Acts 15

So, first Peter; and then Paul and Barnabas, return to Jerusalem to make the case for the Gentiles being brought into the Church. And what we see unfold here is perhaps one of the most important precedents in terms of the governance of the Church, because we see addressed how to properly handle contention within the Church itself.

See,there were some who believed that for the Gentiles to be allowed into the Church, that they had to maintain the whole of the Law, including circumcision. Peter and Barnabas and Paul, however, saw through the very work of the Holy Spirit Himself that He had already accepted the Gentiles. Thus, for the Church to unnecessarily burden them with the whole of the Law would have truly gone against the will of God. Thus, the elders of the Church convened a council to determine which, if any, of the laws the Gentiles must hold to. After much discourse, the council determined which laws for the Gentiles were necessary unto salvation; that is to say, unto union with the Church.

James, after having heard the testimony of everyone involved, and in light of the Scriptures, determines that Peter, Paul and Barnabas’ testimony all align with the Scriptures; thus making the single most important decision for the Church in the New Testament. He decrees that they are to “abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood” (v. 20). And notice, in the proceeding verse, that even this very declaration from the apostolic council is not valid until it is adopted by the whole of the Church.

I stress this so much, because it is so not how we do things in American Christianity. So much of our culture is based on the individual desires of each. We have adopted such a strong consumeristic mindset in all things, even our theology. We feel as though we can pick and choose what one or two things we like from each of thousands of different denominations and then combine them all and either find the one that fits our desires best, or create number twenty thousand and one among the denominations. And this has never been the way of the Church. The Church has never existed to make us happy, it has existed to make us holy. If there’s something that the Church teaches that we don’t like then it’s not two thousand years of tradition that’s wrong, it’s however many years we’ve been inoculated with the American mindset that it’s all about us.

It’s so important for us to understand these principles set forth in Scripture though. The traditions and councils weren’t handed down to us to make us comfortable; they were handed down so that we would know the truth. They were handed down to us over thousands of years so that we could know that what we believe has survived, intact, since 33AD. These very traditions which so many of us disdain, claiming that they lead to corruption are the very traditions that protect us against that corruption. They have been given to us so that no one person could ever attain the powerto change things on a personal whim; or to align with the times. “Nothing new, nothing innovative,” to quote Father Seraphim Cardoza. Spurgeon admonishes us that “no Bible reading man will ever wander off into modern theology,” and there’s a reason for that. Modern theology focuses on making the Scriptures fit the ebb and flow of our current culture; ancient theology, Biblical theology, is timeless. And to safeguard the integrity of these teachings, the fathers have passed down traditions which have stood since the second century; so that we’re not led astray by the wisdom of the age.

The diviseness of a “free-for-all” doctrine is anti-Biblical, because a doctrine that allows anyone to change the rules based on their personal opinion breeds chaos and disorder; and God is not a God of chaos. the purpose of the traditions of the Church as handed down is not to breed corruption, but to prevent it. We see here, the apostles themselves, disagreeing over something as all-important as the necessary works required for salvation. They, rather than taking their apostolic title as authority, convene a council to discuss it. Consider this is Paul, the author of the majority of the New Testament, and St Peter; and even they seek the wisdom and consent of the Church before acting. And this safeguard is there to protect the Church, as a whole, from human corruption.

This is not to say that there is any equality between man and God. James was not the one who saved any of the Gentiles, neither Paul nor Peter, but God Himself. Rather, what we see in this very passage is how the Holy Spirit works through the Church, through her councils, through her traditions. Even though the Gentiles had already received the Holy Spirit, it was still necessary for them to be joined to the Church. And to do so, there were concessions to be made on both sides. The Holy Spirit, working through His Church, determined certain things that were in fact necessary for the Gentiles unto salvation.

It is so easy for us to feel as though the Church is not necessary for our salvation. And yet, over and over in Scripture, we see the exact opposite. We see the Ethopian unable to understand the Scripture without the guidance of the Church, we see Paul obeying the doctrines of the Church, and here we see the Gentiles, having already received not only the word, but the Holy Spirit Himself, being joined to the Church. No, my beloved brethern, the Church itself doesn’t save; but our salvation, our very healing, is absolutely dependent on being joined to the Church; on clinging to her teachings; to “holding fast the traditions which have been handed down, by word and by epistle.”

May we never disregard those teachings that we see in Scripture.

Christ is in our midst.

The Paralytic

Matthew 9:1-8

In the story of the paralytic, we see a man who is paralyzed, and is brought by his friends before Jesus. Jesus, seeing the man, first forgives him of his sins, and then heals him, telling him to return to his home. It’s a story that each of us are very familiar with. And, the Scriptures tell us, that once the man returns to his home healed, the “multitudes saw it and glorified God.”

