My friends,
Read the words of St. John Chrysostom and wonder at them.
His life span was from 347 AD to 407 AD. He wrote of the church in the fourth
century as having lost the Holy Spirit, what I have placed here is from Homily
1 on the Gospel of Matthew. St. John Chrysostom is considered to be the
greatest Orthodox preacher of the early church, so much so that the government
kidnapped him and transported him to the capital, where he was forcibly consecrated
as archbishop of Constantinople. His kidnapping was arranged by a government
official who wanted to adorn the church in the capital city with the best
orator in Christianity.
After reading these words; wonder at where the church has
gone since they have been spoken. It has been about seventeen centuries since
these words were spoken. I do not believe that the church has improved its
status. The church has walked away from the Holy Spirit, it is that simple.
These are not my words or the musings of an insane person today. They are the
words of the Golden Tongue or the Golden Mouth, St. John Chrysostom. The one in
whom the church venerates and uses the Liturgy of. Sadly, aside from these
things the church no longer hears his preaching.
The church has left its first love and has become a
corporate machine, not much different than any other world business. It’s time
to leave this nonsense behind and seek the Holy Spirit, seek the wisdom of the
One True God. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in speech, but in
power.
Seek the Holy Spirit, rekindle the fire of the Lord, it is
not through intelligent conversation that we preach the word but through power
and authority.
5 For our gospel has not been unto you in word
only, but in power also, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much fullness, as you
know what manner of men we have been among you for your sakes. 6 And
you became followers of us, and of the Lord; receiving the word in much
tribulation, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
Do not hesitate, begin now for now is the time, seek the Holy
Spirit, seek wisdom, seek understanding not just in intellect but in the power
and authority of the Holy Spirit.
Here is what St. John Chrysostom had to say regarding the
church;
It were indeed meet for us not at all to require [15] the
aid of the written Word, but to exhibit a life so pure, that the grace of the Spirit
should be instead of books to our souls, and that as these are inscribed with
ink, even so should our hearts be with the Spirit. But, since we have utterly
put away from us this grace, come, let us at any rate embrace the second best
course.
For that the former was better, God has made manifest, [16]
both by His words, and by His doings. Since unto Noah, and unto Abraham, and unto
his offspring, and unto Job, and unto Moses too, He discoursed not by writings,
but Himself by Himself, finding their mind pure. But after the whole people of
the Hebrews had fallen into the very pit of wickedness, then and thereafter was
a written word, and tables, and the admonition which is given by these.
And this one may perceive was the case, not of the saints in
the Old Testament only, but also of those in the New. For neither to the apostles
did God give anything in writing, but instead of written words He promised that
He would give them the grace of the Spirit: for "He," said our Lord,
"shall bring all things to your remembrance." [17] And that you may
learn that this was far better, hear what He said by the Prophet: "I will
make a new covenant with you, putting my laws into their mind, and in their
heart I will write them," and, "they shall be all taught of
God." [18] And Paul too, pointing out the same superiority, said, that
they had received a law "not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the
heart." [19]
But since
in process of time they made shipwreck, some with regard to
doctrines, others as to life and
manners, there was again need that they should be put in remembrance by the
written word.
2. Reflect
then how great an evil it is for us, who ought to live so
purely as not even to need written
words, but to yield up our hearts, as books, to the Spirit; now that we have
lost that honor, and are come to have need of these, to fail again in duly
employing even this second remedy. For if it be a blame to stand in need of
written words, and not to have brought down on ourselves the grace of the
Spirit; consider how heavy the charge of not choosing to profit even after this
assistance, but rather treating what is written with neglect, as if it were
cast forth without purpose, and at random, and so bringing down upon
ourselves our punishment with
increase. [20]
Many Blessings!
In Christ,
+William
