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By Metropolitan Methodios of Boston
"Sadly, Sunday has lost its significance in our society, becoming less of a day of worship of almighty God and more like any ordinary work day. This especially affects our young people who are obligated to attend sports events on Sunday mornings rather than attend the Divine Liturgy. At my request, this sad reality and its ramifications were discussed at the recent meeting of the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Consultation. After lengthy discussion, the following joint statement was issued. I ask you to read it carefully and approach civic, business and school authorities in your community to schedule sports events after 12 noon so that our young people may worship together with their families on Sunday mornings. "
THE IMPORTANCE OF SUNDAY
The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation
Saint Paul's College, Washington, DCOctober 27, 2012
Recovering the theological significance of Sunday is fundamental to rebalancing our lives. As Orthodox and Catholics, we share a theological view of Sunday and so our purpose in this statement is four-fold: to offer a caring response to what is not just a human, but also a theological question; to add a little more volume to the growing chorus of Christian voices trying to be heard in the din of our non-stop worklife; to offer brief reflections in hopes of drawing attention to the fuller expositions elsewhere; and to reinforce the ecumenical consensus by speaking as Orthodox and Catholics with one voice.
For Christians, Sunday, the Lord's Day, is a special day consecrated to the service and worship of God. It is a unique Christian festival. It is "the day the Lord has made" (Ps. 117 (118):24). Its nature is holy and joyful. Sunday is the day on which we believe God acted decisively to liberate the world from the tyranny of sin, death, and corruption through the Holy Resurrection of Jesus.
The primacy of Sunday is affirmed by the liturgical practice of the early church. St. Justin the Martyr writing around 150 AD notes that "it is on Sunday that we assemble because Sunday is the first day, the day on which God transformed darkness and matter and created the world and the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead ("First Apology", 67)." Sunday has always had a privileged position in the life of the church as a day of worship and celebration. On Sunday the Church assembles to realize her eschatological fullness in the Eucharist by which the Kingdom and the endless Day of the Lord are revealed in time. It is the perpetual first day of the new creation, a day of rejoicing. It is a day for community, feasting and family gatherings.
As we look at our fellow Christians and our society, we observe that everyone is short of time and stressed. One reason is that many of us have forgotten the meaning of Sunday, and with it the practices that regularly renewed our relationships and lives. More and more Christian leaders see the effects of a 24/7 worklife and ask "Where is the time of rest?" As members of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation, gathered October 25-27, 2012, we add our combined voice to their call.
Our purpose here is not to replace or replicate their message; it is to underscore and point to it. Anyone who looks at the 1998 Apostolic Letter "Dies Domini "("The Lord's Day") of Pope John Paul II and its cascade of patristic quotations will see there is already a feast of food for thought on the meaning of Sunday. Anyone who reads the recent book "Sunday, Sabbath, and the Weekend" (2010, Edward O'Flaherty, ed.) will see there is also strong ecumenical consensus on the need to recover the meaning of Sunday- not just for our souls, but for our bodies, our hearts, and our minds as well.
Sadly Sunday has become less of a day of worship and family and more like an ordinary work day. Shopping, sports, and work squeeze out the chance for a day of worship or rest in the Christian sense. By abandoning Sunday worship we lose out on the regenerative powers that flow out of the liturgical assembly. And when Sunday becomes detached from its theological significance, it becomes just part of a weekend and people can lose the chance to see transcendent meaning for themselves and their lives ("The Lord's Day", 4).
Sunday is more than just the first day of the week. In our faith we see how it is the ultimate day of new beginnings: "It is Easter which returns week by week, celebrating Christ's victory over sin and death, the fulfillment in him of the first creation and the dawn of "the new creation" (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). It is the day which recalls in grateful adoration the world's first day and looks forward in active hope to "the last day", when Christ will come in glory (cf. Acts 1:11; 1 Th 4:13-17) and all things will be made new (cf. Rev 21:5. "The Lord's Day", 1)."
Sunday even unlocks the mystery of time itself, for "...in commemorating the day of Christ's Resurrection not just once a year but every Sunday, the Church seeks to indicate to every generation the true fulcrum of history, to which the mystery of the world's origin and its final destiny leads ("The Lord's Day", 2)." The Lord's Day is the day after the last day of the week and so it symbolizes eternity as well: what St. Augustine calls "a peace with no evening (Confessions 13:50)." St. Basil the Great in his Treatise on the Holy Spirit writes, "Sunday seems to be an image of the age to come... This day foreshadows the state which is to follow the present age: a day without sunset, nightfall or successor, an age which does not grow old or come to an end ("On the Holy Spirit" 26:77)."
The apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II calls it a day of joy, rest, and solidarity. Joy there is, because the disciples are always glad to see the Master. God scripturally established a day of rest as a gift to us, and rest there must be for every human person. Rest is built into our nature and also withdraws us "...from the sometimes excessively demanding cycle of earthly tasks in order to renew [our] awareness that everything is the work of God. There is a risk that the prodigious power over creation which God gives to man can lead him to forget that God is the Creator upon whom everything depends. It is all the more urgent to recognize this dependence in our own time, when science and technology have so incredibly increased the power which man exercises through his work. Finally, it should not be forgotten that even in our own day work is very oppressive for many people, either because of miserable working conditions and long hours - especially in the poorer regions of the world - or because of the persistence in economically more developed societies of too many cases of injustice and exploitation of man by man ("The Lord's Day", 65,66)."
As members of the Consultation, we strongly urge both clergy and laity to work cooperatively within their communities to stress the importance of Sunday for worship and family. Foremost we call for all to render thanks to God and render love towards one another - and be willing to reserve time to do both - and avail ourselves of the riches of the Lord's Day. Appropriate authorities can be approached to schedule sports activities after 12 noon in order to give young athletes and their family the opportunity to worship on Sunday morning. We call for our children to live in a timescape that respects the God-given rhythm of the week.
"Yes, let us open our time to Christ, that he may cast light upon it and give it direction. He is the One who knows the secret of time and the secret of eternity, and he gives us "his day" as an ever new gift of his love. The rediscovery of this day is a grace which we must implore, not only so that we may live the demands of faith to the full, but also so that we may respond concretely to the deepest human yearnings. Time given to Christ is never time lost, but is rather time gained, so that our relationships and indeed our whole life may become more profoundly human ("The Lord's Day", 7)."
Source
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Holy Week has begun. Last year, I believe I mentioned the various drunken beach parties that "holy week" is known for here in the Dominican Republic. However since the majority of the country is Catholic, there are of course various religious services during this week as well, so I'll focus on those these year.
Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, or Dia de los Ramos. Everyone took some sort of tree branch (not necessarily a palm, although mine was) to the baseball field at 6:30 in the morning. We all crowded in a circle around the priest, holding our branches high in the air. The priest then came and sprayed (noticed the verb term is not sprinkled, but sprayed) holy water on us and the tree branches. Then we sang and walked to the church, and started the normal Sunday mass. We're all supposed to save our branches since they are now holy, but I have no idea what I'm saving it for.
I was looking forward to the Maundy Thursday service because Concord Presbyterian back in Statesville usually does a drama of the last supper and since Dominicans LOVE acting in dramas, I assumed they would do the same thing. They didn't. It was just a normal Catholic mass (scheduled to start at 8 p.m., but the priest arrived at 8:45), with one exception. The church reserved the first two pews for all the men in attendance, and then the priest washed their feet just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. I thought it was just a little gender-inappropriate that only the men were allowed to participate in this part of the service when the majority of the people in attendance were women (I'd say the men-to-women ration was 1-to-5), but no one else seemed to notice.
Holy Friday was an interesting day. The national laws on this day are that: 1) people are not allowed to eat meat (but they can eat fish); the big food tradition is to make habichuelas con dulces (or sweetened red beans). In my refrigerator, there is about four pounds of sweet beans that all the various neighbors have given me. 2) No music is allowed to be played (the police can confiscate the radios if they hear it), and 3) there is not to be a Catholic mass. The congregation did meet at the church in the afternoon, where they had informal prayers and then walked around Baoba visiting the sick and elderly.
Apparently the Saturday before Resurrection Sunday is the big church service here in the Dominican Republic. There were probably 100 people (which is about double the normal attendance) who participated in the service. We all met in the basketball court and lit candles. Then walked to the church, blew out the candles and had a 2 hour Catholic mass. The service was pretty basic - the priest read the bible, we prayed, the choir sang, and communion was passed - except for one thing: the blessing of the water. Everyone had brought 2-liter plastic bottles filled with basic (amoebic) water and placed the bottles on the alter in the front of the sanctuary. The priest then blessed the water, converting it into holy water, and then he walked around and sprinkled the congregation with holy water as well. After the service, everyone rushed up to grab their bottle of water (and like with my blessed palm branch), I have no idea what people do with their own personal bottle of holy water.
The Easter Sunday service turnout was surprisingly pitiful. The mass was at the normal hour (7:15 a.m.), and I was about one of twenty people who went. I guess the congregation figured that if they went to church the night before, why go the following morning?
Source: http://my-spiritual-path.blogspot.com
As Archbishop-Coadjutor of the United Episcopal Church, I think I may take the liberty to point out a couple of misunderstandings about UECNA and churches outside North America.
The assumption tends to be made when discussing the United Episcopal Church in North America on this blog that it is purely a North American phenomomen. Whilst this is true today, the UECNA has had relationships with overseas juridictions in the past. Whilst it is accurate to say that the UECNA's Constitution confines its jurisdiction to affiliated parishes within North America,(1) this does not preclude us being in full Communion with suitable Continuing Anglican groups abroad.
How so?
The UECNA's Canons allow it to consecrate Bishops for other Churches provided they fall within the parameters set by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral.(2) The Canons also grant permission for the ordination of priests and deacons for overseas churches. For those not familiar with it, the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral is the document that has traditionally regulated Anglican relations with other, non-Anglican, Churches. In its day, the Quadrilateral paved the way for the old Anglican Communion's relationships with the Church of Sweden and the Old Catholics. Looking to the future, it could be used in a similar manner between the Continuing Anglicans and the remaining orthodox Old Catholic body, the Polish National Catholic Church.
For churches to enter into FULL communion with the UECNA it is necessary that, in addition to adhering to the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, the potential partner Church uphold the Anglican Tradition in theology and liturgy. This would include adherence to their local edition of the Book of Common Prayer - provided it pre-dates 1977, the Ordinal, the Thirty-nine Articles (3), and the two So to summarize. The United Episcopal Church of North America confines its jurisdiction to the USA and Canada. However, our Constitution and Canons permit the UECNA to ordain clergy for suitable jurisdictions abroad, and to enter into full Communion with other Continuing Anglican Churches both within, and outside of, the United States and Canada. As a statement of policy, it is accurate to say that the UECNA House of Bishops remains receptive to any approach from Continuing to Anglican bodies overseas with a view to entering into full Communion as equal partner Church within the Anglican tradition.
+Peter D. Robinson,
Archbishop-Coadjutor, UECNA
Notes:
(1) UECNA Constitution makes no specific provision limiting the UECNA to North America other than only Bishops having jurisdiction, or resident, in North America can be voting members of the House of Bishops.
(2) UECNA Canon 44.
(3) The concordat with the ACC is based on the Affirmation of St Louis rather than the Articles due to our common origin in the St Louis Congress (1977) and the Denver Consecrations (1978).
(4) The stumbling block in relations with churches overseas has usually been orders. The applicant churches have had doubtful TEC, or Old Catholic, orders and have been unwilling to submit to 'sub conditione' ordination to remove the element of doubt from their Orders.
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"*"
From:
"Lewis thought these doctrines conveyed truths that modern people most needed to know but were least likely to recognize: "We must never avert our eyes from those elements in [our religion] which seem puzzling or repellent; for it will be precisely the puzzling or the repellent which conceals what we do not yet know and need to know."
"*"
"For many Christians today, deification would be such a doctrine. Deification (also known as theosis or divinization) sees salvation not merely as divine pardon but rather as a process of spiritual transformation that culminates in mystical union with God."
"As Lewis understood it, human beings could one day enter into the very beauty and energy of God and become "true and everlasting and really divine persons."
"In his book Mere Christianity, which can be seen as a manifesto on the subject, Lewis argues that the whole purpose of Christianity is to turn people into what he variously calls "new men, little Christs, Sons of God"-and "gods and goddesses."
"*"
"Lewis knew such language might give many of us a shock, but he insisted that this is "precisely what Christianity is about."
"Although largely forgotten by Christians today, deification is at the heart of Lewis' vision of reality. From his sermons to his apologetic essays, from his space fiction to his children's stories, one can hardly find a corner of his literary universe that is not illumined by the idea."
"(...)"
"Lewis encountered the idea of deification everywhere from St. Athanasius to George MacDonald, and he knew the doctrine was held from earliest times by many church fathers (like Athanasius) who helped establish the canon of the New Testament and the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation."
"These fathers taught that Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God, but after the fall they were estranged from their creator and subject to pain, sorrow, and death."
"Deification, then, is the restoration of the divine likeness that humanity lost along with its beauty, purity, and incorruption."
"In holding to deification, not only was Lewis in harmony with Eastern Orthodoxy, where the doctrine remains a distinguishing mark, but with many voices in the West like St. Augustine and St. Bernard of Clairvaux-and a forgotten strand of Anglican tradition including Lancelot Andrewes, Richard Hooker, Charles Wesley, and Ann Griffiths."
"(...)"
