Everlasting Gospel
First lesson: John: 3:3
"Jesus answered and said unto him: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Second lesson: 1 Peter: 1:14
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in you ignorance."
Golden text: Colossians: 2:20
"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances."
Brethren, I am happy to see you everyday. The more I see you the greater my chances of revealing the recondite wisdom of God. Today again, we shall continue to reveal to you the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is so because if we had known the efficacy of the birth of Christ, we would not backslide and become entangled with the things we ought not to have involved ourselves. The birth of Christ is the birth of grace and peace; it is the birth, which calls for complete resignation from self and from material things. It is the birth which calls for absolute divestment all the former teachings and doctrines and traditional education from your teachers, parents and churches. It is indeed a period of rededication.
4.1 Christ is the new covenant
You are true witness to the fact that in his previous advent. He had nothing to do with marriage, burial, politics and all otherworldly considerations. He is the New Covenant. That was why the Jews accused Him of being disrespectful to the observance of Sabbath because He had no concern with Sabbath and its laws . The Jews required that nothing should be done on the Sabbath, there should be no healing, no carrying of loads, no distant journeys, but Christ had nothing to do with the Sabbath and its observances. His only business was to serve God. When you go back browse through your Bible, you will discover that He lived a life of separateness, his life was really very distinct and He had no concern with any other person. Since He was of the new world. He had no concern with the old world, which continued to warn: "do not do this and do not do that." He had nothing to do with any programme designed by others. His concern was to love and express this love in practical ways.
4.2 Christ was not under the tradition of the Jews
The Jews had a law that men should wash their hands before eating. This law was not binding on our Lord Jesus Christ. You are aware that the Jews accused the disciples of Christ for eating without washing their hands. The fact that He permitted His disciples to eat without washing their hands, proves most conclusively that He had nothing to do with the tradition of the Jews. When you get home, read your Bible from Matthew comparing the writings with His life and teaching whether there is anything that He copied from others.
His strict departure from the tradition of the Jews accounts for the reason why the Jews accused him. At one time the Jews went to Him and asked Him: "why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" He gave a ready made answer when He said: "No man can sew a piece of new cloth on an old garment, as the new piece which is used in patching will take away from the old one and rent the garment into pieces." He also added that no man can put new wine into an old bottle or the new wine will burst the old bottle and the wine is spilled and the bottle will be marred, but new wine must be put into new bottles. What is the meaning of that statement? The teachings of the Pharisees, Publicans, Scribes were different; they were earthly. The teaching of John the Baptist was different from those of the Pharisees and it was elementary. But the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ are new and have no connections whatever with those of the Scribes and Pharisees as well as with that of John the Baptist.
4.3 His actions revoked the tradition of the people
Have you not heard that when John the Baptist was beheaded, his disciples went to our Lord Jesus Christ and reported the death asking Him to join them for his burial? Their intention was that He should go with them for the funeral; but as soon as He heard this, He took His Bible and departed by ship into a desert place to preach. I want you to go and sleep over such a situation. John bore witness for Jesus Christ, all his actions, all his statements concerned no other person but our Lord Jesus Christ, but when He heard about the death of John, He took His Bible and departed without going to see what had happened and without making a statement. Do not forget that this John baptized our Lord Jesus Christ, He was therefore, the master to Christ, but when he heard that his master was beheaded, He did not put up appearance at the funeral.
Do not forget that our Lord Jesus Christ is compared with John when it is said: among them which are born of woman there has not risen any other person greater than John the Baptist except that he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Yet when our Lord Jesus Christ heard about the imprisonment and later of the death of John the Baptist, he did not even feel like finding time to go there, what was the matter?
Do you think that if our Lord Jesus Christ had led the type of life you now live, people would not have followed Him? But He departed far from the traditions of the people, he went off the carnal track and lived a different life altogether. Realising that His mode of life. His teachings and examples were so divergent, the people felt that if they followed Him, they would depart entirely from their customs and traditions.
Man has no knowledge and capability to do well, but man knows how to be wicked, cunning and crafty. The world has not only rejected the entire teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ for the very reason of his being the Christ but they also feel that if they accept His teachings, no person would know and recognise them again and that they would forever lose their identity as pope or bishop or pastor, and further more their tradition would be broken. To be born again like the birth of Christ is not something that could be treated in a cursory manner, it requires some seriousness and sacrifice.
