The Orthodox Church is not a denomination,
it is the living body of Christ.
The Word of God is not a book, It is a Person; Jesus the
Christ.
The Prophets of the old and new covenant are those who have seen, heard
and touched the Word of Life (He who was from the beginning, the one whom we have
heard, and have seen with our eyes, have touched with our hands, we declare
to you is
the Word of Life,) I John 1:1
I am Father Michael Valentine (Sweet), I write articles and run a website
under the pseudonym of Monk Michael. I hope that
these articles aid you in your search for truth and salvation. Monk Michael.
We are what you once were.
We believe what you once believed.
We worship as you once worshiped.
If you were right
then, we are right now.
If we are wrong now, you were wrong
then.
A Canonical Orthodox Church of World
Wide Orthodox
Let us, therefore, humble ourselves, brethren, laying aside all pride, and boasting, and foolishness, and anger: And let us do as it is written, be ye merciful and ye shall obtain mercy; forgive and ye shall be forgiven: as ye do so shall it be done unto you: as ye give so shall it be given unto you: as ye judge, so shall ye be judged; as ye are kind to others so shall God be kind to you: with what measure ye mete, with the same so shall it be measured to you again. For it is not an ordinary harm we shall do to ourselves, but rather a very great danger that we shall run, if we shall rashly give up ourselves to the wills of men who promote strife and seditions, to turn us aside from that which is fitting.
St. Clement of Rome
ordained by
St. Peter himself.
The Bible is truly the Word of God.
Do you believe that the above statement is true? If in fact you say that
you believe the statement to be true then why do you not believe this?
and when the Word of God says that the Church is the Body of Christ (Eph 1:22-23; 5:22-33) and the "pillar and support of truth" (1 Tim 3:15), it points to a key principle: the task of authentically interpreting Scripture belongs to the Church. And the Church has a certain structure, based on Christ's own choosing of apostles and granting them authority
Deuteronomy 31
6 Do manfully and be of good heart: fear not, nor be ye dismayed at
their sight: for the Lord thy God he himself is thy leader, and will not
leave thee norforsake thee.
Is that scripture above, from the Old testament true?
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth.
For he shall not speak of himself; but what things soever he shall hear, he
shall speak; and the things that are to come, he shall shew you
Or how about this one?:
Matthew 16:18And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and thegatesofhellshallnotprevailagainst it.
Do you believe the scriptures? Are you Christian, really? Think carefully,
the decision that you make will determine whether the grace of God comes
upon you or is removed slowly according to your falling away. If you believe
scripture than why do you not believe these? You cannot believe what ever
it is that suits you. The church was started by Jesus Christ and was given
authority and Jesus promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.
So, if you are anti-Orthodox Catholic you are anti-Christ and you are a
liar and a thief, neither of which shall ever see heaven, think about it,
the church is the body of Christ, did not the scripture tell us that very
thing in the article right beside this one? Against the church is against
the Christ, no matter how you try to convince yourself otherwise, and Jesus
said, get away from Me for I never knew you. If you do not know His church
you do not know Him and you are fooling yourself, there was no apostasy
for the reformation to have corrected;
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves". "Not every one that saith
to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that
doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven", "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was
founded on a rock". (And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon
this rock I will build my church, and thegatesofhellshallnotprevailagainst it.) There may sure enough have been issues in the church, Jesus warns us about
them here in these passages doesn't he? Leaving the church has never been
an option, if there was then Jesus Christ is a liar and a thief, an imposter,
because He said that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
I want you who hate the church of Christ, to find the scripture in your
Bible that says to leave the church and start your own when these wolves
come in, find it and send it to me, you cannot because it doesn't exist,
after you read this and you still refuse to begin to understand but continue
to chase after your own pride, then may God have mercy on your soul, everyone,
and there are many, who subscribe to this newsletter or read it online
somewhere needs to write to me and tell me that you understand what I am
saying here because I am not saying anything new to you, I am merely quoting
scripture and the vast majority of the readers of this newsletter are Protestant
of one denomnation or another, easily 95% of you, this is your challenge,
prove me wrong and when you can't you had better make a decision to make
the change.
