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‘Why I am a Christian’ reaches out to lost souls
By Spectator Reporter A BOOK titled, “Why I am a Christian,” written by Pastor Kobla Amewuga Adzei, Founder and President of Outreach for Christ International (OFCI), a non-denominational rural evangelistic ministry was launched in Accra in last Sunday. The 140-page book, with foreword by Reverend Professor Elom Dovlo, former Associate Professor of the Department for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana, Legon, highlights the testimonies of people who had very bitter experiences in life whilst pursuing peace on earth and eternal life without success.
The author aims to convince, convict and convert many who are heavily burdened to draw close to Jesus Christ. Launching it, Dr. Jack Botway, a Deacon of the Redeemed Baptist Church (RBC), Ogbojo, noted that “it is a book that will teach and convince a person of why he or she is a Christian.” “The book is well written with excellent bible verses. It is a must-read for anyone who needs encouragement,” he added. The author, Pastor Amewuga, addressing the audience, said his encounter with a non-Christian lady prompted him to write the book. He said the book, was
about Christianity, the only religion that gave hope of eternal life to the individual. Reverend Samuel Amedormey, Head Pastor of RBC prayed the book would help people rededicate their lives to Christ. Deaconess Florence Hutchful co-chair of the function, urged individuals to find inspiration to write their own books while Deaconess Mrs. Iris Botchway urged the gathering to propagate the good message captured in the book. Deacon Robert Fiadzo, auctioning the book, described it as an investment meant to reach out to lost souls. The copy was sold at GH¢3,000.
By Dr.Jack Botway
One of the issues we have been grappling with as a nation is corruption, and it has had such a devastating effect on our national development. I have been convinced that until morality becomes the foundation upon which our governance system is built, we can never go forward as a nation.
Our traditional practices, which have shaped our cultural beliefs, have always espoused values that have kept us along the straight and the narrow and have preserved our societies since ancient times.
These are values that frown on negative habits like stealing, cheating, greediness, selfishness, etc. Our grandparents have told us stories of societies where stealing was regarded as so shameful that offenders, when caught, have on a number of instances committed suicide.
In fact, my mother told me of a story where a man who was living in the same village as her mother (my grandmother), after having been caught stealing a neighbour’s cockerel, out of shame committed suicide on a mango tree. Those were the days that shameful acts were an abomination.
Tegare worship, a traditional spiritual worship during which the spirit possesses the Tegare Priest and begins to reveal secrets, was one of the means by which the society upheld African values in the days of my grandmother and the early childhood days of my mother.
Those were the days when the fear of being killed by Tegare prevented people from engaging in anti-social vices. These days, people sleeping with other people’s wives are not uncommon.
These wrongful behaviour was not countenanced at all by Tegare. One was likely going to lose his life on days that Tegare operates, and so unhealthy habits like coveting your neighbour’s wife was a taboo.
Stealing of other people’s farm produce, for instance, could mean certain death or incapacitation of the whole or part of the body in the full glare of everybody. People realised that there were consequences for wrongdoing, and this went a long way to motivate the society to adhere to right values.
Imagine a President being sworn into office and whoever administers the oath says, “Please say this after me: I, Mr. …., do solemnly swear by God, the spirits of my ancestors and the spirits ruling in Ghana, that should I engage in corrupt acts, may I and my family become crippled, may madness become entrenched in my family, may incurable sicknesses and diseases be my portion and that of my family, both immediate and extended.”
Can you imagine a situation where a few weeks afterwards the President goes to engage in corrupt acts and we hear of his sudden demise or incapacitation and confessing that he engaged in corrupt acts before passing or before the incapacitation—and the effect it will have on his successor? I believe we have to critically examine this option to curb corruption.
My grandmother gave me an eyewitness account of one such encounter where a woman died instantly after the Tegare Priest had revealed a wrong attitude she had displayed during the performance on one of the days scheduled for Tegare spirit manifestation.
According to her story, the Priest, after he had been possessed by the spirit, declared that for what the woman had done, he would not forgive her and that he would kill. Instantly, according to my grandmother, the lady fell down suddenly and she died—just like what happened to Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts Chapter 5.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND-THOMPSON
