Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com
Each vessel, that is, each person, lives in their own world. Only vessels that live in a similar world can understand each other.
Run your spiritual business well. Evaluate your spiritual losses and spiritual gains. Correct your faults, increase your virtues.
Salvation is to turn your heart to your Creator, renouncing self-love. Loss of salvation is to turn your heart away from your Creator, embracing self-love.
Do you want to be a temple of the Trinitarian God? Each person makes this decision for himself. Each person devotes himself by his free will. No one can make the choice for another person.
Do you want to be a temple of the Trinitarian Lord filled with grace, virtue, knowledge, and spiritual gifts? Or do you want to be a pagan temple filled with vice, ignorance, delusion, and darkness?
The life of Light is the life of keeping the Law of Moses and the Law of Lord Jesus. The life of Darkness is the life of transgressing the Law of Moses and the Law of Lord Jesus.
Do you want to live the Way of Life or the Way of Death? The Law of Moses and the Law of Lord Jesus are the Way of Life. Transgressing the Law of Moses and the Law of Lord Jesus are the Way of Death.
Do and it will be done to you: Greet and you will be greeted. Give and it will be given to you. Serve and you will be served. Love and you will be loved. Do not greet and you will not be greeted. Do not give and it will not be given to you. Do not serve and you will not be served. Do not love and you will not be loved.
All pagan temples will be destroyed. That is, all persons who make themselves a pagan temple. All Orthodox Christian temples will be preserved. That is, all persons who make themselves an Orthodox Christian temple.
The holy God is heaven to the holy, and hell to the unholy.
The teaching of the Orthodox Christian Teacher is: Frugal food, Frugal possessions, Non-glory, and Non-romance. These four constitute the Great Way of happiness and salvation.
An Orthodox Christian must guard his mind, rejecting every evil thought. An Orthodox Christian must guard his heart, rejecting every evil feeling. An Orthodox Christian must guard his eyes and ears, rejecting every evil sight and evil hearing. An Orthodox Christian must guard his tongue, rejecting every evil word. An Orthodox Christian must guard his body, rejecting every evil bodily practice.
If you are an Orthodox Christian temple you must have a liturgy constantly being conducted in you. Your mind and heart must be consecrated to the Trinitarian Lord, offering noetic sacrifice and unceasing prayer.
(Matt. 7:12): “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them”. Do you want to be greeted, then greet. Do you want to be given to you, then give. Do you want to be served, then serve. Do you want to be loved, then love.
(Gal 6:7): “Whatever a man sows, that he will reap”.
According to natural law you will receive the following: good for good, evil for evil, and neutrality for neutrality. You though must practice spiritual law and return good for good, good for evil, and good for neutrality.
Only the temples of the Trinitarian Lord are true temples. The other temples are pagan temples, separated from the Trinitarian Lord.
The Orthodox Christian Church is the true temple of the Lord. The secular church is a pagan temple, dedicated to the false Gods of the passions.
Natural law is symmetry: good for good, bad for bad, neutrality for neutrality. Spiritual law is one-sided symmetry: good for good, good for bad, good for neutrality. The secular church practices natural law. The Orthodox Christian Church practices spiritual law.
You must let God purify you, illuminate you, and deify you. All these are achieved by you turning to God and submitting to His Providence.
(St Symeon the New Theologian, Discourse 18): “Let us struggle brethren to do all our works for this aim: to receive and know the grace and mercy of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Reject demonic thoughts. The four demonic thoughts at the front line refer to food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance.
Reject all glory, honor, and praise. All these belong to God and not to you.
Wash you soul of sin through constant repentance and Holy Confession.
Beware of demonic thoughts. Beware of greed in food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. Beware of pride, wrath, sorrow, lethargy, envy, rancor, fear, judging, doubting, suspicion, and blasphemy.
We must free ourselves from the curse of sin. Otherwise we will inherit the place prepared for it. The curse is sent to the place of curse. God cannot have communion with an incurable curse. (See Matt. 25:41).
Separate from the passions. Embrace the virtues. These two are achieved through the sacramental life of the Orthodox Christian Church.
What are you being tempted over? Over food? Over possessions (including knowledge)? Over glory? Over romance?
The world keeps symmetry, that is, natural law. The Orthodox Christian keeps one-sided symmetry, that is, spiritual law. Symmetry is: good for good, bad for bad, neutrality for neutrality. One-sided symmetry is: good for good, good for bad, good for neutrality.
Only with the help of God can you live the life of gospel virtue and gospel wisdom. Only with the power of God can you live the life of gospel virtue and gospel wisdom. Only with the grace of God can you live the life of gospel virtue and gospel wisdom. Be faithful, diligent, and humble therefore, so that you can live the life of gospel virtue and gospel wisdom.
Live the mitzvah life. Keep the mitzvah of Moses and the mitzvah of Lord Jesus. The life of mitzvah is the blessed life.
