Water from the Rock

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

TWENTY-SIXTH (26^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/SIXTEENTH (16^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 27^TH SEPTEMBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: Water from the rock

          Omi lati inu apata

TEXT: Exodus 17:6

“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

“Kiyesii, emi o duro niwaju re nibe lori okuta ni Horebu; iwo o si lu okuta naa, omi yoo si jade ninu re, ki awon eniyan ki o le mu. Mose si se bee ni oju awon agbaagba Israeli.”

Food and water are so important to body, and as such the two are necessary for human existence. Having fed the children of Israel with quails and manna which came down miraculously from the throne of God in heaven (Ex. 16), the next thing I suppose should be water. Hence, the reason for another time of great complaints and murmuring against Moses, Aaron, and God who promised to save his people from their enemies. The Israelites forgot that the presence of God was sufficient for them and could satisfy all their needs as long as they remained steadfast in him. Moses and Aaron themselves knew that the strength and confidence they needed to lead Israel through the wilderness to the promised land could only be derived from the presence of the living God who never fails. He is the Rock of our Salvation (Ps. 89:26) who is ever ready to produce anything needed for our comfort and satisfaction. As the Rock, our God has authority to produce, protect, provide and to solve all our problems in life. Don’t you see how he is solving the global problem of COVID-19? Our message today is therefore to assure us that if we trust God and put our confidence in him, he will direct our steps in the wilderness of life by making ways for us where there is no way and bringing water from the rock for us to drink and be satisfied. He will quench our thirst and give us the Living water to drink if we ask him (Matt. 7:17)

According to the writer of Exodus, as the Israelites moved toward Mount Sinai, they were still being led by the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21), and the Lord was still directing them as they passed through difficulties and trying situations. God manifested his power before the children of Israel and built their faith and character through different tough experiences. It must however be noted that life’s journey is more than what we think, and much more than reaching a destination. Our experiences in life must help us to grow in faith, in the knowledge of God and in godly character. To God, Israel had not known him despite all he did for them before arriving Rephidim in the wilderness of Sanai, where she again found herself without water. If the children of Israel had known the One who was leading them, they wouldn’t have complained when they were in need of water. They wouldn’t have quarreled with Moses their leader. They wouldn’t have been guilty of the sin of ingratitude doubt and unbelief, and wanting to return into their old life (Ex. 17:1-3). In short they failed the test of God once again. As Christians, if we blame God in the face of life challenges and compromise our faith, then we have only allowed temptation to trap us and rob us of an opportunity to grow spiritually. But if we allow God to have his way by trusting him for breakthrough, then all trials and temptations of life will work for us and not against us. (Rom. 8:28; James 1:12-15) For us to remain overcomers for life, we need to remain connected to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God and keep trusting him as the source of all good things. (John 15:5) Anything short of this will lead to anger, bitterness, and unchecked action which could make our situation worse (Ex. 17:5)

Moses, a good leader, who knew that God was the unfailing source of all good things, was not provoked by the murmuring of the Israelites, but called on the Lord for help as he had always done (Ex. 15:25; Num. 11:1&2) He knew like the Psalmist that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). The Lord answered him and commanded him to take some elders with him, not to forget his rod which signified the power of God (Ex. 7:20) and smite the rock upon which God promised to stand. Moses obeyed God and did according to his command, then water gushed out from the rock and the immediate need of the people and their flock were met. (Ex. 7:4-7; Ps. 78:15 & 16; Isa. 48:21) What a great wonder! A great and gracious God met the needs of a complaining nation. He can meet your own needs too if you can trust him to the end.

