Category: Blog

By Mark Ghali

The upper room was foundational in the formation of the early church. The use of the upper room is established by Old Testament practice, cradled by early Christian doctrine and acted as the springboard for the spread of early Christianity. Even though there is debate if there is a single or many upper rooms what remains clear is that it was the location where union with God and others could be achieved. The upper room held great significance to the early church as it seemed to be a place for the founders of the Church to congregate, especially during her formative years. This includes events which form the backbone of Christianity such as: the Last Supper, where the New Covenant was instituted and the Eucharist was first celebrated and Pentecost where the Holy Spirit descended. The upper room also proved to be the place of various meetings and miracles which strengthened and emboldened the faith of early Christians, proving to be a place conducive to meeting in fellowship and in prayer which are crucial elements of the Christian faith.

From the time of the Old Testament, the ‘upper room’ was usually a room that was built on the roof of houses and was used as a place of prayer to entreat God’s power. It was so essential to those of the Jewish faith that even the poor kept such a room furnished so that guests could be welcomed. There are a number of examples in the Old Testament of an upper room being used. An example of the upper room being used as a place of prayer and worship occurs in the story of Daniel, where he retreats to his upper room to pray, as it was his custom, even when a decree is put out to kill those who worship anyone besides the king. This is also seen in the book of Tobit, where Sarah goes to her upper room crying and supplicating to the Lord in despair, with her prayers even being answered there. Examples of the use of the upper room in entreating God’s power can be clearly seen in the miracles performed by Elijah and Elisha in raising the widow and Shunammite’s sons respectively Therefore, it is clear that an upper room was common amongst the people of Israel, and that it was considered as a place of retreat and prayer, as well as a place where God’s power was shown.

Key elements of the Christian doctrine have found their roots in the upper room. One of the key events of the early church that occurred in an upper room was the Last Supper with Jesus and His disciples, instrumental members of the early church, being present. It states in the gospels of Mark and Luke that there was a large upper room, that was furnished and prepared for the Passover which the Lord asked to use. It was here that the Lord washed the disciple’s feet, providing for them a model for Christian service which would prove to be a defining characteristic of the early church, continuing to communities such as those established by St Basil. Another key aspect of early Christianity established in the upper room during the Last Supper was the Sacrament of the Eucharist, considered to be the pinnacle of Christian worship, and the centre-thought of many early Christian writers. St Paul describes appropriate decorum when partaking of the Eucharist in his epistle to the Corinthians showing the early Church would meet together to partake in it. Its importance is also clear in the inclusion of the Eucharist, alongside the rituals of baptism, in the Didache, a document that describes some of the practices of the early church as well as its being described by St Justin Martyr in his ‘First Apology’. St Ignatius, an Apostolic father, highlights the Eucharist’s significance to the early church in his epistle to Smyrna, by stating that where a bishop is celebrating the Eucharist, surrounded by the faithful, then there the fullness of the Church is present. Therefore, we see that the upper room was the site of an event which was a fundamental element of the early church.

Similarly, the upper room is the site of a significant and transformative event in the early church. Following the ascension of Jesus, when the disciples are gathered in one accord in prayer and supplication, the Holy Spirit descended upon them on the day of Pentecost, and they prophesied in fulfilment of the words spoken by Joel. There is a clear transformation that occurs in this upper room. Peter, who had previously denied Christ in front of a servant girl, miraculously and courageously converts three thousand men, with his first sermon, during the Feast of the Harvest in Jerusalem. It was from here that the fearful disciples, who previously gathered together for fear of the Jews, were now able to go out boldly, preaching and converting people, even to the point of martyrdom. This model of martyrdom would later be followed by countless others and would be crucial in establishing the early church.

