As the books of history bristle at the happening of great events this year's celebration shall mark a new beginning in the annals of Christianity, as members of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star shall assemble at the World headquarters of the kingdom to give their preferred names to their father, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, His Holiness, Olumba Olumba Obu.
The historic event is a one-week activity tagged 'My Redeemer liveth”. It is expected to last from the 29th of March to 5th of April, 2010.
According to a release from the World headquarters of the body in Calabar, Nigeria, the period shall be a harvest of power packed activities designed to make the event a memorable one as well as to impart on the spiritual lives of the entire universe.
Accordingly, the first day of the programme, shall feature the Universal Spirited Children Fellowship, the All Ordained Fellowship and the elders fellowship. The numerous activities scheduled for the day shall be held in the 'great hall' of the kingdom. Activities lined up for the day include: evangelism, outing and special prayer sessions, while the International body of the Christ Natural Choristers Fellowship, CNCF shall form a mass choir to officiate for the day.
The second day of the event shall feature a visit to orphanage homes, drama and other entertainment presentations, among others.
The third day shall feature the Youth fellowship body and the Association of Brotherhood Academic Students, ABAS. Events lined up for the day include seminar and Workshop on 'rebranding the Brotherhood youths and bridging of generational gap'.
Thursday, 1st April shall be for the Christ Natural True Missionaries, CNTM body, '144,000 Virgins body' and Missionary Crusaders fellowship. Activities lined up for them include: door-to-door evangelism, a seminar/workshop with the theme:' How to effectively reveal the new name of God, among others.
Friday, 2nd April is another unique day, as it has been set aside for the 'brothers and sisters Fellowship'. It shall also embark on visits to orphanage homes, drama presentations, impromptu speeches by brethren, among others. The day's speeches shall be centered on promoting genuine love amongst brethren.
Then comes the grand finale, which is seen by many as the 'big event day'. The highpoints of the day shall include the submission of the forms on the various names the individual brethren prefer for the God of all ages, among others.
Speaking on the occasion, Director of Information and publicity of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, His Lordship, Bishop Joe Dike described the programme as an opportunity for man to appreciate God.
“Well, the Holy father told us far back in the 70s that from the year 2001, the Iron rod ruler will assume the throne and from the year 2001 when he assumed the throne by his empowerment on the 14th of April, he started setting down the Foundational Pillars of Brotherhood from the March of the Redeemed to the Seal of the Living God, among others. Every year has an agenda. To put all together, in 2009, he anointed and consecrated by the divine anointing. Having perfected and consecrated all things as he had programmed it, he said, it is now time for the human family to appreciate their father and God who has done all the wonderful things for them, by redeeming them from death, sickness, evil, condemnation, etc. It is a moment of appreciation of our God. Even Job in his days was waiting for this day. In Job 19:26, he said: one thing I know is that my Redeemer liveth and one day, I shall see him….It is a moment of celebration which has been the prayer of all the saints through the ages. We are privileged to be the living witnesses to this celebration”, he explained.
On the highlights of the occasion, the clergy further explained: “Just like you have your Computer and you are asked to put a password with which you can access your computer, every man has a name with which he relates with his God, that is, his password for assessing his God. If you know that name with which your God works for you, you come and state it because we know that he is now in human form to fulfill the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all the generation of his which all the human family acknowledge concluded in the year,2000, will not pass away till all the promises are fulfilled, apart from that God and his Christ shall dwell on earth. In Brotherhood, we are privileged to know him by the holy name Olumba Olumba Obu and we are privileged to see his face as recorded in Revelation chapter 2. It says that we shall see his face and his name shall be on our fore head for each of us has a language, a word, a name to relate with him and that is why he said, come with that your name and gift of appreciation and seal your blessings for all times”.
Speaking on the deity of the founder and sustainer of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, leader Olumba Olumba Obu, he says: “Well, in Revelation 2:17,3:12, 19:12-13,among others, all spoke about the new name. 2:17 says, he that overcometh, he shall give him a white stone and that white stone has a name written which nobody knew but the receiver. It is not everybody that will know him, but only those privileged to know him”.
On the significance of the Programme: “To the human family, the father gave an illustration that you have a rich uncle who was living in a far place and you have been having problems reaching out to him to help you. He decided to visit you. When he came to your house, you did not give him a place to stay, freshen up, etc. in fact, you did not receive him well, will you be able to open his bag? No. But when he comes in and you receive him well, naturally, he will open his bag and give you whatever he brought for you. Human family has Jehovah God and his Christ as the owner and member of the human family and it behooves us to welcome him to his world, receive him, appreciate him, and he will open his bag of blessings. So, My Redeemer Liveth is an opportunity for the human family to appreciate his presence in our world and by appreciating and thanking him, he will in turn reciprocate the gesture. The world is full of trauma and he only can address it. The lord God and his Christ is dwelling on earth with us but we have not welcomed him. We have not appreciated him. This is an opportunity for us to do so.
Also commenting, chairman, Publicity Sub Committee of the programme, His Lordship, Bishop O.J. Akiri described the occasion as an opportunity to reverence the presence of God on earth.
