What do you think about the Messiah?

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

THIRTIETH (30^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/TWENTIETH (20^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 25^TH OCTOBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: What do you think about the Messiah?

          Kini o ro nipa Mesaya naa?

TEXT: Matthew 22:41&42

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ?” Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

“Bi awon Farisi ti ko ara won jo, Jesu bi won, wipe, “Eyin ti ro ti Kristi si? Omo ta ni i se? Won wi fun un pe, Omo Dafidi ni”

Matthew Chapter twenty-two verses fifteen to forty-six contained four serious questions; three of them were from the enemies of Jesus Christ, while the last one was from Jesus himself. Having listened to many parables of Jesus Christ with which he had exposed the evil intentions of the Jewish leaders and warned them against the coming judgement, they (the Jewish leaders) felt humiliated before the crowd and were looking for ways of destroying Jesus Christ. They hoped to trap him with words from his mouth so that he could be arrested and prosecuted, hence, the questioned him on public and religious matters, but they could find no fault in him. The Pharisees and Herodians were the first to ask him question about payment of poll tax (Matt. 22:15-22) The second question about resurrection of the dead came from the Sadducees (Matt. 22:23-33) But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together with the Scribes, and a lawyer from among them asked Jesus Christ the third question which focused on the law (Matt. 22:34-40) Jesus used the ‘Shema’ (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 22:37&38), a statement of faith which was recited daily by every orthodox Jews to reply them. He made them to know that the greatest commandment is to LOVE GOD with all that we are and have. And that love for God cannot be separated from love for our neighbours (1 John 3:10-18, 4:7-21). With the question about the law, Jesus had now answered three difficult questions from his enemies, but there is a fundamental question which is more relevant for every child of God to answer today. This is a question about the Messiah himself. The question which Jesus asked his enemies in our text (Matt. 22:41-43) happens to be the focus of our meditation today, ‘What do you think about the Messiah?’

Unlike his question in Matthew 16:15, Jesus Christ took an indirect approach with his enemies when he asked the question. He made it look like a theological question, when in reality it was a personal question they would ever face. It remains a personal question for everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. It is very important to have the right thinking about Jesus Christ and believes that he is the Messiah, the only Saviour of the world. As trained experts in the law, the Jewish leaders knew the answer to the other question; Whose Son is the Messiah (Christ)? They knew that the Messiah is the Son of David (Isa. 11:1) and they answered correctly. Jesus also raised another difficult question from Psalm 110:1 which they could not answer. Every Jewish scholar knew that this particular verse of Psalm 110 refers to no other person than the Messiah, because only the Messiah could sit at the right hand of God, so no one could query the accuracy of the text as in Matthew 22:43. Yes, the Messiah could be David’s Lord when viewed as God, but when considered as man, he (the Messiah) is David’s Son. The Bible confirms that Jesus Christ is both the root and the offspring of David (Rev. 22:16). This shows that he (the Messiah) is both divine and human.

The two pictures of the Messiah seen in the Old Testament have brought a lot of confusion to the Bible scholars as they found it difficult to reconcile the two pictures. The first showed the Messiah as a suffering Servant, while the other referred to him as a conquering and reigning King. Were there two Messiah? If we should ask. The answer is no, there is only one Messiah and the Saviour of the world. What then do you think about the Messiah? If the Jewish leaders had listened carefully to what Jesus Christ was saying to them, they would have known that there was only one Messiah, who shared both divine and human natures. He was to suffer and die as a sacrifice for sins of the world. He would then resurrect from the dead, ascend into heaven, and will one-day return to permanently defeat his enemies. However, they never thought like this, because they have their own ideas about the Messiah which they would never compromise. Obviously, if the Jewish leaders had accepted the teachings of Jesus Christ, they would have found it essay to accept him as the Messiah, but this is what they were unwilling to do.