There is debate if there was a single upper room that was used in the early church which held intrinsic value or whether the disciples were merely congregating in many upper rooms. This debate arises because it is unclear whether the upper room used for the Last Supper and in Pentecost were different rooms. In the gospel of Mark and Luke, the word used for the upper room of the Passover comes from the Greek root noun, “anogeon”, and it is the only time it is used in the New Testament. Whereas, in the book of Acts, which is believed to also have been written by Luke, the Greek root noun “huperoon” is used, also referring to an upper room. Therefore, it is uncertain whether Luke meant different upper rooms, or whether he simply used a different term for the same room. However, according to the Coptic Tradition it is believed that St Mark the apostle’s mother, Mary, ministered to the Lord with her resources by offering her house for the Passover to be held, and that this was the same upper room that the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples as they assembled. This is hypothesised because the man carrying the pitcher of water, of whom Jesus said that they would eat the Passover at his house, is believed to be St Mark. St Cyril posits the reason Jesus did not reveal the owner of the upper room was because the devil had already entered Judas’ heart, and so it was important that the name of the owner of the upper room was kept secret so the betrayal plot could not occur in the upper room during the Last Supper. This was so it did not occur before the institution of the New Covenant and the giving of the Eucharist, again illustrating the importance of the Eucharist to the church. The fact that Mark’s mother’s house was ever used is attested to in the book of Acts, where it is mentioned that St Peter came back to the house of Mary following his release from prison, where many were gathered together praying. Therefore, it can be seen that there is evidence for and against whether it was the same upper room that was used.

However, despite it being unclear whether it was or wasn’t the same upper room, what is clear, is that the use of an upper room is a feature of the apostle’s ministry in establishing the early Church. This is shown in the book of Acts where many events such as miracles and preaching occurred in the upper rooms of the faithful. For example, when entering the city of Joppa, Peter is taken to the upper room to raise a charitable woman called Dorcas. As a result, many people in the city hear about Peter and accept the faith., The aforementioned return of Peter occurred following his release from prison by an angel as he went to encourage the disciples and tell them about the amazing work of God and His care for His church. In and amongst their spiritual atmosphere of prayer, Peter stood to tell them about how he had experienced the power of the Resurrection and how the Lord frees those who are imprisoned and under captivity, freeing them from darkness and taking them into life, drawing both spiritual and literal contemplations, about how God opens doors. Later in Acts we see Paul preaching to a group of people in the upper room, and then a young man called Eutychus falling to his untimely death. Here we see an early form of liturgical worship in the early church with the faithful gathering to listen to the word of God, and then breaking bread at the dawn of Sunday, that is, celebrating the Eucharist. This gathering may have needed to occur in the upper room of a house due to practical reasons as the Jews would have been using the Temple, therefore Christians needed to have their own place of worship. Hence, we see that the upper room was a practical place of meeting for the faithful in the early church, and served as a place for the strengthening of their faith.

However, there isn’t only practical significance to the use of the upper room, with many of the early church fathers seeing spiritual significance to the events being held in such a space. Some, such as St John Chrysostom, see that the upper room is merely a meeting place that is representative of a dwelling together of men and women in prayer, remembering the words of Christ that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them” and that indeed nothing is more powerful then this gathering together of people in the name of the Lord. Whereas others like St Jerome, see that prayer would occur in the upper room, such as with Daniel, as a means to elevate the soul to meet God above earthly matters. St Cyril goes further to state that the upper room represents the exalted and high thought of dwelling with Christ and not remaining on earth, but instead having their thoughts and “their citizenship in heaven.” Therefore, it can be seen that not only was the upper room a space conducive for the gathering together of the faithful, but it was also representative of their elevation above the world to be united with Christ; which is the ultimate aim of the Christian life.

Whether it was the one upper room, or many upper rooms, one thing is clear that many of the early events of the church occurred in an upper room. These events, such as the Last Supper and Pentecost, were attended by the founders of the church and placed an indelible mark on the foundation of the early church. The upper room may have been chosen because it was conducive to the requirements of Christian life, as a place where the disciples could congregate together and pray and offer up their hearts to God. It was from here that they underwent their transformation before going out and preaching to the nations, proving pivotal to the spread of the early church. Finally, the spiritual significance of the upper room means that the upper room is not only foundational to the early Church, but indeed to all Christians who are similarly called to congregate, to raise their hearts in prayer, and to ultimately be transformed and united to Christ.

Glory be to God forever Amen.

Mental Health and Christianity

What are our unique tools?