"Lewis didn't follow the path of Emerson or others who blurred dogmatic boundaries by confusing God and creation or by teaching that human beings are naturally divine."
"Only God is transcendent, uncreated, and divine by nature."
"Therefore deification does not mean the "actualization" or "realization" of one's latent divinity, a belief that is less Christian than monistic or pantheistic."
"Nor does deification mean that human beings eventually will evolve into something essentially equal to God (...) Lewis was always clear on the difference between creature and Creator-an irreducible ontological distinction."
"Deified human beings forever remain human while at the same time sharing in divine grace or energy, just like blazing iron in the fire shares the properties of flame but doesn't cease to be iron. Human beings will not melt into an impersonal God like a salt statue tossed into the ocean, or become new and independent divine beings in a type of polytheistic evolution."
"*"
"For this reason, Lewis cannot be categorized with Neoplatonists, Hindus, Mormons, or even certain Christian mystics who seemed to lose sight of the essential distinction between God and humankind."
"
"
NOTE:
I agree that deification is a "vital" part of a coherent concept of Christian life: indeed I believe that it is deification which primarily sets Christianity apart from Judaism and Islam - because it is what the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ made possible, over and above monotheism.
The concept is found in all legitimate Christian traditions, but most centrally in Eastern Orthodoxy - as theosis - marking its superiority.
*
So, becoming a Christian is properly a two-step process: first conversion and then deification.
Salvation is certainly possible without deification (e.g. The Good Thief) - but it is deification which is the purpose of Life and which potentially fits humans for their proper place in an hierarchical Heaven.
It is deification which makes Holy Elders and Saints, and enables them to do what they do.
*
But for some, probably for me, deification is merely the turing back to God again and then again, taking the first step and back-sliding a step. It is the qualitative movement towards God - even if it gets no further than that - but of course it has, in some people, in some times and places - gone much further than that.
For instance, theosis went much further than that in C.S Lewis himself...
*
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An interesting article from www.ucg.org about Original Christianity. This follows this post about the Divinity of Jesus Christ. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.
What Did the Early Church Believe and Practice?
The book of Acts is an eyewitness account of the early Church from Christ's death until about A.D. 60. Chapter 2 records the beginning of the Church, when God sent His Spirit to 120 followers of Jesus Christ.
Many Bible readers are familiar with the miraculous events of that day-of the place they were assembled filling with the sound of a mighty wind and what appeared to be tongues of fire alighting on those gathered there. Another miracle occurred as those people, now filled with God's Spirit, began to speak in the languages of people from many lands so that all could understand their words.
Often overlooked in this account is the day on which these events occurred, the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1), one of the festivals God commanded for His people many centuries before (Leviticus 23). In revealing these festivals, God said that "these are My feasts... the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations" (verses 2, 4). God proclaimed that these festivals were to be "a statute forever throughout your generations" (verses 14, 21, 31, 41).
The Gospels show that Jesus Christ observed the same festivals (Matthew 26:17-19; John 7:10-14, 37-38). Both the book of Acts and Paul's letters show the apostles keeping these festivals during the decades after Christ's crucifixion (Acts 2:1-4; 18:21; 20:6, 16; 27:9).
Most churches teach that the festivals were "nailed to the cross," that they were somehow annulled by Christ's death. Yet the unmistakable record of the Bible is that the early Church continued to observe them, but with greater grasp of their spiritual significance.
Speaking of one of these God-given feasts, the apostle Paul urged the church in Corinth-a mixed group of gentile and Jewish believers-to "keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8). Paul was clearly referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread (see Leviticus 23:6; Deuteronomy 16:16).
Paul explained the significance of the Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7; Leviticus 23:5) and gave instructions on how to properly observe this ceremony (1 Corinthians 11:23-28).
The many references in the Gospels, Acts and Paul's epistles prompt an obvious question: Since Jesus, the apostles and the early Church kept these days, why don't churches teach and observe them today? After all, Paul directly tied the feasts to Jesus, His purpose and His sacrifice for mankind (1 Corinthians 5:7). (To learn more about these festivals, send for or It was Jesus' custom to go to the synagogue every Sabbath to worship (Luke 4:16). Contrary to the teaching of those who say that Paul abandoned the Sabbath, it was his custom, too, to go to the synagogue every Sabbath (Acts 17:1-3), using the opportunity to teach others about Jesus Christ.
The weekly Sabbath is another of God's festivals, like those mentioned earlier. It is, in fact, the first of His feasts listed (Leviticus 23:1-4). It is included in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15).
As with God's other feasts, the Sabbath is ignored by the overwhelming majority of churches. Rather than keeping the Sabbath as God commanded, most churches meet on the first day of the week-Sunday-a day nowhere commanded in the Bible as a day of worship. Why? If we are to observe any day as a weekly day of rest and worship, shouldn't it be the same day Jesus Christ and the apostles kept? (Be sure to request or Following Christ's example, the apostles powerfully preached about Jesus Christ's return to establish the coming Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43; 8:1; 21:27, 31; Acts 1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31). But Paul warned that, even in his day, some were already preaching "a different gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6).
We see much confusion in churches about what the gospel is. Most view it as a message about Christ's life story and His death to "save" us without really understanding why He came and why He had to die and without proclaiming the message of God's Kingdom that Christ Himself taught (Mark 1:14-15).
Similarly, Jesus and the apostles did not teach that the righteous ascend to heaven at death (John 3:13; Acts 2:29, 34), and they understood that man does not possess an immortal soul (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Matthew 10:28) that would spend eternity in either heaven or hell. (For the truth on these matters, These are some of the major differences between the Christianity of the time of Christ and the apostles and that commonly practiced today. Shouldn't you look into your Bible to see if your beliefs and practices square with what Jesus Christ and the apostles practiced and taught? As noted, we have many resources that can help in your study of God's Word.
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An interesting research article from
Let's examine this subject and review what the Bible and history say regarding Christmas observance and its customs.
When the apostle Paul addressed the issue of how flexible Christians should be in their fellowship, he stated: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you'" (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).
NO NEW DAYS OF WORSHIP
Regarding pagan beliefs and customs, the New Testament is as emphatic in rejecting them as the Old. There is not a single example in the New Testament of a new religious feast day being established in Christ's honor. Following Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, the New Testament was written over a period of 60 to 70 years-yet nowhere in that written record is there evidence of or instructions for institution of new days of worship in His honor.
Instead, the New Testament records that Christians continued to keep the Old Testament Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23 without interruption, but with greater spiritual understanding than before. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states: "The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians... [who] continued to observe the Jewish Festivals though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed" (Vol. 8, p. 828, 11th edition).
It was natural for the early Christians to continue keeping the biblical Holy Days, which now centered on celebrating Christ's successive interventions on behalf of mankind in the past, present and in future.
