Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com
1. Know the mystery of Grace. Know the mystery of free-will and personal right. Know the mystery of power and wisdom.
2. Know the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Know the mystery of spiritual betrothal. Know the mystery of spiritual marriage.
3. Know the mystery of personal right and salvation. Know the mystery of self-denial, bearing the cross, and following Lord Jesus.
4. Know the mystery of natural personal rights. Know the mystery of spiritual personal rights.
5. Know the mystery of perfect self-denial. Know the mystery of perfect obedience to Lord Jesus.
6. Know the mystery of personal calling. Know the mystery of personal rights and freedoms. Know the mystery of personal salvation.
7. Know the mystery of personal freedom. Know the mystery of repentance and deliverance.
8. Know the mystery of personal deliverance. Know the mystery of deliverance from the passions.
9. Know the mystery of the two confessions: the confession of sin and the confession of gifts and virtues.
10. A personal right of every person is the right to an Orthodox Christian education, and freedom to practice Orthodox Christianity. The freedom to learn and practice Orthodox Christianity is a basic human right.
11. Use God’s gifts for the good of your neighbor. Use your wealth, virtue, knowledge and talent for the common good, seeking only God’s glory and non-glory for yourself.
12. Know the two mysteries of the Holy Spirit. The mystery of receiving the Holy Spirit, and the mystery of retaining the Holy Spirit.
13. Know the great mystery of the Cross. The Cross is the death of unbelief, pride, lawlessness, and despair.
14. Death to unbelief! Death to pride! Death to lawlessness! Death to despair! Glory to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages!
15. Death to unbelief, Amen. Death to pride, Amen. Death to lawlessness, Amen. Death to despair, Amen. Glory to belief in Lord Jesus, Amen. Glory to humility, Amen. Glory to lawfulness, Amen. Glory to hope in Lord Jesus, Amen.
16. The stages in the Orthodox Christian life are: Catechism, Faith, Holy Baptism, Obedience, Humility, Lawfulness, and Perfect Hope in the Trinitarian Lord.
17. If you have humility you will rank yourself below every other person, and will respect, serve, and love every person.
18. O humility! O how comforting you are to every person who seeks you! How useful you make your possessor to God and neighbor! How much meaning you bring to the life of every person! The humble love all, respect all, serve all, and have peace with all! Blessed are you, dear humility!
19. Love does not humble other persons. Love humbles itself and exalts other persons.
20. Study and practice ethical science. Study and practice dogmatic science. Study and practice mystical science.
21. A good secular and religious education makes one live a good, joyous, complete, and holy life.
22. Study and practice Orthodox Christian psychological science. Study and practice Orthodox Christian psychiatric science.
23. The proud seek to impose their opinion and will on other persons. Such imposing is against personal rights and the freedom of each person.
24. Practice the gospel commandments with joy.
25. Do not transgress the right of another person. You must respect the natural right and spiritual right of other persons.
26. Repent and return to Lord Jesus. Vow to live a life of gospel virtue.
27. Repent, Confess, Restitute, Return to Lord Jesus, vow non-repeat of sin, vow the practice of gospel virtue.
28. The message of Lord Jesus is that of repentance, restitution, correction, vow of non-repeat of sin, and vow of a life of gospel virtue.
29. When tempted by the desire for unnecessary food, delay eating and the desire will pass. Do the same for the desire of lust. Delay the fulfillment of all unnecessary desires and they will pass.
30. Do not do anything without consulting your spiritual father. You must seek the opinion and blessing of your spiritual father in every matter of your spiritual life.
31. As we have fallen from Grace, so the aim now of our life is to return to Grace, and to preserve that Grace. A return to the life of Grace is the aim of our life.
32. We have fallen from the life of Grace. We have fallen from the life of virtue, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual gifts. The aim of our life is to return to a life of Grace, virtue, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual gifts.
33. It is only by the mercy of God that we can be saved. It is only by the mercy of God that we can return to the life of Grace, virtue, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual gifts.
34. It is only by the mercy of God that we can live the Orthodox Christian life. It is only by faith in Lord Jesus that we can return to the life of Grace. Therefore faith in Lord Jesus is the most important thing for every person. Only by faith in Lord Jesus do we attain mercy, forgiveness, grace, virtue, spiritual knowledge, and salvation.
35. It is only by the mercy of God that we can live the life of gospel virtue. Without faith in Lord Jesus we cannot live the life of gospel virtue. By the mercy of Lord Jesus we receive the grace to live a life of gospel virtue.
36. Only be the mercy of Lord Jesus can we live a life of gospel virtue. Therefore pride has no place in the life of gospel virtue. A life of gospel virtue is lived only through the mercy of Lord Jesus. The life of gospel virtue is a gift from Lord Jesus to those who believe in Him. The life of gospel virtue is a gift of Grace, all pride and vanity and boasting are therefore eliminated. We live by the power and mercy of Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus is our life.
