Is the term biblical, biblical?

There exists a phenomenon amongst Protestants that suggests the bible is the only source of authority and inspiration that God has bestowed upon us. Before we discuss this issue in more detail let us remember that the term 'biblical' is a relatively new term in Christendom.

What we must be able to comprehend as Orthodox Christians is that the fullness of the faith is not confined to the bible, Jesus did not come and preach a message that was supposed to be confined to any one book, God cannot be confined, God will work through His sacraments, His Saints and by any means that He sees fit.

There are many flaws associated with the doctrine of 'Sola Scriptura', first thing that should be of blatant obviousness to any learned Apostolic Christian is that there is no indication of this doctrine in the bible, quite the contrary we read in 2nd Thessalonians 2:15 "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." St Paul clearly states here that there existed an oral tradition, which complemented the writings of the Church. These oral traditions were necessary considering the high illiteracy rate during the first century and also taking into account that to produce copies of scripture was enormously time consuming (remember there was no printing press).

The bible itself was not canonised amongst the western church until the council of Nicea and we must ask ourselves, why was there a need to canonise the bible? The answer is quite simple; it was to close the canon of scripture to ward off heretical writings and ideas, thus safe guarding the Orthodox Christian faith. The bible was canonised to protect the Orthodox faith, and now, the very same bible that our forefathers were martyred for is being used against the Orthodox faith with claims that we are not a biblical church, confused? You need not be. The liturgy that is used within our Church is a synergy of Psalms, Gospel readings and Epistles taken from the Bible, our Church Fathers' commentaries and sermons are based on events in the bible, our scribes so revered the bible that it would take between five to ten years to complete one copy due to constant revising, thus ensuring errors would not creep in (Peshitta version). So I find it quite odd when I am confronted by people who claim "your church doesn't go by the scriptures", when faced with this accusation I cannot help but smile.

Another problem that is blatantly obvious with 'sola scriptura' is the apparent mess we now see with 30,000 + denominations all ascribing to this doctrine and yet all claiming to have the truth "revealed" to them by the Holy Spirit. However, in reality, this mess exists simply because of erroneous interpretation of scripture! We read in 2nd Timothy 4:3 ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴ and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. St Paul stipulates that people will heap up teachers for themselves and this prophecy is fulfilled, so many teachers peddling demonic doctrines and leading people astray. Christ also said "A house divided against itself will not stand" and knowing this will the Holy Spirit of God (who is blasphemed amongst many protestant denominations) divide the Christian faith into thousands upon thousands of denominations, each with their own interpretation of scripture? I believe an answer is not necessary as it is evident.

One evangelical preacher stated “there are Churches out there built on tradition and not the bible” well I would say to this evangelical that our traditions, unlike sola scriptura, are not man made and even so, they do not interfere with God’s word in any sense of the term. What was the western church doing for three hundred years without a definitive set of text? They didn’t have a book called the bible, they had scripture and this scripture was not restricted to the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Epistles. Writing by the Saints, i.e. the epistles of Clement and Polycarp, in the first and second centuries were also deemed to be inspired and the only reason for their exclusion as part of the bible canon was because they failed to meet a specified set of criteria. However, it did not exclude other such writings from the bible due to them not being deemed authoritative, inspired or orthodox in nature. The bible, as previously noted, was canonised to ensure that heretical teachings did not enter into the Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox faith represents the fullness of Christianity not only found through the bible but also through the sacraments, the church hierarchy (Deacons, Priests and Bishops), the Saints and most importantly, Christ, who is the head of the Apostolic Orthodox Churches. Christ established the Apostolic Orthodox Churches and we have maintained the teachings passed on by the Apostles for almost 2000 years.

The birth of Christ

Many opponents of Christianity will point to the fact that Jesus wasn't actually born on the 25th December and that this is some sort of strike against the truth claim of our religion. Many Internet conspiracy websites will have you believe that we are celebrating a winter solstice or a type of pagan deity, what they fail to comprehend is that it is not the date that is revered, but rather the event and in particular a Person.

