7/27/2019 Addiction Brochure 5 - Ark of Salvation or Ship of Fools?

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Ark of

salvationOr

Ship of fools?

Follow Christ?Do you, or are you a Christian by accident

of birth? Our Lord commands us to

follow Him, and to do so with zeal. Are

you zealous, or just a Sunday Only

Christian?

Christians are supposedto be conquerors!

And to the angel of the church in

Laodicea write: The words of the Amen,

the faithful and true witness, the

beginning of God's creation. I know your

works: you are neither cold nor hot.

Would that you were cold or hot!

So, because you are lukewarm, and

neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out

of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, Ihave prospered, and I need nothing; not

knowing that you are wretched, pitiable,

poor, blind, and naked.

Therefore I counsel you to buy from me

gold refined by fire, that you may be rich,

and white garments to clothe you and to

keep the shame of your nakedness from

being seen, and salve to anoint your

eyes, that you may see.

Those whom I love, I reprove and

chasten; so be zealous and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if

any one hears my voice and opens the

door, I will come in to him and eat with

him, and he with me.

He who conquers, I will grant him to sit

with me on my throne, as I myself

conquered and sat down with my Father

on his throne. He who has an ear, let

him hear what the Spirit says to the

churches. (Rv 3:14-22)

How can I serve?The first thing you need to do is make

time. There must be time to pray, time

to come to church (at the beginning of

the service), and time to serve others.

This means a lifestyle change for many of

us. You cant do it all, so you will have togive up some things you like to do in

order to do the things you need to do.

There are lots of ways you can become a

servant and produce fruits:

Welcome newcomers to the parish

and attend to them during the coffee

hour.Volunteer to visit shut-ins, and help

bring people to church.

Be a good example of patience andgenerosity in your parish, and an active

participant in Diocesan/Archdiocesan

activities.

Become a volunteer at a hospital or an

institution that cares for people.

Support FOCUS, an Orthodox charity

centered on community service:

http://www.focusnorthamerica.org

Support IOCC, an Orthodox charity

centered on disaster relief:http://www.iocc.org

Support OCMC, an Orthodox charity

centered on evangelization and ministry:

http://www.ocmc.org

If you commit yourself to doing good,

God will strengthen you for the task!

http://orthodoxyandrecovery.blogspot.com

2013

Fr. George Aquaro - for free distribution onlyVersion 1.0

7/27/2019 Addiction Brochure 5 - Ark of Salvation or Ship of Fools?

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This is seriousToo often, we take Christianity for

granted. We become obsessed getting

saved or having a personal relationship

while we forget the weightier matters of

the law, justice and mercy and faith;

[which] you ought to have done, without

neglecting the others. (Mt 23:23)

We are called to be just, merciful, and

faithful. The Orthodox Faith is about

being transformed so that this is true of

us. But, if we reduce the Faith to mere

rituals, how can this be accomplished?

We must conquer our fallen nature

through Jesus Christ, who calls us to

union with Him and God the Father. This

cannot be done by showing up late and

taking Communion without even

bothering to be on time or to partake of

the cleansing power of Confession.

So, be serious!Being serious does not mean being glum

or angry. It is actually about being joyful!

Those who are not serious are always

gossiping and angry, since they do not

take God seriously enough to lay asidesuch sin.

Serious Christians are the ones who rad-

iate joy, and seek to serve others. They

are modest in clothing and behavior.

They desire to serve and welcome

others.

Do you bear fruit?I am the true vine, and my Father is the

vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears

no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that

does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear

more fruit.

You are already made clean by the word

which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I

in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by

itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither canyou, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who

abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears

much fruit, for apart from me you can do

nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is

cast forth as a branch and withers; and the

branches are gathered, thrown into the fire

and burned.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in

you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be

done for you. By this my Father is glorified,

that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be

my disciples.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved

you; abide in my love. If you keep my

commandments, you will abide in my love, just

as I have kept my Father's commandments

and abide in his love. These things I have

spoken to you, that my joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be full. (John 15:1)

What are thefruits?There are two kinds of Spiritual Fruits:

those of inner transformation, and those

of service to God by serving others.

Here are the first: But the fruit of the

Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentle-

ness, self-control; against such there is

no law. (Gal 5:19-23)

Here are the second: And the King will

answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you

did it to one of the least of these my

brethren, you did it to me. (Mt 25:40)

You cannot say that you have any fruit

unless you bear both kinds: you cannot

serve others while maintaining a selfish

and hedonistic lifestyle. You also cannot

bear fruit while being negative and

angry.

Only a fool remains in the Church but

refuses to be changed by it. The Church

is the Ark of Salvation, where all men find

Gods love, and by this love are changed.A Ship of Fools is a party boat loaded

with the debauched and sinful. Where

are you? Are you here to have a party

and get things, or are you here to give

glory to God and be transformed by the

worship of Him?

In the end, the Ship of Fools produces

nothing but a hangover and greater

misery. But, the Ark of Salvation pro-

duces enduring joy for all people.