The Distinct Operations of the Divine Energies of the Holy Spirit

Excerpt from Lesson 4 of Orthodox Ecclesiology by Fr. Peter Heers
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[@colmwhateveryoulike3240]

Thank you. As a catechumen I have wondered about this and been retiscent to dare hope for more intimate knowledge of the Holy Spirit than has already been afforded me by God's grace when He drew me to Christ. May God bless you father Heers.

[@normadaly7506]

Thank you again father

[@ValidityJ]

This is so helpful. 2nd time watching it. Helps me be gracious towards Protestants. I used to be one. The longer I go along in Orthodoxy, the less patience I tend to have with the goofiness of Protestant beliefs. Im grateful to see my Protestat friends have good discernment and cooperation with the Holy Spirit. May God help me to be more cooperative and continue to TRUST Him & grow spiritually. Thank you Fr Peter for all you do for us. My thanks to Presbytera & your children as well. It is a great sacrifice as a family. I love you all.

[@matthewvanschoick9628]

Amen 🙏 🙏 🙏. When I first was drawn to the Lord. And grew in the Spirit the presence of the Lord was with me constantly 🙏 ✨️ 🙌, I was in so much awe!!!! Then I fell into my sin and grew hard of heart, inso doing I grew hard of hearing. I was lead to Christ in a jail cell. I fell into my sin a couple yrs later and was still in prison. I hadn't been to church. Then I got out and in seeking the Lord I went to many churches and for trs have been still stuck in my sins and not able to reach the place the Lord had brought me in the beginning. Recently the Lord has lead me to the eastern orthodox church and I've been floored by the realization of the truth. But I've also received alot of healing. I've not yet become a catihuman but this is most definitely my goal. I'm so greatful for the Lord leading me to this eternal truth 🙏 🙌 may He have mercy on me amd allow me to continue to pursue and draw nearer and nearer to Him and farther and farther from my own self-centered and sinful nature. Bless the name of the Lord.

[@charlesmaximus9161]

Father, bless. Thank you for everything you do at Orthodox Ethos. ☦️🙏

[@vessietaylor2938]

Yes... I had to figure this out the hard way... because in America, not all the shepards are fully true shepards... its a business. This almost crushed me but the Lord just created a more determined person to seek more lies that has hidden Our Lord's Sweetness. 🕊.... 💞

[@normadaly7506]

Yes thank God you survived. I've been nearly distroyed twice.... I'm a slow learner. No prudence. God is long suffering.

[@GuitarTunings33]

Fighting sin is a struggle, need to be baptised. In AZ

[@Saint_nobody]

I appreciate this greatly. Thank you, brother. God bless.

[@everlastingphronema9700]

Thank you Father.

[@gerardgrywacheski1418]

O Holy Father Maximus the Confessor, pray for us sinners!!☦️🙏

[@MarcusBarnabassisSystersSonne]

Thank you, Fr Peter.

[@orthodoxwitness2374]

Very good exposition of Orthodoxy's synergistic soteriology. As a side note, I once heard an argument from a fellow layman during these covid times (trying to justify church lockdowns) that it does not matter if we are physically present in the temple or not because the Holy Spirit "is everywhere present and fillest all things." I would imagine that the grace of the Holy Spirit is especially operant in the physical temple during the divine services, and thus his argument fails to make a distinction between the different modes of operations of the Holy Spirit.

[@Yallquietendown]

We also heard that we need to be “more like st Mary of Egypt who communed only once a year”. And because of “LOVE.” I almost forgot all this happened. It’s just getting memory holed because we’ve “moved on” without any repentance.

[@JumbaGumba]

@@Yallquietendown My priest said the same thing regarding St Mary, what are your thoughts?

[@Yallquietendown]

@@JumbaGumba my thoughts are that we venerate St Mary and see in her miraculous life that theosis has no limits. However we also cannot think that we are prepared to live a life in solitude. Most of us haven’t even completed purification, which is necessary for the solitary life. We need a church community. Many of the monks also live a community life and only a few are hermits and from what I’ve read it’s a very difficult spiritual battle

[@JumbaGumba]

@@Yallquietendown What are your thoughts regarding St Mary's infrequent communion? Would you say that this is not the ideal for laymen, but something that can inspire us in order to overcome our inability to commune during lockdown? Where I'm from, my parish and my priest take a hardline in following lockdown rules in order to preserve the churches reputation. However, another church nearby was operating and serving the liturgy in secret, and so I found it tempting to want to continue communing there, but I would be going against obedience to my spiritual father by breaking the law. It's still something I don't fully understand, in the end I decided to remain obedient, but was curious if communion takes precedence.

