An introduction in which I review the outline of our class, how it will be structured, and the twelve "rules" or prerequisites for studying theology and doctrine. HOMEWORK: Read a chapter a day from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We'll meet once a week to discuss the readings. A SUMMARY OF THE 12 RULES (PREREQUISITES) FOR STUDYING THEOLOGY: 1. Destroy the idols (distractions) that keep you from spending time with God. Nothing is more important than getting your life right with God. Nothing. 2. Read a chapter a day from the Gospels. Consider taking notes to help you engage with the text more deeply. Don’t read on a full stomach. 3. Pray! If you want to survive spiritually and eternally, you’ll need to set aside time for prayer every day. Prayer is communion with God. You’ll need a prayer book and lots of determination to not get derailed by the devil. 4. Spend time in silence. Every day, we should set aside a ten minute window in which we do the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”) in mental silence (no images, music, noise, distractions). 5. Go to church. We can’t go it alone; we need each other. Part of our spiritual healing involves standing through the church services and receiving a little bit of God’s grace – even when we’re tired or busy. 6. No discussing religion, spirituality, doctrine, or politics online. 7. Learn to talk less and listen more. Give your opinion only when it’s asked for, and even then, do so with hesitancy. 8. Reorient your attitude toward food. Avoid gluttony (eating until you’re full); lose weight if needed, and eat healthy meals. St. Seraphim of Sarov wrote, “One should not think about the doings of God when one’s stomach is full; on a full stomach there can be no vision of the Divine mysteries.” 9. Follow the fasts. Typically means eating vegan on Wednesdays and Fridays. Also, the first two weeks of August (our current month) are fast days. 10. No sex except to your married spouse. No fornicating, pornography, or anything else the Church doesn’t bless. Married people should try to refrain during fasting seasons. 11. Disconnect from electronics as much as you can. Get rid of social media, especially on your phone. Be deliberate, make a plan about how you’re going to spend less time scrolling and more time with God. 12. Do things for others. Give others your time, attention, compassion, money, kind words and encouragement. Look for ways to edify others. Also, help out around the church and at home when things need to be cleaned or set up. Focusing on others can help us when we’re feeling weak or emotionally low. FURTHER RESOURCES: • The Commentaries on Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Blessed Theophylact) • Unseen Warfare (Saints Nicodemus and Theophan the Recluse) • Spiritual Struggle (St. Paisios the Athonite) • Discourses and Sayings (St. Dorotheos of Gaza) • The Spiritual Life and How to Be Attuned to It (St. Theophan) • The Arena (St. Ignatius Brianchininov) VIDEO QUALITY: My apologies for the poor presentation. It was my first time hosting a meeting in Zoom and trying to record it, so I had (and still have) some things to learn. I blurred out the names of the other participants for their privacy - but that took me a while to figure out as well. That's why this video has been uploaded out of order from the others.

OVERVIEW: This class covers two topics: 1. Some of the Orthodox scriptural commentaries available, particularly for the New Testament. 2. A review of St. Matthew's Gospel, chapters 1-5. In this series of classes, we'll be focusing on living the commandments of Christ in the Gospels as St. Ignatius Brianchaninov taught in The Arena. I mostly pull from Blessed Theophylact's commentary, but also from prior patristic readings that I've done. HOMEWORK: Read a chapter a day from the Gospels. We'll work through Matthew, Mark, and Luke. By the next class (August 14), have the first 14 chapters of St. Matthew read. More articles on scriptural commentary and Christian pacifism can be found on my website www.orthodoxroad.com 12 RULES (PREREQUISITES) FOR STUDYING THEOLOGY: 1. Destroy the idols (distractions) that keep you from spending time with God. Nothing is more important than getting your life right with God. Nothing. 2. Read a chapter a day from the Gospels. Consider taking notes to help you engage with the text more deeply. Don’t read on a full stomach. 3. Pray! If you want to survive spiritually and eternally, you’ll need to set aside time for prayer every day. Prayer is communion with God. You’ll need a prayer book and lots of determination to not get derailed by the devil. 4. Spend time in silence. Every day, we should set aside a ten minute window in which we do the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”) in mental silence (no images, music, noise, distractions). 5. Go to church. We can’t go it alone; we need each other. Part of our spiritual healing involves standing through the church services and receiving a little bit of God’s grace – even when we’re tired or busy. 6. No discussing religion, spirituality, doctrine, or politics online. 7. Learn to talk less and listen more. Give your opinion only when it’s asked for, and even then, do so with hesitancy. 8. Reorient your attitude toward food. Avoid gluttony (eating until you’re full); lose weight if needed, and eat healthy meals. St. Seraphim of Sarov wrote, “One should not think about the doings of God when one’s stomach is full; on a full stomach there can be no vision of the Divine mysteries.” 9. Follow the fasts. Typically means eating vegan on Wednesdays and Fridays. Also, the first two weeks of August (our current month) are fast days. 10. No sex except to your married spouse. No fornicating, pornography, or anything else the Church doesn’t bless. Married people should try to refrain during fasting seasons. 11. Disconnect from electronics as much as you can. Get rid of social media, especially on your phone. Be deliberate, make a plan about how you’re going to spend less time scrolling and more time with God. 12. Do things for others. Give others your time, attention, compassion, money, kind words and encouragement. Look for ways to edify others. Also, help out around the church and at home when things need to be cleaned or set up. Focusing on others can help us when we’re feeling weak or emotionally low. FURTHER RESOURCES: • The Commentaries on Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Blessed Theophylact) • Unseen Warfare (Saints Nicodemus and Theophan the Recluse) • Spiritual Struggle (St. Paisios the Athonite) • Discourses and Sayings (St. Dorotheos of Gaza) • The Spiritual Life and How to Be Attuned to It (St. Theophan) • The Arena (St. Ignatius Brianchininov)

