Communication between believers is everything. I want to communicate with believers who have been banned from communication by the church

A very important question is how to generally talk with believers or with those who consider themselves believers.

In general, of course, it is better to avoid such conversations, but if you are nevertheless provoked into this conversation, then you need to speak very kindly, very kindly.

Remember that these topics are extremely painful for them, extremely difficult and that they easily get into a state of severe hysteria, so it is better to remove matches, it is better to remove any sharp, heavy objects and really demonstrate patience, affection and goodwill.

Moreover, there is no need to bother with all sorts of stupid talk about some kind of god - this is an empty topic, and any believer, if asked to prove the existence of God, after 3-4 minutes begins to feel like an idiot, and then he can fall into that very frenzy. You don't have to do this.

It is always better to invite the believer to prove that he is truly a believer.

The fact is that collecting icons or other pictures, crosses, some small dried buns, participating in simple performances with or without eating the meat of God, some trips, appropriate phraseology, appropriate outfits - this is not proof of the so-called faith , this is just proof that the person is playing some kind of role-playing game.

Their faith demands from them, quite harshly, many deprivations, many infringements on themselves. And it is always necessary to invite this believer, the so-called believer, to prove that he is a believer directly in the Gospel sense of the word.

Find out to whom he gave an apartment among the homeless, to whom he gave a sheepskin coat, to whom he transferred a car from the poor, how many lepers he kissed on the lips, whether he is going to go, let’s say, somewhere to Sudan or to the shores of Lake Chad and preach there Christianity, as it is commanded to them. Usually such things baffle believers.

But, you see, they proclaim themselves believers and, like the Donkey from the famous book about Winnie the Pooh, they begin to pout their lips offendedly and say: “You know, we are so special, you can’t say a word in front of us.” ball».

But so that in front of you, as with Eeyore, it would be impossible to say a word ball, prove that you are Eeyore too.

Prove that you are somehow special, otherwise you are only declaring this about yourself.

And here, as a rule, some kind of incident happens to them. It is very difficult for them to prove that they are believers. Leave them alone with these thoughts.

And you can be sure that some seeds of doubt have been sown, some seeds of understanding that everything is not as declarative, not as simple as it is portrayed in the synodal journals, the way things are in this world with the so-called faith.

Moreover, do not insist on any of your points of view, invite them to comment on several facts of completely outright lies. What is an outright lie?

The church says that it preaches faith in some kind of god, right?

Okay, let's accept the point of view of the church, but as it turns out, the church does not preach faith in God, but faith in one of the gods.

The impudence of all the priests is not enough to erase from the history of mankind all the other gods that mankind has known since the times of Sumer and Babylon. There are about three or four hundred such gods.

And why, if you can believe in one of the gods, in the so-called Jesus, why is belief in Zeus, belief in Osiris or Quetzalcoatl, from their point of view, is absurd? Or why is one god better and why is another god worse?

Here, too, there comes a moment of certain doubts and reflections for them. Then, naturally, the question arises about Russia and Russian self-identification and the connection with Orthodoxy, but here, too, it is better to ask them to comment: how exactly that ideology, exactly that Orthodox ideological system, which was held... By the way, all this spirituality, it was held exclusively on fourteen articles of the Criminal Code, on many by-laws, on the fear of hard labor, on the fear of deprivation of wealth, exile to Siberia, on very many unpleasant things.

And this was precisely at the time when Orthodoxy was considered a folk religion. How exactly did this ideological system lead to the complete collapse of the state in 1917?

Ask them to comment on the thesis that Orthodoxy is an already validated coupon, and trying to ride this coupon a second time on the “tram of history” is, to say the least, naive.

It’s as if we have a historical medical fact: the collapse of a state that for seven hundred years had nothing but this ideology. Nothing at all. And nothing was allowed. And how many articles of the Criminal Code are needed: twenty-eight, fifty, sixty? What punitive measures and means are needed to ensure all this spirituality...

It is clear that Orthodoxy can only hold on with bayonets, that without the appropriate help from the state power it immediately turns, splits into many small sects and turns, so to speak, into one of these sects.

This can and should be suggested for comment, and here we, again, will leave the so-called believer alone with his thoughts.

After all, what is atheism? Atheism is not shouting that there is no God. This is not even a mockery of this or that dogma, of their rhetoric, far from it. This is the right to thought, this is the triumph of free thought, this is the ability to think critically, skeptically and evaluate everything, first of all, by analyzing, independently, and to any words written or spoken, atheism presupposes critical thinking.

The great La Mettrie said this, Paul Henri Holbach said this. And my words also need to be treated as critically as any verse in the Bible. Everything must be viewed critically.

And as soon as this criticism, as soon as this skepticism and the ability and desire to analyze become the norm, then the gods themselves die. Or they emigrate to where there is still a place left for them: somewhere on the shores of Lake Chad or to New Guinea.

Watch “LESSONS IN ATHEISM” on the channel:http://www.youtube.com/NevzorovTV

How to talk with believers

A very important question is how to generally talk with believers or with those who consider themselves believers.

In general, of course, it is better to avoid such conversations, but if you are nevertheless provoked into this conversation, then you need to speak very kindly, very kindly.

Remember that these topics are extremely painful for them, extremely difficult and that they easily get into a state of severe hysteria, so it is better to remove matches, it is better to remove any sharp, heavy objects and really demonstrate patience, affection and goodwill.

Moreover, there is no need to bother with all sorts of stupid talk about some kind of god - this is an empty topic, and any believer, if asked to prove the existence of God, after 3-4 minutes begins to feel like an idiot, and then he can fall into that very frenzy. You don't have to do this.

It is always better to invite the believer to prove that he is truly a believer.

The fact is that collecting icons or other pictures, crosses, some small dried buns, participating in simple performances with or without eating the meat of God, some trips, appropriate phraseology, appropriate outfits - this is not proof of the so-called faith , this is just proof that the person is playing some kind of role-playing game.

Their faith demands from them, quite harshly, many deprivations, many infringements on themselves. And it is always necessary to invite this believer, the so-called believer, to prove that he is a believer directly in the Gospel sense of the word.

Find out to whom he gave an apartment among the homeless, to whom he gave a sheepskin coat, to whom he transferred a car from the poor, how many lepers he kissed on the lips, whether he is going to go, let’s say, somewhere to Sudan or to the shores of Lake Chad and preach there Christianity, as it is commanded to them. Usually such things baffle believers.

But, you see, they proclaim themselves believers and, like the Donkey from the famous book about Winnie the Pooh, they begin to pout their lips offendedly and say: “You know, we are so special, you can’t say the word ball in front of us.”

But in order to make it impossible to say the word ball in front of you, as with Eeyore, prove that you are also Eeyore.

Prove that you are somehow special, otherwise you are only declaring this about yourself.

And here, as a rule, some kind of incident happens to them. It is very difficult for them to prove that they are believers. Leave them alone with these thoughts.

And you can be sure that some seeds of doubt have been sown, some seeds of understanding that everything is not as declarative, not as simple as it is portrayed in the synodal journals, the way things are in this world with the so-called faith.

Moreover, do not insist on any of your points of view, invite them to comment on several facts of completely outright lies. What is an outright lie?

The church says that it preaches faith in some kind of god, right?

Okay, let's accept the point of view of the church, but as it turns out, the church does not preach faith in God, but faith in one of the gods.

The impudence of all the priests is not enough to erase from the history of mankind all the other gods that mankind has known since the times of Sumer and Babylon. There are about three or four hundred such gods.

And why, if you can believe in one of the gods, in the so-called Jesus, why is belief in Zeus, belief in Osiris or Quetzalcoatl, from their point of view, is absurd? Or why is one god better and why is another god worse?

Here, too, there comes a moment of certain doubts and reflections for them. Then, naturally, the question arises about Russia and Russian self-identification and the connection with Orthodoxy, but here, too, it is better to ask them to comment: how exactly that ideology, exactly that Orthodox ideological system, which was held... By the way, all this spirituality, it was held exclusively on fourteen articles of the Criminal Code, on many by-laws, on the fear of hard labor, on the fear of deprivation of wealth, exile to Siberia, on very many unpleasant things.

And this was precisely at the time when Orthodoxy was considered a folk religion. How exactly did this ideological system lead to the complete collapse of the state in 1917?

Ask them to comment on the thesis that Orthodoxy is an already validated coupon, and trying to ride this coupon a second time on the “tram of history” is, to say the least, naive.

It’s as if we have a historical medical fact: the collapse of a state that for seven hundred years had nothing but this ideology. Nothing at all. And nothing was allowed. And how many articles of the Criminal Code are needed: twenty-eight, fifty, sixty? What punitive measures and means are needed to ensure all this spirituality...

It is clear that Orthodoxy can only hold on with bayonets, that without the appropriate help from the state power it immediately turns, splits into many small sects and turns, so to speak, into one of these sects.

