by Michael Voris

"The Church is magnificent.

She stands like a great and noble city, a sparkling jewel – splendorous.

The Bride of Christ, loved from all Eternity in the Bosom of the Holy Trinity.

Presaged by Israel with the Father, purchased with the blood of the Son, brought into visible reality by the Spirit.

Brought into being in time, her destiny is now Eternity.

What existed from all time in the mind of the Father will be alive forever in the heart of the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Church soars to the heavens in the depth of Her teachings.

She possesses infinity in a finite tabernacle.

She glories with the saints and angels in heaven even now as She lifts up her heart in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

She lives and moves and has Her Being in the Divine Majesty.

She is raised up from the dust of the earth through the waters of baptism.

She lives in perpetual virginity through everlasting espousal to Christ.

She is the delight of the Lord of Lords and is the Bride of the King of Kings.

When She speaks, her honeyed voice is truth and goodness and beauty.

When She breathes, it is the air of courts of Heaven, the intoxicating fragrance of love.

THIS is the Church.

Our Blessed Lord would prepare nothing less than perfection for his Bride, as He prepared nothing less than perfection for His Mother.

This is the Bride of Christ, and She is worth fighting for. Her sons are summoned to defend Her honour, her daughters to proclaim Her beauty.

There is nothing more noble to which man can aspire, than to sit in Her courts and muse on Her Truth.

Through the deepest reality of love that God could offer man – Himself in the form of bread, His very humanity and divinity – we have noble blood now flowing through our veins.

The very DNA of God Himself joins to our DNA, literally transforming us into Christ. For this reason a man leaves his parents and clings to his wife, and the two become one flesh.

This is the great reality of the Holy Eucharist: that we have the very Blood of Christ flowing through our veins. His flesh becomes our flesh. We are prepared by slowly being transformed for our Heavenly home.

The Church makes possible for us the commandment that Our Blessed Lord gave to each of us: Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.

When the apostles heard their Master's words, they were awestruck and said: But who then can be saved?

Our Lord answered them: For man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

This is why the Church exists, so that Almighty God may LOVE us into Eternity with Him.

So many people simply do not see the Church in this manner. This is a cause of continual sadness for those of us who do. It must continue to be a source of sadness for us, so we can stay motivated and energised to pray and preach and sacrifice.

The greatest gift this side of Eternity has been handed to those baptised into the Christian Faith. Freely we have received, now freely we must give.

The Church is the door to eternal life, because it is so closely wedded to Christ Himself, as a husband to his wife, that the two have become one flesh: the same flesh.

So when Our Lord says of Himself that He is the Door, He refers also to His One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. He identifies with Her so closely and so freely, that He made no distinction between the Church and Himself when He confronted Saul on the road to Damascus and said: Saul, Saul why do you persecute ME?

One Lord. One Faith. One Baptism.

It is all contained in the Church, fully and completely.

This Truth – it's worth fighting for."

From The Patriarchal Journal

The house of God is the Holy Church, the Kingdom of God on earth, which the Lord Jesus established on earth when he began his economy of salvation in the flesh calling people saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). On this matter the Apostle Paul says: “urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (I Thessalonians 2:12).

So, all of us are invited to be living members in the sacramental body of Christ which is the church: obedient to the Lord Jesus who is the head of the body, in harmony with each other like the members of one whole body to be of one heart and spirit. Yes, the Lord Jesus had established his church on the basis of faith in him, that he is the Son of the living God. God announced this subject on the tongue of the chief of the apostles, Saint Peter, who said to the Lord Jesus, “You are Messiah the Son of the living God.” So, he blessed him saying, “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:17,18).

So that the church would remain steadfast and unshakable in the Lord, the Lord promised to send them the Holy Spirit to be a guide and teacher for them and to remind them of everything the Lord said to them. As a fulfillment of the promise of the Lord the Holy Spirit came down on the followers of the Lord Christ and their number was about 120 persons both men and women. They were gathering in the Upper Room in one heart and one mind in intense and continuous prayer and fasting. The atmosphere flared up to the heat of their faith. The Holy Spirit descended as tongues of flame then settled on each one of them and they started talking in different languages.

