Do your members speak in tongues?Yes many
do. Not all of our church members have spoken in tongues as yet. We believe
that tongues are alive today and useful for the body of Christ. We do not
make speaking in tongues a test for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. NJB
1
Cor. 12:4-7 "There are many different gifts,
but it is always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving,
but it is always the same Lord. There are many different forms of activity,
but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all. The particular
manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general
good." 1 Cor 13:1 "Though
I command languages both human and angelic- if I speak without love, I
am no more than a gong booming or a cymbal clashing." We
view the test for the baptism of the Spirit as what was given by our saviour
in Matt. 7:15-20
"Beware of false prophets who come to you
disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able
to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs
from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a
roten tree bad fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut
down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by
their fruits."And
the Apostle Paul tells us what to look for in the fruit of the Spirit in
Gal;
5;22,23 "On
the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control; no law can touch such
things as these." So when members use
different gifts we look to see if the fruit of the Spirit is evident in
their lives and if not we question the validity of the gifts they claim
to have.
Do your members use the gift of prophecy?Yes
some of our members have the gift of prophecy. And as in the question about
tongues we test to see if the fruit of the Spirit is in their lives. We
also ask that prophecies be specific, and they are recorded so as to test
the Spirit. And we counsel any who give prophecies that are wrong or do
not seem to be from God. But we thank our Lord for all true gifts of the
Spirit.
What is Orthodox? The word is derived from
2 shorter Greek words. The first, "Orthe," means "correct". The second,
"doxa" means both "belief" and "praise or worship". The term began to be
used by the early Christians as early as 311AD along with the term catholic
which means "universal". Thus all are part of the one Holy catholic and
apostolic Church. In faith and doctrine Orthodox are more aligned with
Evangelical Christians and in style of service with the Roman Catholic
and Anglican traditions. In the COC we have attempted to blend the 3 streams
into what is called the Convergence Movement. In faith we are Orthodox,
and in style we are Charismatic and Liturgical. And in practice we are
Evangelical.
What must I do to be saved? We believe in Christ's
own words. John 3:3 (NJB) "In all truth I tell you.,
no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
(KVJ) says "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." So we hold
to the position that a person must make a decision for Christ and be born
again. Apostle Paul explains in Romans 10:9 -13 " That if you declare with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe with your heart that
God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved....Scripture.... makes
no distinction between Jew and Greek: the same Lord is lord of all, and
generosity is ofered to all who appeal to him, for all who call on the
name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus tells us in Matt. 10:22 "Anyone
who stands firm to the end will be saved." So we teach that after
recieving Christ we are remain firm until the end.
What is the vision of your church? Proverbs
29:18 "Where there is no vision the people perish." We therefore believe
that any church that has no vision for it's people and church will perish.
We have two main goals.
1) To lead more people to faith in Christ and make a decision to serve
Him than any other communion on earth.
2) To help rediscover the destiny and purpose that God has for each of
our lives. We believe that God has a purpose for His "church" and we believe
that His people must rediscover their purpose in order to accomplish His.
And finally it is our firm belief that we must prepare the body of Christ
for His soon return for the church, to Prepare the Way of the Lord!
Do you ordain or recieve everybody that applies?
No
we do not.
Do I have to speak in tongues to
be a member? No you do not. Many of our members do. And we have a biblical
understanding of the role of tongues in the church. We believe that tongues
is one of many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but that Love is the greatest
gift of all. We gladly pray with all that ask for Gods help in using all
the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Are you a internet church only? No
we are not. We are a duly incorporated denomination in the State of Florida
and registered with the IRS and have all appropriate forms and documents
for tax purposes.We have actual parishes in several states. Our bishops
travel around the USA and overseas ministering to the needs of the faithful
and those seeking to know Jesus. We are looking to expand constantly
so we do all that our Lord provides for us to share our communion with
others. We are growing and accepting new ministers and members of the clergy.
Do you use a eastern or western rite for communion?
The COC uses an adapted and shortened form of the St John Chrysostom that
does not include most of the additions of the last 1000 plus years,
and requires that most of her new priests follow with its usage.
What form of baptism do you use? We follow
the example of Christ and believe in full immersion in water. This is the
practice laid out in the Didache, first running water, still water, pouring
of water over the head and finally sprinkling. It is our practice that
if at all possible that total immersion in water be done. However we understand
that circumstances may occur which prevent that. We would not want anyone
to have to wait an extended period of time for baptism. We also follow
that all be baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The
form of baptism is the full expresion used by the One Holy Church since
its earliest days which includes confession and repentence plus the rites
of exorcism.