Water came forth from the rock for the children of Israel to drink. What does this mean to us today? The Holy Spirit has given us answer through Apostle Paul who wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4, that “…all (our fathers) drank of that same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” Christ is the true Rock which was smitten once for our sin. Through the blood and water which gushed out of his body at his crucifixion, we are made whole, satisfied and settled (Isa. 53:5). He is the Living Spring given by God to all human beings to quench their thirst and give them eternal satisfaction. The significant aspect of this water is that anyone who drinks out of it shall thirst no more and him/herself shall become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:10-12). Water from the Rock is a flowing one which is pure and fresh for the fullness of life and wholeness for whosoever will come to Jesus Christ and humbly accept him as Lord and Saviour. The water from the Rock is the Holy Spirit known as water of life (John 7:38-39). Are you thirsty? Come to Jesus Christ today and drink freely (Rev. 21:6; 22:17). Let us remember that ordinary water sustains life, but for a while. The living water of God (Holy Spirit) provides or gives eternal life. This water from the Rock as well washes believers and makes them fit for eternal life (Rev. 22:14). I therefore wish to urge all Christians to run from sin of any kind, let us wash ourselves in the Living water, and receive Jesus Christ, the water of life in order to become channel of blessing to other people, especially unbelievers around us and as well become candidates of eternal life. Note that when we commit sin, we are smiting Jesus Christ the second time which will eventually result to second death eternal death in hell fire. To smite Jesus Christ the second time is a sin and the wages of sin is death (Num. 20:11&12, Rom. 6:23)

 Let us pray.

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

Trust God to supply your need

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

TWENTY-FIFTH (25^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/FIFTEENTH (15^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 20^TH SEPTEMBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: Trust God to supply your need

    Gbekele Olorun fun ipese ohun to nilo

TEXT: Exodus 16:12

      

"I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them saying, "At twilight you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God."

"Emi ti gbo kikun awon omo Israeli; so fun won pe, Ni asaale eyin o je eran, ati ni Owuro a o si fi ounje kun yin, eyin o si mo pe, emi ni Oluwa Olorun yin."

While counselling his Boston congregation, Bishop Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) declared that Christians need not to pray for easy lives, rather, they should pray to be stronger men and women. He added that children of God should not pray for tasks equal to their power, but need to request for powers equal to their tasks. What a wise counsel! Brooks' counsel perhaps came from his study of the Israelites' wilderness experience. Whenever the journey became so challenging and the going got tough, the children of Israel would begin to grumble and talking about returning to Egypt where they had been treated as slaves. They easily forgot what God had done for them, but talked about those things they wanted him to do, but he has not done (Ps. 105:5&6). They praised God at the manifestation of his power in their journey, but a little time, they doubted his power to provide or supply their needs as if they no longer trust him in their daily wilderness walk. Obviously, the Israelites were no different from today's Christians. We love to trust and praise God when things are going on smooth with us, but whenever the opposite comes, we tend to forget his good deeds in the past and begin to doubt his power or ability to save, protect, supply, help and care for us in our own daily walk of faith. Today's message, therefore, is to help us learn from the experience of the Israelites and continue to trust God for the supply of all our needs. (Phil. 4:19).

The children of Israel, when walking in the wilderness to the promised land, faced several problems. One of the big challenges they faced in their wilderness journey was hunger. The entire people of Israel complained bitterly after a month they left Egypt because they were very hungry in the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elam and Sinai. (Ex. 16:1-3) The hunger was so severe that they forgot their bondage and sufferings in Egypt, rather they remembered pots of meat and bread which they had eaten in Egypt. They preferred to have remained in bondage and die in Egypt as slaves than to be free and hungry in the wilderness. They grumbled and complained bitterly against Moses and Aaron in the face of hunger - What shall we eat? Was the main topic of their complaint. God, however, heard their grumbling and complaints and in his mercy and grace met he their needs. He promised to give them meat to eat in the evening and to rain bread (manna) from heaven for them in the morning (Ex. 16:4 & 8). Our God is a merciful Father, who vowed to be gracious to whom he wishes and have compassion on anyone he wishes (Ex. 33:19), let us therefore, trust him for the supply of all our needs. Nothing is too hard for him to do even in the midst of the present economic meltdown, he is able supply all our needs (Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:27) As Christians journey through life to heaven, we must believe God and obey him for the following reasons made clear in our Old Testament text appointed for this 15th Sunday after Trinity (Exodus 16:2-15)