According to him, “The most important thing is to appreciate and thank God for his wonderful works to man. Look at John 6:28-29. We must thank him for his wonderful works to us, especially, for his physical manifestation on earth. The greatest work we can do for God is recognizing him whom he has sent”.
Adding his voice, Bishop Joe Brown said: “It is the ultimate because, the holy father is now on earth and his word is final. The world does not know him. There is no truth in the world. He has come to bring man to the accurate knowledge of truth. He said, My Sheep hear my voice and follow me and I know them by name. Where ever we are, he covers us. The father is here on earth and that is why the kingdom is indestructible. Whatever you ask in his name is given to you. We know what we worship but the world does not know what they worship. He liveth with us and we are grateful”.
He however advised man to embrace the teachings of Leader Olumba Olumba Obu, practice love and recognize his presence as God.
It would be recalled that on Saturday, 21st August, 2009, a new beginning in the annals of the search for the deity and physical manifestation of the long expected Comforter and Teacher of all ages was marked.
An inter- Religious Conference organized by Religious groups dialogue Forum was held at the Legend Hotel, Owerri, Imo State with the theme :Is Christ on Earth? The programme was attended by very important workers and worshippers of God, ranging from Bishops to other religious leaders and worshippers.
In a public lecture delivered at the event, a journalist and managing editor of the 'New Kingdom Trumpet newspaper', True Christ Witness Dolly Daniels argued that there are lots of misconceptions about the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth.
“Before we proceed further, it is vital to address the misconceptions in the hearts of many Christians that our Lord Jesus Christ would be landing from the sky. This issue has raised doubt and confused many Christians, especially, when our TV screen and most streets are bombarded with false prophets and fake Christ, which the holy Bible warned us all about.
Our Lord is already walking in our midst. First, Our Lord Jesus Christ talked about the Father and the Kingdom of God. How can the establishment of the kingdom of God be fulfilled if he crash-lands from the sky?”
She sited some books of the Holy Bible to back up her claims which include: John 14:1-3, 14:19,Acts 1:11, Revelation:5:12,3:12-13, 21:12, Daniel:2:44, and Isiah:65:1-3,18-20.
On the signs of the second coming of Christ, she also backed her arguments with the books of the Bible, including :Mtt:24:4-16,21:51…, stressing that Christ on earth could be identified through his distinctive qualities.
On the numerous frivolous allegations against Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, she says: “The Apostolic Church, supported by other Churches spearheaded and sponsored one Linus Umoh and they all carried out a campaign of calumny against Leader Olumba Olumba Obu and his Organisation, alleging all sorts of evil. They called him vampire, murderer, Beelzebub, blood sucker, Mermaid, etc. Newspapers even published pictures claimed to be Olumba caught in the net as a fish. Leader Olumba Obu never responded to any of the allegations, neither has he taken any law suit against any of them. Instead, he calls them his children. Never has any Organisation experienced the hatred and the violence shown to Brotherhood members from the days of Linus Umoh from 1977 till recent times. Linus Umoh eventually returned to Brotherhood after the funding ran dry from his host,[the Apostolic Church] and Leader Olumba Olumba Obu openly forgave him”.
Revealing what she described as the new name of God, she made reference to the books of Isaiah:62:2,Revelation :2:17,3:12,19:12-16,among others, reiterating that God is already on Earth with a new name.
Speaking during an exclusive chat with Niger Delta Standard, one of those in attendance and a member of Assemblies of God Church, Emma Amah said “Yes! I am here because, they invited me for a religious programme. The programme is aimed at ensuring unity among Christians in the state. Within every Christian, there is Christ in them, but the difference now is that the members of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star are saying that Christ is physically on earth. They say that Christ is here. If he is here in the form of a man, I want to know that human being and where he is. That is my argument”.
Also speaking, a Retired Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army, who was also present at the Occasion, Bishop Enang Essien says : “ As Children of God, no matter your profession, you are entitled to know God. This event was actually put together by Professor Brotus Uzoma. He had a lot of revelations about Olumba. He told us he made a lot of research about this name, Olumba Olumba Obu, so he chose to call together, all religious heads in the state for a conference to address the controversy. He arranged for an interdenominational forum to rub minds on this issue, especially, that of the coming of the promised comforter. Is the Comforter going to come in flesh like a human being? Or is he going to fall from the sky? In what form? Is he on earth?; among other issues. So, different religious backgrounds have come to say their own understanding of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The programme is a big success. Those that search for God do so in spirit and in truth and there is a song in Brotherhood that says, 'from this day henceforth, know no man in flesh'. I expect people to attend programmes like this with open minds because, if you want to learn, you must not have a mind set because if you do, your mind is closed against fresh ideas. So, people should have an open mind, to enable us learn and receive the blessings of God. The message Christ gave us, which is love one another is what we have today in Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. All the commandments of God are subsumed in love”.
