The Good Shepherd Gives His Life John 10:11

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The Good ShepherdGives His LifeJohn 1011
Presented to Servants Seminar. Sts Peter and
Paul Church March 14-16,2008. By Bishop Serapion
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Life of Giving

• Our Lord Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd is the
  Model of life of Giving.
• The Saints imitate Our Lord.
• Love is the basis of life Of Giving.
• What do we give?
• Why do we give?

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Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Model of Life of
Giving
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• Philippians 28And being found in appearance as
  a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to
  the point of death, even the death of the cross.
• Hebrews 122Looking unto Jesus, the author and
  finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
  set before Him endured the cross, despising the
  shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the
  throne of God.
• Acts 1038How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
  with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went
  about doing good and healing all who were
  oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

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Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Model of Life of
Giving
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continued

• Examples of Ministry of Doing Good.
• Healing the sick,
• feeding hungry,
• forgiving sinners,
• defending the oppressed,
• caring for widows,
• raising the dead,
• blessing those who cursed Him

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The Saints Imitate Our Lord
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• The Apostles
• They left everything and followed Christ, shed
  their blood, cared for the needy.

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The Saints Imitate Our Lord
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• St. Paul as a model
• 2 Corinthians 1123-29
• Are they ministers of Christ?I speak as a foolI
  am more in labors more abundant, in stripes
  above measure, in prisons more frequently, in
  deaths often. From the Jews five times I received
  forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten
  with rods once I was stoned three times I was
  shipwrecked a night and a day I have been in the
  deep in journeys often, in perils of waters, in
  perils of robbers, in perils of my own
  countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils
  in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in
  perils in the sea, in perils among false
  brethren in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness
  often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in
  cold and nakednessbesides the other things, what
  comes upon me daily my deep concern for all the
  churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is
  made to stumble, and I do not burn with
  indignation?

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The Saints Imitate Our Lord
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• St. Paul as a model
• 2 Corinthians 1215
• And I will very gladly spend and be spent for
  your souls though the more abundantly I love
  you, the less I am loved.

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The Saints Imitate Our Lord
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continued

• The Martyrs
• The Monks and Hermits
• St. Anthony and St. Pishoy
• Laypeople
• Ibrahim El Gohary
• The two women in Alexandria
• The Widow which put two mites into the treasure
  and Our Lord praised her giving
• Luke 213-4So He said, Truly I say to you that
  this poor widow has put in more than all for all
  these out of their abundance have put in
  offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put
  in all the livelihood that she had.

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Love is the Basis of Life of Giving
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• Giving is motivated by Love.
• John 316For God so loved the world that He gave
  His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
  Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
• Widow of Nain
• Luke 713 When the Lord saw her, He had
  compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep.
  
• Giving without Love is nothing.
• 1 Corinthians 133 And though I bestow all my
  goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body
  to be burned, but have not love, it profits me
  nothing.
• Giving is the proof of our love
• 1 John 317-18But whoever has this worlds
  goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up
  his heart from him, how does the love of God
  abide in him? My little children, let us not love
  in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

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Love is the Basis of Life of Giving
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continued
Giving based on Love means Sacrifice

• To give out of our need
• Luke 213-4So He said, Truly I say to you that
  this poor widow has put in more than all for all
  these out of their abundance have put in
  offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put
  in all the livelihood that she had.
• To give to those who can not give back
• Luke 1412-14Then He also said to him who
  invited Him, When you give a dinner or a supper,
  do not ask your friends, your brothers, your
  relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also
  invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you
  give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the
  lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because
  they cannot repay you for you shall be repaid at
  the resurrection of the just.
• To give to everyone even our enemies
• the Good Samaritan

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What Do We Give?
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• To give our life to Our Lord.
• 2 Corinthians 515And He died for all, that
  those who live should live no longer for
  themselves, but for Him who died for them and
  rose again.
• 1 Corinthians 620For you were bought at a
  price therefore glorify God in your body and in
  your spirit, which are God's.

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What Do We Give?
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continued

• To Give Life To The Other
• Acts 20-31-35
• Therefore watch, and remember that for three
  years I did not cease to warn everyone night and
  day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you
  to God and to the word of His grace, which is
  able to build you up and give you an inheritance
  among all those who are sanctified. I have
  coveted no ones silver or gold or apparel. Yes,
  you yourselves know that these hands have
  provided for my necessities, and for those who
  were with me. I have shown you in every way, by
  laboring like this, that you must support the
  weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
  that He said, It is more blessed to give than to
  receive.

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What Do We Give?
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continued

• To Give Life To The Other
• 2 Corinthians 1215-18
• And I will very gladly spend and be spent for
  your souls though the more abundantly I love
  you, the less I am loved. But be that as it may,
  I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty,
  I caught you by cunning! Did I take advantage of
  you by any of those whom I sent to you? I urged
  Titus, and sent our brother with him. Did Titus
  take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the
  same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?
• To give time (e.g. service, worship, family)

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What Do We Give?
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continued
TO GIVE.

• Energy (i.e. help the others, visit sick and
  prisoners)
• Money to help the poor, the church projects.
• Advice, to give smile, to give word of
  encouragement.
• Forgiveness.
• Giving to be style of life not just occasionally.

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Why Do We Give?
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• To imitate Our lord
• Luke 636Therefore be merciful, just as your
  Father also is merciful.
• To serve our Lord
• Mathew 2540 And the King will answer and say to
  them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you
  did it to one of the least of these My brethren,
  you did it to Me.'
• Example St. Pishoy washed the feet of Our Lord
  and carried Him.

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Why Do We Give?
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continued

• To be blessed
• Acts 2035I have shown you in every way, by
  laboring like this, that you must support the
  weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
  that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to
  receive.' "
• To be given
• Luke 638Give, and it will be given to you good
  measure, pressed down, shaken together, and
  running over will be put into your bosom. For
  with the same measure that you use, it will be
  measured back to you."
• To be rewarded in heaven
• Mathew 2534-36Then the King will say to those
  on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My
  Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
  the foundation of the world for I was hungry and
  you gave Me food I was thirsty and you gave Me
  drink I was a stranger and you took Me in I was
  naked and you clothed Me I was sick and you
  visited Me I was in prison and you came to Me.'

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Why Do We Give?
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continued

• 1 Corinthians 310-15
• According to the grace of God which was given to
  me, as a wise master builder I have laid the
  foundation, and another builds on it. But let
  each one take heed how he builds on it. For no
  other foundation can anyone lay than that which
  is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone
  builds on this foundation with gold, silver,
  precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each ones
  work will become clear for the Day will declare
  it, because it will be revealed by fire and the
  fire will test each ones work, of what sort it
  is. If anyones work which he has built on it
  endures, he will receive a reward. If anyones
  work is burned, he will suffer loss but he
  himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.