250810 AOC Sunday Report
Anglican Orthodox Churchsm
Worldwide Communion
Eighth Sunday after Trinity
August 10, 2025 - Sunday Report
Eighth Sunday after Trinity Propers:
The propers are special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540’s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red-Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red-Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saint’s instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent. The Propers for today are found on page 199-200.
The Collect for Eighth Sunday after Trinity
O GOD, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for Eighth Sunday after Trinity. Romans viii. 12.
BRETHREN, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
The Gospel for Eighth Sunday after Trinity. St. Mark viii. 1.
BEWARE of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
On Point
Someone asked, where do the quotes
come from? The answer is from the
people who uttered them. But, how did
you find them? Oh, that. Some from Bishop Jerry, others from Rev.
Geordie and many from Rev Bryan Dabney
and a
few from other places.
Rev. Geordie Menzies-Grierson – England (above)
Points to Ponder:
Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to
shine; and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80:7
The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a
prating fool shall fall.
Proverbs 10:8
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not
terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not
by and by... Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines,
and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from
heaven.
St. Luke 21:9-11
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus
minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal
even this unto you.
Philippians
3:15
The condition of a church may be very accurately
gauged by its prayer-meetings. If the spirit of prayer is not with the people,
the minister may preach like an angel, but he cannot expect success. If there
is not the spirit of prayer in a church, there may be wealth, there may be
talent, there may be a measure of effort, there may be an extensive religious
machinery--but the Lord is not there! It is a sure evidence of the presence of
God, that men pray--as the rising of the thermometer is an evidence of the
increase of the temperature. In the same way, the prayer-meeting is a
grace-ometer, and from it we may judge of the amount of divine working among
His people. God is always working in a praying church. And if God is not there,
then one of the first tokens of His absence will be slothfulness in prayer.
The Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon
But Let us thank God that there are many recorded
sayings of our Lord that no honest mind can fail to understand.
Rev. Don Fultz – sermon 5/19/2014
Heaven is a house, not a tent or tabernacle. All true believers are welcome to that happiness as to their home. There are mansions there, distinct dwellings, an apartment for each. The house itself is lasting; our estate in it is not for a term of years, but a perpetuity.……The Rev. Matthew Henry
“The renowned minister of the past, Donald Grey Barnhouse, told the story of a fellow who operated an ice house. One morning, he lost his watch in the sawdust that covered the ice house floor. He offered a reward to any worker who could find it. An intensive search was made. The floor was even raked by many of the employees, but none could find the lost watch. At the noon day hour when all went out to lunch, the young boy welcomed their return with a beaming smile and holding the watch up for all to see. When queried as to how he found it, he responded, “I went into the ice house while all the workers were out and laid down on the floor quietly. Before long, I began to hear the ticking of the watch!”
It is true of the spiritual hearing as well. When we
get quiet and away from the madding crowd, we may much more clearly perceive
the Holy Spirit whisper a remembrance of the Word in our ears. Knowing His Word
very well will be a light to our path and a lamp to our feet.”
The Most Rev. Jerry L. Ogles
Jerry Ogles, Presiding Bishop – Metropolitan AOC Worldwide
We are fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the Collect and sermon notes.
Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:
Bishop Ogles Blog:
https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com
Bishop Ogles You Tube Channel
that is free to subscribe: all of his videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW3bgXBJFomPB5mZ4Oigxg
8-4-25 Monday Daily
Meditations:
8-5-25 Tuesday Morning Meditations: The Crux of the Matter
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sak649_emk
8-6-25 Wednesday Morning Meditations
You tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFKcs2OB5mE
8-7-25
Thursday Morning Meditations
Click link: https://youtu.be/RMXkCvu-9uE?si=BwiypF-f2UtNuS1d
8-8-26 Friday Morning -Youth Devotion
Click link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWDGXFaseE
An Evening Prayer for a Friday Night:
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32oRygFong
8-2-25 Saturday Mornings with Ruth - Part 1:
You tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaHKSrLmFC8&t=2s
250809- Saturday Mornings - Ruth Part 2:
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RFSvFj7PPE
THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD,
6 August 2025 Anno Domini,
the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
The Prayer of Collect for the Transfiguration
O GOD, who on the mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thine only-begotten Son wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistering; Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may be permitted to behold the King in his beauty, who with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
The Gospel of St. Matthew 17:1-9
1And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. (Matthew 17:1-9)
This event (Transfiguration) is filled with both mystery and symbolism. It is a physical manifestation of a divine and spiritual truth. We note that the chapter begins, “And after six days…” – six days after what? It was six days since, in chapter 16, Jesus had rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan…” when Peter rebuked Christ for his plan to go to Jerusalem and be offered up. Peter spoke out of pure ignorance of the necessity of the event. Christ was not comparing Peter to Satan, but charging that Satan was speaking through Peter. Six days after sharing the terrible news of His coming Passion, the Lord now invites His trusted three witnesses to a mountaintop experience on the peaks of Mt. Hermon.
These three were the close disciples of Christ. Is there a significance in the three (and not four, or five, or six) being invited? Three witnesses sealed the certainty for the sake of proven testimony in both the Old and New Testament periods. Jesus was about to present a proof of His resurrection before it ever happened. He had just predicted His crucifixion in Chapter 16, now He will lighten the hearts of His disciples with this wonderful observance of His glorified body. The witnesses will stand to testify of the event following the crucifixion. “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.” (Deuteronomy 17:6) “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” (Matthew 18:15-16)
Though
this event reveals the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a
prophecy as well to the transfiguration of all who are the Elect of Christ.
Those who belong to Christ will likewise be transformed at the Last Day into
glorious bodies of light. “Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears
to hear, let him hear.” (Matt
13:43) This mystery cannot be understood by all, for Christ adds the
familiar qualification, “Who hath ears to
hear, let him hear.” Either
at the moment of Death, or at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall
also be transformed. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up
in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
(1 Corinthians 15:51-55)
The high mountain probably relates to the snow clad Mt. Hermon, the highest in all the region. This was a confidential sharing in His glory as a witness to His coming resurrection. He took the disciples apart to show them. Sometimes, He takes you and I apart from the crowd to speak to us of things the greater number of disciples may not yet comprehend. But He never reveals anything to us that is not clearly laid out in His Word.
