RESPECT WOMEN AND ENDURE SUFFERING
First Bible Lesson: LUKE 8:1-3
"And it came to pass afterward, that he went through every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him. And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joana, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Sussana, and many others which ministered unto him of their substance."
Second Bible Lesson: 1 Peter 3: 7-9
" Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered. Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion, one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are there onto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
Golden Text: Romans 8: 17
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."
The texts above discuss the various times when Our Lord Jesus Christ came in contact with women. They further analyse the contribution of women to support Christ's mission. Now these texts will assist us to prove that women are no weaker sex as alleged. For Many empires had risen and fallen, but the contributions of women to the success of such empires cannot be underestimated.
Consequently, for the purpose of peace, stability, unity, equitable distribution of wealth generally, women should be encouraged to pilot the affairs of their states and nations. This is in line with the basic intent of God for His Kingdom in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, which is God's kingdom on earth, and whose major characteristics are equity, justice, fair play, love, oneness and freedom. These are the characteristics which the Holy Spirit operates with.
Most men who disagree with the working of this tenet of the Holy Spirit, have ill- treated their wives, and they have suffered great tribulations. God who is the controller of destiny, promotes equality. For this reason, it is totally wrong for a man to see himself as the most favored in the sight of God.
A woman is the glory of the man. Similarly, a man is the glory of Our Lord Jesus the Christ. However, the conception of men about women, which forms the basis of women being ill-treated by their male counterparts,is completely invalid and unacceptable. This should be stopped. It is love which prevails.
I am the embodiment of this teaching. My daily life exemplifies it. For instance I kneel befor the Holy Mother to make any request. My decisions are not at variance with those of the Holy Mother. Hence my home is not divided against itself; for it is recorded in Matthew 12:25 that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Henceforth I exhort the men folk to treat women with some form of decency and due respect. For easy comprehension of the sermon, read the first lesson again.
First Bible Lesson:Luke:8:1-3
"And it came to pass afterward that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him: And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils. And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Sussana, and many others which ministered unto him of their substance."
A wise man cherishes and loves his wife. It is rather surprising that this recondite wisdom eludes most men in the world. Till this moment, you will notice with amazement that the worldly governors, professors, lawyers, medical doctors, among others still indulge in the primitive and savage acts of ill-treating their wives. Conversely, women should stop nagging their husbands. Being the glory of her husband, she has to radiate peace and love.
As illustrated by me, women are the souce of mundane things. That is why I always call on you to support the the mother's envelope so that you many be blessed with every material thing. The Father's envelope also grants blessing but it concentrates on the spiritual aspects. It is desirable that you love your wife so that you may be blessed abundantly.
For a problem free life to be ensured, men have to lay a proper foundation for it. That is, they have to love their wives. If you doubt this teaching, set aside a particular period and practise it. It is only through your experience that you will confirm the truth. A lot of success and progress are often noticed where women are given equal opportunity to serve. This is even seen here in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. In some of the fellowships where women play active role, the fellowships function better than the ones where women do not play active role. God has endowed men with power, skill, wisdom, and understanding, but to the women he gives love, patience, endurance, mercy, humility, meekness and longsuffering. These gifts do not substitute each other. Rather they complement each other. It is therefore important that these partners stay together for a better life.
Our Lord Jeus Christ and His disciples did not engage in any commercial activities. It was the women who supported them. Such women included Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Sussanna, Mary and Martha, among others. It may interest you to note that women featured prominently during the death and resurection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact their contributions were indeed, immense. Read the second lesson again.
Second Bible Lesson: 1st Peter 3: 7-9
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion, one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called the ye should inherit a blessing."
Any man who complies with this teaching will enjoy peace and progress. It is the function of the Father to transform you; and that of the Holy Mother to supply your material needs. Consequently, one cannot dwell in isolation. Since the spirit cannot operate without the flesh, also, the flesh needs the spirit for spiritual benefits. It is necessary that a man cohabit with his wife in love, understanding and peace. The wife must reciprocate these gestures. A man and a woman must share equal rights and privileges.
