Magyar Egyház, 1967 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1967-01-01 / 1. szám
6 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ MAGYAR CHURCH Louis Nagy: The Lnnamed Fellow Worker Read: Philippians 2:25-30 Text: Mark 14:12-16 January is the month of the annual congregational meetings. Elders and officers are elected according to the rules of the synodical-presbyterian form of church government to which our Reformed churches adhere. Evidently, not everyone in a congregation is an elder or an officer. If you who are reading these lines happens to be one of those who are not, do you believe that you are an unknown soldier in the army of Christ? Maybe throughout your entire life you will be in the rear of the King’s army and will never be in the front simply because you do not wish to be. Do you think that as an unknown soldier you will have nothing to do? Do you think you will not have responsibiilty and do you think you can always live a life of calm and ease? What a great mistake! Christianity is a permanent struggle. We fight against self, sin and Satan. Our great commander-in-chief, the Lord Jesus, has no forgotten soldiers. He knows each one, personally, and He sets every one in his place where he must watch and fight when the time comes. In the kingdom of God there are no unknown laborers and Jesus has not forgotten to give each of us his own responsibility. Our Lord keeps a record of each of us and many times the victory depends on our faithfulness. Today, I will write about the common soldiers in the army of the Lord and the unknown workers in His vineyard. First, let’s look at those who stand in their places. Second, let us learn that the leaders only with their help can perform their work and be victorious. I Now I wiR undertake the impossible. I will introduce to you a man whom I, myself, do not know. I have never heard his name, I have never met him, I have never looked in his face. He lived long, long ago. I only know about him because he bore a pitcher of water and at the right time was in the right place. Maybe you say within yourself, Don’t play with words — what is important here? I cannot say whether Jesus foresaw this man or by his divine power ordered him to be there or whether he had stationed him there. But I can tell you that this man was the most important water carrier in the world. His faithful service was woven into the history of salvation. This man stood in his place of service and Jesus used him to show the way to the guest chamber of the Last Supper. He knew that the large upper room was furnished and ready for the Lord and His disciples. An unknown man, bearing a pitcher of water in his place assists in instituting the great sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. What a great privilege—what a great experience! He was faithful in his little task. He will always remain unknown to us but he is still so very close to us. He is the little man upon whom so much depends. See, two disciples follow him! He shows the place which is all ready for the Master where the great secrets of Heaven, God’s love for man will be revealed in the breaking of bread and pouring of wine. You faithful, unknown, bearer of a water pitcher, teach us to stand faithful in our places and to carry on faithfully in the little things upon which greater things depend. Your menial service has much to do with salvation. The disciples and leaders of the church can do their work if you are faithful in your place. You, who like to stay in the background, can you not see that you have your work to do in the kingdom too? II From Paul’s letter to the Philippians we hear about another man. Here, the gospel unveils a faithful worker. We are given his name—a Greek name—Epaphroditus and because of his faithfulness Paul called him brother, fellow-worker, fellow soldier and messenger. Paul tells us to hold such in reputation. I have repeated over and over again that Christianity is a warfare for the kingdom of God. Christ came not to bring peace but fire and a sword to this world. The kingdom will only be victorius at the price of struggle. Christ’s Church is His army where there are officers and private soldiers and He, Himself, the Commander-in-chief. We bear the uniform of the king, the leaders have heavier tasks and more serving to do but we are all fellowcampanions in labor. We have a common enemy and he is bent on destroying all of us. We are fellow-soldiers. In this battle the chief of the army directs the battle— but not from a distance—He is at the front and by His sacrificial death makes victory certain for us. He laid down His life for His people that at the price of His death our victory would be assured. There was a king of Ancient Greece. Kodros by name, who before a great battle asked his fortune tellers to prophesize which side would win. The answer was that the side whose king would be slain in battle would win. The enemy, by spying, knew that if the Greek king were slain the Greeks would win, so it was commanded that no one touch King Kodros. The king took off his kingly apparel and dressed in the clothes of a common soldier and by his death won the victory for his people. The Lord, our Savior, in this great battle, took off His kingly robes and by taking upon Himself our humanity won the victory for us. In the struggle for the kingdom leaders and soldiers fight side by side and the crown of victtory is not only for the leaders but the common soldiers too. Here in the last row, stand heroes too and here, they are not “unknown soldiers” because the great commander-inchief knows them individually and personally and gives
