- By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
As Christians across the globe celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church (Miracle Cathedral) Okeyinmi street, Ado-Ekiti, Rev’d Dr Kayode Ayinde, has admonished Nigerians in general to remember those who are in need including the poor in their celebrations during this yuletide season.
The cleric who gave the charged in Ado-Ekiti while delivering his Sunday sermon tittled: “Haters Of Jesus (Mathew 2:3-9 and 16-18)” urged the congregation to love the Christ Jesus and also express and extend the love to people around them.
“Love should be a verb and not noun. Act wisely by loving the Lord in the lives of men. Love is a spirit while hatred is a spirit too and it can lead to murder because hatred is a cancer and it’s deadly. But God who can bring something out of nothing should be love because He first loved us.
Rev’d Ayinde who maintained that every Christian has the duty to remember the needy by extending the love of the season to them and also ensure they give genuinely from the bottom of their hearts.
According to him, “As Christians, we must demonstrate the love of Christ Jesus by reaching out to the needy around us and wait for what God will do in return as He will not own any man anything.
“It is a well known fact that the birth of Jesus Christ is what we are celebrating at this period, Jesus loves cheerful givers and never wants anyone to lack. You’re been blessed for you to reach out to those who are around you especially your neighbours, families and friends who may be in need.
He emphasized the, “every Christian is expected to share with the needy by giving out gift items of any kind, anything worth giving out to make them feel a sense of belonging, adding that it’s a great opportunity for being alive to witnessed another season like this.
“We don’t see God on physical, but we see people around us. A good Christian must not be selfish, remember the poor ones and given out to them for Christ to bless you the more,” he stated.
The religious leader explained that despite all the personal and collective challenges and struggles, the faithful should always remember that the good news of Christmas and the message never changes, as it is timeless.
He urged Christians to accept God into their lives, love Him and ensure that they put smile on the faces of the people around them especially the less-privileged in the society during and after the yuletide.
