By Charles Andoh
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Do you remember your childhood days in the Sunday
school? My Sunday school teacher usually gave me biscuit and toffee after
church. Madam, as we usually called her, was very nice and accommodating. Not
forgetting the poetry recitals, the numerous songs we learnt, the sword drill,
just name them.
The interesting aspect was the annual Easter
conventions; when we travelled to different towns in the country as a church to
pray and spread the word of God to people. As Sunday school children, we
usually made merries, made a lot of friends from the various branches of the
church and participated in quiz competitions. We really enjoyed ourselves as
children. I enjoyed the company of Madam Joyce because she showed me places.
Ah! I have really missed my childhood days. “Abi you dey kae den times?”
Even in my adulthood, Easter celebration has become
more known by Christians than the annual spillage of the Bagri Dam. So this
year too, the occasion was waiting for me at my doorstep like my slippers.
It is said that “Curiosity kills the cat”. However,
the curious cat can only die when he does not play tactfully in his maneuvers.
I decided to explore other churches during this year’s Easter convention to
have a feeling of being in other churches and really had fun.
Before my double-edged sword starts to cut, I wish to
state categorically that I’m a proud Christian and has accepted and confessed Jesus
Christ as my Lord and personal saviour. I believe in the Trinity, the Bible,
and Pastors and attend church meetings regularly. I believe in Heaven and Hell
and love church so much.
I know you can’t wait as I dissect the issues.
“Charlie, you for no rush” since our elders say “If you take your time to
dissect the ant, you’ll see it rib.”
So on that fateful Friday evening, I was in the … church for my Easter convention and
these were the words of the pastor, “I need three people to give me GHc 5.00 so
that I’ll give them this” pure water.” You can guess what happened. Within a twinkling
of an eye, an overwhelming majority of the congregants poured “unto” the pastor
to buy one “pure water” each from him with the aim of drinking to solve their
spiritual problems. This makes me remember the issue at the Spintex Road in
Ghana where thongs of people were rushing for “anointing water” to solve their
spiritual problems. Hmm! “3y3 asem ooh!”
I stayed glued to my seat because I couldn’t find any
biblical underpinnings to what he was saying. In fact, a lot happened but will
be unethical like what Julius a classmate will put it, “onethical” to state
everything.
This personal experience I had is what is actually
going on in Christendom in recent times. Just switch on your television or
radio or perhaps visit some few churches and this piece will not be far from
the truth. A lot are parading themselves as pastors and establishing churches
simply because they know the bible. However, pastoral and the calling of God go
beyond that. Some have dug wells and call them “ebura mu nsuo” and sell them to
people who need miracles. Talk about the consultation fees people pay before
seeing or speaking to some pastors. I guess some of these pastors want to
compete with medical doctors in that regard. Bam! I’ve said it!
What saddens my heart is the biblical bases for these
acts. About a month or two ago, I encountered a gentleman in a different church
who thinks he has been called by God as a pastor. By the same “pure water”
business, he asked people to buy and smash it on the ground to curse their
enemies. Ah bah! “Fetish Priest in the church?” like a swarm of bees on a march
past, the whole congregation rushed to buy the water and did accordingly. When
interrogated after the service, he said by so doing, loads of people will
throng the church every day. How sad! The fact that some churches have
continued with some of these unbiblical acts does not make it right. In effect,
such pastors are making merchandise of the brethren. Instead of teaching the
true and undiluted word of God, some want to be called all sorts of names.
Christians need to know how to maintain a good attitude even after accepting
and confessing Jesus Christ in order to reflect the attitude of Christ.
I am not against miracles; but to the point people
must buy is what I’m worried about.
Should any Christian or the Ghana Pentecostal Council,
the Christian Council of Ghana, the
Charismatic Churches Association of Ghana and the Catholic Bishops Conference chances
upon this piece, be reminded that I am not at war with Christendom; which is
impossible anyway. But rather a way of pricking your attention to the fact that
some wolves have been sent to mix with the sheep and they are tainting and
soiling the image of pastors and the entire Christendom. And the earlier
measures are put in place to stop the activities of these charlatans, the
better.
To my cherished readers, be reminded that Jesus Christ
professed that in the end, there shall be “false prophets” who will claim they
have the calling of God on their lives, but all are blatant liars. The best way
is to compare their acts with what the bible says and then make your own
judgements afterwards. Long live true pastors of God, long live Christendom,
and long live Ghana. God bless us all!
The writer
is a student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism;
Email: charlesandoh28@yahoo.com
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