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WILL GOD BLESS
AMERICA? |
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"I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did." - Jesus Christ (Luke 13:1-5) While visiting New York City a number of years ago for a certain occasion, Yeretsgin Roberta and I had the opportunity to ascend to the top of the World Trade Center. The night time view was most breathtaking - millions of lights as far as the eye could see. The Statue of Liberty all lit up below, and hundreds of ships in the harbor from all over the world. This was the very heart of world trade and commerce - truly, one of the wonders of the modern world. But the incredible acts of terrorism which took place on the morning of September 11, 2001 not only destroyed, to the utter shock and amazement of the world, the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, and a segment of the Pentagon, but simultaneously, shattered and brought down the tower of security the average American had become accustomed to and enjoyed for decades. Suddenly we realize that the United States is not invincible, and is now the target of terrorist groups. Concerning the devastation which took place, especially in New York City, many remarked that the news reports and the unbelievable film clips of the Trade Buildings attack depicted "scenes from hell". One would think that millions of people would turn to God as a result of this object lesson. At first so many did, but now, many are busy getting "back to normal" - after all, they reason, life must go on. Even a proper period of mourning was not observed. Not too long after this unprecedented incident in the history of the United States, even as more bodies were being discovered in the massive pile of ruin, so many Americans were preoccupied with San Francisco Giants' baseball player Barry Bonds' attempt to break Mark McGuire's home run record. In relation to the September 11 disaster on American soil, and the shocked disbelief by many that there are those who would actually commit such suicidal atrocities in the name of Islam, I am reminded of the hundreds of Japanese kamikaze ( "divine wind") pilots of World War II. It was considered the greatest honor and privilege by hundreds of Japanese servicemen to serve as human sacrifices in such a manner for their emperor, Hirohito. And certainly, considering the more than one billion Moslems in the world, there must be tens of thousands of young men ready to die in the name of Allah. Any and all atrocities are justified as divinely inspired when done in the name of Allah. The following excerpts from the Koran are but a few examples: "Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate" (Koran 66:9). "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land..." (Quran; Surah 5:33). "...Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites! And deal vigorously with them. Hell shall be their home" (Quran; Surah 9:73)." We have identified certain individuals involved in this unprecedented act of terrorism, but in the much larger picture, who is to blame for this attack on American soil? Who would dare to attack the center of the world's economy... who would be brazen enough to challenge the American military by attacking the Pentagon itself, and even attempt to assassinate the President in the same day? These are questions being asked and talked about on a daily basis since September 11. However, I would like to address other questions which are just as important: Those who perished on September 11 - did they deserve that death? were they worse sinners than others? The answer to these questions will help answer the more pressing question: Will God bless America? In the time of Christ, a certain incident took place which prompted the Disciples to ask these very same questions to Jesus. A look at this Scripture will help us to understand a little about God's perspective of the New York terrorist incident. We read about this occasion from the Gospel of St. Luke 13:1-5: At that time there were some people there who told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilot had killed while they were offering sacrifices to God. Jesus answered them, "Because these Galileans were killed in that way, do you think it proves that they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans? No! I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will die as they did. What about those eighteen in Siloam who were killed when the tower fell on them? Do you suppose this proves they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem? No! I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did." (Luke 13:1-5) There are some remarkable and important points in the attitude of Jesus to these two incidents in which innocent people perished. In one incident, the Roman overseer of Judea, named Pilot, had a group of Jews butchered as they were offering sacrifices. And in another incident, we are told that eighteen Jews were killed when the Tower of Siloam fell on them. It is interesting that Jesus does not offer an explanation about the guilt or innocence of the victims of both incidents, but instead, He makes two very important points: First of all, He makes it clear that the victims were no better or worse than other people. In other words, they did not die violently and unexpectedly because they deserved such a fate any more than others. As all people, they were sinners. The Bible explains that all people are born in sin and in need of spiritual renewal and cleansing in order to be included in God's Holy Kingdom. The fact of our sinfulness is abundantly clear in Scriptures as is demonstrated by this verse found in St. Paul's letter to the Romans: "There is no one who is righteous, no one..." (Romans 3:10). The second point emphasized by our Lord, is that because we are sinners," ...if you do not turn from your sins, you will die as they did." The warning of Jesus to turn from our sins is very somber. Jesus used the example of