Laymen Who Evangelize

Thoughts On Evangelism In The West

Do we get so caught up in church battles that we forget that our battle is for the souls of men? Are we more concerned with pleasing a personality rather than presenting the person of Christ to a lost world? I am still amazed when I find Orthodox people who are so consumed with the rudiments of the faith, their own personal "holiness" that they ignore Christ's commission to us to GO into the world and preach the gospel... Our churches/missions should certainly welcome local Orthodox Christians who find us - and those who leave the World Churches - but we, like Christ, must be about our Father's business- as the Apostles and saints before us- to take the gospel of Christ to a perishing world- to the unbeliever, the Protestant, the cultists. In the West we have a unique tool. Why do we not make use of radio? Why do we not make use of T.V.? Is it too Western? Not Orthodoxish enough? Smacks of Protestantism? Do we refuse to acknowledge the effectiveness of a form of communication just because someone else got there first or because that's not how they do it in the East? The media is today's street corner, today's marketplace. "How will they hear without a preacher?" People must know that the original church exists, before they can even consider stepping into a liturgy, where we all know that the purest evangelism occurs- in the life of worship. It seems all we do is talk to each other. We must change from an inward people to an outward people. The One, Holy. Catholic and Apostolic Church is not an elitist club. Our message should not be "prove yourself worthy or sincere before approaching the Holy Church." Our message should be "Come unto me ALL you who are weary and I will give you rest."

The Usurper

The United States of America, the bastion of religious freedom and liberty, is under attack from within. The New World Order has taken root and a battle for control of the very soul of the nation ensues. Be aware, speak out and prepare for persecution- Christians are the targets in this ever-increasing spiritual battle. Christians are being slaughtered across the planet and are still the most persecuted people in the world. Hand-in-hand with the One World Order, is the One World Religion as seen by the imminent union of the World Orthodox and Roman Catholic Hierarchy.  The usurper, Barack Obama, aka Barry Soetoro, raised Islamic and trained a Communist, is aiding and abetting this effort. Rise up oh men and women of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 

Straight Questions- Crooked Answers- Conversations With a Protestant

I recently had a FaceBook conversation with a Protestant (Baptist background) whom I know well. This photo was posted and the jokes ensued. I found it illustrative, however, of a systematic wandering from the Faith of our Fathers and took the opportunity to point out a few things. Protestant heels were dug in and a non-productive exchange ensues. Here is that exchange:

ME: Illustrates why there are so many "truths" in Protestantism- so many interpretations leading to so many denominations. Illustrates clearly the problem with the Protestant practice of Sola Scriptura. So many versions written with an individual's commentary included giving us their interpretation of what the Bible means. Scofield was one of the first. His version spread through all of the English- speaking West with the the belief in a Pre-tribulation rapture theory ( the secret snatching away of the saints years prior to Christ's return). An un-scriptural eschatology that was never heard of in the church before 150 years ago. Read the "Early Church Fathers" (google it) to see what what was believed by ALL of the Church-everywhere, at all times- for the first 1000 years- that is the faith- that is the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15 tells us where that truth may be found. The CHURCH is the "pillar and foundation of all truth." The church gave us the Bible, the bible didn't give us the church. If the Orthodox church met in counsel and determined what was to be in the Bible, why can they not be trusted to say what it means? The Orthodox Christian Church is the original pre-denominational church established by Christ and His disciples. It is still here today and predates Protestantism by 1600 years. "To be deep into history is to cease to be Protestant."

POSTER: The church is you and me. Not going to put my faith in a mans word apart from inspired scripture. Would be the same argument you used in this comment against commentary. The priesthood of the believer and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and scripture alone is my stay. Commentary should always be weighed against the Word and so should the comments of any preacher or teacher. But this does not mean don't preach and teach. Man is fallible. The Holy Spirit is not.

ME: Man is fallible but you trust each individual man to hear the Holy Spirit correctly concerning what the Bible means? Then how do you know the "Scripture" is infallible if man is so fallible? Where did the Bible come from? It didn't just fall out of the sky- leather bound. The visible church headed by bishops with names, gave it to us 400 years after the church was established.. The Holy Spirit "inspired" them- the bishops- the unified, Spirit breathed group-not individuals-to know what were true and what were spurious. That's why we don't have a book of Thomas today. It was floating around at the time along with others. That's why we used the Septuagint version of the scriptures that Christ quoted from and not the Hebrew preferred translation from which the Protestant Bible is translated. Once again--a question that still goes unanswered: If you can accept the authenticity of the scriptures so readily, why can you not accept the authority of the visible church that gave them to you--the original Orthodox.

POSTER: Because the Holy Spirit is not fallible and scripture says he is the one that reveals truth to the heart. Jesus said he knew what was in the heart of man and did not put his trust in them. Pilate asked what is truth. Jesus had already answered that. "I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father except through me"... Not a visible church or group of men who are fallible. That's why the scripture is for . It does not contain the word of god. It is the word of god.

