AVOID ANGER

First lesson: Matthew 18 : 21-22 “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven”. Second lesson: Luke 17 : 3 - 4 “Take heed to yourselves; If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shaft forgive him. Golden text: John 13 : 34 - 35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Introductory chorus: I have brought a new commandment, abide only in love, do not be annoyed, abide only in love. 1.1 Anger: The real source of sinful acts: Beloved, as you read this gospel, focus your mind on the red garment on me. It is said that, the death of our Lord Jesus Christ had created the path of salvation for us. At all times focus your mind on the red garment; at any place you find yourself and whatever the problem you face, continue to visualize the red garment on me and you will surely have salvation, good health and peace in your life. If you use a tuber of water yam as a bait for wild pigs, does it mean that, the beasts would only restrict themselves to the bait in event of their invasion into your farm? In other words, if wild pigs invade your farm, would they only eat that tuber of yam used in a trap? Have the Christian churches lived up to the expectation of Christ? Have they kept the Lord's commandment of living in peace with one another? If our Lord Jesus Christ had avenged His persecutors in any way, would mankind be saved? Christ Himself is the Saviour and King today. By that singular act, He demonstrated practically how to overcome evil and conquer death. Even on the cross. He prayed His Father to forgive the people, His persecutors, for they knew not what they did. Forgiveness, therefore, is the key to the kingdom from this moment, do not impute sins to anybody. Anger is the source of every evil and problem. The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, put an end to anger. The kingdom of God abhors anger. If Christ had turned to His Father and prayed Him to punish His enemies then He would not have been the one to die for the sins of man and would not have resurrected. But because He demonstrated practical love, mercy and forgiveness. He saved the whole world including Himself. Everyone has to emulate Him. Even if you should distribute your wealth to the poor and cast your body into a furnace of fire, except you refrain from anger, your whole effort is unprofitable. Even if you should roll on the floor, except you divorce anger completely from your mind, it is all in vain. 1.2 The effect of anger Moses, for forty days and nights was praying and fasting on the mount to receive the commandments. But on his way back from the mountain, he found the Israelites in a state of confusion, worshipping idols and defiling themselves with the heathen. Out of anger, Moses threw the tablet on the ground and broke it into pieces. Remember this was the tablet on which the commandments were written. Besides, as the Israelites journeyed to the promised land, they were thirsty and hungry and so, turned against Moses and queried him for taking them out of Egypt only to keep them in wilderness without water and food. They said in Egypt at least, they had water to drink and some food to eat. In his reaction, Moses prayed to God about the issue and he was instructed to only point the staff in his hand at a rock and a fountain of water would flow for the people to drink. But Moses, out of anger, struck the staff hard on the rock and water gushed out of it. That was a display of anger and its resultant effect. The sting of sin is anger. 1.3 When anger is at work Many nations have spent money, energy and various resources to manufacture weapons to enable them destroy other people in times of war. This is the handiwork of anger. Whoever forsakes anger has fulfilled the law because anger is the point where every other sin revolves. Your weapons now should be love, mercy and forgiveness. If a man slaps you and you do not retaliate, the problem that would have ensued from retaliation is defeated. Christ has also taught us not to resist an evil doer. 1.4 Overcome evil with good deed The only way a man can overcome evil is by doing good. This explains why Christ enjoined us that if a man slaps you on one cheek you should turn the other, and if he should ask you to walk a mile with him, you should go two. You are also advised to give your coat to one who desires your inner wear. That is how to overcome evil. It is victory. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not only teach these but He also practised them. Whoever follows His foot steps shall likewise conquer. 1.5 Unbelief is the cause of suffering Many profess to have suffered a great deal as a result of being the disciples of Christ. This is not true. Any true follower of Christ will never suffer nor have any problem. If any man suffers, it is rather as a result of his unbelief. A local adage warns that, a child who does not know how to handle the paddle should never venture into the sea with a canoe. There is war all over the world and problems everywhere. This is the time to comply with the injunctions of our Lord Jesus Christ that, we should live in peace with one another. 1.6 Anger is the mother of all sins While in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given an injunction to eat all but one fruit in the garden. God told them that if they ate of that one fruit, they would die. The question is, after eating the forbidden fruit, did Adam and Eve die? Nothing would have happened to them in any way if God was not angry. What befell them and the entire mankind till date is the expression of anger, God cursed the whole earth and Its inhabitants, creating enmity between man and his fellow man and between the woman and serpent. He subjected the woman to the control of man and pronounced that the latter would toil and labour to make ends meet. God further said that as dust, man would finally return to dust. Therefore, your belief that, satan, money or juju is the cause of the woes on earth is untrue. The whole problem is traceable to anger. An angry man is a hopeless person. God once sent Enoch to the earth to find out and report to Him if there was any righteous person. Enoch came and saw the world in a hopeless state of sinfulness and went straight to God and reported exactly what he saw on earth. On that basis, God regretted ever creating man. That