“And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.” Moses had been buried for more than 1400 years, and Elias (Elijah) had been translated without the pains of death more than 900 years earlier. One (Moses) had suffered death; the other (Elias) did not die but saw the coming of the Lord. That represents all to whom Christ now speaks. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” Moses also represented the law, and Elijah represents the prophets – all written in the Law and Prophets fulfilled on that mountaintop experience. The lonely grave of Moses somewhere on Mt. Nebo lies empty today as I pen this devotion. Someday, your grave will likewise lie empty. The Christian, like Christ, needs only a borrowed tomb; and the Christian, like Christ, will someday be changed and transformed into a glorious appearance of light.
Perhaps out of senseless amazement at this sight, Peter impetuously says: “. . . Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” Moses and Elijah are here by the power of God, not by their own power or righteousness. Sometimes, men begin to worship their preachers instead of the One who is being preached. They build altars of elaborate buildings for them and forget the Lord whom they profess to worship. They wish to build memorials to fallible men and not Temples to the infallible God.
God will settle that issue promptly, but reveal another mystery in the process. “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” This is perhaps the same Glory Cloud that receives Christ at His ascension. It is a Holy Presence that enshrouds and then reveals. God spake from the cloud. He will have no intermediary between Himself and man, except His Son, Christ Jesus. “Hear ye Him!” We may stand in the best of company of ministers and Christian family, but in the end, we all face the Lord Jesus Christ alone. “And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.” When His people are fearful, Jesus always touches us and says, “Be not afraid.” “And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” Moses represents the Law and could not offer help. Neither could the prophets represented in Elijah – only Christ came and died for our sins! These three disciples were just like the woman taken in adultery who, after all the charges of her soul’s enemies, stole a glance up and saw no one but Jesus.
“And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” This was a mystery reserved, temporarily, only for His trusted disciples – Peter, James, and John. For some reason not revealed to us, the Lord desired that no man knew of this until His offering was accomplished. Perhaps such general knowledge of this event would have stirred up so much opposition to His crucifixion that it would have been difficult to see it through.
We know from this event that there remain mysteries for which the time is not appropriate for revealing their full meaning to us. There are many mysteries in the Bible that have not been fathomed by the most scholarly of theologians notwithstanding their incessant claims to have grasped it all. One thing we know for certain: Christ was transfigured on the mountain in the presence of three witnesses. He appeared with the Lawgiver, Moses, and the prophet, Elijah. Both the Law and the Prophets were represented. To fully know Christ, we must know all of that which prefigures Him in the Law and the Prophets. And in the final analysis, He is the fulfillment of all that is in the Law and the Prophets. He is the Purpose of those two. We know, too, that all whose names are written in the Book of Life shall be likewise transformed into glistering garments of light at His appearing. Have you checked your wardrobe lately?
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE
HOLY GHOST. AMEN.
† Jerry Ogles
Sermon Summary for 8th Sunday after Trinity,
“BEWARE of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
(Matthew 7:15)
Prayer of Collect
O GOD, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which
are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In our Prayer of Collect we admit that all things are ordered by God – both in earth and in Heaven. All of nature conforms to His perfect law of order, except man. Man has an innate rebellious spirit that is in bondage to the sin nature inherited from our primitive parent. That old self-will can never be free from bondage. It must be transformed by the regenerative redemption of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thusly exchange our depraved self-will for that free will which can be had in Christ alone.
In our Epistle from Romans, we are assured of our great burden of sin-debt under which we struggle ere we come to the Throne of Grace. The desires of the flesh and the appeal of the bright and shiny beads of the world allure us into the dark halls of the Broad Way that leads down to destruction. If we are led by the flesh, that leading leads inevitably to the grave; but being born anew of the Spirit, we are bound to follow its leading into the realms of glory at last. The Spirit knows no darkness, so we shall always walk in light following that great Lamp. In following the Holy Spirit of God, we are made sons of God by way of adoption. We live in confidence of that security assured the sons and daughters of the All High King. As sons and daughters, we look forward to that inheritance reserved for all who are made alive in Christ – Heirs of the Promise!
A very critical warning is given by our Lord in the Gospel of St. Matthew – “Beware of false prophets!” If this were not a grave danger, our Lord would not have profoundly proclaimed it. We see the evidence of those false prophets everywhere in the church today – proud men boasting of their own works and glorying in their wealth accumulated from the backs of the congregants. Full of false promises and proud boasts of their power to call down the Holy Spirit at precisely the scheduled TV hour. They are not in the pulpits to feed the lambs, but to (as the Rev Thomas Brooks says) “slop the pigs.” They promise great rewards from Heaven for those who will send in the so-called “seed money” for the blessing. This directly contrasts with the warning of Christ: “And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.” (John 2:16)
Interestingly, most modern versions of the Bible omit a warning of Christ concerning the big ministers of His day in Matthew 23:14 – “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” Do you wonder why the modern pulpit shysters would not want that verse retained for all to see?
Every farmer, and presumably everyone of mental capacity, will know that one cannot plant apple seeds expecting a peach tree to result. Whatever we sow is that which we shall harvest. We can recognize every fruit tree by its fruit. If it bears oranges, it is most definitely an orange tree.
Please observe the fruits, and false doctrines, of the false ministers of our day. They jaunt from continent to island in their personal jets which usually include the secretarial staff. We read commonly of those ministers leaving their wives and running off with their secretaries. We learn of air-conditioned dog houses, and elaborate mansions. How can any Christian live in such lavish lifestyle when many are starving for the crumbs from his table?
What shall we do with those false ministers? What does our Lord Jesus Christ counsel? “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Now, understand, we can condemn no man to the fires of Hell. That is a decision reserved for God alone; however, we must rid ourselves of false prophets whose works reveal an unquestionable unbiblical ethic. Jesus called the Scribes and Pharisees the children of their father the devil. We must do likewise in ridding our pulpits of such scoundrels and return to Godly ministers whose preaching may hurt our toes, but save our souls.
We are to be the salt of the earth and the Light of the World. That includes the duties we perform not only in our churches, but society as well – including calling government to the bar when they enact ungodly and depraved legislation. It was the pulpits of 1776 that led to our founding as a nation. Go and do thou likewise!
