Are we guilty of vain worship (part 2)

2. Are we appearing before the Lord at His appointed [ordained] times?

The Lord said to Moses; “These are the Feasts of the Lord, holy convocations [sacred assemblies] which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed [ordained] Feasts of the Lord beginning with the Seventh Day weekly Sabbath, the Passover/Unleavened Bread, First fruits, Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles. (Leviticus 23:1-4).

You may have been deceived or misled in believing that these Festivals were designated only for the Jews, and are not relevant to the Gentiles, but I write and speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what the scriptures say in regards to salvation for the Gentiles.

For this is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely exclude me from His people.”

“For this is what the Lord says: To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant – to them I will give within My temple and its walls a memorial and a name better that sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.’

‘And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant – these I will bring to My holy mountain [kingdom] and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:1-7).

Gentiles are instructed to glorify God together with His people, and not in isolation. They are instructed to, “Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to Him, all you peoples” (Romans 15:7-11).

Our God is not a God of confusion. “Jesus Christ is our peace, who has made the two (Jews and Gentiles) one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:14-18).

It is unequivocally clear that the times which God ordained for sacred assemblies are still in force. The bible is replete with evidences where both Jesus Christ and the apostles kept the seventh Day Sabbath.

The apostle Paul admonished the brethren to celebrate the Feast of the Passover/Unleavened Bread by saying; “Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the Festival not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth” (1Corimthians 5:7-8).

It is quite evident that the disciples kept the Feast of Pentecost, because it is written; “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1).

The Apostle Paul who, became converted fourteen years after the original apostles also kept the Feast of Pentecost. It is stated that, “Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost” (Acts 20:16).

On another occasion Paul said, “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (1Corinthians16:8).

Jesus Christ kept the Feast of Tabernacles. It is written: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John.7:37-38).

During the millennium survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will have to go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Those who refuse to keep the Feast will be severely punished. (Zechariah14:16-19).

And so the multi-million question is, since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and this festival was observed at the beginning of God's fellowship with man and will be observed in the future during the millennium and those who refused to attend will be severely punished, why is it not observed today by the majority of those who professed to be believers? 

To be continued

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Are we guilty of vain worship?

ARE YOU GUILTY OF VAIN WORSHIP?     

I pose this question with no malice intent to cause offense or condemnation. I recently came to this realization and conviction through the study of the inspired word of God, and therefore my intent is to provoke the desire for a deeper study of the matter, peradventure the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know how to truly worship Him in spirit and truth.

Let me state from the outset that, the question of vain worship is by no means related to false worship, neither does it pertains to one’s free gift of eternal life and salvation. For as every believer should know, it is by grace we have been saved, through faith – and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

However, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We need to stress on these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

One of the good works God prepared in advance for us to do is, to worship Him; that means, expressing our relationship to God in reverence and adoration.

For example; it is stated in the Psalms, “Oh come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (Psalms 95:6-7).

Ascribe to the Lord O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord Glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the Glory due to his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him all the earth” (Psalms 96:7-9; 29:1-2).

I highlighted two important things which I will dwell on later.

It is imperative that the matter of vain worship be thoroughly examined by all true and sincere believers, because the worse indictment which is labeled on those who worship the one and only true God is that of worshiping the true God in vain.

Jesus, quoting from the prophet Isaiah said to the Pharisees, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written; ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men; for laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have let go the commandments of God and are holding on to the traditions of men” (Mark.7: 6-9).

True worship in our new dispensation is defined as, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is Spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).

As believers we have been given the prerogative to judge ourselves; for if we judge ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

Let us therefore judge ourselves as to whether or not we are worshiping the true God in vain.

Here are four areas to prove to ones’ self whether or not he/she is worshiping God in vain.

1.     Is there any biblical truth to support and validate the day and occasion we are to appear before God to worship?

Remember, those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth. For example; the Lord says; “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?

Bring no more futile [vain, worthless] sacrifices; incense [prayer] is an abomination to me, the new moons, the Sabbaths and the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons, and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them, when you spread out your hands, I will hide My face from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:12-15).

Notice, it did not say, “My New Moons and My appointed feasts” but rather your New Moons and your appointed feasts which the Lord’s soul hates. Meaning that, they are not the Lord’s appointed feast days.

To be continued\

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Proclaiming the Lord's death (part 4)

We should also note carefully that; “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Also, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him (God) a liar, and His word is not in us.”

So, my question is, how are we to proclaim or publicly and officially declare the forgiveness of God? Well, the scriptures state clearly that; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

And so, for sins to be forgiven it requires confession, forgiveness and cleansing. Now, for sins to be cleansed it requires more than a verbal and emotional feeling it requires some practical action as we have been duly instructed saying; “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.… in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” And, “according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:22).