act of regret was an outcome of anger. As a follow up to that anger, God resolved to destroy the earth through the great deluge. But for the eight species of His creation which He preserved, the world would have become extinct. During the era of Lot, God also sent His angels to the earth to find out if they would see any righteous person. On arrival at Sodom and Gomorrah, the inhabitants of these two cities attempted to kill the two angels. As they returned to heaven, the angels reported their experiences to God, and that, there was no single righteous person on earth. As it was the characteristic of God's temper then, He destroyed the two cities and their inhabitants. In the days of old God was very prompt and resolute in His reward or punishment. It was not uncommon then to see either fire from above burning people or a whole generation destroyed by any means preferable to God. 1.7 Jesus Christ put an end to God's anger The whole earth was once again on the verge of destruction when our Lord Jesus Christ volunteered to come down and shed His precious blood for the salvation of mankind. The Lord, therefore, came to eradicate anger and put an end to incessant human destruction. This explains why Christ said, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8 : 12): Many people believe today that God does not exist because of the various atrocious acts they commit without being punished. In those days, the character of God was quite different from today. The children of Israel died over twenty-three thousand for the sake of fornication and adultery. Any form of sin was visited with immediate punishment. Out of about six hundred thousand Israelites who left Egypt, only two arrived the city of Canaan. For the sake of the sins of men, Christ shed His precious blood. He humbled Himself even to the point of death. If our Lord Jesus Christ had got angry with His persecutors and prayed His Father to punish them, both Himself and the entire world would have perished. He came as an embodiment of peace, love, mercy, and all other virtues, He practically demonstrated this when He charged Peter to put back his sword into Its sheath for whoever holds the sword shall die by it. Funny enough, up till today, the world does not know the real mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Should Brotherhood of the Cross and Star too continue in that Ignorance? Are we also ignorant of His mission on earth? If the entire Christendom had endeavoured to practise the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, by now peace, love and prosperity would have flourished over the earth. 1.8 Love the new commandment The new commandment is love. This was the same commandment Christ gave to the world. The number of years you have spent in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star will be in vain if you fail to refrain from anger. Re-examine the First Lesson: First lesson: Matthew 18 : 21 - 22 “Then came Peter to him, and said. Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? .Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” 1.9 How to avoid anger What is the significance of the above passage? That question raised by Peter in verse 21 of the above text is for the interest of everyone. Any person who has watched anger at work would not wish to witness a repeat of such event. Parents have killed their children, husbands killed their wives and vice versa; friends killed friends as a result of anger. Anger can cause a man to set his house or even himself ablaze. The solution to this problem is abstinence from It. The last enemy Christ conquered and nailed to the cross was anger. Christ taught the Israelites love and if they had listened to Him they would have ruled the whole world today. Their thinking was that the Messiah would come with battalion of soldiers, armed to the teeth with heavy weaponry to help them fight successfully against the Romans. But ironically, here was a young man who came as a Messiah and preached the gospel of love for one another, peace to all men and non-violence. To them He was not the expected Messiah. But the stone the builders rejected ultimately became the chief corner stone. That stone is love. Whenever love is practically expressed, there is no quarrelling, fighting or any form of trouble. All the evil that people commit originate from anger. He that overcomes anger has conquered the world. 1.10 An illustration on anger Here is an illustration to demonstrate the aftermath of annoyance and the need for peace. There were two rams coming opposite ends in an attempt to cross a river through a very narrow bridge which could not accommodate both of them at the same time. The two rams out of foolishness claimed to have the right to first pass through the bridge. None could step aside to make way for the other to pass. Both of them moved into the narrow bridge and came face to face with each other. In their continued claim of right of passage fighting ensued and they fought and fell into the river and got drowned. At another time, two rams also met at the same bridge, and none claimed any right. One of the rams decided to wait at the other end of the bridge thus giving way to the other to move first conveniently before it could move. No life was lost. Anger is very unreasonable and murderous. If God did not put an end to anger, the world by now, would have been destroyed over a dozen times. We are today enjoying the benevolence of our Lord Jesus Christ because He overcame anger. We should therefore, abhor anger. An angry man can commit any evil. Once he is angry, he can go to any extent. It is common to find civil servants, students and the general public going on strike or civil demonstration for one reason or another. These are collective expression of anger for whatever reason and are ungodly. The consequences of strike actions to a nation, its economy and even to the individual are grave. Anger comes with ignorance, impatience, lack of love. envy, murder, havoc, violence, grudge, hatred and other evil acts. Re-examine the Second Lesson: Second lesson: Luke 17: 3-4 “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying, I repent; thou shall forgive him.” 1.11 Advise an evil doer If any man offends you, point out the offence to him and do not begrudge him. Take for instance, when Paul found Peter. Barnabas