4.4 Christ is not from the world
Why the people called Him mad, or an apparition or a mermaid is that He is born a new; He comes as a human being with a new name, new teachings and new ways of life which have nothing in common with what has been in existence on earth, because He is not from this world. Can a servant serve two masters? Can one person comply with the instructions of the world and at the same time with those of God? Can you mix new wine with old wine and still produce something tasteful? You would be delighted to compare the lives of the people at the time of Adam or Abraham even down to the time of John the Baptist with the life of our Lord Jesus Christ; you will notice a marked difference between them. Did it not look strange to many people to observe that this Jesus was not concerned with His village, neither was He concerned with His parents and so people concluded that He was mentally deranged, a person without a thinking faculty. As the first born son, it would have been his duty to arrange how to look after the parents, how to educate his brothers and sisters and how to occupy a prominent position in his community, but instead of that. He had no interest in any such things. That was why he told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. It is a truism that His Kingdom is not of this world. As a handsome young man, do you think, that if he had chosen to attach Himself to the beautiful girls, men and ladies, they would not have accepted and followed Him? But He knew for certain that such an action was of the old world and so He parted with the past and was not interested in women. Even at his trial they would have ganged up with Him and others to fight those who wanted to kill Him. He was not concerned with anything carnal. He had nothing to do with any other person. His own concern was with His twelve disciples. He travelled with them, ate with them, prayed with them and did everything with them. He had no association with any other person apart from the twelve. He lived in a separate world. That explains why they inadvertently called Him an undesirable being.
4.5 The virtues of God exemplified by his birth
Precisely, the birth of Christ symbolises His ways of life. His behavioural pattern. His teaching. His manner and His actions. The sum total of these, expresses the real meaning of the birth of Christ. The commemoration of the birth of Christ is to remind us of the life of Christ, how He lived and the examples He showed to us, His own teachings and pattern of behaviour. His activities. His services to God and how He directed us to serve God. Indeed, the remembrance should serve as a period of rededication to the Christian ethics.
We should not be like Nicodemus who when he was told that except a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God, asked: " how can a man be born again when he is old?" whether he can re-enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? You have not been instructed to re-enter into your mother's womb, neither are you advised to prepare delicious dishes, or drink, or play, or drum, or masquerade about, dance and sing around the town to show that Christ is born, but to rededicate yourself to the virtues of God. This is why He told Nicodemus that except a man is born again he could not see the kingdom of God. You must be born again.
If you are not reborn, how can you operate in the new world because the old world is not compatible with the new? To be born again is to part with the past in order to live the Christ-life.
Do you know why the world has accepted the teachings and doctrines of the churches but rejects ignominiously the teachings of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star? Do you know why many people allege that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is not good, that it is not a good organisation, that it is filled with troublemakers and that it introduces new teachings and doctrines and lead people astray, and for that reason they cannot become Brotherhood of the Cross and Star members?
4.6 Brotherhood of the Cross and Star and the world
In the purported commemoration of the birth of Christ, many undesirables feature prominently, traditional rulers, juju priests, Ekpe and Obon chiefs, Ogboni chiefs, and members of secret societies, harlots, drunkards, fornicators, dancers, masquerades and trouble mongers expect that the world is their exclusive monopoly and that no person should tamper with their activities and operations. Contrary to their expectations, Brotherhood of the Cross and Star appears, as a bolt from the blues, with new songs, new ways of life and new teachings. This is the cause of the whole trouble. Tell me why the world should not be antagonistic against you?
It is known that many important personalities here in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star are people of the world because they go about indoctrinating and brain-washing people outside this fold that when they die, if they were in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, Ekpe and Obon and other plays would not feature at their burial, that their corpses would not be taken to the church for the last honour, that mourning houses would not be kept for them, that they would no longer take part in the worship of mermaid, celebrated on a certain day of the week. On hearing these, they would decide not to become Brotherhood of the Cross and Star members. Since the world glories in carrying the coffin to the church and the praises of the dead man sung, members of his societies standing around the coffin, people in the world really feel that it is not worth losing all these rights and privileges to become Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. There are no such observances in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star because Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is a centre for rededication to the life of Christ. Our first lesson will now be read again.