After pride had confused the tongues of the people of Babylon in the past, humility unified the tongues of the Lord’s followers in the Upper Room. The mission of the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, is also to protect the disciples from idle talk and errors, to speak through them and to remind them of everything the Lord Jesus said to them. The Holy Spirit also gave them courage, wisdom, understanding and comprehension to be able to bear witness to the resurrection of Christ — above all witnessing with superior courage seen when the Apostle Peter in one sermon drew to the faith 3,000 persons. This was how the church was born. The Holy Spirit lead it on the way of life and guided its shepherds to the truth. He is the one who chooses them as it says in the Acts of the Apostles where Luke the Evangelist said: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2-3). And by the guidance of the Holy Spirit the apostles established churches of new believers and appointed priests and bishops for them and the believers devoted themselves to hearing the teaching of the Apostles, sharing and breaking of bread and prayers (Acts 2:42): “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common” (Acts 4:32).

Those churches preserved intact the faith that they received from the apostles. They maintained excellent conduct and behavior befitting the gospel of Christ and spreading the good news, and chose for themselves servants put in place by the apostles. We read in the epistles of Paul about the command of the apostle Paul to his two disciples Timothy and Titus to establish priests in every place.

The first church was characterized by steadfastness before the challenge of circumstances, presented martyrs on the altar of the love of Christ and waited for the second coming with hope and faith.

Satan, the enemy of good, opposed the Holy Church and tried to storm its steadfast castle and penetrate the rows of its bold soldiers by planting enticements and thoughts of pride and contention for power. But, the Lord protected his church and promised saying: “the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). So the Lord appointed pure apostles as protectors for the church. When riots broke out in Corinth, for example, the apostle Paul wrote to them saying, “Now I appeal to you brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose” (I Corinthians 1:10). This oneness of mind and opinion is the magnanimous doctrine and principle of good Christian behavior and the church continues to establishing a message of repentance all over the world.

Yes, strange opinions had emerged in the church on Christian thought. Schisms increased dangerously at the dawn of Christianity and were about to afflict the church at its beginning, but Christ protected it and “the gates of Hell did not prevail against it” because “God is in its midst of it, it won’t be shaken” (Psalm 46:5). By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and by the power that was given to them from the Lord, the apostles decided on the canonical holy scriptures. In the council of Jerusalem in the year 51 A.D. they solved the problem of the entry of the gentiles into the Christian faith. They did not need to be circumcised or become Jews first. During that council the apostles proved that they could be unified by the Holy Spirit, the One leading to the truth. They dared to write to the believers from the nations saying: “we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials” (Acts 15:25,28).

Therefore, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and by impartiality and self denial, the apostles were able to solve the problems by the divine power they took from the Lord Jesus. They removed evil from among them (I Corinthians 5:13) cutting off the way of all who would be seduced by the base self that entices to evil, who would tear the sacred body of Christ and who would distort the true teachings of Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote on that matter to the believers in Corinth saying, “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (I Corinthians 1:10-13)

This is enough for us to take a lesson and admonitions from the apostles who protected the faith and preserved correct conduct and directed the believers to be for Christ alone. All the apostles and fathers were servants of Christ and his ambassadors on earth telling people his heavenly message and directing them to look to him to receive salvation.

Alas, the church, the house of God, has been divided against itself and without the mercy of God what the Lord said would have been fulfilled: that every kingdom divided against itself would be destroyed. (Luke 11:17) But God protected his inheritance and inspired its fathers across the age to endeavor for its recovery. Though most of those attempts met quick failure because the church was not in one heart and one spirit. But the spirit of the world entered it — the spirit of pride and contentions for power — and the conditions of true love were not fulfilled. Wasn’t it in the name of Christ the savior of the world who promised his disciples saying, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20) But if we got tired the whole night as Peter and his friends did catching fish, our efforts would come to nothing unless we obey the orders of the Lord and do them.