Charles Morley
Bishop of Alabama
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
We are always happy to get the instruction and devotions that Bp Morley is giving to us. We hope you enjoy the following:
ANGLICANISM: A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY?
It may be "sour grapes" on my part, but I remember the days not so long ago when being a conservative Protestant Episcopalian was a lonely business. I remember when Morning Prayer was a principal service of worship. I remember when the entire congregation did not come forward for Communion. I remember when bishops wore rochets and black chimeres and nobody called their parish priest "Father" - regardless of churchmanship. I remember when there was only one Prayer Book, and Billy Graham, not the Bishop of Rome, was the best known religious figure in America.
Then, something happened. The Church changed. Not overnight - one bishop described the changes as "death by a thousand cuts." Of a sudden, the Continuing Church Movement began in an effort to stem the tide of change, primarily fighting to retain the 1928 Prayer Book and the liberal decline of the American Church in general. In order to thwart this dangerous new movement, and to prevent any loss of conservative membership, Episcopal clergy conjured three shibboleths to scare churchmen away from joining the Continuing parishes. "They do not have APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION - they're not IN COMMUNION WITH CANTERBURY - and they don't have VALID ORDERS." Clergy warned their parishioners not to take Holy Communion from Continuing clergy because "their sacraments are not valid." They would never make the same claim for Catholic or Lutheran sacraments - but it worked!
Conservatives in the Episcopal Church stayed away in droves and failed to lend support for fear of being called 'schismatic' or apostate. No longer the PECUSA, the national Church officially dropped the adjective "Protestant" and was eventually known only as TEC - the Episcopal Church. No Episcopal bishop would lend support to the Continuers - clergy so inclined were threatened with loss of pensions and health insurance - and even the wealthy and prestigious Prayer Book Society refused to assist or even acknowledge the Continuers - despite the fact that they were the strongest supporters of the PBS. The PBS failed to preserve the use of the 1928BCP in any parish in the country and refused to reprint the books themselves.
At the time, most Americans had never heard the word "Anglican." At best, it was understood that Canadian churchmen called themselves Anglicans - but most associated the term only with the High Church party of the Church of England. Other than that, it had no distinct theological meaning. In the South, the term was often mispronounced "An-gel-i-can." But the decline of the Episcopal Church was so egregious, the Continuers sought another adjective to describe themselves so "Anglican" became the common denominational designation and the term became associated with "conservative" theology.
Not since the origins of the Reformed Episcopal Church, one hundred years prior, had the matter of the Anglican Communion, apostolic succession, or valid orders been raised by TEC. Oddly, the REC cared little about these things, and broke away from TEC without concern. Not so with the Continuers. Despite the fact that the majority of the laity were Protestant or "low church," the handful of clergy in the Continuum were Anglo-Catholic and believed strongly in the Roman doctrine of apostolic succession. They supported the notion that they desired to remain "in communion with Canterbury" as though this were some guarantee of orthodoxy, and assured the Communion that their orders were, in fact, "valid" despite being separate organizationally from the national Church. One Continuing bishop had himself consecrated ten times by various jurisdictions in order to obtain valid orders acceptable to the Communion. He ultimately failed and returned to TEC, the denomination he had actively denounced for twenty years. The ploy by TEC to discredit the Continuum was largely successful. Lack of direction, leadership, and funding caused the Continuum to lose effectiveness.
But TEC continued to change. New issues came to the fore of concern to conservative churchmen. Homosexuality and women's ordination became the hotbed issues of the day and conservatives reacted. The charismatic movement had swept into the Church and a large number of charismatic clergy and laity came together to form a NEW "CONTINUING" CHURCH. They had denounced the old Continuers as misguided - and had virtually ignored their existence for a generation. Primarily charismatic in theology, they cared little for the 1928 Prayer Book. They had learned much from studying the failures of the Continuum and were bound not to repeat them. Most has no experience of the old PECUSA and avoided the old theological IEDs of churchmanship and Prayer Book. They knew how to avoid the criticisms of TEC and they had a powerful new tool to assist them which the Continuum never had - the INTERNET.
Almost immediately, they sought and obtained consecration of a bishop at the hands of a foreign bishop in communion with Canterbury, even though Canterbury disapproved and the new Church was not recognized by the Archbishop. They immediately sought to gather church buildings and real estate, realizing that Episcopalians would endure worshipping in store fronts and rented conference rooms for a time, as so may Continuers were forced to do, but ultimately longed for the pipe organs and stained glass windows of their former worship experiences. And so, they actively sought to acquire churches - and even whole dioceses - and assured their constituency that the denomination would have over a thousand congregations in ten years. The Continuum had barely one hundred in it's near half century existence.
The issue of women's ordination was "settled" by allowing all opinions equal respectability, with the assurance there would be no female bishops. Female deacons and priests would be allow but not in all dioceses, as the episcopate was regarded as a fully "Catholic" institution viz., "ubi episcopoi, ibi ecclesia" but those totally opposed are to be welcome as well. Gay marriage and gay ordination are forbidden, and the presumption is that there are no gay clergy already in the ranks. There are six different Prayer Books in use in this New Continuing Church, including one of their own composition. It is a syncretic mixture of Catholic, Reformed, and Charismatic doctrine, as well as a new catechism. It was assumed that the new church would be in communion with Canterbury and all Anglican Churches world-wide but this is not the case. Canterbury has continued to refuse to recognize the new denomination, but many conservative individual bishops and national Churches have done so. It was considered impossible for two Anglican jurisdictions to occupy the same real estate, despite historic precedent, and this remain the status quo. But as the New Anglicans continue to grow and establish international prominence via the media, this may change. Canterbury and the Church of England herself may be in danger of losing its ecclesiastical prominence as the Mother Church of Anglicanism. It is not clear who will replace her.
Is this to be the future of Anglicanism? Talk about a dysfunctional family! I believe there is more reason than ever for the ministry and witness of the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide to stand for the historic Faith. We have an inerrant, authoritative Bible: we have a scriptural Confession of Faith in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion; we have Reformed worship in an historic Book of Common Prayer centuries old. This is Anglicanism. This is the Church. This is the Mystical Body of Christ. There is none other.