Consequently, the Jewish leaders, enemies of the truth, suddenly became deaf and dumb. They pretended not to understand the truth about the Messiah, and they dear not ask Jesus Christ any more questions, not because they had believed the truth, but because they could not face the truth (Luke 20:40) How about you, what do you think about the Messiah? Your thought about the Saviour (Messiah) is very important to your life now and hereafter. Making a personal decision about Jesus Christ is a matter of life and death. The evidence is there in the Bible for all of us to examine. According to the writer of the Bible Expository Commentary of the New Testament, “We can examine it (the evidence) defensively and miss the truth. Or we can examine it honestly and humbly, and discover the truth, believe it and be saved. The Jewish religious leaders were so blinded by tradition, position, and selfish pride that they could not, and would not, see the truth nor receive the truth.” Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He is the Messiah. He is the way, truth and life, no one comes to the father except by him (John 14:6) Only those who believe and accept him as Lord and Saviour are given power to be called sons of God (John 1:12). Those who believe him will not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16) Those who believe in him are not condemned and would not be condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they do not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God – the Messiah of the world (John 3:18) What are you now thinking about the Messiah?

Let us pray

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

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

The image (Aworan naa)

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

TWENTY-NINETH (29^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/NINETEENTH (19^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 18^TH OCTOBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: The image (Aworan naa)

TEXT: Matthew 22:20

“And He (Jesus) said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

“O si bi won pe, Aworan ati akole ta ni eyi?”

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, the word ‘image’ is seen and can be used in several ways:

1)   Public Opinion: the opinion people have of a person, organization, product etc seems to be to the public (reputation)

2)   Idea in mind: a picture that you have in your mind, especially about what someone or something is like or the way they look

3)   Picture/What you see: a picture in the screen of a television, cinema, or computer or better still, an image could mean a picture or shape of a person or thing that is copied on to paper or is cut in wood or stone. The third definition of image given by Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English seems better for our meditation today as we consider the theme: “THE IMAGE”. In the first account of creation, human beings were created in the image of God, in the image of God they were created male and female (Gen. 1:26 & 27). There are two fundamental truths about man as seen in Genesis and some other scriptural passages which we need to know:

1.    We know that human beings were created by God

2.    That God made them in his own image (Gen. 5:1,3; 9:6; 1Cor. 11:7; Eph. 4:24) Although theologians differ in their views regarding the nature of the image of God in human beings, but the popular opinion is that since God is a Spirit, his image in human beings can only refer to spiritual qualities in human’s mental and moral attributes as rational, self-conscious, self-determining and self-controlled creatures, capable of obedience to moral law and intended by God for fellowship with himself.

Let us turn to the gospel text chosen for this nineteenth (19^th) Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:15-22 and see what led to the issue of image and the lessons God wants us to learn from the passage. It was the Pharisees and Herodians, their enemies, who suddenly became friends that they might entangle Jesus Christ with the words of his mouth. The Pharisees were opposed to the Roman poll tax while the Herodians were in favour of the tax because they were supporters of the Herod who got his authority from Caesar, the Roman ruler over the Jews as at the time of this trial. It is therefore clear that the Pharisees and the Herodians purposely chose the subject of the poll tax as their bait to trap Jesus Christ. They know that any question about payment of tax will be very difficult for Jesus to answer, because he would not want to offend the Jews, especially the Pharisee by supporting poll tax and neither would he like to offend the Roman government, Herod the king and his lovers by saying no to payment of tax. Jesus Christ knew their scheme as hypocrites, whose purpose was not to get an answer to their question – “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But their main aim was to trap him through any answer he would give as a response to this question. Jesus Christ, however, saw their question as an opportunity for him to shame and silence his enemies, and to as well teach the people around him an important truth about image, respect and obedience.

In the Gentile world, most leaders minted their own coins and put their own image on them. For instance, “penny” (denarius) had Caesar’s image on it, so it belonged to Caesar as a ruler. Hence, Jesus’ reply to their question; “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21) In this simple, but profound reply, some important facts were taught by Jesus Christ. These facts include:

1)   He taught that Christians must obey and respect rulers of the land. (Matt. 22:18-21) The same lesson was taught by Paul in his letter to the Church at Rome (Rom. 13) and Peter the Apostle in his first epistle to the Jews in diasasporal and all believers all over the world (1Pet. 2:13-17). Believers in Christ, have a dual citizenship, in heaven (Phil. 3:20) and on earth where we are now. It is important for us to respect our earthly rulers (elected or appointed leaders), obey the law of the land, pay taxes, participate in community development projects, and pray for all who are in authority.

2)   Jesus Christ taught all Christians to honour and obey God (Matt. 22:21). Through Caesar project himself as God, he was not God and could never be worship as God. In the same way, government of any nation is not God and cannot enforce religion (Acts 5:29), hence, there is freedom of religion and worship everywhere, especially in Nigeria. It is because we worshiped God and have the image of God in us that we are able to behave well and honour our country as good citizens.