Do you believe in fasting? But of course we
do. Matt 17:21 "This kind does not go out except
by prayer and fasting." Thus showing the need
for prayer and fasting in our war against the evil powers of the world.
"In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting
they commended them to the Lord in whom they had to believe." Thus decisions
of the church need prayer and fasting. Also the church acknowledges feast
and fast days for the rememberance of special events in church history.
Why is the Nicene Creed so important to you?
Simply because it should be to each Christian. For in early church history
there were many heresies and false teachings circulating. And at about
the same time the church was gathering together the books that would make
up the New Testament of Christ they saw the need for a Creed that would
identify the faithful from the heretics. As most churches were in need
of copies of New Testament writings, the development of the Nicene Creed
in 325AD allowed each Christian to memorize the creed and thus be able
to determine if the message of the minister was in agreement with Scripture
and the "church". A denomination must affirm the Nicene Creed to be considered
a brother communion in Christ.
How often do you have communion? We believe
that each parish should serve communion at least at each Sunday service.
If a church is large enough or so able to have the church open daily and
has daily prayers with the members, then we also ask that they make the
Eucharist available also. It is not our practice that our members partake
annually. For in the book of Acts it states that they were of the custom
of meeting together daily and breaking bread. If the presence of Christ
is real during communion, and if members fall sick when taking it unworthily,
then there are powers in the Eucharist, and each member should partake
of the healing powers of the body and blood of Christ on a regular and
often basis.
Who can receive the Eucharist in your service?
We hold that any christian that affirms the Nicene Creed and has been baptised
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and is in right standing
with God may recieve the Eucharist in our parishes.
What is your view of Ecumenicalism?
We are inclusive and thus have a favorable view of fellowship with Christians
of other faiths. They must of course affirm the Nicene Creed. We do not
participate in religious services with members of other religions outside
of Christianity, for any reason and reject those that do so. For example
we would not attend joint prayer services with those outside christianity,
nor would we pray with groups such as the Jehovahs Witnesses, Mormons,
Church Scientist, Jesus Only movements ie...UPC or other forms of 'christianity'
that no longer hold to the Creed, deny the trinity, or allow new age theology,
homosexuality, etc to be common in their churchs.
What is the COC view of the tithe? We hold that
all clergy and deacons must tithe to the local church. We hold that each
parish should tithe and that a part of that tithe go to the COC. We believe
in the blessings associated with the tithe promised by God. And also the
command that we bring a 10th into the storehouse of God. We also ask that
each person that becomes a member faithfully tithe.
What is your position towards women
serving as priests or deacons? We do not believe that women are to
be ordained as priests or bishops in the church. We do not suggest that
women are less in stature than men. In fact the Bible says the angels in
heaven watch the faithfullness in heaven and are reminded of their position.
We do however recognize that Women served as prophets and deacons in the
Bible, and that God has called each of us regardless of sex to serve Him.
We recognize that many women are called by God for ministry within the
Church. So it is our practice that women are recognized as deacons within
the COC.
Do you ordain homosexuals or marry them in
the church? No!
What is your view of infallibility of the
pope or any leader, even the leader or leaders of your church? We
stand firmly against the idea. In fact we have placed a statement
that any priest or bishop that advances the idea in the COC is to be excommunicated.But
let this in no way infer that we deny the honored position of the Bishop
of Rome or any of the traditional orthodox patriarchs.
Do your bishops visit the priests in
their area? Yes, as often as is possible.
Was the virgin Mary without original sin? We
hold to the Orthodox view that only Christ and Adam and Eve were without
original sin.
What is your view of the reverence of saints? The
COC holds that all Christians are part of the body of Christ whether living
or dead. That much can be learned from the lives of those whose devotion
has caused them to be remembered as saints. We hold that salvation is available
only through Christ.
Do you have parishes in other
countries? Yes
Will you have different names for the COC in other countries or
Autocephalous churches in other countries.
i.e....
broken down into different nationalities or ethnic groups?No! We are
the one church "COC" We feel that some have made a mistake by breaking
the church into fragments along ethnic and racial lines. Our goal is to
include all groups into the body of Christ. We at Holy Cross are a multi-racial
church and encourage all to follow suit.
What is your view towards healing? We believe
that we are commanded to pray for healing of our brothers and sisters.
