Posts Tagged ‘Acts of the Apostles’
Conflict Resolution in the Church
Nobody is perfect but Christ, but that does not mean the Church doesn’t know the truth. Before His Passion Christ promised the Holy Spirit would come to the Church and guide the Church into the whole truth. If we don’t agree with someone it is the Church that resolves our conflict. Although the Church should…
Read MoreThe Gospel of Repentance
One of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, an ancestor of Christ, was King David. He was a murderous adulterer who repented and was blessed by God. There are countless examples of sinful men and women in the Scriptures who repented and were later blessed. One of the greatest Saints is Saint Paul, a…
Read MoreChristians Don’t Flaunt Miracles
I am often asked if I have ever witnessed miracles. I have, but I rarely discuss them. First, miracles are not normally for ‘public’ consumption. The miracles I witnessed have been quiet and mostly private. Second, If God wants His miracles public, He will perform them publicly. In those days, Peter went to the house…
Read MoreWhen Light Shines
Since we were children, we have understood the power of light to reveal the truth. A glimmer of light was enough to send monsters into hiding, and a mere night light was sufficient to keep them away. There is nothing hidden when the light shines. Today the Church commemorates the appearance of the Cross as…
Read MoreStop Questioning God
We say we believe. We say we trust. We say that Jesus Christ is God. Still, we question whether He knows the best way to live or not. Sure, way not actually ask Him, but our actions speak for themselves. We live as if we question who knows best and nobody is immune. In those…
Read MoreYou Can’t Buy God
It is a sickness of our wealthy society. We believe that all we need is to have money, and then offer to give it, that we will get what we want when we want it. When we don’t, we keep our money and complain we were treated poorly. Money can’t buy God. This was the…
Read MoreHold Nothing Against Them
As Christians we are taught not to judge. More than not to judge, we are taught to forgive. The two issues are more related than you might imagine. I hear people all the time say, “I can forgive them because God will ‘take care’ of them.” That is not the example of the Saints. When…
Read MoreWho’s the Boss?
We all have someone we listen to; someone we obey out of love and loyalty. It may be our spouse, our parents, or even the ‘boss’ at work. If we’re being honest there is one boss we obey, but it is not out of love. We obey the government out of fear. Fear does not…
Read MoreDo What He Tells You
Every Orthodox Christian is taught that obedience is a blessing. We are taught to be obedient first to God, then to the Church through our spiritual father. There are many stories of blessings that come from obedience, not the last of which is eternal life. In today’s readings I was reminded of obedience. Take a…
Read MoreThe Danger of Rejecting Truth
Just one week ago we sat in Church commemorating Jesus in the Tomb. Holy Week witnessed Him arrested, tried, crucified, buried and then gloriously resurrected. We came out in thousands to celebrate. All this was just one week ago. Will we be in Church tomorrow? It can be too easy to excuse ourselves from being…
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