We do not know the exact date of Christ's birth but this is not of significance, what is of significance is the coming together of the body of believers to worship our Lord and to celebrate the day that God incarnate was born. What we celebrate is the day of the beginning of the end of satan's reign on earth and our freedom from the deceiver's oppression. From the moment He was born satan tried to destroy Him, we read in Matthew 2 7-8  ⁷ Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him. Herod wanted to destroy the child, but as we should all know the Magi, after finding the child, returned to their country via another route.

Christ the creator of life was born in the most humble of locations to teach us humility, the King of the universe who spoke the heavens into existence laid along side animals being cared for by our Holy Mother the Blessed Virgin St Mary. The King of victory who would go on to free us from the shackles of sin by reversing the damage caused by Adam was required to be fed, changed and nursed by His mother, how I wish I could attain a smidgen of our Lord's humility.

The birth of our Saviour was a moment in history unmatched by any event that has or will occur, nothing has changed the course of human history as that of the birth of the King of Kings who by His life giving laws allows us to commune with God the Father through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He split time, He turned people away from darkness and brought them into His brilliant light, He has brought peace, joy, love and true contentment to those who are constantly seeking to fill the void in their heart. He embarrassed satan and his demons at the Cross and for those who believe and give every inch of their being to Him will not taste the sting of death but rather, they will live and live eternally in the presence of our glorious Saviour, all praise be to His name.

If a detractor ignorantly points out that Christmas isn't really the date of the birth of Christ or that we are worshipping a pagan deity, humbly advise that person that as Christians we celebrate the Lord's birth, life, death and resurrection daily and that the date of Christmas itself is not what is significant. Rather the fact that Christ was born is the sole cause of celebration and worship and as true Christians celebration and worship does not cease, no matter the date.

Merry Christmas and may Christ bless you on every day of the year!

Understanding the enemy

The adversary, the serpent of old, the great beast who we know as satan is a powerful enemy who will try anything to make you stumble and ultimately lose your faith.

We read in 1 Peter 5 - 8:9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Our enemy prowls around like a lion watching for someone who is weak and vulnerable so that he may snatch them from the hands of the Father. Satan will use many cunning methods to lure people away from the faith, he uses those in the media to communicate a message of lust, homosexuality, drunkenness, slander, revenge and other vices that are being soaked up in the minds of the masses. There are far more conspicuous methods that satan can, will and does use to prevent a Christian from receiving a crown of glory, i.e. Present other religions to you that seem more appropriate to your lifestyle, challenge the existence of Jesus or claim that the historical Jesus is far different to the Jesus we read of in our faith, he also presents atheism as a viable alternative to Christianity and it is quite saddening to witness such an apostasy in this day and age. We read in 2nd Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

People by their own willingness and desires have been blinded by satan to the point where they are literally dead men walking the earth, we as Christians must pray earnestly for the Lord to shine His brilliant light upon them.

Satan's craftiness can only be combated by Christ who, by us partaking in His body and blood, abides in us and we in Him, we read in Ephesians 6 - 7:18 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

We must be prepared for war on a daily basis, how many times do we experience an onslaught from the enemy? If we do not shield ourselves with faith then we will be knocked about and in time we may fall, let it not be my brothers and sisters, let us all stand firm in the faith of Christ and rebuke the enemy in the name of our Lord Jesus.

Our Lord and Savior also states in Matthew 26:41 "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

By praying, watching and being alert we as Christians resist the devil and therefore he will flee, we are in a war and the enemy is unrelenting! Pray, fast, give alms and partake in the Sacraments so that we can not only defend ourselves, but so that we can attack him through Christ who strengthens us.

Amen

Aren't we all Christian?

There is a growing movement within the so called "church" known as universalism. This is where the faithful are lead to believe that sects such as Jehovah's witnesses and Mormons are Christian. Let me assure you that these sects are as far from Christianity as Hinduism, these sects do not confess the Nicene Creed which stipulates what a true Orthodox Christian should believe.

The Nicene Creed is an Apostolic creed that was accepted by the ancient Church Fathers who came together as one body from all over the Christian world during the 4th Century and was used as a safe guard against heretical sects. It defined what a Christian should believe in order to be considered Christian and if someone is to deny one aspect of this creed then they are not considered to be Christian and should never be told otherwise.

