Mark 12:41-44

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like i... Read More

In Romans 8 Paul gives us a further listing of the gifts of the Spirit. As believers we have one inlet of power and that is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8 NKJV). And the Holy Spirit is power in the life of the believer. But this... Read More

THE DEACONS In our study of bishops, we learned that their function is the spiritual care and oversight of the house of God. We noted that bishops are also called elders, and that there are several bishops in one church, rather than one bishop over several churches. We come next to the study of deac... Read More

It is commonly accepted that grace is equal to mercy and that grace only has to do with our salvation. This idea is perpetuated by the Amplified Bible which amplifies the word “grace” to mean “God’s unmerited favor”. In fact, as I sat down to work on this study, I looked at many commentaries and dic... Read More

The time draws near for the great climax of the Lord’s coming into the world. The nearer to Calvary, the more plainly does He declare who He is and the purpose of His manifestation in the world. His course through the great week devoted to the Jewish feast of Tabernacles has been described in chapte... Read More

St Theodoros the Great Ascetic (? 9"' century) (J'olume 2, pp. 13-47) Introductory Note The two works that follow, A Century of Spiritual Texts and Theoretikon,^ are ascribed in the Greek Philokalia to St Theodoros the Great Ascetic, a monk of the monastery of St Sabas near Jerusalem, who subsequent... Read More

Introduction to the Philokalia Volume 1 The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the fourth and the fifteenth centuries by spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition. It was compiled in the eighteenth century by two Greek monks, St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain of Athos (1... Read More

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossæ: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father. Holy indeed are all the Epistles of Paul: but some advantage have those which he sent after he was in b... Read More

They wandered about in sheep-skins, and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom this world was not worthy); wandering in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and caves of the earth. 1. At all times indeed, but especially then when I reflect upon the achievements of the saints, ... Read More

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord. 1. There are many things characteristic of Christianity: but more than all, and better than all, Love towards one another, and Peace. Therefore Christ also says, My peace I give unto you. John 14:27 And again, By this ... Read More