The three texts above deal on the issue of the three days dry fasting observed in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. Now, how many people in the world have participated in the three days dry fasting periods done in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star? Very many people are asking why the whole of seventy—two hours should be spent on fasting. A lot of people pray that the dry fasting should not be observed often.

Others even wish it should be stopped forthwith. Some would fast for the first twenty-four hours and complain that they are human beings and for that reason, they stop. Some would fast for two days and nights while a few endure to the end.

AS recorded in Matthew 12:40 (see Supra), Our Lord Jesus Christ promised to remain in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

This is why members of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star observe the three days dry fasting. For these three days and nights, no water is drunk, no food is tasted, bathing and brushing of teeth are not also allowed. Is this not three days and nights' death? Whoever undergoes this fasting has died and resurrected with Christ. This is what is called, "born again," for he has become a new being after the fasting. This is what is keeping us alive and strong.

You would recall that, God directed Abraham to take his son Isaac and sacrifice for Him. Abraham and Isaac were to make a journey of seventy—two (72) hours, three days and nights, which is this same thing that we are doing here in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. Isaac was an earthly example which was presented as an illustration of an impending heavenly event. The directive given to Abraham by God was a practical demonstration of the death of Christ and His subsequent stay in the grave for 3 days and three nights.

This episode is linked with Abraham because of the promise which God made with him that, a root shall spring from him. In this promise, God did not say, Abraham's children but one son. That very son who shall come from Abraham as promised by God was Christ. Now, the problem of the entire world is patience. God is the Father of patience. He is patient and wants us to exercise patience. He can make a promise today which would take thousands of years to consummate. And for this reason, whoever is devoid of this virtue would become hopeless after the first one thousand years. However, whether you believe or not, at the expected time, the promise must come to fulfillment.

God does His things the way He likes. It is on this ground that our Lord Jesus the Christ said:

The Holy Bible is referred to as the covenant book of God, because all what God did, what He is doing and what He shall are written therein. When you say that this or that thing had been taken away; where do you think such a thing is taken to? God is the Father of truth and all His words are true. Once He makes a pronouncement, He stands by it.

A great many of you become doubtful when things go the way you did not expect. Consider the case or Isaac. He was the only son of Abraham but God directed that he should be used as a sacrificial lamb. Abraham accepted, and though he had to trek for three days and three nights, seventy-two hours, he did not change his mind. When he got to the destination, he still set a fire on the altar to burn Isaac. This was when Isaac asked his father Abraham saying "father, the fire is burning, where is the sacrificial lamb?" Abraham said, "my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering."

God is the one who sends one on an errand and goes with the one to fulfill the purpose thereof. Since He is the sender and doer of the job, all glories and thanks belong to Him. This is why it is said "cut down the bush and I would set fire into it with my power."

God has never deceived and will never deceive. What He did to the Israelites would be done to the Gentiles. He is the same yesterday, today end forever. Why then do you doubt him and why do you murmur against Him? You have no choice than to do whatever He directs you to do. If God asks you to jump into burning flames, you have to comply without delay. If he directs you to dive into the grave, you have to do same. This is because in all events and situations, God had given answers already.

What has placed a lot of you in suffering and adverse conditions is lack of faith. Many people, when they are sent on an errand by God, they faithlessly doubt their safety during such missions. Why do you doubt God? Have you ever seen a person whom God sent on an errand without escorting him to get the job accomplished?

The will of the Most High God is Supreme. He had willed various purposes for all his creation. No one can change God's will not matter how he fasts, prays, preaches or weeps. He cannot change the will which He had destined for someone, This explains why it is said:

It is only God who can call one to Himself for, no one is capable of pleasing God. If He does not elect you, you cannot be His friend. Even the faith which Abraham had, was not his but it was freely given by God.

