Posts Tagged ‘Evangelism’
Who Did You Bring?
The other day I wrote about the difficultly we experience in sharing our faith. We prefer keeping our faith to ourselves to taking the risk in preaching about Christ in today’s society. I get it, but is it paying off like we would like? Rather than gaining favor with God, we are merely buying our…
Read MoreReap what you sow
Many people in America lately speak about ‘keeping their faith to themselves’ for fear of retribution or social exclusion. We live in constant fear that our faith will be used against us. This fear is well founded considering the nightly news. It might be well founded but it leads to isolation. Brethren, he who sows…
Read MoreShare What You Know
It is an unfortunate saying about the Church. People call the Church, “The Best Kept Secret in America!” I say unfortunate, because keeping the Church a secret is sin, plain a simple. Christ wants us to allow our light to shine. He even sends us out to all nations to baptize them. Still, people keep…
Read MoreEvangelism is a Mixed Bag
In the context of a funeral, we Orthodox find ourselves as strangers among friends. We preach resurrection and judgment. Our friends teach that we become angels in heaven filled with platitudes and niceties. This isn’t done out of malice. Our friends want to sooth the pain of loss at funerals. The problem for us is…
Read MoreEpisode 377 – When we Allow God to Use Us
When we stop asking, “What’s in it for us,” and allow God to use us for His Church and His Gospel, we experience miracles. We have been given gifts and talents from God not for our use, but for God to use to preach to others. We receive the grace of God when we are…
Read MoreDo Not Search out Trouble
I write often about embracing our suffering for the sake of Christ and our spiritual journey. I write often about our willingness to suffer for the truth. Being willing to suffer is one thing. Searching for suffering is quite another. As Christians we should not search for suffering. In fact, it is within our tradition…
Read MoreThe Power of Hospitality
Greeks are known for their hospitality. I don’t mean that every Greek works in the ‘hospitality industry’ although many immigrants do own restaurants. I mean that Greeks are known for showing hospitality even to strangers. The news was filled recently with stories of Greeks rescuing refugees in boats and rafts to feed cloth and shelter…
Read MoreWorth the Suffering
It is human nature to look on someone who is suffering for a cause and think, “WOW! That person really believes in something. That person is even willing to die for it.” We’ve all witnessed such belief. We’ve seen people chained to trees, laying down in front of bulldozers, and even imprisoned for the sake…
Read MoreBest Kept Secret
I’ve been hearing this saying my entire life. People have been telling me that the Orthodox Church is the best kept secret in America. I think this is meant to be a compliment. I think we are supposed to be proud that we have something so special, and nobody knows about it. I think we…
Read MoreEvangelism Then and Now
When you read the Holy Scriptures, and sometimes even when you hear the leaders of our Church, it sounds as if there is a conflict in what is said. On the one hand we are called to love all people but hate our enemies. On the other hand, we are called to repent for the…
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