ISSN 0161-6900 CALVIN SYNOD Official Organ of The Calvin Synod - United Church of Christ Founded in 1900 AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA VOL. CXIV SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2013 NUMBER 9 10 IN THIS ISSUE Congregational and Calvin Synod News... 2 The Sign of Jonah Rt. Rev. Bela Poznan... 3 Stoning Mary Joseph's Nightmare Rev. Albert W. Kovacs...4 Called to Be Agents of Reconciliation Rev. David B. Bowman...5 Have Hope Jill Pongracz Murrell... 6 For the Son of Man came komp... 7 Temptation Rt. Rev. Dr. Zoltan Kiraly... 8 Gospel Message Rev. Zsolt A. Jakabffy... 10 Jónás jele Rt. Rev. Poznán Béla... 11 Camp 2013 photos...13 Gyülekezeti hírek...14 Kálvin Zsinat bel- és külmisszió... 14 Magyarországról árvizi segélykérés... 14 Order Blank Megrendelőlap... 14 Change of address Címváltozás... 15 Igehirdetés a Zsinaton Rev. Jakabffy Zsolt... 15 The Annunciation Maria Verkündigung 1612 Esteledik Rt. Rev. Dr. Király Zoltán... 18 Pál apostol nyomában H.V. Morton... 18 Hirdetések...19-20 In Wien (Austria) Staatsmuseum
2 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD CALVIN SYNOD Official Organ of The Calvin Synod - United Church of Christ Founded in 1900 AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA Volume 114 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NUMBER 9 10 Official Organ of the Calvin Synod United Church of Christ Founded in 1900 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD (ISSN 0161-6900) is published bi-monthly for $15.00/year for individual subscriptions; $10.00/year for groups; 50 or more copies. Please make checks payable to the Calvin Synod Herald Editor in Chief: Rt. Rev. Bela Poznan, Bishop 79 Birchwood Drive Fairfield, CT 06430 Tel.: 203-259-6392; FAX: 203-255-0713 e-mail: belapoznan@aol.com Co-Editor: Rev. Stefan M. Torok 68 Cherrywood Drive Somerset, NJ 08873 Tel.: 732-917-4566 e-mail: sctorok@comcast.net Co-Editor: Rev. Joseph Vasarhelyi 220 Fourth Street Passaic, NJ 07055 Tel.: 973-778-1019 Fax: 973-778-1026 e-mail: vasarhel@optonline.net Business Manager: Wilburn A. Roby Jr. 264 Old Plank Road Butler, PA 16002 e-mail: warajr@embarqmail.com Newsletters prepared by: Cathy Paksi 419-733-5829 cathy.paksi@gmail.com Newsletters printed by: Gazette Printers 724-349-3434 Periodicals postage paid at Butler, PA POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 264 Old Plank Rd., Butler, PA 16002-3810 Manuscripts and photographs are not preserved or returned. Send all correspondence to the Editor. The views and opinions of the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the position of the magazine or Calvin Synod. CALVIN SYNOD HEADQUARTERS: Rt. Rev. Bela Poznan 79 Birchwood Drive Fairfield, CT 06430 Telephone: 203-259-6392; e-mail: belapoznan@aol.com OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS CONGREGATIONAL and CALVIN SYNOD NEWS Calvin Hungarian Reformed Church News, Woodbridge, N.J. 2013 These past few months have been quite busy in Woodbridge. In April, our Pastor, Reverend Torok, participated in the wedding ceremony of Miss Maria Riggi and Mr. Mark Balogh. Mark is the son of our Chief Elder, Mr. Ernest Balogh, and his wife Mimi. We congratulate the newlyweds as they begin their life together. It is with great joy that we also celebrated the sacrament of Holy Baptism in welcoming Cole Ethan, infant son of Nicholas and Krystle Murawski, into the family of God. We ask God s richest blessings upon the new baby and his family. Our Pastor s birthday was celebrated in May with a delicious brunch provided by his wife, Cindy, along with several church members. Church member Mr. Andrew Toth also celebrated his birthday on the same day. The men shared a cake and jointly blew out the candles. It was truly an enjoyable time sharing our fellowship. During May and June we celebrated The Christian Family, in accordance with the scriptures. Mothers Day and Fathers Day honorees received small tokens of love and appreciation. Our Lorantffy Guild sponsored a roast chicken dinner in June to culminate the Family celebration. We would like to congratulate our young member, Bella Hansen, upon her high school graduation. Bella will attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey with a full academic scholarship. Bella is the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Brian Hansen. We are so proud of her. In the month of July, we mourned the passing of our Honorary Chief Elder, Mr. John Kelemen, 81, who gave his life back to God. He faithfully served the church as Chief Elder for 20 + years. Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Albert W. Kovacs, delivered the funeral sermon. May God be with the sorrowing family members and friends. We also mourned the passing of Mrs. Louis Henyecz, 94, mother of Mrs. Florette Pastor, a member of the Consistory along with her husband, Richard. May she rest in peace. Our annual summer picnic was held on July 28 in the churchyard. We all enjoyed the delicious food and fellowship. Thanks to all who shared this time with us. This Fall we are looking forward to celebrating our Church s 110th anniversary. At this writing, plans were not yet complete. Vacancies: Beaver Falls, PA Columbus, OH Dayton, OH Kalamazoo, MI Norwalk, CT The proper procedure is for all interested ministers to send their completed PROFILE (as provided by the United Church of Christ) to the Bishop s office at Rt. Rev. Béla Poznán 79 Birchwood Drive Fairfield, CT 06430 Questions may be directed by telephone to 203-259-6392 Installation of Rev. Andras Szasz at the Magyar Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, NJ
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 The Sign of Jonah Matthew 12:38-41, Luke 11:29-30 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. He answered, A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. - Matthew 12: 38-41 (NIV) Although Jesus performed many miracles, the Pharisees in His and our time will not accept them as signs of His divine origin. These historical and modern Pharisees tried and are trying to discredit Jesus. Let us remember that in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, Jesus was accused of using demonic power for healing or casting out demons. Such a fatal misunderstanding of Jesus ministry, teachings, and healings are sins against the Holy Spirit. Jesus warned his listeners, Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come (Matthew 12:32). After so many miracles were rejected, the Pharisees came with the request, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. Jesus replied, A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. The story of Jonah is well known. The sign of Jonah and the sign of the Son of Man, Jesus, were given to the world as signs from heaven. If we search the Bible carefully we can find similarities between Jonah and Jesus as well as many differences. As a result of his disobedience, Jonah found himself in the belly of a large fish. Only when he acknowledged his disobedience and repented his sin was he freed by God from darkness of the belly of the fish and released to preach in Nineveh. This was a symbolic death and resurrection experience. Jesus, on the other hand, was obedient and without sin but He truly died and was buried. He descended into hell and was