First lesson: John: 3:3
"Jesus answered and said unto him: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Brethren, have you heard that? Now all the church denominations have concluded that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is not a church denomination. This is true. Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is not a church. They say it is not a place for Sunday worship. It is true. Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is not interested in keeping services, bazaar. New Year's service and many other celebrations that are rampant in the old world. All the activities and observances are found in the old world. Which of these is supported by the scriptures and which of them is practised or observed here in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star? I want to tell you that all these secret societies were not in existence in the beginning, but were introduced by the church denominations whose members are also members, of the Ekpe, Obon and Ekpo societies, and who during bazaars and other functions would invite these societies to feature and perform in order to attract large crowds who are expected to carry with them generous donations. The Ekpe, Obon and Ekpo societies would go there with their masquerades to perform. In course of time, these societies become absorbed into the church system. Have you heard what our Lord Jesus Christ has said? He says: if you do not refrain completely from the things with which you entangle yourself, how can you have this new life.
4.7 To be born again is to break with the past
What have brought the church denominations into disuse are the observances of traditional systems, these have definitely shadowed the glory of God. To be born again is to divest yourself of all the worldly life; to break away from the tradition; customs and usages of your village, the songs, the dances and indeed the sum total of your behavioural patterns of your people and the characteristics and idiosyncrasies of the world and then practice what God expects of you before you can see the kingdom of God. Unless you are born again, you will not be able to practice the teaching of Christ, neither will you be able to emulate his life style and commemorate his new birth.
Right now, your troubles is that you are concerned about the land of your birth, your village or town or city; you have created distinction between your village and the neighbouring one; you have land dispute and also chieftaincy dispute, you keep mourning houses and become entangled with all the worldly activities, what time is left for you to please your God?
Have you remembered an incident when a young man said he would follow our Lord Jesus Christ, and our Lord Jesus Christ told: " foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head." You are true witnesses that I have neither relations, nor ward nor town; I am but alone in the world. In your own case your mother, father, brothers, sisters, children, relations and friends are surrounding you. To be born again means that you have to forsake all your relations in order to serve God without disturbance. At another instance, Jesus called on somebody to follow him but the man asked that he be excused to go and bury his father but Jesus told him, " follow me and let the dead bury the dead. You go and preach the kingdom of God." In as long as you maintain your relative position in the family as the first son or the first daughter or the mother, and consider that you are the only person left in the family, and that you have neither a son nor a husband nor a brother to help, neither have you a home nor any property, when will you have the time to serve God and be born with Christ?
4.8 Seek first the kingdom and you have all things
If you contemplate that until you educate your children, or build a house or acquire university education or make adequate arrangements for your family before you begin to preach the word of God, when will you ever preach? In your community, you belong to the royal family, you inherit many hectares of land from your father, and you are the only cock to crow, you are an opinion leader, a judge, you lead the land dispute team, you dictate the space of politics in the village, you are involved in virtually everything, when would you have time to serve God? Unless you are reborn and forsake all these carnal things completely, you will not be able to serve God. That is our problem.
You can consider that you are being owed by many people, all your father's land are in dispute and there are many other cases and worries besetting you, you are being battered from all sides to a state of collapse. With all these pressing on you, how can you serve God unless you are born again? That is why most of you have decided to come here for prayers, all of you only come here to receive prayers even as you are sitting here your prayers are on the Lord's table. Have you heard what our Lord Jesus says: " how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God." He says it is easier for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to through a needle's eye than for a man entangled with the traditional and carnal things to enter into the Kingdom of God.
The birth of Christ has nothing to do with 25th of December or with all what we do but relates to his style of life. If you want to have the same pattern of life as our Lord Jesus Christ or to follow his examples, you have got to forsake all the material and customary life of this world before you can live as He lives and walk according to His footsteps, otherwise you are wasting your time.
4.9 Forsake the world and follow Christ
Did Christ not tell you that if any man comes to Him and hates not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, he could not be His disciple? Did he not show you by practical examples how to live as a child of God? Did He not have brothers and sisters, mother and father, town and family and every other carnal thing, and his world was not very different from what we see today. If He had clung to His father or mother or brothers or material things, would He have entered into the kingdom of God? Brethren do you remember He was talking to people and somebody went to tell Him: “Behold, your mother and your brethren stand outside desiring to speak with you”. Our Lord Jesus Christ asked him, “who are my mother and my brethren”? He stretched forth His hand towards His disciples and said, “behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother”. Brethren, if you are not born again where will you be, because His birth is to be reborn. We have to resemble Him in all respects and unless you divest yourself of all mundane considerations, you cannot resemble Him. Did Christ not tell the world that if His gospel or teachings were hid, it is hid to them who are lost? Let us read our second lesson again.