Let us see what St Paul says about Universalism -


⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; ⁷ which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! ⁹ As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
¹⁰ For am I now seeking the favour of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

It is quite clear from what the beloved Apostle wrote here that we are not to accept a warped version of the faith to simply please men, is this what Christ wanted though? Didn't Christ come to bring this universalised peace to the world? Let us examine the following -

³⁴ “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; ³⁶ and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.
³⁷ “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Jesus did not come to bring a false sense of peace to the world, His word will divide the entire human race into two camps, those who follow Him via the truth stipulated in the Nicene Creed and  there is everyone else, including Jehovah's witnesses, Mormons and many other protestant divisions.

Do not let emotions blind you brethren, not all who cry "Lord Lord" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Amen

The Eucharist

The Eucharist is something extraordinarily powerful yet its simplicity and humble origins are a reminder to us concerning the wonderful things Jesus done for us.

Why is it important? It is important because our Lord commanded it saying “Take, eat, this is My body” Matthew 26:26. Let us look at these words “This is My body” was Christ speaking in parables? No. Was He using an analogy? No. Was He speaking metaphorically? No. Christ was stating what the Apostles, the Early Church and what most of Orthodox Christianity has known for two thousand years, that the bread in which we receives is exactly that, “His Body”.

But why do we need to partake of it? Well the answer is twofold, 1. We were commanded to 2. It enables us to commune with God, thus cleansing our sins when taken through faith. The manna in the wilderness that was given to the Jews to eat in order to physically live was a type of Eucharist, but the bread which we now take gives us Spiritual life “For who ever eats My body abides in Me and I in him, and he will pass from death unto life eternal” Read John 6 41-58. These words are a powerful testament to the significance of the Holy Eucharist.

Many times we hear that people have a relationship with Jesus but they fail to partake of the Eucharist, how much closer can you be than having Jesus live in you, abiding in you and cleansing you? Brethren be careful of empty words, be wary of deceivers and those that tear the foundation out from underneath the foot of Christendom. They know not what they do and we should work to show them the real Jesus, not the quasi Jesus that is being taught in the world today.

The Eucharist is not an offshoot, the Eucharist is not a nice to have, the Eucharist is a MUST have and without it we are basically running the race with 2000kg weights attached to our ankles. The Eucharist is Jesus and Jesus is the Eucharist, every Sunday when we take His body into our hand we hold Jesus in our hands. The bread and wine are spiritually transformed into his body and blood by the Holy Spirit, and thus by partaking in this blessed sacrament it is us who have this personal relationship with Jesus that so many seek to undertake.

How much do we mean to Him?

How do we know if God truly loves us? How can we be sure that He cares in the slightest? I believe that the proof is in the pudding, God isn't all talk, He truly did walk the walk. He showed each and every one of us that His love for us is immense, incomprehensible and worthy of our dedication and praise. We read in Romans 5:8 that Christ died for us whilst we were still sinners! We did not have to do anything in order for Him to take action, God incarnate came and dwelt amongst us in the flesh, the creator taking on the form of the created was executed so that we may inherit life. By His death He conquered sin and death reversing what Adam had done in the garden, such is His love for us that even though it was man who rebelled against God, we read "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life, John 3:16. What more could God do to prove His love for us other than sending His only begotten? Christ's victory at Golgotha is an eternal sign of love toward the faithful and nothing demonstrates Christ's love towards us as the cross does, the cross of Christ signifies that God was ready to be humiliated, tortured and killed to ensure that we have a means of reaching Him. The cross is the ultimate sign of humility, picture in your minds the creator of heaven and earth, naked upon a cross with heads wagging and fingers pointing at Him! How can we ever repay Him for such a gracious act? Christ was executed due to his unconditional love for mankind, He was led like a lamb to the slaughter on account of you and me, He experienced a cruel act of ancient torture because of His love for you and me, He does truly love each and everyone of us with an unconditional and unfathomable love! This in turn begs the question, do we love Him? If the answer is yes then we ought to live a life of repentance and through His Holy Church we should partake of the Holy Sacraments that were established in love by our Lord for our benefit. His precious Body and Blood is administered by the priest so that by us drawing near and partaking of this Mystery we may attain eternal life. We should also live a life of servitude towards God and our fellow man so that the light of Christ, through our actions, shines upon men. We should also live a life of constant prayer and fasting so that we nourish our spiritual growth thus enabling us to shield ourselves from the snares of the enemy. God does care, all His redemptive works were for you and knowing this you should freely come to Him and choose life.

