Trying to do good deeds (for Christ’s sake), and not evil, that is for oneself (however I may call them: good or best – this is evil if not for Jesus Christ), caring for the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace… though they cannot be in the dead (the proclaimed, being resuscitated-resurrected – prepared for Resurrection by the Holy Spirit, which the Lord God will accomplish in due time), to recognize their without-Spirituality, poverty of Spirit, without-Godness and humbly and desperately desire the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ!!! Only then does a person become capable of accepting the Holy Spirit, to live, to Resurrect from the dead! The heart-engine, which mechanically-ascetically (slavishly: doing-performing not what it wanted (evil-egoism), but the good (God’s commandments) which it did not want, to which, being in evil, it opposed and could neither want nor do it by itself – see Rom. 7) worked, – will come to life with Eternal Life, be filled with the Holy Spirit! And then the whole being is healed, becomes by grace self-moved to Good, desires Good, that is the Lord Jesus Christ with irresistible eros of the Holy Spirit, cannot help but desire Good – God will become all in all! But this will be later! And first, slavery-obedience – towing! I give myself for Christ’s sake into slavery-obedience to Christians. Abba Dorotheus asked one brother to wake him up for worship, and another asked not to let him sleep during worship. He wanted to go to the service and pray with the brothers, but he did not have the strength, so to achieve the desired, he voluntarily gave himself into slavery to the brothers! Likewise, anyone who wants to be freed from the slavery of Satan and become a slave of Christ must for Christ’s sake give himself into slavery-proclamation to Christians, so that with their help (teaching the will of God, so that they help me fulfill all the commandments of God, pushing (sometimes with kicks, abuse, reproach), not letting sleep-fall asleep, relax, fall into despair, encourage with strictness-responsibility to be on guard, watching in the fear of God) in due time (known only to God, Who will inform the Church about the proclaimed one who is already ready for the Operation-Baptism) become capable of accepting the Holy Spirit, enter a state of readiness to accept Life-Love with a humble and contrite heart. And a humble and contrite heart is obtained under the condition of Orthodox fulfillment of all the commandments of God, which in turn is possible only in slavery-obedience-proclamation to Christians, who alone know the will of God, the essence of God’s commandments! Self-proclamation, self-salvation – is delusion and deepening of one’s hell-hell, even greater slavery to evil! (Exceptions are not considered – they always only confirm the rule-principle).
Why do people for years, decades go to church, participate in the rites of the Sacraments, but there is no positive result (or they become even worse, more malicious, deceitful), except for some morality, correctness, decency – the same as that of pagans (non-baptized)? Because the goal of being in the church is wrong (anything but the only thing for which the Church exists – the acquisition of the Holy Spirit), and if someone even has the Kingdom of God as their goal, then the achievement of it is wrong, illegal – self-made(!), “everyone for himself,” “save yourself” – does not bring success, because whoever competes illegally, is treated incorrectly – does not acquire the Holy Spirit, does not become healthy, does not receive a wreath-medal-cup!
Therefore, it is necessary to start from the very beginning – from the proclamation, where we learn the correct goals (union with Jesus Christ, deification, acquisition of the Holy Spirit, knowledge of the Father-Love – it is all about the same thing, indicating the same goal) and correctly prepare for the sacrament of Resurrection (acceptance of the Kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit as leaven, seed, deposit of the Treasure-Inheritance). If the beginning is good, then the work will be good, but if the root is evil, then the fruits will be hellish. God is Love! Do not deceive yourself: whoever made a false start will be disqualified, even if they continue to run, work (and even come first in their delusion (full of the feeling of their righteousness and worthiness of earthly and heavenly rewards)) – will not receive a wreath! God opposes the proud!
Therefore, as long as there is still time, let’s start from the very beginning: with the correct proclamation – slavery-obedience to Christ, to Christians for Christ’s sake, Truth. (And let no one be afraid that there is little time left. God gives the same reward-mercy to those who came at the eleventh hour as to those who ran-worked from the very morning! Just take care that the little you can still do, you do according to the rules, legally, Orthodox, and you will be crowned with the Holy Spirit by the Merciful Lord!) Therefore, the last will be first, and the first – last! The main thing is not the quantity of deeds-feats, but humility, because only the humble God gives Grace, to those who know that they have not earned anything, have not done anything good, and know the inexpressible Love-Mercy of God (“all people will be saved, only I will be in hell…”, “God, cleanse me a sinner, because I have never done anything good before You”, “according to my deeds, Lord, I accept this my cross – remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom”. The wise thief had mercy on the Lord (“He (Jesus) did nothing wrong”), showed mercy and humbled himself, and “first” entered Paradise)! Therefore, do not be afraid that you are already 70, 80, 90 years old, that you have already achieved a lot (have already become a patriarch, pope, bishop, presbyter, doctor of “theology”, professor…) – start repenting, become proclaimed, obedient to the will of God, slaves of Jesus Christ! And take friends-advisors as helpers in this slavery (complete enslavement to Christ) (about who these (proclaimers) are, we will discuss separately; now it is enough to understand that they are absolutely necessary as helpers on the way to Christ! Whoever sincerely seeks, finds, more precisely, the Lord sends them!); do not be alarmed that it is already half-past eleven (there is not even an hour left, but a few minutes… or even a moment of the working day (because after death no one will be able to do anything – there, beyond space and time, everything is different)) – we are invited to work in the vineyard of the Merciful Loving God the Father (Who for a moment of repentance-labor grants the Eternal Kingdom of God)! Just take care of sincerity, humility, submission-obedience to the Truth, mercy to all, humility before all (and all this for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ) and God will have mercy with the Holy Spirit, will give you a denarius – the price of the Kingdom of God! Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God! Lord, glory to You forever!