To The Saints of God in Ghana and Across Africa

Grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed and given us an inheritance which cannot be compared with the current hardship we face on the continent. I am always filled with joy whenever I think about the excitement and exuberance with which we, as a people, worship our triune God. Amid much poverty and underdevelopment, our perseverance and faith in God attest to the truth that the hope of the Christian is beyond this world.

It is an encouragement and a source of great pride whenever I hear about the growth and advance of the gospel across the continent. All over the world, Africa is touted as the continent with the fastest-growing number of Christian converts. I praythat this growth will be accompanied by growth in personal holiness and depth of understanding of God’s Word.

I address this letter to you, saints, for two reasons. First, it is the pattern we see in Scripture. The apostle Paul, in almost all his letters, did not address the pastors or overseers in the churches, but the members of the church. He believed that the members were the true guardians of the truth and purity of the church.That is why in Galatians 1:6-9, his frustration was not with the false teachers but the members of the church:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

The second reason why I have addressed this letter to you, saints of the church in Ghana and across Africa, is because false teachers have crept into the church. In the early days of the rise of ‘one-man’ churches—independent churches planted by individuals—around the 1970s, there was much speculation about whether these teachers were intentionally spreading false teachings or if their errors were simply a result of ignorance.Over the years, it has become increasingly evident that these false teachers are not ignorant of the truth but willfully deceiving others for their own gain. Paul spoke of such people in Romans 16:18, “For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” It is futile to address them since they have no desire to change their ways. It is incumbent on us to grow in our discernment as believers, to recognise and avoid these harmful teachings that undermine our faith and bring disrepute to the name of Christ.

The Bible teaches that on the last day, everyone will give an account of themselves to God (Romans 14:12). This will be an individual affair, which means each of us must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). The more reason why we cannot leave our faith in the hands of others, especially pastors who care more about the “seed” we sow into their ministries and the size of their congregations than where we will spend eternity.

As we work out our salvation, we must bear three key principlesin mind. 

Don’t Assume Your Faith

According to Paul, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10). It is very clear from these verses that no one is born a Christian, and neither can the faith be inherited. Christianity is not like Islam, where one is born into the faith. Each of us must individually repent and put our faith in Christ Jesus.

As a people, we are so religious that there is a tendency and temptation to assume the Christian faith. Unfortunately, many of our pastors contribute to this confusion. I was once part of a church for two years, and throughout my time there, no pastor spoke to me about how I came to faith and the fruit I had borne after that. I remember one Sunday after the church service, all visitors who wanted to join the church were invited to remain behind. One of the ministry leaders spoke briefly about the process of becoming a member. Our photos were taken, and ID cards were issued. That is how I became a member of that church. No questions asked if I knew the gospel, believed it or was baptised as a believer. It didn’t matter which church I had attended and why I had left it. Perhaps, it may have been because I was disciplined. But none of that mattered.

This starkly contrasts what we read about Jesus in John 10:14, where he said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” The Greek word, poimen, translated as pastor,can also mean shepherd. Therefore, every pastor is an under-shepherd of Christ (1 Peter 5:2). They are representatives of Christ in their shepherding responsibilities. This means Pastors must know their members, and their members must likewise know them. Sadly, in most mega churches today, the shepherds do not know who the sheep are; the sheep have never interacted with the shepherds. Therefore, it is unclear how these shepherds intend to give account for the sheep they don’t even know (Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17).

Moreover, the New Testament makes it clear the church comprises people who have repented of their sins and put their trust in Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-37). To that end, it is the duty of the pastors or elders of a church to act as the doorkeepers and lead the congregation in ensuring that whoever enters the local church has a credible profession of faith. Unfortunately, not many churches exercise this watchfulness. As a result, many churches in Africa are filled with people who are not saved. It is no wonder there are so many people in the church, yet the continent is known for corruption and all kinds of ungodliness. Some of our churches are more anti-gospel outposts than the pillar and buttress of truth they are meant to be (1 Timothy 3:15).

If you are part of a church where no pastor has ever spoken to you about your faith or how you came to know Jesus Christ; and the fruit you have borne subsequently, you are likely not in a healthy church. And in the case throughout your Christian life, your profession of faith has never been examined by any church, you should approach the pastors of your current church and ask them why no one has ever asked you about your faith. In any case, Paul’s advice to you would be to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourself” (2 Corinthians 13:5). I strongly recommend you read this article on God’s love; it will help you in your examining process.