I want you to know that God is a hydra-head Being. He is right, left, front, back and He is everything. He is a child, adult, woman as well as men. If Moses had this knowledge, he would not have whipped God the way he did as recorded at Numbers 20:11-12. You may recall that, when Moses was abused by the Israelites for taking them away from Egypt to suffer in the wilderness only because they were thirsty, God became a big rock. Moses was directed to point his staff at the rock and speak for, water would come out enough for all the people and their beasts. Since Moses was always easily exasperated, he took offence on the abuses and curses heaped on him by the Israelites and smote the rock twice. For that reason, God was not pleased with him because, he did not glorify God in the presence of the people. He was therefore, not allowed to enter into the promised land. (Numbers 20:1-20).

Moses did not know that both the rock and the water that gushed out of it was God in disguise. So, you can see how incomprehensible the Almighty God is. No one knows Him.

Unlike the case of Moses, when Abraham had set Isaac ready for the sacrifice, God ordered him not to take the boy’s life. He was shown a ram by the side which was used for the sacrifice (Genesis 22:10-13). After the sacrifice, Abraham and Isaac went home in flying colours. That is the significance of the death of Christ

When He told the Jews to destroy the temple and He would rebuild it in three days, the people doubted the possibility of his action and thus, became annoyed. However, Christ knew the implication of His statement. And so when His disciples advised Him not to go to Jerusalem, He insisted and went. If Jesus the Christ had ran away, what would have become of this world? And if Christ had truly ran away, could he have escaped the death which was written for Him?

People refuse to do what God directs because of fear. They prefer to stay in the world yet, they neither die nor live a successful life. They cannot even have peace as a result of their failure to endure the ways of God. And now, one can understand from, the statements made by Our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in the texts for this sermon that, death does not actually exist but what happened was a demonstration of the power of God. This was done so that His glory would be revealed.

God is the one controlling one's destiny. Some children for instance, even at their tender ages proclaim that they want to work for God. Do you think they are ones making the statement? This was written for them before they were born into the physical earth plane. Unfortunately, when the time for this assignment to manifest comes, they then resist. This however, cannot help the situation because, what has been destined cannot be erased. Whatsoever happens to one comes from the Father and had been written against that person before he was born.

There is nothing that can change or stop it from taking place. It may be recalled that, on the night of the death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, He said that:

Did God grant His request on that very case? Though He preyed and rolled on the ground until His sweat became blood, the cup was not taken away. (Luke 22:44) Finally, the will of the Father - His torture, death resurrection manifested. The death of Christ for three (3) days and nights reveals the person embodied in one God as recorded in 1 John 5:7.

Prophet Jonah was sent to Ninevah to preach to the people against their evil ways. He ran away because of fear of life. For that reason, the Father disguised Himself in the form of a storm and met him in a ship on the high sea. When the storm became unbearable, Jonah told the captain of the ship and others that he should be thrown into the sea for, he was the cause or the impending wreck. Jonah was thus thrown into the sea and immediately, a whale swallowed him, where he remained for three days and three nights before he was delivered safely on the shores of Ninevah. (Jonah 1:3—17), (Jonah 2:10)

For our Lord Jesus to stay three days and nights in the heart of the earth was not a new thing. This is because Jonah had earlier stayed for three days and nights in the belly of a whale. Did he not come out still as Jonah? Why then do people doubt the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ? Daily, God is revealing a lot of things in various forms, yet, He is still the same God. 

A local adage says three is good but four is evil. This is another way of expressing the Trinity of God. Three days, three houses, three years, everything three Father, son, and the Holy Ghost. The Spiritual mathematics of God works well with the number three. The three persons in one God are not three Gods but one. He was Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God only answers different names for different occasions and missions. Also, Our Lord Jesus the Christ had twelve Apostles but three; Peter, James, and John were completely distinct from the rest. These three were closer to Him than the rest.

