By Christ Ambassador Irene Goring
In Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, it has become a Spiritual tradition that members observe the Holy Spirit Change Over week in complete solemnity and sobriety. The Holy Spirit Change Over Week was physically introduced by the Supreme Godhead Leader Olumba Olumba Obu on July 7, 1977, creating the famous date 7.7.7 in the annals of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.
Research on the number ‘seven’ reveals that it is one of the most significant numbers in the Bible. Scholars say it denotes completeness or perfection. The number seven has had significance in almost every religion. The Old Testament states that after creating the World, God rested on the seventh Day, and all human civilisations have adopted the seven-day week. In the New Testament, the number seven symbolises the unity of the earth's four corners with The Holy Trinity.
The number seven also signifies the seven Spirits of God before God’s Throne, as mentioned in Revelation 1:4. Revelation 3:1 indicates that our Lord Jesus Christ ‘holds’ the seven Spirits of God. Revelation 4:5 links the seven Spirits of God with seven burning lamps before God’s Throne. Revelation 5:6 identifies the seven Spirits with the seven ‘eyes’ of The Lamb and states that they are ‘sent out into all the earth’.
There are at least 3 separate interpretations of the seven Spirits of God. The first is that the seven Spirits of God are symbolic of The Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible, especially the Book of Revelation, uses the number 7 to refer to Perfection and Completion.
If that is the meaning of the 7 in the seven Spirits, then it is not referring to seven different Spirits of God, but The Perfect and Complete Holy Spirit. Isaiah 11:2 could possibly explain the seven Spirits of God, which are;
The Spirit of The Lord
The Spirit of Wisdom
The Spirit of Understanding
The Spirit of Counsel
The Spirit of Power
The Spirit of Knowledge
The Spirit of the fear of The Lord.
The Potency and Spiritual significance of the number seven (7) cannot be exhausted; clearly revealing that The Supreme Holy Father’s choice of introducing the Spiritual Change Over week in the midway point of the year in the BCS calendar on 7.7.1977 is not by coincidence, but a Divine arrangement.
The essence of The Holy Spirit Change Over Week, although known only to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit Personified in our midst, reveals God’s unrelenting position in maintaining an unbreakable relationship with man. But how can this be when, as mortals, we are filled with anxieties, worries, interests, beliefs, desires, and self-pride, which in most cases conflict with God’s plans for us and His purpose for ordaining us?
To return His children to the basis where we all started with Him in the realm of righteousness, the All-knowing Father allocated a week in His Kingdom’s calendar to perform a process of Spiritual purification and renewing of the Spirit.
When He created man, man was lifeless and could not have fulfilled the purpose of his creation. To fulfil the purpose of His creation, God released His Holy breath –His fulfilling image and likeness, into man, and from thence, man became a living soul. Man became a living soul so he could reflect and replicate God's true image and likeness through righteous living. However, this Divine expectation was short-lived, as the first parents, Adam and Eve, derailed from this path of rectitude by obeying the flesh.
At this point, man failed to reflect the image and likeness of God—His Creator—as he now lived in sin, a situation that saw man fall from Glory and Grace to suffering, pain, and consequently death. The Creator, still bent on redeeming man from his fallen state and restoring him to the original purpose of creation, gave His Holy and Only Son as a sacrifice to shed His sinless Blood. This proves God’s mercy towards His priceless creation, man.
The Holy Spirit Change Over Week is associated with The Divine mission of the Supreme Holy Father, Great Leader Olumba Olumba Obu. In his mission statement, He made it clear: ‘I have come to teach, change mankind, and establish the Kingdom of God on earth’. The Father’s mission to change mankind was not set against any other model but Himself.
His physical existence with us serves as a unique opportunity for us to see God in His originality, embrace His teachings, and fashion our minds to be like Him as He positions Himself as our Living Role Model.
“Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is.
And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as he is pure”. [1st John 3: 2-3]
The mission of The Holy Spirit is to change us from our vile nature to His Glorious nature, so as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the Heavenly [1st Corinthians 15: 49 - 52], by which the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever [Revelation 11: 15]
The Change Over Week is a time when the Father restores us to our original state and plan, which is to conform to His image. It is the period when the Father invites us to be His children and creation: ' Come, let us reason together.’