This can and should be suggested for comment, and here we, again, will leave the so-called believer alone with his thoughts.

After all, what is atheism? Atheism is not shouting that there is no God. This is not even a mockery of this or that dogma, of their rhetoric, far from it. This is the right to thought, this is the triumph of free thought, this is the ability to think critically, skeptically and evaluate everything, first of all, by analyzing, independently, and to any words written or spoken, atheism presupposes critical thinking.

The great La Mettrie said this, Paul Henri Holbach said this. And my words also need to be treated as critically as any verse in the Bible. Everything must be viewed critically.

And as soon as this criticism, as soon as this skepticism and the ability and desire to analyze become the norm, then the gods themselves die. Or they emigrate to where there is still a place left for them: somewhere on the shores of Lake Chad or to New Guinea.

In our daily interactions, we usually encounter different people with different views. Unfortunately, for the most part these are non-believers, with whom, whether we like it or not, we need to find a common language. How should Orthodox Christians behave in such an environment? We'll talk about this further.

Don't be Pharisees

The greatest danger that exists in communicating with people who are far from the Church is the possibility of us exalting ourselves over them. Of course, such relationships will not bring any benefit to us, our interlocutors, or our faith. In no case should we look at non-Christians as “second-class” people, deprived of God’s grace.

Always in such cases we must remember, firstly, that Christ sacrificed Himself for everyone, without separating the righteous from sinners. Secondly, it is useful to always keep in mind the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, remembering whose prayer was more pleasing to the Lord. Another thing, of course, is that for some reason we always tend to associate ourselves with the humble publican from that story, but that’s another conversation.

And here, of course, we must not forget about sincerity. This applies to communication in general, from everyone to everyone, but it should apply even more so to an Orthodox Christian. This is not about turning out our souls, according to tradition, in front of everyone we meet, but at least we must avoid deceit in communicating with our neighbors.

You should always behave naturally and naturally, without putting on masks: neither secular people-pleasing, nor too pious piety. Moreover, in this situation, any hypocrisy will be perceived as a stone against Christianity. It would also be useful to never forget what we ourselves were like before coming to the Church. After all, most people today still join the church at a mature, conscious age.

It is often useful to remember how long we lived without God and how we came to Him. Then it becomes obvious: the fact that we ended up in the Church is not our merit, but the grace of God. In the same way, at any moment it can pour out on any of our interlocutors, even if he is the most ardent persecutor of Christians.

The best sermon is by deeds

Another important question: when can you start a conversation about faith with non-believers? In our case, the correct answer is probably “never.” Why? Because the result is usually the opposite. People are often driven away from their faith by obsessive mention of their religious views. We see this very well in the work of various Protestant sects.

Practice shows that words usually have a less convincing effect on our interlocutors than a personal example expressed in specific behavior. Try to bring your life as close as possible to Christian ideals - this will be the best sermon. As Saint Nicholas of Serbia wrote:

Don't tell people about God if they don't want to listen to you. Live so that they ask

It is precisely this discrepancy between what an Orthodox Christian usually preaches and how he lives that is most often the main reason for the unconvincingness of such preaching. Another saint, John Chrysostom, said back in the 4th century:

No one would remain a pagan if we were Christians properly

Unfortunately, our morals have not improved at all since then. Therefore, based on the correct Christian position, we will try more to correct ourselves, rather than those around us. Elder John Krestyankin advised in such a situation to try to live according to the law of love, because this law is understandable to both believers and non-believers.

“Behold, I’m standing at the door and knocking”

What can we do if we sincerely worry about a person’s soul, wishing for it renewal and salvation in Christ? It is important not to forget here that the Lord, perhaps more than anything else in the world, respects the freedom of everyone. Even honestly unbelieving people can therefore turn out to be much closer to Him than believers under duress.

Here are the words of the Savior from the book “Revelation of John the Theologian (Apocalypse)”:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me (Rev. 3:20)

If the Lord Himself meekly and patiently stands at the door of the human heart, waiting for an answer, and does not forcefully break in, then should we really act differently? In this case, our sincere prayer to God for the soul of this person will have great power.

Spiritually experienced fathers believed that until the Lord reaches such a heart from the inside, it will be impossible for us to “storm” it from the outside. Therefore, it is better not to start a conversation about faith at all until the person himself asks or is clearly disposed to such a conversation. Otherwise, we ourselves can provoke him to blasphemy.

