"DUCK"!

I was raised hearing the old adage, "God hates the sin but loves the sinner." Since this applies to those who commit homosexual sin, in order to love as God loves, Christians must hate homosexuality, but love the homosexual. Is this not what Phil Robertson of the A&E Reality Show Duck Dynasty, expressed to the interviewer in this recent GQ article?

"What does repentance entail? Well, in Robertson’s worldview, America was a country founded upon Christian values (Thou shalt not kill, etc.), and he believes that the gradual removal of Christian symbolism from public spaces has diluted those founding principles... He sees the popularity of Duck Dynasty as a small corrective to all that we have lost."

“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong,” he says. “Sin becomes fine.” 

[Interviewer] What, in your mind, is sinful?

“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine. Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men ... Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

It seems that warning people of the destructiveness of sin is love, but GLAAD spokesperson, Wilson Cruz said, "Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe." 

No, Wilson, the lie is found only in your statement. True Christians believe the Word of God as found in the scripture and tradition of the Church. Since those words seem to fly in the face of your seared conscience of godly morality, I lovingly suggest that you "duck" at the following:

^"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men." 

(1 Corinthians 6:9)

"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination." (Leviticus 20:13).

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you." (Leviticus 18:22-24).

"For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." (Romans 1:26-27).

"As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 7)
"Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." (Genesis 19:4-5)

"Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted." 1 Timothy 1:8–11

God hates homosexuality...but loves the homosexual. So do all true followers of Jesus the Christ, including Phil Robertson,

“I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together, however, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.” Phil Robertson

Vanity, Vanity, All Is Not Vanity

Bearded men are wrought with perilous events which threaten the comeliness of their appearance. Our beards tend to be a catch-all at meal time. In conversation, if we see eyes darting to our chins, we know it is time to shake our beards free of debris. We must also be careful around fire. Many a man has smelled the smell of burning hair during liturgy or evening prayers at home. Another way you know that your beard has caught fire is that someone rushes up and begins striking you about the face or tossing holy water on you at the most inopportune time. Now, there may be other reasons for these actions, but the smile on your attacker's face is an indication that it was a benevolent, life preserving act. In either case, the beard is prone to damage or disarray. Because of such a state of affairs, some clergy have put on the piety of not caring what they look like, to the extent that they do not brush or comb their beard or hair. To them it is vanity to care about such things. For me? I brush my beard, put oil on it, and keep my hair as neat as possible. To me, this is not vanity, but an act of love for those who have to look at me. Makes sense to me.

Some in orthodoxy say it is vanity to be a blogger, or if you are a blogger, at least take care not to promote yourself by making the blog about you-photos included. For me, I look to the first bloggers, particularly Saint Paul the Apostle, to immolate. He spoke much about his personal life, his state of mind, his temptations, his "Journey To Orthodoxy", in order to remain a transparent disciple of Christ--warts and all--so that he might "win a few." This is blogging- this is not vanity. The photo? I imagine Saint Paul, had he the technology, may have distributed photos of himself to the churches as a token of love, and as a connection with those whom he had not had an opportunity to meet. I, too, have a prominent photo of myself on the JTO blog. It helps people around the world feel as if they are communicating with a real person. Personally, I prefer to participate on other blogs when I know what the person looks like and a little about them. I find it strange that Orthodox Church websites rarely have photos of the clergy. Surely it would not be vanity to do so. A website is intended to inform. A person perusing a website for a church home, benefits by seeing faces and thus eliminating some of the unknown before visiting a parish.

So I groom and smile--and keep blogging-- with photo attached. Vanity? Not all is vanity.

Tonsured

My Journey To Orthodoxy has led me to a very sobering place--the lowest of the low--a place of servitude and rank, void of acclaim. Several times today I have been congratulated. A nice gesture, and well intended, but a confusing dichotomy for a newly tonsured Reader in the Orthodox Church. The rank of Reader is the entry point for Orthodox clergy and a simple position of service- so I don't know what to do with the well-intended congratulations offered by sincere and godly people. The dichotomy is the fact that Christ called the servant the greatest of all. Yet, to be great you must be the least--thus the confusion, and yet it makes total sense, if one has eyes to see.