Within this period, we can lay before Him our afflictions, receive answers for our petitions, show penitence for our shortcomings, and return to the consciousness of God’s DIVINE WILL for our lives. It is a time when the Father chooses to apply that healing balm to ease our pains and soothe our worries. It is a time when He reinvigorates our spirits, brings us back to focus, and reconciles us unto Himself.
It serves as a period of restoration of Faith, during which our spirits are reactivated from dormancy. This period stirs up a spiritual awakening in the lives of the children of God, strengthens their bond with God, and renews us to bear the image and likeness of our God.
What does it take to bear God’s semblance?
Faith, meekness, love, purity, forgiveness, humility, steadfastness, compassion, patience, and every other fruit of the Spirit are required. It requires total surrender to God and keeping in tune with the Holy Spirit.
The greatest height a child of God can attain is to bear the image and likeness of God, that is, being in a state of Godliness, for only in this state can you become one with The Father. It is that ability of our Lord Jesus Christ to bear the image and likeness of God that has put Him above every man and every other creation.
There are two requirements contained here. The first is being in God's image. What is God's image? We are privy to seeing and observing those physical attributes of God and are encouraged to take on; for a true child must resemble the Father. It also refers to the Physical Authority He commands over sin and iniquity.
Just like a BCS anthem goes:
“Children of God must be Holy As their Father Olumba is Holy,”
The second requirement is being in the likeness of God. This goes beyond just those physical attributes to attaining a Spiritual consciousness, which allows you to have and to feel His Divine Presence within you. It refers to us being attracted to the way of life He is attracted to, not conforming to the mundane, but likening our interests unto His, assimilating His teachings, fashioning our minds to be like Him, showing genuine compassion for one another, having unreserved and unconditional love for one another, bearing one another’s burden; thus, fulfilling the law of Christ.
Of course, we could serve Him with our wealth, knowledge, experience, skills, and expertise, all of which He has endowed us with. However, He desires most to serve Him with all our bodies, hearts, and souls as living sacrifices.
The Holy Father, being All-Knowing and All-Aware that our carnal nature and daily struggles tend to cause us to derail and deviate from His original plans for us, has fashioned many ways He can always bring us back to that Spiritual consciousness.
The Holy Spirit Change Over week serves as a Spiritual tool of change for all of the Father’s children. It works together with other Spiritual Change Agents in the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, like the Thursday Fasting and the three days of dry fasting we observe, the Ministry work we embark upon, the feasting, the BCS Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Biakpan, and the BCS Mega events we celebrate.
All of these are together purposed to transform us in one way or another, introduce spiritual changes, actualise The Father’s Will in us, and present us as fit for use.
The Father uses the week of the Change Over to usher in changes, which is the year's turning point. Let’s reflect upon this time as a moment of Spiritual reconciliation, Spiritual restructuring, and Spiritual renewal.
“And He that sat upon The Throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful”. [Revelation 21: 5]
The Spirit is constantly revising and transforming His creation, particularly we, the lucky and chosen ones of this generation, physically identified in the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.
The Holy Spirit Change Over Week stands for change. God represents change and is always making seismic shifts, although these may not be visible or obvious to mortals at the time. Having again been changed through Divine Grace and cloaked with new Spiritual garments of redemption, it behoves us to show a heart of gratitude to The Father for His undying love and resolve to grant us Salvation.
Brotherhood of the Cross and Star fulfils God’s Kingdom on earth. We have been called, we have been chosen, we have been justified, we have been changed, and we have been Gloriously adorned. To whom much is given, much is required.
“And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the Heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” [1st Corinthians 15 : 49-52]
The trump of God is now sounding, which is The Everlasting Gospel, preached by The Most High God personified in Leader Olumba Olumba Obu. It is upon us to spread this Gospel to all the corners of the earth because The Christ of God is here, personified in His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu. “Now ye are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you”[St. John 15 : 3]
THANK YOU FATHER!!!
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