3)   Jesus Christ taught the whole world that human beings are the image of God on earth. If Caesar’s image was on a penny, then the image of God is in and on every human being (Gen. 1:27) God created human beings in his own likeness and as such we owe him all our being. It is true that the devil misled human being to act against the will of God in the garden of Eden. Our first parents, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and thus missed the mark set for them by God and they became sinners, people whose original image had been marred (Gen. 3:7-10) But glory be to God in heaven who did not allow Satan to gain permanent victory over human beings, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, who came to the world, paid the price of our sin and restore our original image, the image of God (Eph. 4:24; Col.3:10; John 3:16; 1:12). Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, have you been restored into the original image of God? Are you still ordinary dust without the breath of life? Do you know that without being born again, you are just a dust and not real human? It is Christ in us that gives us hope of glory because his blood cleanses us, renews us and restores us to the original image of God. If you have not experienced the new life which Christ gives, come to him today, give unto God your whole being because it belongs to him, and you will become the right man or woman that God wants you to be.

Let us pray

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

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

Invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

TWENTY-EIGHTH (28^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/EIGHTEENTH (18^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 11^TH OCTOBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: Invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb

          Ipe si ibi igbeyawo Odo-Aguntan

TEXT: Matthew 22:2&3

“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding and they were not willing to come”

“Ijoba Orun dabi oba kan, ti o se igbeyawo fun omo re. O si ran awon omo-odo re lo pe awon ti a ti pe tele si ibi iyawo: sugbo won ko fe wa”

The parable of the wedding feast which is titled; “THE REJECTION OF THE KING” belongs to the fourth major section of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded by St. Matthew section, which starts with chapter 21 and ends at verse 14 of chapter 22, Jesus Christ, our Lord, revealed the iniquities of the children of Israel and gave the reasons why the Jewish religious leaders rejected him and his messages. He specifically explained how the nation Israel had rejected the Holy Spirit and his call made through the Apostles. This invitation of the Holy Spirit, calling on the nation Israel first, and all others last to attend the wedding feast of the Lamb of God, and the subsequent reactions of Israel and others who were called shall be the focus of our meditation today as we x-ray the parable of the wedding feats contained in Matthew 22:1-14.

In the parable of the wedding feats, it is obvious that God is the King who is arranging for the marriage of his Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and the Church as his bride (Eph. 5:22-33). The period described in the parable seemed to be after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is also clear that the servants sent out to invite the already informed guests are prophets while the invited guests remain the children of Israel. All other guests are the gentile world. God, the Father, is still inviting the people of Israel to come, not minding what they had done to Jesus Christ his Son. This fact is further established with the study of the first seven chapters of the Acts of the Apostles that the invitation to the wedding feats was first to no other people other than the Jews (Acts 2:5, 10, 14, 22, 36; 3:25, 6:7). One may however ask; How did the Jewish leaders respond to the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles? Our study of the Acts of the Apostles shows that the Jewish leaders rejected the word of God and persecuted his massagers the same rulers who demanded for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, permitted John to be killed, ordered the killing of Stephen and later one of them, Herod, killed James (Acts 12:1f) It must be noted that Israel rejected God the Father the moment they refused to obey John the Baptist’s preaching and rejected God the Son when they arrested him and crucified him on the cross. But in his grace, patience and to fulfill his promise (Joel 2:28&29), God as well poured his Spirit on the early Church to be his witnesses. Truly, the early believers witnessed with great power that Jesus Christ was alive and could still save the nation Israel (Acts 2:32-36, 3:19-26) God performed many miracles performed by the Apostle through them to confirm to the house of Israel that he sent them. It is unfortunate that despite all the miracles, Israel still rejected the Holy Spirit sent by God (Acts 7:5).

