“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you”—2 Corinthians 6:17
“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”—Ephesians 5:6-8
In this post modern society we see all manner of evil and temptations on every billboard, tv commercial, internet ad, on the street around us and in our workplaces. Some folks are asking, “How did it get this bad and what is the solution?” This triumphant display of sin in America causes misguided anger, depression, hopelessness and desperation in good hearted people. We are called to secede from the Kingdom of this world. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”—1 John 2:15 This is the great challenge to believers. We must secede not only for our temporal, but more importantly for our eternal needs. Every day as the forces of darkness, disguised in vice and sugar coated, choke the life out of our beloved communities, followers of Christ understand the more, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”—Amos 3:3.
In order to secede from the neo-Babel culture that has risen from the ashes of Western Civilization we must learn to be true Christians again. Fasting is one of the tools given us by the Church in order to break ourselves from being caught up in this disastrous, demonic whirlwind. Prayer and true repentance is the means by which we can implore God and seek his mercy and compassion on our land and ourselves. “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”—2 Chronicles 7:14
We are plagued and ensnared with the material desires and wants of this world. We can spend hours at the golf course, the lake, theaters, the bonfires, the parties, ball games, the video games, or bars and blow through a hundred dollars, give or take, at one instant. However, on Sunday we go to the Church to celebrate the Resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ and His Victory over death, hell and the grave, to receive His life saving Body and Blood into our cores, to be spiritually armed, to regroup with our compatriots in this struggle against good and evil, and we want the shortest, cheapest, easiest service in town and heaven-forbid it goes past noon! Most folks treat the Church like their least favorite hobby. They produce arguments like ‘Jesus is with me wherever I go’, ‘Wherever two or more are gathered’, ‘Nature is my church’, or ‘I’m saved so I don’t have to go church’. All of these are excuses to forsake the assembling together of the believers and to excuse impiety and spiritual laziness. This is the fruit of what the protestant movement has produced here in the Bible Belt and everywhere it has taken root. Every day another “new” church springs up in the strip mall and now people have become so exasperated with denominations that they’re claiming to be non-denominational where people can come and believe whatever they want as long as they believe in some form of Jesus. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”—James 2:19 This is what protestantism has led us to. This is why we need to secede from this reconstructed society and go back to Holy Orthodoxy.
When the flood came Noah built an Ark. Nothing and nobody that wasn’t on that Ark was saved when the wrath of God came. Noah and his family where separated from the earth by being enclosed in that Ark. Likewise when Jesus came down to earth He built something for the sake of the salvation of the world.
Matthew 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
There are many who come not of the Apostolic Tradition and claim to offer eternal security. “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”—Matthew 24:11 ” Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”—1 John 4:1 It is a very confusing time. “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”—1 Corinthians 14:32-33
The Orthodox Church has survived the Roman Empire’s persecutions, Muslim yoke, Roman Catholic Crusades, Mongol enslavement and the Communist Soviet oppression. No matter the extent of the violence, the longevity of the persecution, the amount of churches leveled to the ground, nor the numbers of martyrs brutally murdered; when the smoke clears the Church remains. The gates of Hades have not prevailed. When the waters recede we see the Ark has weathered the storm and delivered it’s passengers to a greener country; whether this side of the grave or the other. No other institution could have survived the entire weight of the world crushing down upon it like the Orthodox Church has.
The Flood of the wrath of God is coming. The invitation onto the Ark of Salvation is open. The time for all of us to confess our sins and repent is now. I’ll close this with the Apostle Paul’s instruction to the Church in Colosse, and if this ain’t a call to secede from this world then I don’t know what is,
“1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
18Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
20Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
22Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
23And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
Orthodox Appalachia 