This is class three in which we finish up the Sermon on the Mount, St. Matthew's Gospel chapters 6 and 7. Some of the topics include prayer, fasting, hiding our virtues, and judging others. In this series, we'll focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. We're not focusing very much on theology but instead praxis, how to live the Christian life.

In this class, we continue with St. Matthew's Gospel, covering chapters 13 through 19. Some of the topics include the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Jesus and Peter walking on the water, how to weather the storms of life, trusting vs. distrusting our hearts, the Canaanite woman who is called a dog, the healing of Christ, seeking and chasing after signs and miracles, the confession of Peter and the true rock of the Church, hardship and suffering following divine revelations, the Transfiguration, having the humility and faith of children, dealing with those who have hurt or offended us, forgiveness, marriage and divorce, celibacy, and the Rich Young Ruler. In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life.

In this class, we continue with St. Matthew's Gospel, covering chapters 20 through 25. Some of the topics include: --the workers who are paid at the 1st and 11th hours --nobody sits in the presence of God; --receiving our spiritual sight; Palm Sunday's entry into Jerusalem --Jesus cleansing the temple of our hearts --making your Christianity genuine --when not answer to answer those questioning your faith --the wicked vinedressers --the wedding feast and the man without his wedding garment --should we pay taxes to an evil government? --prayers to the saints --love as the greatest commandment --the church is full of hypocrites (including me) --the fall of Jerusalem --the end times & last judgment --the wise and foolish virgins --the five, two, and one talents --the sheep and the goats In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we continue with St. Matthew's Gospel, covering chapters 26 through 28. Some of the topics include: --the plot to kill Jesus --the woman who anoints Christ with costly oil --weaponized compassion in American society --the Last Supper --Eucharistic theology --the reason we have a closed communion table --agony in Gethsemane --why nominalism is wrong & how Christ heals humanity --Christ's respectful treatment of Judas until the very end --Jesus as Christ, Son of God, and Son of Man --the prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14 --repentance vs. wallowing in self-pity (Peter & Judas) --early Church traditions on the fate of Judas --Pilate as an icon of the weakness of politics in the face of sin --the fulfillment of Psalm 21 (22) on the Cross --Christ enters into the depth of our despair and redeems it --Why Christ cries, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" --the garment of the temple is rent in twain --the women as apostles to the apostles --the resurrection --our Lord's final instructions to us In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we cover the entire Gospel of St. Mark. Some of the topics include: --the Gospel's introduction --prayer --God calls sinner not the self-righteous --The healing of the man with the withered hand --Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit --The four types of soil --Lofty theological understanding is not necessary for salvation --The mustard seed --The demons and the swine --Progressive healing --Prayers to saints --Briefly on the end times --"Watch and pray," our hourly command --Q&A session: why do we not worship on the Sabbath? Why Sunday? Also, can we eat halal food or does that count as food sacrificed to idols? In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we begin St. Luke's Gospel, covering chapters 1 through 4. Some of the topics include: -Date of the Gospel -St. Luke's mission to create an accurate, well-organized Gospel -Zacharias & Elizabeth; the birth of John -The Annunciation -The birth of Christ -Simeon & Anna in the temple -That the Virgin Mary was humble & grew up in the temple -Twelve year old Jesus & the scholars (Gnosticism is dumb, btw) -John the Baptist, the call to repentance -The temptation of Christ & our temptation -The first attempt to kill Jesus at the proclamation of the Gospel In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we continue St. Luke's Gospel, covering chapters 5 through 9. Some of the topics include: -Launching into the deep with Christ -Developing spiritual fortitude: who makes the cut and who doesn't -Arising