The Bible gives clear instructions regarding the use of pagan practices to worship the true God.
God was clear when He told His people: "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them...and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:30-32).
The New Testament Church clearly understood this, and there is no hint during that time of new days of worship being established. It was well into the second century before new man-made feasts to honor Jesus Christ began to appear in Rome.
The first was the Easter Sunday celebration, which history records was kept in Rome about A.D. 135. Christmas appears to have first been observed around A.D. 230 and became definitely established on Dec. 25 by the year A.D. 435. Meanwhile, the biblical Holy Days commanded in the Old Testament and continued in apostolic times were systematically abandoned.
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS
If Christmas was not observed in the time of the apostles, how did it come to be observed? The pre-Christian origins of Christmas can be found in almost any book about the day. The briefest research will show that its roots extend into many different religions and pagan beliefs.
"Saturnalia and the kalends were the celebrations most familiar to early Christians, December 17-24 and January 1-3, but the tradition of celebrating December 25 as Christ's birthday came to the Romans from Persia. Mithra, the Persian God of light and sacred contracts, was born out of a rock on December 25. Rome was famous for its flirtations with strange gods and cults, and in the third century the emperor Aurelian established the festival of Dies Invicti Solis, the Day of the Invincible Sun, on December 25.
"Mithra was an embodiment of the sun, so this period of its rebirth was a major day in Mithraism, which had become Rome's latest official religion with the patronage of Aurelian. It is believed that the emperor Constantine adhered to Mithraism up to the time of his conversion to Christianity. He was probably instrumental in seeing that the major feast of his old religion was carried over to his new faith" (Gerard and Patricia Del Re, The Christmas Almanac, p. 17).
"As ancient as civilization itself is the custom of celebrating a festival at the time of the winter solstice, at the turning of the year, when days begin to lengthen and the sun to return. In Egypt January 6 was honored as the birthday of Osiris; in Rome December 25 was the birthday of Mithra and the feast of Sol Invictus, the unconquered sun. Both dates became identified with Christ's appearance on earth.
"In the East January 6, which had also been a pagan water festival, was fixed as the date of his baptism and marked by the blessing of baptismal waters. In the West it commemorated the adoration of the Magi, the three wise men who came to worship Christ as representatives of the people of the world. Almost everywhere December 25 came to be accepted as the day of the Nativity. The joyous celebrations of the pagan mid-winter festivals were continued by Christians" (Roland H. Bainton, The Horizon History of Christianity, p. 368).
Additional beliefs merged
As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, additional beliefs were merged into it, resulting in the mixture of customs observed today. "There are indications...that as Christians went on from year to year and century to century developing the rites of Christmas, they borrowed, adopted, or simply carried over elements of other midwinter celebrations" (Gerard and Patricia Del Re, The Christmas Almanac, p. 15).
Many pagan customs were imported directly into the church with little or no change. "Certainly the official Church inspired its missionaries to make the winter feast a Christian festival. In 601, Pope Gregory instructed Augustine of Canterbury to follow the custom of decking temples with greenery by decking churches in the same manner, and to solemnise the time by Christian feasting.
"'Nor let them now sacrifice animals to the Devil, but to the praise of God kill animals for their own eating, and render thanks to the Giver of all for their abundance...For from obdurate minds it is impossible to cut off everything at once...'" Pope Gregory said (William Sansom, A Book of Christmas, p. 30).
Does man have the authority of the Bible to innovate and adopt other days of worship? Notice what Jesus Christ told His apostles when He gave them the great commission: "'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age'" (Matthew 28:18-20).
Christ never even hinted that His followers would have the authority to establish new days of worship. He told the apostles to teach His followers "to observe all things" He had commanded them. Throughout His earthly ministry He had diligently kept God's Sabbath and Holy Days, which now were filled with new meaning. The early Church continued in their observance, following Christ's own example.
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology states: "In the early Christian church the propriety of celebrating the festivals together with the whole of the Jewish people was never questioned, so that it needed no special mention" (Vol. 1, p. 628).
Does the new covenant render all prior biblical forms of worship obsolete, giving Christians freedom to express their faith and gratitude in any way they wish? How much freedom do Christians have to innovate in their worship? They are given only as much freedom as was authorized in the New Testament.
ADDED TRADITIONS REJECTED
For instance, notice the Pharisees' approach to the Scriptures. They argued with Christ that they could innovate and add to God's laws new traditions, reasoning that they could better express their faith by doing so. They asked Christ, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" (Mark 7:5).
How did Christ answer? Did He explain that their practices were perfectly acceptable since He came so they could add even more traditions? He certainly did not!
Here is His answer: "'...In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men...All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition" (Mark 7:7-9).
Just as the Pharisees added their traditions to the law of God, so do many churches today. But Christ's answer directly condemns this practice.
What happens when God's feasts are no longer considered holy and their observance is viewed as optional? A vacuum results. Since the biblical feasts are the only ones authorized in Scripture, historically mankind has had to innovate. Religious leaders have looked to popular religious festivals outside the Bible that can be "Christianized," such as the pre-Christian festivals and celebrations that came to be renamed Christmas.
Unlike the biblical Feasts, which picture the steps in God's plan that offer salvation to all mankind, Christmas is a shallow man-made substitute.
Christ did not consider His birth of prime importance. Instead He instructed His followers to observe the Passover, commemorating the sacrifice of His life for the sins of the world. After instituting new symbols representing the importance of His life and sacrifice for us, He told the disciples "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24).
The whole concept of celebrating Christ's birth would have been foreign to His disciples and the writers of the New Testament. "To the early Christians the idea of celebrating the birthday of a religious figure would have seemed at best peculiar, at worst blasphemous. Being born into this world was nothing to celebrate. What mattered was leaving this world and entering the next in a condition pleasing to God...
"No, if you wanted to search the New Testament world for peoples who attached significance to birthdays, your search would quickly narrow to pagans. The Romans celebrated the birthdays of the Caesars, and most non-Christian Mediterranean religions attached importance to the natal feasts of a pantheon of supernatural figures" (Tom Flynn, The Trouble With Christmas, p. 42)
ORIGIN OF BIBLICAL FESTIVALS
Some go so far in advocating new forms of worship as to propose that the biblical feast days commanded by God in Leviticus 23 are ultimately derived from pagan celebrations. Certainly there is no biblical basis for such a claim. Such opinions are based in liberal theology. Conservative scholars on the whole discard such theories.
Reflecting the conservative point of view, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states: "The sacred seasons of Israel stem directly from divine revelation and were designed to illustrate significant aspects of the eternal redemption that God had already ordained for His own under the OT. The Hebrew calendar of convocations is therefore not to be explained on the basis of natural phenomena, such as the phases of the moon or the Palestinian agricultural cycle.