When do words become blasphemy?

What should we do if the conversation did take place, and offensive words were directed not only at us? If blasphemous words from the mouths of unbelievers are addressed to God, the Mother of God, the saints, as well as the Church, the Holy Sacraments, clergy, everything on which God’s grace rests, this is called blasphemy.

What should we do if we hear this? The best thing to do is to silently pray for this person and retreat. But wouldn’t this be a betrayal, a renunciation of God? After all, the Gospel says:

Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Heavenly Father; and whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32-33)

Our confession in this case will manifest itself, first of all, in disagreement with blasphemy. It is advisable, of course, to express your position clearly. But you need to understand that any objections from an Orthodox Christian can cause additional aggression and even further provoke an argument. In a word, you need to look at the situation.

Over time, we should develop a certain spiritual intuition: when and what to say. In any case, we can object only when our words are more significant than silence. It’s worth thinking about this in advance.

Should you always turn your right cheek?

Next, the question arises: what to do when harsh words are addressed to us personally? Do you always need to turn the proverbial right cheek when you hit your left? Oddly enough, the answer is likely to be negative. And in this case, too, you need to look at the situation.

Although, following the teachings of Christ, we consider meekness and humility to be the main qualities in communicating with people, but sometimes an Orthodox Christian must be able to stand up for himself. Based on the position that every person, including ourselves, is the image of God. You also need to love him in yourself and should not be allowed to humiliate him.

Meekness and humility do not mean cowardice, they are the opposite of it. Meekness and humility are great spiritual strength, and cowardice is weakness. The main thing is that we must understand why we responded to the offense: out of pride or out of a feeling of deep inner righteousness. In the second case, our answer will indeed sound meek and humble, and not irritable. The main indicator of rightness is inner calm, peace in the soul.

Finally, if we know that the society we are going to is openly hostile towards us, and staying in it will not bring us any benefit, then it is better to avoid such company if possible. After all, even among non-believers there are different types of attitudes towards religion: tolerant, neutral and openly hostile (the so-called “militant atheists”).

However, there is no point in specifically avoiding “aggressors” out of cowardice. We must remember that the Lord always places us in that situation, in that society that will bring us more benefit. In addition, you need to understand that sometimes obvious atheists can behave much morally purer than some religious tolerants. Unfortunately, Christians do not always behave completely befitting this name.

It is very important in this matter to have a subtle spiritual sense: what is better for us and what is worse. Finding a topic for neutral conversations, it seems, should not be difficult in any society. It’s better to talk, of course, about what is closer and more interesting to a person. But if these topics have a negative moral connotation and can harm our soul, then it is better to avoid them.

Simply remove yourself from communication with such unbelieving people, based on the principle that you will become holy with the venerable, and you will be innocent with the innocent man, and you will be chosen with the chosen, and corrupt with the obstinate (Ps. 17:26-27). At the same time, it is important on our part not to fall into pride and condemnation. It is more useful for us to compare ourselves not with them, but with holy people of pure life, realizing our spiritual poverty.

Archpriest Andrei Tkachev answers questions about communication between believers and non-believers:

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Peace to all! I want to tell my story, which is very tragic. If you want, you can contact me on Skype.
At the beginning of the summer of 2002, I put an end to my obedience to God and, as a result, my only 11-year-old son immediately fell ill with diabetes!
For me, as a mother who loves her son more than life (and, as it turned out later, more than God), this sounded like a terrible sentence. Holding that ominous piece of paper with the result of a blood test in my hand, I spontaneously said: Carry this cup past me... but let your will be done, not my will.
We were admitted to a children's hospital and began to be treated with the already established global system for treating diabetes mellitus - insulin injections. There was no usual fear, but my son and I were accompanied by the constant presence of expectation of something from God. The expectation that He would intervene and would not leave. He controls everything.
By this time, I was already a dedicated Christian child of 5 years old (since 1997) and considered myself a member of God’s family and the favorite of God the Father.
At this time, events in our church developed ambiguously. I'll try to briefly describe:
Our church, “Kostroma Christian Center” (KCC), was founded in the 90s through the efforts of American missionaries who created the “Global Strategy” association (I will refer to it as GS) and founded churches in Russia. The CCC was one of the first meetings, and with a large membership, which made everyone very happy. The Americans installed the Russian pastor Andrei Danilov and left for Nizhny Novgorod to found further churches. The leader, or president, of AHVEGS was first Pastor Howard Bimm, then Mark Leonard. Further events are sad, because the installed Russian pastor split the church in 2001 and, without any permission or blessing from above, took 250 people out of the church (the entire congregation at that time numbered approximately 300 people). 50 people remained in the church.
Everyone was silent! And God commanded me before the schism, before the pastor took the church away, to go to him and tell him not to divide the church, but he kicked me out of the house. The schism happened and we began to gather in a small flock and again God told me to go to the pastor to the American, Howard Bimm, who came to shepherd the remainder.
The message from God was that God wants the revival of the church and even this remnant will be enough for Him and those who left will see that we have a revival and will return. At first the pastor was not against it, but when during the only prayer that he allowed me At a prayer meeting, I uttered a hint in spirit that a sin had been committed through schism, for which I was reprimanded and told to shut up, because it was none of my business. I fell silent and decided that it was my desire to speak out about sin, although today I firmly know that it was God who wanted (and wants) the awakening of the church and our city, but if there is sin in the church, we will not see awakening without repentance. So I was told to shut up for the second time!
Returning to the beginning of my story, I repeat that it was right here that I put an end to obedience to God and decided to leave Kostroma. But... like Jonah, who headed to Tarshish and ended up in the belly of a fish, God kept me in Kostroma through my son’s illness and I simply physically would not have been able to leave, at least for some time, but then all thoughts about leaving Kostroma disappeared instantly.
In the hospital we were taught to inject insulin 4 times a day (as per life!), we were taught to accept and live under diabetes, i.e. dedicate your life not to God, but to diabetes. They also warned that this disease has no cure and we must constantly be under the supervision of doctors and in the end we will be able to live our lives “not bad.” When the doctor, sitting opposite us, explained all this, my son and I under the table tightly squeezed each other’s hands as a sign that we did not accept the doctors’ forecasts and believed in God.
And we believed in God unconditionally! Having read God's generals, watched ad nauseum (yes, yes, I watched ad nauseum) Benny Hinn, and one precious cassette of my beloved sister Katherine Kuhlman and most importantly the BIBLE, I had faith in Jehovah-Rapha. Also in 2000, I successfully graduated from the Bible Institute at GE Association, where I was taught about faith in healing (notes in hand), and that you don’t have to rely on medicine, and also the video teacher, Jim Clark, never went to the doctors trusting in God.
I’ll omit some details of how God spoke about trusting Him, I’ll go straight to the event that my son and I had faith in God and left the insulin and left the hospital! God said: “Take your pastel and go home.” My son and I picked it up like a breath of fresh air, we knew it was Him.
No one in the church knew about our decision. One day I came out to speak in front of these 50, but.. GOD did not allow (now I understand, they do not have such faith, even to this day)! Then, after about 2 weeks, the child became weaker. I needed a Christian who would support me in my faith, but there was no one. In desperation, I called my brothers and sisters who were at a rehearsal for a music service and asked them to pray for their son. After some time, worship leader Alexey Topilin came to me. He just found out that my son actually has diabetes. It’s just that after the split, everyone was sick and there was no time for little things! And the American pastor was no longer there. God resettled him back, his wife got sick and they left. Brother Topilin suggested calling an ambulance, which I did not agree to, because the ambulance would have returned me to insulin again, and we fled from this slavery just in time for God. Topilin went home to sleep, leaving us with our problem. The son went to God at noon. And I was excommunicated from the church in September 2002. To this day excommunicated.
Read it and we’ll discuss it on Skype. GOD bless you, beloved. I really want to communicate with believers with whom the church has prohibited communication.
Sister Maya. also sisters Galina and Lyuba.

This is a question like, does the church help you when trouble comes? Does church give peace of mind, the same way analgin relieves pain?

Forgive me for taking liberties, but I deliberately sharpen the question this way. I remember how, already when I was a presbyter, I talked with one woman. She repented. Preparations for baptism are underway. Various questions: Do you believe? Are you sure? She replies: “You know, my back hurts. I went through different doctors. I turned to the grandmothers. I visited psychics. Nobody helped. I came to church. I repented. But my back still hurts.” She was not among those baptized later. But her testimony is revealing. By the way, I note that this idea of ​​the church is most common among the people. Especially among our people. That is why the most popular icons are those that heal, liberate, multiply the harvest, protect, and the like. And “we won’t stand behind the price”... Superstition is the main religion of our people.