By Dr.Bassem Wilson

Mental health is a major issue that affects many people, and even Christians can struggle with it. We will discuss a few points on how a working faith will help mental health.

• Having access to a support network is one of the most important fundamentals when dealing with mental health. A support network is not classified as having people surrounding you but further, having people that you can talk to and open up about any struggles you are faced with. The main people that struggle with mental health issues, like depression, are those that lack an active support network in their lives. Support networks may include people like family, friends, psychologists, or your confession father. But the main and ultimate support is the Lord himself. Prayer allows you to communicate and put all your problems before the Lord, essentially like a 24/7 support network.In Christianity we often look at prayer as a ticked boxed that needs to be completed, although it should be used more for our own benefit. As such, the Lord places us in certain tribulations, so that we can reach out to Him and so He can hear our voice.

• The second point is the concept of ‘conflict resolution’. Conflict can be one of 2 things: either between you and someone else, or it can be between you and the Lord (separation). If it is conflict with another person, you won’t be forgiven unless YOU willingly and solely forgive, as this is a mercy act for yourself and not the person. If the conflict is between you and the Lord, the only way to resolve it is through true repentance and confession.Confession acts as an advantage because you are able to be persistently absolved. The partaking of the Holy Communion is one of the most important yet highly underestimated tools against mental health issues. Having the body and blood of God with a repentant heart acts as an enormous support. “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine” – Revelation 6:5-6 NKJV. This passage highlights the fact that although barley and wheat were valuable at the time, while wine symbolising the sacrament, and oil symbolises the Holy Spirit, were not harmed.

• The last and final tool for use, is praising God at all times. Being thankful and showing praise to the Lord is a tool that can bring us up. It allows us to continue prayer and feel joy, not by asking but rather praising. It is a really strong tool that is able to lift our spirits and allows us to feel happiness without complaining or seeking anything from God.

Glory be to God, forever Amen.

Living in the moment

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Anthony Messeh

Everyone has aspirations and goals in life. You may want your marriage to be stronger. You may want your careers to reach higher. You may want your friendships to be deeper. No matter what your aspirations may be, you will not achieve these goals by accident.

You can get into a car and drive to the beach, drive around America or drive to a park. However, you do not get there by accident. You must physically follow navigations to get to your destination. This is a metaphor for life. Goals are not achieved by accident. Goals require blood, sweat and tears.

A new bank opens up in town and every Monday morning they give away $10 000. You can use this money in whatever way you like but there is one rule. You must spend all the money by the following Monday otherwise you will lose it. How would you feel living next to this bank? This bank could change your life forever. Only a fool would let an opportunity like this pass by. Well, every week God gives you 10 000 minutes. This is the currency which can change your life forever. You can buy a new career, a new relationship or a new marriage. You can use those minutes in whatever way you desire. However, at the end of the week, those minutes are gone and you cannot get them back. You choose how you want to spend those minutes. You can invest in your relationships, in your spiritual life or in whatever you choose. We need to make the best of those minutes otherwise we will look back on 2017 and wonder where it all went.

There are three turning points that help us make the best of 2017. There are three ways to approach the year. Three ways to take our minutes and use them in the way God intends them to be.

1. Turn “when” into “now.” The words you say and the thoughts you think will always change your life. When (this) happens, I will (do this). “When” never happens. Stop saying “when” and start saying “now.” Are you waiting for everything to fall into place before you act, well, life will never fall into place. You need to change “when” into “now.” Do things now because your minutes will disappear at the end of each week.

2. Turn intentions into actions. Everyone has something in life that they aspire towards. You may want to exercise more. You may want to apologize more. To him who knows well but does not do it, to him it is a sin. Turn intentions to actions today. There is something called the law of diminishing intention. The law states that if I really want to do something, and I leave it to the next day, the intention diminishes. Anyone can set goals but the difficult thing is setting it to actions.

3. Turn my whole heart to Jesus in 2017. Most people want to fast forward this point, but it is actually the most important. Imagine a guy who meets the woman of his dreams. They have the happiest honeymoon ever but after all this ends, they are caught up with the busyness of life and they go a day without meeting or speaking to each other. What kind of marriage relationship is this? Well, do you love Jesus? What kind of relationship do you have if you are not going to speak to Jesus on a daily basis?

