“Any division against Christians should cause us great pain” We are all responsible for sharing the fellowship and wonders of God, rise up soldiers! You will face persecution and you will face adversaries but God will help us overcome. Your flesh may be weary but we are of the spirit and let us come together in the spirit to worship and praise. “The world will hate you, but you are not of this world just as He was not of this world” John 17:14
So good! Thank you again, Steve, for another awesome video! Thank you, Fr. Andrew! I was expecting Fr. Andrew to duck down below that screen after pointing at 10:10. Lol!
Coming from the Protestant world I see nothing but overwhelming unity in the Orthodox Church. The fact I can send my inquiring sister who lives thousands of miles away to talk to a priest I've never met and be confident that she will receive the Truth is mind blowing. I think many who have been Orthodox for long, or certainly "cradle" Orthodox, don't know what disunity looks like. Such as literally getting different views on the incarnation of Christ or definitions of what salvation is or whether God loves all people or has competing natures within Himself: and that's all within one "body" of believers! That inherent disunity does affect people's belief in "the church;" such as it is "invisible" and so on and so forth. While I agree with Fr. Lawrence Farley when he says, "I emphatically believe that these Protestant evangelicals are saved and are therefore our brothers and sisters in Christ." And, "All it means is that their previous spiritual experiences were received in schism." It is in those schismatic, protesting, congregations where disunity is rampant, but they are schismatic and protesting... they are not the Truth of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, however. As Matthew Gallatin said, "What makes the true faith true, what makes it the one Body of Christ, is that it has a divine existence of its own. That is, it is something more than just a mystical, spontaneous joining together of people who have all reached the same personal spiritual conclusions or who have individually decided to live in an ascetic and sacramental manner. No, the Church is more than the combined lives of its parts. It is a self-existent living reality that calls human beings to become members in it. The Church does not exist because we do. It is there before we are, and it pre-establishes the very concrete requirements for union with it, requirements with which all would-be participants must comply. In other words, we do not make the Church, it makes us." (Gallatin, "Sola Scriptura and Philosophical Christianity" Part 23)
True. We brought up some of the "apparent" division in the Orthodox Church because (as you might imagine) it comes up a lot in conversations with young people and potential converts. It's on a totally different level that the tragic theological division you mention. But it's still a point of concern for many.
This is my issue with Protestant evangelism which I was brought up in for over 4 decades; I have only recently left. For decades going to different churches and seminars where they all said something different; their prophecies not aligning. So many self made 'men of God' all contradicting each other and so much doctrinal confusion. After struggling for such a long time over the anxiety, depression and stress it caused me I renounced all that bad theology. I am examining Orthodoxy, learning about the early church fathers and their doctrines. I love God and want to serve and honor him correctly. Just making this first step has brought me so much peace, and the depression and confusion I had for years has left me. That disunity and divisiveness is so harmful to the mind and soul. I know that I am not the only one which has been impacted in this way.
I love these videos! I am a catechumen and they help fill the gap until we are allowed to resume classes. While not the specific intent of the videos, you touch on two issues of concern to me: the dating of Pascha and US jurisdictional confusion. While my priest has dealt with this, I felt the answer was unsatisfactory. I am clear on understanding the history behind these issues, but history does not excuse their continuation. Regardless of theological differences, I see no acceptable reason to hold ourselves apart from the rest of Christendom in the celebration of Pascha. Calendars are devices to measure time - not Truth. Adhering to different cycles gives and issue to our detractors. To be honest - even the West is not completely in sync with the Jewish calculation of Passover. As for the multiplicity of jurisdictions here - it is un-canonical and un-Scriptural. Even the Metropolitans and Patriarchs recognize this. I think these divisions hinder evangelization, confuse the faithful, and also give another issue to detractors.
Glory to God! Thanks Tom, glad to hear it. As for your excellent questions, a few points: 1. The calendar issue is frustrating (and pretty silly, if I'm honest). I hope we can sort it out soon. 2. The date of Pascha isn't connected to the date of Passover.
I'm still trying to deal with the issue of ecumenism. I hear both for and against it in the Orthodox community. Even in your area in Astoria between St.Markella and St. Dimitreos churches on whether or not ecumenism is a heresy. I really need help in dealing with this issue
It depends on what you mean by ecumenism. Old calendar churches have an unhelpfully broad view of ecumenism. They split from the Church because they saw the shift to the new calendar as some kind of ecumenist plot to destroy the Church, which is silly. The Church includes both those who follow the new and old calendars because this isn't a question of compromising the Faith (which is what we should actually be wary of). In practice, people use the word ecumenism to attack others. Old calendar groups that have split off from the Church also break off from each other in a cycle of schism. Random online people spent their time attacking everyone they can think of because, in their mind, they're the only true Orthodox. Just stick close to a canonical parish in the Church.
