Posts Tagged ‘Church History’
The Fight from Within
We know from the Scriptures and Christian history that many fight the Church from outside the Church. The Pagan persecution, the Islamic influence, and even secularism have all been fighting the Church. We know how to defeat them, but how do we defeat those who from the Church from within? In those days, Stephen, full…
Read MoreUnrecognized Miracles
Reading the Scriptures daily reveals the truth of God. The only problem is that sometimes we can get a skewed version of the truth. This is especially the case when it comes to miracles. We read about miracle healings ‘just about’ every day throughout the year. It is almost as if everyone received a miracle,…
Read MoreA Closed Loop Opens
Here we are at the beginning of another Lectionary Cycle of the Church. One thing that strikes me every year is how quickly my mind returns to Holy Week as I am reading the Scriptures. While the Book of Acts looks forward to the new developing Church, the Gospel of John returns to the beginning.…
Read MoreAre You Praying for Your City?
Last night throughout the entire Orthodox Christian world, Churches were filled with faithful. It wasn’t liturgy, but it was just as important. Tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians sang the Akathist to the Theotokos according to our custom. It is a service which commemorates a time when our faithful ancestors prayed to the Theotokos to…
Read MoreThe Promised Land
It seems there is perpetual war in the Middle East. Although history reveals certain periods of peace, the reality that people have been fighting over a sliver of land for centuries should make us ponder. Where is the promised land that God offered to Abraham? When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to…
Read MoreEpisode 421 – The Sunday of Truth
The Sunday of Orthodoxy is a celebration of the truth of God’s incarnation. It is much more than the celebration of paint and art. Holy Icons are a crucial reminder that God has become human so that we commune with Him. Holy Icons are a reminder of the truth that God has brought us the…
Read MoreIt is about Communion
Many people wonder why coming to Church on Sunday is so important. For some, coming to Church is about connecting to friends and family. For others, attending Church is about learning the Bible and Church history. It is good to see friends and we should always want to learn more about God. This is true,…
Read MoreGain Becomes Loss
We are all faced with choices. With each choice comes the option to gain or to lose. As Christians we are taught that we gain when we lose. To the world this appears foolish. To God is appears to be heaven. In today’s Gospel lesson we come face to face with the Jewish leaders who…
Read MoreAll Information is not Equal
We live in a society that values all information as equal. It often doesn’t matter if the information is accurate. If someone ‘puts it out there’ we tend to give it equal value to other information. The problem is not all information is accurate, and not all information should be valued equally. This is most…
Read MoreThe Church and State
As Americans we live by the standard of separation of church and state. This uniquely American ideal has its benefits for sure. Historically, though, the Orthodox Church has not been free of civil interventions, and today is only the most recent example. Today the Church commemorates Saint Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople. His life…
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