Evangéliumi Hírnök, 2003 (95. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2003-01-01 / 1. szám
January, 2003 >at Page 9. Bible Verses That Changed the World CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (1451-1506) Isaiah 49:1 „Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations. Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.” The Italians call a person’s thirty-third year the Anno de Cristo, the year of Christ, in memory of Christ’s death in his thirty-third year. It is the year for spiritual revelations and reflection. For Christopher Columbus it was a time to reflect on his name, Christopher, which means „Christ-bearer.” While he and his brother Bartolomeo were working as map makers in Lisbon, Portugal, Columbus had time to reflect also on his love of the sea. Then he came upon a Bible verse that fit these reflections - the opening verse of Isaiah 49. It spoke of islands and „distant nations.” It spoke of being „called” before birth. Was that why Christopher was given that name before he was bom? Was that why he loved the sea so much? Did God direct him to this Scripture verse because he was calling Christopher to bring the CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH lationship with the elderly Hungarian folk. However our Hungarian speaking people are few in number at the present time. Calvary Baptist Church from its beginning has had a Sunday School for all ages. Vacation Bible School was started in the early 50’s and had continued for a number of years. We have regular Bible studies and prayer meetings each week. We can recall the happy times at our Annual picnics. Our church potluck suppers are held each month with a time for outreach and fellowship. Our prayer is one of Thanksgiving to God for having led us in the past. We are grateful for the pioneer workers and pastors who have preached the gospel faithfully over the years. We are thankful for all who have shared their faith with us. We have a common heritage and a bond of fellowship in the Lord. May we continue with God’s help to be faithful in serving our Lord. Irene Basky and Pauline Daku message of Christ to the people in “distant nations”? And so in his thirty-third year Christopher Columbus went to the king of Portugal with a proposal. He asked for underwriting to finance a trip to sail west to get to the Far East. The royal commission called the idea far-fetched. Columbus sent his brother to England, but the English court called his brother a fool. Then Columbus turned to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, who rejected his plan because it “rested on poor foundations.” Disheartened, Columbus retreated to a monastery. There a Franciscan friar befriended him. Soon Columbus was ready to try again. “It was the Lord who put into my mind,” he wrote in his Book of prophecies, “to sail from here to the Indies... I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely. I have found the sweetest consolation since I made it my whole purpose to enjoy his marvelous presence.” “The signs are that the Lord is hastening the end. The fact that the gospel must still be preached to so many lands in such a short time - this is what convinced me.” The next morning the prior at the monastery sent a messenger to Queen Isabella, asking her to reconsider the decision. The rest is history. On August 3, 1492, after receiving Holy Communion, Columbus rowed out to his three ships, all meticulously outfitted, to begin the voyage. During the voyage, the crew was on the verge of mutiny, but Columbus thought of himself as Moses leading the murmuring Israelites toward the Promised Land. When he finally arrived in the New World, he christened the island San Salvador and prayed, “Praised be Thy Majesty, which hath deigned to use us... that Thy holy Name may be proclaimed in this second part of the earth.” Returning from his final voyage, he had a dream in which he heard a voice assuring him, according to Isaiah 49:1, that God had privileged him to open up “islands” and “distant nations” for the gospel. He wrote his will on the pages of prayer book and signed it as he usually did — “Christ-bearer.” /PENNY/ Zeke Zoltán 1922-2002 1922. december 23-án született Tarpán, Magyarországon. Szülei - József és Zsuzsanna - református vallási légkörben nevelték. Az élet nehéz sorsa már ifjú korában Isten felé irányította. Isten szeretete megragadta üdvösségre vágyó gyermekét, aki imádkozó szívvel kérte Istent, hogy Jézus Krisztus által fogadja gyermekévé. 1945-ben átadta életét az Úrnak, Kun Lajos lkp. bemerítette a Tisza folyó vizébe és a Tarpai baptista gyülekezet tagja lett. 1948. május 15-én kötött házasságot Végső Jolánnal, Üröm községben (Magyarország). Szász István Nap utcai (Budapest) gyülekezet missziós lkp. kérte házasságukra Isten áldását. A Nap utcai gyülekezet tagjai voltak 1956. decemberéig, amikor kivándoroltak Amerikába. New York állam Keuka Parkba telepedtek le, ahol egy amerikai baptista gyülekezet tagjai lettek. 1960. január 6-án Cleveland OH-ba költöztek és a Shaker Square-i magyar baptista gyülekezet tagjai lettek, ahol Orosz István volt a lelkipásztor. 1967. december 18-án vissza költöztek Keuka Parkba, ahol 20 évig éltek. 1973-ban New York állam “Megtisztelt Amerikai Állampolgár" kitüntetést vettek át az állami kormányzottól, amelyet az újságok fényképes híradással közöltek. 1997. január 18-án Parma Oh-ba költöztek és a Magyar Bethánia Baptista Gyülekezet tagjai lettek. Adakozó és szolgáló tehetségüket a magyar misszióra áldozták; a felújított Clevelandi imaházba új villany orgonát vásároltak. Itt ünnepelték 50-ik házassági évfordulójukat. A Kárpátalja-i Zápszony községbe imaházat vásároltak. Többször segítették az amerikai magyar baptista szövetség gyülekezeteit stb. 1960-tól rendszeresen látogatták a Rama-i tábort (Canada), amelyet anyagilag is példásan támogattak. 2000-ben egészségi állapota megromlott, de még 2001-ben Magyarországra utazott, hogy meglátogassa ott élő testvéreit, rokonait. Hónapokig tartó betegség után november 30-án Isten hazaszólította az örök hazába, ahol nem lesz betegség, fájdalom, elválás.