"Neither may it be attributed to pre-Mosaic custom, whether Canaanite or nomadic. Israel's feasts served rather as divinely revealed expressions of the moral obligations of His people, as memorials of God's saving acts in the past, as sacraments of His sanctifying power in the present, and as types of His anticipated victory over sin in the forthcoming first and second advents of Jesus Christ" (Vol. 2, pp. 292, 293).
In fact, according to the biblical history of Genesis 1-11, it was not God's way that came out of paganism, but paganism that came out of God's way, when man left His guidance and laws. Mankind then established corrupted systems with only glimpses of God's truths. Dr. Stephen Langdon, one of the great archaeologists and Assyriologists of this century, said: "In my opinion, the history of man's most ancient religion reveals a rapid tendency from pure monotheism to extreme polytheism and its focus on evil spirits. In its most absolute sense, it is the account of the fall of Man" (Sir Charles Marston, The Bible Spoke the Truth, p. 72).
OTHER FEASTS ADDED
Some believe that since the Jews added the feasts of Hanukkah and Purim in biblical times, we are free today to add religious holidays and celebrations of our own choosing. Does their observance sanction the institution of additional religious holidays?
There is a major difference in background and intent. Nowhere did Hanukkah and Purim incorporate pagan forms of worship into a celebration honoring the true God. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple after its defilement by the Syrian king Antiochus, and Purim commemorates the defeat of the Jews' enemies in the time of Queen Esther. As such, they are celebrations of thanks and honor to God, similar to Thanksgiving Day as observed in the U.S.
Christmas, however, is very different. It is a syncretism of numerous pagan beliefs and customs into a celebration supposedly honoring the Son of God, a practice soundly condemned in the Bible (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:1-4, 30-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17).
"...Though it celebrates the mightiest event in the history of Christendom, it was overlaid upon heathen festivals, and many of its observances are only adaptations of pagan to Christian ceremonial. This was no mere accident. It was a necessary measure at a time when the new religion was forcing itself upon a deeply superstitious people. In order to reconcile fresh converts to the new faith, and to make the breaking of old ties as painless as possible, these relics of paganism were retained under modified forms, in the same way that antique columns, transferred from pagan temples, became parts of the new churches built by Christians in honor of their God and his saints" (The Story of Santa Klaus, p. 58, 59).
Regarding the background of Christmas, Tom Flynn wrote: "In my research, I found only one Christmas custom that seems to belong exclusively to Christianity. Christians appear to have invented the Midnight Mass out of whole cloth. Celebrated in Rome as early as the fifth century, it alone appears not to have significant pagan antecedents" (The Trouble With Christmas, p. 70).
WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
Since Christmas is not authorized by God nor by the Bible, it can never be holy. Jesus Christ Himself said that "true worshippers...must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23, 24). Christmas celebration is not sanctioned by the Scriptures. Such idolatrous practices are at best futile, foolish and worthless (Jeremiah 10:1-8).
At worst, since such practices break the First and Second Commandments, they are sin. When God said: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3), He condemns forms of worship that celebrated the supposed birth the sun or false gods. When God states: "You shall not make for yourself an idol...You shall not bow down to them or worship them..." (Exodus 20:4, New International Version), He also condemns inventing religious feasts and celebrations to replace those God ordained.
Why not just keep the Holy Days that come directly from God and picture His plan to offer salvation to humankind?
Paul's warnings to Timothy about what would happen in the church should also be a warning to us: "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (2 Timothy 4:1-4).
Christmas is one of those fables. GN
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From The Catholic Leader-
Pope Francis has had his first meeting with the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, and CINDY WOODEN, of Catholic News Service in Rome, reports that they spoke of the differences that divide as well as the common goal for full unity.
POPE Francis and spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury pledged to support each other with their prayers and to continue the search for full unity between their communities.
Meeting at the Vatican on June 14, praying together in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the Apostolic Palace and eating lunch together in the papal residence, both remarked on the fact that Pope Francis' inaugural Mass was celebrated on March 19 and Archbishop Welby's installation was on March 21.
More here-
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CLICK ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TO VIEW:
MEMORIAL (Lord's Evening Meal) (INDEX; Watchtower Online Library)
Lord's Evening Meal (Insight-2 pp. 268-271; Watchtower Online Library)
The Lord's Evening Meal-An Observance That Honors God (bh p. 206-p. 208; Watchtower Online Library)
Who Are to Partake of the Bread and the Wine and How Does One Know if They Are of the Anointed Or Called to Heavenly Life? (Search For Bible Truths)
Why Observe the Lord's Evening Meal? (w03 2/15 pp. 12-16; Watchtower Online Library)
The Lord's Evening Meal-How Observed? (w04 3/15 pp. 4-7; Watchtower Online Library)
What Does the Lord's Evening Meal Mean to You? (w03 2/15 pp. 17-22; Watchtower Online Library)
The Ransom-God's Greatest Gift (bh chap. 5 pp. 47-56; Watchtower Online Library)
How can you demonstrate that you appreciate God's gift of the ransom? Attend the annual observance of the Lord's Evening Meal"."
The Eucharist-The Facts Behind the Ritual (w08 4/1 pp. 26-29; Watchtower Online Library)
What was the original observance that Jesus instituted like?
Credit: http://practicing-wicca.blogspot.com
"And the Lord Saideth, "More Icons
The story goes that when Vladimir of Rus was looking for a religion for his pagan kingdom he sent emissaries out to the Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The ones that traveled to Constantinople reported they attended the Divine Liturgy in Haga Sophia. They further stated that during the service they could not tell if they were in on Earth or in Heaven. The emissaries witness the cosmographic design of the Divine Liturgy whose purpose is to bring a taste of heaven unto the Earth. The Divine Liturgy is how Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholics conduct worship services. In Western rite churches the services is the equivalent to a mass. Unlike modern Western church masses that focus on recreating the feel of the Last Supper, Eastern services combine the Lord's Supper with bringing the feeling of Heaven unto the Earth. A microgeography is used to create this feeling.
A well laid plan
Attendees of the Divine Liturgy enter through the narthex or lobby. The narthex serves a part in the liturgy unlike Western churches that tend just to have a lobby to separate the church proper and the outside It is here where confessions are heard. Eastern churches continually stress that confessions need to be the last part of preparation before one can fully take part in the service by taking communion. Prayer and fasting are the first two steps. Once these preparations are complete then one can enter the church proper. I have been told that the narthex should become smaller and smaller as one approaches its end. This represents the narrow path to Heaven.
People gather and witness the Divine Liturgy in the nave or church proper. The older or more traditional the church the more likely the nave will be completely covered icons. Also, chairs tend to be hard to come by depending on the priest's preference. During service most of the lights are to be turned off in the nave. Candelas are traditionally used to give a glow of faith/love/grace in the darkness.