1.    The Promise of God (Ex. 16:4-5,8 11-12): In our Christian walk of faith, we live on promises and explanations. It is usual and normal for us to ask "Why?" whenever we are passing through tough times or facing life challenges, but such question seems to be a wrong one since it is always directed to God, the Creator and Sustainer of our lives. He can never be accountable to human beings because he is in charge of our lives and affairs. God is sovereign and does not have to explain anything to us except he chooses to do so. (Job 40:1-5) Murmurings cannot solve our problem nor asking questions and getting explanations could supply our needs or heal our broken hearts, but understanding the ways, plans and promises of God can increase our faith in him and strengthen our trust in him. This is because God's promises depend on faith, and faith puts us in contact with the grace of God.

2.    The glory of God (Ex. 16:6-7, 9-10): The important thing here is that the glory of God is sufficient for us. In our text, the moment Israel beheld God's glory, they forget every other problem and focused on what they saw. What should be important to us, as Christians who are called to be light and salt of the world (Matt. 5:13-16), is how to glorify God and honour his name, even at the expense of our own comfort. Christians must learn to face difficult situations without asking how can we get out of this?, but to say, Lord, what can we get out of this difficult situation? What should be important to us, as Christians in Nigeria today, is the kingdom of God and his righteousness and complete trust in God for unexpected supply of all our physical needs (Matt. 6:33). We must know that all our life challenges and wants are mere trial and test of our faith, and they are meant to build godly character into us as God's children so that we can be more like Jesus Christ. Bearing burdens, fighting battles, feeling pains and being in want are therefore marks of our godliness. Trust in God and his glory shall bring to us all that we need.

3.    The faithfulness of God (Ex. 16:13-15): So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp and the people of Israel caught enough for themselves. They asked for meat and God provided more than enough for them. The Lord surprised them with something new in the morning, he rained down manna for his people. He prepared a table for his people in the wilderness and shared "the bread of angels" with his people (Ps. 78:17-25) The bread which they ate for 40years in the wilderness without working for it. (Ex. 16:35; Josh 5:11-12) Every morning, the Israelites participated in a miracle as they came out from their tents to find all the nourishment they needed waiting on the dew. Though manna was small like a seed, but it tasted sweet like honey (Ex. 16:31). Our God is so faithful and will always fulfill his promises (Num. 23:19) Let us true him, because he does not fail.

Trust God today and believe in his Son Jesus Christ, who alone is the bread of life, sweeter than manna, and you will also participate in the endless miracle of God's supply (Jn 6:22-59). The Psalmist tasted God's unlimited provision and thus declared; "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." (Ps. 23:1) He is God of justice and equity, he will never forget all those who trust in him (Matt. 20:8-15) Jesus Christ is willing to give us more than food for the body or money for our earthly desires, he has the ability to give us food for our soul which no man or woman can give. (Isa. 55:2) Jesus Christ is the Bread of life, and the only way to be saved and be satisfied is to receive him to our inner being. Trust God and he shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19).

Let us pray.

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

Forgiveness (Idariji)

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

TWENTY-FOURTH (24^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/FOURTEENTH (14^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 13^TH SEPTEMBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME:Forgiveness (Idariji)

TEXT: Matthew 18:32&33

"Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?"

“Nigba ti Oluwa re pee tan, o wi fun pe, Aa! iwo iranse buburu yii, Mo fi gbogbo gbese ni ji o, nitori ti iwo be mi. Iwo ki isi saanu iranse egbe re gege bi mo ti saanu fun o?”

Forgiveness is often defined as an individual, voluntary internal process of letting go of feelings and thoughts of resentment, bitterness, anger, and the need for vengeance and retribution toward someone who we believe has offended us, including ourselves (Rom.12:17-21) Forgiveness, however, is conditioned on remorse repentance and the willingness to make reparation, or atonement; and the effect of forgiveness is the restoration of both parties to the former state of relationship. Forgiveness, to me as a Christian, is therefore an essential character or quality of Christ's followers for unity and harmony in the Church of God. Of course, relationship cannot be mended and strengthened if our humility and honesty, as Christians, failed to result in forgiveness.