And so, it is without any shadow of doubt that without the shedding of blood there is absolutely no forgiveness. So, how do we get our sins forgiven and how often would we like to have our sins forgiven? Is it yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly or daily? So regardless of how often one would like to have their sins forgiven there is a formula or a protocol as to how it is done and this is what the scriptures clearly state; “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:7).

Please note carefully the word “cleanses” this is an active word meaning that this cleansing by the blood of Jesus Christ is something which takes place during the fellowship of those who are walking in the light. Because this is actually the gateway or access to the throne of grace as clearly explained by the apostle Paul who wrote:

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:19-25).

And so, the question is, where and how do we get the blood of Jesus that gives us the boldness to enter the Holiest? And what is that new and living way which Jesus Christ consecrated for us through His flesh? And the High Priest who gives us access to the holiest of all?

When one compares this scripture and the words of Jesus Christ which states; "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” one should have a better understanding of the literal and practical application of this statement. Because the way represents the flesh of Jesus Christ represented by the bread, the truth represents Jesus Christ, the Word of God Who is now our High Priest interceding on our behalf and the blood refers to the blood of Jesus Christ represented by the wine. This is our access to the throne of grace. And so, the question is again, how often does an individual wants to have fellowship with the Father? Is it once a year, quarterly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly, or daily? The choice is yours.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Proclaiming the Lord's death (part 3)

3.    Proclaiming the Lord's death

To proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes signifies that we make known publicly and officially what the Lord’s death signifies and did for humanity. So, again I ask the question, how often should believers make known publicly and officially the purpose for Jesus’ death?

So, what it is about the death of Jesus Christ that we should proclaim until He comes? There are three (3) integral purpose of Jesus’ death should be make known publicly and officially and they are:

1.     His love that

It is clearly stated that; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

And again, I pose the question, since we have been duly admonished saying; “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.” And one of the reasons why we are to proclaim or make publicly and officially known about the Lord’s death till He comes it is because of His great love that He has for humanity, so, my question again is, how often should one express this sense of gratitude and appreciation to God for His love? Is it yearly, quarterly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly or daily?

2.     His healing

As a popular hymn goes” God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus, He came to love, heal and forgive.”

So, the multi-million question is, how are we to proclaim or publicly and officially declare the healing powers of the Lord? For example, in the Psalms we read the following; “Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Psalms 103: 1-5).

So, how do we openly and publicly express our belief in the healing powers of God?

3.     His forgiveness

Again, I have to ask the multi-million question how are we to proclaim or officially and publicly declare the forgiveness of God? Let us again allow the holy scriptures to teach us and what we have been taught is as follows; “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.’

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1John 1:5-10).

So, the question is, how are we able to walk in the light as He (God the Father) is in the light so as to have fellowship with Him when it is categorically stated that; “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.’ So, how do we get to walk in the light as He is in the light so that we can have fellowship with Him?

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Proclaiming the Lord's death (part 2)

  2.   As often

The second important question that we all need to take into consideration is the question of how often should one partake of the bread and the wine which symbolizes and represents the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ and which reminds us of His sufferings and death. First and foremost, the word often denotes, many times, on different occasions, or whenever. So, the important question we should all be asking ourselves is, how often should one remind him/herself of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ? And is there an appointed time? So, is it once a year, once every three months, once a week or daily?

We should also bear in mind the fact that, it is by partaking of the bread and drinking of the wine that we demonstrate our appreciation and remembrance of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ as the scriptures clearly states; “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

So, the multi-million question to all believers is, how often should one partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ to keep us in remembrance of Him? One thing for sure is that; “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

And so, the question is, has God revealed to us through His servants as to how often are we to eat of the bread and drink of the cup? Is there an ordained and appointed time to offer to the Lord the food for His offerings? Please, remember that the Old Testament was as shadow and copy of the reality for when Moses was about to build the tabernacle, he was instructed saying; “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40).

And with reference to the priesthood the apostle Paul wrote; “who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Hebrews 8:5).

So, the example that we have from the Old Testament as to how often one should remember the Lord’s death is stated as follows: “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time” (Numbers 28:2).

So, the Lord has ordained specific times for His people to offer to Him the food for His offerings which are; daily morning and evening as a thanksgiving offering. On the seventh day weekly Sabbath as a peace and fellowship offering, on every new moon commemorating the beginning of a new month and on the annual Sabbaths commemorating and ascribing to the Lord the glory due to His name for what He did for humanity on that particular day.

And so, we have been duly instructed saying; “These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day ---besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:37-38).

Please note carefully that, the main reason or objective for having a holy convocation is to offer to the Lord the food for His offerings and that it is besides or in addition to, the observance of the Sabbath, in addition to one’s gifts, vows or freewill offering which one decides to give to the Lord and the reason for that is optimal.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Proclaiming the Lord's death

1. Proclaiming the Lord’s death

The apostle Paul in giving instructions to the church in Corinthian said to them; “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes “ ( 1Corinthians 11:23-26).