The work of transformation exists in various forms. If your husband is imprisoned, or bedridden, do not lament or weep for him. You may not know that he is being transformed. Tribulation is like a springboard which leads one to eternal life. Consequently overcoming tribulation is a" sine qua non" to being crowned in this kingdom. If you are falsely accused and sentenced to imprisonment for no just cause and when this happens to you be exceedingly glad for your Lord and Master, Jesus the Christ suffered even greater things than these. When you go through this cross for the purpose of this kingdom, rejoice and be exceedingly glad for you are blessed.
Even if one of your eyes, legs, ears, or hand is cut off, rejoyce provided it is for the sake of this kingdom. Do not allow any of these transitory things to cause you to derail from the path of righteouness. Can you now compare the glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ to that of any other person living or dead?
Pontious Pilate advised Him to escape into another country for His safety. His disciples were ready to fight in His defence and set Him free but He did not buy the idea; for He had an assignment to shed his precious for the salvation of many. If He had dodged it, the eternal glory He is now enjoying would have eluded Him. The few hours of suffering which He endured have been transformed into an eternal glory.
" Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven..." Read the Golden Text below:
GOLDEN TEXT: ROMANS:8:17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."
Brethren, this is the situation with the children of God. It is not because you steal, tell lies, fornicate, backbite, or impute sins upon others that you have to suffer for this noble course in respect of this kingdom. If you suffer as joint-heirs of Our Lord Jesus Christ, you will also be glorified with Him.
When you are accused falsely, I bid you to bear the embarrassment patiently. You must first suffer these things before the glory comes. Take Joseph as an example. Recall how the wife of Potiphar pressurised him to be intimate with her. Joseph refused to be intimate with Portiphar's wife and eventually he was thrown in jail. If Joseph had carnal knowledge of her, he would have been killed; and the glory he enjoyed for being faithful to his master, and righteous in the sight of God, would not have materialised.
Tribulation is a must for the children of God, and that is why this new kingdom is known as the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. All the atrocities and abominations committed by the fratenities and secret cults and conventional churches against humanity have never been exposed. Instead of exposing the follies in the world, people have the pleasure of propagating calumny about Brotherhood the Cross and Star. However we are very much at ease with such propaganda because they bring much blessing to us. You have to carry the cross before you enjoy the glory of the star. Many people accused you falsely for the sake this kingdom. Some called you murderer, fornicator, vampire, beelzebub and so on. Note that the more they give you these names, the more blessed you are. The fact that you are rejected and completely ostracised from your family, town, community, or country does not mean that the glories of this kingdom have eluded you. In tribulation you grow stronger in spirit.
Brethren I personally do not experience the adversities of life. I have come to the realisation that these things do not exist, let alone be a hinderance to the children of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ overcame all these calamities because He treated them as trivial. Just as Our Lord Jesus Christ did, I regard what you call calamity as a non-issue. Take for instance, there is nothing that I have not been accused of doing. When there is an accident, death, theft, famine, and outbreak of disease, earthquake, Leader Obu is accused of being responsible. And I have no problems about all these accusations levelled against me. In fact am used to them all along, I know the glory I am enjoying for not listening to all these unfounded accusations, in good faith, why then should you cry or frown your face when you are accused falsely? Do you know that the glory ahead is immesurable? Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted to suffer because He knew that the glory He would enjoy transcended the temporary sufferings He encounterd.
Those who backslide because of sufferings in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star were not meant to enjoy this eternal glory with Our Lord Jesus Christ. They did not realise that one has to pass through the cross before he gets to the star- which is the crown of glory. God owns all things. He owns you and the things you purport to have. As a baptised Brotherhood, you are no longer in the flesh, and for this reason, you have to eschew segregation, nepotism, tribalism, and other evil tendencies. Right now men and women should regard themselves as equals.
It is commonplace to see a person being incarcerated or bedridden for a number of years. God knows why he is facing that circumstance. It might be for reformatory reasons. At this juncture, the person might refrain from his evil deeds. This confirms the saying that for every happening there is a purpose. It is evident then that when a person is either ill or detained in the prison custody, he will not indulge in anymore sinful acts. Therefore, do not question any situation, for God knows better than you do.
In most cases, people are chastised by God in various ways as means to transform them. Therefore certain misfortunes which befall mankind are only meant to call them to order.
Count everything as a loss for the purpose of this new kingdom. For it is imperative that we have to suffer even as Our Lord Jesus Christ had suffered. Everyone should be ready to face one tribulation or the other.
May the Lord bless His Holy Words. Amen.
Thank You Father.