We thank God who inspired some of the pious at the beginning of this century who facilitated the holding of meetings between representatives of different Christian groups and several denominations. The World Council of Churches was established in the middle of this century. Then the Second Vatican Council was held. Informal theological discussions that began between theologians from several churches were changed into an official dialogue and there was an announcement on the unity of faith in the doctrine of incarnation and redemption. Common declarations were signed between the heads of the churches. The dialogue is continuing on several subjects to solve the problems that the schisms left behind across the ages and generations. The leaders of the churches are exchanging visits and meetings in a spirit of love and tolerance.

Leaders of unity, the great heros of the faith, are offering their constructive undertakings by placing road signs along the way to unity and persisting in prayer for the sake of reaching it. They encourage the blessed people to share with them the prayers and persistently endeavor to spread love among members of the churches who are members of the one church that the Lord Jesus established and is head of. What we need now is patience and expectation as the nations expected the coming of the savior, the hope of the nations, and He came! As we await his second coming, not knowing when he will come, he has commanded us to wait and to watch because we don’t know in what hour our Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42) Also, we don’t know when the will of God will be fulfilled as we reach the pursued aim when the unity of the Christian churches is fulfilled.

The schisms have lasted for several centuries, more than fifteen centuries, so we should not be anxious if the time for Christian unity is delayed. As we are walking on the straight path that leads to it, God willing, the way of love, tolerance and meekness and humility and continuous ardent prayer until that day, let us take as a motto the golden rule in which the Lord Jesus summarized his law saying: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Let us pray that the Lord grant us to be witnesses of that day, the day of Christian unity, the day that the Lord has made, to rejoice, and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24) Amen.

by Dr. Ray Pritchard

Scripture: Revelation 3:7-13

Revelation 2-3 tells us what sort of church Jesus prefers. When Jesus looks at a church, he's not studying outward things. He's looking for the deeper signs of growing faith, fervent love, and abiding hope. He wants his churches to be motivated by love, founded on the truth, strong under pressure, and unashamed of his name.

Of the seven churches in Rev 2-3, only Smyrna and Philadelphia received no words of condemnation. And it is not coincidental that both churches were facing strong opposition because of their bold witness. Hard times generally make for strong churches, especially when the hard times come because the church refuses to compromise the gospel.

God rarely shows us the big picture in advance.

Revelation 3:7-13 records the letter to the church at Philadelphia, a city about 35 miles southeast of Sardis. Because it was located near a fault line, earthquakes were a constant threat. This city of "Brotherly Love" was intended to be a kind of "missionary city" to introduce Greek culture to the surrounding region. Built on a narrow pass between two mountain ranges, Philadelphia stood as a literal doorway to the rest of Asia Minor. The church in that city was the youngest and smallest of the seven churches of Revelation 2-3. Though small in size, our Lord had opened a huge door for this faithful congregation.

Here is a church Christ heartily approves. As we study this letter, let's think about our own churches and consider how they measure up.

Consider Our Opportunity

"These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name" (vv. 7-8).

A. Christ himself opens the doors.

When God opens a door, no one can shut it. And when he closes a door, no one can open it. Sometimes people ask me, "How can I know when God has opened a door?" There are various ways to answer that question, but the simplest answer is, "You won't know until you go through the door." It's been my experience that sometimes the door is obvious and we just walk right through. Sometimes we run. And sometimes we need a little shove.

It's a good thing that we don't know the future because we can't handle it.

God rarely shows us the big picture in advance. The "open door" is usually a door pushed slightly open. We still have to summon up the courage to go through the door and see what's on the other side.

Jesus himself, the one who is holy and true, the one who has all authority, opens doors for his people. It's his job to open the doors. He's very good at it, and he doesn't need our help. Our job is to go through the doors he opens, one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, going wherever he may lead us. One door may open, and then it may close. That's okay. Another door may open. That's okay too. We may have to sit still for a while waiting for a door to open. That's also okay.

Jesus is sovereign over the doors of life.
We can trust him.

It's his job to open the doors. He's very good at it, and he doesn't need our help.

I received an email from a friend with the title, "Where do I fit in?" And this one sentence, "I just can't comprehend what God is doing." It seems that my dear friend has been dealt a crushing blow by some other good friends. Nothing evil or nefarious. Nothing underhanded. Just a decision that left my friend very disheartened and confused.

