And Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

This gospel should be disseminated to all and sundry in every part of the world. Intact, the gospel is going to reveal to you what really constitutes the downfall of man. Every spirit and angel of God are present in this kingdom. So, there is great joy for those who behold the Holy Spirit personified.

An adage has it that a good beginning makes for a good end. It is also said that "charity begins from home." Now, if we fail to embrace the children and give them equal right how would things go well with us? The salvation of the world is in the hands of the little ones. The children today are the future leaders, those to occupy all important positions in the world. But if we fail to tolerate, love and lead them by showing good examples to them, how then would they, perform the role expected of them?

Have you now seen the cause of the suffering faced by the world? This gospel is also directed to those who are fond of speaking ills so as to correct them.

To the elderly people, they should equally read this gospel to correct their false impression that they are often been treated like children. Some would say, "do not treat me like for a child for I am an adult."

When you take delight in punishing children and treating them without respect, you should realise that, you have, failed woefully. By so doing, what do you think you have succeeded in doing? Do you want them to copy your violent attitude?

Have you ever read and understood the three main texts of this gospel? From any observation, you do not deserve any work at all, in fact, you score zero by maltreating children. You are easily provoked whenever children do one particular thing or the other. It is a thing of pity to see some parents maltreating their very children, at the same time they believe that such strict attitude is corrective to enhance the proper growth of the child.

You may have read what Our Lord Jesus Christ said with regards to our bad attitudes towards the Children in our first bible lesson. The little children deserve mercy and love from the adults regarding the suffering they are subjected to, in the hands of some adults. Really, your attitude towards the children, leaves much to be desired.

Instead of providing them with leadership roles, you instead give them bad training that tends to harden them. They have been thought to be stubborn and insulting. It is quite true that, the children are not born into the world with stubbornness. Rather, it is our attitude of punishing them, depriving them of good and other right, that hardened them. It is the cause of children's stubbornness and insult.

What do you think of their behaviour in their youth after being subjected to all forms of ill-treatments. You do not know anything yet you claim to know so much. Have you now seen the reason why the children are placed in the most exalted position here. Here in this kingdom, one could afford to toy with any group of people but not the children. So, they (children) need to be properly taken care of, for they are those at the apex of this very kingdom.

When you do not avoid deprivation and maltreatment of the little ones, you are indirectly treating Our Lord Jesus Christ. But if you maltreat them, it means inviting suffering and untold hardship to yourself. This is the cause, of the suffering in the world. So many, who have turned robbers today could be traced to the family upbringing. Some were subjected to harsh conditions. Some forget the rate at which they prayed for just a single child but as soon as their prayers are answered they start to maltreat their offspring.

The question is, who has taught you such an attitude? Some adults deny their involvement in illicit affairs resulting in pregnancy of some schoolgirls. Others go the extent of aborting the pregnancy.

My concern is to draw your attention to the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ with regards to child's upbringing. All along, you have been praying and fasting, do you know that, if you receive the little children, that you have equally received Christ? Anyone, who is charitable to the little children, does same to Christ. Such a person is saved and has his ways made opened.

You claim to be a Christian while you still indulge in scolding, shunning and treating the children with disdain. What sort of Christianity do you profess? Where have you learned such from? The question is, do you know that, the little children you scold, punish and shun are more powerful and knowledgeable than you? Do you also know that they posses love, peace, humility and other heavenly attitudes than you? If we were to know that, the children are our saviours we should have refrained from punishing them at random. And we would have equally been free from suffering.

How can God save the world if mankind continues to sin thereby exhibiting uncultured attitude to the children. Our characters depict (show clearly) that we are not interested to enter into the kingdom of God and do not also wish that, the children should enter. This is because, you have bluntly refused to provide the children with good leadership role expected of you. For instance, if a child is directed by his father to inform a visitor that, he is out, whereas he is in the house, such a child would be beaten when the visitor must have gone.

So, judging from this point of view, I am sure you have now realised the extent to which you have made the children to derail from the path of rectitude. It is because of your attitude towards the little children that you encounter many problems that would have been averted. When we hate the children, it means we are hating God and do not regard or count Him for anything. It is recorded in our old hymn book that: "You the little children give me your heart, you the aged people, you are needing me in life." This shows that, the aged have all died away, remaining the children as such God has nothing to do with them but the children. But today, you have so decided to hate and look down on the children.

You would recall that, often I use vivid examples to teach any lessons. Right from the inception of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, I have always been advising you not to drive, maltreat or hate the children, rather you should always embrace them and also be kind to them.

Once you receive the children and also rejoice with them, you have also rejoiced with God. We should try all our best to embrace and receive little children.

THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD:

The children are our future, saviour and leaders. Read our first lesson again:

The little children of this world are the greatest set of people. The children of certain parents ate commissioners, governors and great people.

