Tag Archive for: Kingdom of God

It’s right here

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Armodoxy for Today: Negate the Negative

Immediately after the Resurrection of Christ, Scripture tells us that Jesus appeared to the disciples “Over a period of forty days and spoke about the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 1)

The Kingdom of God is often thought of as something or some place that is accessible only after we pass from this life. Jesus refers to the Kingdom as something accessible in the here and now. “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” was a message John the Baptist heralded even before Christ’s baptism. It was enacted by Christ and the active Church today.

Access to the Kingdom is available for everyone. The condition is to live a life of love demonstrated by action. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom predicated on our actions of readiness and good deeds. Standards of goodness have no limits for Jesus, as is demonstrated in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). Even more, non-action is grounds for expulsion from the Kingdom.

We read: Then the King will say to those on His left…, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed… for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’  Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ … He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

The world we live in is real. The problems that plague it are under our control. We are the agents of Christ. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, happens with our involvement. You can’t close yourself off from the suffering in the world.

We pray, St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 9th hour of prayer, All-provident Lord, place a guard before my eyes, so that I may not look lustfully, before my ears, not to delight in hearing evil discourses, before my mouth, not to speak falsehood,  before my heart, not to think of wickedness, before my hands, not to commit injustice, before my feet, not to walk on the paths of righteousness;  rather, guide my motives, that they may be according to all your commandments. Amen.

Cover: Once you see it, it’s impossible to not see it. (Quite literally too!)

Your Kingdom Come – 4of10

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Armodoxy for Today: 10x One Minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, Part 4 –Your Kingdom Come

Before Jesus arrived at the River Jordon to be baptized, John the Baptist was proclaiming, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2) In common parlance use the expression “To Kingdom come” after words such as blow, blast, or send as a threat, e.g., “I’ll blow you to Kingdom come.” And so, often God’s Kingdom is seen as a location, someplace in the future which also signals an end to all things.

But as Armodoxy attests, the original message and Kingdom was ushered in with Christ. We read from Scripture, “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,  nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21) It is not by chance that Jesus was standing in their midst when he said these words.

Our request in the Lord’s Prayer is that God’s Kingdom may be revealed to us. We are asking for His presence in our lives, today, in the here and now.

This is the fourth of 10, one minute for Summertime.

Nektarios: Seeking God

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Armodoxy for Today: Inside and Out

St. Nektarios, venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, directs us to “Seek God in your heart, not outside of it.”

The world is a big place. From mountain tops to ocean floors, the vastness can be overwhelming. In our attempts to engage with life and our passions, we may fall victim to that vastness, preventing us from fully exploring all that life has to offer.

God is the author of all. Seeking God within, that is, in the heart, is the starting point of all exploration because you are assured of being equipped with the necessary tools to appreciate the deepest and highest points of life.

Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Negate the Negative

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Armodoxy for Today: Negate the Negative

Immediately after the Resurrection of Christ, Scripture tells us that Jesus appeared to the disciples “Over a period of forty days and spoke about the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 1)

The Kingdom of God is often thought of as something or some place that is accessible only after we pass from this life. Jesus refers to the Kingdom as something accessible in the here and now. “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” was a message John the Baptist heralded even before Christ’s baptism. It was enacted by Christ and the active Church today.

Access to the Kingdom is available for everyone. The condition is to live a life of love demonstrated by action. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom predicated on our actions of readiness and good deeds. Standards of goodness have no limits for Jesus, as is demonstrated in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). Even more, non-action is grounds for expulsion from the Kingdom.

We read: Then the King will say to those on His left…, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed… for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’  Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ … He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

The world we live in is real. The problems that plague it are under our control. We are the agents of Christ. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, happens with our involvement. You can’t close yourself off from the suffering in the world.

We pray, St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 9th hour of prayer, All-provident Lord, place a guard before my eyes, so that I may not look lustfully, before my ears, not to delight in hearing evil discourses, before my mouth, not to speak falsehood,  before my heart, not to think of wickedness, before my hands, not to commit injustice, before my feet, not to walk on the paths of righteousness;  rather, guide my motives, that they may be according to all your commandments. Amen.

Cover: Once you see it, it’s impossible to not see it. (Quite literally too!)

Nektarios-God within

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Armodoxy for Today: Inside and Out

St. Nektarios, venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, directs us to “Seek God in your heart, not outside of it.”

The world is a big place. From mountain tops to ocean floors, the vastness can be overwhelming. In our attempts to engage with life and our passions, we may fall victim to that vastness, preventing us from fully exploring all that life has to offer.

God is the author of all. Seeking God within, that is, in the heart, is the starting point of all exploration because you are assured of being equipped with the necessary tools to appreciate the deepest and highest points of life.

Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

Today’s one minute for standard time.

Packaging & the Product

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Next Step 308 – May1, 2014

Thoughts from Las Vegas, Nevada and the Diocesan Assembly. Packaging the “Product” of the Church – how the Kingdom of God is marketed with consideration to truth in advertising. Quality Assurance by checking our mission as a church. Institution, Product, Infrastructure – all examined from this desert resort.
Song: “What the World Needs Now” by Dionne Warwick
Fr. Vazken’s Sermons
Gospel of St. John, chapter 1
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com
Now on Stitcher Radio! 

Wine, Bubble Gum and Vuvuzela!

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Next Step #106 – June 17, 2010

Year 3 of the Next Step is kicked off with a discussion of the Jesus’ pearl metaphor.  Armodoxy is a break from Bubble Gum religion – once you find the Kingdom of God, it doesn’t lose its flavor, nor can you spit it out. Drinking sweet wine is OK, but a Merlot is a more realistic flavor of life. Jesus instructs to live by a standard of “mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 12) it’s so hard when distracted by vuvuzelas and Steve Jobs’ technology for yesterday.
A lesson from the “Man from Ick”
Song: “Victory” by Gor Mkhirtaryan Purchase SPIRIT Album
Ani’s Bubbles: Graduation Blessing http://scrubsmag.com/author/aniburr/
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net

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