the tragedies of His time, and we can do likewise with the tragedy of September 11th, to point out the horrible end of those who will be sentenced to death by God Himself, if they choose not to repent of their sins. And the death sentence in this case, is an eternal, everlasting death. These incidents should serve as warnings to turn from evil and to get right with God, in order to enjoy the happiness which only comes with God's presence in one's life. It is no wonder that the Psalmist says, "Happy are those whose wrongs God has forgiven, whose sins he has covered over! Happy is the man whose sins the Lord will not keep account of!" Will God bless America again? For generations we have taken His blessings for granted, but since we, as a nation, have thrown God's presence out of our life, now it seems we have to learn the hard way that God has certain requirements and expectations before He will open heaven and abundantly shower us with blessings and prosperity once more. The very first thing God wants from individuals and nations is a heart of repentance. When we read about the very beginning of our Lord's ministry in the Gospel according to St. Mark, the very first word to come from His Holy lips was "REPENT": "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17). In the Biblical sense, to repent means to have a change of mind concerning an error or sin in one's life and as a result, to make a complete turn around. This can be compared to a motorist who is traveling in the wrong direction, realizes the mistake, and makes a U-Turn. One of the most famous U-Turns ever made, was by a young man known as "The Prodigal Son". In what is perhaps the most beloved and remembered parable as told by our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 15:11-32), the parable of the Prodigal Son, we are presented with the most vivid and compelling picture of the wonderful loving and merciful nature of the Heavenly Father (as symbolized by the father in the story). The Father's love was there waiting for the lost son to come back home, but that only took place when the son, after distancing himself from his compassionate father and ending up in a life of degeneracy and literal starvation, "came to himself" (meaning, he came to his senses) (v. 17). Many Americans, like the prodigal son, have turned from the Heavenly Father and His precepts for righteous living as contained in the Bible, and in a sense, have gone to a foreign land. We have taken the riches He bestowed upon this nation and have squandered them in moral decadence. As a society we are engaged in moral lifestyles which were once considered foreign and even unthinkable. The United States Constitution was designed to perpetuate a Christian order. Truly it was for this country that it was said, "America! America! God shed His grace on Thee..." This used to be "One nation under God", as we state in the Pledge of Allegiance, but now strong elements in this society work aggressively and tirelessly to remove all semblance of Christianity from public life and institutions. We have long forgotten the warning of early American patriot Daniel Webster: "...our ancestors established their system of government on morality and [Christian] religious sentiment. Moral habits, they believed, cannot safely be trusted on any other foundation than religious principle, nor government be secure which is not supported by moral habits." As a nation, we need to repent of our wayward ways which have taken us so far from the bosom of the Heavenly Father and toward self-destruction. In the aftermath of the September 11th horror, so many clergymen of this country offered special prayer services and emotional, spiritual, healing for shocked people all over the country. But few of those clergy preached the need for repentance. Too few of the so-called men of God told the nation that we need to say "I'm sorry" to God for our transgressions. Everyone cried, "God bless America!", but very few said, "America, bless God". In the flawed mentality of this society, people assume they are entitled to everything, including blessings from God. However, any man of God who is genuinely worthy of that title, should know that it is a major Biblical tenet that there must first be true remorse for sin (repentance) followed with penance, before there can be blessings and mercy. If anyone teaches the contrary, either he is devoid of Biblical truth, or he is a charlatan. For example, unfortunately there are too many clergy in this country who have patterned their preaching and ministry style on the "successful" model of Dr. Robert Shuller of the Crystal Cathedral. His church is most impressive and he has national and international acclaim, but his preaching and teaching is not offensive to anyone, especially to the Devil, because he doesn't condemn sin and exclaim the need for repentance. Dr. Shuller specializes in presenting pop psychology with a Christian facade and his preaching of the Gospel message is so watered down. But it is so difficult to preach about sin and the need for repentance to a heavily secularized society which finds the Biblical concept of sin offensive. We like to blame all of our problems on the economy, the environment, the government, our parents and even bad karma, etc. - on anything except self-responsibility. Nevertheless, as those obedient to God's Word and to the true teachings of the Church, we must point out the sins which have brought about God's great wake-up call, known as the September 11th tragedy. So, then, exactly, what are the things which bring about God's judgment? The list is extensive, therefore, I will just concentrate on the most outstanding ones. Before proceeding however, I would like to point out one very important fact: that God does not delight in taking such action, and more than punishment for sins, it is meant to bring us back to the right path and away from certain destruction. "...do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves..." (Hebrews 12:5,6).
