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Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!
Today we have heard the Gospel from Matthew (VIII:5-13), how God became glad after the words of centurion. Centurion was a commander, who had hundred soldiers, and ruled them. And he had a servant, who became ill. He was the centurion in Roman army. Romans enslaved Israelites. Romans were for Israelites like occupants, like enslavers, because they didn't believe in One God. They had a lot of gods - evil and bad. And here one of those pagans came to Jesus. And Jesus was sitting among the people, talked, sermonized and listened. And maybe the Israelites had some doubts in something. This centurion didn't notice anybody and he came just right to Jesus and asked Him, like the Teacher, like the Healer to come and to heal his servant. Jesus answered: “I will come and heal him.” “Lord, - the centurion answered, - I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. He understood that Jesus would be blamed for it. He also saw that Jesus didn't care whether people would blame Him or not; above all He cared how to help people and all other things were afterwards. So, first of all, the Savior helped and no matter whether the person was heathen or not. And He said: "Ok, let's go to your place." And that answered: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof." But here centurion helped Jesus through his strong faith. "but - he said, - only say the word, and my servant will be healed". That meant the centurion believed that Jesus had such power - to command His Angels. And Angels would go immediately and heal. It has to be only said by Jesus for the servant to become healthy. Centurion gave an example: "For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." So the man said to Jesus that everything which He would say to Angels they would do.
And it is clear that there was the reason and Jesus became happy. He was glad so much that even said: ""Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith." He had come from nowhere, nobody knew where he had studied, nobody knew whether he believed in God, but his faith was stronger than that of others, who visited synagogue, heard a lot, knew a lot. Jesus was very glad. And He said: "I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven"(Мatthew,VIII:11). A lot of people will come. We are those, whom Jesus was talking about, that would come from the East, West. For them we are from the West, for Americans we are from the East. For the Israelites, for the Jerusalem we are from the West, who will recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven by our doings, by our serving, by our faith. Because we believe and are trying to believe that Jesus can do everything, if go to this truly, ask truly, wish truly.
We also want to believe that Jesus can heal our Ukraine. But for that He must serve through us, like through that centurion, for other people to see: we are sure in it, we believe in it, we really keep it in our hearts and persuade everyone because we believe that He is with us, that He will never leave us. He will lead us, like a God's Hand, which comes from the heavens to pull out Ukraine from that hell, in which it falls and where the big part of the world is now.
We take simple moral from it: we must believe. We must believe and know, because we really feel God every day. We get to know Him in our lives. One Saint says: "What is the faith in comparison with God's knowledge?" The people, who have got to know God are much higher that the people, who just believe. Because, who have got to know Him will not lose his faith, will not betray. And who is only believes, can lose faith and betray God in difficult moment. We get to know God when we feel His warmth, grace and it heals us. We are so tired after the week of hard work and we come here, our souls are healed. We become happy again, despite of the fact that we see our enemies and how they hate us. We could return to that feeling of fear and offence that could tear us and our souls. No, we come here and our souls are healed. We get to know God in the revelations, in the feeling of Angels? presence. We get to know God in the prophecies. In all prophecies we get to know God. And the fact that we serve for you - is the presence of God for you to feel, see and follow. We believe and we build and it is a very blessed thing, which we are doing together. It is like a rocket. It needs a lot of power to lift off. But when it is flying, it wastes not so much power and flies quickly. And everyone watches this rocket and wants to be a participant of its glory and it flies somewhere very high.
In the same way the God's service on this Earth happens though us; at first it is difficult and different brakes turn on that not to allow the racket to lift off. But when it lifts off, it will be difficult to join the God's glory, it will leave for them only to watch. And we must help it to lift off, to practice our prayers, our strength, our prayer streams, which are connecting with God; God hears it from us and from Ukraine. And the prayers are flying like the clean golden threads to God, laying with good grace on our capital, which is ruined by Ukrainian people with different pollution; the prayer is also laying on Ukraine, on the Transcarpathian region, for which we are also praying, because there are our brothers and sisters, who have to be activated by prayer and doings.
You have to move together with happiness, like the God's particle. And to be glad, to be happy, if there will be the moments of persecution and attacks again, because the great reward is waiting for us on havens.
You have to realize that we are building His Kingdom, for the sake of which Lord came on this Earth 2000 years ago. Of course there are some extremes, some devil souls, who enter the religions. They become extremists. They are not able to love. They always hate. They hate that one, because he is of another faith, or religion, but it does not excuse their hated. They can't hide their hatred, they have to express it. The same as they hated Jesus Christ, who was an Israelite too. He said them that they are not the God's children, but they are the children of Devil, as they hated Him. "Who is going to kill You? We are not" - they lied, and at the same moment take the stones to kill (John, 37-59). Do you understand?
It is clear that the evil is everywhere, in all religions. It is everywhere, but there are also the God's souls, who want spiritual revival. The revival of the knowledge, which God brought on the Earth during all His presence on the Earth.
God has always been leading and He will lead, till the chaos will be finished, till the beginning of the harmony, till the building of God's Kingdom, which people do not understand. They think it is food or drink. But as Jesus said: It is not food or drink, it is happiness, calmness, one thought, when we have one thought to build God's Kingdom. We feel big grace there and we know that it will be even bigger. Not only we will pray and glorify God there, but a lot of people will come there. We are very happy, when we do something and believe in it, because we have one spirit than, the spirit of perfection, that is the Holy Spirit. We are united and called God's sons and daughters.
As it is written in the Apostle (Romans, VI:18), that "having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness", that is those, who were the slaves of sin, became the slaves of truth. I would correct Apostle Paul a little bit and would say, that they were the slaves of sin and become God's children, God's daughters, daughters of Truth, sons of Truth. What do you like more? To be slaves or sons and daughters of God, His children. What do you like more, to be slaves?
No, to be God's children.
And we must strive for it. And in our servings the word "slave" should be changed. We pray for not a God 's slave rest in peace, but a God's faithful. We will change this word if we are God's children. It is clear that it is the mentality of salves, they do not know what to do, and they need commands from the others. People, who know consciously how to follow God in the heart, comprehend themselves, that they are God's children and God loves them and takes care about them with His Angels. And if you really think like that, really feel that you are His children, that He loves you, that he is not a myth; He exists. You will feel God's presence, God's grace in your hearts. Irritation- devil will leave your hearts. It will be uncomfortable for him. And the God's grace will be in you to help you to redeem and to be the example for all others to convince them where the right road is. You do not need to say or know a lot, you just have to follow this truth with your good doings and your life.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
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Apostle (Romans 4:18-23):
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18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the
father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring
be."
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body,
which was as good as dead ( since he was about a hundred years old), or when
he considered the barrenness of Sarah?s womb.
20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God,
but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had
promised.
22 That is why his faith was "counted to him as
righteousness."
23 But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for
his sake alone,
Gospel (Matthew 8:5-13):
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5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him,
appealing to him,
6 "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering
terribly."
7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8 But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have
you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be
healed.
9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes,
and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who
followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such
faith.
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline
at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer
darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
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