+CEM
Jack Arnold
Bishop of the Diocese of the West – AOC USA
Education and Training Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
Church of
the Faithful Centurion
Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Consider the words from the Collect, wherein we ask God who …ordereth all things both in heaven and earth …to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us …
We must understand in our hearts God does indeed “ordereth all things” here as well as in heaven. Even though it sometimes does not feel like it in times, we need to remember that ultimately God is the one in control and has a plan that will work. The next time we find ourselves feeling down about the evil in the world, realize that God is greater than all the evil in the world and that in the end He will be victorious.
Understanding that God ultimately is in control is a fairly comforting thought whenever I worry about all the evil that is going on. Once I tell myself that in the end all will go according to God’s plan, I feel much better about what is going on. We know of course that in the end of days that good will ultimately triumph over evil once and for all. This thought comforted me greatly when we lost Bishop Hap. Why did God call my father and our dear friend and mentor home at the time that He did? We will never know the reason why, at least while we are on Earth, but we must trust that his passing was part of God’s larger and greater plan.
Once we understand that God is in control, we can and should ask Him to keep us away from those things hurtful to us and incline our hearts towards those things that are good for us. This issue will always be a challenge to us due to our sinful nature. We are our own worst enemy in this regard and that is why we need His help to overcome our sinful nature. We alone cannot do this, thus we need the inspiration of the Holy Ghost in our hearts. We cannot save ourselves from our own imperfect nature, we need His Help if we are to have any hope of success.
Today’s Collect, Epistle and Gospel all come together with one theme. That theme is that if we listen to Him in word and in deed, God will protect us from hurtful things and will lead us to profitable things. Note in deed and not just words! This means we actually have to act for Him and not just say we are for Him. We have to back up the nice words we say with actions that reflect those nice words. If we do these things, we will become profitable. Profitable not in the sense of being Bill Gates rich, but profitable in the sense that whatever God and the Holy Spirit will lead us to will be beneficial for our spiritual well being as well as our physical and mental well being. Paul mentions before receiving the Holy Spirit or the spirit of adoption, we were under Satan’s bondage. He points out that if we live as our old sinful selves, after the flesh, we will die. He says however, if we mortify our deeds, that is to cease our sinning and turn over a new leave, with the help of the Holy Ghost we shall live. He points out if we suffer for Him, along with Him, we will also receive glory for that righteous suffering together with Him.
We have been released from slavery to Satan and are now free peoples under Christ’s banner. We are not called to freedom from sin just to re-enter our previous state, but to be the new men of Christ. This means setting aside the previous things which hurt us spiritually, physically and mentally and focusing on pursuing a way of living that would honor God. Much liking working out, it is difficult at first, but as we continue to practice our faith, it becomes slightly easier. Also, as my friend KT points out as consistency is key in maintaining an effective workout regimen, so it is critical in living out our Christian faith.
We are called to be different than who we were before when we were slaves to Satan. That means examining the spiritual, physical and mental aspects of our lives, seeing what we need to do to improve them so that we can become the New Men that Paul speaks about and continue to learn and follow His Word.
His Word brings us to another point. Which is does the Bible you use match the real Word of God? It is not the grammar or style that counts, but the facts, the points, the real message of Scripture. The Authorized Version comes from the Received Text and is reliable. Make certain the version you use loses nothing in the translation. Many modern versions use corrupted manuscripts omitting a large number of verses which corrupts the New Testament message, and in the case of John 3:16 for example, dilute Jesus Christ’s status as the only begotten son of God. The newer Bibles also are copyrighted so “Man” owns it, and not the author of Scripture, God our Father. In this case, these newer Bibles are not Bibles at all, but doctrine books of men set on not following Scripture. They have lost the holiness that God’s Word is and have become mere textbooks of men. They promote false doctrine and have helped to spread heresy in the church. This is part of the reason that there is so much heresy in the modern churches today. We must be on the look out for these and remember to only use the versions based on the Received Text, so nothing is lost in the translation.
So, once you let the Holy Ghost into your heart, then take the direction He Offers, read and understand Scripture, you will know what you are supposed to do. Then, you need to actually act on that knowledge. Action, not just diction is what counts in the end. Nice words are nice, but they do not mean as much if they are not backed by action. Action will show people who our hearts truly are for, God or Mammon. Let us choose to act for God and have our actions show likewise.
In the Gospel, Jesus covers similar ground. He points out that if we are of the good tree, our actions will produce good fruit. Before, we were of the bad tree and that is why we produced nothing good. He also points out that not everyone that claims to be a Christian will get into heaven. He says only those who DO the will of God and actually ACT upon His Words will get into heaven and not just those who say they are doing the will of God. He talked about the wolves in sheep’s clothing. He talks about many that have hijacked the church of God and have turned it into a temple of thieves and followers of the Devil rather than soldiers and followers of Christ. Unfortunately, today in the modern church we find that there have been way to many of these wolves in sheep’s clothing. We need to rely on the Holy Ghost to help us discern who is following Scriptures and thus worth listening to and who is just another wolf in sheep’s clothing that is attempting to lead us astray.
Action counts. For by their actions ye shall know them.
Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail. The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
.jpg)
Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s AOC Vicksburg, Mississippi
We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, espouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.
Eighth Sunday after Trinity Sermon
Likewise, many Jews of the first century A.D. possessed a fair understanding of tenets of Judaism. But from the top of their social pyramid to the bottom, few possessed a spiritual understanding of their faith. The majority were content to embrace the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees who set aside the words of our Lord because much of what he taught conflicted with their man-made traditions (St. Matthew 15:1-3). Imagine if you will, that you were living back at the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Imagine also that you had heard him preach the Sermon on the Mount. And let us say that you came away from that event with questions about the points he had made. Where then would you go to verify what he had said? You would likely have gone to the local synagogue where you would have sought the advice of a rabbi, or a scribe, or a Pharisee. But the answers you would have likely received from them would not have been in accord with our Lord’s teachings. After all, those teachers of the law twisted what our Lord had said, or re-interpreted them to fit their skewed understanding of their religion. Thus you would have left the synagogue with, at best, only a partial understanding of our Lord’s remarks, or, at worst, you would have missed their meaning entirely. The wolves in sheep’s clothing do their best work while operating under that favorite of deceptive phrases: Trust me.
