Messages X

Orthodox Christian Topics

Orthodox Christian Messages X

Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com

1. God allows suffering for our salvation. Believe that all suffering has as its aim our salvation.
2. God allows the crucifixion of poverty, disease and oppression for our salvation. He uses this crucifixion to call us to Himself.
3. All true Orthodox Christians are Kings and Queens, Priests and Priestesses, Prophets and Prophetesses.
4. We are here not to live a life of wealth, glory, and pleasure, but a life of gospel virtue.
5. Be always occupied with spiritual work and secular work.
6. We have a spiritual genealogy from Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus begot the twelve apostles. The twelve apostles begot the seventy apostles. The seventy apostles together with the twelve apostles begot the bishops, presbyters, deacons, and laity. The bishops and presbyters begot the succeeding bishops, presbyters, deacons, and laity.
7. Trust and depend on God, and you will have inner and outer calm.
8. Renounce the secular life and live the Orthodox Christian religious life.
9. Our fault is the overmeasure of our use of things. We must reduce the overmeasure to a canonical measure. Abstinence is an ascetic exercise, but canonical measure is the proper use.
10. Practice foreignness and you will always be happy.
11. Always practice good. When your neighbor practices evil do not return evil to him. See that you return always good: good for good, good for evil, good for neutrality.
12. Here is the inverse of the Beatitudes:

