Magyar Egyház, 1982 (61. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1982-09-01 / 9-10. szám
MAGYAR CGYhAZ definite mission, and the policy made by the Alliance in 1948 (Made is Switzerland) opting out of the seperate Reformed diakonia was neither theologically sound, nor pragmatically wise. Ottawa 1982 was a major step towards a new thinking along these lines. We hope this policy will be revised. Let us finish by the beautiful battle hymn of our Calvinistic tradition: “For why the Lord our God is good; His mercy is for ever sure-, His truth at all times firmly stood, and shall from age to age endure. ” Aladár Komjáthy “For I decided that I would speak only of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. I came to you in weaknesstimid and trembling. And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom but the Holy Spirit's power was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God.” Some years ago at the time of my ordination to the Christian ministry these words of the Apostle gave the directives both to my life and to my work. This scripture still stands before me, and sums up the mission to which Christ my Lord has called me. Christianity is a religion of power. The elementary principle of religion; — faith is belief in action, a way of living. Faith is putting to the test the things we hope are true. There are only two foundations for any belief that leads to action. 1. The recognition and acceptance of conclusions made by men who are perhaps wise in their several fields but who have reached these conclusions or beliefs, leaving God out of their thoughts. 2. The recognition of the power of God as over all, and the acceptance of only those beliefs that harmonize with the sovereignty of God. The first one leads to faith in the wisdon of men, the other to faith in the power of God. Christianity is not a mode of organization — a church: it is not a formulated statement of beliefs — a creed: it is not even a standard of conduct — an idealized way of living. Christianity is the power of God, molding the lives of believing men. To believe on Jesus as Lord is to give him the complete control of one’s life. To believe in Jesus is to accept his way of living as the pattern of daily conduct and to take up one’s cross and follow him. To believe in Jesus, the Anointed of God, is to see in him the fulfillment of all the high and holy hopes of mankind and to face the future, happy in the assurance that all things are working together for one’s good. The Christian religion offers a spiritual dynamic which, functioning in expreince, brings a man into vital relationship with the Eternal God, so that his faith may truly be in ue power of God. The Christian religion is not an explanation of the power and love of God: it is an experience of the power and love of God. Christianity therefore is a Religion of Power. 11. oldal HUNGARIAN PROUD The richness and depth of our Hungarian cultural identity together with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ made for an exceptionally rewarding six days in the beautifull and inspiring Pennsylvania hills in Laurelville. Together, the Calvin Synod and the Free Magyar Reformed Churches, provided another occasion for our youth to share the good news of the Gospel within the context of their religious and cultural heritage at the annual Hungarian Reformed Summer Youth Camp. Both organizations have a keen awareness and sensitivity to the needs of our young adults and a real desire to meet those needs and to invest in the future of our churches. This was my second time at the youth camp as vespers speaker, and there were still a lot of things to which I needed to adjust. However, in a couple of days I became aware of some things very familiar from last year. I noticed three basic characteristics of our young people which left a lasting impression on me. I noticed at first an acute pride which our youth have in their cultural identity. T-shirts, buttons, ironons and patches, were seen flashing in red, white and green, proudly reading “Hungarian and Proud”, “Kiss me, I’m Hungarian”, and “Budapest or Bust”. Some could speak Hungarian fluently, some very little and others not at all. Never before have I experienced so many young people (and at such a rebellious age, at that) so willing to identify with their cultural heritage. The second characteristic of youth camp which left an impression on me was confirmed by the suggestion sheets each camper filled out before going home: a desire to learn more about the Bible and about their relationship with Jesus Christ. This was also reflected in the theme which they chose for this years camp, “How do I fit in”. It soon became clear that they were interested not only in how they fit into society as young adults, but also as Christans. Our people here in America have been asking this same question for a long time; it was a pleasure to search for fresh answers, and very rewarding to begin seeking out new dimensions of their search for acceptance, identity and a special place for each one of them in THEIR new world. The third characteristic, which I want to share with you, crowned our camp experience with hope and renewal: the unity which was felt by all of us and realized in our inter-personal relationships and in all that we did. I believe this unity is one characteristic Jesus had in mind when he said, unless you become like one of these you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. We were united in all that we did and in all that we felt. No one said, or thought “I am Calvin Synod, you are Független” or “I am Presbyterian, you are independent”; or “I am all Hungarian, you are not”. This experience reminded me of the fact that the unity of the church is a statement of faith. We confess it each Sunday morning when we recite the Apostles Creed; “I believe in ONE holy universal Christian church”. All ecumenics must begin here: by believing in PTfrrTTirrrrrrrrrwTwtrrrrrffTrrrffTrrrrTnrrinnnnri At the Side of the Bible----------Icorinthians 2:2 — 5.