The wolves in sheep’s clothing also challenged our Lord on several issues. They sought to trip him up on the subject of the tribute money— you remember, is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar (St. Matthew 22:15-21)? They even criticized his healing on the Sabbath day— oh that was considered working and a violation of the commandment not to do such on the sabbath (St. Matthew 12:10-13). They further sought to label him an agent of the devil because he cast out devils— oh you cast out those devils in the name of the prince of devils (St. Matthew 12:22- 30). They even expelled from the synagogue a man who had been born blind and was given his sight by our Lord as they refused to accept the man’s testimony: that only one who had come from God could have healed him (St. John 9:1-41). And finally, when the religious authorities sought to condemn our Lord, they looked around for credible witnesses to testify against him, and failing at that, they sought false witnesses in order to make their case (St. Mark 14:55-59). The wolves in sheep’s clothing love to pretend that they are of God all the while working for their father the devil (St. John 8:44).
As we have seen from the scriptures, these and other examples confirm what our Lord was talking about when he warned his listeners about the wolves in sheep’s clothing. While many believed his words and became members of the first Christian church there in Jerusalem, many more did not. And the same holds true today. Discerning Christians— per the influence of the Holy Ghost— will seek to know the Scriptures for in them they will find comfort for their souls and spiritual guidance to assist them throughout their lives. And so by being thus equipped, they will possess the ability to see the snares of the evil one and avoid them. Sadly, the unregenerate will not be able to accurately perceive those devices, and the wolves in sheep’s clothing are there to make sure they never do. One cannot avoid a snare unless it is recognized to be such. The unregenerate cannot see the snares which have been set by the wolves in sheep’s clothing as they have been disguised as simply “choices”, or “liberties”, rather than the entrance to hell itself.
Now lets look at where these minions of evil are found. True enough they are found in our secular world. But they are also in the very place that the unsuspecting Christian has not looked. In spite of the numerous warnings found within the Holy Bible, much of modern Christendom has permitted these agents of evil to enter their sanctuaries. They are tares among the wheat; rotten fruit amongst the ripe; bad fish amongst the good fish; unprofitable servants along side those who are true and faithful; and false witnesses for Christ whose appearance mimics that of the true witnesses. They may take the form of clergy, teachers, and congregants. They sow the seeds of confusion and uncertainty with regard to the very tenets of the Christian faith. Via their denial of the Bible as God’s true and inspired word, they have overthrown the faith of many mimicking the woe that our Lord pronounced upon the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees of his day who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for [they] neither go in [themselves], neither suffer... them that are entering to go in (St. Matthew 23:13). They have, through their so-called “corrections” of Scripture, sought to bring them into conformity with their errant lifestyles and behaviors. They mock and deride all who are not in accord with their views, and they will pressure and intimidate the unlearned and the unsuspecting into following their false teachings if they sense that they might be successful in that cause. As the Rev. Matthew Henry once wrote concerning them: “...for they wrest and torture the Scriptures to make them speak what the Holy Ghost did not intend...When men wrest the word of God, they fall into the error of the wicked.” As St. Peter warned in his second epistle: Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness (3:17).
Today you have a choice either to heed the voice of our Lord, or shun his warnings and be taken in by Satan’s deceivers. The wolves in sheep’s clothing are ever about us and such will be the case until our Lord returns. In the meantime, our Lord expects us to do several things. We ought to put on the whole armour of God; meditate upon the scriptures; seek God’s counsel daily through prayer via the workings of the Holy Ghost; and to be discerning regarding all situations with which we are faced. The wolves in sheep’s clothing may have a pleasant appearance and demeanor. They may even come to us wearing a veil of compassion. They will offer us Satan’s lies covered with a modicum of truth. They will come to shipwreck our faith in the one true Saviour. They will have the powers of darkness behind them. They will seek to destroy the true church and upend the true faith in our Lord Jesus Christ in favor of the devil’s alternative—Antichrist.
Additionally, they will seek to keep those who have been deceived within the churches under their direction. Their master knows all too well that every moment those benighted souls remain within their compromised churches such then reduces their chances of ever hearing the truth which God has imparted to man in the Holy Bible. I have heard it said that the Past is an anchor for us in the present. It provides us with stability and comfort. Memories of our first recollections of worshiping God with our parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents, as well as those of our first communion, our marriage, and funerals for our departed relatives and friends are but the arms of that anchor which hold us within a particular church body. God intended for his church to be just that: an anchor in our lives to bolster and enrich us. Nevertheless, he did not intend for his church to be corrupted by Satan’s minions. Ergo, when a church turns away from a proper biblical understanding of the Godhead, that anchor of stability then becomes a device of restraint: keeping all those so deceived within an errant church and preventing them from moving to the place where Christ is and from where he is no longer.
The whole point of attending church is to be in communion with God in corporate worship. God will be where his word is respected and he will leave from where it has been rejected. Consider the church of Laodicea in the Book of Revelation (3:14-22). Where pray tell, is Christ standing? Is he not outside knocking to come in? Is that where he should be with regard to our worship? I think not. Our Lord requires us to depart from any place that has become the temple of false worship and a purveyor of false doctrine. To realize the love of God, one must be obedient to his word written. And God is calling his own out of the camp of the wicked and into the wilderness that they might avoid his coming wrath upon those places where he has been cast out, as well as on those people who have made a mockery of his word via their pretended worship and their false teaching. May the Holy Ghost influence you to seek the salvation of God, and reject the empty words of the wolves in sheep’s clothing. So beware and be not deceived. Avoid all whose teachings and doctrines are contrary to God’s word written.
