Orthodox Christian Messages III
Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com

1. Be always joyful. (1 Thess. 5:16).
2. Consider yourself below all other persons. This is the initial humility. Ascribe your knowledge to God. This is the middle humility. Ascribe your achievements to God. This is perfect humility.
3. If you love Lord Jesus keep His law.
4. You cannot become good and holy without faith in Lord Jesus.
5. Care for every person. Feel compassion for every person. Love every person.
6. Seek spiritual gain and not only material gain.
7. Be humble and good. Not proud and cunning.
8. You can do all things with the grace of Lord Jesus.
9. We know in part and we prophesy in part. (1 Cor. 13:9).
10. Do not cling to food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, or romance. Rather cling to Lord Jesus.
11. Have all your hope in Lord Jesus.
12. Practice the middle way of virtue. Do not practice the over and under ways of vice.
13. Accept the therapy that Lord Jesus sends you thru dishonor, suffering, and deprivation.
14. Repent and keep the spiritual law of Lord Jesus.
15. (Lev. 19:37): “You shall keep all my law and all my ordinances, and practice them: I am the Lord your God”.
16. (Job 28:28): “Godliness is wisdom, and to abstain from evil is science”.
17. Love the elderly, youth, orphans, widows, the poor, the sick, and the disabled.
18. (Is. 43:11): “I am God, and besides me there is no other who saves”.
19. Keep the law of Lord Jesus and the law of Moses.
20. Die to lawless thoughts, lawless words, and lawless works. Be resurrected to a life of practicing the law of Lord Jesus.
21. Be simple in mind and practice both religious and secular law.
22. Practice the Jesus Prayer.
23. In thought, word, and deed practice goodness.
24. Here is a summary of the commandments of Lord Jesus according to Saint Dionysius the Priestmonk: Do not fornicate. Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not practice injustice. Do not have enmity. Do not charge interest. Do not practice magic. Do not become drunk. Honor your father and mother. Love every baptized person because all Christians are brethren thru Holy Baptism.
25. Seek therapy of your addiction: whether food addiction, possession (including knowledge) addiction, glory addiction, or romance addiction.
26. Take all your fury and all your stubbornness and throw it in the face of your addiction. Hate your addiction with perfect hatred. (Ps. 139:22).
27. “Unclean to the Lord is every person who is high-hearted”.(Prov. 16:5).
28. You are called to become a member of Lord Jesus, a member of His church.
29. Only the members of Lord Jesus can reign with Him forever.
30. The world sorrows for the loss of food, possessions, glory, or romance. The Orthodox Christian sorrows over sin and the loss of spiritual goods.
31. Have a good mind, a good tongue, a good heart, and good bodily works.
32. We must correct every injustice we have done.
33. Have a simple and good mind, a discerning and good tongue, a pure and good heart, and lawful and good bodily works.
34. God wishes to give us the goods of grace and the goods of glory.
35. The world seeks food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. The world does not seek the goods of grace.
36. Food, possessions, glory, and romance are worldly goods which should be used to attain the goods of grace and the goods of glory.
37. The goods of grace and the goods of glory are eternal. Worldly goods: food, worldly possessions, worldly glory, and worldly romance are temporary.
38. Seek the goods of grace: virtue, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual gifts.
39. (Is. 48:22): “There is no joy, says the Lord, for the ungodly”.
40. Do not practice injustice in food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, or romance.
41. Ascribe your success to God. For without Lord Jesus we cannot do anything. (John 15:5).
42. Glory for good works belongs to God. (Matt. 5:16).
43. Worldly persons are attached to food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. For this reason they become sorrowful, lethargic, and suicidal. Orthodox Christians are detached from food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. This is why they are joyful, diligent in virtue, and full of hope in Lord Jesus.
44. Be careful of chronic lawless thoughts. Confess them to your spiritual father. Chronic lawless thoughts, that is delusions, have led some persons to suicide.
45. Every person must transcend attachment to food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. Only then will conflict between persons cease and peace be achieved on earth.
46. If we practice humility conflict between persons will cease.
47. The humble person transcends the attachment to food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. The humble person transcends wrath, sorrow, lethargy, pride, envy, (despair and suicide).
48. God did not create evil. Evil is a perversion of nature effected by the demons.
49. When someone offends you by word or deed see it for what it is, the effect of the demons.
50. Respect every person. Love every person. Rejoice in their virtue and pity them for their faults.
51. Each person has their own work towards God and towards neighbor. Devote yourself to your own work towards God and neighbor and leave other persons to do their work.
52. Devote yourself to your own work and do not judge the idle or negligent.
53. Consider every person as superior to yourself. You have no right to judge your superior.
54. When you pray to God you have to pray as the inferior of every other person, as the lowest and most sinful of all persons.
55. Have humility of mind, humility of heart, humility of tongue, humility of eyes, and humility of body.
56. Don’t be proud and lawless. Be humble and lawful.
57. Keep away from unjust thoughts, unjust words, and unjust deeds.
58. Blessed are they who have non-glory. (Matt. 5:11). Blessed are they who have non-wealth. (Luke 6:20). Blessed are they who have non-pleasure. (James 1:12).
59. Obey your elders in Christ. Let your elders in Christ assess your thoughts and ideas.
60. Obey God. Devote your free-will to God.
61. Obey your superiors. (Heb. 13:17).
62. Obey your parents. Obey your teachers. Obey your bishop. Obey your spiritual father. Obey your elders. Be mutually obedient to one another. (1 Peter 5:5).
63. (1 Tim. 3:16): “God was manifested in the flesh”.
64. Obey Lord Jesus. This is asceticism.
65. “I and My Father are one”. (John 10:30).
66. Do not be envious or jealous of the progress and virtue of your neighbor. Rather rejoice along with them.
67. Have godly jealousy not ungodly jealousy. (2 Cor.11:2).
68. Mortal sins from the Old Testament:

1. Forbidden Fruit: (Gen. 2:17): “From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you shall die by death”.
2. Sodomy: (Gen. 19:13): “For we will destroy this place because their outcry has become great before the Lord, and the Lord sent us to destroy it”.
3. Onanism: (Gen. 38:7): “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was cunning in the sight of the Lord, and God killed him”. (Gen. 38:10): “But the thing Onan did appeared evil in the sight of God and God also put him to death”.
4. Death blow: (Ex 21:12): “He who strikes a person and they die, shall be put to death”.
5. Striking parents: (Ex. 21:15): “Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to death”.
6. Speaking evil of parents: (Ex. 21:16): “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother shall be put to death”.
7. Kidnap: (Ex. 21:17): “Whoever kidnaps one of the sons of Israel and overpowers and sells him, and he is found with him, let him be put to death”.

8. Not restraining ox: (Ex. 21:29): “But if the ox tended to gore in times past, and it was made known to its owner, but he did not keep it restrained, and it killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall be put to death”.
9. Sorcery: (Ex. 22:18): “You shall not permit a sorcerer to live”.
10. Bestiality: (Ex. 22:19): “Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death”.
11. Sacrifice to gods besides the Lord: (Ex. 22:20): “He who sacrifices to gods except to the Lord alone, shall be destroyed by death”.
12. Harming widow or orphan: (Ex. 22:22): “Every widow and orphan you shall not harm”.  (Ex. 22:24): “My wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword and your wives will become widows and your children orphans”.
13. Work on the Sabbath: (Ex. 35:2): “Six days shall work be done, on the seventh day you shall rest, it is a holy Sabbath, a rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death”.
14. Speaking evil of parents: (Lev. 20:9): “Whichever person speaks evil of father or mother shall be put to death”.
15. Adultery: (Lev. 20:10): “The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, or who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife shall be put to death, both the adulterer and the adulteress”.
16. Lying with father’s wife: (Lev. 20:11): “ The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness, both shall be put to death, for they are guilty”.
17. Lying with daughter-in-law: (Lev. 20:12): “If a man lies with his daughter-in-law they shall both be put to death. They have committed impiety and are guilty”.
18. Homosexuality: (Lev. 20:13): “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, they have committed abomination, they shall be put to death, for they are guilty”.
19. Taking woman and her mother: (Lev. 20:14): “ If a man takes a woman and her mother it is lawlessness, they shall be burned to death both he and they, that there may be no lawlessness among you”.
20. Bestiality: (Lev. 20:15-16): “If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he shall be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. If a woman approaches any animal and has sexual relations with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall be put to death for they are guilty”.
21. Blasphemy: (Lev. 24:16): “He who names the name of the Lord shall be put to death”.
22. False prophecy: (Deut. 13:6): “But that prophet or dreamer of dreams shall be put to death”.

69. Break the four addictions: Food addiction, Possession (including Knowledge) addiction, Glory addiction, and Romance addiction.
70. ( 1 Cor. 13:9-10): “For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be abolished”.
71. Our good thoughts, good words, and good works are gifts of God. He who knows this has reached perfect humility.
72. Each person is a vessel of God. The humble are vessels of mercy. The proud are vessels of wrath.
73. Faith in Lord Jesus gives the grace to perform good works.
74. Faith in Lord Jesus gives the power to practice spiritual law.
75. He who believes, and is baptized in the Orthodox way, receives the grace to practice spiritual law.
76. Prohibitions for the case of heretical, schismatic, and impious fellow brethren.