Sometime, their parents may not be high placed but the children would occupy exalted positions. This is a veritable truth that, anyone who, receives and embraces a little child, has equally received and embraced God. Scolding, cursing and beating of children, do not constitute the needed lessons to children. Therefore, we should refrain from such attitudes completely. If you indulge in such vices it means you are encouraging them to indulge in evil. And by so doing, you have waged war against God and you are bound to encounter Series of problems.

The children are in the world to represent the truth. They are truthful they teach the adults how to speak the truth, honour God and to do what is desirable before God. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to express the virtues of God in us to the children because it is what we do, that they emulate. If the little children are not ill-treated, scolded at and cursed, where would they learn such from? Do you not know that, it is what you demonstrate before them that they easily pick up and grow with?

I do not focus my attention on the children you beget but to the entire children in the world. This gospel has to do with teaching Brotherhood by example. The moment you receive and embrace the little children, you have received Christ. The second lesson has advised that:

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of them who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

So when you see people attributing their plights to the work of witches, ghosts, juju etc, you should not believe such because problems are as a result of maltreatment to children. Read the second lesson again.

In the entire world, there is no one who would say that he/she cares for children apart from the ones he/she bears. And whoever cares, loves and receives the little children, along with his/hers deserves God's blessing.

The injunction which is contained in the second lesson calls for a universal love for children all over the world. Do not be harsh to little children rather treat them fine, receive and care for them, for in so doing you have received Christ. I want you to know that if you do this with honesty, you will have your ways opened and good things of life will be given to you.

The little, children do not lie, steal, murder, bear malice etc. They do not commit sin. And so if you receive and love them, it invariably means that you love Christ. Whosoever does not sin is Christ and so any child who does not commit any sin is Christ.

I personally do not toy with the little children, I want them first in everything here in the kingdom. This is so, because they are the future leaders and above all they are the kingdom of God. If you were to understand the importance of the children of God in this kingdom, you would not toy with them.

It is quite normal to use earthly things to illustrate the heavenly ones; hence, this illustration.

There once lived a very wealthy king who had no child. He tried everything within his capability to see that his wife was pregnant and give birth to a child, but all to no avail. He then took a challenge to the whole world that whosoever shall cause his wife to give birth to child will get a handsome reward from him.

He even promised to make such a one a millionaire. One day, the wife of the rich king (the queen) was standing at the balcony of her storey building and as she turned to look down, she saw a young man parading the compound, she then called on him to come up. The young man complied. On inquiry about his background the man told the Queen that he had four children, and had since been living in someone's veranda but that the owner of the house has ordered him out with his children. He went further to intimate the queen that one of his sons came by an envelope containing five pounds as they were roaming the street in search of shelter, and that he is using the five pounds to buy empty bottles and cans for resale so that he might use the proceeds there from to feed his family. On hearing this story, the queen was moved with pity. She ordered that the stewards, cooks gardeners and all those concerned with house keeping in the kings compound should be supplying the young man with empty bottles and similar containers as a way of assisting the young man to fend for his family.

After this, it was not long the young man returned to the king's compound for containers. This second time the queen gave him money and ordered that he should go and bring his four children live in the king's palace. And so when the young man finally brought children, the queen went and narrated the story to the king and solicited for maximum care for them. She told the king that it is God that has given them those children. She condemned the thousands of pounds they had spent to native doctors and others in the name of looking for children. She then decided to devote her whole time and fortune for the training of those children. From then, the queen saw herself as not having the need for her own children anymore. Rather she claimed those children to be hers forever.

The King also consented to this. The children had no alternative but to become part and parcel of the king's household. The last born of the four was still a baby and the paces took the baby as her newborn baby. This baby slept with the queen, soiled her bed and yet, received the necessary care from the queen. In spite of this, people started telling the queen that they can help her give birth to her personal child, but the queen was always shunning them. She made them understand that she had no need for any other child and that she has gotten the children she needed. She stood her ground that nobody can deceive her and dupe her in the name of helping her to get pregnant anymore. She was contented and happy with these four children and as such, had no need for more.

As God would have it, the following month, she discovered that she had missed her menstruation but she did not take it for pregnancy. After few months, the family doctor was called in to examine the queen. The doctor, having carried out a comprehensive test, told the queen that she was pregnant.

This report did not bother her at all instead, she saw state as sickness. A couple of months passed, the situation remained the same. At the expiration of nine months, she gave birth to a male child. This was the time she became, convinced that she was truly pregnant. And she counted her first child as the fifth child she had. As the years passed by, she personally gave birth to four children; two boys and two girls, just as she adopted. Even after giving birth to four children, she did not alter the seniority rank.

The first of the adopted children remained the most senior heir-of the family. The second, third, forth to the last born from her1 remained the last. She did not discriminate or treat any of the children with concession. All the children enjoyed equal love from the queen.

Note that only four children were collected from the young man. He was given money to go and feed with the wife. But when eventually things turned out this way, the queen reminded the king of the need for the young man and the wife to be accommodated and cared for too. This was done.