Today, His Beatitude, The Very Most Reverend Metropolitan John, Archbishop of New York and New Jersey, First Heirarch of the Holy Synod, of the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles, within the Tomos of Union with the True Orthodox Churches of Greece, Russia, and Italy, saw fit to tonsure me and make me a Reader. With this low place of service comes a high measure of grace extending from Vladyka John's hand of blessing. With the charge to establish a mission center in Tennessee, my wife Xanthia and I will establish a place of prayer and ministry in the Middle Tennessee region of the south, USA.

This Orthodox Christian communion focuses not on what is wrong with the world, but, rather, on Christ Himself, who has, is, and will make all things right. All who come to Christ will find a savior and redeemer ready to extend to them His love and redemption under the umbrella of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

Please pray for me, a sinner, that I will trully be an extenion of the ministry of Vladyka John and of our Lord Jesus Christ who was, and is, and is to come!

 

Why God Permits Temptations

Ascetical Homilies of St Isaac the Syrian, Homily 61

 

By the love which the saints show for God on account of the things they suffer for His name’s sake (when they endure and do not forsake that which God loves), their hearts acquire the boldness to gaze toward Him without a veil and to beseech Him with confidence. Great is the power of bold prayer. For this reason God allows His saints to be tried by every sorrow, then to experience anew and to prove His aid, and to understand how great a providence He has for them, for in their perils He is found to be their Redeemer. And again, He does this so that they may gain wisdom from temptations, lest they be unlearned men and be deprived of the two parts of training, and so that they may acquire the knowledge of all things, lest perhaps they be mocked by the demons. For if He exercised them only in that which is good, they would lack training in the other part and would be blind in battles.

 

If we say that God guides His saints without training and without their knowledge of it, we must conclude that He wishes them to become like oxen and asses and creatures which possess no freedom. If a man is not first tried by the experience of evils, he has no taste for the good. Hence when in evils he meets with that which is good, he will be unable in knowledge and freedom to make use of it as being his very own. How sweet is knowledge that is gained from actual experience and from diligent training, and what power it gives to the man who through much experience has found it within himself, the same is known by those who have been assured of and have seen the help it affords them. They learn the weakness of their nature and the help of Divine power when God first withholds His power from them [while they are amid temptations]. Thus He makes them conscious of their nature’s impotence, the arduousness of temptations, and the cunning of the enemy. Thus He gives them to understand against whom they must wrestle, what kind of nature they are clothed with, how they are protected by Divine power, how far they have advanced on the way. To what height God’s power has raised them up, and how powerless they are before the face of every passion when the Divine power is withdrawn from them. Through all these things they acquire humility, cleave closely to God, look for His help with expectation, and persevere in prayer. Whence could they have received all these boons, if they had not had experience of the many evils which God allowed them to undergo? As the Apostle says, ‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan.’ But by the experience of many interventions of divine assistance in temptations, a man also acquires firm faith. Henceforth he has no fear, and he gains stout-heartedness in temptations from the training he has acquired.

 

Trial is profitable for every man. For if trial was profitable for Paul, ‘Let every mouth be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God.’ Ascetic strugglers are tried, that they may add to their riches; the slothful are tried, that they may thereby guard themselves from what is harmful to them; the sleepy are tried, that they be armed with wakefulness; those who are far away are tried, that they may draw nearer to God; those who are God’s own are tried, that with boldness they may enter into His house. The son who is not trained will receive no profit from the riches of his father’s house. For this reason, then, God first tries and afflicts, and thereafter reveals His gift. Glory be to our Master Jesus Christ Who brings us the sweetness of health by stringent medicines!

 

There is no man who will not feel oppressed at the time of training. And there is no man who will not find the time bitter wherein he is given the virulent potion of trials to drink. Without temptations a man cannot acquire a strong constitution, yet to endure with patience is not within our power. For how should the clay vessel endure the vehemence of the waters, if the divine fire had not hardened it? If we submit ourselves to God, while beseeching Him humbly with perseverance in unceasing desire, we shall certainly receive all, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

“That I May Know Him"

Xanthia Lewis

By Xanthia Lewis

The other day I was thinking about the relationship we have with celebrities.  We read about them, we troll the internet for photos of them.  We spend our hard earned dollars to see their concerts and buy their DVDs.  We feel like we know them. Yet, if we met one on the street, we’d have to admit, there is no friendship there.  We are fans, not intimates.