[@andrealewis3638]

Thank you.

[@kdidmsksh7677]

Wow 😊 Hallelujah

[@stavrouladeessegloria]

Evlogeite Patera Petros☦️

[@stavrouladeessegloria]

Just done listening to this with mom by my side and interpreted it to her. Lord have mercy ....

[@ivansince91]

Na mnogaya i blagaya leta, father.

[@lisaonthemargins]

I have a heart lacking in understanding, and a body deeply in debt to sin :(

[@RaymondFelixFrancis]

It is not our business to find fault with Holy scripture, pointing out supposed contradictions. We are not orthodox only by confession, but by the faith and deeds that are manifest from the heart. A heart of flesh, not stone, that is full of love for God and the things of God. 🙏☦️♥️

[@dialmformowgli]

🕊

[@orthochristos]

Just uploaded a video that is circulating on social media in Greece. It appears to show an apparition of the Holy Theotokos on Mount Athos.

[@OrthodoxEthos]

Link?

[@orthochristos]

@@OrthodoxEthos kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4WpYqeQf8h9bpY

[@geoneo777]

I'm not gonna lie, this video made things a lot more complicated for me, someone is going to have to help me here. The only bit I understood is that we have to partake in the mysteries (which I do) to be given the grace of the Holy Spirit. What about everything else mentioned in this video? What other Christian laws are there other than the 10 commandments? Some people have told me loving God as you love your self fulfils all law (even that commandment confuses me because what if you hate yourself, which some people do). I dound this video really hard to understand?

[@normadaly7506]

I hope you are ploughing on OK. I wud say to keep following in the footsteps of the saints and the church fathers and keep doing what you are doing. And have patience. Even with something like being a concert pianist or something you have to do scales and exercises and over years build that skill. Love endures long and is patient. God help you

[@maxcarvalho9071]

Your blessing, father. Would you say it is a legitimate opinion that non-orthodox could dwell in the operations of the Holy Spirit similarly to the righteous of the Old Testament? Certainly, that is not the Grace found within the Church, nor it defies/saves, but I wonder if such opinion may justify the great deeds we sometimes see being made by many non-orthodox. I'm not sure if this opinion would still be against the ecclesiological ethos of the Church, so I humbly stand myself to correction if needed be.

[@joshuaw2652]

Shalom and many blessings to you all. The one thing we all can cooperate on it's the fact that we all believe in God. On top of that there's billions of ways to celebrate God and your faith and your beliefs in God. If we stop and think about the cause and effect and also the effects and what causes we'll have a better understanding on how to do no harm to ourselves and others. For as I am you are we are they are them are we all are all in God and God is in all of us. For are we not God's children. If we love as God loves us and we love thy neighbors as they were us none of this would be taking place as we continue forward. I say this with great concern for all my brothers and sisters in God. As I walked this path of peace and love I hope it is yours as well. God bless and Godspeed.💜💜💜💜💜💜💜. God doesn't allow bad things to happen people have been using the eight eyes of God. Mentally can damage other in ways that are so Unthinkable all it does is cause ignorant division. Moses pointed out the law of cause and effect and effect and cause. Do no harm to self or others and remember to love God with mind body and spirit and remember to love yourself as God loves you. Love thy neighbor as if they were you. That means the person next to you at any given moment. Remember self-control is key. There are billions of ways to celebrate the god in you for you are the Temple of the Living God. That's what being a child of God means.

[@br.m]

"unconditionally... But" Some conditions apply. That's why I listen to Jesus and don't pay too much attention to the word's of any that came along after. Just too many chef in the kitchen. Adds confusion to what Jesus brings clarity. Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

[@richardprice9730]

Might we not just say the power of repentance and the mystery of faith ,for who am i ?❓🐑 If such great saints as St Bernard of Clairveux in his treatise on humility at the beginning says Christ was the perfect example of humility and on this humility taught then we must say what ? It is difficult but mostly we see in such a limited way ,we do not understand context ,history other factors so let us restrain ourselves from speaking harshly even if at times we may think such thoughts it is our lack of love alone that allows them room brother !

[@richardprice9730]

I hope you don't mind but REPENTANCE , is a prelude to contemplation what we are to repent of God alone knows it is vanity often to pray for this or that person and so forthe did not our lord himself humbly ask even the crippled and the lame what can i do for you God Alone knows how we are to repent what in us needs to change for if He allowed us to see fully the extentof our failings we might become overburdened desperate even to to the point we might wish to die this is not God Will so let us not presume brother !