1. Woe to the proud.

2. Woe to those who laugh.

3. Woe to the wrathful.

4. Woe to the unjust.

5. Woe to the unmerciful.

6. Woe to the impure in heart.

7. Woe to the agitators.

8. Woe to those who persecute the just.

9. Woe to the revilers.

13. We must eliminate every form of evil. If we do not we will be condemned along with it.
14. Do not be attached to possessions (including knowledge). Let go, and you will be free and happy.
15. The punishment for sin is eternal. It is to deliver us from this punishment that Lord Jesus was crucified.
16. Have complete dependence on the Lord. From Him comes your every holy thought, holy word, and holy work.
17. Which life do you want to live: the carnal life, the psychical life, the natural life, or the spiritual life? The carnal life is overeating, stealing and overpossessing, vanity, and unchastity. The psychical life is overeating, ovepossessing, and vanity. The natural life is good for good, bad for bad, neutrality for neutrality. The spiritual life is fasting, charity and frugality, humility, and chastity.
18. Have no opinion of self. Be dead to self and completely devoted to the Lord.
19. Have perfect faith, perfect fear, and perfect hope in Lord Jesus.
20. An Orthodox Christian must live the life of non-wealth, non-glory, and non-pleasure.
21. Guard mind and heart, and pray. (See Gen. 2:15 and Matt. 26:41).
22. If you sin you must repent, confess, and mourn.
23. Let go of all worldly attachment and you will be free and happy.
24. Which yoke do you want to have, the yoke of the dragon or the easy yoke of Lord Jesus? (See Matt. 11:30).
25. Practice humility always. Humility in thought, humility in word, humility in work.
26. Practice humility, simplicity, and obedience always.
27. Work on your problems, that is, work on correcting your faults.
28. Do not be a problem-creator. Rather seek to be a problem-resolver.
29. Seek to resolve problems whether they be ethical, psychological, medical, or economic.
30. Seek to be loosed from your problems, that is, your passions of soul and body.
31. Consider the economy of thoughts and feelings you have. All holy thoughts and feelings you must after testing, turn into words and works. All unholy thoughts and feelings after testing you must reject.
32. Consider the economy of thoughts, ideas, feelings, words and works you have. Take note that temptation will try to implant in you the weeds of wrong thoughts, wrong ideas, wrong feelings, wrong words, and wrong works. Test your thoughts, ideas, feelings, words, and works. Be a prudent judge who assesses all these using the Scriptures, the Fathers, and your Spiritual Father as witnesses to what must be accepted. Never accept anything without testing it. (See 1 Thess. 5:21).
33. Resolve your problems, that is, your passions.
34. Our three opposers are: the body, the world, and the dragon. The body opposes us with its desire for comfort and pleasure. The world opposes us with its offering of wealth and glory. The dragon opposes us with his offering of pride, vanity, and envy.
35. What do you desire? Food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance or spiritual wisdom and gospel virtue?
36. Consider the economy of temptations. Be always on your guard.
37. Orthodox Christianity does not tell you to stop eating. It tells you to stop overeating. It does not tell you to stop having possessions. It tells you to stop stealing and overpossessing. It does not tell you to stop having self-respect. It tells you to stop vanity. It does not tell you to stop procreation. It tells you to stop unchastity.
38. Happiness is not to increase in food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. Happiness is to let go. To let go and be free of attachment to food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance.
39. Happiness is to let go of self. To be free of self and devoted to God.
40. Let go of self, let go! Then you will be free and happy!
41. The message of Orthodox Christianity is to let go. Let go of self, let go of food, let go of possessions (including knowledge), let go of glory, let go of romance. (See Luke 14:33). Let go and be free!
42. Choose a frugal and conservative lifestyle, and you will be free, happy, and joyful.
43. The Lord sends us poverty, disease, and oppression so that we let go: let go of self, food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance. Glory to God who calls us to let go, to return to Him, and be free!
44. Self-love and pride cause power struggles in social groups. Only by self-denial, humility, obedience, and letting go, is peace preserved.
45. Solve the problems in yourself, that is, your passions. Then you can help solve the same problems in your neighbor.
46. If a neighbor has the same problem, that is passion, as you, you must seek to cure yourself first. Be delivered, then deliver others.
47. Test all things with your discernment and with the discernment of your spiritual father.
48. Do not be self-guided in the spiritual life. All good comes from the guidance of your spiritual father.
49. Live the life of light: humility, meekness, mercy, and love.
50. Consider the cycle of your daily typikon. Practice your cyclic typikon diligently.
51. Whatever we sow, we reap. If we sow greetings, givings, servings, lovings we reap greetings, givings, servings, lovings. (See Gal. 6:7).
52. The life of light is humility, meekness, mercy, and love. The life of darkness is pride, wrath, non-mercy, and hatred.
53. Practice virtue for the glory of God, and seek non-glory for yourself.
54. Practice gospel virtue for your salvation, and let all glory be to God.
55. Let go of self and practice gospel virtue. Let the fruits of gospel virtue arise in you.
56. Be humble and contrite always, bearing the fruit of gospel virtue, letting go of self-love, pride, and disobedience.
57. Without spiritual work we cannot expect to receive a reward. Wherever you are you must do your spiritual work.
58. “Go where you please, but nowhere will you find rest except in humble obedience under the rule of a superior”. (“The Imitation of Christ”, Chapter 9).
59. Suffering is either the reaping of what we sowed or a test of our faith. Most suffering is the reaping of what we sowed.
60. Love thinks no evil. Love forgives.
61. Preserve the purity of your wedding garment, that is, you baptism.
62. The shekinah will come if you honor and obey your father and mother, and also your spiritual father.
63. To be called good you must be good not only in words, but also in thoughts, ideas, feelings, and most importantly, works.
64. We are on the earth to serve, not to rule. To rule a community of faith belongs only to the saints. No one besides a saint can rule a religious community.
65.

1. (Prov. 12:22): “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord”.

2. (Prov. 15:8): “The sacrifice of the impious is an abomination to the Lord”.

3. (Prov. 15:9): “The ways of the impious are an abomination to the Lord”.

4. (Prov. 11:1): “Cunning scales are an abomination before the Lord”.

5. (Prov. 12:28): “Life is on the paths of justice, the paths of the rancorous leads to death”.

6. (Prov. 13:5): “A just person hates an unjust word”.

7. (Prov. 15:26): “An unjust thought is an abomination to the Lord”.

8. (Ex. 23:7): “Keep far from every unjust word”.

9. (Lev. 19:13): “You shall do no injustice to your neighbor”.