There are a few things, four points, that are extremely imperative for us to note in this story. It’s so important to understand that each of us is the paralytic in this story. So, when we look into this story, the first point, which is unavoidable, is that faith is absolutely necessary for our healing. It is indispensable, for a paralyzed man could perform no deed or action which could ever bring about his own healing. Secondly, related to this fact, however, is that faith must also be collective, and while it is faith which leads to this healing, it must be faith which is manifest in deeds. The Scripture states that his friends had brought him before the Healer, thus, had his friends not believed, then they would not have brought him to Him; however, had they believed that his faith alone could heal them and that their deeds were not necessary, neither would they have brought him to Him. It was rather their faith manifest in their deeds which allowed this healing to happen.

The third thing that we must recognize in this story is that Jesus heals him, but that healing always begins with the forgiveness of sin. It’s important that we understand this absolute need for forgiveness, and thus, our constant need to seek the mercy of our Lord before this process can continue. Whenever we recognize in ourselves some sin that we have fallen prey to, we must immediately fall down before our Lord in repentance asking for His forgiveness; understanding that it is only through the grace of the Holy Spirit that we will overcome these shortcomings.

All of this leads to the fourth point that we must understand. Jesus’ command after this healing seems simple enough. “Arise, take your bed, and return home.” And it is through seeing this great change in him that the multitudes glorified God.

See, this is important to us on so many levels. When we have acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit, it will be evident to all those who surround us. There will be an earthquake in our life, shaking the very foundation of our being. A man resurrected from the grave is no small change, and that is who we are when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. We put off the old man and put on Christ. Consider, this was a man who was paralyzed, unable to even stand on his own, and after meeting the great Physician, he walks back home carrying his bed in his own hands. And so apparent should the change in our lives be as well.

We must remember that we are called to “be holy, for the Lord your God is holy.” Holy, not self-righteous, and there is a huge difference. Holiness focuses on our own faults, whilst self-righteousness focuses on the faults of others. When we have acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit, we should no longer be this sinner, wandering blindly through the darkness of the world, seeking the same goals and agenda; but rather, we should constantly be seeking after this holiness, the “righteousness of God.” And it is through this very transformation that the multitudes will glorify God. We should study the Scriptures, but not for the sake of knowing the Scriptures, but for the sake of living them. God will never be glorified by our knowledge of the words written on a page, but rather by the transformation in our lives when we truly begin living them. When we seek after the holiness, the righteousness of God in our own lives, instead of using the words of Scripture as an excuse to insult others, then we will see this glorification of the Lord. As St Seraphim of Sarov teaches us, “acquire a peaceful spirit, and then thousands around you will be saved.”

It is not our ability to argue using the words of Scripture which will lead others to the kingdom, it is the peace and love that we find and display when we have acquired the true Spirit which will lead others to the kingdom. It is not our knowledge of Scripture, but rather the icon of Christ we present to the world when we allow the words of Scripture to influence our every thought, decision, and action. When we are able to truly love the Lord with all our heart, soul and might, and to truly love our neighbor as ourselves.

Christ is in our midst.

Acts 14

Paul and Barnabas are in Lystra preaching, and at one point, Paul heals a man crippled from birth. In light of this and other signs and wonders, the people attribute the healing power of God to the two of them, declaring that “the gods have come down among us.” Paul and Barnabas are immediately taken aback by this claim, and rebuke them harshly for these claims, stating that they have come for the exact opposite purpose, to cast aside their idolatry of attributing god like powers to mortal men, to animals, to statues, etc; while revealing the one True God to them.

A popular Protestant teacher once declared that any movement of the people of God becomes successful when the founder of the movement truly knows Jesus. However, he also warns that the exact moment that movement fails is when the followers only know the founder. And this is a hard teaching, but also a very true one. See, it’s so easy for us to find a teacher, a leader, a theologian, that we gravitate to; one who perhaps even is truly close to Jesus and has that intimate relationship with Him. But, the problem comes in when we begin to elevate that teacher’s teachings to too high of a level. To elevate their teachings as being higher than the teachings of the Church, or of Scripture itself. And, while we would never directly state that; it is exactly what we do when we trust their interpretations of Scripture more than we trust in the actual words of Scripture.

Now, before anyone misunderstand me, I will stress that it is imperative that we have teachers in the Church. No matter of prophecy is left to personal interpretation. However, to cling to the teachings of one person over the teaching of the Church as a whole, as the 2000 year old Body of Christ, is where we get into danger. When we ignore hundreds of counsels held over thousands of years and elevate one teacher’s contemporary view over all of these centuries of tradition, then it becomes deadly. No, it is imperative to the life of a Christian that we be joined to the Church, that we find a spiritual father who can guide us in our walk, and that we obediently and faithfully read the word of God, becoming knowledgeable about it; and look to the Church to help us comprehend what we have read; similar to the Ethopian and Philip.