That, too, is part of the life of faith.
Sometimes doors close.

So we bow before the Lord who opens and no man shuts, and who shuts and no man opens.

B. Christ honors faith, not strength.

Jesus said to the church at Philadelphia, "I know that you have little strength"
(v. 8).

Little strength and great opportunity often go hand in hand. Sometimes small churches think there is little they can do for the Lord. But it is all a matter of perspective. The church at Philadelphia had little strength. We can assume that they didn't have much money or many influential people.

But they had great faith.

Little strength and great opportunity often go hand in hand.

Here is a lesson for all of us. I may not be as wise or as eloquent as someone else, and I may not have the money or the influence of my neighbors. I may not be as educated or as well-connected. But I can trust the Lord just as well as anyone else.

What is it that God honors? Faith!
What is he looking for? Faith!
What does he reward? Faith!

And how much faith does he require? Not much. Faith like a mustard seed. Just a tiny smidgen of faith. Not the faith of many years and deep knowledge. He honors the faith of a child.

Simple faith.

Notice the two wonderful things Jesus says about this church:

"You kept my word."
"You have not denied my name."

The first involves holding fast to the words of Jesus. The second means you aren't embarrassed by the first. Some people feel slightly ashamed of their faith. They follow Jesus but keep it to themselves. Don't rock the boat, don't cause problems, don't stir up trouble. How sad.

Some people feel slightly ashamed of their faith. They follow Jesus but keep it to themselves.

When Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica in Acts 17, their opponents tried to have them arrested. I love how the New King James Version records the charge their enemies made against them: "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too" (Acts 17:6).

How's that for an insult? These men have "turned the world upside down."

Would anyone ever say that about us?

"The door of opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition."

They meant it as an accusation, but it is really a compliment. What a great thing to have said about you, that you managed to turn the world upside down. I can't think of a greater compliment for a Christian.

Consider our Opposition

Satan hates gospel preaching, and he hates gospel preachers.

Dr. Bob Jones Sr. used to say, "The door of opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition." Sometimes we hear people talk about "easy places" to preach, but it is all pious nonsense.

There are no "easy places."

Let a man decide he is going to stand for Jesus, let him tell the community the whole counsel of God, let him firmly but kindly declare the saving gospel of Jesus, and he will have enemies soon enough. And not all of them will be outside the church. Some of his fiercest critics will be found among those who listen to him preach every Sunday. We live in a day when people, even good church people, would prefer to trim their sails so as not to offend the community. They want to be known as good people, good neighbors, fine and friendly folks, and a safe haven for the hurting. Who could object to that? Certainly not me. But there is a fine line between wanting to reach the community and not telling them the full truth of God. The gospel is good news, but before it is good news it is bad news, and unless we tell the bad news, the good news won't seem very good.

We live in a day when people, even good church people, would prefer to trim their sails so as not to offend the community.

In one of his books Francis Schaeffer remarked that if he were riding on a train and had only one hour to share the gospel with a fellow passenger, he would spend 45 minutes testifying about sin, righteousness, and judgment, and then he would spend the last 15 minutes on the gospel message.

I think the believers at Philadelphia would appreciate that approach. They cared enough about the truth that they had made some powerful enemies in the community. That was a mark of their faithfulness to Christ.

A. We will be vindicated.

"I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars-I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you" (v. 9).

The "synagogue of Satan" refers to those Jews in Philadelphia who persecuted the early believers. Seeing Jesus as a threat to their way of life, they hated him and those who followed him. But, Jesus says, they are liars. And that's not all.

The day will come when these hostile enemies will bow down and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some commentators see this as a promise of vast gospel advance as the church preaches to the unreached people groups of the world. We must not be intimidated by those who today have no use for Christianity. Not only are they wrong in their current estimation of Jesus, but that will not be their final answer. Philippians 2:9-11 pictures a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some do it willingly today. In the Judgment Day those who have no use for Christ or for Christians will see how wrong they were.

