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This is the third episode from my interview with Orthodox blogger, author, and #Archpriest, Father Stephen Freeman.
In this episode, Father Stephen offers advice to those who are interested in becoming #Orthodox.
To learn more about Father Stephen’s work, please check out his blog on #Orthodoxy, Glory to God for All Things:
https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/glory2godforallthings/
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Amen about being Orthodox "intellectually" but not believing…not living like you believe anyway…not deep down in your bones.
Thankfully, when the "intellectual Orthodox" God Willing, are finally Humbled enough to believe – they don't need to search for "The Way", they just need to start living it.
Sound advice! Thank you.
Waiting can be a hard thing (!!) but trust and faith in God's purpose and plan to come to fruition makes patience easier.
I will praise the Lord at all times, let His name be always in my mouth.
🙏💙☦️❤️☦️💙🙏
Thanks to your channel, I am finally taking action on converting to Orthodoxy. Born into a protestant family, I realized from an early age after attending Mass with a Catholic friend that Protestantism was terribly empty of both substance and meaning. My faith was magnified by living the holidays and celebrating them the way they were meant to. What resounded most deeply with me was how universal the Divine Liturgy in Orthodoxy is, regardless of where it is celebrated. Thank you, Herman.
As an evangelical Charismatic Protestant for 29 years, for the last few weeks I've been exploring orthodoxy. The Jesus Prayer has been the key but what has massively freaked me out is discovering 2 words that shocked me to the core: Podvig and Prelest.
I'm being tenderly dismantled and taking it slowly.
First time ecountering Father Stephen, too beautiful and so much wisdom.
I am on the "fence" about converting to Orthodoxy , I liked what Father Freeman had to say,
" The WORK of salvation" He expresses one of the main anthropocentric, unscriptural errors of the " Orthodox" church.
You have to be ignorant historically and biblically.
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
From the outset, this 'priest' gets it all wrong. Christianity isn't about feelings, it's about knowledge, which knowledge is ultimately grounded in the very source of truth, Christ and His word as found in scripture.
It's not about enjoying church, it's about a contrite person coming to the realisation that he is a sinner in the hands of an angry righteous God, in desperate need of a saviour.
The gospel isn't about smells and bells and relics and shiny things, it's about the terrible consequences of sin and the gift of grace to sinners who put their trust and faith in Jesus as their righteousness through imputation.
The reason why people are attracted to the Orthodox Church is simple. The gospel of grace is not enough for them. The grace of God is insufficient for them. God is not enough for them. Christ has not done enough.
The Orthodox church claims to hold to the teachings of the apostles in the first century, yet no such historical biblical evidence exists to back up this claim.
This is merely Roman Catholicism repackaged.
Anyone can check out the core doctrines of the OC and see for themselves the errors.
Thank you 🙏🏻
Beautiful! I'm a Baptist on a journey… Thank you for introducing me to Fr. Freeman.
This has changed me on the inside. Thank you. I now understand.
Wonderful video. I couldn't help but to relate to what Fr. Stephen said at 10:58. I'm an ex-Catholic turned Protestant and despite the year of service in the church's choir, I can't help but feel that I would be better or more comfortable in another church or even another religion entirely. I don't know if I'm being called elsewhere or if it's just a matter of buckling down and being patient. Regardless, I'm thankful for this video..
Thank you Fr Stephen. I feel very afraid to dare to think that everything I know is in error. I've lived a life where God is my genie in a bottle, raised a baptist, then moved in pentecostal circles, and I've ended up at the Salvos doing a rehab programme called Celebrate Recovery, and, since Cvd-19 has struck, I've been listening to Reformation Theology. My drug addiction is worse than ever but… While searching for John Macarthur sermons I stumbled into what I thought was Dr JMac, opposing Orthodoxy was Hank Hannegraff's rebuttal of Jman's renunciation of Orthodoxy. Since then I've felt irresistibly drawn to Eastern Orthodoxy and I'm scared. I'm experiencing so much familiar opposition (drug abuse), could it be possible that the narrow way lie before me? I was born and raised a protestant, I oppose Catholicism, how can something so similar be drawing me to it? Help Lord, please have mercy and lead me home, please Lord…?
жестоко…. почему нет хотя бы русских субтитров….
Patience is the only thing I've ever learned, and the only thing I need to learn in future.
I don't want to speak too soon but the more I hear of Orthodox Christianity, the more at home I am feeling. Many of my own peculiar perspectives that make me feel separate to culture including much Christian culture are not simply being echoed but expanded.
I have no doubt that devote Orthodox Christian are sincere in their quest to love God. Maybe this is not the proper place to say this but The Orthodox Church claims of being the true Church of Jesus are completely false. Jesus would never have practiced Christianity.
Interesting, It is good to hear and to be reminded of these ideas, these truths. Thanks
I share your position of not rushing. Speed kills.
This is by far the absolute best introduction to the Orthodox faith I have ever heard.
Really insightful! Thank you!
Beware.Protective veil is the Orthodox equivalent of ISIS!
Great video but everything has changed with covid-19. Would be helpful for those of us looking into the Orthodox Church to be instructed on how to move forward when most Churches are on lockdown and unable to enquire as done during "normal" times. It's difficult.
Very helpful, thank you much.
thank you for sharing.. yes, there is a God <3 <3 <3
Thank you this video has taken the sting of urgency out of the equation. Trust and faith in GOD leads us safely home.
And yes patience in our suffering. All suffering comes with blessings
Hi there, I am a Protestant. Thank you for taking the time to share your story. To be honest, I feel as though I'm either being drawn or tricked. The Lord has always shown me mercy as my tendency is to learn the hard way, due to my abundance of pride. Logic suggests even if I am being tricked; 1. It's not the Lord who is tricking me, so what does He want me to learn?
2. Orthodoxy 'feels' right, which for me, usually means it's 'wrong', a characteristic I gained from 3 decades of 'substance abuse'; so again, with all the struggle I'm having, where does the Lord want me to be, and what must I learn from this? Am I being dumped? Lord, plz mercy. ..?????
This is what I am seeking. Absolute belief. It is not something you can click you fingers and obtain. I will continue my attempt.
I found this to be helpful on so many levels. The patience, the recognition of necessary struggle perhaps by God’s doing. Really, the individual level effort to know God that Christianity points to versus over-relying on constant prescriptions from any one church leader. Of course!
I was raised atheist and have remained that way for a long time. I've tried protestantism, only to figure out there are over 30,000 different denominations. I know the history of the orthodox and catholics with the schism of 1054. I've recently decided to go to an orthodox church this weekend. As of right now I don't know 100% if I truly believe in God, mostly because I really don't know who God is or what it feels like to believe. I've been wanting to believe in God since I was a teenager. Becoming orthodox for me is ultimately about feeling connected to God and secondly about changing my life completely around for the better. I noticed he said don't do it unless you believe in God, but what if I don't know how to connect with God or even who God is? It's hard as someone who grew up faithless to just flip a switch to believe 100% that God is the one described in Christianity.
His point about time is valid. Looking back on my life, I realize that seeds that were planted early often took years to take root then to flower. Sometimes I only realized the importance of some bit of wisdom I encountered until my life situation changed and suddenly I knew what it meant.