...
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Through
the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and
save us. Amen. Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury
of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every
impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,
have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for
Your Name’s sake. Lord have mercy (three times).
August
24, 2014 Sunday Sermon, Necessities
The
Epistle
1 Corinthians 9:2-12 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
If I am not an
apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you: for you are the seal of my
apostleship in the Lord. My reply to those
who examine me is this, “Don’t we have the ability to eat and to drink? Don’t we have the ability to lead about a
sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brothers of the Lord, and
Cephas? Or do I and Barnabas only, have
no ability to forbear working?
Who at any time goes
to war at his own expense? Who plants a
vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? Who feeds a flock, and does not drink the milk
from the flock?
Do I say these things
as a man? Does not the law say the same things
as well: for it is written in the Law of Moses, you shall not muzzle the ox
that treads out the corn. Does God take
care about oxen? Or did He say it only
for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt,
this is written: he who plows should plow in hope; and he who threshes in hope,
should be partake of his hope. If we
have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal
things? If others are partakers of this
power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless
we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the Gospel
of Christ.
The
Homily
Without doubt, ministry service is
hard work. We believe in the
resurrection of the body, not merely in the resurrection of the disembodied human
spirit. It naturally follows that all
ministry servants, by whatever name, rank, or title, have the same bodily and
spiritual needs that are common among mankind: clothing, food, shelter, walking-around
money (WAM), and sexuality for the human body; preaching, teaching, prayer,
worship, communion and evangelism for the human spirit.
So, diaconal duties include making
sure that the other servant ministers of God and His Church, by any name, rank,
or title, are being clothed, fed, and sheltered. Within marriage their sexual needs may also be
met.
Some, as evidently with Paul, yet
not with all others, may be able to forgo their sexual needs in order to devote
themselves to ministry service and prayer.
All should temporarily separate from their marriage partners while they
devote themselves to prayer.
Some, as evidently with Paul, yet
not with all others, may be able to forgo their need for income in order to
preach the Gospel of Christ unhindered by physical want.
None of this precludes the
responsibility of all Christians, all servant ministers of God and His Church, by
any name, rank, or title, to live lives focused on giving, rather than on
getting.[1]
[1] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations,
please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free
participation. They were freely
received, and are freely given. No other
permission is required for their use.
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