A Place of Discovery

Roh Kudus dan Iman John Calvin berkata, “Faith is the principal work of the Holy Spirit.” Iman bukan semata-mata perbuatan kita namun ada elemen di mana kita tidak berdaya, yaitu elemen kehadiran Kristus dan hidup orang yang percaya. Kehadiran Kristus ini adalah karya daripada Roh Kudus. Joh Calvin, “The Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually unites us to himself.” Baik kehadiran Roh Kudus (Rm 8:9) maupun kehadiran Kristus (Rm 8:10), dengan iman kita menjadi satu dengan Tuhan dan menerima hidup baru. Kehadiran Kristus dalam hidup kita yang dilakukan oleh Roh Kudus menimbulkan paradoks-paradoks: Hidup baru di tengah kematian yang lama. Melalui Roh Kudus kita dibangkitkan dan dikaruniakan hidup baru dalam Kristus namun kita tidak masih terikat kepada hidup lama yang penuh dengan ketidakberdayaan. Dalam hal ini Roh Kudus membantu kita memanjaatkan doa-doa syafaat (Rm 8:26-27). Roh Kudus menghadirkan penderitaan Kristus di atas kayu salib di dalam penderitaan kita. Sehingga Kr...

The Theology of Giving PL THE The practice of unity in the early Church is most evident in the sharing of resources among the believers. The early Church existed to assist unfortunate people. Early believers cared for the poor both inside and outside the church. The Church was known as the organization of alms. Emperor Julian was impressed with the church’s charity work and imitated the Christian community by establishing many hostels in each city to help less fortunate town’s people and strangers. In the late first and early second century, almsgiving was regarded as equal to repentance from sin and considered better than fasting and prayer. In the church the rich and the poor lived together as one body. The rich supplied the poor with material needs, and the poor prayed for the rich. Regarding structure, the early Church was a house church, which implies “the church is the place for life” and is a house for human relationship (Pongudom 126-28). The principle of sharing resources refl...