Author: Kuochoe

“Sincerely wrong” is still wrong

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

2 Timothy 1:12 (KJV)

For several days in June 2023, the world was fascinated by the saga of the Titan. A submersible with five wealthy, intrepid passengers aboard which had gone missing on a tourist dive 13,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean to view the wreck of the Titanic. What had happened to the Titan and its passengers? Were they lost in the depths? Adrift on the waves? Did they have enough air? Food? Water? Whole broadcasts were dedicated to the tale, with an ominous countdown showing how much air they would have in the best-case scenario.

Unfortunately, as it turned out, air was the least of the Titan’s problems. It imploded on the way down on Sunday, 18th June 2023, killing all five aboard. Even before the news broke out on Wednesday, however, news had come out about how deepsea diving industry professionals and even the staff of the company had expressed grave concerns about the safety of the Titan. CEO Stockton Rush, who perished along with four others, had been warned multiple times from multiple quarters that the vessel needed much more testing, but he refused to listen, even responding to one person that he was “personally insulted” by their warnings.

The thing is, Stockton Rush wasn’t just talking a good game. He genuinely believed riding in the Titan was “safer than crossing the street,” to use his own words. We know he believed it because he went down personally on that ill-fated voyage last week.

Unfortunately, just because you sincerely believe something is safe does not mean that it is actually safe. To quote C. H. Spurgeon,

If you sincerely drink poison, it will kill you: if you sincerely cut your throat, you will die. If you sincerely believe a lie, you will suffer the consequences. You must not only be sincere, but you must be right.

This applies not just to submersibles but also to our eternal destinies. No matter how long you live, you will eventually die. Maybe not in a submersible, but something will get you in the end. Or perhaps Christ will come before then. Either way, what will become of your soul? Is what you’re trusting to hold you truly capable of sustaining you in that day?

It’s not enough to “believe” or to “have faith.” The object of that faith must hold up. And the Word of God plainly tells us that “…there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5)” and that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).“So if today you are trusting in any other Titan to hold you in the day of judgment, abandon false hope, repent and believe the gospel.

If the 6500 psi of pressure that crushed the Titan was fearful, how much more the anger and judgment of the one who created that pressure out of nothing? I pray that anyone reading this will stop ignoring warnings, stop hoping nothing happens, stop listening to the false assurances of the world and turn to “Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).” May God have mercy on us all.

There is no “morning after” for those outside Christ

Woman standing on the balcony welcoming the morning sun

I heard an interesting song on the radio the other day. It was called “The Morning After” by Maureen McGovern, all the way from 1972. Good songs are good songs regardless of the era, but that is not my issue. This song and many others like it insist that better things are ahead once we can push through the present pain or difficult situations we are in.

For the Christian, this is true. To quote the apostle Paul, Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, NKJV).

No matter how difficult our present circumstances, what awaits us in eternity will make everything pale in comparison. There shall be no more weeping, sorrow, pain, sin or despair, only everlasting joy and contentment at our Saviour’s side. So for the Christian, there is indeed a morning after.

For those without Christ, however, they are “without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12) and not only in this world but also in the afterlife. No matter how much the song insists, “There’s got to be a morning after/If we can hold on through the night,” the reality of the afterlife without Christ is just the opposite. The Bible uses terms like “outer darkness” (Matthew 22:13) and “blackest darkness” (Jude 13) to refer to the ultimate destination of souls that persist in sin and unbelief until their deaths.

So which one will it be for you? A hope and a future and a glorious morning after? Or eternal regret and darkness? Eternity looms closer than we may know. “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 4:7) Repent and put your faith solely in Jesus Christ today!

“Everything kills human beings.”

For “All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

1 Peter 1:24-25 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Some years ago, a distant cousin passed away and my uncle was asked, “What killed him?” He answered: “Everything. Everything kills human beings.” He wasn’t trying to be deep or philosophical. He was simply stating a fact of life. Whereas there are only two ways for people to come into this world – natural birth and cesarean section – there are thousands of ways for them to leave it.

The enemies start right from the members of your own body, in a wide variety of illness and ailments in all parts of the body. Head, shoulders, knees, toes. Yes, even toes, just ask Bob Marley. Even now as you read this, some cells in your body may be conspiring against you, only you don’t know it so you think you guys are cool.