As we live in 2017, the above three turning points will help us make the best of the minutes of the year. Where there is no vision, marriages, friendships and purpose of life perish. We have control over our goals and how we use our minutes.

Social Media

by: Monica Gerges

Social media has quickly become a major part of the way we as a society and a community, communicate and spread goodness, positivity, love and oddly enough grow in unity. It has a great capacity for good, but in saying that, it has an even greater capacity for destruction if we are not careful about the sort of things we are exposing ourselves to, as we scroll through our Facebook or Instagram feeds.

Every social media platform includes large amounts of content that can lead down the path of destruction. Things that can influence us negatively, cause us to think lustfully, incite feelings of anger, jealously or provoke us to any other sin of the body or mind are easily accessible. They are more prevalent than one might think, but in actuality such content can also be easily avoided by simply disassociating yourself from the direct source.

What is harder to avoid however, is content coming from within our community about seemingly controversial topics. The topics themselves have the potential to cause major confusion and divisions among the Church if not handled appropriately, and it is content like this that some might argue is the most destructive.

So how do we go about avoiding such content? 1 Corinthians is a good place to start. In Chapter 10 St Paul says,

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me but not all things edify.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)

Simply put, an article or post is only worth reading if it will edify, enlighten and improve your relationship with God. However, knowing whether something will edify you requires some self-assessment and an understanding of your own limits and faith.

Having the zeal and interest to know what is happening within our Church is in no way a bad thing. If you are eager to know such things, perhaps the safest option is to seek such information from a reliable, trustworthy and honest source (like a Church Father) rather than a random opinion piece on Facebook.

Above all however, we have to keep in mind that at the end of the day all that matters is how we chose to love God and others. To focus on our salvation, the salvation of those around us, to spread the gospel and the love of God through our actions is our ultimate purpose.

Feelings of Doubt

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Lazareth el Antony

I continued being an atheist until my mother died. I suffered from my own doubts and fears. I suffered externally and internally. God was not a presence in my life. I suffered 4 years and I never found consolation. I read a lot about Buddhism and Hinduism but it was a taste only. I didn’t arrive at any deep personal commitment with any of these religions.

When my mother died, I felt a hole in my heart. It hit me that I had no mother and no source. I didn’t understand that God was the origin and the reason for my being. After a year of grieving my mother’s death, I went back to the hospital where she had died of cancer. I wanted to remember the days of her suffering. I wanted to go to her room and recapture that last moment with her. For me, death was a darkness that I could not escape. The nurses told me that the hospital room was being used and that I can come sometime afterwards. They sent me to a library to wait for them there.

While in the library, I found a book about the life of a monk called Thomas Merton and I began to read it. The nurses forgot about me and I forgot about them. The book was so engrossing. It was an exact copy of my whole life. Thomas Merton was a philosopher, studied politics and his mother had died.  He was a fan of films and books that I had liked. The only difference is he grew up in America, while I grew up in Australia. After his mother died, Thomas worked his way to a Roman Catholic monastery. Well I thought to do the same. I ignored the pages that talked about Thomas’ growing faith in God. He had a friend who converted him to God but I ignored reading that part. I just took the simple idea that Thomas had exchanged his university life to a monastery life. I wanted to do the same because in the monastery, Thomas had found peace.

The next day, I telephoned a Roman Catholic monastery and asked to become a monk. The head monk answered the phone and asked which church I went to and who my confession father was. I told the monk that I did not go to church and I knew no priest. On hearing that, the monk closed the phone. He thought I was crazy and that I had a weird idea about monasticism and he wasn’t going to buy into that. I looked into a phone book and I found another monastery. It was a Serbian Orthodox monastery. I rang and asked for a visit. The bishop of the monastery answered the phone and without questioning me, he said “come and see.” Later I understood why he said this sentence. Rather than ask me questions like the Catholic monk, he didn’t want to prejudge the issue so he said “come and see.” I was pleased with that, and I went.

