I ask that people read this sermons first, because I believe it best explains the KMMG theology and ministerial viewpoint:
GOD’S TRANSFUSION: THE ULTIMATE MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH
The Orthodox Heiromartyr St. John Crysostom, teaching on the parable of the Good Samaritan, wrote that the Church is a hospital, that provides a “therapeutic treatment” for the soul. Salvation is not a matter of intellectual acceptance of truth; rather it is a person’s transformation and divenisation by grace. This transformation is effected by the analogous “treatment” of one’s personality. The divinely healed Spirit creates the fruit of good works. Saint John Chrysostom, it is clearly shown that the Church is a Hospital which cures people wounded by sin; and the bishops and priests are the therapists of the people of God.
I have written often before about the benefits of taking the theological viewpoint of The Church as “a hospital for sick souls”, rather than “a courtroom for the guilty”. In a recent conversation, I got one of those rare insights that can only be attributed to Divine Inspiration.
God’ Church is, of course, empowered by His Holy Spirit, that mystical “Third Person of The Trinity”. In the Hospitalier viewpoint, we have an opportunity to see the fullness of the Trinity in full display:
God the Father, looks down upon His creation, Mankind, made terminally ill. Yes, the sickness was (not unlike drug or alcohol abuse) an illness based upon Mankind’s poor decisions. Nonetheless, The Father pities Mankind. He Knows that the only hope for Mankind is a blood transfusion. Animal blood could keep Mankind in remission. But remission is not a cure. No human blood could provide the healing, as it was all contaminated by Mankind’s sin. So, God the Father decides to provide the blood Himself.
Jesus Christ, called “Emmanuel, God With Us”, appeared before the court of the Sanhedrin, declaring Himself the only hope to save Mankind. The Sanhedrin, believing that the the patient deserved to die, rejected Jesus’ claims. Jesus then, outright declared that He was God Incarnate: The Lord of the Sabbath. He made his claim to assume from the court Mankind’s Power of Attorney for Healthcare. Jesus explained that His transfusion would completely HEAL Mankind, giving him, in essence “a new heart”, as though he were being “born again”. Again, the court rejected the claim, demanding a sign. So, Jesus provided the Sign of Jonah: His Resurrection from the dead. The Sanhedrin shed Jesus’ blood, through gruesome execution. Only AFTER His Crucifixion did the Sanhedrin get their sign, when Jesus rose from the dead, and spent the next forty days instructing His disciples. THE COURT CASE AGAINST MANKIND…CLOSED. Let the healing begin.
Jesus instructed His followers on how to receive the much-needed transfusion, through repentant prayer, and told them to wait for The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, arrived at Pentecost. Working through His Hospitalier Interns, the Apostles and Early Church, then instructed Mankind in:
How to receive the transfusion, and how to receive a new heart, and be born again,
What ‘aftercare’ is needed to keep the new heart healthy and strong, &
How to spread the word to all Mankind’s progeny, so that we, too could have healthy Spirit-filled hearts.
Lest the information be corrupted over time, The Holy Spirit inspired the early Church fathers to collect up the teachings of the Apostles, and pass them down to future generations in a book: The Bible.
In this, as in all such theological analogies: “Live = eternally IN fellowship with God” & “Die = eternally OUT of fellowship with God”. Those who accept this transfusion will live. Those who do not will die. In this case, we must look at “accept-or- reject” NOT in the manner of gift-giving, but rather as “accept-or-reject” as a medical transplant. If our body “accepts” the renewed heart we get from God, then we live. If we “reject” the new heart, we die. If a person receives the new heart, yet fails to adhere to our aftercare regimen, we again risk death. Hence, it is to our benefit to adhere to sound doctrine.
So, there they are: The Three Offices of The Trinity; Beneficent Father; Obedient, Sacrificially-Suffering Son; and Man-Empowering Holy Spirit; all at work in the restorative healing of the human souls of Mankind.
So, for The Love of God: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit; I beg of you…accept God’s Transfusion…and LIVE!