37. A life of gospel virtue is lived through the grace of Lord Jesus. A life of gospel virtue is lived through the mercy of Lord Jesus. Therefore the main prayer of an Orthodox Christian is: Lord have mercy; Lord Jesus Christ have mercy.
38. Pride causes desolation. Do not be proud. It will make you desolate of gospel virtue. Be humble always and you will preserve gospel virtue.
39. The person who seeks glory on earth will never know peace and joy. Glory for achievements belongs to Lord Jesus, for without the mercy and help of Lord Jesus we cannot do anything. (See John 15:5).
40. When a person is treated like a slave problems arise. The natural rights of the person are breached and a canonical life is perverted. If a child, a partner, or an employee are treated like slaves, we have a situation of the loss of human rights. No one should be treated as a slave.
41. In everything say: “Lord Jesus, have mercy”. Without the mercy of Lord Jesus we cannot achieve anything.
42. We must live an ethical life. The ethical life is the happy life. The unethical life is the unhappy life. Lord Jesus calls us to live an ethical life on earth, and to be devoted to gospel ethics. All the philosophers spoke of the ethical life. All Orthodox Christian teachers speak of the ethical life. We must live a life of gospel ethics. A life of gospel ethics is joy. A life of transgressing gospel ethics is sorrow.
43. The unethical life is the life of overeating, stealing and overpossessing, disobedience, vanity, and unchastity. The ethical life if the life of canonical eating, canonical possessing, obedience, humility, and chastity.
44. Be logical and ethical. Keep Old Testament ethics and New Testament ethics.
45. Have faith in Lord Jesus and practice gospel ethics. Never go outside of gospel ethics.
46. Never seek praise for your practice of gospel ethics. All praise belongs to Lord Jesus.
47. Lord Jesus calls us to a life of gospel ethics. Lord Jesus requires of us to reject every unethical practice and to live a life of gospel ethics.
48. A life of gospel ethics is life. A life of the transgression of gospel ethics is death. A life of gospel ethics is happiness. A life of the transgression of gospel ethics is unhappiness.
49. You cannot force a community of gospel ethics. The rights of each person do not allow compulsion. A community of gospel ethics can only be a voluntary community. No one can force a community of gospel ethics.
50. A life of gospel ethics leads to eternal life. A life of the transgression of gospel ethics leads to eternal death.
51. Are you living a life of gospel ethics? Or are you living an unethical life? In the second case you must repent and return to a life of gospel ethics.
52. A life of gospel ethics is true life. A life of the transgression of gospel ethics is true death.
53. Do not impose you opinion and will on other persons. Do not impose your likes, dislikes, and neutralities on other persons. Respect the opinion and will of other persons. Respect the likes, dislikes, and neutralities, of other persons.
54. The ethical life is: fasting and canonical eating, charity and canonical possessing, obedience, humility, and chastity. The unethical life is: overeating, stealing and overpossessing, disobedience, vanity, and unchastity.
55. Practice the ethical life. First practice the ethical life and then teach the ethical life. Practice fasting and canonical eating, charity and canonical possessing, obedience, humility, and chastity. Practice these and then teach them.
56. Separation from the Orthodox Church occurs over three areas: dogmatics, ethics, or traditions. The unification of the churches requires dogmatic unity, ethics unity, and traditions unity. For unity to occur we require first dogmatic unity, second ethics unity, and third traditions unity.
57. Conflict arises between persons when they have a difference of opinion, a difference of ethics, or a difference of traditions.
58. Reject unethical thoughts. Reject unethical feelings. Reject unethical words. Reject unethical works. Practice fasting and canonical eating. Practice charity and canonical possessing. Practice obedience. Practice humility. Practice chastity. Reject overeating. Reject stealing and overpossessing. Reject disobedience. Reject vanity. Reject unchastity.
59. Practical Orthodox Christianity is: fasting and canonical eating, charity and canonical possessing, obedience, humility, chastity, prayer, psalmody, vigil and canonical sleeping, study, questioning of the elders, and guarding of the mind and heart.
60. We cannot force change and ethical life on other persons. Their free will precludes such a thing. We can only make a call to the ethical life and to the sacramental life of the Orthodox Christian Church.
61. Do not live a life of devotion to self. Live a life of devotion to God. Live a life of devotion to gospel ethics. Live a life of devotion to gospel virtue.
62. Have self-denial. Do not live according to your own opinion and will. Live according to the opinion of the Orthodox Christian Church. Live according to the will of God.
63. Can there be ethical unity between an Orthodox Christian and a heretic? Can there be dogmatic unity between an Orthodox Christian and a heretic? Can there be tradition unity between an Orthodox Christian and a heretic? Clearly in all three cases unity cannot occur. An apostate is any person who departs from Orthodox Christian ethics, Orthodox Christian dogma, and Orthodox Christian traditions.
64. Are you an ethical apostate? Are you a dogma apostate? Are you a tradition apostate? An apostate is a person who practices ethical apostasy. An apostate is a person who practices dogmatic apostasy. An apostate is a person who practices tradition apostasy.