raised from the dead on the third day. We know little about Jesus descending into hell, although since early Christianity we use the description, which appears in the Apostles Creed. There are Biblical passages that support our confession and provide for a variety of interpretations: Job 38:17, Psalm 49, Psalm 68:18-22, Matthew 12:38-41, Acts 2:22-32, Romans 10:7, Ephesians 4:7-10, 1 Peter 3:18-20, 1 Peter 4:6, Luke 16:19-31, Luke 23:42-43, Revelations 20:11-15, and Hebrews 9:27-28. These passages need to be studied carefully before we can draw any conclusions. To some Christian denominations, the descent into hell represents the physical agony of death upon the Cross, hellish in its pain. To others, the word hell means Hades (Luke 16:23, Rev. 20:11-15) or Sheol (Num. 16:30, Psalm 16:10, Gen. 37:35,Prov. 9:18), the collective place of the dead, divid- ed into Paradise or Abraham's Bosom, the state of God-fearing souls, and Gehenna, the state of ungodly souls. Thus, the descent into hell may suggest that the Son of God carried the sins of the world to hell, or that the Son of God carried the Good News of deliverance to the godly dead, such as Lazarus the beggar and the repentant thief. At the time of the Reformation there was controversy concerning the description of Jesus descent into hell. The Roman Catholic Church and the Lutherans both taught a literal descent of Christ into hell, while other Protestant Reformers spiritualized the expression. That is why we have the explanation that we do in our own Heidelberg Catechism. John Calvin expressed his concern that many Christians "have never earnestly considered what it is or means that we have been redeemed from God's judgment. Yet this is our wisdom: duly to feel how much our salvation cost the Son of God." Calvin's conclusion is that "Christ's descent into Hell was necessary for Christians' atonement, because Christ did in fact endure the penalty for the sins of the redeemed. The early Reformed interpreted the phrase "he descended into Hell" as referring to Christ's pain and humiliation prior to his death, and that this humiliation had a spiritual dimension as part of God's judgment upon the sin that he bore on behalf of all Christians. The doctrine of Christ's humiliation is also meant to assure believers that Christ has redeemed them from the pain and suffering of God's judgment on sin. Reformed theology emphasizes the terrible exchange in which Jesus, who was without sin, took upon himself the wrath and condemnation of God for the sin of others; He experienced the separation from God and the terrible condition of hell in order to save humans from the consequences of sin, rebellion, and disobedience. Some scholars try to identify and describe the place of hell, some others the condition of hell. We may agree that it is the most undesirable place and condition: to be separated from God and our loved ones. Calvin, in his Institutes writes that Jesus descended into hell in this sense, that He entered into the suffering of the torments of hell, in body and soul, in His life on the earth, especially at the end on the cross. Calvin and other reformers interpretation carried over into the Heidelberg Catechism. That is why it explains the expression in the way it does. "Why is there added, He descended into hell? Answer: That in my greatest temptations I may be assured and wholly comfort myself in this, that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His inexpressible anguish, pains, terrors, and hellish agonies in which He was plunged during all of His sufferings, but especially on the cross, hath delivered me from the anguish and torments of hell." It explains Jesus experience spiritually. This spiritual descent of our Lord Jesus Christ into the suffering of hell was absolutely necessary for our salvation. We believe that He must suffer the punishment of hell for our sins to be completely dealt with and for the punishment of our sin to be completely paid. Why do we have to have a Jesus who suffered hell for us? Precisely because hell is the just punishment of our sin. Hell is the place of eternal torment, the place that God has assigned for ungodly sinners. Our sin deserves eternal and infinite, not just temporal, punishment because we have sinned against the high majesty of an infinite God. What a blessed cofort Continued on page 4
4 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD Stoning Mary Joseph's Nightmare MARY! Oh m God!!! Like hit by a bolt of lightning, Joseph shudders as he awakens from his nightmare! He dreamed Nazareth s townfolk were going to stone Mary! And he can t shake off his troubled feeling as he wipes the sand of sleep out of his eyes. The dream dies at the opening day but this is more than a dream or even a nightmare. He awakens with the terrible thought can t shake it The people might stone Mary! He had seen young Mary grow up before his eyes in Nazareth, going from her home to the well for water. Now that he had become a man and she had grown into womanhood, he liked what he saw, and the good news was that their parents had arranged for their marriage. Yes, the sound of it was pleasant Joseph and Mary. Yes, it would be good. How he wished the wedding could take place soon weeks ago would have pleased him, and he could be holding her in his arms. The Annunciation But yesterday Mary had told him she was pregnant, and he knew the baby couldn t be his. He hadn t touched her. It wasn t done like that in Nazareth. And he left her standing there after she told him about the angel of God coming to her and telling her The Sign of Jonah Continued from page 3 there is for us in knowing that our Lord descended into Hell! The Heidelberg Catechism answer 44 puts it so beautifully: that in "my greatest temptation I may be assured and wholly comfort myself in this, that my Lord Jesus hath delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell." That is the greatest comfort for sinners. Some believe that the sign of Jonah is a sign of resurrection to the newness of life, as Jonah became resurrected to obedience to God and service to others. Jesus was obedient until death and was resurrected to glory and inherited a name which is above every name: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11). The crucifixion, death, and burial, is the experience of separation from God and but the resurrection is the sign and miracle of the Son of Man, Jesus our Lord and our Savior. That is the message of the Gospel which was given to the world and for our salvation. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Yours in His Service, Bishop Poznán she would conceive the very Son of God by the Holy Spirit. After all, what kind of talk was this? What a miserable day with this going through his mind. How can a man keep his mind on his work nothing got done what a mess! Maybe just keep busy and it won t work on the mind. Yes, that helped during the day, but when night came again, going to sleep was another matter tossing and turning - somehow finally drifting off. Mary! Oh m God! While he was restlessly sleeping it all came together. The town knew they were betrothed they had seen them walking together, making plans and all those things that young engaged couples do. But they couldn t hide Mary s pregnancy. The women of towns everywhere always count the months and everyone would know she hadn t waited for marriage to surrender her virginity. And they would ask who was the man oh yes, probably Joseph! Everyone also knew what the penalty was in the Law for fornicators and adulterers stoning. One day the townspeople would grab Mary, drag her to the edge of town, dig a pit and stuff her in it up to her breasts, and then taunt her while they battered her head to a pulp with stone after stone until she was dead. He had seen it before the stones shouldn t be too big, so the person died slowly and painfully just punishment for breaking the Law. Now, the thought of it happening to Mary brought over him the very anguish of Hell itself!. What a miserable day followed, worse than the day before. What in the world could he do? Yes, he wasn t the father of the child. Yes, Mary had told him about the angel of God. But the stoning was sure to come and how could he endure that? He knew he couldn t watch it, yet everyone would expect him to be there. And would they believe he was not the father? Perhaps he would be next suddenly grabbing hold of him too and digging another pit next to Mary. Justice was swift! Which way out of hell? Maybe he should divorce her quietly? Maybe something would work out. You know, women know how to handle these things better than men. Maybe she could go away to visit relatives in another town, where they won t know she s not married. Perhaps to her relative Elizabeth and the priest Zechariah in Jerusalem, where her family stayed for the high holidays. In a big city like that no one knows and no one cares. What to think? What a miserable day and what another miserable night. Mary! Oh m God! What can I do to save her? Another night of tossing and turning, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph also in a dream: Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. And when he awoke the dream stayed with him, and he knew what he had to do but how? The days passed, and Mary and Joseph talked. When she was several months along no one else knew, but even with women s flowing robes she couldn t hide her condition forever. Joseph bought a little time by taking her to Jerusalem, as he thought earlier, where Mary stayed about three months. But Elizabeth
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 5 was ready to give birth and there really wasn t room for Mary to stay any longer. So back to Nazareth. But then what, as she started to show? The baby in her womb was growing! And now a new problem. That tyrant Caesar Augustus in Rome had demanded a census of the Jews, just another way to squeeze out more taxes from the little guy and so they don t miss a single one, all the men have to return to their tribal home. Joseph would have to go to Bethlehem to be enrolled and pay his head tax. Oh m God! Yes!!! God had provided the answer as He did for Abraham and his son Isaac! He would go to Bethlehem, David s city with Mary! Somehow it would work out for them. Didn t God always know best? There would be no stoning in Nazareth not for Mary, not for him! Yes, God no stoning! Fast Forward 2,000 Years When Matthew wrote about the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod, seeking the death of the infant Jesus, he quoted the lament in Jeremiah, A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing an loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more. Today, Rachel and Mary would again find no consolation as death by stoning and tragic suffering by other means brutalize our God s beloved daughters in the lands of ignorance and false religions. The news still tells of women s plight because of honor killings even here in the United States. There is a monument in Dearborn to a young woman killed under sharia by her parents. Last March in Hollywood, Florida, a mother threw acid in her face and burned her daughter for refusing an arranged marriage and emailing instead another young man. A recent Pew Forum survey found that a majority of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other Muslim nations still favored stoning for adultery and illicit sex. Attempts to change the law in Iraq and Jordan were denied, opponents said, because it would violate religious tradition and destroy family values. An Australian young woman employed by a big hotel in Dubai was using her laptop in the staff bar and had her drink spiked. She awoke after she was raped by three men. and went to a hospital. Upon discharge she was charged with illicit sex and committed to jail for eight months. Under their law, a rapist cannot be convicted without four adult male witnesses. She was wrong! In some Muslim areas, widows are expelled from their homes by their in-laws. With women forbidden to work outside the home, they have no income and are compelled to scavenge in the garbage for food to feed themselves and sometimes their children too. Striving to live some sell themselves to men, but if they are caught or become pregnant they are condemned to punishment under sharia, perhaps stoning or dozens of lashes. But it s not Islamist nations alone, as recent situations come to light in India and other countries. It is time for Christian voices to rise up and cry out against this barbarity and demand that all the daughters of God find relief, equality and freedom. Rev. Albert W. Kovacs Text: II Corinthians 5:16-18 Called to Be Agents of Reconciliation Local churches are tough, but they are not invulnerable; rugged but not invincible; persistent but living in a zone marked, Hazard! Watch for falling rock. Sometimes a problem arises because of the behavior of the minister. I know a minister who decided to set up his own counseling practice on the side while still claiming full-time salary benefits from the congregation. The elders said, No. He resigned, went up the road, and started another church, unethically inviting his supporters to come with him. Sometimes a problem lies among the members. At times folk work out their frustrations, power trips, hostilities and aggressions within the church. I remember at a church I once served where I could tell a certain woman didn t like me. But I hadn t even been there long enough for my faults to be revealed. I discovered on inquiring that she hadn t liked the previous two ministers either. I perceived she had trouble with authority figures and she thought that ministers still had some authority a dubious idea these days. Sometimes an issue that threatens the life of the church is over decisions to be made. Two or more alternatives may be presented and there may be good reason on both or on every side. These matters are not always easy and good faith may be present on all sides. For example, I know a church that operated a preschool through the 4th grade that was not paying for itself. The congregation occupied a fine old building with inadequate parking and other physical problems. In one fell swoop the pastor led in closing the school and constructing another church building outside of town. The internal controversy was fierce for awhile. I m pleased to say that the congregation survived well and most of the members who opposed those changes hung in there. Such discussions are, of course, not new to the twenty-first century church. St. Paul encountered it in the Corinthian Church. There four factions existed the Paul party--the liberals attached to him; the Peter party the conservatives hovering around the lead disciple; the Apollo s party the faction seeking depth and esoteric wisdom; and the Christ party those who felt more righteous than the others. Paul said to them, Whoa! What is going on here! Is Christ divided? Leave your factional thoughts aside and seek the mind of Christ. St. Paul has two major teachings for the church the Corinthian Church and Calvin Synod churches. They are: (1) the new creation in Christ and (2) unity in Christ. En Christo in Christ are the most common words in the apostle s vocabulary. Those who are in Christ are a new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come. We often think of Christ in us the hope of glory. That s fine, but the major image is not Christ fragmented into each of us. Rather each of us enter into the One Body of Christ. The second theme is a corollary: Those who share in the body of Christ are to be crucified in him. Now we thought the Corinthian Church had it bad. But in the USA the church has Continued on page 6
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD HAVE HOPE Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain; whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that. James 4: 13-15 How often do we take the time we have in our lives for granted? How often do we assume that there will always be more time to accomplish the things we ought to do, rather than be grateful for the time that we have? How often do we daydream about all of the things that we could do; only to find that in our dreaming, we have wasted precious moments and opportunities? I think the above Scripture points out a very important message: Instead you Agents of Reconciliation Continued from page 5 divided into over 700 different expressions dividing over every issue and behavior you can name. My favorite is the old Two- Seed-in-the-Spirit-Predestination-Baptists, which by 2003 had four remaining churches and about 80 members. Now it must be added that there may be limits to unity. Unity does not mean avoiding controversy. In our time some in the church are more informed by People Magazine than they are by the Bible or church tradition. Some listen to the trends of the times more than to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God is indeed still speaking. But who speaks for God? New light breaks forth, but is it from the Word or the National Inquirer? The first ecumenical meeting in Jerusalem included controversy. The Jerusalem Christians said all those new Gentile converts would need to observe the levitical laws. Paul and colleagues disagreed with that. That is too exclusionary, they argued. The position of change won... But sometimes the more traditional position may be closer to the mind of Christ and people need to stand up to be counted. The main thing to keep in mind is this: We Christians are called in St. Paul s language to be agents of reconciliation. As such we re not interested in power trips. Winning is not the issue. Fulfilling our own preferences or pre-conceived notions is not the goal. We are to be centrifugal force not centripetal force people, so that it may be said of us, We knew they were Christians by their love. So St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: I, therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, beg you to live a life worthy of the calling... with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-2) The call is as old as the gospel and as fresh as the morning sun: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and giving us the commission to be Christ s agents of reconciliation. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, world to its end. Amen. Rev. David B. Bowman ought to say, If the Lords wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that. It seems that in our humanness, we have this need to be in control of everything such as our homes, our work, our families...the list is usually endless. However, after everything that happened the week of April 15th, I realize that trying to control things around us is a huge waste of time and energy, because the only thing we can control in life is how we react to whatever life dishes out to us! That being said, I had a very meaningful conversation with our dear pastor, Peter Toth, on April 23rd. He had just had his fifth surgery, and yet I was amazed by his calm demeanor. Since I am up in Sunday School during his sermon, he shared with me some of the ideas he tried to convey to the congregation the day before his accident. Little did he know that they would be about the events that would occur to him the very next day! I will try to share some of his thoughts with you and I hope they will convey all he was trying to share with me and to all of you, his beloved congregation. How optional is life? We are here for such a short while and suddenly, we are not. So many thoughts have been running through my mind since the accident like a movie of my life. I had made so many plans about what I wanted to accomplish at home, and for the children and my wife when suddenly, everything I had planned changed because of a decision I made in haste. Sometimes, people blame others for what happens to them. But this was my decision to try to cut down this tree by myself. Instead of admiring a job well done, I was pinned under the tree! People who I didn t know, who didn t owe me any favors helped me out. Neighbors called the ambulance, the fire department and the hospital. The wife of one of these men was a nurse and immediately applied pressure to my arm to control the bleeding until the ambulance came she probably saved my life. Luckily, the tree missed my torso and my head by about 12 inches! I have been in a very spiritual state since all of this has happened to me. Thanks for the cards and especially the prayers; they are a great comfort and help, for even the doctors cannot predict how this will all turn out. I have a long journey ahead of me with many more surgeries in the future. One thing I do know is that everyone has the opportunity to do things and I encourage you to do something for others whenever you can. Please continue to lift up Peter in your prayers! Have faith and trust in God that this serious accident will be a blessing to Peter, to his family and friends, and to our congregation that the Lord will provide for those who truly believe in Him. And that it will give us reason to take pause, and thank our Father for providing for all of our needs. Jill Pongracz Murrell, General Chairperson