Also speaking, the organizer of the programme, Professor Brotus Uzoma said “I am a researcher and I am searching for something that is beyond man. I have made some discoveries and I decided to put this inter religious programme together so that we will be able to interact and share views. I have carried out a lot of research and every research is pointing towards a particular end, and that is that the Christ is here and that the Father is here. I have read it from different books. I have read it from different Scholars. I decided to put together this programme so that Christians from the various denominations can come together, so that we can reason and identify whom the Christ on earth is and where he is. I am not a Brotherhood, but Brotherhood is an organization that was set up by God himself to educate humanity. I have been following. I have been reading things about them. I have even carried out a private research on the founder and sustainer, Leader Olumba Olumba Obu and my independent findings were published on the papers. I am doing this because, I want people to know the truth about Brotherhood. People should be able take the truth and the truth shall set us all free”.
However, as the world continues to wait on the promised Comforter, Christians must go back to the scriptures and see for themselves, that, which was written about his coming and also pray God to open their eyes to see and know the truth.
Man has continued to disobey God's instructions. We claim to worship him, but seek him where he is not .
For instance, hundreds of thousands of Christians all over the World waste resources and time going to Jerusalem and Isreal on pilgrimage, even when God himself declared that he has left there.
According to the gospel of St Matthew, as recorded in Matt:23:37-39, God left there long ago. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as the hen gathereth her chickens under the wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”.
Unfortunately, the above Biblical provision not withstanding, annually, Christians the world over still travel to the same place on pilgrimage as the holy land.
In Nigeria, it has become an avenue to divert billions of tax payers' money. All in the name of pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mecca, some people are 'settled', using the masses' money, at the expense of the basic necessities of life. God is watching, and cannot be deceived.
The time has come for us to refrain from disobedience and hearken to the voice of God.
Nigeria is the Spiritual Headquarters of the World, being the abode of God. Until this divine truth is realized and embraced, there may be no peace on earth, as God is shaking the entire universe.
More so, there is need for regular conferences and inter denominational gatherings to critically and exhaustively digest this divinely topical issue, with the view to saving mankind from ignorance and eternal damnation.
Again, the ruling class must realize that “the kingdom of this world has now become the throne of God and he and his Christ shall reign and reign Forever”.
Nigeria is the Holy land and the whole world is aware. Nigerians themselves must therefore stop this self deceit, be real and for once, embrace God. We must be grateful to him for coming to dwell with us in this new advent and worship him in spirit and in truth.
Undoubtedly, since the creation of the world, man has neither accepted nor received God in all his advents to the world. This is as a result of our 'wisdom', which God has turned to foolishness.
If man is wise, why were we not able to recognize the prophets of God? What of King Melchizedeck? What about the son of man, our Lord Jesus Christ? In our wisdom, we were waiting for Christ to come and when he came, we rejected and crucified him.
Today, history is repeating itself. While we pray the Father to forgive us all, Let us stop in error, than to be stopped by this fundamental error.
Be that as it may, the new truth to which we must listen is that which came in the person on the son of man himself, namely, that God is now creating a new reality on earth, a reality to come first among men and finally, over all creation, so that the earth and the heavens are revealed. God is creating something new. A new world is coming to earth.
Evil shall be defeated for all generations and the good shall come into its rightful rule. That was the goal of the people of Isreal and for hundreds of years, it was steadily pursued. The cause, originally, was an earthly one, not, as some Christians think, a heavenly one. It was the heavenly coming to reality upon earth; and to that extent, it was earthly.
It was earthly because, it was a concern that the situation on earth become good and righteous that God's name be hallowed on earth, that his kingdom come on earth and that his will be done here on earth. The earth is to manifest eternal life. We want to shine so brightly that heaven itself will become jealous of us. The earth is to be filled with the glory of God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ came in flesh, what was his will? Of course, nothing, other than to honour his father on earth. In his own person, through his advent, he put a seed into the earth.
The goal of all God's effort is that finally, he will be a God whom we will be able to see on earth, a God who will make earth his footstool, where our Lord Jesus Christ will be Lord over all men and where they, in him, once more, will be integrated into God's creation.
Even before the departure of the son of man, he promised to come back with a new name, as recorded in the gospel, according to St. John.
Consequently, we ought not be ashamed to call our “father” “God”, because, with only mental pictures of God, nothing gets started. Our Christ stands upon the earth and calls to us “I am”. All we need to do is to fall before him, knowing in him, the living God. Once we have met him, we feel ourselves on solid ground, which does not quake, but from which the mountains of God's Sovereignty burst forth to overwhelm us as in the final cataclysm, they shall overwhelm the whole world.
However, in the words of Augustine, in the book, 'The third Covenant', “It will not be held against you that you are ignorant against your will, but that you neglect to seek out what it is that makes you ignorant; not that you cannot bring together your wounded limbs, but that you reject him that will heal them”.
It is of a truth that the knowledge of his presence shall be limited to a few privileged and destined ones, as “he shall come like a thief in the night”, may the father not let those the he has called go away.
Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever. Truly, my Redeemer liveth and is alive.
The time to embrace the truth is now!
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