and other disciples, eating things sacrificed to idols, he rebuked them right there and went his way. (I Timothy 5:16 - 22). Do not be angry with your offender nor bear him malice. Do not give an ultimatum or send emissaries threatening to anybody or group of people. That is what is expected of all of us in the kingdom and it is our code of conduct. It is stated: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear thee, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in. heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18 : 15 - 18) The kingdom does not maintain any police force nor judiciary. Our indebtedness to one another is love as we are rightly advised in II Thessalonians 3 : 12 - 13. “Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” Therefore, dialogue and compromise are the answers to your problems. Whoever says he has suffered a great deal for the sake of the gospel is insincere and unfair. If a man suffers, it is rather because he has failed to keep the commandment. The word of God afterall, constitutes peace, patience, prosperity, love, eternal life and all the good things. Therefore, any member of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star who carries his arms across his head, claiming to have suffered much because of this fold is a liar, you suffer in earnest because of your sins. Under no circumstance should you be angry with anybody. Even if you have been neglected by your child, do not complain or report him to any person for the purpose of disciplinary action. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the fountain of wisdom and any one who rejects His teachings has rejected peace, good health, power and eternal life. Such a person has perished completely. It is therefore a must for every member of the fold to comply with His teachings. Re-examine the Golden Text: Golden text: John 13: 34 - 35 “A new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another; as I have loved you. that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”. Spiritual chorus: I desire love and not sacrifice. Come in and join me in bearing one another's burden in mercy. 1.12 Christ's mission is actualised Love is supposed not to form the theme of any gospel to you because you have seen it demonstrated practically. Our Lord Jesus Christ had His limit, guided by His mission on earth. His main duty was to shed His precious blood for the redemption of mankind. It is in this regard that He said in John 16 : 7 - 8 and 12 - 14. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart. I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness, and of judgement (John 16 : 7 - 8). I have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit. when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he wilt guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shaft hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16 : 12- 14). 1.13 Jesus Christ bore witness of me Our Lord Jesus Christ bore witness of me and I in reciprocation extol His virtues. Many accused Him of impatience and so on. That was when He had not shed the blood. Christ did not promise to lead men to the truth but He said that the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, would do that. Therefore, anybody who persists in anger is still imbibing unfounded doctrines. From the day He was nailed to the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ left in the world a new commandment, that we should love one another as He loved us. It is by this love that, the world would know us as His children. If Brotherhood of the Cross and Star were to toe the line of action of the world, mankind would have perished. It is said that, "a child who is careful enough shall surely kill the thing which killed his father, but a child that is careless shall be killed by the same thing that killed his father." All the religious organizations on earth are merely deceiving themselves and do not keep any of the injunctions of God. In like manner did the people of old behave and they all perished. Today, you are continuing in the same ignorance and sinfulness. 1.14 Nobody can provoke me to anger I challenged the world on 14th February 1942, that anybody who would be able to provoke me will receive a handsome reward in cash or its equivalent. Ever since I made this declaration none has been able to provoke me to anger. Anger is the bane of man's existence today. Anger is only prevalent here on earth and not the kingdom where I come from. If somebody calls you a thief when indeed you are one, why then should you be angry? On the other hand, if somebody calls you a thief when you have in fact, not stolen his property or another person's why should you get angry? That is what I teach you both practically and otherwise. Those who blaspheme against my name and Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, I warmly receive them without any discrimination. When Linus Umoh came to me, I held his shoulder high for engaging in a campaign of mud-slinging against Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. I even ordained some others. None have I rebuked or condemned. Any time a man is angry, he is doomed. Anything you do in anger is defiled and abominable. Many adversaries have come into 34 Ambo premises and even wormed their way into the altar to attack me, yet none of them have I reported to the police or sought redress in court Many have, for this reason, nick-named me, a friend of sinners. For not condemning any man does not mean that I am an accomplice and their friend? Therefore, a true member of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star will neither be angry nor fight. And by so doing he is completely free from problem. Every creation in heaven and on earth submits to He who has overcome anger. 1.15 Disobedience to the tenets of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is harmful Therefore, anyone who claims to have been defamed because of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is a liar. It is rather as a result of your non-adherence to the tenets of Brotherhood that causes you defamation and other forms of suffering. Beloved brethren, a stroke of cane is sufficient for the wise. Let he that has ears hear what the Holy Spirit has imparted to the world, May God bless His holy words; Amen. THANK YOU FATHER.