We practice prayer for healing in our servics. James 5:13-16 "Any one of
you who is in trouble should pray; anyone in good spirits should sing a
psalm. Any one of you whoi is ill should send for the elders of the church,
and they must anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord and
pray over him. The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord
will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured;
the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully.
Do you believe that the bible is the inspired
word of God and without error? Yes
Can your priests marry? Yes and no.
We do allow married men to serve as ministers. We also allow those who
have taken a vow of celibacy to serve. The church does not forbid the remarrriage
of a pastor who is widowed while serving as a clergyman. However many priests
have joined certain orders that forbid them to remarry if they are widowed.
We ask that all members uphold their vows.
Are you a legally incorporated church?
Yes,
in the state of Florida, and Indiana and we are recognized by the IRS with
the 501c3 non-profit religious status.
Do you use leavened or unleavened bread for Communion?
We
presently allow each parish to decide if they will use leavened or unleavened
bread for the Eucharist. We do not hold for 2 types of bread for different
members or those desiring to participate in the Eucharist. There are not
2 classes of Christians, so there should not be 2 types of bread for different
individuals. This is not a reference to leavened or unleavened bread, but
rather the practice of consecrated bread and non-consecrated bread being
served in the Eucharist. One body, one bread.
Do you ordain ministers to non pastoral positions?
Yes we do. We ordain many to specific ministries that do not involve pastoring.
Do you require one version or translation
of the bible in your services? At the present time we do not. We would
encourage each parish to determine a particular version and if purchasing
pew bibles or giving gifts of Scripture after baptism that they use this
as a way to encourage the members to use the same version for services.
We only recommend that private devotion be used in conjunction with a bible
translated from the Septuagint.
Which canon of Scripture do you use? We hold
to the original canon of Scripture used by both the Orthodox and Roman
Catholic Church. The early church without doubt used the canon that includes
what some protestants call deuterocanoninical books, we follow example
of the early church and include all the books in canon..
Do you have a altar call or moment of decision
in your services? In many services we do. We are a evangelical
church, and see nothing that is against canon law by doing so. We also
feel that it is important that those that attend our churches feel that
a committment to Christ is a needed step for salvation. We feel that a
public declaration of faith is in fact, in keeping with the early church,
"if you confess that Jesus is Lord with your mouth"
How much does it cost to become a priest
in the COC? There is no fee for becoming a COC priest. There
are of course expenses for different aspects of the process but these are
minimal and can be found on our ordination page.
Do you have icons in your churches? In many
of our churches yes, but we in no way worship them but are reminded of
the revelation of the divine nature in their usage.
Do you have statues in your churches? Not
generally speaking. Statues are more of a Roman tradition, but this is
really a non issue for most of our members.
What is your view of relics? Relics are a reminder
of the faith. They often times bring us closer to the experience of Christ.
The history of the church is remembered in the relics. We do not have different
classes of relics though. As the early christians suffered in the catacombs
at the hands of Rome, they worshiped the Eucharist on top of the Sarcophagus(stone
coffins). Also as early as 151AD, the relics of St Polycarp were remembered
as relics. His relics were said to be "more valuable than precious stones
and finer than refined gold." In the Bible the relics (bones) of Elisha
and Elijah both worked miracles of healing. And in the New Testament
the handkerchief of Apostle St Paul which had been in touch with his personal
body (Acts 19:12) was used for healing. Relics are a real and vibrant part
of the church.
What is the COC position on divorce? The church
takes a stand against divorce. We hold that there are only 2 Scriptural
reasons for divorce. Adultry and abandonment by a non-believing spouse.
We also do not require any wife to stay in the home of a spouse that is
physically abusing her. We would pray that with counseling and Gods help
that the marriage could be saved, but we desire no sister to be abused.
Do you require Christians from other faiths
to be rebaptized when coming into the COC? If they were not baptised
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and by a sound doctrinal
church we ask that they do. Others are recieved by chrismation.
What is your opinion of the
Catholic Charismatic Renewal? We are all for it. Despite the problems
with the Roman church, she still holds a sacred place in church history
and the Pope of Rome is still one of the original patriarchs of the Holy
Church and He is recognized by the COC as the first among equals in reference
to bishops.
Does your church believe in the rapture?Yes
we believe in a literal and physical return of Christ for his church. The
church however does not allow the teaching of a pretribulation rapture
in her churches. The COC rejects this western and modern theological error
that teaches that we do not have to suffer because we are special and Jesus
will deliver us from suffering at the end times. This flies in the face
of historical teaching and the suffering and persecution that millions
of christians have faced for their faith. And we are reminded by Luke 18:8
and Matthew 24:12 of the great falling away of the faithful as the Anti-Christ
comes on the scene, which would leave it very difficult for the faithful
to fall away if they are no longer on earth.