from self-pity and being healed -Luke's Beatitudes and Woes -There's no blessing in being a jerk for Christ -Loving our enemies: the test of true Christianity -Don't judge or criticize others -Building on the rock of Christ or the sand of the ego -Finding the will of God for your life -The simplicity of God's will -Whoever has, more will be given; whoever has not, it will be taken: this is how reality works on the spiritual and worldly planes -Lesson from the demoniac: When God doesn't grant your good requests in prayer -Daily deny ourselves and take up our cross -Faithful in the little things -Christ condemns divisiveness among Christians as demonic In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we continue St. Luke's Gospel, covering chapters 10 and 11. Some of the topics include: -Sending out the 70 -The exclusive claims of Christianity and the Orthodox Church (that is, why why Judaism is insufficient; Islam is wrong; and heterodox confessions lack fullness; why the Orthodox Church is the one, holy, universal, and apostolic Church) -The Parable of the Good Samaritan -Martha and Mary and Monks -Persistence in prayer -God cleansing us of demonic powers -The woes against the Pharisees and their lessons for our lives (be humble and generous; don't kill the prophets of truth God brings into your life; etc. In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we continue St. Luke's Gospel, covering chapters 12 through 15. Some of the topics include: My recent reading of CS Lewis' "That Hideous Strength" CHAPTER 12 -Popularity can lead to pride & hypocrisy -Fear only God -The self-seeking rich man -Don't be anxious about the necessities of life -Greater judgment for those who know (or should know) -Christ as the dividing line -Make peace with your adversary CHAPTER 13 -Grappling with tragedy (when bad things happen to 'good people') -Don't be a barren fig tree -Love is greater than following the rules -The parables of the mustard seed & leaven -"Are there few who are saved?" The narrow path -God *wants* to save all, but will we let Him? CHAPTER 14 -Choose the place of humility -The excuses we offer to God -Hating father, mother, brother, sister, etc. CHAPTER 15 Three parables: lost, found, rejoicing 1. The Lost Sheep 2. The Lost Coin 3. The Lost Son (The Prodigal Son and His Lost Brother) In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we continue St. Luke's Gospel, covering chapters 16 through 19. This was one of my favorite lectures I've done on this Gospel series. It began with the parable of the unjust steward, which is a difficult one to understand. Also, we discussed the Rich Man and Lazarus, and what that means for our lives. Interspersed throughout, we talked about finding the Kingdom of Heaven within, encountering the monsters that lurk within our hearts, experiencing the inner grace of God when we nail those monsters to the cross with Christ; truly confessing and truly repenting. Also, forgiving others and persisting in prayer (which is not vain repetition). Lastly, we see Jesus is loving but not always nice. In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.

In this class, we finish St. Luke's Gospel, covering chapters 20 through 24. Some of the passages and topics we cover include: -Not responding to scoffers -The parable of the vinedressers -Judgment is coming -Paying taxes and obeying civil authorities -Prayers to the saints -The widow's two mites and our small offerings we make to God -The fall of Jerusalem and the End Times -Prayer and inward watching (readying ourselves for death & judgment) -The word "Pascha" in scripture -Satan enters Judas because he was not watching himself -If one of the 12 can fall, so can we -The symbolism of Peter & John preparing the Paschal/Passover meal -The symbolism of the Upper Room -The Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist -Submitting our human will to the divine will (Garden of Gethsemane) -Repent like Peter, not like Judas -The Prince of Peace unites even those persecuting Him -The weakness of government and why we shouldn't place our hope in politics (hint: the mob eventually wins) -The King of the world in His glory on the Cross -The darkness of it overcoming creation -The Noble Joseph of Arimathea -The hope we have in Pascha, and how it has changed the world -On the road to Emmaus -Only Christ can open our eyes to the Scriptures' true meaning -A real bodily resurrection (sorry, Origen) -Preaching "repentance and remission of sins" In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.