Let us pray,
Father we beseech thee to give us eyes to see thy truth, and ears to hear the same; that we, being so empowered, might see through the disguise of those ravening wolves that the devil has sent among us, and avoid the snare of their false teachings; for this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
Have a blessed week,
Bryan+
Roy
Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor
Saint Paul's Anglican
Church
Diocese of the Midwest Anglican
Orthodox Church
Suffragan Bishop of the AOC
Eighth Sunday after Trinity Sermon
“Knowing Wisdom”
Psalms 119: 33-48; First Lesson: Zechariah 4:1-10; Second Lesson: John 7:14-24
O GOD, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymns: # 188, 563, 450
33Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
In the three sets of scripture we will study today, we see the theme of wisdom interwoven in the Word. Sometimes we get so far from God’s word, we don’t see the simple message, in this case, we are looking at the concept of wisdom. Not necessarily having it, but being able to understand what it looks like, what it is shaped by, why it is important to our daily spiritual and temporal walk in life. It can be very hard, trying to seek the wisdom of God especially when you are daily bombarded by the cares and wears of the world. It can be so hard to try and stay on the path of righteousness, we must daily renew our walk, each morning or before we retire at night, we need to spend a while in the Word of God. We need a daily feeding of the Word as we find in the Holy Bible. This will lift us up, this will help to strengthen us...one day at a time.
35Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. 36Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
We need wisdom to get along in life “....”
37Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. Verse 37 of this passage is very practical, just turn my eyes from the junk in life, give me life instead. In verse 40, the psalmist asks for the desire to seek God’s precepts, to get the life caused by righteousness of those precepts. “40Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.”
Let us listen to what a great churchman of the last part of the 19th century wrote concerning a Christian’s daily walk:
“He endeavors to live according to God’s will, to do the things that please God, to avoid the things that God hates. His aim and desire is to love God with heart and soul, and mind and strength, and to love his neighbor as himself. His wish is to be continually looking to Christ as his example as well as his Savior, and to show himself Christ’s friend by doing whatever Christ commands. No doubt he is not perfect. None will tell you that sooner than himself. He groans under the burden of indwelling corruption cleaving to him. He finds an evil principle within him constantly warring against grace, and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence. In spite of all short-comings, the average bent and bias of his ways is holy—his doings holy—his tastes holy—and his habits holy. In spite of all his swerving and turning aside, like a ship going against a contrary wind, the general course of his life is in one direction—toward God and for God. And though he may sometimes feel so low that he questions whether he is a Christian at all, in his calmer moments he will generally be able to say, with old John Newton, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world—but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” ~ J. C. Ryle
What does wisdom look like? Give an ear to this next passage, from Proverbs 1;
1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4To give subtitle to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Let us now look at the writings attributed to King Solomon, especially in his early days as king of the nation of Israel. This very familiar passage gives us simple instructions to how to find wisdom. That the marks of such wisdom are shown in your behavior towards others. That those who are wise will increase in this wisdom and learning. It really isn’t very hard to understand, wisdom takes discernment., you must notice and learn what wisdom is. Dealing with justice and equity, listen and increase in learning. Understand and obtain guidance. Notice the warning at the end of this passage: Have a reverence for God, know that He is in control, this is the beginning of knowledge, which leads to wisdom. But the warning to the fool must also be understood, if you despise wisdom and instruction, it is to your peril. Be aware of foolish behavior.
7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
Now let us see what St. John wrote about wisdom and knowledge from our Gospel lesson John 7:14-24. 14Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
This account is early in Christ’s ministry, people are still wondering about his credentials. They want to know how he knows so much, and yet is a simple laborer.
15And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
So Jesus explains. 16Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
It is interesting, that Jesus put the discernment back on the listener. This of course was due to the need for those listening to believe what was being taught, this would divide out the believer from the non-believer. This would be based on wisdom, or as would later be given, the Holy Spirit. He would give wisdom to those who were to receive it, they would then be able to discern the good from the evil. In the next passage, Jesus gives the listeners a clue as how to discern a person who is from God.
18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
If that person speaking does not try to puff themselves up, but point to the Glory of God, that person is of God. This is the application of wisdom. So many times in the past centuries people have followed false teachers, prophets, and leaders, they wouldn’t have if they had stopped to think about what they were saying. “Did they honor God? Did they point to Jesus as the ONLY WAY? Did they seek to stay out of the way and let the Holy Spirit do his job?” Just in our lifetime there have been many a false teacher and so called prophets who have lead people to perdition. Think of Jim Jones and Jonestown, David Koresh and Waco, plus countless others who have just taken financial advantage of unwise believers over the years. Look at verse 18 of the seventh chapter of John again. Make sure those who seek to teach you are in God’s word, for God’s work, for God’s kingdom, not something they are doing for themselves.
Let
us pray:
1GOD be merciful unto us, and bless us, * and show us
the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us; 2That thy way
may be known upon earth, * thy saving health among all nations. 3Let
the people praise thee, O God; * yea, let all the people praise thee. 4O
let the nations rejoice and be glad; * for thou shalt judge the folk
righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. 5Let the people
praise thee, O God; * yea, let all the people praise thee. 6Then
shall the earth bring forth her increase; * and God, even our own God, shall
give us his blessing. 7God shall bless us; * and all the ends of the
world shall fear him. (Psalm 67:1-7)
ALMIGHTY God, who alone gavest us the breath of life, and alone canst keep alive in us the holy desires thou dost impart; We beseech thee, for thy compassion's sake, to sanctify all our thoughts and endeavours; that we may neither begin an action without a pure intention nor continue it without thy blessing. And grant that, having the eyes of the mind opened to behold things invisible and unseen, we may in heart be inspired by thy wisdom, and in work be upheld by thy strength, and in the end be accepted of thee as thy faithful servants; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Beloved, go in peace, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen
+Roy Morales-Kuhn
The Rev. Don Fultz
Rector of St. Peter’s AOC located in the AOC National Office
We are grateful to have this sermon of the today from Rev. Don Fultz from St. Peter’s AOC, Statesville, NC.
Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Matthew 7: 15-21
“False Prophets”
Today’s gospel reading is a continuation of Jesus’s great Sermon on the Mount. The whole text of this Sermon can be found in the 5th through the 7th chapter of the book of Matthew. In this Sermon, Jesus gives us clarification and guidelines and directions on how we should conduct and live our Christian Lives.
