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Matt. 28:19.
Faith first by their good Christian example and way of life, and
then by evangelizing this faith to all.
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1 Tim. 3:15.
See John 14:6.
end of the age4. The idolaters, the unbelievers, the heretics and
schematics have no place within this Body, but only, if they
repent and return from their errors.
As the Lord searched the lost sheep, likewise His Orthodox
Church through evangelism seeks man who has been misled by
the errors of heresies, atheism or polytheism. The Orthodox
Missionary embodies the work of the Good Shepherd Christ. He
becomes the light for those who live in the darkness of not
knowing the True God. Thus, man not having the Grace of the
Holy Spirit, which grants him salvation, remains a slave to sin
and under the tyranny of death.
God desires that all men be saved. For God so loved the
world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but may have eternal life5. But, this
general salvation is realized only when man opens his heart to
God, approaches and accepts the Holy Trinity as his Lord and
Savior.
The acceptance of this invitation is fulfilled with the Holy
Sacrament of Holy Baptism and the granting of the Gift of the
Holy Spirit to the newly enlightened through the Holy
Sacrament of Chrismation. Man, then and only then is embodied
to the Root of the Tree of Life, which is Christ, and if the Root
is holy, so are the branches6. Exactly, as the branches of a tree
receive the life giving nourishments from their roots and bear
fruits, in a similar way the faithful receive the life-giving waters
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Mark 16:16.
Rom. 6:23.
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See 1 . 6:19.
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is the head there is the body; for, if it was divided there will be
no body, there will be no head.12
The mystery of the Orthodox Church is in that it is the
Church of those who repent and simultaneously is the
Communion of Saints. In other words, it is a communion and
transition of sinners with the only Holy One. Every deformity
or alienation from this reality deforms the Church itself.
The division of the Christian world into various Christian
Denominations-Heresies consists the main reason for the
deprivation of Eucharistic Communion not only from the One,
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, but even from amongst
themselves. From Orthodox point of view, the Doctrine
concerning the unity of the Church is that which characterizes
our Church as being the Orthodox Church. The Ecclesiology
of the Orthodox Church is that which distinguishes her from all
the heterodox Christian Denominations. Even more, it
distinguishes her from all non-Christian religions.
Ecumenism is the common name which characterizes
modern heretics. Everyone seeks to belong under the umbrella
of Ecumenism, not because they believe in the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, but because they find a
worldly and legal recognition as religious institutions, for
they cannot stand by themselves. Their interest does not concern
the Truths of the Christian Doctrines, for in that case they should
have returned to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
These heretics, unfortunately, aim towards worldly and
materialistic goals rather than of belonging to the Godly and
12
St. John Chrysostom, 8th Homily in 1st Corinthians, Migne, P.G., 61, 72.
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John 15:4-5.
John 15:1.
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See 2nd Thess. 2:13
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Matt. 28:19.
Matt. 7:16.
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Ephes. 4:15.
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Ephes. 3:18.
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Through the Church man finds his goal of life, which is his
salvation in Christ. Otherwise, man cannot grow in Christ.
The unity of the Christian Faith was and is the desire of the
Orthodox Church. In every service we pray for the unity of
all. But, how can this be achieved? If we do not evangelize the
truth to the others, then we lack of true love. If we separate love
from the truth, then we are spiritual ill. For, a heretic missionary
who evangelizes but remains in the falsehood of his teachings,
he is dividing Christ and thus alienates not only himself from
Christ, but also becomes the reason for the condemnation of all
those who follow him.
Orthodox Evangelism can be characterized as being the
outmost pure evangelism of all nations. The evangelism of love
towards all nations, for it is established on the Truth and the
Love of Christ, Who is the Way, and the Truth and the Life.20
It is a common belief of the entire Orthodox Church that
the various heresies are not the Church, neither can they be the
Church of Christ, for they are in error and lies. And, wherever
there are lies, there the Spirit of God cannot rest. Consequently,
within the heretical and schismatic groups there is no Grace of
the Holy Spirit, no Holy Sacraments and profoundly the Holy
Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, which is the outmost of all Holy
Sacraments.
Consequently, when someone outside of the Orthodox
Church insists upon his heresy and false teachings how can it be
possible to have communion with such persons? How can it be
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John 14:6.
possible to mix the truth with lies, the light with darkness, the
life-giving waters with the poising waste, the fragrance of aroma
with the unbearable smell of the sewer? St. Paul teaches us very
strictly saying: Do not be mismatched with unbrethren. For
what partnership is there between righteousness and
lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and
darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or
what does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement
has the temple of God with idols?21 So, any intercommunion
with heretics consists the outmost betrayal of Christ.
Orthodox Evangelism living within the world addresses the
Word of God to all nations. Invites all to repentance and offers
the opportunity to become members of Christs Body, partakers
of the divine nature22. Orthodoxy respects mans free will
and for this reason the Church does not forces anyone, neither
proselytizes, but evangelizes simply and only the word of the
Holy Gospel.
The meaning of intercommunion is by itself antithetic to
its own nature and unacceptable for the orthodox catholic
conscience. In the orthodox teachings concerning the Church
and the Holy Sacraments, the only Sacrament is the Church
itself, the Body of Christ, the only source and meaning of all
Holy Sacraments. Outside of the Sacrament of the Church there
are no sacraments; thus, no intercommunion in the Holy
Sacraments is allowed.
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