Humility

Our Lord was born amongst animals, woe to us if we cannot humble ourselves and admit our faults to our brothers and sisters. Our Lord spent many years homeless, woe to us if we cannot find it in our heart to confess our wrong doings. Our Lord rode on a donkey, woe to us if on the account of our own arrogance we allow a brother to fall from the faith. Our Lord washed the feet of His disciples, woe to us if we do not lower ourselves and seek the forgiveness of our brothers although we may be blameless. Our Lord was beaten, tortured and spat upon, woe to us if we cannot crush our pride for the sake of winning over our brothers and sisters. Our Lord was crucified upon a cross, woe to us if on the account of our stubbornness that we fail see our own faults, on the account of our arrogance we point our fingers towards others but fail to examine ourselves and on the account of the darkness residing within us we fail to see the destruction that we are causing all around us.

Woe to us if we do not find it in our hearts to be humble, for Christ showed us by His many deeds that humility is the foundation of our faith and that we should follow His example by living in humility and servitude towards our fellow man.

Amen

Godly living

As Christians who claim to be committed to serving our living Lord we should not be surprised that people do scrutinise our every move, as unfortunate as this may seem. Do not be discouraged by this though, remember that the Pharisees watched Christ’s every move and tested Him on several occasions in an attempt to charge Him for being in err. When we are set apart from the world, the world will realise this and the adversary will use all his tricks to try and make as stumble or even fall. Worldly people, as you may have experienced, will be quick to point out a fault and they do so with enthusiasm, how do we ensure that this doesn’t occur? Firstly we should make sure that our faith is grounded in Christ and through His church we should make every effort to receive the sacraments established by Christ and His Apostles. Why? Because the closer we draw to God the closer He will draw to us and the closer He draws to us the more Godly we become, James 4:8 and 2nd Peter 1:4. When we become Godly, when we are able to love unconditionally, give generously, forgive abundantly, remain patient, show humility, control our desires and live peacefully, the world will have no reason to point and accuse, neither will the adversary. When we are able to live in a Godly manner the Lord Himself will protect and guide us in our lives. He will teach, warn and rebuke us, constantly refining us so that with each passing day He sees our Lord Jesus increase in us and in order for Christ to increase in us, we (we being ourselves) must decrease, John 3:30. We cannot achieve a Godly life by simply trying to be good, or by living a socially acceptable life, think about what socially acceptable means these days and I am sure you will agree with my sentiments. God wants us to become perfect, holy and righteous (Matthew 5:48) and this is only achievable through faith in Christ and by our deeds that are made manifest through our faith, for faith and works go hand in hand, James 2:14. We must first draw close to God and He will transform us and teach us to live a Godly life, by so doing, we will be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, without blame and as a shining example of Christ rather than a target for others to point their fingers towards.

The problem of evil

There are those within atheistic circles that have constructed an argument, which they declare is a proof against the existence of God. The argument in its simplest form goes something like this –

1.       If there is an all  transcendent, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God, there would be no evil and suffering

2.       Evil and suffering exists

3.       Therefore God does not exist

As we will soon discover, this argument is fallacious as it is an attempted appeal to emotions and from an apostolic perspective concerning God and His divine nature, is a non sequitur.

This argument fails for many reasons and the most damning of them is that it assumes to know the mind of God, or more accurately it constructs a defective opinion concerning how a ‘god’ should or should not behave. The burden of proof therein lies with the proponents of such an argument to present sufficient evidence that a ‘god’ must or must not act in accordance to a set of pre conceived specifics determined by them.  This writer also opposes the absurdity that the existence of evil indicates a potential defeater for the existence of a ‘god’, what is stopping a ‘god’ from allowing evil or being evil itself? It is quite plausible that an evil god could exist, one that takes delight in our suffering akin to humans committing atrocities against defenceless animals or one another.

