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The Lord’s Dwelling Place


[Acts 6:8–7:5, 47–60; John 4:46–54] Saint Stephan says: The most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands… What house will ye build Me? saith the Lord or what is the place of My rest? (Acts 7:48–49). Only the temple in the heart not made with hands can contain God, as the Lord said: If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Fa?ther will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14:23). How this is accom?plished is unfathomable for us, but it is true because it is obvious that then it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).[1] Do not rea?son, just give your heart away to the Lord, and He Himself will establish of it a church for Himself — but give it unsparingly. If there are parts which are not given, then from the heart a whole church cannot be es?tablished, for one thing will be de?cayed, another broken — and what will come out, if anything comes out, is a church with holes or with?out a roof, or without doors. It is not possible to live in such a church: the Lord will not be in it. It will only seem that it is a church, but in reali?ty will be a conglomerate mass.

[1]The Slavonic for Phil 2:13 reads: God worketh in us both desire and action, according to his good plea?sure

Saint Theophan the Recluse


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