I would like to give the example of Nick Vujicic. No hands. No legs. But he knows God. And he's happy. What did God give him? New hands? - No! New legs? - No! But it is happiness to know God. Happiness is not in the closet. Happiness is not in money, not in a career. Happiness is in the head, in the heart. This is from God. I consider it important to repeat: It is not through the human mind that happiness is known or created. But a loving God enlightens the mind, cleanses the heart and makes a person happy. “We also know that the Son of God came and gave us understanding, so that we might know the true God; and we are in the True Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20)

Naturalists conducted experiments. We took three groups of rats. From birth. In one cage, classical music was played during feeding. Pop music was playing in another cage. In the third, tin cans rattled. The rats have grown up. Then they were all placed in one room. When the rats approached the feeders, and there were three of them, the music was turned on. One feeder has a classic one. The other has a variety show. The third one had tin cans rattling. To the surprise of scientists, and I admit, to my surprise, rats, regardless of what kind of music they grew up with, preferred to feed to the sounds of classical music. There were some who also listened to pop music. The sound of cans did not attract any rat. What's it like? There is a problem in the Bible: “An ox knows his owner, and a donkey his master’s manger; But Israel does not know Me, My people do not understand.” (Isa.1:3) These are words of pain and shame at the same time. This is a verdict on an arrogant person in our enlightened age. A person endowed with reason lives as if he were devoid of reason. The example with rats only strengthens this diagnosis. I lived the same way. And only God restored the ability to understand. This is an inexpressible gift of His love.

It is very important to realize your involvement in God through belonging to the Church. We experienced two years of spiritual desert (in Tabaga). There is no way to talk about this. After all, this is a spiritual experience. There was abundance in everything. Plenty of bread. Health is good at least. The children developed normally and were healthy. Work after your heart, decent earnings. Housing is ok. And before we believed, we had all this. But there was no life. A painful illness! But it’s so simple: “Lord! Forgive me, a sinner! And a miracle: The heart is free! Life was filled with meaning. What do I mean by this? The Lord gives all the blessings of life to people. But a person finds himself only in harmony with God. This is what Jesus said in the wilderness: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God shall man live”! I’ll say this: God makes a man a Man.

Through prayer, faith and the inexplicable real power of God's participation in our lives, like an invisible thread, we are connected to Heaven and to our Heavenly Father. He's always on the line. His hand is always with us and above us. And saving faith gave our hearts peace, peace and joy. But without the church, these wonderful gifts of grace were as if ineffective.

You know, it's probably like a seed in a barn. They say that many things were found in the Egyptian pyramids. The dying pharaohs, leaving for the next world, took with them everything they needed. Among other things were grains of wheat. So, having lain in the tombs for several thousand years, they remained the same as they were. And when they were placed in a favorable environment, they sprouted, grew an ear and bore fruit! What's it like? After all, the taste of life is not in consumption, but in realizing oneself, in developing oneself.

In the church, we found ourselves in the most favorable environment. Let me note again that in those days we didn’t talk like that. Most often we said: “I’m going to the meeting.” Community. Our community. This or that community. But at the same time you are a member of the church. Baptism is precisely that moment, visible and at the same time invisible, the mystery that introduces us into the local community, as members of the church. The most important thing that we have found in the Church is, perhaps, the completeness of our spiritual formation. The right to perform the sacrament of the breaking of bread. To be in church, to be part of the Body of the Lord. It's impossible to describe this. Some easily and simply drift from one community to another, not appreciating God’s Church as the mystery of God’s economy, not appreciating their right to be part of the body of Christ, and to be a representative of His Church in society, among their people. I even find it difficult to formulate somehow what exactly the Church gave me. She gave everything. Everything.

The biblical portrait of the church is saved people as one holy BODY, the head of which is Christ the Lord. Or “Christ is the vine, and you are the branches.” The world, no matter how much it boasts of its achievements, is still cruel. The world is full of dirt. He is immoral. The world is full of suffering, lies, lawlessness. There is no hope in the world. There is no light in the world. The world is in darkness and the world is darkness.

Now imagine: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness.” Christ says: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness.” Who has not experienced fear, paralyzing fear, when finding themselves in complete darkness? Is it a room, or is it a dead night in the forest, or even in a familiar apartment? And suddenly - light! Immediately all fears are gone! All objects are visible. All paths are visible. The purpose of life is revealed. God is with us! This is the gift of God in the Church. “I will create My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!”

