Ask An Orthodox Priest #6 - Idol Worship, Speaking in Tongues, Pentecostals...

Fr. James answers YOUR questions on this new segment of "Ask An Orthodox Priest" - submit your questions on our AAOP posts on Instagram! @rootsoforthodoxy

Fr. James Coles is the pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch Orthodox Church located in Mesa, Arizona.

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#pentecostal #orthodox #orthodoxchristianity #orthodoxy #speakingintongues #charismatic #protestant

[CynthiaWithLove]

I am an ex catholic, became protestant and finally found the full truth in orthhodoxy. Im done with nonesense and its the best decision I've ever made.❤ I thank God everyday for opening my eyes and leading me in His wonderful, loving ways to Orthodoxy❤

[jackiehouser]

I really like this priest he is so down to earth and open

[JohnTheRevelator]

I wish we had an Orthodox Church anywhere near us. We fall back on our Catholic roots and brush up as much as we can on orthodoxy. This religion is so honest and truthful and it’s purity of intention has led many to Christ who would otherwise have been confused and astray.

[Gio-ceob]

I love the way Father put it about coming into the Church not because of the things you left but because you feel what you’re coming to is the truth. Beautifully put Father. Amen.

[stanberry]

I'm also a protestant considering orthodox. Pray for my journey. I don't care about denominations. I only want the Truth.

[POJOGA]

I will say when it comes to speaking in tongues, when I first cried out to God and surrendered my whole life to Jesus for the first time ever, I cried out “Lord, I am done! I surrender!” And the next words that came out of my mouth was speaking in tongues. I had no idea what speaking in tongues were but something happened after I said I surrender to you God. I was filled with the Holy Spirit and I saw God doing amazing things for the next 7 years of my life. I worked at a grocery store when I was 18 and God is healing people I work with or at the beach or everywhere else and God is speaking to me exactly about peoples life’s. And it’s all great. Glory to the Triune God.

After all this, the past year I’m desiring the Lord more and desiring to learn more and I find myself learning a lot about church history and learning the Bible more than I’ve ever had before (big thanks to brothers like Sam Shamoun and others)
I’ve come to the point now where I have a deep love for my brothers and sisters in Christ that go to the Catholic and Orthodox Church whereas before I thought differently about you guys. So glory to God for changing my heart on that. It goes deeper than that but I’m writing a lot. So I’ll save that story for another time.

I still serve and go to a Pentecostal church and God has opened doors and used me in mission trips like in Uganda, Dominican Republic, and a lot in Honduras where I’m currently serving right now as I write this message. But I definitely see my theology changing because of scripture and because of the church fathers that continued after the apostles. With that said, I believe God has called me to continue serving at the church I’m going to, to help and bring the church and the youth of the church to what God has for them as they have a big calling on their life and I’m praying that they’ll have an obedient heart to serve the Triune God.

But continue to pray for me. I’ve only scratched the surface and I’m still growing spiritually along with my relationship with God where I’m seriously learning more about the Bible how to defend but also about the fullness of the truth in Christianity.

I still believe in the power of the Holy Spirit that moves in a mighty way like thru tongues but I do agree alot of it that we see online isn’t biblically sound. But not all of it, is bad.

Be blessed🤍

[Dadlovesderb]

I converted to Orthodoxy because I was seeking truth. The scandals in Roman Catholicism were bad and numerous but I knew that this can happen ANYWHERE. After I was Christmated, my priest was absolutely damaging not only to me but to many in our parish. Still, I am here, still Orthodox and still feel blessed that the Holy Spirit guided me to truth. My conversion had nothing to do with the behavior of the priest. Men err but not the Holy Spirit.

[El_pancho]

As a Roman Catholic I love learning about yalls liturgy and the saints I just love them and god bless y’all brothers ✝️🇻🇦

[sidelias]

Orthodox worship with all senses. All of God's gifts which make us human. Honestly icons are illustrated gospels, telling stories and theology

[justreal]

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of GOD have mercy on us sinners ☦️🙏

[jstuck]

I witnessed two times individuals speaking a language they did not know praising God and interceding for the salvation of souls. One was a young lady in WI speaking in the African tribal language in which my dad ministered as a missionary. The other was an African in Ghana who knew no English but was praying in perfect English praising God.

[lonniestoute]

Having come out of years of occult studies, esoteric teachings, comparative religions, I fully understand the phycology behind rituals, sight, sounds, smells, touch to connect spiritually.
The object of our worship is what's most important. The object and intent of our sight, sounds, smells, touch is what's important.

[JamesCrocker-bz]

Regarding speaking in tongues, I’ve been in a Pentecostal church for a very long time and the pastor of my Pentecostal church if somebody spoken tongues, and it was not interpreted, speaking tongues out loud, he would tell you to stop the Bible is very clear on that on the other hand, with the other thing you mentioned was I didn’t see this myself, but it was related to me by my professor at an assembly of God Bible college. He was a missionary to Africa and on his way home for furlough. He stopped off and I think London and went to church. Somebody gave a message in tongues and the language that he was a missionary to he could interpret the messagebut not by the power of the spirit so he didn’t say anything and sure enough after a minute or so. Somebody translated the message perfectly so it does still happen today in any of them. I am also investigating orthodoxy.

[norrisonian]

I visited a messanic Jewish church and when the Rabbi brought out the Torah, everyone kissed it.

[vaporizejello]

Icons do with paint what the Bible does with words. It took me a few months of being catechumen to understand this (and even then, i dont really). The icons are more than mere images. They are the drawn Bible. They tell stories. This was one thing that I loved learning about.

[PrayersfromtheRedwoodForest]

Oh my word this is my question. I’m so blown away that it got answered.

[apmoy]

The same people who consider the veneration of icons idolatry, when they see their nation's flag parading, they'll stand and take their hat off...is that worship? Does the "veneration" of the flag go to the piece of fabric or to what it represents?

[republiccooper]

Re: Tongues
The scripture *does not say* the apostles and disciples in the upper room spoke in the language of the nations gathered in Jerusalem; it said _the listeners heard them in their own languages._ When we realiseb that this is a reference to the Tower of Babel, we can't help but realise that something truly supernatural was happening here, very much like modern day tongues. Also, here in the Caribbean, I have known people who spoke in tongues for years and thought they were simply talking in their "personal prayer languages". But, once at an international conference, there were visitors from African nations. When they heard the speakers, they could understand every word because it was a dialect of their tribal language. And the speakers were glorifying God. The point is: you don't know if the tongues you're speaking are an angelic language, a personal prayer language or an unknown human tongue. If God gives you utterance, don't stifle it. & this priest, well-meaning though he may be, doesn't fully know what he's talking about re: tongues.

[mahinigaa]

God bless orthodox church and orthodox peoples

[daphnepearce]

A few months ago, we had a substitute priest serving liturgy because Fr. James was at Mount Athos. In fact, it was Fr. John Betancourt, who is also in a lot of Roots of Orthodoxy videos. Anyway, I went up for a blessing, and he smiled and came this close to giving me the eucharist, and I had to shake my head, "No! Father, a blessing please!" He smiled and gave me a blessing.