It occurred to me that it is often the same in our spiritual walk.  We read about Christ. We fill our homes with icons and crosses. We spend our hard earned dollars to go to religious conferences, buy books about the faith and the early church fathers. We even participate in the works of the church.  And yet, if we met Him on the street, would we have to admit, there is no friendship there?  Would we have to admit that we are fans of Christ, but not intimates? 

 “ . . . that I may know Him and the power of the resurrection.” (St. Paul -Philippians 3:10) The saints tell us by their examples as well as by their words that prayer is vital to this intimate knowledge of Christ. Not the shopping list of prayers we normally pray, as we tell Him what we need, how we want it, and when.  Prayer must be more than just words, and standing, and prostrations.  It is entering into a time of “knowing” if you will.  To know Him in a very basic sense.  Like the young lovers who walk hand- in-hand, absorbed in each other’s presence where words are not needed.  Or like the child to gives a contented sigh as he sits quietly on his daddy’s lap.  Or like the friend who sits with you during tragedy when no words can help. 

I've always been a multi-tasker.  It is a strength, and a weakness.  A weakness because the biggest challenge for me in prayer, is to focus on one task – the task at hand. Knowing  Christ.  Not approaching Him with my list of details for the day, nor even worse, slipping him in to His “slot.”  But allowing the prayers of the church to remind me of Who He is, and why that’s important, and then taking time to look into His eyes and “know.”

[Xanthia is the wife of JTO BLOG Author Nathan Lee Lewis]

The Holly Spirit?

It seems that Holly-wood is now playing the role of the Holy Spirit. A new T.V. Reality Show encourages repentance from those who have wronged another. On its face, it seems to be a good thing, but it is a little gratuitous to tape the repentance, show it to the world and bank the advertising dollars for corporate gain. 

If we will simply follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we will not need the Holly Spirit to lead us to repentance.

The words of our Lord:
"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

"I’M SORRY!” NATIONWIDE CASTING of GROUNDBREAKING TV SERIES DID YOU DO SOMETHING BAD TO SOMEONE THAT “SORRY” JUST CAN’T FIX? IS THE GUILT EATING YOU ALIVE AFTER YOU DESTROYED SOMEONE’S LIFE? WE WILL CHANGE THEIR LIFE NOW FOR THE BETTER ON YOUR BEHALF. (Details to you after you submit~ BUT we will be doing VERY nice things for them) • Did you knowingly get someone fired so that you could take their job? • Did you sleep with a friend’s boyfriend just so they would to break up? • Have you ever use social media to spread rumors about someone that you knew weren’t true? • Do you now regret your actions and wish you could be forgiven? Everyone deserves a second chance and so do you! AN EMMY AWARD WINNING PRODUCTION CO. & A MAJOR CABLE NETWORK WANT TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP THE VERY PERSON YOU HURT. Must be at least 21 years old and legal U.S resident

He Who Endures To The End Will be Saved-Has Reverend Graham Endured In Truth?

Dr. Schuller: "Tell me, what is the future of Christianity?" 

Dr. Graham: "Well, Christianity and being a true believer, you know, I think there's the body of Christ which comes from all the Christian groups around the world, or outside the Christian groups. I think everybody that loves Christ or knows Christ, whether they're conscious of it or not, they're members of the body of Christ. And I don't think that we're going to see a great sweeping revival that will turn the whole world to Christ at any time. I think James answered that, the Apostle James, in the first council in Jerusalem, when he said that God's purpose for this age is to call out a people for his name. And that's what God is doing today. He's calling people out of the world for His name. Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their heart that they need something that they don't have and they turn to the only light they have and I think they're saved and that they're going to be with us in heaven." 

Dr. Schuller: "What I hear you saying is that it's possible for Jesus Christ to come into a human heart and soul and life even if they've been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you're saying?" 

