It’s easy to be confused

Have you ever read something in the Bible and wondered why you didn’t understand the words the same way the Church taught? It can be really easy to read the Holy Scriptures and come to your own conclusion about the meaning of the text, but chances are you will be wrong as often as you are correct. Even the same disciples who would eventually become the Holy Apostles didn’t always get it right when they were first following Jesus. Of course once the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost, they were guided into all truth as Jesus promised. What’s the lesson for us today? Look at today’ Gospel Reading.

Mark 9:33-41 (RSV) - At that time, Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"  But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."  And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."  John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me.  For he that is not against us is for us.  For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward."

The difference between our lack of understand the Holy Apostles rests only in our willingness to allow Christ to transform our understanding to be along His desires. While He walked with the disciples, He was continually teaching. He continues to teach, through the Church, for those of us willing to listen and learn. It’s easy to be confused, but if you are willing to be guided by the Holy Spirit who works through the Church, then your confusion will lead to truth.

The Holy Scriptures are a Book of Love

As I was reading today’s Epistle reading I once again encountered a passage that seems to be ignored by so many so called Sola Scripture Christians....

Epistle Reading: St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 1:18-20; 2:8-15 (RSV) - TIMOTHY, my son, this charge I commit to you in accordance with the prophetic utterances which pointed to you, that inspired by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith, among them Hymenaios and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds, as befits women who profess religion. Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

Women preachers, women teachers, women clergy, women bishops, women wearing gold, women wearing costly attire....if I didn’t know any better women would be total second class citizens in Protestant Churches....of course thankfully they are not.

So if Sola  Scripture Christians are not REALLY Sola Scripture, then why does the Orthodox Church receive so much grief that our Holy Traditions aren’t Biblical? Of course they ARE Biblical, but that has been a matter of interpretation.

There are more examples that are not about women, lest you think today’s blog is about keeping women down. This blog is NEVER about keeping women down...

• Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. (Matthew 23.9) YET....I’ve never met a single Christian who claimed NOT to have an earthly father.
• And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. (Matthew 23.10) YET...there are many Protestants who are called teachers.
• You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. (Deut 4.2) YET....the ENTIRE New Testament is in violation of this passage.

My point today is NOT to favor Biblical literalism, but to wonder why so many claim literalism while ignoring so many verses. The answer of course is the holistic approach of the Orthodox Church. The Holy Scriptures are to be used to lead people into a deeper relationship with Christ. They cannot be used to bully people, guilt people, or otherwise control others. The Holy Scriptures are a Book of love.

Working our Soul for Good Seed

When it comes to our soul many of us live as if everything we learned in Sunday School was enough to get us through the daily struggles of life. Some even leaven their soul unattended, or worse allow bad seed to make its way in. As the Lord explains in the Parable of the Sower, our soul is at times hard, rocky, filled with weeds, or even rich fertile soil, but it doesn’t happen by itself. It requires work to improve the condition of our soul to receive the Word of God, and it requires work to maintain a healthy soul. Luck for us we have the Church and the way of life of Orthodox Christianity to work our soul to prepare it for the Good Seed, the Word of God.

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Questions and Answers: Too Many Translations

With over one hundred translations of the Bible into
English, it can be daunting task for even the most serious Christian to choose.
A wealth of vocabulary of the original can create a variety of translation
options which is understandable. However the American trend to alter
translations to suite a personal or Church agenda is dangerous and we do well
to avoid such editions. Since the Holy Scriptures are central to understanding
our relationship with God, it serves our soul well to use caution and faith in
choosing just the right translation.

What’s in a Translation?

As a continued effort to answer fresh and important questions about the Church, this week’s question is central of understanding our relationship with our Lord. We all know, or at least we should know, the New Testament was originally written (with the exception possibly of the Gospel of Matthew) in Greek. We also know most of the world does not speak Greek, so the Church has been translating the Holy Scriptures into local languages since the earliest days of the Church. Form the moment of Holy Pentecost, the Church has always presented the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the language of the people. As Saint Paul said, “For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10.13-14)

So you don’t speak Greek and you want to study the Holy Scriptures? All you have to go to a bookstore or online and buy a Bible right? But which Bible should you buy? There are so many to choose from, you don’t know where to start! You aren’t imaging things. In fact there are over 100 DIFFERENT English translations of the Bible in use today. Why so many? How do you pick? Does it even matter? That is the essence of this week’s “Ask Father” question.

The Church has a great deal to offer in this discussion, since the Holy Scriptures are have been established, written, authorized and interpreted by the Church. It is virtually impossible to create a perfect translation from one language to another. Cultural understandings and vocabulary are drastically different from one time to another and from one place to another. That has always been the case, even when the Old Testament was first translated from Hebrew to Greek more than two hundred years before the Birth of Christ. Is there a right or wrong translation? That, all depends on the motives of the translators. Motives are EVERYTHING when trying to sort out a translation of Holy Scripture.

Bible Study for Friday, June 17, 2016

This is our final Daily Bible Study on the Acts of the Apostles. Tomorrow’s reading is not from Acts and Sunday’s reading has already been covered.

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality.

Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 27.1-28.1 This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Thursday, June 16, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 25.13-19. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, April 20, 2016. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 23.1-11, and were part of two Bible Studies which were originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, and Wednesday, April 6, 2016.. Here is a study guide for the session on March 30th, and the study guide for the session on April 6th.


March 30, 2016

 April 6, 2016
 

Bible Study for Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 21.26-32. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Monday, June 13, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 21.8-14. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Sunday, June 12, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 20.16-18, 28-36. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Friday, June 10, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 19.1-8. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 18.22-28. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 17.19-28. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Monday, June 6, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 17.1-9. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, December 2, 2015. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Sunday, June 5, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 16.16-34. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE within TWO Sessions on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, and Wednesday, November 18, 2015. Here is a study guide for the session on November 4th, and here is the study guide for the session on November 18th.


 November 4, 2015.



 November 18, 2015

Bible Study for Friday, June 3, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 15.5-12. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Thursday, June 2, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 14:20-28; 15:1-4. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, September 16, 2015. Here is a study guide for the session.

 

Bible Study for Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Since I was blessed to teach a Bible Study (originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube) on the Book of Acts inspired by the Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom from 400 CE, I am sharing these lessons each day during the Paschal Season which is when Chrysostom originally preached them. We eventually made substantial improvements to our sound system, so please be patient with occasional poor sound quality. Today’s Bible Study covers Acts 13.13-34. This Bible Study was originally streamed LIVE on Wednesday, September 2, 2015. Here is a study guide for the session.