MANY GHANAIANS are greatly excited about the implementation of the free Senior High School (SHS) policy in Ghana for various reasons. Thousands of parents and guardians especially, the less privileged have been greatly helped financially. Indeed, the benefits of the free SHS policy transcend the physical realm; it will also have a positive impact on the spiritual development of Ghanaian Christians and other faith-based groups.
The ability to read information published in books, newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet or social media platforms especially the Word of God has become possible and it is powerful, interesting and rewarding. The right knowledge of God gives light, a light that helps those who have it to detect errors and truths for right choices and decisions.
In the next few years, Ghana through the free SHS programme will produce the greater majority of her citizens with literacy skills. Young Ghanaian men and women will have greater ability to read, write, hear and understand their local dialects and English Language in particular. In this regard, Christianity will be greatly helped as many Disciples of Christ will be better equipped to read the Bible and understand its commandments, precepts, statutes, promises, cautions, encouragement and hope.
Ignorance of the Word of God is not a minor problem; it is actually a sin. Ignorance leads to destruction while knowledge leads to construction and salvation. The Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4: 6). But it is also written that, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent…” (Acts 17: 30). It is important to clarify that Hosea 4: 6 does not talk about the knowledge of the world, but of the Word of God. A lack of the knowledge of God’s Word leads to destruction.
We live in an era of proliferation of false churches headed by false apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers around the world. The situation is prevalent in most African countries especially in Ghana. Today, in Ghana, many magicians, necromancers and traditional healers hide under the name of Jesus and the Bible, doing dirty ministries and exploiting unsuspecting believers. These self-styled ministers capitalize on the ignorance of people, dupe and mislead them. They are sent to dent Christianity and populate hell.
And as I write this, an unbeliever with a darkened mindset may blaspheme that even Christ Jesus does not exist. O, how ridiculous it is for some people to think that Jesus Christ is an imaginary being. But Christ is true, real and alive. Thousands have encountered Him. And I have personally encountered the Lord Jesus too. That is why I boldly teach and write about and for Him. I experienced the supernatural visitation of Christ in a dream when He healed me of a strange deadly disease which medics at KATH could not diagnose and treat in 2016.
Atheism is believably a weapon of the devil, and atheists are being used to fight Christ Jesus and His Church. But they forget one thing that the Church which was built on Christ Jesus is indestructible. Over the years, many men and women have tried to destroy Christianity, and are dead and gone, but the Church still lives on, saving souls and perfecting them for eternal salvation. Indeed, enemies of Christ are but mere worms.
One thing many educated folks fail to realize is that there is knowledge beyond science. A person who cannot explain his or her beginning and ending knows but little. A person who cannot see beyond the physical world has lower knowledge. There is a higher knowledge of the spirit realm, the unseen world which is superior to the knowledge of the physical realm. To have true knowledge is to have understanding of both the physical and spiritual worlds. It is to know that man is both physical and spiritual.
So, by the free SHS system, many future Christians, if the coming of the Lord tarries, will be able to read the Bible by the Spirit’s guidance to receive knowledge to identify sound and false teachings, false and true preachers and truths and errors. They will be like the Berean Christians in the days of the Apostle Paul. Anytime Paul ministered the Word to them, they went home and read the Scriptures for themselves to see if what Paul taught were so.
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men” (Acts 17: 11- 12).
Making many Ghanaians literate will certainly not be able to eliminate false churches and preachers from Christianity, but it will minimize the patronage of their irreverent activities. When we are knowledgeable in the Word of God, we will not be easily outwitted by Satan and his cohorts. When we are studious, we will show ourselves approved unto God. When we are grounded in the Word of Truth, the gospel of salvation, we will rightly teach it to others.
And by sound biblical knowledge, we will understand that a genuine servant of Christ is not called, prepared and sent to preach and teach psychology and humanism, but the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will not fall prey to the huckstering schemes of false preachers who pray for money, heal for money, bath women, make people eat snakes and grass, deny the existence of heaven, make some of their congregants carry heavy stuffs on their heads and pay consultation fees.
jamesquansah@yahoo.com
FROM James Quansah, Kumasi