Do the women in your church wear makeup or jewelry?
If
they like. Of course all sisters are to remember they are to be modest
in dress.
Why do you use so many non-Orthodox
terms in your website? We also use a great many Orthodox terms in our
website. We wish to write things that all can understand, and many are
only begining on the road to Orthodoxy and we do not want to confuse them
or drive them away with things they don't yet understand, but given a good
explanation they would agree with. Why stumble a brother for no really
good reason?
What types of music do your services use?
We
use all forms of music. Traditional chants and hymns. And uplifting charismatic
songs of praise and worship, just as King David did when bringing the Ark
of the Covenant to Jerusalem. We use the song to praise and worship the
majesty of God, and each region is allowed to praise God in keeping with
local customs.
Why do you cross yourselves? We cross
ourselves for different reasons. Also we cross ourselves in different fashions.
We cross ourselves first of all as sign and symbol of Chrisianity. We do
so at different times during church and also when we pray to remind us
of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to agree with what was said plus
to remember the sacrifice of our Lord.
Do your ministers wear a collar or vestments? Yes
and no. Most of our ministers wear a clerical collar during the church
service and many also wear one during their daily ministerial duties.
What is the importance of Apostolic
Succession? The importance of Apostolic Succession has been debated
for years within the church at large. It is associated with a succession
of bishops. These bishops are regarded as having succeeded the Apostles
because *1) They preform the functions of the Apostles 2) Their commission
goes back to the Apostles 3) They succeed one another in the same fashion
and in some circles it is thought that they also transmit the Holy Spirit
who empowers them for their work. This theology is amongst the oldest in
Christian thought and goes back to the 1st century with St Clement of Rome.
Do you teach the presence of Christ
during communion? Yes we do. John 6:56 states NJB "Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person." See reference
to the Epiklesis. But we hold to the eastern explanation of a 'great mystery'
and give no explanation as to how it occurs other than by the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Do your members have to go to Confession? Confession
in the Orthodox church is not the same as that in the Roman Church. Most
of us are familiar with the passage in James 5:16 "...confess your sins
one to another..." Members are not required to go to a formal confession
in order to recieve communion. And in Orthodox practice it is done on a
one-to-one/ face to face basis and not in a hidden compartment. Many protestants
would look at this more as counseling than confession. However the difference
is there. As a priest you speak for God, thus are able to give Godly, Scriptural
guidance to the persons life. And you can give some correction as needed.
Even suggesting a course of action and prayer that can lead one closer
to Christ. The question should not be one of do I have to go to confession.
But rather, why do I not want to seek out my pastor for spiritual advice,
guidance and cleansing?
Can a priest forgive or retain sins? This
question follows the one before. And the term absolution should
be introduced in order to give a broader understanding. Confession is one
of the seven sacrements of the church. In Greek terms it is called Metanoia.
This means a change in mind and will, in protestant terms, repentance.
St John the Baptist helped to prepare the way of the Lord by preaching
a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. In Jesus own words
in St John 20:23 he stated :"recieve the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins
of any they are retained." In the early church
this was done in public. Acts 19:18 "many of those who believed came confessing
and divulging their deeds and practices."
Back to the question, does a priest or bishop have
the right to retain sins. It is the opinion of the Patriarch of the COC
that only a bishop has that right. And the final conclusion of the matter
to come before the end of the year. The right to retain ones sins was given
to the apostles, and thusly to the succeeding bishops. It is a matter of
the utmost seriousness to retain the sins of a penitient. Jesus admonished
us to "forgive not 7 times but 77 times".
And that we should judge not lest we be judged. Therefore no priest should
retain a pentitents sins. And a bishop must be aware that as he retains
and judges so will he be judged. Let us all operate out of love and not
judgement for God is preparing a judgement for us all. And one of the reasons
that many of you today do not recieve your healings and blessings from
God is because of your lack of forgiveness and your bitterness. Get the
speck out of your eye first.
Are your pastors called Father? Yes many are.
And many are not. It is not a requirement either way. There is ample evidence
that the practice of calling priests father, goes back to the early days
of the church, remembering that Abraham was our father as was St Paul called
their father in the faith.
What is a cult? This is a excellent question.
And one that sorely needs to be addressed. There are many forms of this
question. Of course we have false religion. Those religions that
do not even acknowlege the name of Jesus Christ. But we are mainly focusing
on those that claim some form of Christianity here. Some of the signs are.