I arrived to the monastery on a Saturday, which is the day they commemorate the dead.  As we entered the cemetery, the bishop asked me to walk with a certain lady and gentleman. I later realized that they were a couple who had lost their daughter in a car crash. The couple was bitter over the death of their daughter and so was I, over the death of my mother.

After the cemetery, the Serbian monks went to the church for prayer. They started to pray in front of the icon of St Mary. I had seen icons as part of Art and History but I knew very little of them. I had heard of St Mary but I knew nothing personal about her. I had no understanding of her role in the church or as a Theotokos. This was the start of my journey to Christianity.

Despite the doubt, every experience I had was a stepping stone to the true faith.

Apostles Fast

by Shery Abdelmalek

Why do we fast the Apostles’ Fast? Isn’t that only for Priests? I know you’ve heard that one before. But where did it come from and why do we so readily use that excuse when chances are we don’t even know its true purpose?

For many, this excuse is accepted because of the inconvenience of yet another fast of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Apostles fast begins immediately after the Holy Fifty days and ends on July 12 – the Feast day of the apostles, St Peter and St Paul. This means it could either be as long as the Nativity fast (40+ days) or it could be a couple of weeks. The lack of preparation associated with a fast that varies in length from year to year makes it especially difficult, as focuses shift to, “how long this year?” as opposed to, “what can I learn this year?”

So back to our original question, why do we fast the Apostles Fast? The church fasts, my family and friends fast, therefore, I fast too. If that is your reasoning, then why fast at all? There is much greater meaning behind the Apostles fast and as it draws to a close, do not allow its value to go unnoticed for another year.

The Apostles Fast is one of the oldest fasts of the Coptic Orthodox Church and dates back to the fourth century, during the time of St Athanasius. It was officially named, the Fast of the Apostles during the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. The Canon of the Apostles written by St Clement of Rome states that,

“They continued to speak in the new tongues of the nations, in which they preached, and He told them what must be done by the congregations with regards to prayer, worship, and the laws, and they thanked God for this knowledge they received. They fasted for forty days, thanking God through it, and then Peter washed the feet of the disciples… then they departed to all the nations to call people to the faith.”

From this, we see that the disciples began fasting immediately after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. In essence, the Apostles Fast is a fast of service. Although means of service differ greatly in modern times in comparison to the time of the Apostles, what remains constant is the need for a Saviour – the need for creation to become united with their Creator. Fasting was the means by which the early church became in tune with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. For every encounter, the Holy Spirit is within us and instructs us of what we should say and what we should speak. God gave us His Spirit so that we are never alone along the path of salvation and sanctification from this world. Moreover, through the Holy Spirit, we are to spread His light so that we take as many people as possible along the way with us. The early church responded to receiving the Holy Spirit by fasting. To us, who also freely received the gift of the Holy Spirit, should we not also be thankful and be united to those that preceded us through fasting? During the fast of the Apostles, we remember the Apostles and those that followed in their footsteps – those that were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel. A truly worthy example of how we ought to dedicate our lives. Through fasting, we stand united as members of the body of Christ, each to their own unique role, striving for the edification of the church. When you fast, you not only achieve your own spiritual goals, but you aid your brothers and sisters through your communal spiritual struggles in Christ.

What can YOU achieve through the Apostles fast? This is an easy one. Our God never changes and so, all we need to do is look back to the Apostles and recognise that the same Holy Spirit that worked in them is present, willing and able to work wonders through you, too.

–  St Peter was a coward that denied his Saviour yet through the Holy Spirit, he became a man that spoke boldly with no fear of death (Acts 1:14)
– St Stephen gained the courage to imitate Christ’s love fully as he preached the faith even unto death, thus becoming the first martyr (Acts 6:8 – 7:60)
– St Paul went from a persecutor to a great preacher of the faith
– St Mark who turned back from St Paul and St Barnabas went on to become the heralding father of the faith in our very own country, Egypt, through the Holy Spirit.
– And the Holy Spirit that guided the entire early church to deny all possessions for the sake of their brethren in need (Acts 4:34).

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.”

1 Cor. 2:9-10

Let us pray that God reveals Himself to us all through the blessings of the Apostles Fast.