Dr. Graham: "Yes it is because I believe that. I've met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations that they have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, have never heard of Jesus but they've believed in their hearts that there is a God and they tried to live a life that was quite apart from the surrounding community in which they lived." 

Dr. Schuller: "This is fantastic. I'm so thrilled to hear you say that. There's a wideness in God's mercy. 

Dr. Graham: There is. There definitely is."

Ancient Faith in Arkansas

Several Months ago I heard of an Orthodox layman who had the vision to build a temple with his own resources. This Greek man had met and married a southern girl from Arkansas. Finding no Orthodox presence there, the man and his wife decided to build a temple-"build it and they will come." [More of the story HERE] I had the opportunity to visit the site when it was being constructed, and returned only recently to see the completed project. It was named Saint Matthew the Evangelist Church. It was awe-inspiring. I had just completed the video log below when a man drove up and introduced himself as a "member" of the church. He offered to show me the inside. I talked with the humble tour guide for 20 minutes before I realized that I was meeting the layman who had built the temple--he did not want to talk of his participation in the building of the temple and was chagrined that anything had been posted regarding his identity--All glory to God--was his heart. I was moved that God had allowed me to meet this layman with a vision and was moved to tears by his humility. I discovered that a number of people are now attending on a regular basis and priests from the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece are celebrating the Liturgy. He built it and they did come!

I, too have a vision--as should all of us, to evangelize every community in which we live. Our vision should be God's vision and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 

In America the opportunities are such that we should not be content to remain in house churches. We certainly should not despise small beginnings, but the word "beginnings" infers that something comes after that. Without a vision the people perish. 

Ask God for a vision. No matter how impossible it seems-believe and you will receive. Preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Commemorating Saint Moses The Black

St. Moses the Black, Troparion, in Tone I —
A desert-dweller, an angel in the flesh/ and a wonderworker wast thou shown to be,/ O our God-bearing father Moses./ For, having acquired heavenly gifts through fasting, vigilance and prayer,/ thou dost heal the infirm/ and the souls of those who have recourse to thee with faith./ Glory to Him Who gaveth thee ( strength!/ Glory to Him Who crowned thee!// Glory to Him Who worketh healings for all through thee!

Kontakion, in Tone IV —
Having beaten the Moors and spat in the faces of the demons,/ thou didst shine forth noetically like the radiant sun,// directing our lives by the light of thy life and thy teaching.

The Saints of the Kiev Caves, Troparion, in Tone IV —
Let us honor today the noetic sun and the radiant moon of the first leaders of the Caves, with the whole assembly of the venerable; for, illumining the firmament of the Church, they enlighten those who languish in the darkness of the passions, and by their supplications they grant help from Christ God amid all tribulations, and ask deliverance for our souls.

Kontakion, in Tone VIII —
O venerable saints of the Caves, favorites of God chosen from among the generations of men, who in the virtues shone forth upon these mountains: the earth did not conceal you, but heaven hath been opened unto you as a dwelling in paradise; wherefore, on the day of your commemoration we offer up hymns of praise unto God Who hath glorified you. As ye have boldness, by your supplications deliver from all misfortunes us who honor your assembly, for ye are our helpers and mediators before God.

Please continue to pray for the Moses The Black-The Movie.

501 c3 A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing- UPDATED 7/2/15

UPDATE 7/2/2015: Government Crusade Against Churches Begins With Removal Of Non-Profit Status - Click HERE To Read


CHURCHES IN AMERICA ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HAVE A 501c 3 STATUS TO BE TAX EXEMPT OR TO RECEIVE TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

Repeat: CHURCHES IN AMERICA ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HAVE A 501c 3 STATUS TO BE TAX EXEMPT OR TO RECEIVE TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

Repeat Again: CHURCHES IN AMERICA ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HAVE A 501c 3 STATUS TO BE TAX EXEMPT OR TO RECEIVE TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

The Founding Fathers assured that the Church would always be separate from the state and thus not regulated nor controlled by it. Churches are inherently exempt from IRS control or regulation. In a word, the Church does not need the permission nor approval of the United States Government to exist or operate.

