Calvin Synod Herald, 2014 (115. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2014-05-01 / 5-6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 ...Be Filled With The Holy Spirit! "...do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Holy Spirit" Ephesians 5:18 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ! The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son which make the perfect unity of the Trinity. The Spirit makes the presence of the risen Christ a reality in the community of faith and in the life of each individual believer. The work of the Holy Spirit is manifested in the life of a believer in two ways, first, what the Spirit does in us, and second, what He does through us. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit experience the transforming work of the Spirit. When it is working in us, we are connected with the crucified Lord Jesus Christ. What does this mean? According to the Apostle Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20. I put my old and sinful self to death in Christ through faith. This is a responsible act of obedience and trust that God can revitalize my new self to the likeness of Christ. It means that I will live my life not for myself but "I belong body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ..." Heidelberg Catechism #1. This act of commitment is final. No Chief Elder continued Jackie, Victoria, and Nie Visinski, Mark Stahlhammer, Matthew Balias, Bette Kelemencky, Shelley Visinski, and James Balias. We are truly blessed and thankful to have such a loyal, dedicated, tireless person, Joseph C. Pontban, leading our congregation. We are very grateful and very much appreciate what Joe does for our church day in and day out. We wish him a happy 80th birthday! And we thank him for his 40 years as Chief Elder and (before that) his many years of service to the Lord, Jesus Christ. Congratulations Joe and we look forward to many more years. Submitted by James D. Balias, Synod Presbyter Rev. John Olson, James Balias, Rev. Dr. Mark Horton, Bishop Bela Poznan and Joseph Poruban seated one forced me to do this, no one talked me into it, it is the work of the Holy Spirit which convinced me of my sins and freed me from the burdens and consequences of my sins and offered me a new life in Christ. First I need to empty myself before God in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If we continue to live according to the mindset and example of this world, we cannot claim that we are crucified along with Christ. We can notice some formal changes and results of our human efforts, but this change is not a complete transformation. To be filled with the Holy Spirit the life transformation must be real and complete. This means to disassociate ourselves from Evil and the evil ways of this world. Jesus said, "Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved." Matthew 9:17 It is not enough to disconnect from our sinful desires, but we need to remain in a personal connection with Christ, the Lord of our lives. The Spirit of God guards over this relationship with Christ so that it will remain, grow, and be strengthened. "Befilled with the Holy Spirit" Ephesians 5:18b This message from the Lord is not just a Bible quote, this speaks to you. "Do I need this?" you ask. The Lord needs you and wants to transform your life. The Holy Spirit is working not just in us, but also through us. God would be able to make His miraculous works without us, but in His mercy He wants to work through us also. He wants to use us as instruments of His saving love. Perhaps He has every reason to ignore us, but He does not do so. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit become instruments of God's work in this world. The world can recognize the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ through the preaching of His Word as He reigns in our lives. The love of God can come to people through us as we know that "...the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." Romans 8:19. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit live in faith and love, they love their neighbors as themselves, and the presence of this love captures the imagination and the feelings of people and makes them happy, too. This love originates from the Spirit of Christ which starts where human love ends and the love of God is poured into our hearts. If this love is real in our lives, the world will seek the Lord, the source of this love. The love of God not only makes us happy, but it is a saving love also. Jesus died on the cross of Golgotha because He loved us and gave His life for us all. With His love He wants to save those who live in damnation. He guides us from death and damnation to the glory of His Kingdom. There is love in you and people are happy in your presence. That is good, but there is a need for more. It is not enough just to be happy, but we need to guide others to the presence of the Savior. In true Christian life, the saving grace and love of the resurrected Christ are present and are in action. Be obedient to the Lord that He may work in you, then He may work through you also. A blessed fulfillment of Pentecost to all! Bishop Poznan