ABORTION - BLOODY ABOMINATION On January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court ushered in one of the darkest days in U.S. history with the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision. This decision overturned the infanticide and homicide laws in all 50 states, and as a result, abortion on demand became legal in the many abortion clinics which immediately sprung up across the nation. It is most interesting that one of the first states to liberalize its abortion law was New York. The law, which took effect on July 1, 1970, permitted abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy, nullifying the previous statute that virtually prohibited them. In the first year of passage, nearly 250,000 abortions were performed in New York City alone, earning, later on, the ignominious title dubbed by the New York Times: the "Abortion Capital " of the nation. Two years later, the State Legislature voted to overturn this heinous law, but was prevented by the veto of Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Hmm... I wonder... Does the fact that it was in New York City that a horrific wake up call came to the entire nation, have anything to do with its title as the "Abortion Capital" of the nation? Touted as a "woman's choice concerning her body" to many naive and unthinking people who are infatuated with the pop culture concept of "freedom and democracy", many enterprising scoundrels have made untold billions of dollars from that bloody industry - especially by doctors and nurses who deal with it, and in recent years, by people who deal in human body parts for sale. The following excerpt which appeared in the Baptist Press, from an article entitled "Human Chop Shops Exposed" (by Phyllis Schlafly - March 15, 2000), will help reveal some of the grim horror let loose as a result of our national exodus from Christians morals: "Have you ever wanted to buy the brain of an eight-week-old baby? You can, for $999. Did you ever think you'd want a baby's eyes or liver or gonads? Yours, for $75, $150 or $550 respectively. Does that seem like a sick joke posted on eBay? Sadly, it's not funny; it's the tip of the iceberg of a newly uncovered industry specializing in the trafficking of body parts and organs taken from aborted babies."
Horror upon horror. The Trojan Horse which the scheming evildoers have
brought forth with the aid of the unceasingly chanted mantra "a woman's
right", has brought into our once Christian nation, progressive evil and
suffering. This additional excerpt from the above article reveals deeper
horrors: "Most orders (for body parts) come with specific
directions, e.g., Dissect lungs intact from 17 to 24 week fetal cadaver.
Dissect by cutting through symphoisis pubis and include WHOLE llium. To
be removed from fetal cadaver within 10 minutes. When an order calls for
fetal tissue retrieval to be completed within 10 minutes, a live birth
is highly likely. When an order stipulates something like 'no anomalies'
or 'no congenital abnormalities', those abortions are probably being
done on healthy late-term babies." There is no logical reason for the
abortion of late term - partially born - babies. This is just a
legalized (and barbaric) way of reducing the population, but much more
so, it has become the legal basis for a lucrative industry of fresh body
parts. From my knowledge in the area of Satanism, I am convinced that
only satanically inspired people could carry out such activities without
troubling their conscience. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony
Kennedy who although is pro-choice, has said this about this procedure: "...decent and civilized people " find this particular late-term
procedure "so abhorrent as to be among the most serious of crimes
against human life. " Basically, this procedure involves the doctor
pulling a ready to be born baby's head partially out of its mother's
womb, jamming the base of the back part of the baby's head with scissors
to make a hole, and then inserting a tube inside the horror and pain
stricken baby's head in order to suck out the brain! This is what many
so-called Christians close their eyes to and tolerate. But beware, God
despises this and He surely will deal harshly with this issue if this
nation doesn't have a spiritual turn around. Along this line it is most interesting that abortion has always been related to the ancient demonic worship of Baal. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel led the Israelites in Baal worship and the cruel method of the sacrifice of their children in the Old Testament (see 2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). Children were burned as offerings to the demon god Baal/Moloch in order to attain prosperity. And today, many women, though not in all cases, abort their babies for very selfish reasons. However, any society which normalizes and condones the killing of their babies, has ceased to be human. As a side note, it must be pointed out that abortion is termed as "murder" by the Orthodox Church. This has always been the case by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, and certainly the Armenian Apostolic Church. Certain modern day clergy who claim that the Armenian or Orthodox Church has no specific position on this issue are incredibly ignorant of the Church teaching in the area of morality, or they have deviated from the very clear teaching of the Church. Only in the case where there is a genuine threat to the life of the mother, should abortion be considered a possibility, and that decision must be made with prayer and God's guidance because the life of a person is at stake.
