My dear good people in the Cathedral church of St James. I wish you a very glorious and happy Easter celebration in Jesus name. In Anglican tradition and customs, i your Bishop is expected to lead the service at the Cathedral at Easter and to celebrate Holy communion. Because of the lock down, it's impossible for me to honour this order. I have decided to put my message on your platform for you to read and digest. It's meant both for you and on our online Broacast for Easter. My prayer is that as you read, it's will make a desired impact in your life.
LET US PRAY
O God, our creator, we thank you that you hold the keys over death, that by that might, Jesus was raised from the grave, paving the way for us to have new life with you. We ask now that you keep your words of truth planted firmly within us. Help us to keep focused on what is pure and right, give us the power to be obedient to your word. We ask that your word will speak louder and stronger than the lies of the devil. Remind us that we are always safe with you at any circumstance even at this difficult time and that despite our inability to gather at our assemblies to share the joy of Easter you will still fulfill your purposes and plans in our lives. Continue to be our defense and guard, removing all obstacles and covering our pitfalls. Lead us into your word in Jesus name we pray.
You are again heartily welcome to today’s special broadcast especially those of you who had been our regular viewers. We love you so much with the love of Christ. I am still your friend and bishop Rt. Revd. Dr. Johnson Akin Atere of the Diocese of Awori.
Today Sunday 12th of April, 2020 is Easter day. A day when Pilate with the Jewish leaders condemned Jesus and crucified Him on the cross. They also posted soldiers to guard His tomb to forestall Him rising from dead. In spite of all these, when the power of resurrection was released, Jesus was raised to life. Hallelujah; He defiled the powers and wisdom of men and conquered death to become both the wisdom and power 1Cor. 1:24 “…Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God”. He is also the resurrection and life (John 11:25). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis of our Christian faith and our message to the world. By implication, Jesus is not dead. He is alive for evermore. All who believe in Him shall experience this resurrection and live forever with Him and this experience can only be possible when one is born again and dies in Christ. The account in Matthew 28:1-10 singled out the actions of Mary Magdalene and others. They followed even when all hope was lost, how many Christians of today can still follow Christ when it seems heavens are silent. The commitment of the women made them to be the first to receive the news of Christ’s resurrection from the angels. They saw Jesus face to face, worshipped Him and were filled with joy. In verse 10 of Matthew 28, Jesus called His disciples brothers. He is not just our brother but our shepherd. What I think the death and resurrection of Jesus has brought to us is salvation of our souls but we needed help, principally we must be shepherd to the green field of heaven.
Am persuaded to discuss with you at this Easter the Shepherdhood of Jesus before His crucifixion and even till today. The summary is what David packaged in his popular psalm 23 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
All over the world, this psalm is known and loved. Children often learn it before they even learn to read it. Old people die with the statement of this psalm on their lips. Its words are beautiful and easy to remember. Most importantly is the fact that, it expresses trust in God as the one who is with us in all the experiences of life, restoring us when we go wrong, guiding us when astray, providing when in needs, watching over us when not save. He is close and ever near us from birth till death.
Verses 1 and 2 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters”. Shows the life of a shepherd in palestine of old which was not too easy. They had to be with their sheep day and night, leading them in the daytime to good grass to eat and to where they would have water to drink. They must also be prepared to defend their sheep from both internal and external attacks from wild beast -Gen 31:38-41. Here you have the confession of Jacob to Laban when he took him to task on his service because of Rachael 38 "These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. 39 "That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 "There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. 41 "Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times”.
When Saul was trying to discourage David from fighting Goliath because of his smallish size compared with giant Goliath. He narrated a testimony of a great and perfect ‘shepherd’ in 1Sam. 17:34-35 34 "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it” risking his life to save the sheep.
Jesus in John 10:11-15 describe Himself as a good shepherd who laid His life to save the sheep. Unlike the hireling who can abandon the sheep when in danger.