65. Are you living an unethical life? The unethical life is: overeating, stealing and overpossessing, disobedience, vanity, and unchastity. Live the ethical life: fasting and canonical eating, charity and canonical possessing, obedience, humility, and chastity.
66. Praise virtue. Rebuke vice. Praise the ethical life. Rebuke the unethical life.
67. Seek to live a quality life. The quality life is the life of gospel ethics. Practice and teach the quality life, the life of gospel ethics.
68. Vanity is defeated by practicing virtue in secret, and by passing on the praise for virtue, knowledge, gifts, and achievements to God.
69. An Orthodox Christian receives the betrothal of the Holy Spirit in this life, and the marriage of the Holy Spirit in the other life. From our baptism and repentance onwards we live forever in the Holy Spirit, first as betrothal, and second in marriage.
70. You must preserve your betrothal to the Holy Spirit. This way you will live in light, freedom, and spiritual comfort. You will be the light of the world (See Matt. 5:14), and the salt of the earth (See Matt. 5:13).
71. The aim of the Orthodox Christian faith is the salvation of the believer. (See 1 Peter 1:9). Only the Orthodox Christian faith can achieve this end, no other faith. If other faiths could equally save we would have multi-faith salvation. But then the work of Lord Jesus would lose its value if other faiths also saved. Only Lord Jesus can save us, no other. (See Acts 4:12).
72. Minimize your bodily needs. Seek only a little. Reject luxury. Live a frugal life and you will be free and happy.
73. Reject bodily pleasure. An Orthodox Christian must not live in bodily pleasure. An Orthodox Christian must practice self-control, discipline, and non-pleasure.
74. Correct with love and logic. Never correct only with logic or only with love. Correction requires a logical love, not an illogical love or a loveless logic.
75. In the correction of our faults we must seek the help of God. Only God can help us correct our faults. Only Lord Jesus can free us from sin. (See John 8:36).
76. The Old Testament law was: good for good, bad for bad, neutrality for neutrality. The New Testament law is: good for good, good for bad, good for neutrality.
77. A person who keeps Old Testament law is an Old Testament person. A person who keeps New Testament law is a New Testament person.
78. New Testament law is always to do good: good for good, good for bad, good for neutrality.
79. The New Testament introduces the New Testament ethic of always returning good. Whatever you encounter you must return to it good.
80. Lord Jesus introduced the radical ethic: good for bad. Moses allowed bad for bad in Old Testament ethics, but in New Testament ethics bad is strictly forbidden. On no occasion can you practice bad, or return bad for bad.
81. Old Testament ethics says: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. New Testament ethics says: Love your neighbor and love your enemy. Hating an enemy is strictly forbidden in the New Testament.
82. Love you friends. Love your enemies. Love those neutral to you. Always practice love.
83. All the goods we have are gifts of God. All the evils are our self-chosen misuses and perversions. Thank God for every good you have. Blame yourself, mourn, and seek to correct yourself, for every evil you have.
84. All good is God’s. All evil is ours, suggested to us by the dragon.
85. Take full responsibility for your evil. Seek to be freed from your self-chosen evil. Repent and mourn and lament.
86. We must correct our self-chosen evil. We must blame only ourselves for our self-chosen evil. We must seek to be freed from our self-chosen evil. Our free will implies that all our evil is self-chosen. Our free will implies we freely accepted the evil suggestions of the dragon.
87. Ascribe all your sins to yourself. Repent of them. Confess them. Make restitution. Vow non-repeat. Practice their opposing virtues. Blame yourself. Mourn over them for the rest of your life. Never accuse another person of your self-chosen sin. Your sin is yours, a freely chosen transgression of God’s law.
88. Guard your mind. Never accept the suggestions of the dragon: vanities, suspicions, unbeliefs, blasphemies.
89. Our sin is ours and ours alone. No one is to blame but ourselves. We accepted the evil thought or evil feeling that knocked, and let it into our mind or heart.
90. Guarding our mind is the most fundamental practice of Orthodox Christianity. A guarded mind protects us from sinful thoughts, sinful words, and sinful works.
91. Practicing gospel virtue is a gift from God. Without God we cannot practice gospel virtue.
92. Repentance is a gift from God. Without God’s calling we cannot come to repentance.
93. All virtue and all knowledge are gifts from God. Never exalt over God’s gifts.
94. Faith in Lord Jesus is the fundamental tenet of the Orthodox Christian religion. Faith in Lord Jesus allows Him to bestow His gifts of virtue and knowledge on us.
95. Your receive virtue by faith in Lord Jesus. You retain virtue by practicing humility.
96. Faith allows God to act. Faith allows virtue to act. Faith allows knowledge to act.
97. Thank God for all His gifts of virtue, knowledge, and spiritual gifts.
98. Thank God for His great economies for our salvation.
99. Thank God for all His blessings.
100.Thank God for His eternal mercy.