This aspect of the argument has been used to dispute the existence of the Judeo-Christian God and those who have attempted to, through use of the above argument, have an ignorant perception of Him. The argument can be quiet easily refuted by those who hold a firm understanding of God and His nature by studying scripture through the apostolic institution. As discussed in the earlier post titled God and Freedom, God has provided man with the incomprehensible gift of free will, and as previously expounded upon we can utilise free will to serve our Creator or exploit it and serve ourselves. Is God able to destroy evil? With the breath of His nostril! Why doesn’t He? Because of His love for those who strive to attain the perfection that Christ spoke of in Matthew 5:48. Should God decide to destroy evil we would all be eliminated, should God destroy those who wilfully, earnestly and humbly seek Him then this indicates a broken covenant, which He will not do since it is against His nature. Evil exists in the world not because God does not exist, but rather, because people do not believe in God’s existence!  Evil exists due to human beings serving themselves rather than God, we tend to construct our own moral standards, which have led to the demise of morals in western society and we now find the utmost corruption and filth being perpetrated by people who simply want to do things ‘their’ way. Abortion, rampant drug use, fornications etc are just a few of the vices being committed by people as they rage against God. In addition, human beings are becoming overly selfish, greedy, proud and arrogant; this generation of people, especially those residing in western nations, are quite narcissistic believing that the universe exists solely for their own purpose.

Furthermore, we need to appreciate that our interpretation of evil is flawed and the standard that we have set is much lower than God’s. The societal standard of evil is restricted to the physical or emotional harm inflicted by a person or persons against others, and although we as Christian’s completely agree that people should not be subjected to any type of suffering, there are many vices that have become socially acceptable, which are deemed destructive throughout scripture. The atheist insists that God, should He exist, would destroy all evil being completely ignorant of the fact that we are all evil! And were it not for His Son dying upon the Cross to redeem us and reversing the wages of sin being death, there would be no way of pleasing Him.

What the atheist also fails to comprehend is that when the time arrives for the Lord’s return, the time where He will come to destroy evil, it will be too late for repentance and forgiveness. God wants us to choose Him now and to prove to Him that we want to, freely and unconditionally, live under His authority. The free will that God has bestowed upon us is and has been misused by countless billions to afflict harm upon themselves and others, and if God chose not to create people capable of evil in accordance with His standards then we would not exist, or if we did we would be living under a dictatorship, which is not what God desires.

As the world degenerates and spirals into moral depravity, God will continue to turn His face away from the world resulting in the increase of evil and suffering. Remember that a world without God is when evil will truly manifest itself as God is the source of all goodness and without Him we would need to rely on ourselves, what a scary thought.

On a side note, the atheist believes a utopia will emerge subsequent to the demise of religion in the western world, I believe much of Eastern Europe would argue against such a case and I further believe that those stricken by poverty who rely on the generosity of Churches worldwide would question the emergence of an atheist run utopian state.

Fasting

Please find below a writing by the great Saint John of Chrysostom who speaks of the importance of fasting and how it should be employed. St. John Chrysostom From Concerning the Statues, Excerpts from Homily III I speak not, indeed, of such a fast as most persons keep, but of real fasting; not merely an abstinence from meats; but from sins too. For the nature of a fast is such, that it does not suffice to deliver those who practice it, unless it be done according to a suitable law. "For the wrestler," it is said, "is not crowned unless he strive lawfully." To the end then, that when we have gone through the labor of fasting, we forfeit not the crown of fasting, we should understand how, and after what manner, it is necessary to conduct this business; since that Pharisee also fasted, but afterwards when down empty, and destitute of the fruit of fasting. The Publican fasted not; and yet he was accepted in preference to him who had fasted; in order that thou mayest learn that fasting is unprofitable, except all other duties follow with it. The Ninevites fasted, and won the favor of God. The Jews fasted too, and profited nothing, nay they departed with blame. Since then the danger in fasting is so great to those who do not know how they ought to fast, we should learn the laws of this exercise, in order that we may not "run uncertainly," nor "beat the air," nor while we are fighting contend with a shadow. Fasting is a medicine; but a medicine, though it be never so profitable, becomes frequently useless owing to the unskillfulness of him who employs it. For it is necessary to know, moreover, the time when it should be applied, and the requisite quantity of it; and the temperament of body that admits it; and the nature of the country, and the season of the year; and the corresponding diet; as well as various other particulars; any of which, if one overlooks, he will mar all the rest that have been named. Now if, when the body needs healing, such exactness is required on our part, much more ought we, when our care is about the soul, and we seek to heal the distempers of the mind, to look, and to search into every particular with the utmost accuracy. 11. I have said these things, not that we may disparage fasting, but that we may honor fasting; for the honor of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices; since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence from meats, is one who especially disparages it. Dost thou fast? Give me proof of it by thy works! Is it said by what kind of works? If thou seest a poor man, take pity on him! If thou seest an enemy, be reconciled to him! If thou seest a friend gaining honor, envy him not! If thou seest a handsome woman, pass her by! For let not the mouth only fast, but also the eye, and ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast, by being pure from rapine and avarice. Let the feet fast, but ceasing from running to the unlawful spectacles. Let the eyes fast, being taught never to fix themselves rudely upon handsome countenances, or to busy themselves with strange beauties. For looking is the food of the eyes, but if this be such as is unlawful or forbidden, it mars the fast; and upsets the whole safety of the soul; but if it be lawful and safe, it adorns fasting. For it would be among things the most absurd to abstain from lawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to touch even what is forbidden. Dost thou not eat flesh? Feed not upon lasciviousness by means of the eyes. Let the ear fast also. The fasting of the ear consists in refusing to receive evil speakings and calumnies. "Thou shalt not receive a false report," it says. From "The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church," Volume 9.

