You can often hear the question: where is the Church, and where is it not?! Can we unequivocally answer this question, give a clear and understandable answer?! Yes, we can! The Church is not a formless spiritual reality, but a true reality, Spiritual-Bodily (the Body of Christ), it is not a blurred irrational sphere (area), but a Kingdom (of God), which has a clear border with this world! The Church is a gathering of Christians, Christ’s – Spirit-bearers (baptized by the Holy Spirit). To be a Christian is to correspond (existentially) to certain specific conditions: necessary and sufficient to be in the state of bearing the Holy Spirit, that is, to be a Spirit-bearer-Christian (this: communion of the Parish-Eucharist (to be a parishioner) and have a humble and contrite heart – see part II for details). In part I, we agreed to use two terms: “Church” and “church”! By the term “Church” we mean the gathering of Christians (baptized by the Holy Spirit), and by the term “church” we mean all those over whom the canonical rite of baptism (with water and anointing with oil (holy chrism, consecrated by the church headed by the highest-ranking bishop: patriarch, metropolitan) or laying on of hands by canonical bishops) was performed. So, all members of the Church are in the church, but not all members of the church (a few – a small flock – among those billions baptized with water and anointed with holy chrism) are Christians (baptized by the Holy Spirit)! So, all Christians (members of the Body of Christ, the Church) in the II phase of existence are under plaster-hierarchy! Outside the Body of Christ, which is under plaster-hierarchy, the Holy Spirit is not given or received! That is, the Body of Christ in the II phase of existence (the edge of the Body of Christ – Christians in the II phase of existence) – all under the plaster-hierarchy. Outside the canonical (which has canonical succession of hierarchs-plasters from the apostolic Church) hierarchy of Christians (participants of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Pentecost, the Spirit of the Body of Christ, which is completely in the II phase of existence under the plaster of stewards) there are none!!! In the history of the church, there is no precedent when the Holy Spirit descended on someone outside the Church (the purpose of the existence of everything is the Church, the Eucharist, the Kingdom of God; the goal cannot be achieved outside the goal! How can a person enter Life (Life in the Holy Spirit, which is realized in the Eucharist, in the Body of Christ) outside of Life, how can one become a member of the Body outside the Body?!) (see part II for details). So, we know exactly where the Church is not – outside the church, the border of which is stewards-hierarchs (canonical non-heretical plaster-hierarchy), there are no Christians (baptized by the Holy Spirit)!!! But to say where the Church is, we can only by pointing out a wide open area (a large closed set, in which the Church is a small open (freedom and love have no boundaries and mechanical fixation) subset). So, the Church is in the church, the boundary of which (church) is the legitimate hierarchy-plasters (one cannot become a member of the church without the rite (at least chrismation), performed by the community headed by a bishop-presbyter (a necessary condition for the legitimacy of the rite of baptism-chrismation is the presence-participation of a legitimate bishop-presbyter-steward-plaster)). So, we know exactly where the Church is not (outside the plaster-hierarchy), and where it is – that is, this (the Church) is a small subset (a small flock of those baptized with water and the Holy Spirit) of a large closed set (the signs of the elements of that set: to be at least baptized (with water)), the boundary of which is the plaster-hierarchy of legitimate (non-heretical) presbyters-bishops! And who in the church is a Christian (suspected of being a Christian), we discussed in detail in part II.
Let us say something else, incidentally (in this context), about the stewards-priests (and their ministry in the church). The plaster hierarchy (presbyters-bishops) is the demarcation line of the border between the Kingdom of God and this world. The post on the border stands in the neutral zone, and it does not belong to either side (there are very few such plasters (two in one): both presbyter-bishop and Christian at the same time, who are in the Holy Spirit (in the Church) and stand on the border with this world (and the plaster-hierarchy)). But they point out where to look for Living Water (the Parish-Eucharist – the Kingdom of God, life in the Holy Spirit), and where It cannot be in principle. The Holy Spirit is given (received) only in the Church (Parish-Eucharist) to the members of the Church (Parish-Eucharist)! We have said above that the burden fell on the stewards to guard the dogmas (borders) of the church, to keep the forms of tradition (Scripture, rites of Sacraments, rituals, etc.) – the possibility of communion and acquisition of the Holy Spirit. We said that even an immoral priest performs the “plaster” ministry (the post on the border) until he is replaced (yes, even a rotten post, if it stands on the border, performs its work of a plaster-priest, but it must be immediately replaced so that the enemy does not take advantage of the fact that this post does not even need to be dug up (it falls by itself), so as not to move it and not bury it far away in our territory (or in his, depending on the evil intent), thus capturing many souls under his power and dominion). A heretic (priest) is a post not on the border (of the Church and this world), but far, far away on foreign territory, that is, in hell, and by referring to him, you think you are in Paradise (that is, by orienting on a heretic, you think you are on your territory, that you are a Christian when you are a devil, but calm yourself that you are standing on the border (you are not a pagan, just a great sinner – so says the post, and everyone is calm, and no one thinks that he is a heretic)). Therefore, such heretic-priests should not be considered, but plaster-presbyters-bishops who are not heretics should be sought (such, by the mercy of God, will be until the end of the II phase of existence – and whoever humbly seeks, finds (will find)). We repeat again: if you listen to a heretic and determine your location by him (think that I am in the Church, or at least in the church – on my Land), then it turns out that I am on foreign land – then I, without realizing it, am in mortal danger, and if I do not repent (do not return to my Territory), then I will be (or will be in danger of being destroyed by the troops or “special forces” (demons and their servants)) destroyed and will have no idea of repenting! I’m not guilty, I’m at home, I’m not an occupier, not a thief, not a spy!? For example, we can cite Russians who in 2014 in tanks, “Grads,” “Buks,” BTRs “got lost” in Ukraine, navigating the terrain by heretical maps (they went to the training ground to shoot, for training!? They shot…). Therefore, many of them (soldiers of the Russian Federation) went home “on vacation” – for eternal rest “by cargo 200”! This is the danger that arises when heretic-priests move the border line far into foreign (hostile!) territory (of Satan)! The purpose of this parable-analogy is to warn us against indifference and irresponsible complacency! Let those who have ears to see, understand what danger awaits those who neglect the dogmas (borders) of the Church! Let us be vigilant, alert, because now the vast majority of priests are dust, carried by the winds of lukewarmness, indifference, heresies, and secularism – let us create Parishes-Eucharists (centers of conciliarity!), then the priests will be in their place, and the faithful will be in relative safety!