We must not be intimidated by those who today have no use for Christianity.

Football coaches tell their players, "Play as hard as you can, and when the game is over, look up at the scoreboard and see who's ahead." John is saying something like that to these Christians. Only he adds one key point, "Play hard even when you think you're behind because when the game is over, you're going to be on the winning team."

B. We will be protected.

"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth" (v. 10).

Sometimes the best you can do is just to "endure patiently." Spiritual warfare isn't all roses and rainbows. Sometimes it means not giving up when you feel like throwing in the towel. Our Lord makes a precious promise to these suffering saints. He looks ahead to the "time of trial" that will engulf the whole world before Christ comes to establish his kingdom on the earth. In the Last Days things will be difficult indeed. Scripture often speaks of the time of trouble that will shake the earth and prepare the world for the coming of the Lord. Because they have been faithful, Jesus will keep his people from that time of trial.

Spiritual warfare isn't all roses and rainbows.

Consider Our Obligation

"I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown" (v. 11).

You can't read this passage without getting a sense that the early believers expected Christ to come at any moment. He even said, "I am coming soon." I wonder how many of us believe that? This text calls us to do two things while we look for the coming of Christ.

A. To wait for his return.

A few months ago I sat in a living room in Dalian, China and listened to a pastor and his wife tell of their sacrifices to bring the gospel to the Mongolian people. They had even lived apart for several years while the wife, along with several young women from their church, started a noodle kitchen where they engaged the Mongolians in conversation. The wife was not in good health, but she insisted that she must do this. When I asked why, she gave me a straightforward answer:

"Jesus is coming soon, and we must tell the Mongolians about him. They need to know Jesus. I know my health is not good, and I only have another year or two left so we must do this now."

Jesus said, "I am coming soon." I wonder how many of us believe that?

We are to live as if Jesus may come at any moment and work as though our time is short.

B. To overcome by faith.

"Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (vv. 12-13).

The challenge to overcome is one we face every single day. Not long ago I did a radio interview in which the host asked the listeners to name a time when they had faced a challenge and responded in faith. Most of the callers named big events like facing surgery or losing a job or dealing with a broken marriage. I do not doubt that those events call us to live by faith. But I wonder if we are not missing the truly great challenges:

"I will get out of bed today."
"I will go to work even though I hate my job."
"I will be kind instead of rude today."
"I will forgive when it would be easier to get even."
"I will not lose my temper with my children or my wife today."

We are all called to be "overcomers" every single day because we all have a lot to overcome.

This is where overcomers are made. It's easy to read Revelation 2-3 and imagine the "overcomers" as some special breed of Super Christians who live on a plane far above the rest of us mere mortals. But it is not so. We are all called to be "overcomers" every single day because we all have a lot to overcome:

Temptations galore.
Frustrations on every hand.
Disagreeable people.
Difficult situations.
Unexpected setbacks.
Angry critics.
Internal discouragement.
Chronic pain.
Friends who aren't very friendly.
Personal failures known only to us.

There are always reasons to give up, always reasons to quit, always plenty of excuses if we want them. But to those who persevere, who will not give up even when they feel like it and when everything in them says, "Walk away from this mess," to those brave souls who keep on keeping on, Christ makes two incredible promises.

1. We will be Safe and Secure.

Jesus promises his people that they will be pillars in God's temple, and they will never leave God's presence. These words meant a great deal because Philadelphia had been destroyed by a terrible earthquake and the citizens were used to evacuating the city. But those who trust in Jesus will be safe and secure forever.

There are always reasons to give up, always reasons to quit, always plenty of excuses if we want them.

It's a great thing to have a place you can call home. It ought to be the one place where we are known and loved and always welcomed. Jesus is saying, "They may not like you so much in Philadelphia, but you've got a home with me in heaven. I'll make you a pillar in my temple so that you will be close to me forever."

2. We will be Named and Claimed.

The power to name is the power of ownership. Those whom God has redeemed will be named and claimed by him. All the old names won't matter anymore:

Doctor.
Lawyer.
Professor.
Politician.

Those whom God has redeemed will be named and claimed by him.