In the midst of Jesus’s discussion on the Narrow and wide way to heaven, He gives a general warning against false prophets and teachers in the church. He tells us that there will be false prophets who will try and deceive us and lead us astray. He tells us in verse 15 to “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
False prophets have existed from the days of the Apostles and have continually appeared ever since. As Christians we must be prepared for them and be always on our guard. There are thousands of Christians who are always ready to believe anything in religion, if they hear it from an ordained minister. We must be careful as even ministers can make mistakes or have a different opinion or interpretation on certain religious doctrine. A minister’s mistakes will not excuse our own as St. Matthew tells us in chapter 15 and verse 14: “…If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
So what is a false prophet? We are given some insight about false prophets and their consequences in the Old Testament.
God spoke to Moses about them in Deuteronomy 18:20: “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.”
Moses goes on and tells us in verse 22 to say that the prophet that prophecies and the prophecies do not come to pass makes him a false prophet. However, in Deuteronomy 13:3, we read that even if the prophecy comes to pass but the prophet tells us to do wicked things, we are not to follow after that prophet. The ultimate test of whether someone is a false prophet is whether he speaks beyond the things that God has written, that is, whether he speaks presumptuously. This means his words are spoken in an arrogant and bold manner that can be logically assumed true until disproved.
In Acts 13:6-11, we read about the encounter between Paul and Barnabas with the false prophet and sorcerer Bar-Jesus. He opposed the gospel and seeks to turn the Deputy of the country of Paphos, Sergius Paulus away from the faith. But Paul filled with the Holy Spirit, confronts Bar-Jesus, declaring him a “child of the devil” and a “enemy of all righteousness.” Then the Holy Spirit working through Paul blinds Bar-Jesus, demonstrating the power of God against deceit and falsehood.
What are the pitfalls of listening to and following the teachings of false prophets?
One of the dangers of listening to and following false prophets is diversion. We can be led astray by false doctrine. As Christians we should always follow the teachings and ways of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The surest way to enter heaven is the narrow way as Jesus tells us in his Sermon on the Mount and as recorded in Mathew Chapter 7 verses 13-14: “Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; 14strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”
Do you know what can happen to a ship or boat that gets off course. It can get lost and grounded on a sand bar or hit rocks and become ship wrecked. I remember the first time I rented a Pontoon boat and ventured out on Lake Norman which has around 550 miles of shoreline and many different channels. Somehow I got off course, and started going down the Catawba river. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the cows crossing the river! Luckily, I was able to get the Pontoon boat turned around and back in deeper water.
Just as a ship or boat must stay on course to avoid a ship wreck, Christians must also stay on course and follow the doctrines laid down by Jesus. Satan is always tempting us so that we can be diverted into evil and sinful ways of life. St. Paul warns Timothy about staying on the right course in 1 Timothy, chapter 6 and verses 20 and 21: “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely called: 21Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.”
Another danger of following the teachings of false prophets can lead to division. Those who teach contrary to the Christian doctrine which we have learned can bring division among Christians. False teachers can draw people away and divide the church and conquer it through division. We see this happening today, with the split of many major religious denominations.
This has resulted in the closing of some churches and the start up of others that want to be more tolerant, even if it means going against Jesus’s teachings and the word of God.
St. Paul warns the Christians in Rome about this in his letter to the church at Rome (Romans 16:17-18) “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good works and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
The ultimate result of being or believing false prophets is damnation. There is only one way to salvation and eternal life and that is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we go against his commandments and teachings, it will certainly lead to our eternal damnation. If we deny Him, He will deny us before the Father in Heaven. St. Peter warns about this is 2nd Peter chapter 2 and verses 1-3: “1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you; whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
Knowledge is very important in our Christian faith, especially among newly converted Christians. According to Rev. Charles Spurgeon, renowned minister and author, Christian faith is made of three things…knowledge, belief, and trust. He tells us knowledge comes first and supports it with various scriptures such as Romans 10:14 which says: “…How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?” We should always be informed of a fact before believing it. He also quotes Romans 10:17 which says “…Faith cometh by hearing.” We must first hear in order that we may know what is to be believed.
He points out that a measure of knowledge is essential to faith. Therefore, the importance of gaining knowledge. Isaiah 55:3 tells us “Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and you soul shall live….” This was the word of the prophet Isaiah and is still the word of the Gospel today. As Christians we can either obtain this knowledge by ourselves reading and studying the Bible, or by attending Bible classes, or hearing the Gospel sermon on Sundays. Isn’t it a great feeling when you are listening to a sermon and you have prior knowledge of the subject matter. It just helps you understand what is being said and then you can compare it to what you have read and interpreted.
However, we should never just accept the teachings of others until we first prove them factual just as St. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 we should “prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” So how do we prove all things? All true Christians should be in agreement that our standard is the Word of God, the Bible. At St. Peters and the Anglican Orthodox Church, we believe the most accurate translation is the King James Version. The Bible should always be the authority to prove all things!
God left us this Book as a reference and a standard guide line so we know whether something is good or evil, true or error, right or wrong. It is the factual word of God! All of the authors of the old and new testaments were either Christ’s chosen prophets or apostles or followers of Christ who were filled with the Holy Spirit while writing them.
St. Paul tells us in 2nd Timothy Chapter 3 and verses: 16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
One of our major faults as Christians is that we tend to quote men on certain subjects instead of referring to the Book God gave us. We all agree that God gave us men to lead us into the truths of God, but our problem is who are the true men of God and who are the false ones that Christ warned us about. We sometimes evaluate men according to the size of their ministries or their popularity with men rather than their sound doctrine. Their teachings must always be weighed in the balance of the Holy Scripture. They are to be followed and believed only as long as their doctrine agrees with the Bible.
So how are we to know the Godly prophet from the false prophet? According to Jesus in today’s Gospel reading, “we should know them by their fruits.” What are these fruits? St. Paul in Galatians 5: 22-24 defines them as being the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
We are told to look at their lives and see if these fruits are predominant in them and examine if they are living the crucified life that glorifies God. Of course, we must allow for imperfections that have not yet been overcome. However, we should readily see the fruit of the Spirit in more abundance that the imperfections. One way we can check this is to notice the words that a man speaks. Examining the conversation of religious leaders can quickly reveal the God they serve.