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we need to know that the ministry of the Holy Spirit still continues in our own generation through men and women chosen and sent by God to invite all and sundry to the final wedding feast of his Son. The Spirit of God is bearing witness through the word to the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit who convinces us of sin (John 16:7-11), so let us not resist the Holy Spirit as in the days of Stephen (Acts 7:51). Let us yield to the work of the Holy Spirit among us and respond positively to the call of God. Leave all the unprofitable works of the flesh and the sin which easily entangles us and be obedient to what the Spirit of God is saying to the Church today. It seems that the King who was arranging wedding feast has also prepared wedding garments for all who would attend the feast. If that is true, then our God has special attire for whosoever shall honour his invitation and come to the wedding feast of the Lamb and his Church. We must therefore accept whatever God gives to us as the requirement for us to be acceptable at the wedding feats. There is no other thing than the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Matt. 6:33) and holiness without which no one shall see God (Heb. 12:14) Let us not be like the man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for the wedding feast in our text (Matt. 22:11-14) and thus was bound hands and feet and thrown into the outer darkness. Enough of self-righteousness and holy than thou, give positive response to God’s call, obey what he is saying through the Holy Spirit and accept the righteousness of Christ, let us make it our own and remain holy unto him who says; “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48) We have no excuse to be guilty of Spiritual blindness, guilty of hypocrisy and guilty of deliberate disobedience to the word of God. Come, the Lord is calling you for everything is ready.

Let us pray

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

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

The Reward (Ere)

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

DIOCESAN 6^TH ANNUAL HARVEST/AWARD SERVICE ON SUNDAY, 11^TH SUNDAY, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: The Reward (Ere)

TEXT: Matthew 25:20&21

“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents, look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His Lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over many things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

“Eyi ti o gba talenti marun-un si wa, o si mu talenti marun-un miiran wa pelu, o wi pe, Oluwa, iwo fi talenti marun-un fun mi; si wo o, mo jere talenti marun-un miran. Oluwa re wi fun un pe, O seun, iwo omo-odo rere ati olooto iwo se olooto, ninu ohun die, emi o mu o se olori ohun pupo; iwo bo sinu ayo Oluwa re.”

·         The english word ‘reward’ can be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, it means “a thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement.” But when used as a verb, it means to “give something to (someone) in recognition of their services, efforts, or achievements.”

·         The parable of talents has to do with opportunities we have in life to use our abilities and the rewards which will come after. (like Cain and Abel in Gen. 4:3-7)

·         God has given talents to human beings (I mean each of us) according to their (our) ability – 5, 2 and 1 (Matt. 2515)

·         If 5 talents were given to a person with minimal ability, he would be destroyed by the heavy responsibility, like Samson Judges 16:28-30, and if only one was given to a man of great ability, he would be degraded or under-utilized.

·         The 3 servants fell into 2 categories: faithfulness (God expects us to be faithful to him (1Cor.4:2)) and unfaithfulness.

·         We must always remember that there is a day fixed for settling of account it is also a day of reward (Rom. 14:12; Eccl. 12:14)

·         The day of harvest is coming when we will all reap whatever we have sown (Gal. 6:7)

·         The first two servants started as servants but ended as rulers. They were faithful with few things so they gained many. They labored and toiled, and now they entered into joy. These are rewards

·         The third was unfaithful and therefore was unrewarded. If anyone is afraid of failure and failed to work, he/she may not even try to succeed. Which one are you, faithful or unfaithful servant?

·         If we are faithful and hardworking, we shall be rewarded at the coming of Christ Rev. 22:12

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

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

The thing which matter most.

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

TWENTY-SEVENTH (27^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/SEVENTH (17^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 4^TH OCTOBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: The thing which matter most.

          Ohun ti o se pataki ju lo

TEXT: Philippians 3:8 & 9

"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."

"Nitooto laise ani-ani mo si ka ohun gbogbo si ofo nitori itayo imo Kristi Jesu Oluwa mi: nitori eni ti mo ti sofo ohun gbogbo, mo si ka won si igbe, ki emi ki o le jere Kristi, ki a si le ba mi ninu re, ni aini ododo ti emi funra mi, ti o ti inu ofin wa, sugbon eyii ti o ti inu igbagbo wa ninu Kristi, ododo ti Olorun nipase igbagbo."

As Christians, we have many robbers in life trying so hard to rob us of our joy. These thieves, who are joy stealers, are the main focus of Paul in chapter three of his letter to the Philippian Christians. According to Paul, the stealers of joy are both tangible and intangible things of this world. He felt that it is easy for human beings to get wrapped up in the worldly things and forget the things (heavenly things) which matter most. Using himself as a case study, Paul writes about what things were gain to him including those things which are behind him and those ones which are before him. (Phil. 3:7 & 13). He talks about his religious achievements (Gal.1:14), a feeling of self-satisfaction, morality, reputation, fame and social status. He, however, made it clear that the things he was living for before he met and knew Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus seemed to be commendable, but none of these things - a self-righteous life, obedience to the Law, the defense of the religion of his fathers and academic achievement gave him satisfaction or acceptance with God. As a matter of fact, Paul had to lose his religion in order to gain salvation. And this is the aim of our message today, as many of us who have been holding on to religion, self-righteousness and Christian achievements before now should evaluate and assess their relationship with God and see if they have really gained salvation. We have to discover those things we carry so high, but cannot in any way take us to heaven, drop them, count them as rubbish and embrace the things which matter when it comes to running the heavenly race.