@@stevenchristoforou1667 Thank you so much Steve. What you said made perfect sense and totally put an end concerning that issue for me. God love you my brother in Christ and Christos Anesti .
Can we unite and agree to say that The One Faith is this: faith in Jesus….who he is and what he accomplished! Very simple! One Worship is the worship of the Trinity only!
It's a question for the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit. Just like we read in Acts 15 about the Council of Jerusalem: "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us." We don't get to decide (in the sense of making it up). We remain faithful to God's call: and God continues to guide us.
Let's remember that Christians have been divided a long time, and many if not most members of those divided churches have a deep faith in God. In this day and age, those who don't quickly fall away. This fact is not easy to write off. God could have forced unity, or withdrawn the gift of faith from those who joined a church different from your own. But He chose not to do that. So before anyone declares that their denomination is the only true one, and all others are heretics bound for hell, consider another possibility: None has perfected their faith, or their worship, or their human structure of authority. There's enough truth that pleases God in many denominations that He continues to pour out His grace on them, and sustain them in their faith. Moving from one to another on someone's insistence that it's essential for salvation may not work out that way. People are complex, and a big change like that often leads to disenchantment, once the imperfections of the next one show through, like those of the old one did. A good example is Frank Schaeffer, who went from Protestant to fervent Orthodox, to lost atheist. If God is shining His light on your clearing in the dark forest, don't step out of that light into the surrounding darkness, hoping to find a brighter light elsewhere. Stay true to Him, and if He's feeding you grace where you are, stay with what you know to be imperfect. Be humble, and tolerate the imperfections. Unity may consist of as little as the Apostles' Creed. Those who deny it are probably not really Christian at that point.
Hebrews 8:10. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.11.None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. Once we have turned to Christ We don't need a hierarchy of teachers as we worship in spirit and truth in our everyday live’s.Not that we don't respect the hierarchy within a particular denomination! United worship is about living. James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Hebrews 8:10. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.11.None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. Once we have turned to Christ We don't need a hierarchy of teachers as we worship in spirit and truth in our everyday live’s.Not that we don't respect the hierarchy within a particular denomination! United worship is about living. James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Hi Steve. I really enjoy your videos but a friendly suggestion. Can you perhaps stop inserting those strange clips while you talk. I feel it weakens the important message.
Fr. Andrew should consider dropping “The Voice”. It comes across as an inauthentic reach for authority. An authority he has already been given by the church and doesn’t have to be acted out. Instead we are called to be humble.
@@frandrewstephendamick I think he's picking up on the tone and style of how you speak when you are presenting something....but nearly everyone does that....it's pretty normal. Steve does it too, but just with a different style. That said, you do have a very pronounced difference in your "homily voice" versus your "conversational voice". From my limited experience, it seems to be common with priests with evangelical type backgrounds. It's not necessarily a bad thing. You might not even be that aware that you are doing it.
@@frandrewstephendamick Sorry, but I noticed it too. You have a naturally strong voice but it sounds artificially enhanced on the video. It could just be the acoustics in the church.
@@Maine-Life I'm not sure what Evangelicalism has to do with it. I have had public speaking training, but it sure wasn't in a church! Public rhetoric has always sounded different from conversation -- mainly in terms of projection, pacing and enunciation -- because they're two different kinds of speech. This goes as far back as pretty much any recorded history that we know of.
Orthodox is stuck in past since there is no leadership! Satan separated the Orthodox from the Church of Christ (Catholic) in the year 1054, now Satan has separated the Catholics From the Holy Pope. End of Age! "End of time of Gentiles!" There is NO communion since 10 June 2013 requested by Jesus!
The division in Christendom has been heartbreaking to me.
I appreciated this video!
Glory to God. Thanks, Jerome!
“Any division against Christians should cause us great pain”
We are all responsible for sharing the fellowship and wonders of God, rise up soldiers! You will face persecution and you will face adversaries but God will help us overcome.
Your flesh may be weary but we are of the spirit and let us come together in the spirit to worship and praise.
“The world will hate you, but you are not of this world just as He was not of this world” John 17:14
So good! Thank you again, Steve, for another awesome video! Thank you, Fr. Andrew! I was expecting Fr. Andrew to duck down below that screen after pointing at 10:10. Lol!
lol me too!
I love this channel (especially this series) so much, good job Steve!
Agreed!
Glory to God. Pray for us!
Me: Steve seems incredibly energetic this morning!
Also me: Oops, playback speed was set to 1.5x from the previous video I was watching.