Peter, knowing fully well that human beings are bound to offend or wrong one another, came to Jesus Christ with the issue of sin and forgiveness as contained in the opening verse of our gospel text for today, Matthew 18:21-35. He recognized the risks and dangers involved in human relationship and thus asked Jesus how he should handle them in future when they eventually occurred. The question of Peter in Matthew 18:21 shows some elements of pride in him. In his question, he was sure that his brother would sin against him, but not he against his brother. Secondly, he was asking for limit when the Bible makes it clear that where there is love there can be no limits (Eph. 3:17-19). Considering the teaching of the Jewish Rabbis', that three times of wrong doing was sufficient to retaliate, Peter thus thought he was showing great level of faith and love when he offered to forgive at least seven times. Jesus' reply, “until seventy times seven” (490 times) seemed to be a shocker to Peter. How on earth can one continue to count offense against his brother or sister until 490 times? Indirectly, Jesus Christ was saying love keeps no record of wrongs (1Cor. 13:5). Brothers and sisters, Fathers and mothers, we must however know that love is not blind (Phil. 1:9-10). It only helps us to look away from the wrongs done against us.

Jesus Christ who wants the best for his Church explains further what he meant by forgiveness with the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23-35. This parable shows that if a brother or sister is guilty of a repeated offense, no doubt he/she would find power and strength to overcome such offence through the encouragement of his/her loving and forgiving brethren. Obviously, if we condemn a brother or sister, we may end up bringing out the worst in him/her. But if we forgive them their sin, definitely, we may be helping to bring the best out of them. The parable of the unforgiving servant is therefore meant to illustrate the power of forgiveness among Christians only and not between lost sinners and God (Matt. 18-15&21). It buttresses the fact of an aspect of the Lord's prayer which says, "And forgive us our debts. As we forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6:12). Are you a Christian with forgiving spirit or one who revenges and fight back? Learn to forgive so that you may also be forgiven.

The unforgiving servant is the main character in the parable before us today and worthy of study. In his experience of being forgiven and himself unable to forgive, we can gain some lessons for our Christian race. Let us examine his experience following these three stages:

1.    The servant as a debtor (Matt. 18:23-27). This servant's embezzlement of funds was discovered when his master came for the auditing of his books of account. His dishonesty activities were made open and it was discovered that he had misappropriated one thousand talents which was probably equivalent to over 10million Dollars. He however pleaded for mercy, and promised to pay back if only he could be given enough time, but deep down in his heart he knew that would not be able to pay the debt. The servant was proud and lacked sincere repentance. He was not even ashamed of the fact that he stole the money, rather, he was ashamed because he was caught. Let us note that his master had the legal right to throw him into prison, but he was a man of compassion. He accepted the loss and forgave the servant just as we are being forgiven daily by God who is full of mercy and compassion. Brethren, we are all debtor, how ready are we to regularly service our debt to God and to our fellow human beings? We owe nothing but love, to love God and our fellow human beings (Rom. 13:8).

2.    The servant as a creditor (Matt. 18:28-30). After he had been forgiven, he left the presence of his master only to meet his fellow servant who owed him 100 pence which was about the daily earning of an average worker. The debt which his fellow servant owed him was insignificant compared with what he owed (10million Dollars) his master. Instead of sharing the happiness of his own release with his colleagues, he went straight to maltreat his fellow servant who was unable to pay him his little debt. He could not do to others what he wanted others to do to him. He might have gotten the legal right to also throw his debtor into prison, but he did not have the moral right to do so. Someone who had just been forgiven, should he not also forgive his fellow servant? How do we treat others today, especially when it comes to things which we are also guilty of? Forgive others as we want God to forgive us. We are all creditors; one or more persons may owe us. How do we treat them? (Matt. 6:14&15; Lk. 17:3&4)