I don’t think that many believers have taken time to study and ponder on three very important aspects of these instructions and allow the Holy Spirit who is our teacher to guide and instruct them. The three (3) things that we need to take into consideration and meditate on are:

a.      In remembrance of Me

b.     As often

c.      Proclaim the Lord’s death

So let us deal with each one separately;

1.     In remembrance of Me

Although the word remembrance can refer to a variety of meaningful contexts but in this context we are dealing with it is referring to the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ in which the bread represents the broken body of Jesus Christ and the wine represent His shed blood.

And so, the Lord’s instructions to us with regards to His suffering and death for humanity is; “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." And with regards to the shedding of His blood for the redemption of our sins He said; “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

And so, the question is, if one wishes to show and express his/her appreciation to Jesus Christ and be reminded of what He did for us humanity how should one express this sentiment? Is it not by following the Lord’s instructions which clearly states; “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." And, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." So, what is so difficult in this simple instruction that one is unable to understand and put into practice?

To be continued

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph
 

Are we guilty of vain worship (part 3)

2.     Are you appearing before God without presenting to Him His food for His offerings?

Remember what is written in the Psalms. “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; bring an offering and come into His courts” (Psalms 96:8).

But what sort of an offering are we supposed to bring to the Lord when presenting ourselves before Him?  Well, this is what the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day – a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire (zeal)” (Exodus 29:38-40).

This pleasing aroma with all its paraphernalia in the Old Testament is called the burnt offering. It consists of the Lamb, with its grain and drink offering which was a copy and shadow of the reality. The Lamb is figurative to Jesus Christ Himself, the grain offering is figurative to the broken body of Jesus Christ in the form of the Unleavened Bread, and the drink offering is figurative to the shed blood of Jesus Christ in the form of the wine. This is the expression of Christ’s love for us who “Gave Himself up for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God as a sweet- smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:2).

Concerning this offering, the Lord said to Moses, “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly (continuously, often) at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by My glory. So, I will consecrate the tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.

They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Exodus 29:42-46).

As clearly shown, this offering is the prerequisite, the pass code so to speak, to present one’s self before God, before He speaks to His servants, before the place of meeting is consecrated, and before the Lord takes residence among His people.

The Apostle Paul expressed a similar sentiment when he wrote; “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way open for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

In concluding religious directives, the apostle Paul gave the following instructions; “The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so, Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore” (Hebrews 13:11-13).

This offering is of paramount importance. It is the offering which the High Priest is appointed to offer on behalf of man’s sins, and it is the offering which only can cleanse the worshiper from a guilty conscience, and present him/her holy, blameless, and irreproachable in the sight of God (Hebrews 5:1; 8:3; Colossians .1:14, 22, 1John 1:7).

This offering is so important to God that He instructed Moses saying; “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them; “ My offering, My food for My offerings by fire (zeal), My pleasing odor, you shall take heed [be careful] to offer to Me at its due season” (Numbers 28:1-2).

Not only can it be confirmed that Jesus Christ is indeed that fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, but Jesus Christ also confirmed the fact that He is the bread of God which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. (John 6:33).

The irony of truth is, since no one can say “I have no sin” or “I have not sinned:” No one therefore can present him/herself before the Father without a sin offering being offered on his/her behalf. This offering is not offered automatically, but by the individual’s free will. (Leviticus 1:3-4).

The appointed times to offer to God His food, the bread for His offering, His sweet-smelling aroma has not been left to chance, or left in limbo as to how often is often, but it is clearly defined as morning and evening for the regular daily offering, on the seventh Day Weekly Sabbath, on the New Moons, and on the annual Festivals which the Lord regards as My Feasts (Read Numbers Chapters 28 and 29).

A common mistake make by most believers is that, they do not realize that forgiveness, and cleansing of sin, are entirely two different processes that are intertwined to each other.  It is written; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Understanding spiritual things are not beyond man’s comprehension since, “What may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities –His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

If a person who spills milk on the floor broke the glass, begs for forgiveness, and grants forgiveness, will he/she be automatically negated from cleaning the messy floor? Absolutely not! Without picking up the broken pieces of glass, clean the floor with water and detergent, the floor remains unclean and hazardous. In like manner, confession without the application of the blood of Christ through the cup of the new covenant which Christ instituted on the night before He was led to be crucified, there is no forgiveness and cleansing.

Also, an offense or a transgression is not resolved simply by acknowledging one’s guilt and confessing to a Lawyer. The matter is resolved only when it is brought before the Magistrate or Judge, where the lawyer intercedes or pleads on behalf of the offender.

In like manner, sins are not forgiven and cleansed unless Jesus Christ intercedes on our behalf. He does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. But like every high priest He is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices on behalf of our sins, and this offering is the bread of God and the cup of the new covenant of His blood which only can satisfies the will of God.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph