In the light of the Holy Spirit, even after Pentecost. Written by Dr. Lajos Békefy.
Pentecostal radicalism to ward off soporific lukewarmness
As Christians, are we allowed to celebrate in such a way that our celebrations do not result in any change in us? Are we allowed to deceive God and ourselves with tepid tales, lulling and lulling speeches? Surely many of us agree: No! The words of János, the blind seer of Patmos, addressed to the Laodicean church strike a chord:
“I know from your actions that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).
What a heart-wrenching Word. Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation, announces this - radically. Jesus Christ.
Source: Pixabay
At Pentecost and after, this is the question: will we avoid the most dangerous human, church, family, and national trap - lukewarmness? The indifference that softens the state of no longer protesting, seething, or remaining in complete frozen silence, suggesting complacency? The all the same desert sand? To hear even sharper Words from God's Amen, from Jesus Christ, who did not spare himself in his earthly life, who said: I bring fire into the world. He fought until his death with fiery words against religious blindness, indifference, law-quoting self-righteousness, the soullessness of religious perfectionism, and the (chief) priest's pride that looked down on others. To break the rule of the invading evil spirit that pulls you into fire and water in the depravity of individuals, peoples, and the whole world. In order to recognize this most dangerous, comatose trap in human history, we hear the rock-hard argument of the angel of Laodicean existence-radicalism. Not against us, but for our good, for our salvation, for our awakening, thus suing for our souls with an arc of light that breaks even through historical periods of darkness:
"Because you say: I am rich, I have become rich, and I need nothing, but you do not know that you are the wretched, the pitiful and the poor, the blind and the naked... I advise you, take from me gold heated in the fire..." (Revelation 3 ,17-18).
If God's Holy Spirit does not bring his Word, the world-improving, salutary message of redemption, so close, how can he help us, us, our world?
Only God can help us - but he can and wants to
No question, He wants to help. That's why he didn't abandon his entire earthly creation in his deep sorrow, when in the first hours of creation, Adam and Eve's fallible volition, the transgressive arrogance of being like God, tore at his soul. Because he wants to help his god-like mud constitution, the dream of his dreams, man and humanity, he did not cut this entire tumbling earthly existence to nothing, but sent his Son in the fullness of time, and made another great rescue attempt with humanity after the flood. And the result? After disappointments, rejections, denials of God, why didn't you get enough of us? Because He is God who swore by Himself. His patience is great, his mercy is endless, his love reaches to heaven. Because He is not a human thought or product.
But he is a loving God. Even among people who do not love God. Every holiday is about this: God still loves, so he wants to save. Finally in Jehoshua - the Son of Salvation. His name is the only sanctity and brand of protection for the Father - even in the face of so much blasphemy produced on an assembly line that defames our Hungarian language. To break the bonds of death and sin from us. This is the greatest grace: He cannot and does not want to be lukewarm towards us.
Source: Pixabay
It fell into the miasma traps of unbelief, secularism, the devastating Holocaust, communist and capitalist demonizing ideologies with its billions of children. He cannot be tepid with those who thrash about in the bedrooms of silent murders, nor with the creations of souls who have just escaped abortion, nor with harlots and tax collectors, fraudsters, and corrupt people. He is not lukewarm towards ecclesiastical and political crimes either. He gives the human world of Laodicea one last chance for conversion on the cross. Because He still wants to help despite everything.
Only those who experience help
The great religious truths of the Reformation light up in our souls on special holidays: the solos. Every holiday. Only through Christ, alone and by grace alone. It is through faith that the human world gets back on track, on the right path, which leads to each other and back home. Only in the Bible do we recognize all this. The Reformation's great solus five was preceded by a thousand years by the six-fold only, solus, alone. As a prelude to the gracious Holy Spirit. Entrusted with a series of realizations of the Holy Spirit before the Christian Pentecost, recognizing his kind and provident face through them. With the words of the psalmist, which we should take to our hearts now:
My soul rests only in God, he is my savior! Only he is my strong Rock. I have a strong expectation for him. My soul rests only in God, he is my hope! Only he is my strong Rock. I'm only safe with him! You can only trust in what God himself said: The power belongs to God alone (Psalm 62:1-2; 5-6; 7; 11). This pneumatic exclusivity composed by the Holy Spirit, RELYING ON GOD ALONE helps with digital loneliness and the lonely crowd. In the days of defraternizing, dehumanizing, denationalizing, de-Hungarian, disbelief demonic passions and corruptions.
Source: Pixabay
Let's also hear the moral admonition of the psalm, which has been proven for thousands of years: Do not trust in violence or oppression, nor in what you have obtained by theft or fraud! Do not trust in your wealth, even if it increases (Psalm 62:10). Let the words that shake us out of indifference and boredom of life and pull us out, ignite in our souls, in the confessional fire of the Laodiceans and the psalms. In the circle of many thousands of years of fire that closes in a circle. Watch fires on the horizon, watch fires in the Word, watch fires in your heart.
Be a source of life-giving fire in us, holy Pentecost. Through the color and fragrance of the Pentecost roses, may the faithfulness of our loving God, the steadfastness of Christ's face, shine in our souls. He does not give up the fight for us, for our soul, for our prosperity. So let the iceberg of our soul be released. Let no trace remain in us of the fireless, dying to ashes God-boredom, human-boredom, life-boredom.
Let the beautiful Gospel song make us victorious in this: Your fire, Lord, Jesus, kindle in my heart,/ Let its flame burn more alive!/ What I am and all that is mine,/ Keep it in your hands, in its true place!/ Well of my life, my eternal joy, /Light in the dark, you are the only one for me,/You hear my prayer, and whatever threatens,/You don't leave me, I hold your hand...