One last note on this subject - just there are the consequences for all
sins, women must be aware of the consequences of this particular sin: Good News! The love of God covers many sins and His grace is able to forgive and heal any woman or man involved in abortion and the abortion industry. God's love defies the darkness of evil and killing. There is hope for those who see their error and turn to God through His Son Jesus Christ. Let Him heal you of your emotional, physical and spiritual wounds.
HOMOSEXUALITY - IN YOUR FACE INSULT TO GOD This movement is gaining momentum in this country despite the fact that all the great religions and sacred books from the Torah to the Bible to the Koran teach that homosexuality is unnatural, immoral and ruinous to the body, soul and society alike. Male sodomy has been the principle means of the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS, which has taken as many American lives as World War II. Not too long ago, a survey of obituaries in the homosexual press found the average age of out-of-the-closet male homosexuals at death was 39 for those who had died of AIDS, and 42 for the rest. This is what Pope John Paul II means when he speaks of a "culture of death". A recent Sacramento Bee article (3-4-02) featured the story of the grand opening of the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. The article described San Francisco as the "gayest place in America", and the center as "the gayest place in the gayest place in America". A few years ago, in that "gayest place in America", homophile groups staged a huge gay event on Easter morning, despite the pleadings of the Roman Catholic and other churches in the area not to do so on Easter morning. One of the featured events of that festival of gross perversion was a "Hunky Jesus Contest". Also included in the freak show was a degenerate act of sex with one man dressed as the Pope, and the other impersonating Jesus Christ. So much for tolerance. Christians are being told to "tolerate" such behavior, lest they be accused of being "homophobes" and "mean spirited" or "insensitive". But let the sodomites do such moral atrocities, on let's say a Muslim holy day, they could never get away with it. If two gays engaged in a public sex act with one representing Allah and the other Mohammed, San Francisco would be toast! Every self respecting Moslem in the country would massacre those sodomites and burn down the city. However, when such things are done to Christians, it is supposed to be tolerated in the name of "freedom". This is a most deliberate insult and display of hatred to God Almighty and the Christian Church. A few years ago in Denver, Colorado, a young male homosexual named Matthew Shepherd was brutally murdered by two heterosexual men. The popular press made Matthew into a martyr, and somehow deceitfully mixed facts in order identify the two murderers as conservative Christians; and as a result, Matthew Shepherd was made into the poster boy for the homosexual causes. But the fact is that Matthew Shepherd made continuous sexual advances to two intoxicated men in a bar, who, being aggravated, took him to an isolated area and beat him to death; but somehow, Christians were blamed for the incident. However, when gays are engaged in degenerate and murderous behavior, the story is always covered up. For example, in Massachusetts the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) defended the North American Man/Love Association (NAMBLA) against a wrongful death lawsuit filed against it by the parents of Jeffrey Curtly. This 10 year old boy was brutally murdered by two gay lovers in 1997. One of the men, Charles Jaynes, was a member of NAMBLA. He downloaded NAMBLA materials from a Boston Public Library computer. He and his lover lured Jeffrey to his death by suffocating him with a gasoline-soaked rag, took his lifeless body back to their apartment and sodomized him. His body was then sealed inside a plastic container and tossed into a river. And to think - NAMBLA wants to force the U.S. Congress to maker it legal for men to have sex with boys as young as three years old! |
Any nation which allows the legalization of such an abomination, deserves hell. If God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He will surely bring the fires of hell to this nation if this movement is not stopped. The information in this area is so much, and I cannot share even a fraction of it, but the above will give you a good idea concerning the danger this nation is in of God's wrath if there is no national repentance.
