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On the isle of Schiermonnikoog…
During Whitsun Josien and I were on Schiermonnikoog. One of the isles above the Netherlands. We shared a nice appartment that belonged to The Noderstraun Hotel near the beach. This appartment would be our basecamp from which we would make trips by bike or by foot.

In the evenings we would go to Hotel Noderstraun because there was a piano available. So when the sun had set and almost all the restaurant-guests were gone we had our moment of worship. I started playing praise-music. One of those days I was playing a number of praise-songs that were composed by 'Vineyard' and a man came to me. And what this man said to me and his ideas of what being a Christian was about was the main reason I wrote this story.

'Being a Christian means: do not tell anyone !'
I thought that his way of starting the conversation was a bit odd. He, a man in his late sixties, told me he knew the praise-songs I was playing, which I considered odd as well, because they were from a brand new composed album of Vineyard and to my question 'are you a Christian' he answered 'yes, I am !'.

But he also said, that one shouldn't talk about his or hers Christianity. 'One should only be busy with 'thy neighbour'.

I didn't disagree with the last part ('thy neighbour') but I thought 'the silent part' wasn't very encouraging for 'us Christians'. And the conversation that would emerge from this would become even stranger; specially when you take into consideration that it was Whitsun…

'Jesus: that's The Holy Spirit !'
The old man, I'll call him Peter, also stated that it doesn't matter what you do as a Christian. And he began to speak even more strange when he said that 'the Blessed-trinity was all the same'. Jesus is the same as The Holy Spirit, God the same as Jesus and The Holy Spirit is the same as God.

I answered, that Jesus was in heaven preparing us a place. And that Jesus would return to us visable for everyone on the clouds in the sky. I also told him, that The Holy Spirit was left with us on Earth when Jesus departed for heaven. And that The Holy Spirit, also called 'Comforter of men' is helping us in prayer and with a personal changing proces to be alike Jesus. The Holy Spirit is helping us to become a true Christian. And that were Whitsunday is all about, not ?

'You are trying to impose your will on me !'
Peter suddenly said this to me, raising his voice. I looked at him strangely and only said to him: 'what I told you is written in the Holy Bible; The Word of God'. And then it became very quiet…. Then Peter asked me more quietly than he did before: 'and what if 6 billion people would be doing the same thing as we are doing right now …?

And I didn't answer his question and just said to him: ' I am going to continue playing my songs of praise to God'. And I did.

A strange question…!
Of course I thought of his question and I considered it very odd, because like I already stated: what I said I quoted from The Holy Bible. The Bible tells us who God is (The Father Creator), who The Son of God is (The Redeemer) and who The Holy Spirit is (The Comforter). Evidently they are not 'all-the-same' but very different indeed!

How can there be a dispute on this point between us Christians with the samen Word of GOD??? Then were was this dispute about ????

'The Holy-Trinity: it's all the same'.
Peter clearly stated that we shouldn't talk of our Christianity and that everything was allright. And that the Trinity was all the same.

I really considered what Peter had said and finally it came to that:

Suddenly I understood that Peter robbed God, The Almighty, from His Holiness. And he robbed Jesus of His Mercy for us. And Peter robbed The Holy Spirit of His Holy Task as Comforter of men. Last but not least: Peter took away The Promise of God to us with his views and words. In short: Peter took away everything God represents to us.

The active Christian and the distinguishable biblical unity !
So that Whitsunday I explained to Peter who The Holy Spirit of God is and what Whitsun is about. And that The Holy Spirit is our Comforter on Earth untill Jesus returns to us. And that is does matter that our GOD and Father, Jesus the Son of GOD and Spirit of GOD have different roles and tasks.

It does matter that we need the help of The Comforter, for we do need to change to His image. It definately does matter !!!

My answer to Peter's question:
Peter, when 6 billion people read the Holy Bible carefully and, with the help of The Holy Spirit, really take it to their hearts Jesus will return and His Promise to us will start immediately !

By: Hein Kuipers dd. 25 October 2002
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