The Church Needs YOU!

The more popular our ministry becomes, the more we receive comments from non Orthodox Christians accusing of us not being a real church, even calling us pagan slanders. Orthodox Christians in the west are accustomed to such accusations, but not without before reminding our western brethren of our loyalty to the teachings of the Holy Apostles.

Just the other day, we received a comment on our YouTube Channel claiming that the ‘works’ the Church pushes such as attending services, were not required because belief in God was all that mattered. This is one of my favorite attacks against the Church. Belief in God IS what matters, but we also know what that belief entails is the point of Orthodoxy. You can believe in God but believe incorrectly and be lost in the world without a rudder. My response was basic. We commune with God in the Divine Liturgy, following the reminder that we have no life if we go without Holy Communion. See? What we believe matters.

The world is filled with conflicting messages about God, not just about Christ. Beyond the 43,000 + denominations of Christianity, the world also has countless other religions claiming the truth about God. It’s not wonder it can be so easily to be confused these days. How can we help ease confusion? First, admit to each other, and our religious friends, that false teachers and sneaky distractors were predicted.

Beloved, first of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; from of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not been asleep. For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven other persons, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example to those who were to be ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked (for by what that righteous man saw and heard as he lived among them, he was vexed in his righteous soul day after day with their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. 2nd Peter 1.20-21, 2.1-9

The ancient Church knew false prophets and teachers would try to destroy the Church, but God is on our side. He has given us the Church, loyal to the teachings of the Holy Apostles to protect us. We will not be left alone in the world to die in darkness. Even through the centuries, He gave us saints such as Saints Cyril and Methodios, brothers who taught the truth of Christ to the Slavic people. The Church commemorates Saint Cyril today. Imagine if we had a faithful people willing to go out and teach the truth of God and His Church!

A few priests here and there cannot accomplish all the work by ourselves. WE NEED YOU to engage and teach others. Are you interested in learning about the faith enough to teach it to your neighbors? You may not be called to go to foreign lands like Saint Cyril, but you are needed in your neighborhood. Imagine if your local parish was able to offer Orthodoxy classes each evening at the Church after evening prayers. Imagine how many people would learn that Orthodoxy isn’t pagan, nor do we bother ourselves with ‘works’ to get us into heaven. Imagine a parish in which the priest was the liturgist, and the people took the time to learn and teach. Would there still be 43,000 denominations?

There will always be false teachers, but there doesn’t always have to be ignorance about the Church. Step forward, and offer your time and learn about your faith to teach others. Call your priest today and see where you can help teach the truth like Saint Cyril. We need teachers. WE NEED YOU!