1. Impious brethren. (1 Cor. 5:11). Do not keep company, nor eat with impious brethren. Impious brethren are the  Fornicators, Greedy, Idolaters, Revilers, Drunkards, Extortioners.
2. Heretics. (2 John 10). That person who does not abide in the doctrine of Christ do not receive into your house. Also do not greet him, for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
3. Excluded from the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10). The Unjust, Fornicators, Idolaters, Adulterers, Effeminate, Homosexuals, Thieves, Greedy, Drunkards, Revilers, Extortioners.
4. Have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. (Rev. 21:8). Cowardly, Unbelieving, Abominable, Murderers, Fornicators, Sorcerers, Idolaters, All Liars.
5. Heretics and Schismatics. Apostolic canon 45: Praying with heretics prohibited. Apostolic canon 65: Entering synagogue or temple of heretics to pray prohibited. Laodicea canon 6: Heretics prohibited to enter an Orthodox Christian Church. Laodicea canon 32: Blessings from heretics not to be accepted. Laodicea canon 33: Praying with heretics and schismatics prohibited.
6. Brethren prohibited to take Holy Communion in the Orthodox Christian Church. (Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Discourse 33).

1. Catechumens.
2. Fornicators, Murderers, Adulterers, Homosexuals, Paedophiles, Greedy, Extortioners, the Unjust, the Proud, the Envious, the Rancorous, the Unlawful.
3. The possessed by unclean spirits.
4. The repentant who have been assigned to stand outside the church.
5. Those who have not completed their repentance, and have not devoted all their life to God.
6. Those who sin and do not wash their defilement thru repentance.

77. Beware of lawless thoughts, lawless ideas, lawless feelings, lawless words, and lawless works.
78. Cultivate godly sorrow, not ungodly sorrow.
79. Do not be attached to food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, or romance. Rather be attached to God.
80. Honor all persons. Consider yourself inferior to all persons. Speak evil of no person. Consider evil persons as deluded by the dragon.
81. (Prov. 21:15): “A holy person is unclean in the sight of evildoers”.
82. In the New Testament you must: love your enemies, greet friend and enemy, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who misuse you and persecute you.
83. Reject pleasure of the eye, pleasure of the ear, pleasure of the nose, pleasure of the tongue, and pleasure of touch.
84. Be self-controlled in the five bodily senses. Have control of the eye, control of the ear, control of the nose, control of the tongue, control of touch.
85. Be self-controlled in speech and in the three powers of the soul. Have control of speech, control of thought, control of desire, control of anger.
86. Be self-controlled in the five bodily senses, in speech, and in the three powers of the soul. Have control of the eye, control of the ear, control of the nose, control of the tongue, control of touch, control of speech, control of thought, control of desire, and control of anger.
87. Be self-controlled in food. Be self-controlled in possessions (including knowledge). Be self-controlled in glory. Be self-controlled in romance.
88. Knowledge is God’s. Virtue is God’s. Spiritual gifts are God’s. Man is just a vessel of God’s knowledge, virtue, and spiritual gifts.
89. Humility is true wisdom. Humility is spiritual health. Humility makes us a vessel of mercy, filled with knowledge, virtue, and spiritual gifts.
90. The ungodly see life as: eat, drink, gather possessions, become a person of worldly glory, enjoy carnal romance. The godly see life as: fast, give charity, seek non-glory in this world, keep chastity.
91. The ungodly seek wealth, glory, and pleasure. The godly seek non-wealth, non-glory, and non-pleasure.
92. Those who live the carnal life cannot please God. (Rom. 8:8). Those who live the psychical life do not receive the things of the Spirit of God. (1 Cor. 2:14). Those who live the spiritual life are led by the Spirit of God. (Rom. 8:14).
93. Take all your fury, stubbornness, rancor, and hatred, and throw it in the face of your addiction. With the grace of God you will defeat your addiction.
94. You are a vessel of God, made in the image and likeness of God. You are not superior to other vessels, but their equal.
95. Do not consider other vessels, that is other persons, inferior to yourself. In humility consider them superior to yourself.
96. Be humble and just. Not proud and unjust.
97. If we want to return to the life of grace we must heed the call to repentance.
98. The life of grace is the life of obedience to God.
99. To live the life of grace we must be humble.(James 4:6, Prov. 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5).
100. To return to the life of grace is the aim of the Orthodox Christian Faith.