ME: Says He revealed truth to the church- not individual members but a body- His body. The church IS HIM- His Body. Back to this...where did you get your Bible? This is not a theological question but a historic one, so "well God gave it to us" is platitude. Where did you get the Bible you believe in? How did it come about? In what historic context? Who was involved and how did they have the authority to say what the Bible contains? Why are these questions so offensive? Should not all who profess Christ have a ready answer for this? It was a group of men- you dismiss them, but why? On what basis? You accept what they gave you as authentic but discount them in every other way. Why? We know that God chose a group, the Apostles, to breath His authority into. Those Apostles chose others to be their successors- Bishops- with the laying on of hands- which imparted the same Spirit/authority to govern the church, that Christ gave them. These Bishops met together in counsel seven times over several centuries. (see the 7 Ecumenical Counsels) This is historic fact. Being so, one must prove when and where this changed. It did not. The original churches are still in the same place- Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Rome, Antioch- and now beyond, still governed by Bishops. The Apostle's bodies still kept in some of these Churches. "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant." Protestantism- the new Coke.

POSTER: Nope.

POSTER: The ones Jesus choose while he was here were enough and fulfilled their purpose. We weren't to build legacies for anyone as Jesus tried to teach them when they wanted to build a monument to Elijah and Moses . We are a royal priesthood. The veil was torn from top to bottom an entrance I to his presence is individual and does not need the permission or dispensations. Of earthy priest. The cross and the resurrected Christ made that happen. Now we go boldly to the throne.Galatians is a good read about standing fast to liberty and not to out yokes of bondage around your neck or be subject tot the traditions of men. So again here I stand. Is Certain he has me and will keep me. I am a priest of he gospel and respect others but I know who saves and keeps. I just spread the word. Not searching for another foundation. I already have assurance. Certainly no man is going to be placed above what Christ has already done. That is a snare. I choose to be free in The Lord And the power of his might.

ME: Free in Lord". All men are equal ""priests" and each gets one vote? No one gets to rule over anyone else? This is called democracy. The church is not a democracy but a theocracy with hierarchy. It is patterned after heaven that also has a hierarchy and an angelic order of rule. Even the demons have this order. The church was established in the same order: "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." The Apostles purpose was to establish this order. Only then was their purpose fulfilled. This order is what has preserved the truth for 2000 years. Protestantism left that rule and now is in doctrinal disarray, every one adhering to whatever they feel the Holy Spirit says to them. They live in deception and teach the doctrines of demons. Some more than others. True liberty is found only when lived out within the life of this church which is not built on the tradition of men, but on the Tradition of the Apostles. "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."

POSTER: Nope. Your interpretation is not accurate and is legalistic bondage and not sustainable by comparative scripture. Of course I could point you to scripture to support that but have found this forum not productive. So as in the past I choose not to. You have chosen your path. If you are truly happy in it then you shouldn't have to keep trying to engage me in theological debate. Not interested. Your search will bring you full circle. I'm don't desire the conversation. I'm not on the walk with you. I am not between two opinions. In Christ alone I put my trust. I choose liberty not legalism. Just read scripture. The Holy Spirit will bring you to truth and final peace. Trying to convince me is pointless because I'm not going to exchange liberty for chains. Love you.

ME: This is not a theological debate. No theology being discussed here. Ecclesiology is the topic- church history. Whenever I see something posted that flies in the face of history and does not follow logically I engage the poster in a question, like "Where did you get your Bible?" or "Who founded your denomination"? Seems like non-debatable questions but the answer to such to often reveals a gaping hole in someone's belief system or education...and is met with resistance and viewed as threatening. The picture posted seems to be a joke or a misplace wrapper, but in actuality, I have seen the authors of such Bibles with unique Bible notes autographing copies for the buyers at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention and the Evangelical Publisher Association. This is a product of an ideology that is 1000 years separated from the original ecclesiology of the Church. Isn't it relevant to know from where you get your faith and to be able to give a ready answer and not platitudes? The reason the "Where did you get your Bible" question is difficult is because pursuit of the answer leads one to discover that Orthodox Bishops gave them their Bible. The more troubling discovery that follows is that they do not belong to the Church that gave them their Bible, and they are hard pressed as to why. I did come full circle and found the original church waiting for me to enter. I did , and so should all. It is the One, holy, catholic and apostolic church- the Orthodox Church.

Comment On This...

Mark 9:38-40

"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part."

 

A New Catechumen

Congrats to my daughter April, who became a catechumen in the Orthodox Church today. April, and her husband Greg, faithfully serve the Lord and teach their children to do the same. Greg is a Sergeant and a Mission Chief in the United States Air Force. April completed her nursing degree and is expecting their third child in May.

GOD GRANT THEM MANY YEARS!

Prayer of Saint Ephraim

O Lord and Master of my life,
Grant not unto me a spirit of idleness,
of discouragement,
of lust for power,
and of vain speaking.

But bestow upon me, Thy servant,
the spirit of chastity,
of meekness,
of patience,
and of love.