In the case of Jesus, He would not only protect and save but He knows His sheep one by one by their names and identify and His sheep also know Him. He knows every one of us, our behaviour, our thought, sincerity in worship and services. Those of us who are hypocrites, stubborn sheep – the disobedience sheep, liars, adulterers. He knows the intent of the heart of every man and woman. He kept on repeating it to John during his revelation that “I KNOW”.
In the Old Testament, we often read the wish of God as He chose leaders for them. He would always want them to be a shepherd leader in the way they were supposed to care for their people. Unfortunately they often failed. In the book of Jeremiah 23:1-4, God rebuke those shepherd who through their wickedness or nonchalant attitude allowed the sheep to scatter.
Our major concern for this message is the shepherding of God Himself. Isaiah described God’s style beautifully in chapter 40:11 “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young”. Wao, brethren, that is why you are still alive to celebrate today, your enemies – (the beast) would have consumed you. How many times God has saved you from the sudden death. Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy. It describes an individual life, a wholeness that comes from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. It means acting according to the values, belief and principles we claim to hold. People said to Jesus in Mark 12:14 “we know you are a man of integrity. The supreme quality for leadership i.e. unquestionable integrity without it no real success is possible.
David was a skillful shepherd, we read about how he had learnt to protect the flock with his sling. He went on to lead the people of Israel with great skill. Some of our leaders at various level knew next to nothing, all they know and believe is power, by the time they get to power, they become so lazy even those with certain skill would have traded them with fun and sacrifice them on the altar of forgetfulness. How many of our political leaders would come back from political office and still be good medical doctors or engineer?
A good shepherd should love, be a servant and be sensitive. If you love people, you will get close enough to them. Paul was an example of a good shepherd in this sense because everywhere he went; he met up with the disciples. Acts 21:4,7. He prayed with them (vs. 5) “When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed”. He loved them so much that when it was time to leave he had to tear himself away from them.
In service – the prophet Agabus warned Paul of what awaited him in Jerusalem. They pleaded with him not to go but Paul answered ‘why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord. True leadership is achieved not by reducing people to one’s service but in giving oneself service to them.
Compassion and prayers 2Kings 3:1-4:37. The event here took place in the 9th century BC. Alongside the wars, there were clearly domestic problems and injustice within Israel. We see an example in the way the widow and her sons were about to be taken as slaves. In this situation, Elisha came to the rescue. Like good shepherd, he loves and cares for the people. He asked the widow, “How may I help you”. He rescues this widow from the terrible curse of excessive debt and potential slavery. In verse 9, Elisha demonstrated a spirit of compassion to the Shunamite woman who had been unable to conceive, she discovered that God honours those who provided hospitality. He speaks the word of God to her and she conceived. Even when her son died, Elisha was still available for her to restore her joy.
How many of the preventive measure against corona virus have you kept perfectly and yet the great shepherd had carried you close to His heart and say “Touch not my anointed and do my sheep no harm” Hallelujah!
David and all those who wrote the Psalms at various passages describe how God leads His flocks Ps. 77:20 “You lead your people like a flock… 78:52.. He brought His people out like a flock. He led them like sheep through the desert”.
Psalm 100:3 make a wonderful revelation when it says “know that the Lord is God, it is He who made us and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Let me refer you again to our text Psalm 23 where the writer personalize God as his shepherd -verse 1 “The Lord is my shepherd” and added “I shall not want”. This does not mean he would have all that he might selfishly desire but all he needed. Sheep basically need two things: Green pasture to feed on (23:2) and places where they can drink water.
The first and major assignment God has giving us pastors, be you bishop, clergy, church leaders or by extension Christians generally is to be shepherd of Christ sheep. He is the shepherd, we are under-shepherd, thereby most time like an average shepherd our lives, ministry, family is at risk because most times until we now have prosperity ministers and pastors of this generation, we are in a wilderness where most time there is no pasture or water (remember the first missionaries) most of them lost their lives.