[@edwardherod6072]

to complicated for my small brain....

[@OrthodoxEthos]

Just pray and love God and ask Him for enlightenment and come back later and see if He thinks you need to understand.

[@claudiozanella256]

"God [the Father] is a spirit" (Jn. 4:23,24). ONLY that (divine) ONE SPIRIT exists, NOT TWO! That Spirit is either called "Holy Father" or "Holy Spirit" by Jesus. He is the ONLY SPIRIT WITH JESUS. The unforgivable sin is the blasphemy against that Spirit, (i.e. blasphemy against the Father in the form of a spirit). "And whoever may speak a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven to him, but whoever may speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him," (Mt. 12:32).

[@makingsmokesince76]

To deny the personhood and working of The Holy Spirit, THIS is what it looks like to blaspheme Him and that is the correct context of Matthew 12:32. Pray for humility and discernment and then read Isaiah 48, verse 16 specifically; “Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.” Right there, THAT is your Trinity. And there are MANY more OT and NT verses, read WITHIN CONTEXT, that declare and profess the same. So, stop. Go read the Word of God and pray for wisdom, rather than spreading false teachings and sowing the seeds of doubt.

[@claudiozanella256]

@@makingsmokesince76 No seeds of doubt, I only say the Truth! You maintain that 1. "God [the Father] who is a spirit" and 2. "Holy Spirit" are TWO DISTINCT SPIRITS. That is not true, they are the SAME ONE. In other words you can identify the "Spirit of God" - who is with Jesus - with GOD (the Father) WHO IS A SPIRIT, no further divine person exists. There is HUGE EVIDENCE that NO trinity exists. The reason is that Jesus HAD NO IDEA of what a triune God is: "Yet, I am not ALONE because the Father is with me". I.e. Jesus is only with the Father, He is NOT with TWO Persons. This is reiterated by Jesus four gospels long. Jesus should always state to be WITH THE FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, but He does NOT DO IT. In your comment your refer to the fact that "the (A) Holy Spirit comes from (B). the Father". But from my previous comment you now know that "Holy Spirit" is just the name given by Jesus to "the Father, who is a Spirit" (see Jn. 4:23,24 and Mt. 12:32), no other divine Spirit exists. The problem is: who is (B). the Father ? Well, if the (A) "Father who is a spirit" comes from the "(B). the Father", the latter of course is the Father who is NOT a Spirit (i.e. the "normal" Father). Nobody ever knew or saw Him, only Jesus DID it "Nobody has seen God at any time". "The world has not known you", indeed the Father (normal) loved Jesus "before the foundation of the world" (Jn. 17:24). "God is a spirit", here, because He is only VIRTUALLY present, in reality NOBODY is here. This is why is Jesus THE KING OF HEAVEN, not the Father. Thus, the Spirit who comes from the Father is the Spirit OF THE SAME Father, not a FURTHER divine Person as you erroneously believe. "God and his Spirit" are thus two MANIFESTATIONS of the SAME God, not TWO distinct Persons!

[@makingsmokesince76]

@@claudiozanella256 With all respect, simply repeating your thesis, ad nauseam, will not engage or impress me. Please defend it, not in light of what you currently believe, but in light of Isaiah 48:16. Thanks.

[@claudiozanella256]

@@makingsmokesince76 "The Lord God and his Spirit" means: the Lord God - who is AWAY, ABSENT (nobody has seen Him at any time) - and his Spirit (the Spirit OF GOD, not a distinct Spirit-Person) WHO IS HERE, instead. They are both mentioned because the LORD GOD - who is away - DECIDES the God's words and actions which are spoken and taken here by HIS SPIRIT. NO SPIRIT'S DECISIONS are made here, because NOBODY is here. Only the POWER OF GOD - which is necessary to perform those actions - is actually here. The "Spirit of God" is just a VIRTUAL PRESENCE of the absent God, NOBODY is actually here.

[@claudiozanella256]

@@makingsmokesince76 What is the purpose on insisting on a doctrine that ANYONE (unbiased) - without effort - can clearly see as absurd and contrary to what is disclosed by the gospels? There is NO DOUBT it's false: CONTRARY to what stated by the doctrine Jesus is NOWHERE with Father and Holy Spirit, thus no triune God can exist.