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9th Sunday in Matthew Ocala July 29, 2007 (text from 1st Cor. 3:9-17) Last year, the sermon was based on the cycle of Gospel Lessons, as we heard today, when the Lord reprimanded Peter for his insufficient faith to walk on the waters, to meet Him. Today, I chose to speak on the Epistle excerpt which we heard, taken from the 1st Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, verses 9-17. I purposely include the number of the chapters, and the verses of the Bible, hoping, that when you receive our Church Bulletin, you will make it a point, not only to meditate on the sermon, but also to have your Bible open, so that you can become familiar the Scriptural texts. You've heard me many times emphasize the Lord's words, when He said: "For what shall it profit a person, if he or she shall gain the whole world, and lose his or her soul? And what can a person give in exchange for his or her soul?" (Mark 8:36-37)) The whole world, is not as valuable as one soul. The sanctity of the soul is emphasized by St. Paul in today's Epistle reading, when he poses the question: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, in whom the Spirit of God dwells?" (1 Cor.3:16) Just think for a moment. Each one of us is a temple of God, and in us dwells the Spirit of God. Just think of what a supreme pedestal God places people, and grants them ineffable honor. But, so many Christians do choose, to totally forfeit their lasting happiness, completely disregarding this ineffable honor, much to their own degradation, by distancing themselves from the glory of God, and espousing only, the glory of this world. But, the Lord did classify those irresponsible people, when He said in the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 12, Verse 43, that "people loved the glory of man, rather than the glory of God!" Thus, each Christian being a temple of God, most assuredly does shoulder certain responsibilities, such as supporting the program of the Church; --- by being loyal to the Church teachings; --by being faithful in participating in the Services; --- by being ready and willing to serve in whatever capacity we can; --- by being loyal in our financial support to promote God's Kingdom on this earth. Being temples of God, we should witness daily, by living a consistent Christian life, and to know our faith sufficiently, that we are able to instruct others. Here in our Ocala Mission, we vividly witness our Christian life in so many ways, chief of which, is the love that permeates our whole community. We manifest it by our volunteering in so many ways. We always welcome newcomers, who join our beloved Ocala Family, as we would welcome long lost beloved relatives. Also, at all times, we cordially welcome our visitors, and I sense much pride, when I personally hear from them, when I greet them, that they are so impressed by our Members' warmth and cordiality. It is unfortunate, but so true, that in so many Churches, visitors enter as strangers, and depart in the same way. Fortunately, this is not our experience, and with great pride I say, that we do exercise our Christian hospitality. The result, is the grand feeling sensed by all our visitors, appreciating our enveloping love, and quite frequently blessing us with a contribution. Religion is not as some think, by being able to only quote from the Bible, etc. True religion, is giving substance to our faith, through our good works. Did not the Lord say: "Not the person, who raises his or her hands and says, Lord, Lord; but the person who does the will of God, will enter into Heaven." (Matthew 7:21) Being then temples of God, guided by the Spirit of God, we should be prepared for any task before us. Whether it be to encourage the discouraged - to perhaps caution the erring one, in a spirit of meekness, --- to bear the burdens of others, --- to also pray for others, and of course to share in the joys and sorrows of others. This Epistle excerpt we heard today from the 3rd Chapter of 1st Corinthians, contains only 8 verses, but it is replete with so many teachings aimed at our spiritual edification. We already have mentioned, that we are the temples of God, in which the Spirit of God dwells. St. Paul continues his edifying preaching by saying, "the one who plants and the one who waters are one, and each one will receive his reward for his labors." (1Cor.3:8) Contrary to so many people today, who seek to draw credit only to themselves for any effort, St. Paul, who labored as none other, constantly being persecuted and tortured, puts it like this: He states, that through his preaching he planted the seed, and one of his faithful followers named Apollos, helped in his work by watering the seed,--- but, it is God, who gave the increase. St. Paul further states, that we are co-laborers with God, and that we are God's Field and God's Building, which of course presupposes diligent labor on our part. The Church is God's Building or Structure. This does not mean the building itself, but the "Ecclesia," that is, the faithful, who constitute the Church. To be sure, we belong to something more, --something greater, than an organization, or a human institution! The Ecclesia, or Church. possesses ineffable glory, simply because of the splendor of Christ, Who is the foundation, upon which the entire structure rests; --- Christ, Who is the source of the Church's life and power. Giving emphasis to this, St. Paul in the 11 th verse of this same Chapter makes the statement: "For no other foundation can anyone lay, than that, which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. "The Ecclesia is glorious, because God has designated Her to be the instrument of world redemption. No other institution is equipped to do, what the Church can do.. That is, to mediate God to the faithful, to release and transmit His truth; to demonstrate the Christ-like fellowship, God's love. That is why, all Christians should be more conscious, and labor to help in the edification of the Church. The word edification means "building up." Unfortunately, everyday we read of the systematic war waged against God in our Great Country, a glorious Country, which was founded on the faith in God. A rather small minority, whether atheistic or agnostic, which is deafening vocal, is seeking every means to abolish everything, that would even hint of God! Isn't it disgraceful, and indeed frustrating, especially- when the majority of our Nation believes in God! The results of their efforts is, that by displacing God, they open the gates wide for the devil to enter. Here is one of the many disasters, which I clipped from last Thursday's paper. It is titled: "DO KIDS COUNT? Florida's ranking in child welfare are dismal. * 8.5 percent of babies are born underweight. * 7 babies per 1000 births die at or soon after birth. * 8 percent of teenagers are high-school dropouts. *33 percent of children live in homes, where no parent has stable, year round employment. x'18 percent of children live in poverty. *36 percent of children live in single-parent homes. I think it is an alarming situation, and truly a heart rending condition, which inhibits great dangers for our present and future, simply because society has capitulated to the fanatic liberals, --- the unrelenting enemies of God. But, did not St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, Chapter6, verse 23 give us the answer when he expressly states: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus., our Lord." One would expect the Leaders of the largest denominations not to be silent to today's dangers, and to imitate, even faintly, St. John the Baptist in the wilderness, when he repeatedly cried out: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." In closing, I always have uppermost in my mind the great statement of the philosopher Edmund-J. Burke, who said: "Evil will prevail, as long as good men stand around, and do nothing. Amen. +Fr. George Papadeas
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