Jesus: Ye must be born again. He was calling people out of a formal faith and into a personal commitment. That’s exactly the way the term born again has been used in the twentieth century. Fundamentalists in the twenties and evangelicals in the fifties used it as a kind of code word. Many people considered themselves Christians merely because they went to church, so I am Christian didn’t mean much. But / am a born-again Christian would indicate a personal experience with Christ. The phrase burst into public awareness again in 1976 as two different world changers hit the headlines. Jimmy Carter, the peanut-farmertumed-govemor from Georgia, was running for president. Just a few short years after the Watergate scandal, Carter’s simple honesty was a breath of fresh air. A devout Southern Baptist, he clearly stated that he was a born-again Christian. The other newsworthy born-again figure that year was Charles Colson, a veteran of the Watergate scandal. He had gone to prison and written a book, just like others from the Nixon White House, but his book was different. Dwelling very little on the background of Watergate, it talked instead about his religious conversion. He entitled it Born Again. Colson wrote at the book’s climactic point: “ Was I to accept without reservations Jesus Christ as Lord of my life? It was like a gate before me. There was no way to walk around it... While I sat alone staring at the sea I love, words I had not been certain I could understand or say fell naturally from my lips: ‘Lord Jesus, Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God. I believe You. I accept You. Please come into my life. I commit it to You. The late seventies saw the words of Jesus from John 3 become an ad slogan, a hot product name, a cliché on the lips of every celebrity. People were claiming to be bom again through fad diets, crystals, and sexual experiences. The metaphor was stretched way out of shape. In the eighties a few popular TV evangelists were publicly disgraced, and as a result the public began to associate the term born again with everything they didn’t like about Christianity - hypocrisy, insensitivity, arrogance, judgment, and greed. Now when someone asks, Are you born again? you need to be careful. You might have to explain exactly what Jesus meant by the term. But the truth is that a multitude of folks over the last two millennia have seen their lives begin a new because of a personal relationship with Jesus. Other gave changed the world in quieter ways. Perhaps someday we can reclaim the simple beauty of Jesus’ metaphor. (PENY) AKIK ELMENTEK Joseph Yanik On February 8, 2003 the Lord called home to glory an old time Hungarian Baptist individual. Joseph Yanik was originally a member of our Austin Street Baptist Church in the City of Buffalo, N. Y. His God fearing mother introduced him to the service of the Lord at an early age and he learned to play the base tuba. He praised the Lord by playing in the church band with other members of his family. He later expanded his skills by playing in the Austin Street Silver Band (religious) and many other local musical organizations. He was part owner of the Yanik Brothers Trucking Company where he served for over fifty years as a “big-rig” driver. Joe spent many years on the road and he often stopped to visit members of our convention in various cities of our country. He leaves behind many old friends and memories. He is no longer with us, but I suspect that he is making music with one of Gods angelic bands. Well done thou good and faithful servant. Ernest J. Kish Dr. Gerzsenyi Lászlóné Megrendült szívvel, de Isten akaratában megnyugodva álljuk körül Dr. Gerzsenyi Lászlóné, szeretett UdvarnokiMária testvérünk koporsóját, akit az Úr hazaszólított. A rá mért szenvedés küzdelmes hónapjait, heteit, napjait, óráit példás hittel és reménységében megerősödve harcolta végig. O igazán elmondhatta azt, amit Pál apostol hagyott ránk a Timóteushoz írott levélben: Ama nemes harcot megharcoltam, futásomat elvégeztem, a hitet megtartottam, végezetre eltétetett nékem az igazság koronája amelyet megad nékem az Úr, az igaz bíró ama napon, de nem csak nékem, hanem mindazoknak is, akik várva várják az 0 megjelenését. A 110 éves Péceli Baptista Gyülekezet megalakulásában, megerősödésében, fennmaradásában történelmi érdem és szerep jutott az Udvamoki család számára. A századfordulón Pest megyében kibontakozó baptista misszió kimagasló alakja idős Udvamoki András testvér volt, aki több évre felvállalta a péceli gyülekezet gondozását. Ez az időszak komoly lelki megerősödést és, a gyülekezet növekedését idézte elő. Őt követte fia, if. Udvamoki András, aki Pécelen vált lelkipásztorrá és imaházépítővé. 10 évvel később az ő leánya Üdvarnoki Mária, férjével, Dr. Gerzsenyi Lászlóval képviselte és folytatta a gyülekezeti szolgálatot. Életéből 41 évet töltött gyülekezetünkben. Ápolta és gyakorolta környezetében azokat a nemes hagyományokat, amelyeket a szülői, nagyszülői házból magával hozott és szinte lemodellezte a prédikátorfeleségek feladatát. Figyelme mindenre kiterjedt, minden és mindenki érdekelte, vitalitása sokakat mozgósított. Tömörítve gondolataimat, a Péceli Gyülekezet 100 évének szellemiségét, a viharos XX. századot az Udvamoki irányvonal determinálta. Ebből eredt a mélyen gyökerező hitélet, amely hatott a gyülekezeti rendtartásra is. Mária testvérünk életének és munkájának méltatása nem fér bele ebbe a néhány percbe. Nem is vállalkozhatom ilyen nagy feladatra, de szembe kell néznünk azzal a gondolattal, hogy