It's a good thing you didn't go any higher. Anything above 1.75x would have cracked your screen! lol
Coming from the Protestant world I see nothing but overwhelming unity in the Orthodox Church. The fact I can send my inquiring sister who lives thousands of miles away to talk to a priest I've never met and be confident that she will receive the Truth is mind blowing. I think many who have been Orthodox for long, or certainly "cradle" Orthodox, don't know what disunity looks like. Such as literally getting different views on the incarnation of Christ or definitions of what salvation is or whether God loves all people or has competing natures within Himself: and that's all within one "body" of believers!
That inherent disunity does affect people's belief in "the church;" such as it is "invisible" and so on and so forth. While I agree with Fr. Lawrence Farley when he says, "I emphatically believe that these Protestant evangelicals are saved and are therefore our brothers and sisters in Christ." And, "All it means is that their previous spiritual experiences were received in schism." It is in those schismatic, protesting, congregations where disunity is rampant, but they are schismatic and protesting... they are not the Truth of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, however.
As Matthew Gallatin said, "What makes the true faith true, what makes it the one Body of Christ, is that it has a divine existence of its own. That is, it is something more than just a mystical, spontaneous joining together of people who have all reached the same personal spiritual conclusions or who have individually decided to live in an ascetic and sacramental manner.
No, the Church is more than the combined lives of its parts. It is a self-existent living reality that calls human beings to become members in it. The Church does not exist because we do. It is there before we are, and it pre-establishes the very concrete requirements for union with it, requirements with which all would-be participants must comply. In other words, we do not make the Church, it makes us." (Gallatin, "Sola Scriptura and Philosophical Christianity" Part 23)
True. We brought up some of the "apparent" division in the Orthodox Church because (as you might imagine) it comes up a lot in conversations with young people and potential converts.
It's on a totally different level that the tragic theological division you mention. But it's still a point of concern for many.
@@stevenchristoforou1667 Yes. I can imagine. You all did a great job as always! 😊🙏☦️
This is my issue with Protestant evangelism which I was brought up in for over 4 decades; I have only recently left. For decades going to different churches and seminars where they all said something different; their prophecies not aligning. So many self made 'men of God' all contradicting each other and so much doctrinal confusion. After struggling for such a long time over the anxiety, depression and stress it caused me I renounced all that bad theology. I am examining Orthodoxy, learning about the early church fathers and their doctrines. I love God and want to serve and honor him correctly. Just making this first step has brought me so much peace, and the depression and confusion I had for years has left me. That disunity and divisiveness is so harmful to the mind and soul. I know that I am not the only one which has been impacted in this way.
Is, is this The famed voice of Steve from the Lord of Spirits Podcast before the Podcast?
I love these videos! I am a catechumen and they help fill the gap until we are allowed to resume classes. While not the specific intent of the videos, you touch on two issues of concern to me: the dating of Pascha and US jurisdictional confusion. While my priest has dealt with this, I felt the answer was unsatisfactory. I am clear on understanding the history behind these issues, but history does not excuse their continuation. Regardless of theological differences, I see no acceptable reason to hold ourselves apart from the rest of Christendom in the celebration of Pascha. Calendars are devices to measure time - not Truth. Adhering to different cycles gives and issue to our detractors. To be honest - even the West is not completely in sync with the Jewish calculation of Passover. As for the multiplicity of jurisdictions here - it is un-canonical and un-Scriptural. Even the Metropolitans and Patriarchs recognize this. I think these divisions hinder evangelization, confuse the faithful, and also give another issue to detractors.
Glory to God! Thanks Tom, glad to hear it. As for your excellent questions, a few points:
1. The calendar issue is frustrating (and pretty silly, if I'm honest). I hope we can sort it out soon.
2. The date of Pascha isn't connected to the date of Passover.
Hope to see the Orthodox Church united
I'm still trying to deal with the issue of ecumenism. I hear both for and against it in the Orthodox community. Even in your area in Astoria between St.Markella and St. Dimitreos churches on whether or not ecumenism is a heresy. I really need help in dealing with this issue
It depends on what you mean by ecumenism.
Old calendar churches have an unhelpfully broad view of ecumenism. They split from the Church because they saw the shift to the new calendar as some kind of ecumenist plot to destroy the Church, which is silly. The Church includes both those who follow the new and old calendars because this isn't a question of compromising the Faith (which is what we should actually be wary of).
In practice, people use the word ecumenism to attack others. Old calendar groups that have split off from the Church also break off from each other in a cycle of schism. Random online people spent their time attacking everyone they can think of because, in their mind, they're the only true Orthodox.
Just stick close to a canonical parish in the Church.
@@stevenchristoforou1667 Thank you so much Steve. What you said made perfect sense and totally put an end concerning that issue for me. God love you my brother in Christ and Christos Anesti .