Here we see Paul and Barnabas, doing the works of God; and the Holy Spirit performing miracles through that work. But we also see Satan’s influence in the world here as well. We see Satan tempting the people to attribute these workings to Paul and Barnabas, seeking to lure them into godless idolatry. But we also see the temptation of Paul and Barnabas to pride. To accept this praise, even if only for a moment. Think about how great of a temptation it would be to have an entire city full of people praising you as a god. In our generation, we see our leaders declaring themselves “God’s anointed.” We see leaders and authors becoming celebrities, and puffed up with pride, they immediately rebuke any who disagree with their positions on things. We see theologians so prideful that they decry others as being “unqualified” to teach. And we see many of the people elevating them to that point of where they feel justified in doing so; feeding further and further into the pride that has caused them to declare themselves “masters.”

Regretfully, all throughout history, many teachers and pastors have fallen victim to the enemy in this same respect. They’ve declared that they are right and all others are wrong. They’ve declared themselves free from the constraints and the authority of the Church, and in so doing have opened the flood gate to a myriad of teaching which directly opposes the teachings of the Church for over 2000 years. All of these teachers who have so strongly embraced their own doctrine and theology and, in fallible human wisdom, their knowledge about Christ, and have elevated those things above above Christ Himself.

We must learn from this passage, my brethern. We must recognize that no one man is infallible, that everyone is subject to mistake, to temptation, to pride. We must find one whom we entrust to teach us, but let us never elevate their teachings above the teachings that we have received from the Church itself, or of Scripture itself. When Scripture directly states that “if a man is sick let him be brought before the elders, and the elders will lay hands on him and pray over him and the prayer of faith will heal him,” let us never accept a teaching which states that “there is no prayer of faith that will heal the sick” (taken from the Reformation Study Bible commentary). Let us instead recognize that any one man is subject to mistake, therefore let us cling to the teachings which have survived millenia unscathed, which have gone through countless Church councils and remain unchanged. Let us read and learn the word of God, never elevating any one man’s thoughts or opinions above the words of Holy Writ, but instead trusting in the Church to help us comprehend those things which we have received.

Christ is in our midst.

Acts 13

In Antioch of Syria, we see a great thing. We see Saul and Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, and other believers involved in fasting and worship of the Lord. The Scripture tells us that “as they ministered to the Lord and fasted…” This word which is rendered here “ministered” is the Greek word “Leitourgounton,” which literally means “performed liturgical acts.” It is the root word from which the Church derives the word liturgy. Congregational worship, all acting of one accord. Thus, this could easily be more rightly translated, “as they performed the liturgy to the Lord and fasted.” And to what end was the liturgy and fasting done? What was the result of this? The Holy Spirit spoke to them, declaring that Saul and Barnabas were to be separated from them.

It’s this idea that liturgical worship and fasting are paramount to our Christian faith. To our very way of life. Jesus constantly told His disciples of the importance and power of prayer and of fasting. It’s this complete idea that every aspect of our life be devoted to God. That we fully draw ourselves into obedience to Him, His Church, His Scriptures. We can never wear Jesus as an accessory, “whoever loves His life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Jesus is very plain that to be His follower means that we no longer seek after our own personal gain, our own personal influence; but rather that we surrender everything fully to His will. “Whoever loves father or mother; or brother or sister; wife, son, or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” So many of us verbally acknowledge His command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might,” but so often it’s easy to allow the love of the world to be more prevalent in our lives. To chase after financial gain, to seek more possessions, to find comfort in this world. To make this world our home.

But when the Holy Spirit speaks these words to the disciples, they respond in obedience. The Scripture goes on to state that after they had receive this command, they entered into another period of prayer and fasting. And, “after having prayed and fasted, they laid hands on them, and sent them away.” This laying on of hands refers to the sacrament of ordination. If Saul and Barnabas were to go out preaching, spreading the word, building churches; then they had to be ordained by the Church to do so. Now consider this for a moment, Saul of Tarsus, the man who had been led to the faith by Jesus Himself on the Damascus road; Saul, who had just received a command directly from the voice of the Holy Spirit; Saul who ultimately became the author of over half of what we have now canonized in the Holy Scriptures, still obediently bowed to the authority of the Church. After having been led to faith by Jesus after the resurrection still bowed to the demand of the Church to be baptized, and here, after having been called by the Holy Spirit, still bows to the doctrine of the Church concerning ordination.

We hate authority. Our generation more than any since perhaps the Roman Empire itself despise having someone else tell us what we can and can not do, what is right and wrong. In our culture, there are polemic political agendas which serve to keep us divided. There’s nationalism and humanism, moralism, etc. We have an entire philosophical movement based on the concept that truth itself is relative; that what is right for you is right for you and what is right for me is right for me; but that there is no true right and wrong. But, there is Truth. There is one Truth. A six painted on the ground may appear to be a nine if you stand at a different perspective, but it doesn’t change that fact that it is a six, it just means that the perspective of the one who sees a nine is wrong. Yet, somehow, in our warped human wisdom, we have determined that the six can be either a six or a nine, and it’s up to each individual person to decide which it is to them.

