Hungarian Church Press, 1968 (20. évfolyam, 2. szám)
1968-06-01 / 2. szám
HCP Yol XX Special Number 1968 No 2 55 (07697) At any rate,the dividing line between the Church and the world is a fleeting oneu But it is natural to Christian faith that the Church, taught by her Lord, is to serve all men, that she is responsible not only far the church members but also for the world around her and for the whole world of mankindo To this we must yet add that the diakonia pattern can have no antecedent but the servant form which the Lard of the Church put on himself. Thus the Churches action is not reciprocation; she always gives advance payments by offering the free gift of Christas love. To formulate this in a way verging on leading the proposition ad absurdum» the Church does not serve in order to convert thereby the children of the world. This, too, would amount to being guided by ulterior motives. The Church serves because she has this commission from her Lord and she cannot do otherwise. - Whether or not people will be converted as a result of her ministry depends only on God*s grace and is not within the power of the Church or her members. For "with men this is impossible; but all things are possible with God". g) The Eschatological Motivation of the Diakonia We can only carry on our diakonia with our eyes fixed on the last things» This implies that the life andyinistry cf the Church in the diakonia pattern is not only for the world but instead of the world also, in a vicaov ious manner, the ultimate end being the soteria cf mankind. The Church is permanently tempted to miss the eschatological perspectives of her work. In view of the relation cf the world to God, He destined the diakonia pattern as the final solution of the problems of the world» This pattern of life is demonstrated as a paradigm in the life cf the Church in this aeon» In this sense, the Church is now the aparche, _the first-fruit, the anticipation of the redeemed world obedimt to God and serving Him» Hence the ministry cf the Church is diaoonia vioaria; it is also instead of the world, as the representative cf the world that the Church carries on her service in the sight of God. The profound meaning of this ministry makes it impossible to mistake it for any superficial activity of' dispensing charities» The diakonia pattern of the Church, according to the mind of Jesus Christ, and her service in terms of ^ this pattern comprises all the problems of humanity» The soteria of mankind is just as much concerned in it as the peace of the world with its detailed consequences, economic welfare, public health etc» If it is in this way that the Church implements the diakonia pattern, then there are no problems of the world that would be excluded from the universal scope cf her work and responsibility. The Church living acoording to the diakonia pattern must realize that this pattern is „not deducible frcm any human (or "Christian") principle, but issues, with all its manifestations, from the contingent commands of God. On the other hand, this style of life must not induce the Church to make the attempt at recapturing some of the lost or capturing some newly claimed positions of influence»
