Posts Tagged ‘gospel of john’
The 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 MoreHumanity is always Rushing Things
It started in the very beginning. Adam and Eve wanted to rush being like God. The result was the Fall of Humanity, and death. It wasn’t that God didn’t want humanity to be like God. He did. It was that humanity wasn’t ready to be like God yet. That is always our story. We rush…
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 MoreLove God or Love the World
As Christians we all know we are supposed to love God. We know we are supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves. We all know through experience that loving someone is always easier said than done. Love is not easy, but it is a necessary part of life. Who we love makes the difference between…
Read MoreSpeak no Evil
We can be so focused on what we do, we forget that what we say can do much more damage. Yes, it is important that our behavior reflects our Christian moral standards. It is much more important that our speech reflects the same standards. What comes out of our mouth reflects who we are on…
Read MoreBe Orthodox or Not
A disturbing trend recently has been for people to ‘argue’ about what the Church teaches. I understand non-Orthodox not agreeing with our teachings. They would be Orthodox if they agreed, naturally. What is disturbing is when professing Orthodox Christians would ‘rather’ choose non-Orthodox teachings and argue ‘their’ Church is wrong. Admittedly the Church hasn’t done…
Read MoreRepentance of the Mind
You’ve heard me in my sermons. You’ve read my words in this blog. Repentance comes from the Greek word μετάνοια (metania) which literally translates to change of mind. Although we think of repentance in terms of changing our behavior, until we change our mind our behavior will always remain. Brethren, I count everything as loss…
Read MoreCondescension VS Enabling
I hear it all the time. We’ve got to get down to their level! We say this with all good intentions. We want nothing more than everyone to embrace the Orthodox Faith. It can be frustrating when we are surrounded by people who do not desire what we desire. So, we think it helps to…
Read MoreThe Blood of Christ
Among the differences between Christians is the understanding of salvation. Some believe ‘once saved always saved’. Others believe that salvation is by grace alone. Still others believe that salvation must be earned. One thing is consistent. Salvation requires the Blood of Christ, but we can’t seem to agree on what that means. Brethren, we have…
Read MoreEpisode 404 – The Power and Promise of God
Christ made a promise that everyone who believes in Christ will have eternal life. Just as He promised in the Old Testament when Moses was leading the People of God in the wilderness, God promises us that if we look at Christ on the Cross with faith, we will have eternal life. Even if we…
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