We launch ships into space, create deep-sea vehicles. We invade the microworld in order to at least somewhere find the reason and meaning of existence. And peoples fight over trifles, and people die for metal, spiritual darkness makes life unbearable. And at this time, among us, God Himself is building a Pure, Heavenly, Holy structure - the Church. What positive things does the Church give? - Everything gives. Everything positive that exists, that happens, that a person can express, everything is given by the Church. The Church of God, where Christ is the head. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

First of all, this is the creation of a personality that is not driven by egoism, but by the Spirit of God. It is not guided by herd feelings, but by the Spirit, as intended by God at creation, that is, in the image and likeness of God. The very core of our national tragedy is the destruction of the individual. In the dictionary of the times of the dominance of atheism, I read: “Life is a special form of existence and movement of matter.” By the way, this definition is still the most common today. But matter is not capable of high thoughts. Matter is incapable of compassion and condolences. Matter is not capable of loving, dreaming and praying!!! Raskolnikov’s question, “Am I a trembling creature, or do I have the right,” faces everyone. And we are looking for the answer, no matter what time and what society we live in. And, mind you, the world of materialism has no answer. And the Word of God says: “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” And he not only says, but also gives: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me has eternal life. I am the bread of life." (John 6:47,48)

So, the area of ​​​​searching for the meaning of life without God, without the Church is an old woman’s money, an ax, prison, and empty dreams. And we understand the falsity of those claims to right that aroused the October massacre. Having raised their axes, our people killed everyone who, perhaps, had something saved for a rainy day, but, like Raskolnikov, the whole country found itself in the category of trembling creatures. We're still shaking. Look with what insatiability the people give in to the sins of depravity! With what inexplicable greed is capital accumulation carried out? How the entire fabric of society has been pierced by lies! The biblical revelation says: “And man became a living soul”! And materialism, multiplied by atheism, made man a soulless matter. Love has been turned into a mechanical process. Compassion is called a relic. Pity has become a humiliating anachronism. Conscience has even disappeared from the dictionary. Honesty and honor as a concept are not valued at all. Animal instincts began to dominate society. But God affirms: “Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” As Derzhavin said in his time: “You exist, and I am no longer “nothing”! From “nothing” - into the image of God! This is what the Church gives. By the way, it is difficult to separate the Church, communication, and ministry here. Just as the Holy Trinity is inseparable and unmerged, so the ministry and communion you named constitute the essence of the Church. Meaning of life. There is such a concept. It's more of a question to which there is no answer. If you ask the Internet what is the meaning of life, you will be convinced that there is no answer. This is why drunkenness, drug addiction, murder, and suicide flourish. I was in a crowd trying to have fun. I tried using different types of catalysts. I was faced with a choice: “How to end this meaningless performance?” The Church, God's Church, filled my life with high meaning!

Our Russian poet Fyodor Nikolaevich Glinka writes in one of his poems:

God says to his child:

You are my! and what are your enemies?

Let the swords and arrows sharpen.

I myself count their steps

And I measure their limits.

Do not humiliate yourself before fate:

You are my! and legions of guards

They will tear down obstacles from your paths;

Go, don't be afraid: I'm with you!

Touch the waters and the waters become stormy,

Like quiet lambs, they will fall asleep;

And the peoples crowd around you

The thunderstorm will not terrify you.

Walk without fear into the terrible flames,

The fire will not burn you;

Be cheerful in spirit, be a stone in faith,

And above you is My shield everywhere!

Why do you need iron armor?

Weak protection of people?

Since your head is dear to me,

Who dares to touch her?

But know, not with magnificent gifts

You bought the mercy of the Most High;

You did not sacrifice rams to me,

Not the incense from the censers.

And that their bloody sacrifices are to me

And heaven's smoky fat?

I don't like the prayers of the dead;

Gifts from unclean hands are not mine.

You have become in sins before Me,

And I washed away your sins,

And, like a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes,

I have given you grace!...

This poem is also my answer to your question.

You ask: what positive did I get? - I got life! The real one! Eternal!

How can you talk about God's gift to me? The fact is that I address God as Father. “Not only Our Father!” But also “Abba Father!” - i.e. Dear father. Have you encountered such relationships in the hierarchy of earthly authorities? Nonsense in vegetable oil, as my grandfather said, and he knew a lot about nonsense. Health, career, and all material wealth taken together are nonsense. As modern youth sings: “The barge is aground. Therefore, it is unsinkable... We look at cards, secretly dreaming of sailing... On my own mind, my own prophet, like Noah, I’m waiting for the flood”...