Decisions, decisions.

Tonight was my company's Christmas party and I seriously considered attending, but as I type this entry I am sitting on a train going home and will be attending preaching tonight. Why didn't I go? Well I really wanted to, but I thought long and hard about the amount and manner of sin that will take place and that I too will be tempted to sin, whether in deed or thought, so I decided against it. We are called to "carry our Cross daily" (Luke 14:27) or we will not be considered disciples of our Lord. We are also told in Romans 12:2 "not to conform to this world" which implies that we should go against the grain or swim against the tide. Although this may be a difficult concept to adhere by, we must develop an attitude that reflects the Glory of God, we must be willing to walk away from situations that may be deemed "permissible, but not beneficial", 1 Corinthians 10:23, as they may lead to our destruction through the loss of faith. These minor decisions that we make may be the difference between our spiritual growth and our spiritual demise. Are we carrying our Cross daily? Are we "beating our body into submission"? As St Paul states in 1 Corinthians 9:27, let us ponder on not only what we do for Christ, but also on what we 'don't' do.

Hardness of heart

All to often we may harden our hearts not realising that we are actually doing so. God may be talking to us through ways that if we were spiritually awake, we would be able to hear His voice. Many times though we enter a spiritual slumber and ponder as to why we are unable to stand firm against temptation. Following on from the theme of repentance, we must beseech the Lord and ask for the prayers of the Blessed Virgin and of all the Saints so that our Lord softens our hearts and awakens us from our spiritual slumber. James 5 verse 16 we read "the prayers of a righteous man avails much", so beseech those who are alive in Christ so that together with your prayers our Lord will grant you your request. If we are staggering in our faith it may ultimately be due to our own doubts, in Luke 18 verse 8 Jesus laments and asks "will I find faith when I return?" referring to His second coming. Do we have faith brethren? Do we believe in the power of God through the blessed Sacraments, such as the Eucharist? Or the Absolution of sins? Do we, as our blessed forefathers did, believe that the Church of God is not separated by death and that those who reached the perfect level of sanctification and righteousness are able to pray on our behalf? Do we believe that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us? If not, then this may be the reason for our struggles, for the hardness of our heart will bring calamity upon us, it will bring doubt, fear, worries and anxieties. However if we believe that God can do all things and work in ways that do not conform to our own wisdom, God will be faithful to us and provide for us a path, in which to escape from all our doubts and fears. Didn't Jesus say "believe and do not doubt"? To overcome the hardness of our hearts let us affirm the truth of Jesus Christ through His blessed Apostolic Church that has held true to the faith through times of joy and desperation alike. Do not allow the wisdom of men, some who confess the Lord with lip service, to make you stumble from the true faith the faith that Jesus Christ was crucified for. St Paul stated -

2 Timothy 3

“Difficult Times Will Come”

¹ But realise this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, ^[a]haters of good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to a form of  godliness, although they have denied its power;

Let us not be like these that St Paul warned us about, do not harden your hearts as many have turning away from Christ's Church with the belief that they know of another way,  but confess and hold firm to the true faith and by the power of God's grace we will pass from death unto life eternal.