1) They deny the trinity. 2) They rewrite Scripture for their own group.
3) They teach that works are more important than faith, or do not even
teach faith at all. 4) They require you to leave your family, break ties
with family almost totally or totally. 5) They require you to give all
your money and possesions to the organization. They exceed Gods provision
of the tithe (10%) and of offerings for a large portion of your income.
6) They use a large amount of control, they even begin to tell you what
jobs that you can and cannot have for other than scriptural reasons, simply
because they think that you should do as they say. They may even tell you
who you can and cannot marry or interfer with between a husband and wife.
7) The leaders words are equal with God, or are from God and that they
cannot be without error and thusly must be obeyed. Or the words of the
leader or his 'ministers or priests' 8) They have a distorted view of Jesus
and who he was and is. 9) They have a special revelation that nobody else
in the body of Christ has. And that everybody must sign off on this revelation
to be members. 10) They claim that theirs is the only true expression of
the Gods church on earth. That everybody else is missing the boat
and not hearing from God. 11) They use prophecy to control the members,
don't forget that control is one of the biggest warning signs that a group
is becoming cultic. This list is not exhaustive, and one or
2 items does not a cult make, but they should require you to look further
into what they are really all about.
What is the epiklesis? The epiklesis
is a short prayer during the Eucharist by which the priest invokes the
Father to send down His Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine to change them
into the body and blood of Christ. This is most often missing in the Anglican/
Episcopal rites practiced today and even to some extent it is missing in
the Roman rites. It is the belief of the COC that this is in error. That
the epiklesis must be evident for a valid Eucharist to be celebrated and
thusly it is incorportated into the our liturgy, as it was when the liturgy
was written in the early church with references to the epiklesis as early
as the year 215AD by St Hippolytus. Epiklesis means to change, if you will.
No change, then we don't have the body and blood present.
Why do orthodox use the term mystery to speak
of things relating to God? Heresy. Pride. Puffed up self and self knowledge.
Lack of Spiritual and Mystical. How can a finite and limited man
dare to think that he can explain a infinate God. Job 11:7-9 "who can fathom
the mysteries of God?". The church today has gotten so far from the
mystial side of God, by trying to place God in a box. By trying to explain
everything, we have done away with a God who can part seas, raise the dead,
heal the sick, create a world, or bring judgement on a people. We find
ourselves slipping into theological positions that cannot be fully defended
because we have used mans knowledge and wisdom to explain a Almighty and
Soveriegn Father. In fact it was the first sin in history, Satan used unknown
knowlege and the ability to be like God as the means to lure Eve
and get her to sin against God in the Garden.
What is your view towards Israel? This question
is puzzling. Are we not all grafted into the promise of God to Abraham
by our faith in Christ. Are not all therefore part of the vine. We find
it troubling to hear ministers speak poorly of Israel and the Jews. It
is the view of the COC that God still loves His people Israel, that He
has not forgotten them and that we should not either. The New Testament
leads the way with the offering taken for the bretheren in Jerusalem to
help them during their troubles. Many of our christian customs come from
Israel. The name priest is a prime example. Our liturgies express how Christ
is the perfect sacrifice and that we no longer need a bloody sacrifice
for our remission of sins. Let us not take a hard hearted approach to Israel.
Let us remember that God is faithful and still loves the Jewish people,
of whom our Saviour and the 3 great apostles were members. Exercise your
place as those with a great heritage of Christian and Jewish tradition.
What is your view of the new age movement? There
is nothing new under the sun. The so called new lights that are coming
out today are nothing new at all. The Bible clearly speaks out against
them in the days of Nimrod, Noahs day, Israels dealings with the surrounding
nations, and in Christs day as well. The Apostle Paul, warns against them,
and the Nicene Creed was developed to stand against their heresies. There
is only one source of Truth, and that is the HOLY SPIRIT. There is only
one Light and that is Jesus Christ. There is right and wrong and we will
be judged for our lives. There are psychics, fortune tellers, channelers
etc... and they do have powers. But it is where these powers get their
source of strength and information from that we should be aware of. God
told the nation of Israel that such ones should be put to death. That they
are a abomination before Him. The children of light have no business with
the children of darkness.
What is your view towards the United Nations?
We
stand against the notion of one world government which the UN represents.