EVEN MORE ABOMINATIONS Sacramento area radio personality Barbara Simpson comments: "The drive to rid our culture of God and decency is moving along like an out-of-control freight train, despite September 11". She cites the following cases: The ACLU won its case to have a federal judge rule that it is unconstitutional to say grace before meals at the Virginia Military Institute because of the protest of two cadets, even though grace had been said for 50 years! Simpson also informs us of the shocking fact that in the Los Angeles schools among the approved curriculum for the so-called "diversity " program are materials so sexually explicit and graphic, that they can only be found in porno shops! The subject matter? "gay and lesbian sex and lifestyle. Want to know what to do? To whom, how, with what, how it feels, how to make it feel better and so on and so on? It's all there, with the approval of the schools!" There is the aggressive effort to remove all semblance of Christianity from the American public life by such organization as the ACLU (which I like to refer to as the Attorneys From Hell). This includes the removal of Nativity Scenes, the removal of the Ten Commandments from public institutions, protests backed with lawsuits against invocations and prayers before ball games and school graduation programs, the private reading of the Bible in public schools during free time, etc. The late militant gay artist Robert Maplethorp, once had some of his art work supported by our tax dollars under the sponsorship of the National Endowment for the Arts. Among his works was a clear plastic toilet full of the "artist's" urine in which was placed a crucifix. And in January of this year, a wine and fine arts museum in Napa, California displayed artwork titled "Poetical Gut", which was a display of figurines defecating, including the Pope and a nun. Under the banners of "freedom of speech" and "artistic expression", the music industry has gone wild and out of control. Rap music today is mostly an expression of anger against society, degradation of women who are depicted as sex objects, full of vile words and expressions and even encourage the shooting of police officers. They incite violence and aggressive behavior. Some years ago, one of the popular rock bands was a group called Twisted Sister. In one of their videos, purchased by thousands of teens, Twisted Sister succeeds in convincing a teenage boy to kill his father by throwing him out of a second story window of their house because the father was trying to discipline his son. In relation to this, I was once called to a parishioner's home by a frantic Armenian mother whose 14 year old son threatened to kill her with a kitchen knife after he had viewed the Twisted Sister video. The family had problems and this video put the teenager over the edge. There are numerous rock groups today whose song writers and managers are demons from the dark abyss of hell. Most certainly, they have a very detrimental effect on millions of teens who attend their concerts and purchase their CD's and videos. There is for example, the group known as Marilyn Manson. This group has taken outrage to new limits. The stated purpose of this band is to offend with vile lyrics and provocative stage shows emphasizing depravity, serial killers, drugs, sex, anti religion, Satanism. The list of similar groups goes on and on. During these recent years there has been such an upsurge of interest in the occult (dark knowledge). Whereas the Bible warns us not to dabble in witchcraft and all things occultic because they always involve the power of evil spirits and highly dangerous, many Americans have been mesmerized by the Harry Potter craze since February of 2000 when this series of books became available to the public. Millions of Harry Potter books have been sold and read religiously not only by youth, but by many adults as well. The great danger of the Harry Potter craze is that these books feature the most sophisticated and the most accurate depiction of advanced witchcraft imaginable. The authoress, J.K. Rowling clearly knows her witchcraft and writes about it in a most innocent, seductive, appealing manner. In addition to all the above and many more examples too numerous to mention, I want to add the satanic influence on millions of Americans by way of the Internet. 80% of internet web sites deal in pornography and also graphic violence. There are also bloody, violent video games which are so realistic and desensitize our youth to killings and bloodshed. And there are the smutty magazines which turn young men into rapists and wife abusers.