To all of us who are Christians we are all called to imitate Christ, going through John 10:11-18, here Jesus presents three distinct characters: the Good Shepherd, the hired hand and the wolf. Jesus is the good shepherd who loves us enough to die for us. He does so because He knows us. We are not a nameless sheep. Therefore, as a reminder that as followers of Christ, we are duty bound to be imitators of Christ. That means in our daily lives, we should be seeking to offer our lives for others, the way He offered His life for us. He said in His word “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18). This means that He did it not incidentally but intentionally.
We too are called to intentionally offer our lives as “living sacrifice”. Most often this is going to take place within the context of our careers, vocation or state of life.
Where are the leaders with shepherd’s heart? Leaders with integrity. God is looking for a leader after His own heart who can lead people out according to Psalm 78:52-53 “But He made His own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; 53 And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies”. A servant leader like David who shepherd with integrity of heart with skillful hands.
Where are those shepherds today in our society, even in the church, who will share the yoke of those they lead? A local council counselor sees himself above the community. If you forget to add ‘Honourable’ to his name may get you arrested. They are only friendly when looking for our vote. Unfortunately some of them claimed to be Christian. How many pastors are shepherd after the character of Jesus Christ. What we have today is the pastor taking all the resources to himself why the contributors live in penury.
At this Easter season, there must be a deep reflection on the way you manage the position of authority God has placed you whether small or big. Are you a good shepherd, a hireling or wolves? Jesus wants you to continue in His way of shepherding. The experience of corona virus and our period of confinement had exposed the wickedness of some of our leaders, while those who don’t have much still share that little. The so call leaders hoarded both what they had and those meant for the people by the government.
Certainly there will be judgment upon them. But for those who shall be found faithful the word of 1Peter 5:4 shall they receive. “When the Chief Shepherd shall appear, yee shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. May we be part of those to be found worthy in Jesus name.
Let us pray
Lord, help us to be good shepherd in every area of our lives, leading well in our government, churches, community, and culture. Help us to pastor with integrity of heart and lead with skillful hands. May we have same love like Christ to help and love and care for your people. Use us to protect them from wolves and give us the courage to be willing to make sacrifices on their behalf in Jesus name we pray.
My dear good people in the Cathedral church of St James. I wish you a very glorious and happy Easter celebration in Jesus name. In Anglican tradition and customs, i your Bishop is expected to lead the service at the Cathedral at Easter and to celebrate Holy communion. Because of the luck down, it's impossible for me to honour this order. I have decided to put my message on your platform for you to read and digest. It's meant both for you and on our online Broacast for Easter. My prayer is that as you read, it's will make a desired impact in your life.
LET US PRAY
O God, our creator, we thank you that you hold the keys over death, that by that might, Jesus was raised from the grave, paving the way for us to have new life with you. We ask now that you keep your words of truth planted firmly within us. Help us to keep focused on what is pure and right, give us the power to be obedient to your word. We ask that your word will speak louder and stronger than the lies of the devil. Remind us that we are always safe with you at any circumstance even at this difficult time and that despite our inability to gather at our assemblies to share the joy of Easter you will still fulfill your purposes and plans in our lives. Continue to be our defense and guard, removing all obstacles and covering our pitfalls. Lead us into your word in Jesus name we pray.
You are again heartily welcome to today’s special broadcast especially those of you who had been our regular viewers. We love you so much with the love of Christ. I am still your friend and bishop Rt. Revd. Dr. Johnson Akin Atere of the Diocese of Awori.
Today Sunday 12th of April, 2020 is Easter day. A day when Pilate with the Jewish leaders condemned Jesus and crucified Him on the cross. They also posted soldiers to guard His tomb to forestall Him rising from dead. In spite of all these, when the power of resurrection was released, Jesus was raised to life. Hallelujah; He defiled the powers and wisdom of men and conquered death to become both the wisdom and power 1Cor. 1:24 “…Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God”. He is also the resurrection and life (John 11:25). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis of our Christian faith and our message to the world. By implication, Jesus is not dead. He is alive for evermore. All who believe in Him shall experience this resurrection and live forever with Him and this experience can only be possible when one is born again and dies in Christ. The account in Matthew 28:1-10 singled out the actions of Mary Magdalene and others. They followed even when all hope was lost, how many Christians of today can still follow Christ when it seems heavens are silent. The commitment of the women made them to be the first to receive the news of Christ’s resurrection from the angels. They saw Jesus face to face, worshipped Him and were filled with joy. In verse 10 of Matthew 28, Jesus called His disciples brothers. He is not just our brother but our shepherd. What I think the death and resurrection of Jesus has brought to us is salvation of our souls but we needed help, principally we must be shepherd to the green field of heaven.