Even more dangerously, however, is that this concept has infected our theology as well. I may see a six, and you may see a nine, and how can one argue with the other over which it truly is? That’s why it’s so important that we cling to the traditions of the Church. The very traditions which tell us if it is a six or a nine painted on the ground, rather than leaving it up to our own fancy. Eternity is to important to allow ourselves room for our own logic to interfere with the Truth, to allow our own opinion to distort the truth that we have been given. If my car breaks, I trust a mechanic to fix it much more than my own ability to read a book and try to figure it out on my own. If I have chest pains, I never try to diagnose it and treat it myself, I go to a doctor. Why would I entrust my own wisdom to err on something far more important than either of those things, when there stand before us thousands of years of holy anointed men of God who dedicated their entire earthly lives to protecting the “traditions handed down, by word or by epistle?”

We so often seek to demonize the idea of “the Church,” claiming that our relationship and our walk with God is our own business; that receiving the Holy Spirit means that we no longer need the Church or her traditions. But, in this passage, we see Saul of Tarsus, called by an incarnation of the Resurrected Christ and receiving his mission verbally, before others, from the Holy Spirit Himself, still clinging to the traditions of the Church. If anyone ever to walk the earth had the right to say that his walk with Christ was a personal one, it was him. And what do we see him doing? Baptism, liturgical worship, prayer, laying on of hands, fasting; all traditions and doctrines handed down by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And this is the example given to us by God the Father, in His Holy Scripture.

And it lies on each of us to decide. Do we obey Jesus Christ as our King and our Lord; or do we follow the example of Israel, of whom it was written, “In those days, there was no king in Israel. A man did what was right according to his own vision.” (Judges 21:25 LXX). When I look at our culture, I grievously see much more Israel than I see Jesus.

Christ is in our midst.

Acts 12

We find here James the Apostle martyred and Peter imprisoned. The “days of unleavened bread” reveal it to be at the time of Passover. And we see Peter imprisoned while the Church gathers together to offer constant prayer on his behalf. And a miraculous thing happens, Peter is freed from his chains. This serves as an amazing display of the power of the intercessory prayer of the Church. Could God have freed him otherwise? Of course He could have, but, we all know that everything that the Lord does is for a purpose. So when we consider that, consider for what purpose He allowed Peter to be imprisoned and left until these prayers were offered up, if not to display to all believers the importance, and the power, of our liturgical prayers offered up on behalf of another.

All too often, we undervalue the power of these liturgical prayers. And more importantly, we underestimate the power of these prayers to evoke miracles. We think of the outcome of our prayers in the same manner as we think of motivational speeches. We pray for someone to quit smoking and through the knowledge of the support offered, someone manages to do so. We pray for someone to find a job, and through encouragement build up their confidence to a point of where they are able to acquire gainful employment. And each of these are the purpose of fellowship, to edify and build one another up. But, that begs the question then, do we truly believe in truly miraculous answers to prayer? Or are we basically functional, close-knit atheists when it comes to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit working in someone?

Consider this. The Church gathered together in constant vigil and liturgical prayer, praying for Peter’s safe deliverance from his imprisonment. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appears to Peter, freeing him from his chains and leading him safely out of the prison. The Scripture says that it was so miraculous that even Peter himself questioned it’s validity while it was happening, thinking it was a dream or a vision showing him how to escape. The works of the Lord are not always clear when we stand in the midst of them. I’m sure his mere arrest itself would have caused some of weaker faith to stumble. But the Church and Peter himself became even more resolute about their faith because of it happening. They increased the fortitude of their prayers, they increase their conviction. In the midst of the works happening, it’s often unclear why something is happening, but in hindsight, they become abundantly clear, especially those miraculous works which we are incapable of understanding.

When Peter has escaped and goes to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark, Scripture tells us that “many were gathered together praying.” Again, it’s this idea that prayer wasn’t an isolated event, it wasn’t an email list where everyone sort of finds time to fit a quick word or two into their schedules. Rather, it was a gathering together of many in the Church, leaving jobs and families and all else, to gather together in liturgical prayer. He knocks and a girl named Rhoda answers and, recognizing Peter’s voice, she goes and tells the others.

Now, imagine this situation in your own life. You and ten others have left everything and gathered together at one person’s house, praying together for the freedom of someone who is not merely in prison, but is scheduled to be executed the next day. After a few hours of constant vigil and prayer, someone says that the very person that you are praying for is at the door. See, it’s so easy for us to read this passage and immediately condemn them for their response. However, I feel as though so many of us would respond the same. “You are beside yourself,” they said to her. Basically, “you’re crazy, you’re imagining things, there’s no way he’s here.” So, here I pose a thought, is it disbelief which causes us to doubt that your prayers evoked an actual miracle? I believe that we evidence a lack of faith more by not believing in the power, or willingness, of God to perform these miracles, than we do for any sin that we commit. I heard once someone say that “the opposite of faith isn’t atheism, it’s doubt,” and I feel that statement to be inherently true. I think that we indict ourselves of disbelief when we distill the power of God down to what could easily be attributed to human ability. They questioned if it were truly Peter at the door; but at the same time, they took time away from every part of their life to pray for that exact miracle. We condemn them for the slightest amount of doubt, and yet defend ourselves for displaying even less faith than they. We condemn Peter for looking at the water upon which he was walking much more than we praise him for being willing to step out of the boat in the middle of the lake.