Coach.
Banker.
Teacher.
Famous athlete.
Richest man.
Most influential woman.

But there are other names that won't matter either:

Felon.
Failure.
Hated.
Abandoned.
Humiliated.
Unappreciated.
Liar.
Adulterer.

In that great day, the blood of Jesus will wash away all the "tags" by which we know each other. Our "good" names won't matter, and our "bad" names won't be remembered. We will all stand on the same ground, saved, redeemed, renewed, and renamed by our Lord.

We will all stand on the same ground, saved, redeemed, renewed, and renamed by our Lord.

We will be given the name of the new Jerusalem because that's where we will spend eternity. In just a few days Josh (our oldest son) and I will travel to India to spend two weeks ministering there. We both have passports that identify us as citizens of the United States of America. We also have visas granting us entrance into India. The passport tells where we come from and the visa tells where we can go. All believers in Jesus have a passport stamped "Citizen of heaven" and a visa guaranteeing them permanent entrance. No one can stop us, no one can hinder us, no one can say, "You have no right to be here." We enter by the blood of Jesus, and in his name we find our place in the heavenly city.

Now this ought to encourage all of us. The world often takes Christians for granted and sees no value in us, but God honors his faithful servants. We may have no security down here. Indeed, any earthly "security" is slim at best. We lock our doors because thieves may enter, and we know that the stock market may collapse today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

All believers in Jesus have a passport stamped "Citizen of heaven" and a visa guaranteeing them permanent entrance.

If you want eternal security, you can find it only in Jesus Christ. One day we will have a new name, and we will live in a city that cannot be shaken.

When Horatius Bonar wrote on the church at Philadelphia, he came to this stirring conclusion:

Small may be our strength in these last days. The tide of error, and sin, and worldliness may be running very strong. It may not be easy to confess Christ, or to hold fast His truth. But His grace is sufficient for us; and woe be to us if we give way to the errors of the age, or conform to its vanities, or seek to please its multitudes, either under the dread of public opinion, or the fear of not being reputed 'men of progress,' or the shrinking from more direct persecution and hatred! Faithfulness to Christ, and to His truth, is everything, especially in days when iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold.

Fear not! The reward is glorious! The honor is beyond all earthly honors! The contempt and enmity are but for a day-the dignity and the blessedness are forever and ever!

Indeed it is so. God help us to be faithful to him who has done so much for us. Amen.

by Fr. William G. Most

We often speak of the four marks of the Church: one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic. We do not mean that these are distinctive enough to prove the Catholic Church or Orthodox Church is the only Church of Christ. But they do help.

Christ established only one Church. "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). Presently we will speak of the relation of members of other churches to the Catholic Church.

We say the Church is holy, not in the sense that all members are holy--far from it. But her Founder gave it all the needed means to make people holy.

The Church is Catholic because it is universal: "God wills all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). It aims to take in all persons, in fulfillment of the command of Christ in Matthew 28:19.

We say the Church is apostolic because it goes back to the Twelve Apostles chosen by Christ Himself. The Pope and Bishops have their authority in succession from the Apostles. The Pope is the visible Head as Vicar of Christ, Christ is the invisible Head. We know Christ intended His Church to last until the end of time, because He explicitly said: "Behold, I am with you all days until the consummation of the world" (Matthew 28:20). Again, many of His parables make this clear, such as the parable of the net in which the good will be separated from the evil at the end, or the parable of the weeds in the wheat, with the same idea.

The Church is also called the People of God, that is, those who come under the new and eternal Covenant (cf. Exodus 19:5; Jeremiah 31:31-33). St. Paul in Romans 11:17-18 pictures Christians of his day--and so also today--as being engrafted into the tame olive tree, which stands for the original People of God, into places left empty by the fallen branches, Jews who rejected Christ.

by Pope Francis

"Peace and joy" are the true signs of God's presence in the Church – not perfection in its organization and planning. That's what Pope Francis told the faithful gathered in the Vatican guest house Santa Marta.