We also have body (flesh), spirit and soul which are also one in one person. Whenever God wants to manifest Himself as a human being, He takes up water, blood and spirit and these are one (1 John 5:8)

The change of name means nothing but the power that goes with the name is important. Let it be known that, when one baptises, the water he falls into is Christ? He is also baptised in the name of the Father, son and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, one has made a mistake by saying that, God came on the persons of Adam, Enoch, Elijah, Noah, Melchizedec, Moses, Jesus the Christ, Olumba Olumba Obu. You are thus, declaring that, He has come eight times, which is wrong. Which God came eight times? Is it the false God or the living and Omnipresent God?

God came first as the Father when He used the word to create all things. He also used the word for all works. Finally, He has come as the Holy Spirit to stay forever.

In those days, all the prophets, and their prophecies were about Our Lord Jesus the Christ. And Christ bore witness to the Holy Spirit. He did not bear witness of any other being, not even the prophets but testified of the Father.

That is why, in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, we always regard three things, faith, hope, and love as being important. See the first lesson below:

From the above text, one should understand that Our Lord Jesus Christ predicted a seventy-two hour death, no more, no less. Now, the worldly people believe that He was killed on Friday (Good Friday). Count from Friday morning to Sunday morning, is it up to seventy-two hours? Where are all their mathematicians; has Satan not deceived them? If one adds up the days, he would see that, from 6:00 AM of Thursday to 6:00 AM of Sunday which He resurrected the number of days are complete.

Now count, from 6:00 AM Thursday to 6:00 PM Thursday is the first day. From 6:00 AM Friday to 6:00 PM Friday is the second day. From 6:00 AM Saturday to 6:00 PM Saturday is the third day. Also, from 6:00 PM Thursday to 6:00 AM Friday is the first night. From 6:00 PM Friday to 6:00 AM Saturday is the second night. From 6:00 PM Saturday to 6:00 AM Sunday, when Mary Magdalene visited the tomb to discover the resurrection, is the third night. These are therefore three days and three nights or seventy-two hours. So, if you have been joking with the number, three, do not joke any more.

In Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, there are also (3) three Pentecostal periods. These are to signify the special number three - Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, the Most United Trinity three in one God.

The December Pentecostal assembly represents the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The April or Easter Pentecostal is used to remember His period of persecution, tribulation, death and resurrection. The August Pentecostal represents the time which Christ baptised, received the Holy Spirit, and was revealed to the world. Now are these three occasion not but one thing?

These three things however, cannot happen one day. It was not the day He was born that He died, and the day He died was not the very day He was baptised and revealed to the world.

If you had known that just as Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the whale, so also was Our Lord Jesus Christ in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights, what stops you from doing this three days' and nights' dry fasting? This seventy—two hours dry fasting signifies the seventy—two hours death of Our Lord Jesus the Christ.

All those who do not respect or recognise these three periods are rebels. Such people will be judged and condemned. But all those who observe and recognise these periods, in truth, shall have eternal life. We have no other job to do for Christ than to worship Him and honour His words. If the whole world truly believe in instructions of Christ and practise same, all burdens would be made light and all problems solved.

Joke no more with the words of God, and do not oppose, doubt or ask Him questions any more. It was out of a doubtful minded that Peter argued and rebuked Our Lord Jesus Christ for saying that he would be tortured and killed in Jerusalem. Peter said such must not take place but Jesus the Christ said:

The fact that Peter rebuked Christ did not stop the will of God from manifesting in Him as predestined. Why Peter rebuked Him was because, it was written that the Christ would not die forever and so, if He is overcome by death, then, He was not the one. Therefore, for Our Lord Jesus Christ to talk of death, Peter felt be had made a wrong choice by following Him. Read the second lesson again:

Brethren, it is said that the testimony from two persons has established a truth of any case. By the statement, "destroy this temple, and in 3 days I will raise it up." Christ was referring to Himself. He was asking the Jews to kill Him and after three days, He would resurrect.

The above statement by Christ is a proof to the fact that whenever the Almighty God passes an instruction, nothing changes it. That is why when His disciples started admiring the magnificent buildings of the temple. He made it clear to them that, they all shall be destroyed beyond repair. (Matthew 74:4-2) A spiritual song says, "I will destroy the old and rebuild a new Jerusalem for you."