3.    The unforgiving servant as a prisoner (Matt. 18:31-34). His master originally delivered him from going into the prison, but he put himself back into it, because of lack of the spirit of forgiveness. The unforgiving servant exercised justice and threw into prison his colleague who owed him and was unable to pay. This act of forgiveness of this servant provoked his master who had earlier forgiven him to revert back to justice. His master did to him what he had done to his colleague. The prison of unforgiving heart has been described as the worst prison in the world. If we refused to forgive others, we are only imprisoning ourselves and causing our own torment. Many of us have received forgiveness, but we have not really experienced forgiveness down deep in our hearts. Thus, we are unable to share forgiveness with those who have offended us. Brethren in the house of faith, let us all learn and accept to share forgiveness with others, even as God is sharing with us every day. Forgiveness is able to bring freedom, joy and rest/peace of mind to us and thereby foster unity among us. “And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave us” (Eph. 4:32)

Let us pray

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

Honest Fellowship

 METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

TWENTY-THIRD (23^RD) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/THIRTEENTH (13^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 6^TH SEPTEMBER 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: Honest Fellowship

Idapo ododo

TEXT: Matthew 18:20

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them"

"Nitori nibi ti eni meji tabi meta ba ko ara won jo ni oruko mi, nibe ni emi o wa ni aarin won"

No human being is an island to him/herself. We are created to be relational creatures and as such we are bound to offend and misunderstand one another, no matter how spiritual we may be. Quoting Rousseau, Stanley Hauerwas notes that "war (conflict or misunderstanding) is an unavoidable by-product of our (human) cooperation." He went further to say, "While in itself (conflict) morally ambiguous, as a by-product of cooperation, its elimination would as well mean the extinction of cooperation" which in my own view contradicts the idea expressed by Jesus Christ in his prayer for the Church when he said, "that they may all be one" (John 17:21) Jesus Christ wants his Church to promote unity and peaceful co-existence in the world through its honest fellowship one with another. Misunderstanding among brethren, therefore, does not mean disunity in the Church until it escalates to a level which is beyond settlement or management. I mean the level of "To your tents O Israel..." (1kings 12:16) We can then say emphatically that this is not the mind of Christ for his Church. He wants to see the Church in honest fellowship where brethren are living together in truth and love. It is however unfortunate to note that there are so much division and dissension among professing Christians these days, and such, we desperately need what Matthew chapter 18 has to teach, not only the Church but the world at large. In this chapter, Jesus Christ rebuked his followers for their pride and quest for worldly greatness. He as well taught them three essential qualities for unity and harmonious fellowship in the Church. These three qualities are: humility, honesty and forgiveness, but for the purpose of our meditation today, we shall focus on the second; honesty among the people of God as we concentrate on Matthew 18:15-20.

It is obvious from this short passage or text (Matt. 18:15-20) that there are times when Christians unconsciously or consciously offend or hurt one another. The Old Testament even talks about "sins of ignorance" (Num. 15:22) and the Psalmist as well prayed God to deliver him from "secret fault" (Ps. 19:12). How then can we have honest fellowship and united Church in the face of sins of ignorance and secret faults? How can brethren dwell together in unity and peace when we deliberately or unconsciously offend one another? Here are some of our Lord Jesus' instructions to guide the present Church out of disunity and dishonest fellowship. Quarreling members of a church should follow the following steps to make peace:

