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“Uniting With The Lord” Conference 2016

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And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men’ – Luke 5:10 . . “All who have been ordained for the Ministry of the Word have received from the dear God the command never to abandon our duty, and never to be silent, whether anyone listens to us or not. Thus I am determined… as long as I live, and as long as God pleases to leave me in this life, to fulfil this duty and carry out this command, whether anyone pays attention or not. There are those who make merry over us and say: stop the good advice, skip the admonitions; they will not listen to you, let them go. What are you saying? Have we promised to convert all men in one day? If only ten, or only five, or indeed only one, repents, is not that consolation enough? … what is not accomplished today, can be accomplished tomorrow or if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow or later. So a fisherman may draw in his net all day long without any catch: yet, in the evening, at the very moment when he is about to depart for home he often catches a fish that had avoided him all day long… the very same is true of each and every calling” – St John Chrysostom . . #fishersofmen #preach #orthodoxy #coptic #holybible #dailyreadings

And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men’ – Luke 5:10 . …

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You have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ – 1 Peter 1:6 & 7 . . By enduring the present afflictions with courage, while having no experience, God will grant you the possibility to endure any thing that – God forbid – would probably happen against your will. Therefore, if you seek heaven, and what concern the life to come, nothing would ever harm you. Even the hosts of darkness (the devils) themselves, would never be able to harm us, unless we harm ourselves by ourselves; even though our body be torn to pieces, that would mean nothing to us, as long as our Spirit is sound – St John Chrysostom #trials #dailyreadings #holybible #coptic #orthodoxy

You have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that …

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For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ – 2 Corinthians 4:6 . . For this reason, too, you will be called the ‘newly enlightened’ because, if you wish, the light can always be new for you, and will never be extinguished. Night brings to an end the daily light of our world, whether we wish it or not, but darkness has no knowledge of that heavenly light… the earth is bright just so long as the rays of the sun endure. Not so with the soul. It is illuminated and becomes brighter when it receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Consider now the comparison more carefully. When the night comes and all is dark, one often sees a rope, but thinks it’s a snake; one flees an approaching friend thinking he is an enemy; one is greatly frightened at any noise. So it is with our soul. When divine grace comes, it drives away our darkness, and we recognise things for what they are, contemptuous of our former fears. We no longer fear death, for we have learned that death is not death, but a sleep and temporary rest. We do not fear poverty, or sickness, or any such thing because we know we are on our way to a better life, pure and incorruptible, and free from all such contingencies. . -St John Chrysostom . #light #coptic #dailyreadings #bible #orthodoxy #enlightenment

For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give …

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“For with God nothing will be impossible.” – Luke 1:37 . “In the life with God, there is nothing that is impossible; there is hope whatever the sin, whatever the hardship, and however difficult the matter may seem.” – H.H. Pope Shenouda III #nothingisimpossiblewithGod #annunciation #stmary #archangelgabriel #trustinGod #faith #dailyreadings #coptic #orthodox

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” – Luke 1:37 . “In the life with God, there is nothing that …

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