Magyar Egyház, 1976 (55. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1976-10-01 / 10-11. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 7 MAGYAR CHURCH DEDICATION OF THE PLAQUE OF THE GALLEY SLAVES September 6, 1976 Ligonier, Pennsylvania “The angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought them forth and said: ‘Go and stand and speak in the temple to the people all the ivords of life'." Acts 5:19 Today, we are gathered together, here on Mount Moriah, in Ligonier, Pa., to dedicate the bronze memorial plaque in honor of those heroes of our faith, who were freed 300 years ago from the bondage of galley slavery. This year, Hungarians all around the ivorld have paid tribute to them as they remembered their heroic sacrifice. We all heard and read about the memorials in the old country, where delegates from various nations paused to pay tribute to the memory of these courageous men. Hungarians remembered these servants of God in villages, where these gallant men served the Lord and people scattered around the world in Europe, South America, and Canada. Here in the United States of America we have gathered together in this hour to dedicate this memorial plaque here in Ligonier, Pa. The memory of the Hungarian galley slave Christians was blessed by Almighty God in the hearts of the people everywhere, nevertheless it is fitting to rededicate ourselves in this church in this Bethlen Home, where the American Hungarian Zion stands, to offer ourselves in devotion and service to our Lord God Almighty, that our service here may be acceptable in His sight. On such a solemn occasion as this, let us consider the word of God and apply its message into our hearts. I. There are differences and similarities in biblical times and events, in what happened 300 years ago with the galley slaves. The persecutions and trials were equally similar. The sufferings of the first Christians and the Hungarians for their faith was similarly humiliating. Many disciples of Christ died in the first century and many gave their lives for Christianity during the persecutions in Hungary. But as God ordered the doors of the prison to be opened before the disciples in Jerusalem, so He ordered in a different way the doors of freedom to be opened before the persecuted galley slaves by a wonderful Dutch Admiral. The voice was heard by the disciples in the Bible: “go and speak to the people” .... and God’s same command was heard by His servants later on: so the history of the galley slaves, the marvelous work of the Lord Almighty filled the hearts of men at that time, and echoes still: go and tell... the people the works of our God. The High Priests, Pharisees and Sadducees wished to silence and kill the disciples, who were imprisoned in Jerusalem, but the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought them forth, commanding them to: “go and speak to the people all the words of life.” So Almighty God throughout the history of mankind wrought miracles and freed the imprisoned Christians from their cells, saying go and speak to the people all the words of this life. This was the commandment of the Lord to His disciples during the days of the first bloody persecutions in the Roman empire, and it was the same message to the Hungarian Christians, who were brought before their persecutors 300 years ago. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations!” This simple preaching of God's word became the most important obstacle in the eyes of godlessness. The authorities always wished to silence the voice of the living God. The persecutors always strived to quench the flow of the true preaching of the message of our Heavenly Father. Yet, neither the first Christians nor the galley slaves, nor imprisonments, nor persecutions, nor anything else was able to change the dedicated lives of the true servants of the Lord. They knew, that they had to obey God’s commandments and they could not do otherwise, but to tell the people the mighty works of our Heavenly Father.