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 7 Oh, I will give you a piece of my mind!... "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Lk. 19:10) I have searched my memory in vain to try and remember if at any time in my life I craved the ending of the service, like I did that particular Sunday, on a beautiful spring day after Pentecost many years ago. After the long awaited benediction I hurried to try and leave the sanctuary. The minister in the doorway got my rushed Blessings and peace with a compulsory smile. With a wave of my hand I acknowledged my friend s reminder: tomorrow at 10 then, yes, OK, and I ran. Grumbling and desperate, just let me get far away from here, so no one can see inside the shattered windows of my soul. But what is this disturbance within me, Lord? Where is Your peace? I just had Holy Communion I paused for a minute wondering, and then sat on a bench in Hero s square, waiting for some calming of my anxious thoughts, because I could not go home in the agitated state I found myself I adored our congregation where we received many comforting words, attention, teaching, we had many joys, both my wife and I. In spite that we were not originally from this town, we got here through our jobs we were accepted as brother and sister in the true sense of the word. We had true fellowship here. We sang in the choir, we listened to the sermons, we took part in the work of the congregation, we went for trips together and God s message was always forthcoming! Sometimes rebuking, then comforting, awesome wonder other times that this majestic God is mindful of mankind, of me, and speaks to me. But lately this abundant joy has been gradually diminishing and ultimately became a burden. I have been excusing myself from the midweek meetings on account of my work. I found myself spending less time in personal meditation and Bible study. This led to fatigue and a feeling of being overpowered by worry. My favorite Psalms had provided temporary refreshment for my ever tiring soul, but after a while stealthily disappeared under the daily grind. The thought to speak of my problems with my good friend and the minister has crossed my mind, but to tell the truth, I felt ashamed to bother them with such a minuscule and personal problem. These were my burdens and mine to carry. I blamed my problems on being physically tired. I faulted my congested schedule, the fact that I accept too many responsibilities, that I overstretch my time, that I overload myself. I promised myself, that whatever happens, I will keep my Saturday evenings free. Sadly, my decision has been almost always upended by something that slipped in the last minute, either having to do with the church, or family, or personal something that required my involvement. See, even yesterday I went to bed way past midnight. Naturally, this morning I did not feel like getting out of bed. If it wasn t my turn to be the usher on duty today, I would have not even made the service. Given my present state of mind, honestly I would just enjoy basking in the sun on such a beautiful spring day, out in the fresh, open air listen to the stillness of nature, soaring with the song of the birds, rather than phonily posturing in the house of the Lord. For me this is no longer worth it, I cannot reinvigorate myself, I cannot gather strength for the weekday hustle and bustle like this. This is no longer honoring the Sabbath! I am no longer willing to listen to generalizations, to religious monologues, to struggle with unknown hymns, to pay attention to overused well-known Biblical stories, like today, for instance, the story with the disciples. Once and for all, I had enough! With all due respect, let s not kid each other, OK? If no one is willing to be honest with him, just grumble behind his back, I will give him a piece of my mind! Preach in a way that an ordinary tired person, like I am, get some enjoyment out of it, and not go home more tired than came in! Where is spiritual revitalization, refreshment here? Next day, at the end of the Ministry and Church Work Committee meeting, I almost got startled, when our minister stepped over to me. I felt this is finally the time I could empty all my accumulated bitterness. Reverend, I have something to talk to you about, in confidence Very well, I just need a little time first. You see, yesterday afternoon I got a call from Vincent s mother asking us, meaning you and your friend Peter and I, to pay them a visit today around lunch-time! What do you know of them? My friend looked at me somewhat hesitantly, but Vincent was present during worship service yesterday and took Communion with us also. True, he ran off before the fellowship hour, just like you did said Peter with a smile pointing at me. We spoke two weeks ago in person, it seemed that everything was going well with them, he even helped with the church s roof repairs. Vincent worked as a miner in one of the North-West region s coalmines, got disabled in a blasting accident, became severely addicted to alcohol. His wife left him, taking along their young daughter, so he moved back with his mother. Two years ago during a prayer week of the Rakospalota Alcohol Rehabilitation Mission strengthened in his faith he got freed of his addiction. He became a regular attendee at our services and went through adult confirmation. He was handy whenever he could he would help out around the church. Vincent s mother was a devout Catholic, in the beginning resented that his son joined a Protestant congregation abandoning the faith however after the changes she saw in his life, she accepted that too. As long as you are not aware of the specifics of this matter either, then let us go there together, recommended our pastor, and we will have a discussion, as you asked, afterwards, unless you have any objections or if the issue is more pressing. No, that sounds well I nodded. The table was set up with all the trimmings, their faces glowing their eyes had the sparkle that God-fearing people have when their souls bask in the glory of the Creator. Please forgive me for running away yesterday, began Vincent, but I felt an overwhelming joy in my heart yesterday after listening to the sermon. I have my life to thank you literally! And I wanted to share this with my dear mother that s the reason I ran off to soothe her pain that I caused her again. This is what happened: A week ago I stumbled, I was invited to a birthday party and there, again, I started drinking, and next day I drank some more. I drank away half of my monthly pension. I sank in a depression and decided that I will end my lousy life. I planned this tragic
8 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD TEMPTATION "And lead us not into temptation "At the first hearing of Matthew 6:13 we might think that God leads us into temptation. We may try to use it as an excuse or even blame God for our failure. We cannot be responsible because we might have been led against our will. We usually try to explain our sinful thoughts and actions, that we were following obediently our human inclinations. How can our heavenly Father lead us into trouble? This way of thinking makes it clear that our thoughts are already For the Son of Man Continued from page 7 deed for yesterday. Sunday morning I wanted to travel back for one last time to the place where I had a period of my life with some meaning and pleasure, to say goodbye to my daughter and then to step out of this miserable existence Yesterday morning before I left for this journey, my mother came to me and told me: Son, I don t hold any anger towards you, whatever happened has happened. But if you still have a bit of sympathy towards your mother, then have a shave, get dressed and go to church this morning, there, among those Reformed! All the while during the wrship service I felt very uncomfortable. Not only because of my infinite shame, but I felt that I was the subject of the sermon. The sermon about the disciples was addressed to me, especially when the Lord asked them: You do