Baptism Is Not Enough?

One of the most important moments in my quest for our Lord Jesus was the discovery that baptism was only a part of my salvation. One must also be charismated with the Holy Spirit. This is not very common among most of the Christian denominations I had found but it held tremendous importance.

One of my favorite saints, St. Luke says in Acts 8, verses 14 through 17:

"Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had recieved the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

Who, when they were come down, pray for them, that they might recieve the Holy Spirit.

(For as yet he had fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus)

They laid their hands on them, and they recieved the Holy Spirit."

The Apostles had brought the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans and in doing so did the will of our Lord Jesus, who had appointed them to recieve it. This charismation is another component in the saving grace that is our Lord Christ Jesus. Recieving this holy order is a blessing, and it a moment when you truly become receptive to the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This is reinforced by the epistle of St. Paul to Titus, chapter 3, verses 4 through 7. (With a big emphasis on 3:5).

"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

The washing of rebirth is baptism, the act was washing away your sins and what is popularly referred to as being "born again". The renewal of the Holy Spirit is charismation, the holy order in which the Holy Spirit is beckoned unto you.

I hope that you look at this and pray about these things, and I hope that the Holy Spirit resides within you. May God bless you in all your endeavors and keep you safe. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

In Pursuit Of Jesus Christ

When I began my spiritual journey I did not know where it would lead me, I did not know where I would end up. I had been born a Christian of the Protestant school of thought and was raised under the guidelines of Anti-Catholicism and Sola Scriptura.

Eventually I grew tired of the Protestant understanding of God, Jesus, and Holy Scripture. I began to have doubts and at a young age that changed and I became a Unitarian-Universalist at the age of 13. Under this new ideology I began to develop myself politically and theologically, but I still held to my personal believe in the salvation of souls through Christ Jesus, but I had my doubts in the ways that men preached this belief.

I began to live a hard and immoral life at the age of 17, and eventually I was at odds with my mother and I chose to leave home, becoming an atheistic socialist and a fervent opponent of George W. Bush.

God was nowhere to be found it seemed and I did not fear consequences for my actions, eventually I came to accept my irrational and selfish behavior as the norm.

I was led back to God when I met a Jewish man named Ronen. He nurtured me back to God and I became an Orthodox Jew, and eventually I became more liberal and became a Reform Jew. I met a Jewish woman and we were going to get married.

Things did not work out I'm afraid and that led me back to searching.

One day my friend asked me to go to the Catholic church with him, and for some reason I was compelled to go to confession and ask forgiveness for the sins I had done, and I recieved absolution from a Namibian priest, and it was that experience that led me back to Christ.

But not as a Roman Catholic...

This inspired me to look at the roots of the faith of my ancestors, all of my ancestors were Christians of one hue or another and I was lost in a wilderness of options. But what was true? What did God want me to find?

Orthodoxy...

I have met an Orthodox woman who I believe the Lord led me to, but the interest in His church had come before this moment. I was deeply fascinated by Russian Prime Minister (then President) Vladimir Putin and I learned about his faith and the faith of the Russian people. I found that the faith of the Russians and the faith of the Apostles was separated only by language, and church had it's roots in the days of Christ.

May Christ lead me deeper into this journey and may he bless all those who read these words and seek him. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.