Freed Indeed Ministries

I remember when I first discovered the doctrine of Apostolic Succession. Many are surprised when I tell them that I actually became convinced of this teaching while reading the works of John Calvin.
Before I read the Institutes of the Christian religion, I was tried and true protestant who believed in the "invisible church" and rejected any notion of the Church as an actual institution that could be traced through History. Thanks be to God, John Calvin dispossessed me of that notion by thoroughly demonstrating the need for the Episcopate specifically so as to keep valid apostolic succession, without which, he argues, you aren't part of the Church.

Well, since reading the Institutes and becoming Eastern Orthodox, I've seen many great defenses of Apostolic succession, but one really excellent video on the subject that I've seen, is from my friend Macarius Johnson on his Youtube Channel, The Ortho Soul.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/OYuvoUmYRD8?si=TjshXZgsfuDDMvo2

And share this with your friends so that they too can see clearly that apostolic succession is biblical, historical, and reasonable to hold to.

What is the Church? - Why Apostolic Succession is Necessary Have you ever wondered why the earliest followers of Christ had completely different beliefs and practices than the ones held by today's Christians?For anyon...

Doing apologetics for a long time I've noticed that the quickest way someone can show me that they know nothing about Orthodoxy is by thinking, "But which Orthodox Church?" is a valid argument. As one great theologian once said, "Orthodox Jurisdictions such as Russia, Greece, or even Rocor and the OCA are the opposite of denominations. For, demoninations are different churches in one location, jurisdictions and patriarchates are the same Church from different locales."

That said, I have noticed in reality that all modernist movements inherently produce discord. The LGBTQ+ movement for example is constantly fighting over what exactly that plus should be, attend any "peace" rally and you'll see that they are anything but peaceful. One person observed that, "Metalheads are nice people cosplaying as mean ones, and hippies are mean people cosplaying as nice people." And it's true, liberals talk about peace, love, and unity but are the most backstabbing and backbiting people. Read any comment section on tiktok. I could show you tons of videos where black tiktokers in particular have been talking about the fact that they've decided to vote for trump specifically because they're tired of how they are treated by leftists and they've noticed that trump supporters really don't care about the color of their skin.

It's not just the people we usually recognize as liberal either, there are five separate lutheran denominations that have excommunicated one another despite claiming to confess the same foundational documents. There are dozens of Presbyterian denominations alone, and protestantism in general has produced tens of thousands of denominations.

Whenever we choose rebellion, individualism, heresy, or sin, we divide ourselves further and further just like at Babel. Because all our towers to heaven can do nothing but crumble.

When we submit to God's will and stop trying to assert our own, when we stop trying to do what's modern and start doing what's right, that's when people with radically different pasts, radically different cultures, and radically different personalities, can come together and become one family.

Diversity isn't our strength, unity is. Unity under One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism.

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