not want to leave too, do you? During the Communion I kept repeating to myself Apostle Peter s answer: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:67-68) This is the reason I ran yesterday after the service to share this good news, this joy with my mother, that my sins are forgiven, that there is a new beginning, even if I stumbled. I can get up and have part of life eternal. This thanksgiving lunch was her idea! Thanks for coming let s sit down and eat! Truly, we thank you, Vincent for sharing your renewed, reinforced faith, blessed be the name of the Lord for it! And now, before this thanksgiving meal, please, you say grace. But Reverend, I am a man of heavy tongue, I can t say nice prayers. I know, Vincent, but right now I feel that neither of us is in need of nice words. It was a short, sincere and simple prayer, coming from his inner depths: blessed and unforgettable! For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Lk. 19:10) so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) I was able to partake in the well-prepared, delicious meal, because the words of the Lord gently embraced my sobbing soul! I answered the question very quietly: Yes, I ran off after the service yesterday as well And I thank You Heavenly Father the cup of thanksgiving, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, that You didn t let me run far from You! komp This article appeared in the Hungarian section of our July August 2013 issue infested by the Tempter. The Greek word, peirasmos (πειρασμος) means temptation trial or testing. God is the author when the purpose of testing is to enquire experience. Testing is an occasion for training. God allows temptation in our lives to strengthen us God tests us to determine if we can manage greater tasks and responsibilities. Every test serves one purpose: to make us more dependable. God never promised us that we will be spared of suffering or testing. God allows every person to be tested, and never makes a mistake in testing. With testing God will accomplish what is His desire in the life of the believer. Every test has some result in our life. All the tests are beneficial when they are permitted by God. Every time we pass a test successfully, God gives us the victory to make progress in our Christian life. Contrary to God s intentions, when Satan tests us it is temptation because the Satan s ultimate purpose is to lure us into sin. Temptation is a desire to find satisfaction and possess or enjoy something all by itself. This is not so bad, the problem begins when this enticing and motivation starts to grow and leads to a situation when more is wanted and more is promised and more serious will be the consequence. "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction." (I.Timonthy 6:9) The word temptation could mean seduction. The temptation, may be direct through cynical behavior or encouraging for doing evil. Usually it comes when at least expected. [Samson and Delilah, (Judges 16:1) Esau and Jacob (Genesis 27:35) Ananias and Sapphare (Acts 5:1-10]. Jesus temptation did not end after forty days in the wilderness. The devil "left him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13) Temptation came again by subtle suggestion to divert Jesus from his determination. Jesus had to resist the temptation to accept the nationalistic desire of the Zealots who wanted to make him king by force. (John 6:15). Not even the crown of the creation can carelessly drop its guard since new temptation comes every day. To be tempted or tried is a part of the price that must be paid to win the fight. We all face tests which reveal our spiritual foundation with its weakness or strength. When the time of testing or trial or temptation comes we should not be afraid, the grace of God is immediately available to conquer it. God is aware of our weakness. We cannot endure testing beyond our human ability. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any person: but every person is tempted when he is drawn of his lust and enticed." (James 1:13-24) We cannot determine the limits of our endurance. It is not right to say that my trials are greater than I can bear. With the trial God provides a way of escape that we may be able to endure it. Blessed is the man who endures trial for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God promised to those who love him. (James 1:12). God assures us that we will not be tested to the breaking point. But sometimes God breaks our resistance to lead us completely depend on Him. Interior spiritual resources are available for all, who have the faith to accept them.. The battle against temptation is not hopeless. A person is not left alone to fight with his own power or to endure without divine
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 9 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Amen Mark 3, 13-15 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. power. God is faithful and will not let anyone be tempted beyond the available strength Christ did not suffer because of his own sin but for our sins. (II.Corinth 5:21). We can rejoice in suffering, because Christ s strength is manifested in our suffering. When we are faithful we will be partakers in his suffering and also in his glory. Temptation can be expressed as a personal and burning desire that will irritate us until it is satisfied. We like our physical needs to be satisfied. How wonderful would it be just have enough money to buy what we like to have, or to work where people are friendly, or every problem would be solved in a peaceful way. We might wish to become millionaires or famous people, movie stars or sport heros. Many people are driven by hatred, grudges, retaliation and revenge. May we ask God, not only "lead us not into temptation" but also encourage and strengthen us to overcome the enticing power of fulfillment. Then suddenly the world will become more harmonious, people more understanding and the spiritual life more rewarding. Rt. Rev. Dr. Zoltan Kiraly Dear fellow pastors, ministry leaders. It is an honor to be here with you and it especially makes me humble that I have the opportunity to share the gospel message with you that God laid on my heart. Several years ago I ve read an article about the least stressful jobs in America. The article stated that the least stressful job in the U.S. at that time was to be a sales person in a local yarn shop. But you will not guess what the second was? The second least stressful job in the US was: to be a pastor of a local, neighborhood church Out in the world exists a false belief. I am sure you all know what I am talking about this belief says: it is easy to be a pastor pastors work only on Sunday, and only for a few hours. When I was a child my mother wanted me to become a pastor. Believe it or not the main reason why my Mom wanted me to become a pastor was the same one I just told you. Of course at that time I was in total denial about the ministry and I sought a different career. I did not know that God had already his plans for my life in his vineyard. Not long ago one of the funny elders at our church asked me: Why are you so tired, pastor? Preachers work how many hours per week? Three!???? and smiled and left I have to tell you the truth. Some years ago, being questioned like that or being not