Your Allegiance Should Not be to Your Pastor or His Churchbut to Christ.

When Jesus declared in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” He meant it, and he is doing that all across the world. From Asia to Europe, Americas to Africa, wherever the gospel has been preached, it has borne fruit and the church of Christ is being built. This universal church, the Bible teaches, is the body of Christ.

Sadly, in Ghana and across Africa, churches have become personal properties of Pastors. It is their pictures that are on the signboards. In many places, the personal brand of the pastor is more popular than the name of Christ. If you are in a church where the preacher’s name is more known than the name of Christ, you should know you are in an unhealthy church; and leave as quickly as you can.

Over the years, many Christians in Africa have become more discerning and are beginning to ask questions. However, I continue to hear stories where members feel they have no alternatives, so they stick it out in these unhealthy churches. In other cases, members feel so loyal to the “Man of God” that even though they know something is not right, they feel they cannot leave because they would be branded as disloyal.

One truth we should firmly hold on to as Christians is that the church belongs to Christ; therefore, our loyalty must be to himand not to any particular individual. If you discover that your church is unhealthy and you cannot effect any change, you should strongly consider leaving. By God’s grace, there are many relatively healthy churches springing up. We should fervently pray that God, in his kindness, will raise more of such churches. However, even in cases where there are no viable options, you should pray for the courage to start a gospel-centred Bible fellowship which could eventually covenant as a church,

In Ephesians 3:10, Paul said, “Through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” This means inasmuch as a true and healthy church is a powerful gospel witness, a bad church has a powerful destructive effect on the advance of the kingdom of God. As a matter of truth, some churches in Ghana and across Africa must close for the advance of God’s kingdom and his glory. Therefore, being part of a bad, unhealthy, anti-gospel church may display loyalty to a human being, but in the long run, you are doing damage to the advance of God’s kingdom. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Examine Yourself to See If You’re Bearing Fruit

In John 15:16, Jesus told his disciples and, by extension, all his followers, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” As Christians, we are in the fruit-bearing business. According to Jesus, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:19-20).

As Christians in Ghana and across Africa, we must constantly examine ourselves to see if we are bearing fruit and what kind.Each of us – not the usual pointing at the other person, must look ourselves in the eye and ask whether we are bearing abiding fruits; because it is illogical that the continent with the highest rate of Christian numerical growth would also have the highest level of corruption. In Ghana, for example, more than 70% of the population professes to be Christian, with the majority of this number in church every Sunday, yet the country is plagued with thick darkness.

In Galatians 5:22-23, apostle Paul lists “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” as the nine-part character traits produced by the Holy Spirit in every Christian. The effects of these fruit are not confined to the four walls of a church building. As we live our lives in the public square, evidence of these fruits would be seen in how we work, study, lead our families and raise our children as Christians (James 2:14-17).

It is not loving or faithful for a Christian politician entrusted with a public office to take for themselves resources belongingto the state. It is not kind, good, or faithful for a civil servant to take bribes irrespective of whether their pay is adequate. It is not a display of love that, as a trader, your goods are priced to take advantage of unsuspecting customers. The sad irony is that many corrupt officials and business people profess to be Christians and regularly attend church.

The state of Christianity on our continent is a colossal anti-gospel witness. One of the most striking truths in physics is that regardless of the thickness of the darkness, a single matchstick can dispel it. Therefore, if Christians are the light of the world as described by Jesus in Matthew 5:14, how is it that our continent is languishing in so much darkness when the majority of us claim to be Christian, unless it is the case that many of us hold an appearance of godliness, but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5)?Even though Africa is touted as the continent with the fastest Christian growth rate, sadly, the growth is cancerous. As Jesus rightly said, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” The fruits many of us are bearing indicate we do not belong to Christ, andthe warnings of Jesus in Revelation 3:1-2 is timely for all of us, “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.”

Having said all this, I am also convinced there are many faithful saints on the continent because God always leaves himself a remnant (Romans 11:4-5). It is because of them the continent is not consumed. It is my prayer that “our God may make you [the remnant] worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).