Repentance

In Matthew 4:17 Jesus proclaims, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". What is repentance, and why are we commanded to repent? I would dare say that many of us were once at a stage in our lives where we put little consideration into our spiritual life and our walk with God. We possibly believed that God existed and that His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, came and dwelt amongst us and was crucified and ultimately resurrected, but we chose to follow our own desires and neglect the will of God. Does this sound familiar? Well this is all too normal and our Lord Jesus tells us of a beautiful story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11. Brothers and sisters the story of the prodigal son is profound and there lies beneath the story a rich theological and spiritual truth that portrays the nature of reality. The story's underlying motive is to teach us about the act of repentance, an act which reflects humility and the desire to let go of all worldly wants and return to a life with God. Assuming we have been baptized, repentance is the key to restoring a broken relationship with the Father, the act of true repentance, which includes tears, remorse, prostrations and the desperation for God to forgive, accept and cleanse us of our sins is an act of humility on our part and brings our Father and the Angels in Heaven great joy. The importance of repentance is further highlighted in Luke 13 1-5, Jesus states that unless we repent, we will all perish. Jesus sternly warns us that if we do not admit our guilt before God and turn to Him, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Brothers and sisters, do not think that repentance is God's way of humiliating us or subjecting us to a rule of tyranny, rather He knows that it is for our sake that He calls us to repent, it is purely for our benefit. Let us repent and rid ourselves of the desires of this world, let us kneel before Christ our God and confess our sins and seek forgiveness and new life. When we repent we are admitting to God that we need His love, guidance, strength and forgiveness and that we want to live for Him and accoring to His will. When we seek repentance and it comes from the depth of our hearts, God remembers that His Son died for us and forgives us of our sins and restores us, thus the act of repentance repairs the relationship that we had with God before we chose to abandon Him and chase after worldly pleasures. Like the prodigal son, whom when he comes to his senses decides to go back to his father and ask to work as a hired servant, we too, must humble ourselves in front of the Almighty and admit our wrongs. Furthermore, we must also be willing to forgive those who have sinned against us, which is an act of true humility. Brothers and sisters, if we haven't done so previously, let us fall on our knees and repent to our Lord, let us admit our guilt to Him and allow Him to restore our relationship with Him so that we can begin to live our lives in accordance to His will. Also keep in mind that repentance is not a one time act, we are called to continual repentance as we are constantly finding ourselves entangled in sin, falling into temptation and straying away from the narrow path. God bless.

The love of Jesus.

The love that was expressed by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is tremendous. His love transcends any human comprehension that pertains to love, the love we feel for our family and friends is but a smigeon, a mere fraction of the love that Christ has for His creation. While I was still in this world sinning, Christ died for me, whilst I was displaying hate and anger toward my fellow human beings, Christ patiently waited for me so that He could forgive me. Where would we be without His patience and love? I dare not think about the darkness that would have engulfed me should I have not stepped into His brilliant light and it shone brightly upon me exposing my dreadful deeds, which ultimately brought me to repentance. How wonderful a God we have! We constantly rebel against Him and to our shame! If someone offered us a life of money, fame, love and security, wouldn't we treat that person with the utmost respect? God offers us so much more than anything we could possibly attain in this life, eternal joy, peace, love, happiness and blessings that are beyond our ability to comprehend! And yet all to often we simply exchange this wonderful gift that is literally priceless for worthless junk, materialistic possessions that will ultimately rust, break, tear or be thrown into the trash. God loves His creation to the point of death, even death upon a Cross, which was a shameful, barbaric and torturous death. But He humbled Himself and dwelt amongst His creation to serve and ultimately save us, His love is indescribable, let us rejoice in Him and store our treasures in Heaven, "where neither rust nor moth destroys". God Bless.