Many of us are familiar with the story of Saul of Tarsus who later became Paul the Apostle after his encounter with Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1-31) After this experience, his value changed and he discovered that apart from Jesus Christ, everything he lived for or achieved in life was nothing but refuse. He felt that he had major in minor all along. In his letter to the Philippians chapter three, he shows two kind of righteousness: works righteousness and faith righteousness. And to him, faith righteousness is the one acceptable to God.

1.    Works righteousness (Phil. 3:1-6): Paul started his letter in chapter three of his Epistle to the Philippians with exhortation which opens with warning: "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation" (Phil. 3:2) These three set of people are the Judaizers who followed Paul around trying to steal his converts, they were false teachers who tried to mix Law and grace together. They taught that sinners could be saved by faith and his good works contrary to Paul's teaching that Christians are saved only by grace through faith in Christ. (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:3-7) They are people who also taught that circumcision was essential for salvation (Acts 15:1; Gal. 6:12-18) contrary to Paul's teaching of spiritual circumcision in Christ Jesus (Col. 2:11; Rom. 2:25-29). To Paul therefore, good works which are only of the flesh (John 4:19-24) and religiousity profit nothing and can never take any of us to heaven. The only thing which can take all of us to heaven is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Calvary (John 17:1-4; 19:30; Heb. 10:11-14) Paul knew the futility of trying to gain salvation through good works (Phil. 3:4-6) He was a circumcised Jew, student of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), a Jewish religious leader (Gal. 1:13 & 14) and a zealot, and yet he gave all these up for the thing which matter most the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The same remains God's standard for anyone who wishes to make heaven today, "seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33)

2.    Faith righteousness (Phil. 3:7-11): Account of Paul's conversion in Acts 9 shows that he became a true child of God who trusted Christ for everything after his encounter with him on the way to Damascus. It was an immediate miracle of the grace of God which can as well repeat itself today in the life of any sinner who admits his/her need and turn to Jesus Christ, the Saviour by faith. Definitely, any sinner who comes to Jesus Christ must be willing to have a total separation with the works of the flesh and embrace that which has more value and profitable till eternity. Paul lost some things, but he gained much more than he lost as a result of his faith in Christ. He measures what he had achieved in the flesh with what Jesus Christ had to offer, and he discovered that all the things dear to him were nothing but rubbish when compared to what he had to gain in Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:7-11) Paul now has the knowledge of Christ and no longer about Christ which is what many of us have today. To know Christ means to have personal relationship with him (Jn. 17:3) and not just to know about him. When we get to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are bound to lose our own self-righteousness, but gain the righteousness of Christ by faith. (Rom. 4:1-8) Human beings are born in their fallen nature, and spiritually bankrupt, but the moment we embrace and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we will see God crediting our account with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, while our debts (sins) will be put on Christ's account on the cross (2 Cor. 5:22) What a great grace!

My fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, this grace is in Christ Jesus and he is the only thing which matters most (Matt. 21:42). Never mind, give up all your sinful life style which seem sweet to you now but it's end is destruction come now and embrace the only thing which matters most, Jesus Christ the Lord, and you will have satisfaction now and here-after. Consider life achievements, fame, position, wealth, reputation and what have you as nothing when compared with the joy and blessings in Christ Jesus. In doing this, you must be willing to give everything up, die to sin and self (Rom. 6) and take up your cross daily to follow Jesus Christ our Lord. You must walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4; Gal. 2:20) as someone who has chosen the only thing which matters most on earth and in heaven. Our lives as Christian need not depend on cheap earthly things which are valueless, but on the heavenly things with eternal value found only in Christ Jesus. Let us begin to look at earthly things from heaven's point of view so that we can find lasting peace and joy for ourselves. What is that thing in your life that matter most? Jesus Christ is the only thing which matters most to me and I have chosen him for life How about you?

Let us pray

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

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.