Do they speak of God’s eternal kingdom and his gift of salvation, His righteousness, and His love; or does their conversation center on the things of this world and life? Are they peace makers sowing mercy and love? Are they gentle and patient, or do they lose their temper easily? Do they walk in faith, or are they continually looking to other men for their needs to be supplied. Are they always pressuring people for money, or do they simply receive those gifts of money unto the Lord? Do they have the joy of the Lord, or do they just minister out of duty?
What about their life style? Many people have been led astray when they could have recognized the wrong spirit simply by looking at the extravagant life styles of certain ministers. True men of God should live temperate, moderate lives, overcoming poverty but avoiding extreme wealth. Jesus always went about giving to the poor. He never stored up a lot of wealth even though He handled a lot of money that was contributed to his ministry. He gave away the things He could have used on Himself. The love and lust for the things of this world do not portray the Spirit of Christ.
In closing, we should not go to extremes and expect total perfection from all ministers. However, if we are to stay on that narrow road, we should always do as St. Paul tells us “To Prove all things and hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Always remember that the true word of God is only obtained in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. By reading and studying it we can obtain the knowledge that we need to avoid following the teachings of any false prophet or teacher!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
Rev. Don Fultz+
Rev. David McMillan
AOC Minister at Large
Alabama
We are Fortunate today to have a sermon from Rev. David McMillian
Eighth Sunday after Trinity Devotions
The Gospel for Calendar August 6
Transfiguration and Us
St. Luke ix. 28.
"28AND it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. 30And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. 33And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. 34While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 36And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen."
The Transfiguration and Us (You)
This well -known event probably occured on Mount Hermon---- snowy and gigantic. Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us of this event. Luke alone mentions the ascent for the reason to pray. His (Jesus')face shone as the sun (Matthew) & his garments were glittering ( Mark ) & white as the light ( Luke). Heavenly visitors were present, Moses and Elijah in the cloud that descended. A voice came out of the cloud saying," This is my beloved Son ( Jesus): hear Him. (Luke 9:35)
Luke does not use the word transfigured as do Matthew and Mark, but a different word heteros (greek language), meaning "of a different kind." His face was altered. I think basically we all know about the Transfiguration in some way having heard a few messages on it in our Christian lives. I see an application to all believers.
Christians too experience a change of face , an alteration of nature at conversion. In one sense that is their transfiguration. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ),"…if any man be in Christ , he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold , all things are become new." Christ was made to be sin for us, “…who knew no sin, that we might be made the righeousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) The old phrase born twice, die once and born once, die twice applies here. We must be born from above, born again to have eternal life. There is a change of heart, and we are no longer "…come into condemation; but ( is ) passed from death to life." (John 5:24)
The world needs this message and we need the encouragement to know we are now"…the sons of God...when he shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." (I John 3:2) "…The world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." (I John 3:1) In 2 Corinthians 3 says that the veil has been taken away when someone turns to the Lord....we all, with "…open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
It is about growing closer to God to hear the voice on the mount of God being well pleased in our words, actions and thoughts. " For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish :To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life…. (2 Corinthians 2:16)
We have been "…quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) and "…we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."(Ephesians 1:7) We must "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12) Moreover, Jesus says: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
We speak the truth in love to those who are without God in this world. "24The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient, 25in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowleding of the truth." (2 Timothy 2:24-25)
Dr Lloyd Jones said it this way, " If people are unkind and cruel and spiteful, and if we are being persecuted,...we must say to ourselves, Ah, unhappy people; they are doing this because they do not know Him, and they do not understand me." (Lloyd Jones is a well known reformed evangelical from England and his books are to be read and cherished I believe)
And further, " There is a sense in which we commit ourselves to God once and forever; there is another sense in which we have to do it every day...Here is a day which is going to bring me certain problems and difficulties; very well, I shall need God's grace to help me. I know God will make all grace to abound, He will be with me according to my need---' as thy days , so shall thy strength be.' " Lloyd Jones
We too wish to hear one day the voice out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son…(child of God). (Luke 9:35) The Christian life is a time where can commit or re-commit as needed ourselves to God through faith, and "fasting and extraordinary acts and exercises of devotion." 1928 Book of Common Prayer.
Rev. David McMillan+
AOC Worldwide Prayer List –
I have received updates from a few and those will be the first added to the list. Please send all prayer requests and updates to aocworldwide@gmail.com for future reports. If you would like to be removed from list just respond with remove in the subject line.
Prayer Needed:
Paul Meier – throat cancer
Gayle Gettinger – ICU – heart attack
Richard Bailey – Brain Cancer
Pastor Glen Shoals – Skin Cancer
Steve
Williams – recovery Hip Replacement
Dakota Reynolds- hit by truck –
multiple injuries
Finley Cartwright – bypass surgery – recovering at home
Walter Hallberg III – went to be with the Lord 7/1-please pray for wife Mary and Family - mourning
Jeff Maraman - at the fire academy in Arkansas.
Lydia Collins - rectal cancer.
Marilee – Mastectomy Update – second surgery successful – chemo begun
James Cavanah – health issues, new medication tolerance – starting to work - keep praying
Extended Issues need continued prayer;
Laurie with long Covid Symptoms - Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations, breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing depression to settle in.
Malcom Allred – Cancer Treatment
Katie Pope –treatment for Stage 4 Pulmonary Carcinoma “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
Mauri Turner – Stomach cancer
South Korea – pray to defeat the communists trying to take over; protection for the South Korean people.
AOC Philippine Islands – torrential rains have caused damage to homes and churches- recovery
Mercy Home of India – Bishop John – Orphanage in need of paint and repair
Keep Praying for the following:
Shamu-health issues, Mike, Jim – medication
tolerance, Dotty, Jan Jessup-neuro dementia,
Josh Morley-seizures, Jennifer, AOC USA, AOC Missions, Zach, Jess, Luke, Jacquie,
Harper-IBS , Jim Sevier- God’s
Peace, Linda –
multiple myeloma, Colin, Lowery, Robert,
Donna-chemotherapy, Eddie, Aleyda-heart and bp issues, Leslie, Daniel, Alicia-caregiver Lydia, Sophie, Colin and Lori Beall –
cancer, Toni – cancer, Donna - cancer,
Malou –
cancer, Roseanne, Bobby, Missy, Archie, Eloise, Janice,
Comments
Post a Comment