THIS IS AMERICA! BUT AS JESUS SAID - REPENT OR DIE! How can these all things come about? Very easy: when adult Christians and Church clergy are spiritual cowards and so wrapped up in traditional things and entertainment and money gathering; when they don't have personal faith in God and put on His spiritual armor, when they have no time to learn Christian education and do not get involved in the moral issues of the country, but rather, withdraw from the civil life and responsibilities - evil will fill the vacuum. As for those who deliberately cause innocent ones to sin, our Lord Jesus says that a fate worse than death awaits them: "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin... And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. " (Matthew 18: 6,7&9).
CHRISTIANS, SOBER UP! Once there was a church which asked the adults of the parish to provide Christian programs and leadership for their youth. The adults said, "we have no time for such things". But the local drug dealer said, I have abundant time to sell drugs to your kids, and the porno dealer said that he always was available to provide much material for those young minds. The church adults said that they were too busy on weekends with pleasure trips and hobbies in order to make any type of a commitment for their children's spiritual development. But the purveyors of drugs and smut said they would be more than happy to be available on weekends to supply their children with whatever they desired. The church adults said that they didn't have money for Christian Educational programs for their children. But the Hollywood movie producers said that they are willing to spend millions upon millions of dollars in order to study and find out what turns on and attracts our children... The sickening truth is that the damn moral degenerates of this country, in many cases, have more influence on our kids and spend more time with them than do many of the so-called Christian parents and churches. The wrath of God is not simply aroused by the sinful actions of non-believers, but more so by the appalling silence and cowardice of those who claim to be Christians, especially leaders. But did you know that there is no place in God's Kingdom for spiritual cowards - for those who are too afraid and ashamed to confess their allegiance to Christ and carry out their Christian duties? Read Revelations 21:8. It is most interesting that this verse which contains a list of those unrepentant sinners who will be barred from heaven, has "the cowardly" at top of the list!
WHERE ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE FAITH!?
A LITTLE HOUSE CLEANING Another serious problem in our church is the lack of spiritual knowledge and genuine commitment to the Body of Christ (the Church) by many of our members. Christianity has been reduced, in frequent cases, to cultural Christianity, and cultural Christianity has some curses. We are satisfied with the infant baptism of those who are members and lay leaders of our Church. But there are no safeguards, we have no method or system with which to check and verify their faith and their understanding of it, especially, when someone aspires to be elected to a formal leadership position such as the Parish Council. The present day method of baptism in the Armenian Church has the Confirmation attached to it. What that means is that an infant is baptized, is declared a Catecumen (student of the Christian Faith) for a few minutes and confirmed - all within a half hour or so!. How sad! The great sanctity and significance of the Holy Baptism has been cheapened, has been degraded from a Divine experience to a cultural experience where the most asked question has nothing to do with spirituality or theology. The most popular question is: "Der Hayre, how long will this take? - we have a party to attend." In the past, in early Christianity, those who desired to be baptized and be accepted into the Body of Christ, were put on probation for a period of time to determine if they were worthy of bearing the name of Christ (Christian)! They were catecumens (students of the Faith) for a length of time. Then, and only then, were they baptized. Today, anyone who is a baptized Armenian, whether a saint or sinner or an atheist, or a betrayer of the Baptismal vows, or even an apostate, as long as the person is Armenian and pays the "membership fee ", he is welcomed into the church. This is a most unbiblical practice. (Secular clubs charge fees but Christian Churches should be supported by tithes of the faithful according to their ability). As a result, oftentimes a priest is forced to govern the local parish with lay leaders who may be non-believing, non-practicing Christians with agendas and goals other than Christian. This is such a dead weight to the church and a hindrance to those clergy who are true to their calling and a detriment to the faith of the laity. Oftentimes the Church is reduced to the level of being a so-called preserver of the Armenian culture and no more, or a mouth piece for Armenian politicians and political causes, instead of remaining faithful to Her supreme and heavenly calling. In some of our church halls it is easier to get gambling, a belly dancer for entertainment or the occultic practice of coffee cup reading, than it is to get a Bible study group formed. Ethnic