Faith is an Internal Thing

Silhouette with "FAITH" at sunrise background.

Is it good works or faith that saves us? This has been the debate for centuries among Christians. My answer has always been, “Well, even atheists feed the poor.” If atheists do good works, does this mean faith saves us? Then again, “Faith without works is dead.” Hmmmm Brethren, he is not a real Jew…

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Ungodly Behavior is a Choice

Excuses like ‘the devil made me do it’ and ‘I’m not a saint’ just won’t cut it when we stand in front of the Judgement Seat of Christ. Every time we ignore the joy, mercy and grace of God we ignore the possibility of heaven. Brethren, since the ungodly did not see fit to acknowledge…

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Belief is not Enough

We all know that being a Christian isn’t easy. There are teachings to memorize and rules to follow. For Orthodox Christians there are Sacred Traditions to keep and spiritual disciplines to practice. Is all this necessary? Why can’t we ‘just believe’ in God? Consider today’s lesson from Saint Paul. There were many who knew God,…

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Power Before Our Eyes

For many years I used to wonder why so many people do not believe in Jesus Christ as God. He has presented Himself to the entire world through direct personal interaction, and through the Gospel and the Church. Still, so many choose not to believe. This is what comes to my mind when I read…

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Advance the Gospel

Open book with heart-shaped pages.

If someone were to ask you how your life advances the Gospel of Christ, what would you say? Does your career advancement bring the truth of the Gospel to new believers? Does your summer cottage or beach house inspire believers to live for Christ? Here’s what is strange about my question. For many Christians, a…

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Our New Life in Christ

A note saying 'Time to Renew!' with a pen nearby.

These words are built into our slogan at Be Transfigured Ministries for a reason. The Church is ‘in the shadow’ of the Feast of Theophany and now our focus turns to our baptism. If you were born into the Church, you don’t remember your baptism, but it changed you forever. In today’s letter from Saint…

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Equal Genders

Blue and pink figures on balanced scale.

Our society in recent years has reignited the ‘battle of the sexes’ by attacking every place and every organization that honors the difference between men and women. Only in the Church, enlightened by Christ, can we truly see equality of men and women. If you don’t see equality, either you are blinded by your own…

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Christ Working

Work Zone sign under blue sky.

Looking back on the past twenty years since my ordination, and more than thirty years of ministry, I am constantly reminded that everything I was blessed to ‘accomplish’ was in fact not my accomplishment. Everything I have ever done good has been the work of Christ. It is very tempting to ‘take credit’ for all…

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