Am persuaded to discuss with you at this Easter the Shepherdhood of Jesus before His crucifixion and even till today. The summary is what David packaged in his popular psalm 23 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
All over the world, this psalm is known and loved. Children often learn it before they even learn to read it. Old people die with the statement of this psalm on their lips. Its words are beautiful and easy to remember. Most importantly is the fact that, it expresses trust in God as the one who is with us in all the experiences of life, restoring us when we go wrong, guiding us when astray, providing when in needs, watching over us when not save. He is close and ever near us from birth till death.
Verses 1 and 2 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters”. Shows the life of a shepherd in palestine of old which was not too easy. They had to be with their sheep day and night, leading them in the daytime to good grass to eat and to where they would have water to drink. They must also be prepared to defend their sheep from both internal and external attacks from wild beast -Gen 31:38-41. Here you have the confession of Jacob to Laban when he took him to task on his service because of Rachael 38 "These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. 39 "That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 "There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. 41 "Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times”.
When Saul was trying to discourage David from fighting Goliath because of his smallish size compared with giant Goliath. He narrated a testimony of a great and perfect ‘shepherd’ in 1Sam. 17:34-35 34 "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it” risking his life to save the sheep.
Jesus in John 10:11-15 describe Himself as a good shepherd who laid His life to save the sheep. Unlike the hireling who can abandon the sheep when in danger.
In the case of Jesus, He would not only protect and save but He knows His sheep one by one by their names and identify and His sheep also know Him. He knows every one of us, our behaviour, our thought, sincerity in worship and services. Those of us who are hypocrites, stubborn sheep – the disobedience sheep, liars, adulterers. He knows the intent of the heart of every man and woman. He kept on repeating it to John during his revelation that “I KNOW”.
In the Old Testament, we often read the wish of God as He chose leaders for them. He would always want them to be a shepherd leader in the way they were supposed to care for their people. Unfortunately they often failed. In the book of Jeremiah 23:1-4, God rebuke those shepherd who through their wickedness or nonchalant attitude allowed the sheep to scatter.
Our major concern for this message is the shepherding of God Himself. Isaiah described God’s style beautifully in chapter 40:11 “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young”. Wao, brethren, that is why you are still alive to celebrate today, your enemies – (the beast) would have consumed you. How many times God has saved you from the sudden death. Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy. It describes an individual life, a wholeness that comes from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. It means acting according to the values, belief and principles we claim to hold. People said to Jesus in Mark 12:14 “we know you are a man of integrity. The supreme quality for leadership i.e. unquestionable integrity without it no real success is possible.
David was a skillful shepherd, we read about how he had learnt to protect the flock with his sling. He went on to lead the people of Israel with great skill. Some of our leaders at various level knew next to nothing, all they know and believe is power, by the time they get to power, they become so lazy even those with certain skill would have traded them with fun and sacrifice them on the altar of forgetfulness. How many of our political leaders would come back from political office and still be good medical doctors or engineer?
A good shepherd should love, be a servant and be sensitive. If you love people, you will get close enough to them. Paul was an example of a good shepherd in this sense because everywhere he went; he met up with the disciples. Acts 21:4,7. He prayed with them (vs. 5) “When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed”. He loved them so much that when it was time to leave he had to tear himself away from them.
In service – the prophet Agabus warned Paul of what awaited him in Jerusalem. They pleaded with him not to go but Paul answered ‘why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord. True leadership is achieved not by reducing people to one’s service but in giving oneself service to them.