If all the synagogues and temples were useful to God, why did it become necessary that Jesus the Christ should come? These places did not practise the injunctions of God which necessitated the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As such, Christ came to destroy all of them and made the worship and dwelling place of God in the body of human beings.

If any person builds a house or cathedral and calls it the house of God, he is telling lies, for, God dwells in man. This is why it is said that:

Now, the dwelling place of God is now with us and He shall dwell with us forever.

At John 4:21, Our Lord Jesus Christ first told the Samaritan woman that, a time will come when the Father will neither be worshipped in the mountain nor at Jerusalem but that the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. At John 14:26, He also promised us that, at the appointed time, the Comforter will come to teach everyone to know God in spirit and in truth. By the time that Comforter, even the Spirit of truth did not come, everyone worshipped God in the flesh. However, now that He has arrived, we have to worship Him in our bodies, not in a house, mountain, Riverside or forest.

Now, the New Jerusalem is being built. Brothers Etop, Essah, Akwang, Etuk and others are putting in their efforts to see its completion. In it, we shall stay to enjoy feast and sing praises to God but His real house is your body. And whenever you undergo a three days dry fasting it is properly swept and kept clean for God to habituate. This is why members try by all means to participate in the exercise. Whoever fails to observe the dry fasting has himself to blame.

See the Golden Text Below:

When the disciples of John the Baptist asked Our Lord Jesus Christ why His disciples do not fast whereas they and the Pharisees do, He told them that the children of the bridegroom cannot mourn when the bridegroom is still with them. He also assured them that, once the bridegroom is taken away from them, then the children will start fasting. (Read Matthew 9:15-16 for clarification). Accordingly, whoever is in the flesh cannot fast. As such, the Holy Spirit, even the Father, has come to dwell in His "house." Then will Satan, the evil spirit will come in and exist there in. Once the evil spirit indwells you, you cannot worship God in Spirit and in truth. However, now that the Holy Spirit, even the Father, has come to indwell in His "house," you have to fast so that the house may be the essence of the seventy-two hours dry fasting.

Our Lord Jesus the Christ said through Brother Paul that:

Everybody has been changed but no one knows that he is changed and to what extent. Being changed therefore, you are not wearing the old weak body anymore. You are now clothed with the power and life. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself bore witness of this fact when HE said:

Have you not seen the work which is greater than all the works done by Christ. The entire world is a witness to the great works done by Christ. The Father has come as a thief in the midnight so that the worldly kings and so-called wise men are dumbfounded and mesmerised. For the fact that the Holy Spirit is here with us, we have no importance attached to house, cars, wealth, food or money but what is important to us is the New Kingdom of God. The good news of the kingdom should be spread to all parts of the universe. We have to reveal the kingdom to all creation. The New Kingdom has now been revealed to the entire world.

Just as Jonah stayed in the whale's belly three days and nights, so did Our Lord Jesus Christ remain in the heart of the earth for three days and nights. Likewise, Brotherhood of the Cross and Star fast for three days and three nights without eating, drinking, bathing or brushing the teeth. Therefore, all those who participate in the dry fasting are followers of Christ and have crucified the flesh with all its lusts and passion on the cross. They have forsaken all types of carnalities and welcome the Holy Spirit.

One can only crucify the flesh through fasting. Whether the world likes it or not, the flesh must be crucified to allow the spirit to take dominion.

Even as Jonah and Jesus the Christ spent seventy-two hours each at that state of temporary death, all humanity have to die with Christ for severity-two hours and also resurrect with Him.

If we die with, Him we shall resurrect and be saved.

During these fasting, all the choristers in the universe in all planes, spiritually and physically are here to gather and sing melodious songs to the Holy Spirit. They should stay throughout the period to rejoice with God. Very soon, people will be coming from all parts of the world to stay with the Father and participate in this seventy-two hours dry fasting, and those who were with various illnesses will be made whole.

May God bless His Holy Words. Amen.