Eating spiritually

I learned yesterday that one of my children had resumed going to church, though I do not know his reasons for doing so. It may be for networking, or for a desire to provide some training for his children. I do not know. Even the level of Biblical teaching or what the theology of the place is, is unknown to me. The denomination is sometimes full of liberal theology which downplays the gospel, or reinterprets it. However, there are some locations wherein the gospel is preached.

What I do know is that they maintain some of the traditions of the Church-things that have been used in worship for centuries, and longer. The Gloria Patri, the Apostles' Creed, responsive readings. These hold the essence of the gospel. See below for the content of that creed.

Now I had been concerned for this child, man though he is. But when you do not eat, you should not complain of weakness. If you encounter an emaciated woman who starves herself, even if you respond with compassion, you must require her to eat if she is to recover. Though you have to trickle nourishment intravenously at first, you should not expect that without nutrition, your body will miraculously continue to function as if you fed it. Go for years and parts will start to fail, muscles deteriorate, and fatal events will rise.

In the same way, if you do not read the Bible to feed your spirit, as the bread of life, as milk and honey to your soul, as the meat you need to function, your faith will fade. Your strength will decline, your assurance disappear. Without prayer to maintain the communication, how do you think you will continue? The Bible tells us we need to wash our minds with the Word in order to cleanse us from the filth of the world, not to mention to renew our own minds which tend to the fleshful thoughts without the help.

So even if he sits and hears empty words from the sermon instead of wisdom, he will still hear the Bible verses read. He will hear the summary of orthodox theology in the creed, he will hear some worship in the Gloria Patri and in the hymns. And the complexity and simplicity of faith and a life walking with the Lord is thoroughly conveyed in the hymns of Charles Wesley. So, son, I leave you in the hands of the Apostles and Charles Wesley, not to mention of the Lord, firmly convinced you will finally have obtained some feedings. These will gradually increase your spiritual strength for having eaten.


The Apostles' Creed- roughly a version of the earlier creed known by the earliest church fathers and used for teaching. From memory, might have missed a part, haven't said it in a while.

I believe in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only son, our Lord. Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. On the third day he rose from the dead, (descended into hell-some parts include this), ascended into heaven and from thence shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the holy catholic (small c = means universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everylasting. Amen.

Though the Nicene and Nicene/Constantinoplen creeds are even more detailed, they get too long for repetition. The Athansian creed is also good, and expresses theology Athanasius would agree with (who attended the Nicene council and a few years thereafter became bishop of Alexandria.) Though in and out of persecutions, he was exiled five times, he continued to defend orthodoxy against the Arians. The files that provided copies of these said it was unlikely to have been composed by Athanasius himself. Gennadius, a later scholar, actually named Georgius Scholarius I think, anyway he had a creed that was said to be used to answer Muslims. (Though the file said it really was more like the training used to help new believers before they could be baptized.) But that really may not help any one. Google creeds, the first three creeds (Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian) sufficiently convey Christian doctrine that is Biblical.

The Gloria Patri.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, amen.