The disciples were enthusiastic, making plans for the future and discussing how the new-born Church should be organized. They debated who was the greatest amongst them and restricted to themselves the number of people wishing to do good in Jesus' name. But Jesus, explains the Pope, surprises them – turning the focus of the discussion from "organization" to "children:" "He in fact, who is the smallest among all of you…is great!"

Drawing on the reading from the Prophet Zecharia, the Pope spoke in his homily of the signs of God's presence: not in "fine organization" nor in " a government that moves ahead, all clean and perfect," but in the elderly sitting in the squares and in children playing .

"The future of a people is right here…in the elderly and in the children," he said. "A people who does not take care of the elderly and children has no future because it will have no memory and it will have no promise! The elderly and children are the future of a people!"

Pope Francis warned that it is all too easy to shoo a child away or make them calm down with a candy or a game – or to tune out the elderly and ignore their advice with the excuse that "they're old, poor people."

And the disciples didn't understand this either, stressed the Pope.

"The disciples wanted efficacy; they wanted the Church to go forward without problems and this can become a temptation for the Church: the Church of functionalism! The well-organized Church! Everything in its place, but without memory and without promise! This Church, in this way, cannot move ahead. It will be the Church of the fight for power; it will be the Church of jealousies between the baptized and many other things that occur when there is no memory and no promise."

The "vitality of the Church," then, does not come through documents and planning meetings- these are necessary, yes, but they are not "the sign of God's presence."

"The sign of God's presence is this, so says the Lord: 'Old men and old women will sit again in the squares of Jerusalem, each with a cane in hand for their age. And the squares of the city will swarm with young boys and girls playing…Playing makes us think of joy: it is the Lord's joy. And these elderly people sitting with a cane in hand, calm: they make us think of peace. Peace and joy. This is the air of the Church!"

by Shane Idleman

Over the last few weeks we've been discussing the differences between certain religious groups. People are asking, "How do you know what religion is right? Who are you to say what is right or wrong?" I'm no one – please don't take my word for it – look to God's Word for the truth.

The Romans road to salvation has been very helpful during these types of conversations - it uses verses from the book of Romans to explain, not only why we need salvation, but how a person is really saved. All paths do not lead to heaven:

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it"
(Jesus' words in Matthew 7).

1. The first signpost on the Romans Road is Romans 3:23,

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Romans 3:10 adds,

"There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God."

We all sin and fall short…no one is innocent. Humility recognizes that we are fallible human beings who have sinned against God. His Word is a lifeline to our soul, an anchor for our lives; not something to be debated, altered, or misrepresented. We don't change truth - truth changes us.

2. The next signpost deals with the consequences of sin. Romans 6:23 says,

"For the wages of sin is death…".

This verse is not popular in many churches, nor is it preached from many pulpits. Telling others that the punishment for sin is eternal death (separation from God) is not pleasant, marketable, or palatable, but it is powerful: "It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…" (Romans1:16).

"To convince the world of the truth of Christianity, it must first be convinced of sin. It is only sin that renders Christ intelligible" (Andrew Murray; 1828-1917). In other words, Christ's shed blood on the cross only makes sense in light of the consequences of sin. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (I Timothy 1:15), yet, many do not want to mention sin, repentance, or judgment because its not popular or marketable. They fail to realize that the good news about Christ can only understood with the bad news as the backdrop.

Our culture's false perception of God as a cosmic ball of love, or a doting grandfather desperately needs to be challenged. Unfortunately, difficult truths are often compromised, watered-down, or avoided altogether in the hope of "not offending." As a result, the church is a mile wide but only an inch deep; judgment is never mentioned, repentance is never sought, sin is often excused, and lives are not radically changed. This leaves people confused and deceived because they believe in a crossless Christianity that bears no resemblance to Jesus' sobering call to repentance. When we fail to proclaim God's word faithfully, we run the risk of "encouraging sin" and "perverting the words of the living God" (cf. Jeremiah 23).