66. Lord Jesus is the human sacrifice which atones for all the sins of the world. Outside of Lord Jesus there is no atonement. (See John 8:24).
67. Have all you hope in Lord Jesus. With His power you are delivered from evil, and practice every virtue. (See St Symeon the New Theologian, Discourse 18).
68. Accept illness as a gift from God, given for your salvation.
69. Let go of self and live the life of light: humility, meekness, mercy, and love. If you do not let go of self you will live the life of darkness: pride, wrath, non-mercy, and hatred.
70. Why do you seek to go elsewhere? Will you practice gospel virtue there, which you say you cannot practice here? Do not be deceived, the place does not bear gospel virtue, a firm resolution does. You can practice gospel virtue in every place.
71. The call of Orthodox Christianity is to let go: let go of self, let go of food, let go of possessions (including knowledge), let go of glory, let go of romance.
72. Do not have an illogical self-love. Let go of illogical self-love, and practice logical self-love, love of God, and love of neighbor.
73. Let go of illogical self-love and you will be free, practicing humility, meekness, mercy, and love.
74. Practice humility, good thought, simplicity, obedience, guarding of the mind and heart, and prayer.
75. You must repent and accept the atonement of Lord Jesus, receiving henceforth the betrothal of the Spirit. In the other life you will receive the marriage of the Spirit, if you have preserved your betrothal.
76. Practice the middle way of prudence. The middle way of justice. The middle way of self-restraint. The middle way of Godly courage.
77. Do not cling to self. Let go of self and you will be free, happy, and comforted by the Comforter.
78. Do not be swayed by the thoughts, words, and deeds of your neighbor. Be independent of your neighbor, keeping your spectrum of thoughts, words, and deeds, clear.
79. Practice letting go of self, obedience, and humility. These three give rise to every virtue.
80. The gospel calls us to a life of gospel virtue and gospel wisdom. All are called, but few heed the call and bear the fruit of gospel virtue and gospel wisdom.
81. The aim of our life is to live in gospel virtue and gospel wisdom, in preparation for eternal life. Gospel virtue and gospel wisdom are the aim of our life.
82. Are you a natural person: returning good for good, bad for bad, neutrality for neutrality? Or are you a spiritual person: returning good for good, good for bad, good for neutrality?
83. Each person is a king or queen of the earth. No king or queen rules over another king or queen. Therefore no person should rule over another person. Each person has their own likes, dislikes, and neutralities. Only Lord Jesus rules over persons, being God and Creator.
84. Rule over yourself. This is true rule. Then you are a true king or queen of the earth.
85. Ask yourself what type of person you are. Are you a carnal person? Are you a psychical person? Are you a natural person? Or are you a spiritual person? A carnal person practices overeating, overpossessing, vanity and unchastity. A psychical person practices overeating, overpossessing, and vanity. A natural person practices symmetry: good for good, bad for bad, neutrality for neutrality. A spiritual person practices fasting, charity, obedience, humility, and chastity.
86. Consider your debt towards God and your debt towards neighbor. Spend your life in resolving these debts.
87. “A ruler is he who rules himself and submits his soul and body to logic”. (St Thalassios, First Century, 20, Philokalia, Vol. 2).
88. New Testament ethics is to love God and love neighbor, be that neighbor friend or enemy.
89. Let the Lord govern you in this life. Submit to the Way of the Lord, trusting entirely in the wisdom of His Economy.
90. First correct yourself. Then you may correct your brethren. (See Matt. 7:5).
91. From faith is born every virtue. To keep virtue you must always be humble, acknowledging that virtue and knowledge are gifts from God.
92. Are you betrothed to God? Are you looking forward to being married to God?
93. Through the Fall man was divorced from God. Through faith in Lord Jesus man returns once more to God, receiving betrothal to God here and marriage to God in the future life.
94. Seek the first, second, and third faiths. Seek the first, second, and third humilities.
95. Be ruled by God. Do not be ruled by the dragon.
96. Victory over the passions belongs to Lord Jesus. Only He can give you victory over the passions.
97. Our suffering is for our salvation.
98. The work of a monk is prayer and asceticism. The work of a priest is liturgics, prayers, teaching, and guidance. The work of a theologian is teaching, writing, and religious practice.
99.

1. (Hosea 13:4): “Besides Me there is no other who saves”.

2. (Is. 43:3): “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, the One who saves you”.

3. (Is. 45:21): “A just one and a savior is none besides Me”.

4. (Is. 60:16): “For I am the Lord, the one who saves you”.

5. (Is. 43:11): “I am God, and there is no other besides Me who saves”.

6. (Is. 43:14): “Thus says the Lord God, your redeemer”.

7. (Is. 45:5): “For I am the Lord God, and there is no other God besides Me”.

8. (Is. 45:17): “Israel is saved by the Lord with eternal salvation”.

9. (Is. 45:18): “I am the Lord, and there is no other”.

10. (Is. 45:21): “I am God, there is no other besides Me”.

100. Love your neighbor as yourself, be he friend or enemy. Hate not your neighbor but the passions that enslave him.

Main Navigation