The people in the nave are witnesses with their ears and eyes to what goes on behind the icon screen. Behind this obstruction the priest conducts most of the service with the deacon. Depending on what denomination, the icon screen can be fully obstructing or only partially. This represents the division between man and God. At other points in the service a choir will sing behind the screen too.
It is behind the icon where the alter, the holy of holies, is located. This represents the closest heaven ever comes to Earth. Access to the holy of holies is strictly regulated. Once the Eucharist is blessed the priest takes it out of the alter into the nave and dispenses it to the people. This represents the priest's role as intermediate between God/Heaven and the people/Earth.
While there is still a bit more service to go after communion the micrography of the church reaches its climax here. The design of the church has successfully brought Heaven to Earth for the faithful.
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EXODUS 30 (CHOSEN PAGES)
(EX 30, 22-32) IT SHALL BE TREATED AS SACRED BY YOU
[22] The LORD said to Moses, [23] "Take the finest spices: five hundred shekels of free-flowing myrrh; half that amount, that is, two hundred and fifty shekels, of fragrant cinnamon; two hundred and fifty shekels of fragrant cane; [24] five hundred shekels of cassia-all according to the standard of the sanctuary shekel; together with a hin of olive oil; [25] and blend them into sacred anointing oil, perfumed ointment expertly prepared. [26] With this sacred anointing oil you shall anoint the meeting tent and the ark of the commandments, [27] the table and all its appurtenances, the lampstand and its appurtenances, the altar of incense [28] and the altar of holocausts with all its appurtenances, and the laver with its base. [29] When you have consecrated them, they shall be most sacred; whatever touches them shall be sacred. [30] Aaron and his sons you shall also anoint and consecrate as my priests. [31] To the Israelites you shall say: As sacred anointing oil this shall belong to me throughout your generations. [32] It may not be used in any ordinary anointing of the body, nor may you make any other oil of a like mixture. It is sacred, and shall be treated as sacred by you. (CCC 695) "Anointing". The symbolism of anointing with oil also signifies the Holy Spirit (Cf. 1 Jn 2:20:27; 2 Cor 1:21), to the point of becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit. In Christian initiation, anointing is the sacramental sign of Confirmation, called "chrismation" in the Churches of the East. Its full force can be grasped only in relation to the primary anointing accomplished by the Holy Spirit, that of Jesus. Christ (in Hebrew "messiah") means the one "anointed" by God's Spirit. There were several anointed ones of the Lord in the Old Covenant, pre-eminently King David (Cf. Ex 30:22-32; 1 Sam 16:13). But Jesus is God's Anointed in a unique way: the humanity the Son assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit established him as "Christ" (Cf. Lk 4: 18-19; Isa 61:1). The Virgin Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit who, through the angel, proclaimed him the Christ at his birth, and prompted Simeon to come to the temple to see the Christ of the Lord (Cf. Lk 2:11, 26-27). The Spirit filled Christ and the power of the Spirit went out from him in his acts of healing and of saving (Cf. Lk 4:1; 6:19; 8:46). Finally, it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Cf. Rom 1:4; 8:11). Now, fully established as "Christ" in his humanity victorious over death, Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit abundantly until "the saints" constitute - in their union with the humanity of the Son of God - that perfect man "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph 4:13; cf. Acts 2:36): "the whole Christ," in St. Augustine's expression.
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I John 5:4-12
John 20:19-23
"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
At the beginning of Saint John's First Epistle we see a connection between the fellowship that the Apostles had with Jesus Christ during the years in which they followed Him from town to town, the relationship they maintained with Him after His resurrection, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that began to be manifested on the day of Pentecost. Among those charismatic realities we are given the sacraments that belong to the priesthood, chief of which is the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. This continued fellowship with the Risen Christ is, in a sense, Part II of the Incarnation. It is the Incarnation as it continues to affect the fallen world through His Body the Church, from which the Lord is never absent. He is its chief member, the Head of the Body.
So now, hear these words from that Epistle:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
We should think together about how this brings us to the words in the fifth chapter that we have read this day, especially, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." We should reflect on the charismatic reality and power of the Church, and of how we remain in this blessed fellowship. We should reflect on how the hands of the apostles handled the Risen Lord, and how their eyes saw Him, and how we continue in that fellowship. We should reflect upon the reality of His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament when our eyes see and our hands handle the Word of Life even here and now. All of this is part of having fellowship with the Apostles, and in that fellowship, fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, that our joy may be full.
We speak of the Sacramental Life, and we need to know that this is, indeed, Part II of the Incarnation. The Sacramental Life is everything that we have read about. We know that our Lord came to his earth by taking the limitation of human nature into the infinity of His Divine Person as God the Son, time into eternity, creation into uncreated Life, man into God. The means of our salvation are physical, located in time and space, visible in history. His conception and birth, the Nativity in Bethlehem wherein the words of Christopher Smart ring true: "God all bounteous, all creative, Whom no ills from good dissuade, Is incarnate and a native of the very world He made." In going "about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the Devil" the Son of Man made use of matter, the touch of His hands and the vibrations of his voice, serving to heal through these means. By taking all of our sins and dying on the cross as the "sacrifice for sin," and then after death "prolonging His days" by rising again, He used the physical means of our world, our home, to bring us salvation. He bore in His own body our sins on the tree, and by rising to life again destroyed death, and the one who has the power of death.
Therefore, to conclude that salvation is sacramental in nature, that it depends on the Incarnation, and is part both of the Church's message and ministry, is to understand the apostolic fellowship about which Saint John taught us. It all comes from the richest truth gleaned from that simple phrase "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." Without a flesh and blood Jesus who is fully God and Fully man, and without His resurrection by which he ever lives to make intercession for us, and without His continued ministry through His Body the Church by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, how do we remain in the fellowship of which Saint John speaks? This is a question we need not ask. We need, rather, to be in that fellowship. We are invited in, welcomed in, and even urged in. The benefits are eternal.
We see from the Gospel this day that our Lord ordained the Apostles, and that this included the priestly gift of the power to absolve sins. Make no mistake. This is the power about which the people had rejoiced when "they glorified God, because this power had been given unto men (Matthew 9:8)." To the Jews of that time, when the temple yet stood, this was indeed a priestly power. In the Law of Moses, the laws of "Kippur", Atonement, required a priest to offer sacrifice for the penitent Israelite who, coming to the priest, made his confession of sin. In order to reconcile the penitent to God, the priest was required to make atonement. But, he could not kill himself, and so had to slay an animal in sacrifice (in his own place as the atonement), so that remission of sins could come through the shedding of blood. Of course, to the Israelites, it was only natural to understand confession of sin in relation to the priests and sacrifice.