1.  Keep the matter private (Matt. 18:15) Conflict cannot be completely eliminated among human beings, no matter how closely related they may be. "Are mo ja kan o si" But where there is honest relationship and true fellowship, either of the persons involved in quarrel, according to Jesus Christ, should approach the other and speak with him/her alone as a way of making peace in love. It could be that the offender does not realize that he/she has offended someone. Even if he/she knew that he/she did was deliberate, the submissive and loving attitude of the other part who came for peace may help him/her to repent and beg for forgiveness. The mind of Christ on one to one peace talk among the quarreling brethren is not about winning an argument, but winning ones’ brother or sister back to Christ from the side of the devil which does not want brethren to live in unity and peace. No wonder the Bible says "follow peace with all men (Heb. 12:14) and let brotherly love continues (Heb. 13:1). It is important for us to note that we must have a spirit of meekness and gentleness before we can really seek to restore a brother or sister (Gal. 6:1) To ensure honest fellowship in our Church, therefore, we have to sincerely seek him/her with love and not to gossip around about what happened between two of them.

2.    Request for the intervention of other believer(s) (Matt. 18:16) Bringing in one or two trusted and honest believer(s) to make peace between two conflicting members is never a gossip, but a divine recommendation by our Master, Jesus Christ. (Matt. 18:16) If one of the parties involved in the quarrel had tried on his/her own to reconcile privately and the other party refused to make things right, then one is free to share the burden with one or two reliable Christian(s) for their honest and prayerful intervention and counsel. They may also become witnesses of the fact of what had happened between the two parties before the Church (Deut. 19:15; 2Cor. 13:1) Brothers and sisters in Christ, please note that when sin is not honestly dealt with in any fellowship or Church, it spreads. That means any bone of contention between two members which is not properly handled may grow to involve many more members. Yes, quarrel spreads like yeast if not managed with love and honesty in a fellowship. "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom. 13:8).

3.    Ask the Church for help (Matt. 18:17) The third step we can take to resolve conflict in a Church is to bring the issue before the council or meeting of the leaders of the Church. It is important for Christians to remember that our goal in conflict resolution is not to win a case, but to win our brother or sister back to Christ, and ensure that our fellowship is an honest one. The word gained in Matthew 18:15 when compared with its usage in 1Corinthians 9:19-22, it refers to winning the lost. But it is also important to make sure that the saved dwell together in love and truth, and maintain an honest fellowship so that the gate of hell does not prevail against it. (Matt. 16:18). What we are saying here is that Church discipline must not be neglected among us, and every member, high or low, must be ready to accept the discipline of the Church. Anyone who fails to accept discipline should be treated like a sinner who needs the love of Christ and must be discipled.

Finally, brethren, we must make efforts to keep the local church spiritual (Matt. 18:18-20) through honest fellowship. The local church must first of all be at its best spiritually before seeking to discipline any members. Exercising discipline of members in a church simply means self-evaluation and self-discipline of such local church. It also means that individual member of the local church is self-controlled and self-disciplined. Someone who is not disciplined cannot be able to discipline others (Matt. 7:5) The church (individual members) must therefore be under the authority of the word of God in order to remain disciplined. It is than that God will be able to restore his erring children through the church. The power of prayer is another important thing in our fellowship as a Church through which we know the will of God in any matter with our members. This agreement in prayer is important in our fellowship as we seek to win erring members in love and truth. Our fellowship must be devoid of hypocrisy and pretense. Our fellowship must as well recognize the presence of God in our midst even as we worship and pray together in the unity of mind and purpose (Matt. 18:20) The Holy Spirit can convict both the offender and the church, and as well judge sin in the midst of the brethren as he did to Ananias and Sapphire in Acts chapter 5.

Men and brethren, there is a desperate need for honesty and sincere love in the Church today. Christians must be able to speak the truth, and settle their rifts amicably and in love (Eph. 4:15) According to Jesus Christ, addressing conflict and healing offenses should be a priority for Christians. He even asks us to postpone our worship, especially giving of offering, if we remember an unsettled quarrel (Matt. 5:23&24) From now henceforth, let us be open to one another, resolve all our misunderstandings, tell one another truth in love and follow peace with all Christians everywhere. Let us bring our worship to God in a honest fellowship, enough of pretense and hypocritical attitude. Let brotherly love continues that we may have honest fellowship in our Churches.

Let us pray

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.