God's reliability

In this world where people often let us down it is comforting to know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is always there for us. Christ's words ring true where He states in the last verse of Matthew "and lo, I Am with you always, even till the end of age". Jesus made a promise to all those who trust in Him, He will not leave us nor forsake us. We can count on Him in everything we do, all we need is to have that faith that Christ spoke of, which is as small as a mustard seed. When we ask for something in accordance with His perfect will and do not doubt in our hearts, He will be faithful to answer us. However, what of all the requests we have made to our Lord in faith that seem to go unanswered? Have you ever stopped and thought that maybe the answer was no? When we were children we would ask for things non stop and many times we were knocked back much to our displeasure. God will say no to requests that He knows will be non profitable in our spiritual journey. Christ states that if we ask for bread or fish, God will not give us a stone or serpent! What if our petition for bread wasn't really bread at all? What if in our finite ability to comprehend things we wanted or asked for something that may have resulted in us regretting what we received or did? If we love Christ, He will not blindly say yes to all our requests especially if they are to our detriment. God never let's us down, always remember that He is loving and wants the best for you,, even if you don't know what that may be.

God and Freedom

How often do we question why God wants us to worship Him?

The erroneously held belief that God demands worship is a  stumbling block to many people including those who have a firm faith in God. So let us tackle this issue from a spiritual perspective and we will soon conclude that our God is a God of love and mercy, not an egotistical monster (khaslee) that some would have us believe.

God has provided His special creation with a free will, meaning we have the choice to either serve Him or serve ourselves and although this interpretation may seem overly simplistic I firmly affirm that these are the only two paths available in life. With this magnificent gift of free will God has actually demonstrated His love and mercy for His creation, how? Well let’s look at it from society’s perspective, we live in what is known as a free, democratic society where we are able to flourish and as long as we obey the law we are generally free to live our lives the way we want (although this freedom can and usually is  abused). This is not so in many countries where a dictatorship is in place, such society’s often enslave their people and rob them of thought. These dictator’s force their people to hang pictures of them upon walls in their homes and to publicly affirm their support for the dictator and may be severely punished should they not conform. Which society would you rather live in?

God, on the other hand,  does not want us to come to Him out of force, He does not force us to love Him or accept Him nor does He require any need of us to do so (His love for us is for our benefit, not the other way around). Unlike the dictator who forces his people to submit to him, God does not force us to believe, worship or trust in Him, God wants us to come to Him out of love. God wants us to exercise our free will when deciding whether or not to worship Him and as I pointed out earlier, freedom can be abused. Although we have a choice in worshipping, God would prefer that we do turn to Him not because it benefits Him, but rather for our own benefit. Who, being a loving parent, would not warn their child on the disastrous effects of drugs? Although ultimately it is the child’s choice the parent realises that it is for their child’s own benefit, and it would be wise for that child to listen to their parents as drugs can have detrimental effects on the user.

God will respect your choice and although He has given us instructions to follow, should we choose not to comply then there are consequences, those consequences are spending an eternity without God and this is torment, this is literally hell. God will grant you your request and again we can see that God will not force you to reside with Him, rather He grants you your desire and completely deserts you. God realises that this is a terrible situation for YOU and will constantly try to draw you to Him, no one will be able to face God and say “you never revealed yourself to me”.

Like a good parent, God continually warns us to serve and worship Him because He has prepared so much joy, love, peace and happiness for us in His kingdom and He desires for us to share in it. He wants our worship because He wants us to partake in His divine nature (see 2^nd Peter 1 :4) and for us to receive a crown of glory, not because it makes Him feel all powerful! He does not want our worship because He is egotistical (khaslee) if He were egotistical He would simply force us to obey Him and what choice would we have? We would be living under a dictatorship!

God demonstrated His love for us by doing something unimaginable, becoming like one of us and being destroyed by us to ultimately save us and guide us back to Him! Where is the egotism in this act? This is an act of pure humility, love and mercy shown to His creation! St Paul states that for a wicked man, rarely will someone die but for a good man someone may be willing to die, but Christ died for us whilst we were still sinners! There is no room for selfishness in this act, it is selfless, beautiful, merciful and full of love.

Praise His name for ever and ever!

To my friends at SPPP

Hi guys,

I have started this blog so that instead of sending email messages to you all when I write something that may hopefully edify you, I will post it on my blog and forward you an update.

God Bless!