Second lesson: 1 Peter: 1:14
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance."
4.10 Avoid worldly traditions
Brethren, have you heard that? It is our duty to look up to Him. He is the Mediator of the New Testament. We all have to imitate His life style, walk according to His footsteps. What did He do? He was preaching the word of God. Why did He preach? He preached because He had no connection with anything else. He had forsaken the material things of the world. It is now incumbent upon us to emulate His life and example, to resemble Him exactly. You must not go back to the life of the old world. It is not necessary to mix this life with the traditions of the world. Here you will notice that we have not introduced anything foreign to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have not introduced the keeping of mourning houses or memorial services. You cannot find such here; here there is no function or launching in which members lock and unlock, but right before me here you have introduced locking with one pound and unlocking with five pounds. You still participate in bazaar, show films and stage concerts. Is that really Brotherhood of the Cross and Star?
4.11 Christ rejected the kingship of the Jews
You will remember that when Our Lord Jesus Christ fed the people, since the worldly people love food, they at once arranged to make him King. He knew their thoughts and so escaped to the mountains. If you profess to have accepted Christ and are born again, why do you accept the post of a Commissioner, why do you want to become a president or a governor or to hold a chieftaincy title? Of what use to you are these positions? Are you a dog? After you have decided to be born again and have accepted to live the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, why are you involved in expensive funeral, why do you keep mourning house and play band to attract many people so that people would know that you are worshipping the real God? Is that the real God? Are you following the examples set by our Lord Jesus Christ?
4.12 No incident excited Christ
The Bible says let the dead bury the dead but now, in spite of your claim that you have forsaken everything and that you are with Christ, but now you have fallen head-long into expensive burials. Very often you excuse yourself to go and bury your brother, your mother, your uncle or other relations. What on earth prompted you to claim the follower ship of Christ? This is the commemoration of the birth of Christ. When our Lord Jesus Christ was on ministry work in India, his mother wrote to Him that His father had died and that He should come home. He replied to Her saying he had completed his assignment on earth and that she should not bother herself. There is no wisdom in keeping a mourning house, singing, dancing, drinking and doing all such like things in order to mark the funeral of a person with pomp. Any person who involves himself in such things is not reborn, he has not remembered the birth of Christ- he is in darkness. Our Lord Jesus Christ is not God of the dead but of the living.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is not the Mediator of the New Testament for the dead but for the living. If you compare your lives with that of Christ, the great difference in it would actually intimate to you to amend your ways.
4.13 Traditional observances are against the teaching of Christ
All your involvements in your family, the death of your mother giving wine to the grave diggers, providing drinks to those who watch over the nights in the mourning house, giving wine to those who make the coffin and wash the dead body, are these consonant with the instructions of God? All those who fatten their daughters, get involved in marriage, pay bride price, give drinks of various types, arrange wedding and dress with flowing wedding gowns, are these the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ? Our Lord Jesus Christ received no instruction or advice from man. He received His own advice from His Father. All those who have separated themselves from the world must comply with the instruction of God, to do all those things according to God's advice.
4.14 Tradition is incompatible with Brotherhood of the Cross and Star
It is now observed that certain things are introduced into Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. At functions or fund raising ceremonies in the bethel, you provide drinks in order to generate revenue, you introduce bazaar, concerts and drama, show films, sell flowers and badges, wear special uniforms, buy specials seats at function. Who has taught you all these things? Are these the teachings of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star? When you go home, consider again the significance of the birth of Christ. He was not born on a certain day but it is His life style that we are concerned. We abide by His teachings and walk in His footsteps. Earthly things are used to illustrate heavenly things. That day (Christmas day) is used as a symbol to commemorate the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live unto God not to live according to the dictate of the flesh, but to live according to the direction of the spirit. Let our golden text be read again.
Golden text: Colossians: 2:20
"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances."
Brethren, can you notice why many of you cannot enjoy this kingdom of God? Right now you are contemplating with yourself that your old mother should not die, as you have no money yet. But I ask you, has Brotherhood of the Cross and Star any difficulties in case of death? If somebody dies, you sing and dance and return earth-to-earth, sand-to-sand and dust-to-dust. Death does not require any money because you want to satisfy your traditional urges.
