WeOrthodox
EN UA
Kyle YouTube

Spreading Orthodoxy through ordinary sanctity and daily faithfulness

Spreading Orthodoxy through ordinary sanctity and daily faithfulness 9:30

The speaker says Christianity is not about rules or platforms but about becoming a saint through ordinary, daily faithfulness. He illustrates this with his godson, a graduate student whose quiet witness, attending liturgy, going to confession, helping at Sunday school, inviting friends, led multiple people to Orthodoxy. The faith spreads from the ground up through small acts that bring others closer to Christ.

The real work is inward: realizing "I am the problem" rather than trying to fix the world. Suffering is inevitable, but embracing the cross with Christ turns bitterness into the path of salvation. Practical disciplines such as fasting, long services, prayer, and gratitude train the heart to endure suffering with meaning.

The speaker cites his father's warning that the psychological trials of the last times will equal the physical martyrdoms of the early church, urging listeners to "escape the matrix" by living in the Church through prayer and worship.

Key moments

  1. Christianity is about examples not rules; everyone is called to become a saint by seeing the sinner in themselves and the good in others, being transfigured by Christ.
  2. The Church has many types of saints for many types of people, but it is built on ordinary saints living faithful daily lives.
  3. The speaker's godson, a graduate student working, attending liturgy and confession, helping at Sunday school, models ordinary sanctity.
  4. The godson's simple invitation brought a friend and the friend's mother into Orthodoxy, showing how grassroots witness spreads the faith.
  5. Christianity grows from the ground up through ordinary people; God works through small acts that plant seeds and soften hearts.
  6. True conversion reveals "I am the problem," not the world; Christ addresses the disposition of the heart, not external rules.
  7. Suffering is inevitable; embracing the cross with Christ turns bitterness into the path of salvation, as He transformed the cross from death into life.
  8. All are called to martyrdom, self-denial for Christ, and the speaker's father warned that psychological trials of the last times will equal the physical martyrdoms of the early church, so we must "escape the matrix" by living in the Church through prayer.
6 opinions in the discussion 6 participants The opinion with the most support Had this on my mind lately. I was feeling down about the people around me, that I fail to convert them or help them grow in the faith. Mentioned it to a friend earlier today. Two things make me sad. First, I think about their salvation and where they end up.… Read the discussion
34 comments at the source 3.9K views Original on YouTube

Discussion · 6

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

Log in Log in or sign up to join the discussion.

  • opinion#2605

    Had this on my mind lately. I was feeling down about the people around me, that I fail to convert them or help them grow in the faith. Mentioned it to a friend earlier today. Two things make me sad. First, I think about their salvation and where they end up. Second, I realize I'm probably not holy enough myself or filled with the Spirit, because if I were it wouldn't feel this hard. I need to work on myself more. God bless.

  • opinion#2606

    Great videos as always, they hit home with this one. I'm an inquirer at my parish (soon to be catechumen) and I tend to rush ahead of myself on my path to Christ. One way I do that is trying too hard to bring others to Him. I keep getting tempted to take on myself or others "salvation." My priest told me we can't accomplish anything on our own, that Christ does everything through us, including softening the hardened hearts of others. Your video reminded me of exactly that. I try to meditate on this since my real struggle is looking at myself instead of Christ. It's been wearing me down to where I get lost in my head and start doubting my love for God. I pray and try to keep from spiraling, knowing I'm vulnerable, especially as an inquirer. Please pray for me. God bless.

  • opinion#2607

    Well, on the flip side... I'm not invited trick or treating with my in laws and my own kids this year. So my experience hasn't been good. Don't get me wrong, I'm not really hurt by it, but my kids are being pulled away from me. That's what hurts. Zero success so far, and I'm not pushy at all. Might be political too. Very hard in California. To these people I'm a freak. There's a Saint Irenaeus book on my desk and people look at it like it's pornography. Complete inversion here.

  • opinion#2608

    This is one of my biggest problems with eastern orthodoxy, because I've always had this pull inside me to tell people about Jesus Christ and to have a relationship with him, since only through Jesus is anyone saved. My biggest hesitation with EO though is, first you have to do that, then get people through the institutional door. And of course they'll have a ton of questions about what that means. Then it turns into a church history lesson instead of the good news of Jesus Christ. And apparently you can't just go out and start evangelizing on your own. I do understand where EO is coming from, I've been inquiring for quite a while. But what makes me pull back is how closed a system it seems to be.

  • opinion#2609

    God spreads His Church, though He does it through human instruments. But until He wills it, nothing happens. Didn't He say, "For without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15,5)? By the way: the title saying "Orthodox Christianity" suggests there are "other Christianities", which we know is not true.

  • opinion#2610

    Every believer who fully trusts that Christ did all the work to get them to heaven and doesn't lean on their own righteousness for eternal life is a saint, and there are many around the world. Sadly there are far more who end up trusting themselves and the lies their institution teaches, that they also have to work (even if they sneak in the "God working through you" trick) and still have no assurance (which makes no sense), so they don't trust Christ and his work were enough. They count as unbelievers because they believe in the wrong things. Under E.O sin destroys grace; under Christianity grace abounds even more, but shall we keep sinning? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? That would spit in Christ's face. I saw kyle say 'doing your best' seems to be enough. That's tragically wrong. Your best is nowhere near good enough and you will be judged... this is the real humbling, not this greek style asceticism that existed before Christ even came, but coming to the end of yourself and realizing nothing you do, not 'trying your best', covers your sins (doesn't matter how heavy a cross you think you carry, how good you are, what sacraments you do), only what Christ did. That's where the savior part comes in. Under institutions like E.O and catholicism the idea is Christ did the initial work but you have to finish it, carry your 'cross', complete theosis...…