Can we unite and agree to say that The One Faith is this: faith in Jesus….who he is and what he accomplished! Very simple!
One Worship is the worship of the Trinity only!
There is ONLY one church and one faith.
The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. All others, are heresy.
Not my words, but the Holy Fathers.
Nothing like vinegar to lure flies ...
Chatholic Church is not Apostolic unfortunately!
@@ontaonta2489 Even Orthodoxy recognizes the Apostolic origin of the Roman Church. So you are just not correct at all.
I have that same mirror on my wall in my living room. Good taste 😀
Something I learned from this video......we really need to get Father Andrew a better camera!
Haha true!
It's true. But right now, a little webcam is what I've got.
Unity is in community.
Yea!
Please describe what a true Christian is to begin with and who gets to decide that. Thank you!
It's a question for the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Just like we read in Acts 15 about the Council of Jerusalem: "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us."
We don't get to decide (in the sense of making it up). We remain faithful to God's call: and God continues to guide us.
I am a GREEK ORTHODOX and can I go to the RUSSIAN ORTHODOX Church ?
Yes of course! It's One Church.
Yes, this has always been the case ever since the first Orthodox missionaries went to the ancient land of Russia.
me to, and im Serbian... in Russian Greek... in ortodoxy we are one.
"We are all one *invisible* church."
[flashbacks of Family Radio and Harold Camping]
Let's remember that Christians have been divided a long time, and many if not most members of those divided churches have a deep faith in God. In this day and age, those who don't quickly fall away. This fact is not easy to write off. God could have forced unity, or withdrawn the gift of faith from those who joined a church different from your own. But He chose not to do that. So before anyone declares that their denomination is the only true one, and all others are heretics bound for hell, consider another possibility: None has perfected their faith, or their worship, or their human structure of authority. There's enough truth that pleases God in many denominations that He continues to pour out His grace on them, and sustain them in their faith. Moving from one to another on someone's insistence that it's essential for salvation may not work out that way. People are complex, and a big change like that often leads to disenchantment, once the imperfections of the next one show through, like those of the old one did. A good example is Frank Schaeffer, who went from Protestant to fervent Orthodox, to lost atheist. If God is shining His light on your clearing in the dark forest, don't step out of that light into the surrounding darkness, hoping to find a brighter light elsewhere. Stay true to Him, and if He's feeding you grace where you are, stay with what you know to be imperfect. Be humble, and tolerate the imperfections. Unity may consist of as little as the Apostles' Creed. Those who deny it are probably not really Christian at that point.
Hebrews 8:10. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.11.None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
Once we have turned to Christ We don't need a hierarchy of teachers as we worship in spirit and truth in our everyday live’s.Not that we don't respect the hierarchy within a particular denomination! United worship is about living.
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Hebrews 8:10. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.11.None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
Once we have turned to Christ We don't need a hierarchy of teachers as we worship in spirit and truth in our everyday live’s.Not that we don't respect the hierarchy within a particular denomination! United worship is about living.
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
We had union at Florence
How so?
Claiming Christ does not equal church.
Hi Steve. I really enjoy your videos but a friendly suggestion. Can you perhaps stop inserting those strange clips while you talk. I feel it weakens the important message.
Sorry you feel that! We try to keep it light, especially for people who have a short attention span and need something to look at.
Fr. Andrew should consider dropping “The Voice”. It comes across as an inauthentic reach for authority. An authority he has already been given by the church and doesn’t have to be acted out. Instead we are called to be humble.
I'm not sure what this means. This is just how my voice sounds.
How is he not being humble? I don't understand the comment.
@@frandrewstephendamick I think he's picking up on the tone and style of how you speak when you are presenting something....but nearly everyone does that....it's pretty normal. Steve does it too, but just with a different style.
That said, you do have a very pronounced difference in your "homily voice" versus your "conversational voice". From my limited experience, it seems to be common with priests with evangelical type backgrounds. It's not necessarily a bad thing. You might not even be that aware that you are doing it.
@@frandrewstephendamick Sorry, but I noticed it too. You have a naturally strong voice but it sounds artificially enhanced on the video. It could just be the acoustics in the church.
@@Maine-Life I'm not sure what Evangelicalism has to do with it. I have had public speaking training, but it sure wasn't in a church! Public rhetoric has always sounded different from conversation -- mainly in terms of projection, pacing and enunciation -- because they're two different kinds of speech. This goes as far back as pretty much any recorded history that we know of.
Orthodox is stuck in past since there is no leadership!
Satan separated the Orthodox from the Church of Christ (Catholic) in the year 1054, now Satan has separated the Catholics From the Holy Pope.
End of Age! "End of time of Gentiles!"
There is NO communion since 10 June 2013 requested by Jesus!