Then why has the Eastern Orthodox Church and all SCOBA jurisdictions, and many True Orthodox Churches sold their souls and futures to the government by way of asking the United States Government for permission to exist, thus being regulated by its mandates? This has been done by voluntarily becoming 501c 3 Corporations. The Church would do well to incorporate the words of our Lord:

"Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,and to God the things that are God's." Matt 22:21

"I am not the only IRS employee who’s wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn’t owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they’ve always had anyway. Many of us have marveled at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don’t seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control." (from the Forward of In Caesar's Grip, by Peter Kershaw)

"It is impossible to have religious freedom in any nation where churches are licensed to the government. " George Hansen, Member of Congress (ret.)

"When a church accepts the 501c 3 status, that church:

• Waives its freedom of speech.
• Waives its freedom of religion.
• Waives its right to influence legislators and the legislation they craft.
• Waives its constitutionally guaranteed rights.
• Is no longer free to speak to the vital issues of the day.
• Becomes controlled by a spirit of fear that if it doesn’t toe the line with the IRS it will lose its tax-exempt status.
• Becomes a State-Church.

From this case we learn that:

• A corporation is “a creature of the State.”
• The State is "sovereign" over the corporation.
• The corporation is “incorporated for the benefit of the public.”
• A corporation is a State “franchise.”
• Incorporation is a State “privilege.”
• A corporation is “subject to the laws of the State.”
• “Its powers are limited by law.”
• It must “obey the laws of its creation.”
• A corporation has no constitutionally-protected rights." (From Hushmoney.org)

Here is the IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A) concerning Churches:

Special rules with respect to section 501 (c)(3) organizations

(a) New organizations must notify secretary that they are applying for recognition of section 501 (c) (3) status

c) Exceptions

(1) Mandatory exceptions. Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to-

(A) churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches


The IRS code for churches simply states that,


THERE IS NO IRS CODE FOR CHURCHES!

Notice that the IRS code does not say churches are "exempt", it says they are EXCEPTIONS to the IRS Government regulation. The IRS has no authority to "exempt" churches. It is not for them to say. The reason is:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…"

The Church's sovereign authority is God. So, once again, why are Orthodox Churches in America 501c 3's?

All Metropolitans of all jurisdictions in the United States, all SCOBA representatives, priests, churches, missions, foundations of the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the Orthodox Church, should remove themselves from the control of the United States Government, resending their 501c 3 status. Do not listen to tax experts or attorneys who may tell you "501c 3's are a good thing and allows the church many liberties". They are either deceived or are deceivers. They are, in effect, wolves in sheep's clothing. They would have you sell your birthright for a mess of pottage.

The continued oppression of the Church in America will continue as subterfuge. 

All religion is being systematically removed from government and public life along with participation of Christian individuals and entities. Any and all things Christian that do not accept the politically correct morality will be deemed as breaking the law. It will in effect become illegal to speak or practice any form of public Christianity. It is the oppressed Christians of other countries of the world who look at the Christians in the United States and say, 

"You fools! Do you not see. Have you not learned from our demise, our plight, our oppression?"

The blindness that has allowed many churches of the United States of America to come under government domination has extended to the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church should lead out in this effort for all peoples of faith to break free of the legal government entanglement, for there will come a time when the noose will be tightened, the rules rewritten based on popular practice and the snare will be set. The Church has been of such little effect in America, allowing it to descend into the depths of depravity and humanistic control because the Church has partnered with evil, submitting to other gods. For those Christians who would refer to Paul's admonition in Romans Chapter 13 that "whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God" and to "render to all their due: taxes to who taxes are due...need to realize that in America, where the Church is concerned, THEY ARE NOT DUE! The church is God's not Caesar's. To be married to the state in this way is for the bride of Christ to commit adultery.

Patriarchs! Metropolitans! Bishops! Priests! Deacons! Laymen! Purify the body of Christ and be holy even as He is holy. Lift up your voices in your meetings, your counsels, your churches, your seminaries, to free the Church from the voluntary submission to the domination of an entity other than the God we serve. In this way the Church will flourish in this country and hearts and governments will be revived to the will of God.

Be in this world but not of it.