4.15 Life of Christ, quality of oneness
The life of our Lord Jesus Christ is the quality of oneness, we are all one. If somebody sleeps in the Lord, we buy and sew funeral clothes, we wash the dead body, provide the coffin, sing and dance and take him to the cemetery to return to earth and there after return to our various occupations. But now have you complied with this system, do you not complain that your relation is dead and you have spent a great deal of money to accord him a befitting burial? Why have you involved yourself in such exorbitant expenditure, if you maintain that you are with Christ, are you serving Him? If, in fact, you are dead with Christ, you have been removed from the worldly things, why then do you become entangled with the things of the world?
4.16 Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is free from the law
The people of the world join the various secret societies so that they be taken care of at death, but in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star you lack nothing, why do you join these societies? What you had vomited, you begin to lick back, is that the life style of Christ? Have you not been told that any person who is a member of any society has denied Christ and has no share in the kingdom of God?
In the church denominations, if somebody is dead, the register will be opened and his debt will be counted and until all his debts are made good, no bell will toll for him. After defraying his debts, you will give wine for the pastor and the elders before an elder or pastor will be sent to conduct the burial. You will be required to give more wine, goat, cock, food and other things. Here in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, there is no problem: no person is poor, none is sick. If a man is ill, all of us become ill. If any person is beset with problem, every person will rally round to find a solution to the problem. Where else in the world can you find such behaviour? Even in your family, people will leave you with utter abandon, but here, there is no such thing. This is the birth of Christ in which we have to emulate his life style. If you had divested yourself of all the worldly considerations, why do you again become entangled with them, why do you go back to the customs and traditions of your village which will require you to give drink, to kneel for traditional prayers, to dance round the circle according to the village custom and many such like things; or before you are allowed to enter the mourning house, you are ordered to remove your shoes and to scatter your hair. Why do you participate in such activities, is that the life of a man of God? You take part in family meetings or in village meetings or in age-group activities and your friends celebrations. Do all these observances give glory to God? In your family, you are the secretary, in your village you are the chairman, in another place, you are given a prominent position; are these positions given to you by Christ? Are you serving the Lord Jesus Christ?
What actually do you require from these bodies? If you are born with Christ, if you are living with Christ, what else do you need? You have life, father, mother, brothers and sisters, children: kith and kin, you are liberated; you have passed from death into life.
After you have had Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He calls you into this kingdom, what right has the world to also invite you to them, to make you a chief and you accept it. What type of chief is that? Is it that of Satan or Lucifer, explain it to me.
When Peter asked Christ saying: Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee, what shall we have therefore? And Jesus told him, verily I tell you that you who have followed me, in the generation when the Son of Man shall sit in the Throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and everyone who has forsaken houses or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name sake, shall receive a hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life.
4.17 Who will be destroyed
Who will be caught up with the calamities to come? They are those who have the marks of the beast on their forehead. The mark of a beast refer to those who walk according to the ordinances, traditions and rudiments of men-those who walk according to man-made laws, those who are not obedient to the teachings of Christ, they are destined for eternal doom.
4.18 His birth means love and oneness
The birth of Christ knows love, it is a symbol of universal love without segregation and discrimination, every person is regarded in the same way whether one is a thief or a fornicator or a liar. The birth has joined all human beings together. Have you not heard that the children of God will judge both the people of the world and the angels? Why then do you go back to them and do what they are doing in the world?
For the day you are installed as a chief, what will the world not do? From that day you accepted to be installed, you have gone back to the world, you have denied Christ. Now that you are looking for the position of a chief, it means you are looking for the crown of Satan; Christ has definitely taken away his own crown from you. Since you are born with Christ, you have the right to attend any church denomination, you go there to preach to them, be kind to them, you are free to go to your government department and preach the word of God showing also benevolence to people, you are free to go to your native doctors and preach the word of God to them but do not be absorbed in their institutions and do not follow their examples. You should not live as the worldly people; you do not have to consider that what you are doing will attract laughter from the worldly people, or that the worldly people may not say where is your God? If the people ask where is your God, does it mean that God is not in existence or do you not see Him if they have not recognised God?
The world is in great loss because there are some whose father is dead, but because they have no money with which to bury their father, they claim that they are Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.