Jesus Christ never ever allowed for anyone to leave His body which is the
church He started and you have already read it in the passages above and
to the right, don't waste your time and mine by arguing against these passages,
you are not arguing with me but with God Almighty, I did not create these
passages I only quote them, quote to me from your Bible the passages that
tell you to leave the true body of Christ or make the change, we can help,
if you do not, there will be a lot to answer for on that last day, God
will not perform some miracle in your life to convince you nor will He
come down to have a chat, He left us His Word and the church to teach us,
if you choose to make up your own understanding then there is nothing else
that can be said to you. If you do not research as I have suggested then
you are showing the Christ, the Savior, the One who died on the cross for
your sins, exactly what you think of Him because you are putting your own
agenda ahead of His.
An apostasy is a falling away from something that was once believed, the
Catholic Church, the Orthodox Catholic Church, did not leave and go anywhere,
there have been wolves in sheep's clothing and errors in judgement when
some allowed these wolves room to speak but the church corrects herself
by the Grace of God with the help of the Holy Spirit as Jesus Christ promised
and if she does not, then, Jesus Christ is a liar and a thief, when you
say that the church was in error for 1,600 years and everyone had to leave
and start their own church in order to tell the truth, then you are calling
my Lord and Savior a liar and a thief for promising that He would never
leave her and that the gates of hell would not prevail against her.
The ones who fell away are the ones who refuse to take part in the worship
of God through the One Holy Catholic Church.
I do not apologize for my statements, my love for your eternal soul will
not allow me to write as a pantywaist, I have tried to always be overly
polite but the truth needs to be told as to what has been handed down for
2,000 years and you will never find it anywhere written in Holy Writ to
leave the body of Christ, ever. That is Apostasy. There will be an even
greater falling away.
Make no mistake:
The Apostasy is coming, an Apostasy is the complete abandonment of faith,
we are witnessing the beginning of the one world religion, this must come.
This is the new age, there will be one world church (except for those who
do not fall), this must come first.
Out of this one world church the anti-Christ will emerge, the anti-Christ
is not a bar code, it is not a secretly handed out number that you will
get unexpectedly and suddenly you are doomed. The anti-Christ is not a
system, the garbage promoters of these ideas are leading you to hell, you
will be looking so hard for B.S. that you will be more than happy to accept
the anti-Christ.
The anti-Christ will be a man and he will claim that he is the Christ,
the messiah, and he will perform miracles, he will possess a dead body
and claim that he has resurrected it, it will only be possession, only
God can create life from nothing, the anti-Christ will perform miracles,
he will make lightning bolts come out of the sky, he will create rain on
command, the demons have power over nature, there is water in the air that
can be made to rain down upon us, the anti-Christ will control that which
is natural and already exists, his power is from the prince of this world,
but he cannot create something out of nothing, demons can hold up a human
in levitation, they will not be seen, only the levitating body, many miracles will be performed by the anti-Christ and a very many people will be deceived
just as they are now and they will willingly take on the mark of the beast,
Christ says 'I will give them a new name written on their forehead and
in the palm', the anti-Christ will imitate this, after his miracles and
his claim of being the messiah, he will give everyone their mark to show
that they belong to him, this will be accepted willingly and with eagerness.
There will be peace throughout the world, the anti-Christ will usher in
a time of world peace but it is the world peace of Satan, the penalty for
breaking the law will be severe, peace will be kept through violence, if
you obey completely and comply with all things including worshipping the
beast (worship will be different than now, at this moment we have the free
will to worship God through Christ or worship the lie, then you will worship
as prescribed or face death), you will have peace, thus the great tribulation
of the church, the true church remaining will not be able to worship the
beast and it's ways, they will of course be criminals for breaking the
law.