All too often, we look towards the weaknesses of others because they blind us to our own weaknesses. We look at this group of people who questioned whether such a miracle could be performed, and yet the majority of our generation would never even have gone to the prayer meeting. We condemn Peter for realizing that he was walking on water and sinking, but we would never have believed that Jesus would have made us to walk on the water to begin with. We condemn our co-worker for going to the bar and drinking, because it blinds us to our own faults; rather than being so focused on our own shortcomings that we are unable to see the sins of others. We call a child immature because they see a miracle in everything; while in our “maturity” we don’t believe that any miracle at all can happen. Perhaps that’s why Jesus admonishes us that “unless we become like little children we will never see the kingdom of heaven,” because we deny Christ every time we deny that He can and does perform miracles.

Hebrews tells us that Elijah was a man just like us, but through his great faith, he was able to call down fire from the sky. When did we determine that those miracles stopped? Or did we just stop believing that they could; did we lose the great faith that allowed them to happen? Did God really change, or did we? James tells us that when we pray, we must “ask in faith, with no doubting.” When we don’t believe that He can do what we ask, then He’ll never do it. The “prayers of a righteous man availeth much,” but the only righteousness that we can attain is through true faith in God. And if we don’t believe that He is able to do what we are praying for, then our prayer is not righteous, neither are we.

Jesus tells us that where two or three gather in His name, He is there. A group of believers can accomplish, through His grace, what is truly impossible. If it were possible, then it wouldn’t be a miracle.

Christ is in our midst!

Acts 11

Here we find Peter returning to Jerusalem and recounting the events that had transpired with Cornelius. It states that “those of the circumcision contended with him.” These were the Jewish Christians who insisted that not merely circumcision, but rather the entirety of the law itself must be maintained to receive salvation. Thus, Peter recalls the revelation that he had received from the Lord.

In so doing, he revisits a very interesting point which is very frequently overlooked, overshadowed by the revelation itself. “Call for Simon, whose surname is Peter, who will tell you the words by which you will be saved.” Bearing in mind that Cornelius was a devout man who gave alms and prayed regularly. Now, bearing that in mind, bearing in mind that his faith was so strong that he had received a direct revelation from God, the Lord still commands him to send for Peter, who will tell him what he must do to be saved.

See, I think it’s important that we understand this, because so often in our generation, the cry is that all ones needs do to be “saved” is believe. I’ve heard arguments that even baptism and repentance aren’t necessary unto salvation, because that’s how this “one theologian interprets the Scriptures.” I’ve heard statements like, “God is everywhere, I don’t need to go to Church to find Him.” And He is everywhere, He is omniscient, omnipotent, onmipresent. But, consider this, there is water everywhere on our planet. There are lakes, creeks, rivers, streams, oceans; our very atmosphere is made of water. But, if one is thirsty, they still go to the store to buy water, or go to the water fountain, etc. Peter warns that no matter of prophecy is left to personal interpretation. Here we see a very devout man, who is capable of communing with the Lord Himself, and what does the Lord tell him? Send for Simon Peter so that he can tell you what you must do to be saved, you and all of your household.

The need to be received into the Church, to accept it’s teachings, is imperative to a Christian. Surrounded by all of those lakes and streams, oceans and clouds, one still goes to the water fountain to drink. Why? Because we know that the water is safe to drink. The stream might be safe, the river might be safe; or each of them may contain bacteria that could be harmful to us. We don’t know definitely if it is safe or not, thus, we go to the source that we know is safe. Spiritually, it’s the same way. When we seek the living water that will lead us to eternal life, why would we risk our eternity drawing from random streams and lakes, when we can draw from the very fountain through which the source of all Truth flows. I can stumble my way through reading the Scripture and I might be right by mistake once or twice, or I could be horribly wrong. And the danger is that I would have no way to know that I am horribly wrong outside of the teaching of the Church. It’s ever too easy to allow our own personal bias and desire, our own pride and sinfulness, into our interpretations outside of the teaching of the Church. St Paul calls the Church the “pillar and foundation of all truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15). It is in the Church that the unity and fullness of Christ are fully experienced, and through it’s teachings that the words of salvation are presented, without alteration, through 2000 years of Holy Tradition. How arrogant would we be to think that in our generation, we have more wisdom than 2000 years of holy anointed men of God who were willing to face death rather than to allow the integrity of those traditions to become corrupted.