appreciated really would bug me. I loved when people came to me and said nice things about my sermons. I know now why it was like that. Because at that time those were my sermons. And I longed for acceptance from people. And when I could not get it I became stressed out, frustrated, angry and unhappy. But the Father reached out for me and he took away my desire to please people with my services. I am not supposed to preach my sermon. I am supposed to preach His message. Here in the U.S. I learned the hard way my lesson.that if I pleased men, I would not be the servant of Christ. Since that time I am eager to be faithful to the Message. I am praying to be able to preach his will week by week and not my wisdom When I changed the method the results were right away noticeable and visible. Less people came to church More stress was in my ministry and in personal life Less and less so called success and less and less appreciation followed More people wanted to get rid of me I got more criticism about the style and message of preaching and teaching. Even some of the appreciation was filled with a little chill and it took me some time until I realized that some people are really creative when it comes to tell you about your sermon. Here are a few I got in the past: "O pastor, I don t care what others say, I still enjoy your sermons." "If I d known you were going to be so good today I d have brought my husband." "Pastor, Did you know there are more than 400 pieces of glass in the stain glass windows all together?" Apart from the fact that we have the least stressful job in the U.S. I believe that there was no other time in history when pastors have been under more stress and criticism than they are right now. Moral, financial, physical, spiritual stress presses us on all levels. We are all tempted and even pressured to do so many things and still get ready to preach. But how can we stay fresh and open for God s message when we are overwhelmed with other stuff? It is true that a pastor can manage to not to do his job, and just float I know some guys who do not do anything church related during the week, then on Saturday night they hook up to the internet and they are ready in ten minutes, The biggest problem is not what they do to the people, but what they do to themselves they rob themselves of the blessing of God and from the understanding of the deep truths in the word of God. So what should we do about all this? I think we should look at Jesus, our Lord, who also lived under tremendous stress and criticism. Let s see how he managed it? How he handled the everyday life stress? We just read: Jesus ordained twelve to be with him to spend time with him. Let s say to pray with him learn from him and then go out to preach, teach, and heal. It seems he gave the same job description to those he called as he had himself. At this time Jesus already was a well known teacher. Translated to Hollywoodian language, he was an international celebrity. Not only Jews, but Gentiles from distant countries were coming to see him. Thousands of people around him, he was pressed toward the see so much that he even asked for a getaway boat on the shore just in case. On the other hand unclean spirits were yelling at him and coming onto him. The Pharisees were watching his every move just to find guilt in him You see... that s what I call stress and pressure Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons and then he did some-
10 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD thing strange. He charged them not to tell anyone that he is the Son of God. He did the same in several other cases. Why? I used to think he did it because he was a great psychologist and he knew if he tells someone not to tell something they will rather tell everybody We have these kind of faithful people in our churches, don t we? But Jesus was not a manipulator, so this cannot be true. Then why? I believe it was because Jesus main mission was not primarily about miracles about healing or feeding the hungry or raising the dead (Think about poor Lazarus. He had to die twice.) The miracles Jesus did were all temporary, and were only for verifying who he really was. But instead the Lord Jesus Christ came to preach the gospel to those who are lost so people could be saved. People came to him because they wanted something from him food, healing, miracles. But in fact no one wanted to hear him preach unbelievable. Especially to preach against their own sins. But Jesus came to preach and teach the truth. The Gospel of John is packed with the saying I am telling you the truth This is why Jesus came. And Jesus did not allow anything to get in the way of what he had to do. So must it be with us. We are called to preach the gospel and sometimes we need to learn how to say no to some people so we can do what we are called to do. Brethren, the stress level in our lives will always raise high when we do things we are not called to do and those things will pile up upon us so much that we don t have time to do what we are called to do. Jesus was about preaching and by the way we all should be about that, too. We have to get back to the things we have to do for the kingdom, as this is the basis for any growth and revitalization in our churches. No one wanted to hear Jesus preach, but to see him heal and feed, and do some miraculous work. Please don t expect anything different from that. Most of time no one wants to hear us to preach either, but to see us as the working horse of the church, to spend countless hours in organizing events, going here, doing that, mainly things that anybody else could do. Or they see us like some magicians who have to solve their long time problems in an instance, and when we cannot do that they are disappointed with us. I don t need to tell you because you all know that every single member of your congregation has a plan, an agenda for you, and they all are sure that their vision is from God. And they expect you to do even funny things just because they think that would be good for the church. Recently I had a conversation with a nice stay at home Mom Pastor Zsolt, God told me that we should organize dance and yoga classes or gym nights for women so new people would come. My answer was: Nice try, but you know what, God didn t tell me and until he does I am not doing it. One thing why pastor-ship is hard, the expectations are so incredible. Did you know that: 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves. Meantime the profession of "Pastor" is near the bottom of a survey of the most-respected professions, just above "car salesman." (According to the Barna Group). It is not bad to try to meet some of those expectation but it is a MUST to remind ourselves that we have been called to do something nobody else in that congregation can do, and if we don t do it, who is going to do it. And that is: to teach and preach the gospel of salvation and to help people to be nourished and fed to bear the fruit of the spirit. Mark 16, 15 says: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. All other great and necessary thing surely will follow. But to be ready for this call we must be fit in our body and in our soul. If your soul is not OK, if it is frustrated, stressed out, your body will not be OK either. Someone wisely said: Your spirit, soul