The United Nations has made itself clear that it thinks that Christianity
is in the way of world peace. The UN also makes every effort to remove
God from the workings of man. Whether the European Community or the UN,
the Bible clearly states that in the last days, that a one world government,
denying the power of God, and raising itself up as a god would rule the
world and that from it would rise the Anti-Christ. We agree with the Holy
Scritpures.
What is your view of a universal and
one church? This question is a little more complicated than it sounds.
If you ask what is our view about the church of Christ, then yes there
is one 'church'. If you ask about a coming one world religion and church
in which all churchs belong, then that is a different matter altogether.
Clearly a apostate church is developing. But we feel that 2 churchs are
developing. The one world church, in which we find every sort of abomination
known to man. In which everything goes, and you can do and be anything
you want, because we are all going to heaven, and that it is ok to belong
to any religion because we all worship the same God. This is heresy and
apostacy and God will dealy with the Harlot in His final judgement. But
another church is coming together as well. That is the church of Christ.
The remnant that faithfully believes in His teachings and His literal return
for His church. This will be a church of power and majesty, it will reject
the teachings of Satan, it will be persecuted for it's firm stand against
liberalism and new age ideas. It is our firm thought that Christ is beginning
to seperate the wheat from the chaff. The sheep from the goats. Of course
in Orthodoxy we feel that we have preserved the true teachings of Christ
and the One Church, however we have not. We may have been imparted with
it, but only God kept it. The COC calls all brothers and sisters who confess
Jesus and live for him. All who confess the Nicene Creed as the statement
of faith for the body of Christ. Of course we are Orthodox because we believe
it to be the more perfect way of faith, but we do not deny our fellow bondservants
of Christ who come from other Christian backgrounds, and we look forward
to working together for His glory.
Are there Apostles on earth today? This question
comes from several different backgrounds. The answer is yes! And we will
answer it in 2 ways. First among Protestant charismatics there is the idea
that God is renewing the role of Apostle to His church. Do we agree with
this thought? Yes and No. In orthodox and Roman catholic circles it is
believed that the role of Apostle has always been with us in the role of
bishop. You may see the question on Apostolic Succession for a further
explanation. Yes Bishops are under the role of Apostles and should be viewed
as such. *Here is the problem with the situation. Protestants don't understand
a canonical role of bishop. They don't see the bishops acting like apostles,
and they haven't for the most part for some time now. God is in these last
days raising up many men who are acting in the role of Apostle and call
themselves apostle. But there is also a counterfeit bunch. Those who call
themselves apostles without any works to prove their calling. You see we
can be recognized as Apostles and bishops by our lives and by our fruit.
Do our lives reflect the lives of apostles? If not then guess what, we
aren't apostles. The COC believes that God is restoring the knowledge and
power of the role of Bishop and Apostle. Protestants will learn the true
nature of the bishopric and how they are the apostles of today. And liturgical
members of the body will learn that just because we have the title of bishop
does not make us a apostle if we do not have the fruit and power that goes
along with the office of bishop/apostle.
Is there a real hell that people go to forever? I
would suggest you read Matthew 12:32, Luke 3:17, 2 Thessalonians 1:9 and
Mark 11:43. Eternal Hell was upheld in the 5th, 6th, and 7th Ecumenical
councils and is the teaching of the church. God is just, therefore must
punish sin. God cannot lie, therefore there is a real Hell.
Do you believe in the thought, 'once saved
always saved'? No the Orthodox church rejects it, and the canons reject
it. On the flip side of the coin is the thought that we can lose our salvation
over the smallest sin in our life. This is in error also. Scripture points
out that if we turn from the faith. To turn means to take a different course
of action. The subject is a deep one, and perhaps too deep to be given
a few sentences here. However it is the opinion of the COC that it is difficult
to lose ones salvation. And that only ones self can remove them from the
book of life. 1 John 5:13" I write these things to you so that you may
know that you have eternal life." So we can know that we are "born again"
the term saved is perhaps not the best choice of words, for we are not
saved until the race is complete and we have finished the race and fought
the good fight. Therefore we can rest assured that if we live a life in
obedience to the commands of Christ that we will recieve our just rewards
in heaven. But the first thing we must do is to make Jesus Christ our Lord
and saviour. This is a free gift to all that ask. For as many as ask, and
call on His name shall be saved. Our advice then is to give your life over
to God, to trust in Jesus Christ for your eternal life. And to live a life
worthy of the kingdom of heaven. All the while being thankful for the intercessor
we have before God in the person of Jesus Christ that when we go
to Him in prayer, and ask Him for forgiveness, that He hears us and is
loving and forgives us.