Have you now realised the reward of receiving and caring (or children? In spite of the fact that the king was rich, was he able to get children with the aid of his position in the society and money? No, He had those children because he received other children and cared for them.

I want you to note that the problems of the world emanate from the worlds' neglect and indeed, out right disregard for children.

If you practise this gospel, your life will definitely change for the better. Try it.

The good luck, wealth, protection, influence and power that you want are constituted herein. If you love and receive the little children, all those and many more good things will come to you,

Read the golden text again.

GOLDEN TEXT: MATTHEW 19:13-15:

How else do you want to be told about the importance of little children in the kingdom of God and the blessings derivable from receiving and loving them? Having read this statement of our Lord Jesus Christ, in fact, His view on this issue, you have no cause whatsoever to claim ignorance of the extent to which children are rated in the kingdom of God. Jesus the Christ spared nothing rebuking the disciples for sending the little children away from his presence, for He regarded them as the owners of the kingdom of God.

The statement of Our Lord Jesus Christ, "...suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven," demonstrated practical brotherhood. He says the little children should be received and loved and having said so, He took them by their little hands and strolled with them. Have you not seen this action in this kingdom today? This accounts for the reason why Brotherhood is often referred to as the church for the little children. In this kingdom, we have no alternative than to practise the words of Christ hence, we value the little children and treat them fine because they can do everything in this kingdom. They can pray, sing read the bible, even conduct a full service.

Most members of this kingdom were brought into this kingdom by their children. Most of your testimonies and in fact the most sensitive and interesting ones are at the instance of your children. They are the ones that know what this kingdom stands for. Their joy and faith in this kingdom surpasses that of the grown ups in the fold. The children are the ones that actually and truly rejoice in Christ and Christ is always with them. Based on this fact, you are at liberty to get whatever you want from God provided you receive these little ones and love them.

Be it known to you that the expansion and remarkable growth of this kingdom is connected to the way children are treated in this kingdom. I do not toy with them and they too, do not toy with me. One brother once testified that whenever he does not want his child to do a particular thing, he detests, he will tell the child that if he attempts to do that again, he will not take him (the child) to the Fathers presence anymore. And with that, he said the child will never do that thing no matter what happens. He went further to say that it is the child that forced him to come to hall every time for he is always worrying him to bring him (the child) to the Holy Father's a presence.

Children know that the Father loves them and they love Him too. They do not rejoice in any instruction that is geared towards stopping them from having physical assess to the Father. When I said that people should not come to see the Father in the vestry, they were not happy. They were sad and looked awful.

I want you to start to condition your minds towards treating the little ones with love and care, as is the will of God for all men. Avoid doing anything to hurt the little, ones.

If you hurt a child with the pretext of correcting him, put yourself into fervent prayer. Whenever you beat up a child, you have done same to Christ.

It is very easy to teach a child something provided your teachings do not deviate, from the Father's teachings. If you teach any child what the Father teaches, he will never hesitate to learn from you.

It is wrong and indeed a serious crime for a sinner or somebody with evil tendency to go near a child for anything sake. This is so because they are like the mirror, reflecting exactly what is placed before it. That is the reason why, if you hang a very ugly mask or photograph in a room where a pregnant woman can always see, when eventually she puts to birth the face of baby will look more like the mask.

Whatever you do in the presence of a child, He is bound to imitate and even do it more than you. They learn from the elders and indiscriminately too. Children are not selective when they are learning.

Fighting and quarrelling everyday with your wife or husband in the same house where your children live is extremely dangerous, because they will certainly exhibit those wild traits the see in you and I be you, they will do it even worse than you taught them. Whatever you do with your wife or husband during pregnancy is noted by the child inside her. Do not doubt the baby repeating same at birth.

For this cause must you live peaceably with all men and live an exemplary life, worthy of emulation by the children. When this is done the world will certainly witness a remarkable change.

Put this sermon to test and see the accompanying blessing from it. If you receive the children, you will surely be blessed and all your problems, solved. Children are spiritually very powerful. Even the children of God are very powerful. You may pray for donkey years, requesting God to give you one thing or the other, or that your sickness may go, but all to no avail. Surprisingly, you may one day discover that your sickness is gone as a result of the children of God passing by you and you appreciate them.

Just like Christ did not toy with those little children, you too, should not toy with little children. Have you seen me toying with them? I do not. This is what makes Brotherhood of the Cross and Star unique.

The gospel is a demonstration of what is meant by leadership by example, as taught and practised by Our Lord Jesus Christ. The act of depriving the young ones, is what has constituted much problems to the whole world.

The Father has brought this lesson today so that the ignorance and problems faced by you might be brought to an end. This is because it is this act of depriving the young ones that also deprives us of the glory of God.

It is for this reason that the Father finds it imperative to reveal this secret to us.

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