May we all grow to learn this fact. May we learn from Cornelius and Peter; from the Ethopian and Philip; from St Peter’s warning. Our faith is necessary unto salvation; but it is never faith alone. In the apostolic counsel, we see the apostles determining which laws must be kept by the Gentiles to receive salvation. If we reject the teachings of the Church, or the necessity of the Church, and rely solely on our own interpretation or the interpretations of one or two others, our faith will be left to the ebb and tide of our culture and our times; and ultimately, as St Paul warns, will “make a shipwreck of our faith.” If you can ask four people about a passage of Scripture and get four different answers, then there is a very strong possibility that the doctrine isn’t based on the foundation of God, who never changes, or of the Church about which He spoke when He said, “the gates of hell will not prevail against it,” but rather are based on the opinion of the people asked.

St Paul, to the Church in Corinth, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10). This will never happen as long as we disregard the authoritative teaching of the Church and regard all of our faith as a matter of personal interpretation. It is through the traditions themselves that we will ever attain this unity and oneness that St Paul pleads with us to have.

Christ is in our midst.

Acts Chapter 10

This chapter is well known, for it shows Peter’s revelation from God that salvation is not merely for the Jews, but for Gentiles as well. But, there is another foundational truth that is often overlooked, yet a truth which is even more relevant to our generation. Each of us knows that salvation is available to all people, regardless of nationality, regardless of past sins, regardless of financial status, etc. There is no one group that the Lord favors above any other, salvation is offered to each of us equally, and it is our choice whether to accept this or to turn away from it.

No, in this passage, we see Cornelius, a centurion and devout man who “gives alms generously to the poor,” Cornelius who “prays to God always.” And, one day in prayer, a vision comes to him from the Lord, telling him to send for Simon Peter. And Cornelius does the most amazing thing, he obeys. Rather than questioning, or arguing against theological precepts, rather than exalting his own wisdom and knowledge, he simply obeys the Lord. And, this is paramount, because his obedience shows the true state of his heart. His devotion was displayed in that he gave alms, and that he prayed to the Lord always, and the state of his heart itself is displayed in his obedience to the Lord. Jesus Himself teaches us that “not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom, but he who does the will of My Father” (Matthew 7:21). St Paul teaches us that “It is not the hearers of the word of God who are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.” (Romans 2:13), and James admonishes us to be “doers of the Law, and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves.” (James 1:22). See, it’s this idea that our devotion alone is not enough to make us a follower of Jesus; merely hearing, learning, and knowing the commandments of God are not enough, if we don’t truly obey them.

Peter arrives and begins preaching to them, and we see the same teaching. “In every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” It’s this combination, this synergy. Yes, we must know what He says, but the purpose of knowledge can never be knowledge in itself. We must learn the knowledge for the purpose of applying it to our lives. Knowing what He expects of us does not profit us if we don’t obey those things. Our justification is not a one time event, but an ongoing process. While this statement does not deny justification by faith, it clearly demonstrates that it is not by faith alone.

Rather, our salvation, our justification, is this process that combines our faith with the righteous deeds that our faith demands. The Scriptures tell us that the demons themselves believe in God; Satan himself knows the Scriptures better than even the most well versed theologian of our time. Merely believing is far from enough, merely memorizing the Scriptures is of no profit to our souls. It is when we accept Jesus as our Lord, when we humbly obey His commandments as His servants, then we are justified in His sight. When we forgive others as He has forgiven us; when we obey His commandment to truly love our neighbor; then we can be the icon of Christ standing for the world to behold. When we not only pray for the salvation of the souls of the hungry, but also sacrifice our own luxury to feed them; then we see a faith that is able to reach out and be profitable for the salvation of men. Justification in Scripture is always by faith, but it is always a faith displayed through deeds. It is this consummate synergy of the two working together. Jesus commands us to love our neighbor, to love one another, and St John tells us that we should not love “in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18).

May we all, brothers and sisters, learn this. May none of us be merely hearers of the word of God, deceiving ourselves, but rather be doers of the word as well. May we read the words of our Lord not merely for the sake of knowing them, but rather for the sake of living them. The great commission given by Jesus to each of us was not to teach all nations to argue interpretations, hermeneutics, all while seeking the path of least resistance, but rather, to “make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.”

Christ is in our midst.

Acts 9b

As Saul of Tarsus begins his crusade against those of “The Way,” he is stricken and hears a voice saying, “Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” See, to persecute individual Christians is to persecute the Church, which is the body of Christ. Thus, to persecute an individual Christian is to persecute Christ Himself. In Ephesians, St Paul teaches us that “the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the Church, and He is the savior of the body…we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:23,30). Whoever persecutes or defiles the Church or any of her members persecutes Christ Himself. Thus Saul was guilty not of attacking merely human beings, but of attacking the Church, and thus Christ Himself.

And because of this, we see Saul stricken by blindness. This blindness serves as a perfect illustration of what Jesus taught. In the Gospel of John the Theologian, the words of Jesus, “For judgment I have come into the world, that those who do not see may see, and whose who see may be made blind.” (John 9:39). As long as Saul was seeing through his own perspective, with earthly eyes, he was to remain blind. Only by having his earthly vision removed was he able to see Christ in His glory.

