Apropos of inter-communing, I think its important to add that in Orthodoxy, living a lifestyle condemned condemned by The Church will also result in a refusal of communion. For example, a couple living together without being married, marriage outside The Church, leading a life of criminal activity, that sort of thing will all result in a denial of the sacrament.
Yes, Kolo, very true. Thanks for "filling in" on this important aspect. I just got trough posting to wmfights and Mark how important it is that we live our faith and not just preach. Real saints don't have to preach anything. Their lives are sermons without words.
The problem with preaching is that, with words, we can create whatever we want others to believe about us. There is simply no way of proving us wrong. Who but the devil could have devised something so appealing to humanity and yet so patently false!?
Apostolic Christianity, especially Orthodoxy, is very Jewish in that, when it comes to faith, we place emphasis on how we live more than what we preach. Doing the mitzvot (God's commandments) as part of our daily life is the whole essence of our faith: forgiveness, mercy, charity, compassion, repentance, etc. are all more important than having memorized all the cherry-picked verses.
In our homiies every Sunday, we are told how to live a virtuous life, based on the life of Chirst, as narrated in the Gospels. It's the message behind the verses read that matter more than the exact words.
I saw the "Fidler on the Roof" the other day (again for the nth time) and couldn't help but chuckle when the local tailor obtained a sewing machine and the whole village came to see it. Then the rabbi showed up and someone asked if if he could bless the sewing machine! Then someone asked, "is there a blessing for a sewing machine?" And the rabbi replied "there is a blessing for everything." This is where we get our mindset. That could have been an Orthodox priest for all you know, and he would have given the same answer!
Boasting with words about the "indwelling spirit" or being the "mouthpiece of God" or being "saved by faith" are just empty words that prove nothing. Words are cheap. Real believers will live a life through which people we recognize Christ in them.