For us, the sacrifices are a type and shadow of the real sacrifice, that of Christ on His cross. So, on our altars we do not shed blood, but rather we obey the words, "do this as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of Me. Types and shadows have their ending, for the newer Rite is here." So too, when we hear confession, we speak words that are the sacramental matter and form to effect genuine absolution. When the Lord granted to men this power in His own words of Ordination, He handed on the priestly ministry of forgiving sins that is granted by His own priestly act as the true Atonement, the real "Kippur", by the shedding of His own blood. The Risen Christ has, by this sacrifice, given to the Church, by means of apostolic and priestly ministry, this great gift as part of that fellowship, "this life [that] is in His Son."
Some of you may feel the need to make a private confession other than the General Confession, and that may very well be the voice of the Holy Spirit directing you. If so, do you fear the pain of making confession? Consider His pain by which this gift is given. Do you fear the embarrassment of confessing your sins to a man? Consider His humiliation by which this gift is given. Do you want fellowship with the Church of the Apostles? Do you want, through that fellowship, the fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ? Do you want your joy to be full? Then do not be afraid to come and confess your sins. The Risen Christ, using even now the means of this physical world, the presence of men who hear, the vibrations, that is the sound of your words of confession and their words of absolution, gives this wonderful certainty that your burden is laid down, and your soul healed.
Even now, in His Body the Church, by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, those charismatic realities that make the sacraments genuine and powerful, He yet goes about doing good, healing all who are oppressed by the Devil. Even now, this very day, within His Body the Church, He gives the fullness of this rich salvation. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
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"For God so loved the world, that he gave is only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life," JOHN 3:16. The question asked in the title of this commentary is "Is Satan a believer?" How about his minions of evil? Are they believers? The quick answer is yes. Please don't misunderstand and fly off the handle promising never to read another of my commentaries. At least finish the commentary before you tar and feather me. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble," JAMES 2:19.
Satan along with his followers believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, so in that sense we may say they are believers, but only in the sense that they acknowledge God's existence. Acknowledging His existence isn't the same as believing with faith. A belief that leads to "faith" is not at all what Satan and his cohorts are all about. Demons, of which Satan is the reigning king, have no faith in anything, yet we know they believe because James the brother of Jesus tells us so. In fact the Greek word for believe is "pisteuo" which means:
1) Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in The New Testament of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
A) Relating to God
1) The conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
B) Relating to Christ
1) A strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.
When you're out witnessing have you ever been asked the question, "How does someone become a Christian?" In Acts chapter 16, verses 30 and 31, Luke tells us of an occasion when Paul and Silas were in prison, and the jailer asked them "Sirs, what must I do to be saved"? "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved".I can honestly say, after reading the scriptures, that Satan and all those angels that fell with him will never look on Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. When they made the decision to rebel it was for eternity.
If we believe in our heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and confess with our mouth that God raised Him from the grave we will be saved. Those who like to say there is more to being saved than just believing in Jesus always throw out "Well didn't Satan and his demons believe? As a matter of fact, don't they know the scriptures better than anyone on earth?"They invariably quote the verse in James that I added above. "The devils also believe and tremble." The word in the Greek for tremble is "phrisso". Translated into English it means to shudder, to be struck with extreme fear, to be horrified. I don't know about you but horrified never comes to my mind as I dwell on my Savior's love for me. From what I have come to know about Jesus I can tell you this: I wouldn't want to leave earth without Him. That "would" be horrifying.
From the beginning it has been Satan's plan to elevate himself above God. "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High, Isaiah 14:13, perfection has never been achieved by anyone except Jesus Himself who, as we all know is God Almighty, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us...If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us, 1JOHN 1: 8 use due diligence in searching the scriptures for yourselves. Let me say that again just so everyone gets it this time. Search the scriptures for "yourself"; ask God to enlighten you with the truth of His word. Be sure you're not being led away from the truth instead of closer to it. Memorize Acts 17:11.
It is not my intention in this commentary to begin a debate on whether or not Satan is a believer, nor am I attempting to add fuel to the already raging fire of the '"once saved always saved"' doctrine. It is my intention, though, to lend a hand to those who get stumbled by the teachings of those who try to add to the sufficiency of the cross. All believers can enjoy their freedom in Christ because we believe in His Gospel, we believe in His death on a cross, in His burial, and in His resurrection. Through God's word we actually have a solid biblical argument to refute those who make the claim that believing is not good enough.
Matthew in his Gospel shows us Christ's Jewishness and in so doing uses the word "believe" ten times. Mark shows us Christ as a suffering servant and he uses the word "believe" ten times. In Luke's Gospel we are shown Jesus' humanity. He uses the word "believe" nine times. The Apostle John in his Gospel makes use of the word "believe" ninety-nine times. Why? Because John is detailing for us Christ's Deity, and he's explaining the procedure we must go through to obtain salvation. What is that procedure? Believe on the one God sent. We are to believe to be saved. John 3:16 is a perfect verse to reassure us of our salvation and how it's not tied to any type of works. Jesus paid it all, we believe and are saved. Satan and his demons on the other hand are not saved and never will be. They have been condemned by God and their ultimate destination is secure.
A book I read recently told a frightening tale of a place we all call Hell. It was terrifying. It was written by a Christian man who says he was taken down to Hell to experience its horribleness by none other than Jesus Christ Himself. This man tells his tale of how demons were there to torment him and that, even though they would inflict him with terrible fatal wounds, he did not die. The wounds healed right away and the demons would then do it all over again. He went through this torment and other dreadful experiences for about 20 minutes. The experience of reading a book such as the one I just described, even if you consider it pure fiction as I do, will give you something rather frightening to think about, especially when it comes to your family members who you know aren't saved. The idea of Jesus taking someone to Hell to allow them to be inflicted by demons is absurd. Satan and his demon followers will be suffering in Hell not running Hell like a resort. He will have no power in Hell. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth for them just as there will be for all who perish because of non-belief.
And Jesus said to them, "...for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins, JOHN 8:24.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham
Reference: http://witchcraftforall.blogspot.com
(Rm 2, 25-29) Circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit
[25] Circumcision, to be sure, has value if you observe the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. [26] Again, if an uncircumcised man keeps the precepts of the law, will he not be considered circumcised?
[27] Indeed, those who are physically uncircumcised but carry out the law will pass judgment on you, with your written law and circumcision, who break the law. [28] One is not a Jew outwardly. True circumcision is not outward, in the flesh. [29] Rather, one is a Jew inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not the letter; his praise is not from human beings but from God.
(CCC 1150) Signs of the covenant. The Chosen People received from God distinctive signs and symbols that marked its liturgical life. These are no longer solely celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of the covenant, symbols of God's mighty deeds for his people. Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover.
The Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the sacraments of the New Covenant. (CCC 527) Jesus' circumcision, on the eighth day after his birth (Cf. Lk 2:21), is the sign of his incorporation into Abraham's descendants, into the people of the covenant. It is the sign of his submission to the Law (Cf.