For the fire of grace to remain ignited it requires fuel. Without fuel it goes out. The fuel for the fire of grace are good works: fasting, charity, prayer, meditation, asceticism, contemplation, study, good thoughts, helping others, caring for others, self-denial.
God can restore all things except the will of a person. Each person has free-will and only by devoting their free-will to God can God correct them and restore them.
If you have embraced a life of frugal food, frugal possessions, non-glory, and non-romance, why do you care for abundant food, abundant possessions, glory, and romance?
Be neutral towards your body and you will overcome vanity of the body. Be neutral towards your body and you will be able to care for it properly and practice bodily virtue.
When you approach Lord Jesus He resurrects you, He purifies you, He illuminates you, He deifies you.
Lord Jesus resurrects the soul. Lord Jesus resurrects the mind. Lord Jesus resurrects the heart. Lord Jesus resurrects the tongue. Lord Jesus will resurrect the body at His Second Coming.
The resurrected mind seeks the things of heaven. (See Col. 3:1).
The resurrected life takes the form on earth of frugal food, frugal possessions, non-glory, and non-romance.
The resurrected person has a simple and humble mind, a simple and humble heart, a simple and humble tongue, a simple and humble manner, and simple and humble dress.
The resurrected person lives a simple and humble life: frugal food, frugal possessions, non-glory, and non-romance
Be humble and simple. Do not exalt yourself over others. Do not dominate others. If you must give orders give them with humility, simplicity, and meekness.
Proud rulers give orders with harshness and domination. Humble rulers give orders with gentleness, humility, simplicity, honesty, and love.
Good parents give orders with non-harshness, humility, and love. Good teachers give orders with humility, non-harshness, and simplicity. Good bosses give orders with humility, simplicity, and justice. Good people in positions of authority always give orders with humility, simplicity, non-harshness, and love.
Live a life of Mosaic mitzvot and Gospel mitzvot.
In the Orthodox Christian Church there are four orders: Catechumens, Beginners, Intermediates, and the Advanced. The leaders and teachers of the Church must care for and cater for persons in each of the four orders. Caring appropriately for the four orders is essential.
Lord Jesus established a community practicing one-sided symmetry, spiritual law, spiritual mitzvot. Sir Moses established a community practicing symmetry, natural law, natural mitzvot. In both cases the practice of mitzvot is voluntary. A mitzvot community can only be voluntary. An involuntary mitzvot community cannot exist.
Lord Jesus abolished Judaism and Paganism. The only religion that remains is Orthodox Christianity.
Seek first the kingdom of God. (See Matt. 6:33). Practice spiritual law. Practice one-sided symmetry: good for good, good for bad, good for neutrality.
Practice the resurrected life: fasting and frugal food, charity and frugal possessions, non-glory, and non-romance.
Live a life consecrated to Old Testament mitzvot and New Testament mitzvot.
Do nothing of your religious practices without the opinion of your spiritual father.
If we see how divisions occurred in the history of the Christian Church we will conclude that it is only logical and proper that we become active members of the Orthodox Christian Church.
Study and practice Old Testament commandments. Study and practice New Testament commandments. Study and practice New Testament canon law. Study and practice New Testament mysticism. Study and practice New Testament theoretical wisdom. Study and practice New Testament theological science.
Do nothing without the opinion of your parents. Do nothing without the opinion of your elders in Christ. Do nothing without the opinion of your bishop. In self-denial you must seek the opinion of your elders in your every undertaking.
Do not exalt your likes, dislikes, and neutralities. Be ready to practice self-denial. Humble your likes, dislikes, and neutralities.
Practice your rule daily. Devote your time to your rule. Never be negligent about your rule.
Be resurrected from sin. Be delivered from the spiritual pharaoh. Live the life of communion with God, practicing Old Testament and New Testament commandments.
In your daily rule call to your King at every available moment. You should pass your time in continuous prayer and meditation.
Every human person is free to choose good or evil. Guilt for the choice of evil lies fully on the individual. No person is naturally evil. You become evil when you freely choose evil. (See Deut. 30:19).
Seek non-glory for yourself. This way you will be free, happy, and true.
Be a true priest or priestess by becoming a vessel of grace, and by doing your spiritual work unceasingly.
Know the mystery of the Shekinah. The Shekinah is received by Orthodox Christian Baptism, by Orthodox Christian Repentance and Confession, by spiritual work, humility, and faith in the Trinitarian Lord.
What is the evidence that you are an Orthodox Christian believer? The evidence is having the grace of God, having the betrothal of the Holy Spirit.
The life of self-denial and obedience is the blessed life. The life of self-denial and obedience is the life of freedom, usefulness, and holiness. Be a self-denier, be obedient, and you will be a true Orthodox Christian.
The chief work of the spiritual life is obedience to God. This obedience is achieved by obedience to your spiritual father, and by the keeping of mitzvot.
Lord Jesus is governing your life. Have perfect trust in His will and economy for you.