At a time known only to God it will all end and the true Christ will come
and make all things new. Do not be deceived by the non-sense that is spreading
throughout the world, do not be mis-led, the scriptures are there to warn
us and so is the church to guide us, you must listen. You cannot hear only
in part, you must hear in full.
REPENT NOW! Confess your sins and repent, be sorrowful for your unbelief and God will
forgive you. Begin to walk in the true light, the Light which lighteth
the world.
Now is the Time! Do not delay, you do not know from one blink of the eye to the next what
is in store.
Heed the scripture, obey the Holy Writ, come into the church and find true salvation, all else is vanity, all else
is self-seeking.
You have read the scriptures above, believe them or die in your sins, this is your choice, do not half step, Jesus Christ said that because you are lukewarm He shall spew you from His mouth. Take Heed.
Monk Michael
May 2009
:My personal Blessing to you!
May God in His infinite love and mercy, rain down upon you compassion so that your heart is filled with the mercy of God within you.
May you in turn bestow this mercy of God that He has bestowed upon you,
upon every person that you meet in this life. May you never forget to smile
from your heart so that your smile may warm the heart of another.
In this mercy may you develop compassion and love for everyone that you
meet so that you may never in your lifetime leave anyone sorry to have
met you, but that all who meet you in this life also meet Jesus Christ
who is Himself the life emanating from your heart to theirs.
Father Michael Valentine (Sweet)
(Monk Michael).
More from Monk Michael;
You ask what in the world makes us think that we know everything, I tell
you that we/I do not know everything. But there is a resource that has
the earliest church writings for you to study.
It's your soul and your eternity, do with it what you like but the excuse
that you just simply did not know will not be accepted on that dreaded
day of judgement. Don't be one who neglects his own communion with the
Father through the blood of Jesus Christ because of the subtle pride that
has you trapped.
Study to show thyself approved, get rid of your pride and just do it. Knock
and the door shall be opened, seek and ye shall find. Ask and it will be
given unto you.
Who said these words? The person that you claim to follow, are you doing as He said? Or does your pride keep you where you are because you are the Pastor, the music director, the assistant Pastor, the youth director, the Deacon, the head of the women's committee?
Here is a resource for your re-course for a better understanding..
I will give you another one here, the seven Oecumenical councils that established
and shaped the church. Agreed on by the whole church before schism and
reformation. These two links; one above and one below will show the true
church to you, it is up to you to believe the truth or to believe a lie.
You'll find that the scriptures that you claim to follow will be found
here in these two links, in living color.
Some personal thoughts from the heart of Monk Michael.
Am I then become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Galatians 4:16
The Eucharist or Holy Communion!
Jesus the Christ is alive and well and living in the heart of all true
believers. Does this include you? I certainly hope so. This month we still
continue to celebrate the risen Christ during this season, Pascha or Easter
is not simply one day, it is a season and we are now looking forward to
the day of Ascension and then Pentecost,
Many people have joined the church during the Pascha/Easter celebration
and have been Baptized and Chrismated and are now ready to participate
in the Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion. There are many denominations that
barely recognize the Eucharist meal which is very odd because the whole
faith is based on this communion of saints. WHAT? What's that you say?
The faith is based on believing on the risen Christ, well, you got me there.
So, what could possibly be the issue? In my simple mind I think that to
believe on the risen Christ also means to hear His commands.
Matthew 7:24 Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and
doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a
rock,26 And every one that heareth these my words, and doth
them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the
sand,
So what does this have to do with the Eucharist?
John 6:54 Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, anddrink his
blood, you shall not have life in you.55 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh myblood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day56 For my flesh is meat indeed: andmyblood is drink indeed.57 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh myblood, abideth in me, and I in him.
So these words of Christ are the issue, if there is no Eucharist there
is no Christ in you. He said it not me. But what else does He say? Is it
just a matter of drinking wine and eating bread? 1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the bodyand of the blood of the Lord.What does it mean to eat or drink unworthily? 28 But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. 30Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep.
. 27 "Guilty of the body"... not discerning the body. This demonstrates the
real presence of the body and blood of Christ, even to the unworthy communicant;
who otherwise could not be guilty of the body and blood of Christ, or justly
condemned for not discerning the Lord's body.