Glory be to God forever, Amen.

Trusting in Him

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Jonathan Ishak

There are many temptations that plague youth, but the church provides a safe haven for their protection. Through life’s difficulties, why should we trust in God? The Lord specifically asked us to trust in Him. He is honest in this and promises that we will see miracles. The Lord told us: I am your shepherd, trust in me. I am your father, trust in me. I engraved you on the palms of my hands, trust in me. Be still and see the hand of the Lord. The Lord promised that His eyes are on us from the beginning of the year to its end.

If you go to a doctor or specialist and they refer you for an operation, you trust in the advice of your physician. How much more should we trust in the words of God. The Lord tells us that we are under His care all the days of our life. How much do we rely on this promise?

There are many stories in the Bible of people who trusted in the Lord and were never put down. Peter is a perfect hero when it comes to trusting in the Lord. Peter wanted to walk on water and when he set his eyes on God, he was able to walk over the water. As soon as he trusted himself, he fell, but the Lord grabbed his hand and said: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt.”

When the Lord asked Peter to bring him a donkey from the neighboring town, Peter trusted in God’s words, as the Lord said: If anyone asks you why you are taking it, tell them the master has need of it. It’s like going to a neighbor’s house and grabbing their car to use. Peter trusted in God although the situation was not easy.

Elijah trusted in God when the widow only had a small amount of flour and oil. This small amount of flour and oil lasted three and a half years. This is trust in the Lord.

We should trust in the Lord out of personal experience. We may have gone through an exam but trusting in the Lord gave us peace and success. We may have driven through a red light but the Lord protected us from upcoming traffic. Personal experience helps us trust in the Lord more.

Now how can I practice trusting in the Lord?

Remember a simple sentence: “The Lord is my shepherd.” To be a shepherd means to protect the sheep from other wild animals. To be a shepherd means to guide the sheep to plentiful food and water. David summarises how we should trust in the Lord through Psalm 23, for the Lord is my shepherd and he takes me through green pastures. It is the LORD who is my shepherd as He protects me from the traps of Satan. Without the Lord being my shepherd, I cannot do anything.

We conclude with a story. There was once a youth who finished university lectures very late at night. She had to walk through a deserted tunnel to get home. On her way home, she found a scary man standing in the tunnel. Immediately, she did the sign of the cross and she began to pray as she walked past the man. Thankfully, she arrived home safely. The next day, she was reading the morning herald and she found that there was a rape in the same tunnel, just a few minutes after she had walked through it. She immediately called the police station and described the man whom she had seen, just a few minutes before the rape incident. The police were able to track down the man. The young youth was able to question the scary man by saying: “I walked through the tunnel just a few minutes earlier, why did you not dare to touch me?” The man answered: “How can I have touched you. I saw two big men walking aside you through that tunnel.” Immediately, the young youth understood that trusting in God brings her protection. God never disappoints those who put their trust in Him.

Supporting and Serving the Needy

Engage with the following Bible passages:
2 Corinthians 8-9, 1 Timothy 6, Proverbs 11, Psalm 112, Luke 6.

Serving the needy is a common Christian virtue enacted by saints throughout the history of Christianity. But is it just an outward act and show of love to others, or does it go deeper than that?

Fr Tadros Malaty says, “Every giving, and every good virtue is a gift or grace from God. It is the grace of God that turns our life to become constructive and of benefit for the life of others.”

So the virtue of giving begins with our relationship with Christ, so that we can obtain His grace that transforms us, so that we can be a benefit to others. Christ Himself led the way, for “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). If we do likewise as Christ did – humble ourselves before God and empty ourself before Him, then when we serve God’s children, and give wholeheartedly, we will indeed make others rich and our service will truly benefit them.

Our giving does not always necessarily need to be monetary, as long as it is honest and we do it with joy in our heart. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7) We don’t give with the sole objective to reap God’s reward, we give because God has filled our hearts with love, and His grace compels us to serve.