And on the contrary: when God fills the soul with Himself, when heaven becomes your home, for “Life has appeared,” then death is not terrible, and persecution brings joy, and deprivation only elevates the spirit! “I am the way and the truth and the life!” - says Jesus Christ. I believed it. And I got LIFE! I saw the WAY to the Father's eternal home. I found the TRUTH, which gave me freedom! “Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him: “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

How can you talk about what “matter” is, as one man of God says: “Woe to him who disputes with his Creator, a shard of earthly shards!” And suddenly this shard, which was in the mountain, became the temple of the Holy Spirit! “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own”? (1 Cor. 6:19) How can you describe this? And I found this in the Church of God. And here I am, “a shard of earthly shards,” talking to God! And He talks to me. He hears me. And He gives me the ability to understand His word to me! There's nothing to even compare it to. In outer space, where we travel into eternity, we are given an accurate map of the world, the Word of God, the Bible, with a route to the Kingdom of God! Our reliable ship is the Church of God! And the fuel supply, the Holy Spirit, and the intercom, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Himself - the Light illuminating the way to the Father’s house.

I like how the holy Apostle John speaks about the value of fellowship in the church: “For life has appeared, and we have seen, and we testify, and we proclaim to you this eternal life, which was with the Father and was revealed to us - what we have seen and heard , we proclaim to you that you too may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And we write this so that your joy may be complete.” (1 John 1:2-4)

I remember the priest was imprisoned. I remember the sad state of abandonment. Ordinary poverty. A house without a man. Mom is with us, eight of them stupid at that time. The older sister was probably thirteen years old. You can describe the tragedy of the situation. But in my memory the Church is the Community. We are not orphans. We are not abandoned. We are not alone. That amazing climate of unity, mutual assistance, and strength shaped the idea of ​​the church in my heart. The Church is a family of loving people!

“It doesn’t happen like that”! - this is the reaction of people living outside the church. During the years of persecution of the church, anti-sectarian publications were constant, starting from Murzilka and ending with serious scientific journals. The articles were intended to debunk religious prejudices. Convincing scientific evidence was presented that there is no God, faith is meaningless, religion is destructive. And in every article a question arose. If everything is so obvious, and science has proven everything irrefutably, why aren’t there fewer sectarians? The authors invariably answered: “Because they are extremely attentive and caring towards each other.”

I worked at a construction site. He was building communism. We had five children at that time. One guy worked with us. Sometimes, having given in, he could quarrel and argue. There were many reasons. Life has always been difficult. “How can you feed five children when I have two children and we are barely making ends meet? My wife works and we don’t have enough money, and yours and the children are at home. It doesn’t happen like that!” What can I say to this? The Lord added five more to the five. Now everyone has grown up. The number of grandchildren has reached the second ten. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is smart. Decoration of the country. Everything is Lord! We are all His! God bless!

The whole country is building communism. And only a small sect, some fanatics, they talk about some kind of life after death, they dream about the resurrection of the dead. But the whole country, having eaten communism to the point of vomit, remained in ridicule. And the sect of fanatics lives joyfully and victoriously, lives in love, serving each other and loving each other. Enjoying fellowship, for it is “fellowship with the Father and His son Jesus Christ.” The reality is that, rising above the deadness of matter, the church, by the power of the Spirit, sees the Kingdom of God, establishes it in the hearts of people and preaches it in the darkness of a godless world. I received the kingdom of God, the kingdom of love and peace, in the Church.

Quite recently, I had to talk with one sister. She is almost ninety years old. I went through the war. I buried my son. I've seen everything in my time. I asked her: “Sister, if now you could, after looking through everything you’ve experienced, remove what is unnecessary, what would you remove?” “Nothing!” The immediate response amazed me. And he made me happy. The grandmother continued: “The Lord gave me everything in my life. I didn't understand everything. I didn’t accept everything. But His will. And His will is good, acceptable and perfect.” Wow! Wow! No match for the moaning Komsomol members: “I wish I could cross out my whole life and start over again...”.

That's how you could answer me. The Lord gave me everything through the Church, through communication and through service. In communication with the brothers I learned the Holy Scriptures. In church I learned to preach God's Word. At the funeral, I learned to live in such a way that death was not a terrible unknown. By helping the elderly, I learned the work of faith and learned the work of love. Helping orphans, I learned the priceless gift of Heaven, in the appearance of the Father of all! In my family, all these lessons helped create an atmosphere of love, God's school and church. I'm still a student. And this is a great honor for me. After all, my Teacher is Jesus Christ! Glory to Him for everything!