Compassion and prayers 2Kings 3:1-4:37. The event here took place in the 9th century BC. Alongside the wars, there were clearly domestic problems and injustice within Israel. We see an example in the way the widow and her sons were about to be taken as slaves. In this situation, Elisha came to the rescue. Like good shepherd, he loves and cares for the people. He asked the widow, “How may I help you”. He rescues this widow from the terrible curse of excessive debt and potential slavery. In verse 9, Elisha demonstrated a spirit of compassion to the Shunamite woman who had been unable to conceive, she discovered that God honours those who provided hospitality. He speaks the word of God to her and she conceived. Even when her son died, Elisha was still available for her to restore her joy.
How many of the preventive measure against corona virus have you kept perfectly and yet the great shepherd had carried you close to His heart and say “Touch not my anointed and do my sheep no harm” Hallelujah!
David and all those who wrote the Psalms at various passages describe how God leads His flocks Ps. 77:20 “You lead your people like a flock… 78:52.. He brought His people out like a flock. He led them like sheep through the desert”.
Psalm 100:3 make a wonderful revelation when it says “know that the Lord is God, it is He who made us and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Let me refer you again to our text Psalm 23 where the writer personalize God as his shepherd -verse 1 “The Lord is my shepherd” and added “I shall not want”. This does not mean he would have all that he might selfishly desire but all he needed. Sheep basically need two things: Green pasture to feed on (23:2) and places where they can drink water.
The first and major assignment God has giving us pastors, be you bishop, clergy, church leaders or by extension Christians generally is to be shepherd of Christ sheep. He is the shepherd, we are under-shepherd, thereby most time like an average shepherd our lives, ministry, family is at risk because most times until we now have prosperity ministers and pastors of this generation, we are in a wilderness where most time there is no pasture or water (remember the first missionaries) most of them lost their lives.
To all of us who are Christians we are all called to imitate Christ, going through John 10:11-18, here Jesus presents three distinct characters: the Good Shepherd, the hired hand and the wolf. Jesus is the good shepherd who loves us enough to die for us. He does so because He knows us. We are not a nameless sheep. Therefore, as a reminder that as followers of Christ, we are duty bound to be imitators of Christ. That means in our daily lives, we should be seeking to offer our lives for others, the way He offered His life for us. He said in His word “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18). This means that He did it not incidentally but intentionally.
We too are called to intentionally offer our lives as “living sacrifice”. Most often this is going to take place within the context of our careers, vocation or state of life.
Where are the leaders with shepherd’s heart? Leaders with integrity. God is looking for a leader after His own heart who can lead people out according to Psalm 78:52-53 “But He made His own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; 53 And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies”. A servant leader like David who shepherd with integrity of heart with skillful hands.
Where are those shepherds today in our society, even in the church, who will share the yoke of those they lead? A local council counselor sees himself above the community. If you forget to add ‘Honourable’ to his name may get you arrested. They are only friendly when looking for our vote. Unfortunately some of them claimed to be Christian. How many pastors are shepherd after the character of Jesus Christ. What we have today is the pastor taking all the resources to himself why the contributors live in penury.
At this Easter season, there must be a deep reflection on the way you manage the position of authority God has placed you whether small or big. Are you a good shepherd, a hireling or wolves? Jesus wants you to continue in His way of shepherding. The experience of corona virus and our period of confinement had exposed the wickedness of some of our leaders, while those who don’t have much still share that little. The so call leaders hoarded both what they had and those meant for the people by the government.
Certainly there will be judgment upon them. But for those who shall be found faithful the word of 1Peter 5:4 shall they receive. “When the Chief Shepherd shall appear, yee shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. May we be part of those to be found worthy in Jesus name.
Let us pray
Lord, help us to be good shepherd in every area of our lives, leading well in our government, churches, community, and culture. Help us to pastor with integrity of heart and lead with skillful hands. May we have same love like Christ to help and love and care for your people. Use us to protect them from wolves and give us the courage to be willing to make sacrifices on their behalf in Jesus name we pray.
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