Because choosing sin is our fault and ours alone, we must take all the blame for our sins, and never cease mourning for them.
Lord Jesus calls us to practice self-denial, bearing of the cross, and obedience to Him. (See Matt. 16:24). Self-denial, bearing the cross of temptation and suffering, and obedience to Lord Jesus, are the three cardinal requirements of the Orthodox Christian life.
Keep away from persons who choose sin over virtue. The words and actions of such persons defile.
In everything seek the opinion of your spiritual father. In everything seek the opinion of your father and mother. In everything seek the opinion of the experienced. In everything seek the opinion of the tested.
The gospel life is a voluntary life. No one can be compelled to live a gospel life. An involuntary gospel life cannot exist.
Be governed by God. When your will is devoted to God the governance of God will lead you to deification.
Salvation is not by nature but by the power of Lord Jesus. Entrust yourself to Lord Jesus having all you hope in His power. It is His power that gives you victory, achievement, and salvation.
Let go of self and you will come into harmony with God. Let go of self and be free!
Avoid all corruptive sights, words, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. Avoid everything that goes against Mosaic and Gospel mitzvot.
The cardinal principle of the Orthodox Christian life is obedience to Lord Jesus, here in betrothal and in the other life in marriage.
Gospel virtue does not require a special place. In every place you can practice gospel virtue. Gospel virtue requires faith, self-denial, obedience, and humility.
To take Holy Communion you must be clean. Clean of sin and living a life of gospel virtue. Made holy by a life of holiness, of gospel virtue and gospel wisdom. Holy things are given to the holy.
The world cannot love the bad. The world loves the good, hates the bad, and is neutral to the neutral. Only an Orthodox Christian loves the good, forgives and loves the bad, and also loves the neutral.
We will be condemned at the Last, General Judgment, not because we have sinned, for we are all sinners, but because we have sinned and not repented.
For each sin you commit in thought, feeling, word, or work, vow to return to it a thousand-fold in repentance and virtue.
We prophesy in thought, word, and work. He who can see this has reached perfect humility.
For each virtue and each vice there is prepared a place. A place for the humble and a place for the proud. A place for the meek and a place for the wrathful. A place for the merciful and a place for the unmerciful. A place for the loving and a place for the envying and hating.
In every place you are do the work appointed to you. Are you a monk? Then do the work of a monk. Are you a priest? Then do the work of a priest. Are you a teacher? Then do the work of a teacher. Are you married? Then do the work of a married person. Are you an unmarried celibate? Then do the work of an unmarried celibate. Each person must do the work they are appointed to.
The work of a monk is obedience and continuous prayer. The work of a priest is liturgics, prayer, and teaching. The work of a teacher is to practice Orthodoxy and then to teach it.
A true Orthodox Christian is he who has grace, gospel virtue, gospel wisdom, and spiritual gifts.
Orthodox Christian philosophy is the philosophy of humility, meekness, mercy, and love. The cardinal principal of Orthodox Christian philosophy is humility, perfect humility.
The sign of an Orthodox Christian is to keep the cardinal virtues of the Old and New Testaments. These cardinal virtues are: 1) From the Old Testament: prudence, self-restraint, justice, and Godly courage. 2) From the New Testament: love, humility, patience, and self-control.
Do not judge and belittle other vessels, that is, other persons. Consider yourself the lowest and weakest of all vessels.
God wishes to break our dependence on ourselves and to depend entirely on Him, having all our hope, trust and confidence in Him.
Rank yourself below every other vessel, that is, every other person. Ascribe your knowledge to God. Ascribe your virtue to God. These are the three humilities.
Human persons are houses of the holy, having the Holy Spirit within them.
The teaching of humility is the following: frugal food, frugal possessions, non-glory, and non-romance.
The humble seek only a little food, a little possessions, non-glory, non-honor, non-praise, and non-romance.
The humble seek the lowest place, small amounts of food, few and simple possessions, plain and simple dress, non-praise, and non-romance.
The sons and daughters of the Kingdom are characterized by humility, meekness, mercy, and love. The sons and daughters of the dragon are characterized by pride, wrath, non-mercy, envy, and hatred.
An Orthodox Christian must live the new life which comes after the judgment of the Cross. Through repentance and Confession an Orthodox Christian is judged and acquitted of sin, partaking of the judgment and mystery of the Cross. After his acquittal he lives henceforth a life of gospel virtue, and gospel wisdom.
Let us seek our acquittal of sin by repenting and confessing our sins. The mystery of repentance and Confession manifests the power of the Cross of Lord Jesus, in judging and acquitting us of sin.
Repentant Orthodox Christians do not fear the Judgment of God because thru repentance and Confession they have already been judged and acquitted.
Let us seek the acquittal of our sins. The Cross of Lord Jesus represents the judgment of sin and our acquittal of guilt from those sins. Repent now and Confess so that you receive acquittal.