Gal 4:4) and his deputation to Israel's worship, in which he will participate throughout his life. This sign prefigures that "circumcision of Christ" which is Baptism (Cf. Col 2:11-13). (CCC 1151) Signs taken up by Christ. In his preaching the Lord Jesus often makes use of the signs of creation to make known the mysteries of the Kingdom of God (Cf.
Lk 8:10). He performs healings and illustrates his preaching with physical signs or symbolic gestures (Cf. Jn 9:6; Mk 7:33 ff.; 8:22 ff). He gives new meaning to the deeds and signs of the Old Covenant, above all to the Exodus and the Passover (Cf. Lk 9:31; 22:7-20), for he himself is the meaning of all these signs.
(CCC 1152) Sacramental signs. Since Pentecost, it is through the sacramental signs of his Church that the Holy Spirit carries on the work of sanctification. The sacraments of the Church do not abolish but purify and integrate all the richness of the signs and symbols of the cosmos and of social life.
Further, they fulfill the types and figures of the Old Covenant, signify and make actively present the salvation wrought by Christ, and prefigure and anticipate the glory of heaven.
Credit: http://my-spiritual-path.blogspot.com
If you're as old as I am, you might remember this annoying TV commercial from the 1970's.The executives who came up with this ad imagined that, if each satisfied customer convinced two of her friends to try the product, then sales would go viral, and soon every woman on the planet would be using Faberg'e Organics shampoo.
Did that happen? Of course not. In retrospect, the idea that consumers would, simply by viewing this commercial, be transformed into an aggressive and unpaid sales force was preposterous. This ad may have sold a few bottles of shampoo to desperate young women who were willing to try anything to have hair like Farah Fawcett and Heather Locklear. But the brand didn't experience anything like the exponential growth in sales that this commercial envisions.
Ever since my college days, I have heard a similar idea promoted as the best, indeed the only truly effective, strategy for evangelizing the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The idea is that we can carry out the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20) only if we put aside addition and intentionally strive for multiplication. Rather than trying to convert large numbers of people to become nominal Christians, we need to focus our efforts on making a small number of zealous disciples who will make more disciples, who will make more disciples, and so on. These disciples that we make cannot be those typical, average, low-level churchgoers (a.k.a. "cultural Christians" or
"Sunday Christians") but an elite force of highly committed, well trained, well disciplined, self-replicating apostles. Then, in a few generations, "voila"! - the Great Commission has been fulfilled.
In his classic book The "Master Plan of Evangelism" (first printing in 1963), Robert E. Coleman makes a compelling case that this was the strategy envisioned by Jesus himself, his "master plan" for reaching the lost world. Over the course of Jesus' three-year ministry, the gospel accounts show Jesus paying increasing attention to the twelve apostles. Among them, he places special emphasis on three (Peter, James and John), and among these three he shows special love and care to one (Peter). Jesus didn't focus on a small number of apostles because he didn't care about the world. Rather, he did it precisely because he loved the whole world and he knew that the strategy of multiplication was the surest and most effective way to evangelize the planet.
Yes, it is true that Jesus focused his efforts on a small number of highly committed disciples, and it was they who bore witness of his resurrection to the world. But does this fact canonize multiplication as the definitive, divinely mandated method by which Christ's mission to the lost world will be accomplished?
A generation ago, many evangelicals would have said, "Yes." Giving top priority to raising highly committed Christians who were passionate about sharing the gospel was the hallmark of 20th century parachurch ministries. The Navigators, for example, developed and practiced elaborate discipleship programs whose main purpose was to create self-replicating disciples. Dr. Samuel Lee, the founder of UBF (who credited the Navigators as one of his spiritual influences), emphasized one-to-one Bible study for the purpose of raising Bible teachers who would in turn raise more Bible teachers.
Ministries based on this idea did at first meet with some success. But most experienced a dramatic slowdown in growth during the 1980's and 1990's, and within the last decade those efforts virtually ground to a halt. Many disciples were made, and here and there a few still are being made. But the results have not come anywhere close to the wildly optimistic predictions of a generation ago.
Why didn't the multiplication strategy pan out?
Here is one possible explanation: The present generation of Christians has lost its zeal. Ministry members became complacent, lazy, worldly, self-centered, and so on. If they just repent and recover the spirit of the ministry founders - their passion, dedication, boldness, and absolute obedience to Jesus' world-mission command - then the multiplication strategy will surely succeed.
Perhaps that explanation has some merit. But many evangelicals are coming to believe that the basic idea of multiplication is unrealistic. My wife and I have been working through an excellent book published by NavPress called "The Complete Book of Discipleship" (2006). The author, Bill Hull, is a pastor and writer who was discipled by Navigators and Athletes in Action. Hull used to promote the multiplication doctrine. But on pp. 27-28, he writes:
"As many writers and teachers have proclaimed, when all who become disciples make disciples through several spiritual generations, the result should not be reproduction (adding disciples one at a time) but multiplication (one disciple makes two, who make four, who make sixteen, and so on). I've heard sermons (in fact, I've preached a few) theorizing that if we just follow this multiplication plan, the entire world will be converted to Christianity in thirty years. That was more than thirty years ago."
"In spite of how logical it sounds, this plan runs aground repeatedly on the rocks of human frailty and ignorance of how people really change. We must admit that this mathematical formula has never worked in any broad way. It might have limited success in controlled environments, but it would be wrong to claim that multiplication has worked to the extent of reaching whole cities, cultures or generations."
There's nothing wrong with making disciples of Christ. In fact, Jesus commands us to do it. The key question is: What are these disciples supposed to be doing? Should they be singlemindedly devoted to making more disciples? Or should they be focused on something else?
In the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
A disciple must be taught to do everything that Jesus commands. And Jesus commands us to do a whole lot more than just making disciples. Hull notes (pp. 29-30) that the New Testament records 212 commands of Jesus. These commands can be summarized in three simple principles:
1. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
3. Love your enemies.
Faithfulness to the Great Commission requires a kind of discipleship whose primary goal is spiritual formation that produces the inner fruit of the Spirit manifested in loving relationships. When Christ and his love are present, the church sees growth that is natural and contagious. Hull writes (p. 28):
"The principle behind discipleship does involve one person influencing another, which does result in a change in heart and mind. The success of discipleship doesn't depend on soldiering forward in a mechanical strategy of reproduction and multiplication. And discipleship doesn't involve developing a well-trained, elite sales force. Rather discipleship occurs when a transformed person radiates Christ to those around her. It happens when people so experience God's love that they can do nothing other than affect those around them."
"The heart of being a disciple involves living in intimate union and daily contact with Christ. Discipleship - the effort both to be a disciple and to make other disciples - is about the immense value of God at work in one individual's life and the resulting impact on other lives."
In the next installment, I will describe some truly surprising, unexpected means by which the early church grew over the first three centuries. Stay tuned.
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