Love in Action vs Religious Sickness

What is the nature of Christ's love?

I've been watching Jimmy Swaggart's program "Message of the Cross" to see how close to Orthodoxy he manages to make his explications of The Cross.  His Capo Bastone (under boss) speaks in constant Evangelical slogan speak, and yesterday he made the statement that "what we do has absolutely nothing to do with our salvation, or the work of the Cross."  

I remember a childhood friend telling me that the object of being a christian "was to become a good person."  To my young Evangelical mind, that was silly and shallow. After all the object was about Evangelism, it was about missions and campaigns and being "greatly used by the Holy Spirit."  Little did I know that the crux of the Gospel, the work of Healing/Salvation and indeed the Meaning of the Cross, was perfectly stated in her simple sentence.  The object of being a Christian is to become a good person. It may be that your "vocation" is to faithfully endure the "mundane," to simply live in the moment, doing what you are doing and expressing God's love in the ordinary everyday life. But in reality there is nothing mundane about this, nor ordinary, IF we understand what THIS goodness is?  


Mark 10:17-18 (KJV) 
17  And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 
18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Many Orthodox Theologians, saints and writers have explained the meaning of the Gospel in these short words, "God became man, that man may become God."  Not a competing god, nor holding the power of the God Head, but LITERALLY a part of God, existing IN HIM.  When Jesus looked at his disciples as he was on the way to The Cross and prayed the following. What do you think he was talking about?
" John 17:19-23 (KJV) 
19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 
20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 
21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 
22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 
23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Ecumenical heretics have told you this scripture is about "uniting (so-called) divided churches."  They teach this using the phrase, "that they may be one, Father, as you and I are one" as if Jesus was talking about some overarching umbrella of "heretical religious unity" when rather he is talking about Literal ABSORPTION into the ONENESS WHO IS GOD.  That is, sharing in both his created energies as we all do, but also "becoming to share" in his uncreated energies, which hold the power of eternal life.  


Anyone who grasps Orthodoxy SOZO (healing/salvation) theology, and understands what the Church has taught from the beginning, from the very mouth of Jesus and the Apostles,  knows that the statement by Swaggart's Capo's is only half true. He turns this process of deification into "evangelical religion" and makes it about "campaigns, missionary missions, evangelistic effort and resultant earthly prosperity."  He said, in fact that such was the ONLY witness of the Holy Spirit's presence and work. 

You see my childhood friend was right, she understood that the object of the Christian life is not mission, or ministry, or gifts of the spirit, or to wallow in some self-created spiritual and emotional experience, or to experience some sweet emotions we call "God's Love" but through God's Love, through the God who is LOVE, to become a good person. But not a good person in the broken human understanding of goodness, (though that reflects a shadow of the goodness we mean) but to be part of and absorbed into the Goodness that IS God, reflecting then that healing goodness in every aspect and relationship in our lives.  Without this FIRST, all else is wasted and turns to religious sickness. 

In English we continue this absurdity of talking about "the Kingdom of God" as if God's Kingdom is a "thing."  Even the latest Orthodox Bible did not correct this mis-translation of the Greek Word, "Baseleian tou Theou" The REIGN of God. That REIGN exists in the human heart, making it prone to GOOD actions, instead of first being prone to sin. EVERY TIME "Kingdom of God" appears in the New Testament it is actually the "Reign of God" and NOT the "Kingdom of God" that is the meaning.  THIS IS NOT A SMALL MATTER. People believe in their "religionism" that they are "creating the Kingdom of God" in their religious endeavors, in the world, outside of themselves.  And sadly, very little "Reign of God" exists in that great Chaos. See how this sentence uttered by Jesus makes more sense when it is properly translated, "Seek ye first the Reign of God, and everything of which you have need, will follow." The Reign of God in the heart produces GOODNESS, God's GOODNESS; it creates THAT GOODNESS that cannot be found anywhere else in the Universe.  The GOODNESS that cannot be faked. It is the REAL work produced in healing/salvation, healing, purifying, enlightening and becoming GOOD. Ultimately so sharing God's Goodness we become part of HIM. 

I said to a friend the other day that "religious acting" is the thing that I hate the very most of all the evils, of all the sins. In my "Pentecostal Heritage" the biggest lies I heard spoken were spoken with the faux "anointing of the Holy Spirit."  Great lies of theology, erroneous dogma, warped piety, and so-called "prophetic utterance" ending often with the blasphemy, "Thus Saith The Lord."  It dawned upon me in my teens, that God's Word is Eternal. How basic a theological concept is that? It is core! God speaks and it COMES TO BE. God's Word is Truth!  "John 17:17 (KJV) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." And that TRUTH isn't a book, but a person. "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE," Jesus said.

Aside from TRUTH, which is Eternal, God CANNOT SPEAK. If God said it, or says it, it has ETERNAL REALITY.  I've come to see and know, that the greatest part of the "prophecy" and preaching I heard growing up was not prophecy (truth speaking) at all, but rather the misguided emotions of some pious though religiously sick people, the unchecked egos of others, and yes, many, many times, the enslaving, confusing and cunning utterances of demons.

