WHAT IS TRUTH

Text: John 18:1- 40 1.1 Christ bore witness to the Truth All of us are from God and we have specific assignments to accomplish on earth. “Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, what is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. But ye have a custom that I should release unto you one at the Passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. " (John 18: 36 - 40) A great number of people do not know what the truth is. If you contest this fact, what is truth? Another question is, what did Christ mean when He said, 'my kingdom is not of this world...? Pilate demanded to know from Christ what the truth was. What then is Truth? The fact that Christ had nothing materially to do with the world and did not have any need for material things, prompted Him to say that His kingdom was not of this world. Christ was interested in the pursuance of His mission which was to bear witness to the truth. If you are a man, your dealings are with men. Similarly, our Lord Jesus Christ came as a Spirit and His dealings were with spirits, not material things. When you are told that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is the kingdom of God, you doubt this notion since it is located at Ambo Street, Calabar which is a unit of this world. To base your argument on the premise that Brotherhood is physically located at Calabar is not fallacious. You cannot believe the obvious thing because you do not want to refrain from sins. You have been told that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is not a prayer house, a church, a mere organisation but the kingdom of God on earth. If a man is born and knows where he comes from, and his mission on earth, such a person has no problems. And whoever realises that he is not of this world and that he belongs to God, can never be persuaded to forget God's injunctions. John 18:34-38 reveals the mission of Christ "... thou sayeth that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this, cause come I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice, Pilate saith unto Him, what is the truth?” Jesus Christ was not a witness to anybody but to this power. In your own case, you glorify man, air and water which means you are a witness to falsehood. The nagging question is, what is the truth which Christ spoke about? This, to some extent implies that, Christ was not the truth, but a witness to it. If He was a witness to the truth why has the world not recognise Him as such? 1.2 God is the Truth The truth is God, and does not change. He is the same today and forever. The truth is God, and God is the Holy Spirit. He our Lord Jesus Christ promised that, no one else would come to the world except the Father and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, He bore witness to the Holy Spirit. I have told you at all times to go out and bear witness to the Holy Spirit, because this is a crucial period which marks the end of time. See John 18:34-36; John 5:41-42. "I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. "(John 5:41-42). You want favour from somebody. And you give bribe to people because, you want the person to vote you into power. Others also give money for people to worship them, which means, they want their own glory. They seek for praise singing and relish praise names. See John 5:43-44 “l am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? " The fact that you pay lip service to the work of God, makes you to look for glory, honour and respect from people. People who indulge in such habits do not have respect for God. Whoever does something in order to be praised, has no fear of God. Why must you bribe people to get what you want? You do this because you do not know the truth. God does not fear any person and can never be bribed. 1.3 The cause and effect You do not know the truth, that is why the glory of God is yet to manifest in you. You give money to people to prepare protective charms for you. Is this the practice of a person who knows the truth? The fact is that, you have refused to acknowledge the excerpt below: "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. " (John 12:25). Christ succeeded because He surrendered every thing to the Father. And He knew that the Father is the cause and effect of everything. This forms the statement by Christ when He was standing trial before Pilate. 'Then saith Pilate unto him, speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. " (John 19: 10-11). Since you are not a witness to the truth that is why you attribute your misfortune to people. When you are sacked from your job, you blame it on your boss, and when you are sick, you attribute it to a witch. But Christ whom you profess to follow believes that, whatever happens is the will of God. In your own case, you are a witness to falsehood. As a true witness to the Father, Christ did not fight against the will of the Father. Instead of you to take example from Christ, you resist the will of God. If you know God, you would not consult a juju priest, and you would not seek for medication and other things which do not give glory to God. We are all witnesses to the truth. Therefore, we must give thanks to God in any condition we find ourselves. At one time or the other, man plunges himself into incongruous acts in an attempt to achieve his aspirations in life. He rather fears the unimportant things which have no value. Read Matthew 10:28. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell " 1.4 Fear not At the moment, who do you fear? Is it not something which can only kill the flesh? The thoughts for food and clothes and other material things are the only problems which man thinks he has in the world. In a bid to get what you want, you get involved in one evil act or another. By this act, you blink at what the Bible advises: Do not be afraid of what can destroy the flesh, rather, fear that which can destroy both the flesh and the soul. If you see a man approaching you with a matchet, would you not run and leave your Bible? Yet, this is a person who can only destroy the flesh. Suppose the government orders that, people should no longer worship on Sundays, that anyone who violates this order would be imprisoned or killed, would you not honour that order? The whole world is afraid of that which can kill only the flesh. Mankind fights for material things which are not durable. But the world forgets that God can kill the flesh and cast the soul into hell fire. You do not have to be afraid of sickness, hunger, man or any other thing in the world except God. Do not be afraid of death because as a child of God, death cannot do anything to you. Do not be fearful of Satan, money, wealth or juju. Is there anything God cannot do? Or is there anything which you can do? When you have God and believe in Him, you need not fear anything, because He is always with you, and He shares in all your experiences. Why then are you afraid, when you know that you have a Father? Your father is alive; He lives forever and He is the Father of truth. Do not seek for people's help because help can only come from the Almighty Father. 