Christianity leaves much to be desired! When the church abandons Her calling and caters to less worthy or unworthy causes, and is used and abused by scrupulous characters and organizations for their own agendas, She will not get the respect and commitment She deserves from the Children of the Armenian Nation. As a result, getting tithes for the upkeep and expenses of running a church becomes a burden. This in turn forces our Spiritual Mother, as we refer to our church, to do unbecoming things such as hosting Las Vegas Nights, bingo, etc, to make ends meet. This is a sin and great shame! When a church has to resort to such activities and begging to make ends meet, it means that there are not enough believers to warrant a full-time church operation... What are to do about this situation? We better do something about it if we want God to keep blessing the Armenian Church. In this regard, the late Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan had this to say: "The Armenian Christian Church must, I repeat, once and for all leave all forms of nationalistic propaganda to those who can and are apt to it. "One cannot carry two melons in one hand", says the popular proverb and here is a case where its truthfulness applies. And what is the calling and mission of the Church? That is obvious! One thing is clear that the Church is not a tool, as some nationalists want to make it, using the church for their own partisan interests. Even some clergy think the same way, but they are not true to their calling. The Church is the agent of the Gospel primarily and absolutely. And her virtue rests entirely on this attribute. And the Armenian clergy should follow no other path than to make this attribute of the Church bear fruit. They must follow this path directly. " (This is taken from an article entitled Nationalism or the Gospel and was written when the Archbishop was a deacon).
TAKE COURAGE - COME OUT OF YOUR CAVE.
WHERE ARE OUR PROPHETS? WHERE ARE OUR PREACHERS - THOSE FILLED WITH
RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION? ARE THEY HIDING IN CAVES?
WILL GOD BLESS AMERICA?
WHAT CAN I DO? PRAY FOR YOURSELF: Ask Jesus Christ to keep you and protect you always under the shelter and power of the Holy Cross. Make certain that you have found peace with God and salvation for your soul through Christ. Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness, and by faith receive the precious Blood and Body of Christ by means of Holy Communion. However, if you have never been a true believer, or have betrayed the vows of your Baptism by living a life of un-confessed sins and without true repentance, you must ask Jesus Christ to come into your life, to cleanse you spiritually and save your soul. Remember, by means of Holy Baptism, our church declares us Christian, but for the guarantee of our salvation, we must accept by personal faith the salvation of God. If you have never done so, and have never had a personal experience of God by faith, pray this prayer which is written by one of our Armenian Church Fathers, St. Nerses Shnorhali. It is a prayer to God the Father in which we acknowledge His Son Jesus as our Savior and ask Him to forgive us our sins.
O Heavenly Father, you truly are God,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS: You can be a responsible Christian and pleasing to God by praying for your loved ones and friends. Pray for the salvation of those who may be non-believers and pray for God's hand of protection on them in the coming days. PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR, THE CHURCH LEADERS & THE CHURCH: Too often people make the mistake that the clergy do not need our prayers. But on the contrary, Satan attacks and tempts them more than most other people, because they are formally designated as God's agents. There are so many good clergy who need the prayers and moral support of their parishioners in order to carry out their duties. Without the commitment and help of spiritually minded church members, even the most spiritual clergyman cannot be very effective in the parish. Pray that God will give them courage, strength and wisdom to carry on the good fight and to lead the flock in the right direction. Pray for our Catholicos and all the Primates and Bishops. They have such tremendous pressures and responsibilities. Pray for the church so that there will be spiritual renewal through Christ, so that the Church will be strengthened and display God's power as did the early Church at Pentecost. PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AND OUR LEADERS: One of the former chaplains of the U.S. Senate, Dr. Evert Hale, was once asked if he prayed for the Senators. He replied "No, I don't pray for the Senators, but when I look at the Senate, I get on my knees and pray for the country ". It is a Biblical directive that Christians must pray for their civil leaders - regardless of their political afflication. The President, Senators, Representatives Cabinet Members, Judges -all need our prayers and encouragement to run this country in the right moral direction. Let us pray that God will influence their hearts to make the right decisions and to carry out the laws of the land. Let us also support and vote for candidates who best represent our Christian moral values.
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