Serve with our money. Serve with our time. Put away our pride, and serve those who have no one to serve them. God’s heart is moved when He sees us giving out of our poverty.  His heart is moved if we are short of time, and we give our time to serve God’s children. If we are strapped for cash, yet we donate money to those in need of it. And in doing so “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in draught, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah 58:11)

The world familiarises us with phrases such as “I cannot afford it” – can we say to God that we cannot afford the time, the money or anything else? For anything that we have, we have because God has given it to us. It is important to remember the Proverb 11:24 “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” God promises us, that in giving, we increase what we reap in return for “He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

Be assured, God never leaves us wanting or needing anything, when we give with our hearts. God truly does love a cheerful giver. Liberality in giving provides an abundance of inner joy; By giving from what he has, man opens up his heart to receive generous gifts from heaven.

Lets earnestly pray to obtain God’s grace, so that He can open our hearts to give abundantly to others. For certainly by serving His children and putting ourselves, our comfort and our needs last, we will move the heart of the Lord and build treasures for ourselves in heaven.

St Paul Defending his Apostleship and Service

This blog engages with the following Bible passages, refer to them before or alongside reading to benefit the most.
2 Corinthians 10-13, John 15, Galatians 1, 3

In these chapters, St Paul responds to those that are critical of him, defending his apostleship and spiritual authority. St Paul was accused of being very gentle and humble in dealing with his people when present in their midst; whereas in his epistles he was very firm and bold. The common theme in St Paul’s response to his accusers refers back to his spiritual responsibility; that the war he is fighting is not of the world, and therefore his authority is also not of the world. For he says: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (Cor 10:4)

Fr Tadros Malaty explains that the apostle Paul often uses the analogy to ‘war’ or ‘battle’ as far as the ministry of salvation is concerned. Therefore, consider the seriousness by which St Paul views his service. Preaching the Gospel of God is an immense responsibility, and so when he uses strong language to defend the Truth, he does not have personal animosity to any person or group of people, but he is doing it for the edification of the Kingdom of God, and drawing people to the Truth, that is Christ.

The apostle, as a leader of the salvation army, is always ready to confront, by the weapons of God, the opponents of the truth. St Paul never appeared to shy away, in fact it was the opposite, he exercised the authority he received from God to the point where people criticized him. However his authority was without boasting. St John Chrysostom makes an important distinction – the false prophets at the time, measured authority on human standards, causing envy, jealousy and pride, whereas St Paul did not classify himself according to comparison with men, but seeks to reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesus 4: 13).

There is an important lesson here for us. Sometimes we can confuse spiritual authority with pride. We all have a vital responsibility to stand up for the Truth. There is a lot going on in the world today that is against the Truth, and against fundamental Christian values. By standing up for the Truth, unwavering and vocal, we are fighting the same spiritual war St Paul speaks of facing himself. When we have the Holy Spirit working in us, our authority and confidence will come from God, and so when we stand up for what is right, we’re not doing it for personal gain, but we do it to bring people to the knowledge of Christ.

Let’s learn from St Paul, as was truly a humble man, yet not to the extent to disregard the proclamation of the truth concerning himself.

St Paul goes on to discuss that the spiritual war he is fighting, has also been accompanied by suffering. St John Chrysostom explains that, his immense zeal kept him from feeling the pains accompanying his life in virtue; and had no ulterior hidden motives behind seeking it. We may fail to endure sufferings for the sake of virtue, even if we are shown the reward beforehand; But Paul embraced the sufferings free and with love, and endured with joy all the difficulties and obstacles along the way to virtue. He never complained because of the weakness of the body, the pressures of responsibility, the heavy hand of popular customs, or anything else.

Therefore, let us also expect our own suffering, discomfort or humiliation when we stand up for the Truth. However, instead of this being a deterrent, let it motivate us to suffer willingly for the sake of Christ, for “he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

Finally let’s end this contemplation with the verse: “Since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.” Proof of St Paul’s authority is not through punishment or any kind of aggressiveness, in the contrary, his perseverance with those whom he’s serving is out of love and long suffering. Fr Tadros Malaty contemplates that if they “seek proof of his apostolic authority in Jesus Christ, it will be their own transformation to faith in Jesus Christ; a strong proof that Christ speaks through him, and that His power has worked in them — not a weak but a mighty power.”