So, here is scripture that many just love to ignore isn't it? Look at it,
without Communion Christ is not in you, you just read that. But Communion
done in an unworthy manner is worse, you are bringing guilt upon you. You
Pastors who indulge in this are leading your flock down a path they should
not be on and you are responsible. YOU!
Let's look a little bit deeper at the subject; 31 But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32
But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned
with this world. 33 Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to
eat, wait for one another. 34 If any man be hungry, let him eat at home;
that you come not together unto judgment. And the rest I will set in order, when
I come.
And one more, let's go back to St. John chapter 6 and now verse 67;
John 6:67 After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him. After what? Why did they walk no more with Him? He was talking about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He made
reference that it was a real thing, many left because they understood it
as a real thing, Jesus then explains to His disciples that remained that
it is a matter of the Spirit, this is a supernatural experience to simplify
it for the sake of this newsletter, in every liturgy the Holy Spirit is
invoked to come upon the bread and wine and through a supernatural experience
it becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ and without it there is no
life in you. Read the words again.
You need to go and read the whole chapter 6 and every piece of scripture
related to it and then the teaching of the church through the Patristic
Fathers who carried this on from the Apostles.
So we see that without the body and blood there is no life and partaking
of the body and blood unworthily is death. So how do we eat and drink worthily?
This is the question is it not?
You must without question understand completely what the scripture says
and what the church has taught from the beginning regarding the real presence
of the body and blood in the meal, this is crucial.
Look back at verses 31 and 32, we must judge ourselves first before we
can participate, there must be confession and chastisement so that we do
not become chastised with the chastisement of the world in that last day.
Read it, read it, read it and then fast, meditate and pray about it. Do
not take this lightly.
It is for these reasons that there can be no ecumenical communion, this
is serious business. It is not for the sake of high mindedness or for the
sake of belonging to some exclusive club or for discrimination purposes,
any Priest who takes his role and the scriptures seriously cannot allow
this to happen, he is allowing someone to bring death and destruction upon
themselves for the sake of political correctness, not only will the person
participating bring this upon himself as the scriptures say, but the Priest,
validly ordained in the line of the Apostles will himself be held accountable
for that persons death.
So think what you want, I have given you the scripture to obey, it is your
life, live it as you want but I cannot warn you strongly enough, pay attention,
I have had it said to me by a brother that when the Lord puts His thumb
on the brother's heart then he will listen but not until the Lord speaks
to him. This is a bad statement to make, when the scripture has been placed
in front of your face with corresponding scripture as well as Patristic
writings from the early church, if you think that the Lord is not speaking
to you, then you will never hear.
Acts 8:30 And Philip running thither, heard him reading the prophet Isaias. And he
said: Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest?31 Who said: And how can I, unless some man shew me? And he desired Philip
that he would come up and sit with him.
One more thing, sayings of the early church fathers concerning the Eucharist;
When we receive the Eucharist we establish a mystical but very real connection
with Jesus, and since Jesus is divine, with God himself. The Eucharist
is thus a path to theosis or union with God.
Ignatius of Antioch (d. between
110-117)
Each one individually and all of you together are united
in one and the same faith in Jesus Christ, Son of Man and Son of God, in
obedience to the bishop and the priests, in harmony, breaking one loaf of bread
which is the medicine of immortality, an antidote to death that gives eternal
life in Jesus Christ.
Irenaeus of Lyons
(130-208)
As far as we are
concerned, our thinking accords with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in its
turn confirms our thinking. We offer to God what is his own, as we proclaim the
communion and union of flesh and Spirit. For in the same way that earthly bread,
after having received the invocation of God, is no longer ordinary bread but
Eucharist, made up of two components, one earthly the other heavenly, so our
bodies that share in the Eucharist are no longer corruptible, because they have
the hope of the resurrection.
Ephraim of
Syria (306-373)
Fire and the Spirit are in our baptism. In the
bread and the cup also are fire and the Spirit.
Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
We pray God
to send the Holy Spirit on the gifts laid here, to make the bread the body of
Christ and the wine the blood of Christ. For the Holy Spirit sanctifies and
transforms all that he touches.
Gregory
of Nyssa (330-395)
What then is this remedy? Nothing other than
that glorious body which showed itself stronger than death and has become the
source of life for us. Just as a little leaven, according to the Apostle's
words, is mixed with all the dough, so the body that was raised by God to
immortality, once it is introduced into our body, wholly changes it and
transforms it into his own substance...
The Word of God...once it became
incarnate...provided his body with the means of subsistence in the usual
suitable ways: he maintained its substance with the help of...bread. Even in
normal conditions, when one sees bread, one sees in a sense the human body,
since bread absorbed by the body becomes the body itself. So here, the body in
which God had become incarnate, since it was fed on bread, was in a sense
identical with the bread--the food transforming itself, as we have said, to take
on the nature of the body. It was recognized, in fact, that this glorious flesh
possessed the property common to all human beings: like them it was maintained
with the help of bread. But this body partook of the divine dignity because of
the indwelling of the Word. We are therefore entitled to believe that the bread
hallowed by the Word of God is transformed to become the body of the
Word...
As the bread transformed into that body was thereby raised to
divine power, a similar change happens to the bread of the Eucharist. In the
former case the grace of the Word hallowed the body that drew its substance from
bread, and in a sense was itself bread. Likewise in the Eucharist the bread is
hallowed by the Word of God and prayer...It is transformed at once into his
body...as expressed in these words: "This is my body"...
That is why, in
the economy of grace, he gives himself as seed to all the faithful. His flesh
composed of bread and wine is blended with their bodies to enable human beings,
thanks to their union with his immortal body, to share in the condition of
incorruptibility.
Ambrose
(334-397)
You hear it said that every time the sacrifice is offered, the Lord's death,
resurrection and ascension are represented, the forgiveness of sins is
offered, and yet do you not receive this bread of life every day? Anyone
who is wounded looks for healing. For us it is a wound to be liable to
sin. Our healing lies in the adorable heavenly sacrament...
If
you receive it every day, every day becomes for you Today.
If Christ is
yours today, he rises for you today. Today has come.
John Chrysostom (344-407)
On high, the
armies of the angels are giving praise. Here below, in the Church, the human
choir takes up after them the same doxology. Above us, angels of fire make the
thrice-holy hymn resound magnificently. Here below is raised the echo of their
hymn. The festival of heaven's citizens is united with that of the inhabitants
of earth in a single thanksgiving, a single upsurge of happiness, a single
chorus of joy.
Just as the head and the body constitute a single human
being, so Christ and the Church constitute a single whole...This union is
effected through the food that he has given us in his desire to show the love he
has for us. For this reason he united himself intimately with us, he blended his
body with ours like leaven, so that we should become one single entity, as the
body is joined to the head.
Do you wish to honor the body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside you are leaving it numb with cold and naked. He who said, "This is my body", and made it so by his word, is the same that said, "You saw me hungry and you gave me no food. As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me." Honor him then by sharing your property with the poor. For what God needs is not golden chalices but golden souls.
Matthew 11:15 He that hath earstohear, let him hear.
St. John 14: 6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. 7 If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also:
and from henceforth you shall know him, and you have seen him. 8 Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father,
and it is enough for us. 9 Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, shew us the Father?10 Do you not believe, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The
words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself. But the Father who abideth
in me, he doth the works.
This is the teaching of the church, you must believe this in order to be
a Christian, I don't know how much plainer Jesus Christ can say it, I hope
that this will help you in your understanding, there is much work to be
done while we are yet still here and we as Christians need to be doing
it together as one mind.
May the Lord Bless you and keep you, may the Lord make His face to shine
upon you and be gracious unto you, may the Lord make His face to look upon
you and bring you peace: today, tomorrow and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
A Monk's Wisdom!