Be encouraged! Romans 6:23 doesn't end there. It adds, "…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:8 declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. He died for us, took our spot, and paid the price of our sin. Hebrews 9:22 says that "without the shedding of blood, there is no removal of sin." His blood was shed for our sins. We should be forever thankful. Jesus isn't an option. He's the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

3. The next signpost can be found in Romans 10:9,

"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

This is how people are truly saved, delivered, and set free from the bondage of sin and death. Romans 10:13 adds, "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

We hear a great deal about God's judgment and what can keep us from heaven, and rightly so, because "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). But we also need to reflect on God's goodness, love, mercy, and grace. The important question to ask is what is the condition of your heart…has true repentance and a belief in Christ as Lord and Savior taken place?

Jesus healed my brokenness and restored my life, and He can do the same for you. If you take only one thing from this article I hope that it is this: There is a deep longing inside all of us that cannot be satisfied until we recognize our need for a Savior, repent of our sin, and turn to Him. Though the road ahead may be uncertain at times, the solid ground beneath will never shift. It's not about religion but a relationship – it's all about Who you know.

From Daily Disciples Devotional

Scripture: 1 Samuel 19-21; Luke 11:29-54

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 25:8

Does it matter to you where you live? Are you satisfied with your house or do you hope for something more, something better? For many of us, our physical dwelling place tends to keep us longing for a something a little nicer. If we live in the same house for a long time, we probably have redecorated most of it more than once. As humans, we get bored and want a fresh look at the things around us, especially our homes. As physical structures, our homes deteriorate in the elements and require repairs and fix-ups over time. Regardless of the reasons, we all must deal with where we dwell. So what about where God dwells?

Where does God dwell? The verse above tells us that God had a place made just so He could dwell with His people. But this place was no ordinary dwelling; it was a holy place, a sanctuary where His people could enter into the presence of the Lord. This sanctuary was built to the finest detail using the best fabrics, stones and precious metals. As the Israelites transported this mobile dwelling place throughout their travels in the desert, they never needed to upgrade, redecorate, or fix-up…even after 40 years! The Presence of the Lord kept all things restored, refreshed and renewed.

But were the Israelites completely satisfied with the things given to them by God? How could these people have been anything but eternally grateful and in awe of the Lord's miraculous power in their lives? But the Bible tells us that they were stiff-necked and continually complaining. What about us? Are we satisfied with what God has given us? Even more so, what about His promise we have that His Holy Spirit lives within us? John 1:14 says that the Word became flesh and tabernacled (dwelt) among us. Jesus came to earth to dwell with us. He left us His Holy Spirit who dwells in us today. Paul tells us in First Corinthians 6:19 that our bodies are the "temple" of the Holy Spirit, so we are now God's dwelling place, for those who have accepted Jesus as Savior.

We should be very thankful that the Lord does not get bored with His temples, or His dwelling places today. What if He became dissatisfied to the point of looking for something better? He is God and He has every right to want more, to want the best. And thankfully for us, that something better is just what He has in store for us, not here but in heaven. Jesus promised that He would go to prepare a place for us (John 14:2). The key for us: get our eyes off our earthly houses and fix them upon Jesus, our eternal home with Him.

by Fr. Sergius Nezhbort, St. Elisabeth Convent

The Church is not just a social club, where you can go if you want, where you can listen to choirs, have a rest for your soul, console yourself and then leave it and go on your way. It a place where we meet God. And this meeting changes a person significantly.

Sometimes it happens when the person least expects it: God comes into our lives and there is nothing we can do with this. The only way is to humble and to accept His will. Not to oppose, but to understand the God’s plan of our salvation no matter how difficult this plan seems to us.

Of course, we would like to combine the things which cannot be combined. We want our life to be quiet and successful, we want there to be less sorrows and diseases, and that little by little we go and reach the Kingdom of Heaven. Such is a Holywood-style variant of life. However, in real life it does not work this way. In fact, it is the opposite. People suffer from difficulties and troubles, sorrows, misunderstanding… And quite often these things devastate us. Sometimes people are so tired of their problems that they lose not just their faith, but even their hope. In such moments it is vital to endure and to remain faithful to Christ, to preserve our hope. Our loyalty to Christ is the main thing. It does not mean that we will walk with a banner in front of God as we would on parade. Perhaps, we will toddle somewhere in the last row, but we must do it in the right direction.