Magyar Egyház, 1985 (64. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1985-01-01 / 1. szám
8. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ GROW IN GRACE “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II. Peter 3:18. Look into any newspaper and you will see, that our nation is growing in violence and crime every day, and our people suffer from fear and anxiety as they grow older year by year. In a large city like New York or Chicago, where 8 or 10 million people live, there are hundreds of crimes committed every day. Not only in America do the people live in fear, but the situation is the same in other parts of the world. Men and women are murdered, mugged, robbed and beaten, airplanes are hijacked and terrorism reigns everywhere. So much so, that wickedness, sin and fear are increasing every day and as we look into the future, one can only wonder: WHAT SHALL WE DO? The answer to all our fears is to trust in God: to have faith in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. HOW, you ask? The answer is given in the Bible: GROW IN GRACE AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! 1. A person, who engages in the grace and mercy of God will have no time to commit crime and evil. The person, who is learning more and more of Jesus Christ will have no desire to participate in acts of wickedness and sin. Indeed in the new year this text of the Bible gives us the right direction. It shows us the way to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Savior Jesus Christ. Dead things cannot grow! Only living things have the ability to grow. Those who are dead in their trespasses have no feeling of repentance, no faith and trust in God, and they cannot grow in the grace and knowledge of His Son. But the children of God, who are quickened by the Holy Spirit can grow and will grow in grace. Growth is the proof of a living creature. Everything which lives grows: either slowly or rapidly. The fence post will never grow, but the trees rooted in the ground shall grow. You can place in the richest soil a smooth pebble, and wait for a hundred years, yet it will never grow. But sow into the ground a tiny seed and after a period of time germination takes place and it will GROW. YOU may ask: how can I grow in grace and what are the signs, that I am growing in the grace of God? Let me mention a few: you can grow in FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE! 2. Oh, how much we all need to grow in our faith?! How many Christians are still in the infancy of their Christian life?! How many fear, that God who is “holy and just,” shall surely destroy sinners who have gone astray. You should never hesitate to accept God’s holy word for whatever He has promised will be so. It is easier for the mountains to fall into the sea, than to change one small iota of God’s promises. Let your faith increase, in this New Year, for if the boat of your life should be tossed about in the wide ocean, this strong faith will give you assurance, that God is with you and He shall lead you and be with you for ever. 3. Let your hope increase also in the days ahead. Hope, oh how much you will need it, if you shall be sick in the hospital or face other trials in your life?! This hope will give you strength for every blessed day, it will be a shining goal for every step along the way of your journey. Hope will guide you on and on, so that you may one day arrive into the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. With your eyes you can only see dimly here on earth, hut with the eyes of hope, you will see God and our Lord Jesus Christ clearly. Grow in hope. Grow in love. This is what the world needs more, than anything else today. Love is the most essential element in marriage. This is what keeps society, churches and nations together. Just look at the opposite and you will see, that without love you cannot survive. What we need in 1985 is MORE LOVE. Love your church more, and show your love with your sacrificial gifts ... It is not enough to talk, you must show your love and your faith by your actions. There are other areas, where Christians can grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Humility is another grace: John the Baptist taught us to remain always humble. Or we can learn from our Lord, who showed His humility and meekness even before His accusers and the court of Pontius Pilate. Or the great apostle of our faith, Paul, who said: that he boasts not with earthly riches, but with the cross of Christ, which is foolishness to many, but to those who love God, it is eternal life. Did you grow in contentment lately? Yes, many are so discontent, that we all have room to grow in this respect. Be happy, that you are a disciple of Christ, Paul said: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!” If you would have to live or die for Christ in 1985, would you be content? If there is any virtue, if there is any parisé, if there is anything beautiful, if there is anything that can increase your faith grow in these virtues. D.Á. NEW ZEALAND CHURCH TEAM VISITS EAST EUROPE CHRISTCHURCH (New Zealand) (EPS) —A group of 25 New Zealanders spent August visiting the Soviet Union and four east European countries — Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and GDR. One of the group leaders, Alan Brash, said “we were very much moved by the integrity and sincerity of church life everywhere” in the area. He added that “within the restricting factors, the churches are very much alive and in some places obviously growing.” He also said the group was “impressed by the intensity of the concern for peace everywhere.” The trip was under the auspices of this country’s National Council of Churches. INVITATION The officers of the Eastern Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America inform and invite representatives of the Congregations to its Annual Assembly, to be held on Sunday, March 3, 1985 at 3:00 p.m. sharp in the Magyar Reformed Church of Trenton, New Jersey. Please inform Rev. Kalman Adorján on the number of elders attending the meeting Tel.: 1-609-396-9751 Sincerely Rev. S. Török, Dean Mr. A. C. Beke, Chief-Elder