Their intention is that their dead father should be buried by Brotherhood of the Cross and Star and since they know that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star does not indulge in gluttonous funerals, the entertainment which the worldly people would have demanded are not given, That is why the world is angry with Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. You will notice then that the burial system of the world is a kind of reciprocal action or contributory relationship. When you take part in the funeral of another person's relation then they will also come to you and eat and drink. But now they are at a loss because when once you come into Brotherhood of the Cross and Star you are free from all those encumbrances. But now Brotherhood of the Cross and Star members move from here into the world. What is their fate? They are lost.
Now if you do not drink, the people know that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star members do not drink, but if you are in the world but do not drink, the people will say you do not drink because you have no money. If your relation dies, people will not be interested because they know you have no money. But in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, no person has any comment to make. Brotherhood is not worldly It is from above.
Have you noticed what obtains in this Kingdom given to you? Whatever you do, you exercise your free will. In marriage, in childbirth you do not give drink, whether you have promotion or win a case or recover from a very serious sickness, you give no wine. People readily know that you are restrained from giving wine because Brotherhood of the Cross and Star does not drink but if you are in the world and fail to offer drink in each of the events, you will be regarded as an abominable man. Let me tell you plainly that any person who adheres to the traditions of the world, will be marked down by the people in the world and they will not fail to express unequivocally that you are not a Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. Christ condemns you. But in as much as you walk according to the commandments of Christ, you do not give drink, the same people will mark you as a man of God and Christ will mark 'S' on your forehead meaning salvation. All those who walk in the footsteps of Christ have no problems, they constitute fear to others, and they will respect you as you walk boldly and freely everywhere. They will openly confess that you are a man of God. We are not under law at all. If you associate yourself with the birth of Christ you do not belong to any other group, you belong to the group of the children of God. Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is your village, it is your city, it provides the only tradition. If therefore you are completely absorbed into it, divest yourself completely of all carnal behaviours and considerations.
If Christ had not lived a righteous life, do you think the Christmas day would have been observed? Or would He have been the Christ? You will remember that when He was led to the cross. He had many brothers and sisters but He entrusted His mother under the care of John saying: " Son behold your mother, mother behold your son" and John, His disciple took her home and his brothers and sisters were there and did not object to it. What about you, now instead of entrusting your business into the care of brothers, you have all your business in the condemned world. If you want to build, you will award the contract to somebody outside the fold.
4:19 Let us live like a family
Whatever you want to do, you do with the people in the condemned world with the excuse that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is not good. Does it mean that the people of the world are good? If you have a sister you give out to a man in the world to marry because the man is rich, if you want to marry, you pick your wife from the world. Sisters here marry men outside the fold. Are you not heading to destruction? You know that there are worthy men and women, which could be married within the fold. If you do not marry yourselves, why were you drawn together from the world?
It is in deed true that if you go to marry from a brother in the fold, he will demand enumerable things from you including the sands of the earth. Is that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star? It is also true that if you award a contract to a brother, he will collect the entire contract sum without doing the work. If you ask him what the matter is; he will tell you that it is as the Father likes it. If you had died away from those things why do you again become entangled in them?
If you give your daughter to a brother in marriage in accordance with the ethics of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, the man will so ill treat your daughter that you will regret having given her to a brother. It would have been better had you given her to Satan. You want to marry, but you feel that it would be better to marry from the fold. However, when you take the woman home, she will torture you, become so extravagant and do many unforgetful things that you will regret marrying a Brotherhood of the Cross and Star woman. But we have no problems because Christ had suffered, and suffering is the lot of the children of God. If you profess to be born with Christ, why do you complain for anything, that somebody has escaped with your money, or that your wife is not good, but our Lord Jesus Christ did not complain.
4:20 Endure one another
Christ died for the sake of His children, in the same token we should die for the sake of our friends. We in Brotherhood Of the Cross and Star are birds of the same plumage and must endure each other, whether the other member is good or bad, whether he is a thief or a fornicator, since he is a Brotherhood of the Cross and Star member. He has to be accepted since it is said, “charity begins at home.”
We are aware of the relationship between Christ and Judas Iscariot. He betrayed Christ, yet Christ made him the treasurer, and in spite of his swindling behaviour, Christ did not complain against him. He endured with him till the end. That is the life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is an example to the whole world. That is why He says that except we are born again, we cannot follow Him but if we forsake everything and are born again, we shall live like Christ, we shall not complain about anything. Because we do not live to please anyone but we live to please our Lord Jesus Christ because this birth is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, this is the time of His birth and glory.
It is not my intention to be tedious unto you, let those who have ears hear. May God bless His holy words; Amen.
Thank You Father