and body live so close to each other that they catch each others' diseases. God also wants to do his work through our bodies. One physician had a saying on his wall: If you wear out this body than where else will you live? (Source: Dr. David Jeremiah) If you sometimes wonder why do you need to face so much stress and pressure as a pastor, or you ask the question, Why do I have to deal with all these issues of divorce, abortion, homosexuality, immorality, financial crisis pressures everywhere? You know why? because the almighty God determined that he wants you alive and there in that community where you are right now at this time to work with him and for him. We just read: He did not call everybody. Remember: He called only those he himself wanted. To be called is a privilege? I want you guys to come with me. That is Jesus calling for all of us today. He committs himself to a very few, but he is fitting them and making them ready for the ministry he called them to serve for in his kingdom. It seems to me like a plan of action for a small group, a prayer and preacher group. Our reading also says: Jesus called them in to be with them. The same is true for us. He wants to spend time with us, to meet with our prayer-self We, pastors are professional prayer's. We are paid to pray! But have we ever met our real prayer-self, when we focus only on what God wants us to do for HIM, and not how others wants us to perform? a time when Jesus can show us and teach us what to do and how to do it? Because he needs us. He cannot, more precisely he does not want to do it alone. And neither should we do it alone. Our call is to spend time with Jesus and share his purpose. He commanded us to do it. He puts his power in us and on us. He called us and he is more than happy to set us free from stress, fear, pressure to do his work and to build his kingdom. The Bible says: Philippians 4, 6-10: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. Well the medicine for stress is here don t panic, but pray, be thankful and search for the right things to do. And when the Father shows you the right thing, put it in practice no matter who will be pleased or who will be offended. We work for God not for man! And the promise is: And the God of peace will be with you. Amen! Rev. Zsolt A. Jakabffy Grace Hungarian Reformed Church, Reseda, CA
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA A Kálvin Egyházkerület hivatalos lapja AMERIKAI MAGYAR CALVIN SYNOD Alapítva 1900 ban 114-ik évfolyam 2013. SZEPTEMBER OKTÓBER 9 10. szám Jónás jele Máté 12:38-41, Lukács 11:29-30 Ekkor felelének néki némelyek az írástudók és farizeusok közül, mondván: Mester, jelt akarnánk látni te tőled. Ő pedig felelvén, monda nékik: E gonosz és parázna nemzetség jelt kíván; és nem adatik jel néki, hanemha Jónás prófétának jele. Mert a miképpen Jónás három éjjel és három nap volt a cethal gyomrában, azonképpen az embernek Fia is három nap és három éjjel lesz a föld gyomrában. Ninive férfiai az ítéletkor együtt támadnak majd fel ezzel a nemzetséggel, és kárhoztatják ezt: mivelhogy ők megtértek a Jónás prédikálására; és ímé nagyobb van itt Jónásnál. Máté 12: 38-41 Jézus sok csodát tett, de a farizeusok az Ő és a mi időnkben is nem fogadják el, hogy Jézus csodatételeinek isteni eredete volt és van. A történelmi és újkori farizeusok igyekeztek és igyekeznek Jézus életét és szolgálatát kétségbe vonni. Máté evangéliuma 12. részében Jézust a farizeusok és írástudók azzal vádolták, hogy démoni erőkkel gyógyít és űzi ki a tisztátalan lelkeket. Jézus életének és szolgálatának ilyen végzetes félreismerése és elmarasztalása a Szentlélek ellen való bűn. Jézus figyelmeztette hallgatóit: Azt mondom azért néktek: Minden bűn és káromlás megbocsáttatik az embereknek; de a Lélek káromlása nem bocsáttatik meg az embereknek. Még aki az ember Fia ellen szól, annak is megbocsáttatik; de a ki a Szentlélek ellen szól, annak sem ezen, sem a más világon meg nem bocsáttatik. Máté 12:31-32. Jézus számos csodatétele után is csodajelet kértek némelyek az írástudók és farizeusok közül, mondván: Mester, jelt akarnánk látni te tőled. Õ pedig felelvén, monda nékik: E gonosz és parázna nemzetség jelt kíván; és nem adatik jel néki, hanemha Jónás prófétának jele. Máté 12:38b-39 Jónás története közismert. Története jelként utal az Ember Fiának jelére: Jézus mennyei, azaz Isten jelévé lett e világnak. Ha a Bibliát figyelmesen tanulmányozzuk akkor Jónás és Jézus történetében találunk Jézus által is említett hasonlóságot és különbséget is: Mert a miképpen Jónás három éjjel és három nap volt a cethal gyomrában, azonképpen az embernek Fia is három nap és három éjjel lesz a föld gyomrában. Máté 12:40 A bibliai Jónás engedetlenségének a következménye az lett, hogy a cethal gyomrába került és ott volt 3 nap és három éjjel. Csak bűne és engedetlensége beismerése után nyert Istentől szabadulást a sötétségből a cethal gyomrából, hogy aztán Ninivében, Isten szavát hirdethesse. Jónás jele a halál és feltámadás előképe. Jézus viszont bűntől mentes volt és Istennek az Atyának mindenben engedelmes volt mindhalálig. Megfeszítették, meghalt és eltemették, alá szállt a poklokra és feltámadott harmadnapra a halottak közül. A gyülekezeteinkben keveset tudunk arról, hogy Jézus alászállt vagy szálla alá a poklokra, jóllehet az Apostoli hitvallás évszázadok óta használja, ezt a számos bibliai utalású kifejezést, és mi is így valljuk meg hitünket. Néhány fontos bibliai szakaszt és verset említek meg ezzel kapcsolatban, amelyek különböző magyarázatokat nyertek az évszázadok folyamán. Jób 38:17, Zsoltár 49, Zsoltár 68:18-22, Máté 12:38-41, Ap.csel. 2:22-32, Római levél 10:7, Efezusi levél 4:7-10, 1Péter 3:18-20, 1Péter 4:6, Lukács 16:19-31, Lukács 23:42-43, Jelenések 20:11-15, and Zsidókhoz írt levél 9:27-28. Ezeket a bibliai részeket és verseket komoly, fegyelmezett és imádságos kutatásnak kell megelőznie mielőtt konklúziót vonnánk le. Tanulságos lehet a különböző felekezetek és teológusok írásának és véleményének áttanulmányozása is. Néhány példát említek az értelmezések és magyarázatok különbözőségét szemléltetve. A reformátusok többségének szálla alá a poklokra Jézus a kereszten való testi szenvedésének pokoli kínját jelenti. A különböző vélemények és magyarázatok oka a bibliai nyelvekben (héber, arám, görög) rejlik. A pokol kifejezés görögül Hades (Lukács 16:23, Jelenések. 20:11-15) vagy héberül Sheol (4Mózes 16:30, Zsoltárok 16:10, 1Mózes. 37:35, Példabeszédek. 9:18), a holtak gyűjtőhelyét Paradicsomnak vagy Ábrahám keb leként említi mint az Isten-félők állapotaként. A Gyehenna, az Istentelenek állapotát érzékelteti. Sokakban felmerült a kérdés: a poklokra szállás azt jelenti-e, hogy az Isten Fia a világ bűneit a poklokra vitte alá, vagy az Isten Fia a jó hírt az evangéliumot vitte a poklok melyégébe is az Isten-félőknek, mint Lázárnak a Gazdag és Lázár bibliai történetéből, vagy Jézus ígérete szerint ma velem leszel a paradicsomban a megtérő bűnösnek a kereszten. A Reformáció idején is vitatott volt Jézus alászállása a poklokra. A katolikusok és lutheránusok Jézus pokolra szállását szó szerint a reformátusok lelki értelemben tanították és beszél tek róla. A Heidelbergi Káté ilyen lelki megfogalmazást ad. Heidelbergi Káté. 44 Kérdés: Miért teszed még hozzá "szálla alá poklokra? Felelet.: Azért, hogy legnagyobb kísér-