Posts Tagged ‘prayer’
The Importance of BEING Orthodox
Whether you agree with recent statistics or not, you cannot deny the plentitude of groups calling themselves Christians. One recent statistic counts Christian denominations at more than 43,000 separate governing bodies of ‘churches’, all claiming to the be the ‘true’ Church of Christ. Brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling…
Read MoreThe Yoke of Christ
We all know how difficult it can be to follow Christ. Throughout Christian history many have tried and failed, only to return to their sinful past. Many more have succeeded despite the struggle of choosing Christ over the worldly agenda. How can Christ even claim His ‘yoke’ is easy? The Lord said to his disciples,…
Read MoreWhy Do Christians Suffer?
Have you ever asked yourself why Christians must suffer? Why does God expect us to lose everything ‘just’ for Him? If God loved us as He claims, why not allow us to be honored and comforted now? What if I told you Christians don’t suffer? Would you want to be Christian? Brethren, rejoice in the…
Read MoreAre You Growing?
I’m sure we can all agree that learning and growing are good things. It would be extremely difficult to survive in the modern world with only a kindergarten education. If we aren’t learning, we cannot grow. If we are not growing, then ultimately, we are dying. Brethren, we are no longer to be children, tossed…
Read MoreWhitewashed Souls
You already know how it feels. You spend the day working. It could be in the garden or in the fields at work. You know how it feels to ‘get dirty’ after a long day’s work. You also know the feeling of the dirty washing off and stepping out of the shower, clean and ready…
Read MoreWhy Pray for the Dead?
The other day I was asked (it wasn’t the first time) why we offer memorials for the dead if they have ‘finished’ and reached the objective? I get a variety of questions about praying for the dead, so today’s reading from Saint Paul is a good opportunity to take another look. Brethren, what do people…
Read MoreBlind Egos
Nobody wants to admit it, but everyone struggles with it. Our ego challenges our faith every day. On the one hand we desire to be like God. On the other hand, our ego helps us forget we are not God. When we assert ourselves to know better than the Church, we can blame our ego.…
Read MoreCommon Life
In every Divine Liturgy we proclaim our common life in Christ when we pray, “Let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.” We do not commend our unison lives to Christ. We commend our life, singular, to Christ. That should mean something. Brethren, let any one who thinks…
Read MoreGift for the Future
For most Christians, at least for most Christians living in America, dwelling on the past is considered closed minded. We are taught to look to the future. Sayings such as “The youth are the future of the church,” draw our attention to the future but we cannot have a future without a past. Brethren, all…
Read MoreEveryone’s Savior
Are you saved? Orthodox Christians have been struggling over this question for years. We struggle not because we fear judgment. We struggle because confuse judgment with salvation. We are all saved and yet we are all judged. Before you get upset that I am teaching ‘universal salvation’ take a moment and read what Saint Paul…
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