Yea, O Lord and King,
grant that I may perceive
my own transgressions,
and judge not my brother,
for blessed art Thou
unto ages of ages.
Amen.

I Hate Judgmental People

The Tyrant Is Dead- Is It Time Yet?

Philip Saliba, the heavy handed, multimillionaire, tyrannical leader of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in America is dead.

'It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment .'

On a trip to California not long ago, I happened to stay in a hotel right next to where the Antiochian Diocese of California was meeting. There were men in black everywhere. I had the opportunity to talk with a few priests. One, in particular, had recognized me from my blog. It was the first time I realized the reach of the JTO blog. This priest was aware of my prior posts concerning his Metropolitan Philip Saliba--Issues of secrecy, greed, papist attitudes, heresy, apostasy, and the like. I was astonished to find that this priest needed no convincing as to the character of His Metropolitan nor of the drifting into apostasy of the Antioch Diocese and all of World Orthodoxy. The priest, in hushed tones, told me, "We know. We know all of these things. It is just not time yet." He was referencing a time when he and others would leave to find a faithful bishop or stay and stand up in mass dissent like the saints of old, caring more about the cause of Christ than the security of their position.

To the Antiochian priest and to all those in the Antiochian diocese: The tyrant is dead. Is it time yet?

WATCH: There will be a great struggle for power as some Arab factions will go to desperate means to keep control of the Antiochian diocese in foreign, in particular, Arab hands. Council will fight council. Those near Saliba, his associates, are already making efforts to hide records and evidence of Saliba's personal fortune, and other records that others had previously demanded to see. The associates will only be partially successful. Several smoking guns will be revealed. The revelation of certain documents will be the catalyst for a revival of spirit in the American Church and a weaning from foreign control. Priests will leave- Priests will stay- but turmoil will be the word within the Antiochian Diocese. What Saliba sowed in his life, the Diocese will now reap in his death. And those clergy who cared more about the security of their positions will now be shaken.

 http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/06/antioch-do-you-know-where-your-children.html
 http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/07/from-metropolitan-philip-nevermind.html
 http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/08/watered-down-orthodoxy.html
http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-we-leftwhere-we-went.html 
 http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/08/im-stokacus.html
http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/07/anonomous-priests.html
http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/05/bishops-say-no-to-antiochian-synod-and.html
http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/04/antiochians-and-all-other-parishoners.html
 http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/03/comment-from-antiochian-who-wears-black.html
http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/03/good-man.html

"Writers Are The Prophets Of This Generation"

"Writers are the prophets of this generation." These words were spoken to me by a friend who has spent his career in the literary and publishing world. At his words, my soul was pierced and a healing balm of God's Spirit was poured in.

Indeed, the prophets of our day use the art of writing to speak to the world at large and to specific individuals. It is true that writers are the prophets of this generation, but not all writers. Thus it is also true that prophets are the writers of this generation, but not all prophets. But for those prophets, with the gift, the calling, and the opportunity to communicate through writing, one stroke of a pen, one click of a button, one signing of a publishing contract and they are allowed, by the grace of God, and by their obedience, to speak to more people than the prophets of old did during their lifetime. But how do we know today the words that the prophets of old spoke? Their spoken words were written--the people read them--and still read them today. To him who has ears to hear, let him hear. To him who has eyes to see, let him see. The written word by the prophet hits its intended target audience.

Writers are the prophets of this generation. With the words of my friend, I found myself at the culmination of a long season of preparation. I am a writer. By God's grace, my prophetic platform goes beyond a blog. It extends to a larger platform. I am a screenwriter and a film producer.  I am inspired to write that which speaks to the individual, to the nation, to the world through feature films.  I write, then film what has been written-two mediums. A greater audience. 

"You will speak to the masses." These are the words spoken to me by my creator many years go. As I have moved through seasons of life, events, struggles, death of many visions, He has been present to show me, in the secret place of the most high, that place where prophets go to have their flesh annihilated and their will prepared to receive. My life is not my own--I am bought with a price--I speak the will of God in season and out--to those willing to hear and to those who might do me harm. "You will care what no man does to you", said my God.  So, now, this season has arrived and I have penned, clicked and signed- to speak the mind and will of God.

Rocky Top Pictures LLC is the structure from which I am writing and producing several feature films (dramatic films for theatrical release). A feature film that is the definitive film about abortion. A feature film based on the life of Saint Moses the Black. An 1800's period piece showing the spiritual evolution of an outlaw. A feature film about the enduring friendship of an autistic white boy born into wealth and privilege and a black boy from the other side of the tracks.  A feature film about a fallen priest who finds redemption defending a Native American tribe from oppressors. Now it seems, the God of all creativity, is saying to me "Go speak what has been written." And with that, He makes a way. He lights the path. He brings others to aide in the process. Even other prophets to add their words and works. 

Writers are the prophets of this generation. "And He Himself gave some to be prophets...For the Lord does nothing unless He reveals instructions to His servants the prophets."

Lord make me an instrument of your peace and write your words upon my heart.