Also in this same Heritage I met many, many very precious people, human people, filled with real love, which is the spirit of God. People who ACTED, not with religious pride, who were not part of the "religious parade" whose quiet guidance and encouragements, spiritual and moral challenges, helped in the process of growing and coming to understanding and wisdom, a process that continues. Their words of Wisdom were so Eternal, that sometimes I did not fully appreciate their meaning until decades later.  You see, they had through the struggles of life, become good (not religious) but GOOD people.

In the 1960s, on the Pentecostal Bible College Campus where I was raised, the mother of one of the most important and respected teachers became terminally ill. Her illness quickly degenerated needing total nursing care. The teacher and his brother were both unmarried, and ill equipped for the work of "nurse."  Across the street from the college was a Roman Catholic Widow, whose husband had been the neighborhood drunk. She was very sweet and never spoke an unkind word to anyone or about anyone. I watched her give herself to that dying woman in such a prayerful, yet concrete way, quickly becoming a "practical nurse" attending hours everyday. She was poor, yet the quickest to give riches. It was a lesson I took to heart, so that ultimately a great part of my life has been in ministry to the dying and those most in need.  Her service was an IKON for me.  It was many years later that I read the concept of Christ HIMSELF, standing in the shoes of such ministers of mercy.   "How near Thou art in the day of sickness. You Yourself visit the sick; You Yourself bend over the sufferer's bed. His heart speaks to You. In the throes of sorrow and suffering Thou bringest peace and unexpected consolation. Thou art the comforter. Thou art the love which watches over and heals us."   Of all the experiences of my childhood, the quiet love expressed in the work of mercy by this little Roman Catholic widow balances all the sermons I heard, theological and moral lessons I learned.

"What you do to the least of these, you do also to me," Jesus said.  What you DO, to the least of these.  NOT, what you theorize and theologize about, to  the least of these, but what you DO to and for them.  Yes, witnessing the healing/saving power of Jesus Christ is a very kind and good action, IF it is the Reign of God you are creating, which is witnessed to produce GOODNESS, and not the Kingdom of God, which is witnessed to produce Religious Sickness, human pride and greed. 

What prompted this talk about True Religion vs Religious Sickness?
This morning 2.28.2014, I received this wonderful paragraph from a friend whose father in life was cruel.  The details and means of the cruelty is not important, just to say that there was huge emotional distance between father and son created by sin. In his old age, no siblings were willing to "take in" their father, but without much discussion, to keep him from being at the mercy of strangers in a nursing home, my friend and his wife prayerfully gave themselves to this very concrete service, becoming as it were, his practical nurses. My friend spoke of his grief at his Dad's repose:

"As far as my Dad goes - you know I had many conflicted feelings regarding him and never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would do what I have done the last 2 1/2 yrs. There were many times I wished to myself and sometimes out loud (not by him) that he wasn't here. There were many times I thought of putting him in a home - any home but mine and then there were (sic) times when I grieved for him, felt sorry for him, loved him and told him so (and also times I didn't) but I think the Lord knows that I did (we did) what we needed to do for him because of Him (note - because of Jesus Christ) and we both knew it was the right thing to do. At the end (my wife's name) cleaned him (I helped hold him) cleaned him and oiled his body with olive oil. I did the prayers I felt I needed to do for him even though he had Last Rites a couple weeks earlier. We put his Cross on him, dressed him, folded his arms across his chest and entwined his Rosary around his hands. It was all rather peaceful with what we had witnessed and had to do the 2 weeks leading up to it. Yes, I never thought I would say it but I do miss him, miss his presence as hard as it was sometimes. It feels like we hit a brick (sic) wall and are kind of suspended wondering what's next. I have thought of him each day and prayed for him each night."

This paragraph touched me deeply, showing the humanity of it, the natural goodness of it, the love expressed in concrete actions when even the person is not "lovable."  This couple unwilling to allow the care of their elder to strangers, would not even allow the undertakers to clean the body upon his repose, instead, prepared it in loving action and respect. It hit me in the imagery of the women preparing Jesus' Body, for the tomb.  It shows the GOODNESS of GOD, reaching in MERCY to those in the care of HIS GOOD PEOPLE.  It shows that the struggle to act in the REIGN OF GOD is not without inner conflict, that inner conflict IS the 'field of battle.'  In fact it is through this very inner conflict that WE OURSELVES ARE HEALED.  You see, we have to in every instance CHOOSE the Good and in our ACTIONS become the Good.  Saint Paul was not speaking lie when he said, "Faith without works is DEAD." And as Jesus clearly stated, that same DEAD FAITH may move mountains, may heal the sick, may cast out demons and might even raise the dead, yet that is not the "work of salvation."  Such things are not the "REIGN of God." Because to those people, who had succeeded in "miraculous ministry" but failed to gain the RULE of GOD in their HEART, failed to, in the chaos of it all, BECOME GOOD, Jesus said the Judge would say to them on that last day, "Depart from me ye workers of iniquity.  I NEVER KNEW YOU." 


1 Peter 4:8 (KJV) 
8  And above all things have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins.

 James 5:19-20 (KJV) 
19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 
20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

God is merciful to the sinner. We are all sinners. Those who "glory" in their evangelical works, bragging about the marvelous displays of "God in Action in their ministry" do so at their own peril.