This teaching is of unparalleled importance to us. So often, though many of us claim to walk by faith and not by sight; we lean solely on what we are able to see physically, with our own eyes. Our minds become so clouded with logic that we leave no room for faith. We may mentally assent to doctrines of faith, but in reality, we, like the Eunomians, live our lives only in accordance with what is tangible. When bills beckon, giving alms seems illogical. Saving money for retirement seems prudent, whereas giving that money to those in need seems foolish. We can accept that Jesus died and was resurrected 2000 years ago, but have a hard time accepting that He arises everyday in our lives. We acknowledge that the Holy Spirit can help someone stop smoking, but not that He has the supernatural power to literally change our lives. We can believe that the stories we read in Scripture are true, but refuse to believe that those same miracles can happen today.

CHRIST IS RISEN! Not 2000 years ago, but every day of our life! His resurrection story is true, and real, every day, not merely on Easter.

We read that, at this point, Christ sends Ananias to restore Saul’s sight. When he arrives, he lays hands on Saul, and it states that “something like scales fell from his eyes.” And we can fully believe that this is possible. We fully believe that Ananias laid his hands on Saul and Saul was healed of his blindness. But, we doubt whenever we hear of someone in our age performing the same miracle. Has this healing power of the Spirit been fraudulently claimed in our age? Of course it has. St Paul warns us of those who will “see godliness as a means of profit.” But, do we dismiss these powers of the Holy Spirit merely because of the avarice of certain manipulative devils? Of course not! We are told to test the spirits to see that they are of God, but not to wholly dismiss all of them. To do so would be blasphemy against the powers of the Holy Spirit Himself.

After receiving his sight, Scripture tells us that Saul was baptized. It’s important to note that although he had received a direct revelation from God, he still submitted to Holy Baptism. Saul, who had heard the voice of God audibly, with his own human ears, still submitted to the baptism of the Church.

Another very important lesson that we can derive from this passage is this; Saul was physically blinded that he might spiritually see. However, when Ananias arrived, Paul was not compulsed in any way to accept the faith. He had every freedom to remain spiritually blinded had he so chosen. His vision was restored prior to the restoration of his earthly sight. Jesus never wanted the one to be contingent on the other. He closed Saul’s eyes so that he could see the truth, and then opened them again once that revelation was fulfilled. Otherwise, sending Ananias would have been meaningless. We know that it was not Ananias who healed Saul, but rather the power of Christ. He sent Ananias so that, had Saul chosen to accept the faith, Ananias was there to perform the baptism. He sent Ananias to unite Saul not with Christ, but with the Church.

Each of us stands, or has stood, in Saul’s exact position. The darkness is ubiquitous in our lives and attempts to tempt us with it’s answers. And it’s answers are carnal, appealing, earthly, and temporary. At the same time, however, Jesus stands at the door knocking. And each of us must choose, as did Saul, which path we will choose. Will we continue in our spiritual blindness, or will we, as did Saul, embrace whatever the cost will be for us, whatever we must suffer, to bear the name of Christ.

Christ is in our midst!

Acts 9a

When you leave work in the evening to go home, there is a good chance that you know the path that will lead you there. There’s a good chance that you know the way home. But, knowing the way to get there alone will not actually get you there. There is a process involved in which you are able to begin at your place of work and end at your home. You have to get in the car and start moving in that direction. You have to walk in the basic direction. Whatever mode of transportation, you have to use it to arrive at your destination. And then, knowing the way to get there, you have to follow that way. Knowing that you live South won’t get you home if you drive Northwest. You know which turns to make, but you have to make them. You know what roads are dead ends, and there’s a good chance that if you go out of your way to go down those, you’ll never arrive at your house. Occasionally, you may get caught up in traffic, which will delay you, but even that doesn’t bother you too badly, because you know that you are going in the right direction; so the occasional hiccups are never enough to make you throw your hands in the air and surrender.

Saul of Tarsus here goes to the High Priest to obtain letters that will allow him to arrest those who are following “The Way.” It’s important to notice that he doesn’t go and ask for letters to arrest people who aren’t Jewish, or who are Pagans, or who are atheists; no, it’s specifically those who are following “The Way.” Consider this fact, merely deciding one time in your life that you mentally assent to the fact that Jesus is God will not get you arrested. Affirming that Jesus is Lord in a declaration will not get you in trouble. Nor, however, will it save you. Knowing that following Him is the Way is completely different from actually following Him; knowing the path to get home won’t get me home unless I get on the road and follow that path.