1.5 Are you a witness to the Truth? One of the wall clocks at 34 Ambo Street Hall was donated by a police Criminal Investigation Officer to the Father. This police officer was asked to prosecute an accused person in a court. Before he started his prosecution, the presiding magistrate told him to swear to an oath as it is their practice. The prosecuting police refused to swear because, they are taught not to swear. The magistrate demanded to know his faith and the officer mentioned Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. The magistrate ordered him to swear the second time, but the officer remained adamant. The magistrate asked the police officer to look around the courtroom if he could see the Father. The officer said that his Father was there in the court because He (the Father) is Omnipresent. The Magistrate was highly offended by this reply and ordered him to withdraw his statement, else, he could be charged for, contempt of court. The police officer did not mind. Even when he was ordered the second time to withdraw the statement by the magistrate, he stood his ground. Angered by the confrontational attitude of the police officer, the magistrate shouted at the police officer to withdraw his statement. The police officer did not complete his pronouncement when the magistrate slumped down and became unconscious. The court became quiet. At this stage, the police officer knelt down and knocked his forehead on the ground and the magistrate got up and asked the police officer to continue with the case without oath-taking. The magistrate acknowledged that Leader Olumba Olumba Obu is God. After hearing the prosecution and the defense counsel, he (the magistrate) sentenced the criminal to six months imprisonment. And he asked the police officer to leave his address with him, but after two weeks of the case the magistrate died. If you were the police officer, what would have been your response? When you are sick you attribute such sickness to evil powers. In this case, are you a witness to the truth? God is the source of love and hatred. See Romans 9:11-14 "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid, " Man cannot do what is stated in the above biblical excerpt. As such, you need not be offended when faced with any problem. Because of self-gratification, you cannot be a witness to the truth. There is nobody who is able to bear a true witness to the truth. See Romans 9:16-19. "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardened. " Is the name of drugs, juju or ghost mentioned in the above portion? You cannot achieve your ambition because of your high demands and frivolous nature. Anything you have is from God. God is the one who exalts and He is the one who gives money and children, and He can abase anyone at any time. Why then do you attribute your problems to powers which do not exist? Recall that He has confirmed that, He has come to bear witness to the truth. See John 7:16-18 “Jesus answered them, and said, my doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory; but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” You think that you can help yourself when God is helping you. Refer to the promise of God which He sent through the prophets as contained in Matthew 21:33-42. Are you not ashamed of yourself for not being able to bear witness to the truth? How do you understand the parable in the above text? Who is the king in the portion? Is it not God? And who are the keepers of the vineyard? Are you not one of them? When the time of harvest came, He sent the servants to collect the fruits from the vineyard but various treatment were meted out to them. Finally, He sent his son believing that, when they see him (the son), they would respect him. But when the farmers saw him, they rather planned and killed him so that, they could inherit the vineyard. Jesus then asked what the disciple thought the owner would do to the inhabitants of the vineyard when He visits the farm? 1.6 I am not the doer of these works? The world is doing similar thing today. You commit all forms of crime without the fear of God. What do you think the master of the vineyard will do when He comes? He will order the sinner to be exterminated and shall take over the vineyard and give to others who would show commitment. The parable was an indirect reference to the time God will come by Himself. You read the Bible from your youth, but would not refrain from evil. You steal and, disgrace God with the Bible In your hands. What then do you use the Bible for? See Isaiah chapter 2 verse one to the end. What then is the mountain of God? Prophet Isaiah established that at the end of time, the nations shall no more lift up their swords. Peace will prevail and the judges of the world shall bow unto the Lord. I continue to inform you that I am not responsible for all the things which are done in this kingdom. I have no wisdom of my own; I do not exist. Since the creation of the world, no angel has ever done the work accomplished by people of this generation. A community in Rivers State reported a pestilence, which was perpetuated by evil powers in their community and thus, decided to consult the Father for help. Consequently, the Father sent people to the community. The people went and subdued all the evil powers. Soon after they left, there were reports of many death of juju priests and members of secret societies in the community. Most people are attributing the waning powers of demons and their practitioners to Olumba Olumba Obu. I have no power to do such things. Anywhere you go, after singing spiritual choruses elementary spirits will be destroyed. See Galatians 4:1 7: "Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all. But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world; But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. " Governments sometimes make decisions against the operation of churches. The recent ban on open air preaching is a clear example. Is the government the owner of the land, money or power? The government is making these policies because, the rulers have no regard for the Almighty God. The ignorance of Government functionaries about God is the cause of these draconian laws on religious activities. All the sinners will perish. Those who steal, fornicate, kill and indulge in other sins will perish. See Ezekiel 4:37-50. May my peace and blessing be on the entire world now and forever more; Amen. THANK YOU FATHER