See, the Church, in Scripture and all throughout history, has been called “The Way” because it is not a one time impulsive emotional response to something, it is not adherence to outward signs of piety. No, it is called the Way because it is an ongoing Way of life. It’s called the Way because it is the path that we have to walk to find our salvation, our healing. And it is when that becomes our truth that it becomes threatening to the world. It becomes frightening to the world when, because of our Faith, they can no longer pigeon-hole us into a particular socio-economic class, a particular political demographic, a particular ethnic background. To follow the Way means to be fully loyal to the Truth, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of any human labels that we could place on one another. To follow the Way means to follow Him, to lay asunder all earthly cares and desires, and to walk together with Him. And that scares the world, because the world could never understand this faith and devotion. It scares the world because they can’t understand our motivation for doing things. A boss can easily hold wages over the head of someone who cares about wages, but how do they control someone who isn’t concerned about money? How do political leaders manipulate someone who has no patriotic allegiance to a particular country or agenda? How do the enemies of Christ control someone who has no fear of death, as our Lord has trampled down death? See, they can take away earthly possessions, family, pride, prestige, whatever weapon they think will overthrow our convictions, but when we truly follow Christ, even the threat of death is of no profit to them, death has truly lost it’s sting. And the world, being the world, can not understand that, thus, as it has often been said, “we fear what we don’t understand.”

See, Saul wasn’t seeking to persecute people that he didn’t agree with, or didn’t like. He sought to persecute those whom he didn’t understand. He sought to persecute those who could stare the executioner in the eye and say, as Polycarp would later say, “Fourscore and six years have I served him, and he has never done me injury; how then can I now blaspheme my King and savior?” He sought to destroy those whose voices could not be silenced because their hope wasn’t in earthly comforts and cares, but rather their faith was fully in the One who would not be silenced, those who didn’t merely proclaim their faith, but truly lived it.

May we all, in similar fashion, understand that to follow “The Way” is much more than a once and done decision; it is rather a complete way of life. Far from a one time decision that will grant us eternal fire insurance, it is a complete way of life that declares that this world truly holds nothing for us, and at any moment the world could take everything from us and we would still find our peace and comfort in our Lord. In St John’s Revelation, Jesus writes letters to the seven churches. One of the churches is the church in Laoidecia. In that letter, He strongly warns them, “you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16). Consider for a moment what Jesus is saying in that statement.

To be cold would mean to be fully unbelieving, those who would deny that there were even a God. To be hot would be those who fully believe, those who are on fire for the Lord, those who study His words and commandments and fully embrace the life that He has prescribed for those who would follow Him. Those who base their entire life, in faith, on Him. Who then would be the lukewarm? I heard someone recently say that, in her own life, she had to decide, either religion would be no part of her life, or it would be all of her life. She either believed everything Jesus said, or she didn’t believe any of it. There was no room for middle ground. The very lukewarm people that Jesus is warning against are those who claim to believe in God, but their lives show no evidence of it. They know the way home, but refuse to leave the sidewalk to get there. Jesus warns that “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19). Those who are content to busy themselves learning about Christianity while never actually living it. Patriarch Kirill warns that “if a theologian becomes an armchair scholar with head knowledge and debating skills, then that person is in danger of succumbing to false teaching.” and in the Scriptures St James warns us no less than three times that faith without works is dead. Jesus rebukes those who “draw near to Me with their mouth,And honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8).

The Didache, the teaching of the twelve Apostles, opens with the very phrase, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death! and there is a great difference between the two ways.” May we allow that thought to be the focus of our meditations. There are two masters in this life, Jesus and Satan. And every word, every thought, every deed we perform, makes us more like one or the other. To follow “The Way” is not merely to proclaim it and study it, it is to actually live it. It is to change our life to a way that doesn’t make sense without our faith. It is to feed the hungry, to give to the poor, to love our enemies. There is a story of a monk who was robbed by two men, and when the two men left, he realized that there was something that they’d missed, so he chased after them to give it to them. He didn’t seek justice, he didn’t seek vengeance, he recognized two men whose desperation was so high that he wished to help them in anyway that he could.

Each of us, you and I, have an important decision to make. It is the same as the young person that I spoke of earlier. Jesus is very clear on what it means to be His follower, to follow “The Way.” He told a man that if he went to bury his unbelieving father, then he was not worthy to be His disciple. He told a man that if he wanted to follow Him, he had to sell everything that he had and give it to the poor. He tells all of us that if we would be His disciples, we must be willing to surrender everything that we have and are that we may make Him everything that we need. Christianity either becomes our life or is no part of it. We either believe everything that Jesus said, or we don’t believe any of it. There really is no room for middle ground. Christians have never been persecuted for believing in a seven 24 hour day creation, or for a global versus local flood, or for whether they believe in a flat or round earth even. But, Christians all throughout the history of the Church have willingly gone to death rather than renounce, either through their words or their actions, that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Master of their life. And so must we neither.

Christ is in our midst.

When the goal of our faith is true communion with God, relationship with Him, then we cease asking what must we do to enter the Kingdom or if we can lose salvation, and instead strive to allow Him to change us through whatever means He offers us. No one ever enters the bonds of marriage by merely asking what they just do to avoid divorce, rather they are elated to enter marriage regardless of what they must surrender; they understand that the covenant love they have attained is far superior. When we legalistically begin asking “must I do this,” it is only love for self that we are displaying. It is only when we are willing to sacrifice of ourselves that we truly love another, as Jesus Himself not only taught, but exemplified on the Cross.