Then there’s danger from other human beings. It’s telling that the first death in the world was a murder in Genesis 4. Some of the most ingenious inventions people make are designed to kill others as efficiently as possible. And even the things we create for good purposes like vehicles, machinery and electricity kill and injure millions of people every year.

Then there’s the whole of creation, corrupted by the fall and dangerous to us in various ways. Fire, rain, lightning, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions. Massive things like mountains and ocean waves, tiny things like bacteria and viruses. The floor you walk on is just biding its time before adding you to the list of casualties. And if you somehow manage to escape alllll these known ways of dying, surpriiiise, here’s COVID! New ways of dying will always appear. “Everything kills human beings,” indeed.

Over 250 years before my uncle shared this bit of wisdom, however, Jonathan Edwards expressed the same sentiment in his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God.” I quote:

It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand […]

The unseen, unthought of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. […]

God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment.

Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God.”

In these coronavirus times, it’s easy for us to wash our hands, stay home, wear face masks and think we are safe from disaster, but God has never needed a particular disease to call his people home or send unbelievers to their final end. All the people who heard Jonathan Edwards preach in person are dead. Edwards himself is gone. And it is certain that all the people reading this will eventually die, if Jesus does not come first.

In light of that truth, how ought we to live? First, for believers, since the end can come at any time, we should live in light of eternity. “Set your mind on things above,” says Colossians 3:2.

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)

We should dedicate ourselves to things with eternal value: prayer, good works, preaching the gospel, living holy lives that bless and influence others. Then when we are called up to glory, we can say like Paul that we have fought the good fight and finished the race as we look forward to our crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

And for unbelievers in Jesus Christ, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6) Today if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart. This may be your last warning before the end. Before you lose everything you have, everything you’re counting on to save you in the end. Don’t put your hope in face masks, or government policies, or your own physical strength. “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)

I pray the Lord will touch all our hearts and help us realize our own frailties so that we can turn to Him while we can. The Lord be with you in these trying times.

Evangelism Resource: Living Waters Youtube Channel

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)

On the 15th of March 2020, the president of Ghana took the unprecedented step of ordering all religious services to be suspended for a month as a countermeasure against the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Most schools are out, social gatherings are discouraged, Ghanaians’ ‘favourite’ funerals are limited to 25 persons maximum.

These are strange and confusing times to be sure, but the larger numbers of housebound folk, smaller gatherings and scared friends posting all kinds of dire messages on WhatsApp all mean greater opportunities for witnessing and evangelism.

But what do you say, and how? How do you make sure you are sharing the true gospel and not confusing people or, worse, giving them a false sense of assurance? There are many helpful resources online and offline about how to evangelize. Here is one I highly recommend: Living Waters on Youtube and its accompanying website Living Waters.

According to their “About” page, ” Living Waters seeks to train the members of Christ’s Body in the principles of biblical evangelism and to provide them with practical tools to proclaim the gospel.”

To that end, they provide many, many examples of founder Ray Comfort talking to people of all backgrounds about the gospel of Christ, from your everyday person on the street to others with a wide variety of beliefs, including atheists, agnostics, Satanists and Hare Krishnas. Some encounters go well, others not so well. Some people are open, others are not so welcoming.

Either way, the videos along with Ray Comfort’s penetrating article “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” present a simple and effective approach to evangelistic encounters. First share the bad news and help others understand how God sees them. Then share the news that Jesus died to take away the penalty we deserve as guilty sinners, so that in Him we can fulfill God’s standards for righteousness and be acceptable in His sight.

There is no guarantee the people we speak with will accept the message in faith, but that is not our command. Ours is to share the full, true message and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit.

BTW, in addition to videos about evangelism, the Living Waters channel also has resources discussing contemporary issues such as the coronavirus, celebrity news (!), politics and evolution. Plus they also have a many short movies on topics like Christmas and Hollywood which are far more interesting and profitable to our souls than the latest telenovelas and juju movies.

Together with Scott Gilchrist’s sermon expositions that I recommended some years ago, you should have plenty of material to keep you busy until the president’s directive is lifted approximately a month from now. May God be with us all.

You cannot “connect to God” without Jesus Christ

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)

I went to the funeral of a very dear aunt this past weekend. The preacher of the funeral sermon had a very engaging and interesting style and shared plenty of memorable and hilarious anecdotes. What he did not share, however, was the full gospel of Jesus Christ.

I don’t want to pick on this pastor alone, because this is a problem shared across Ghana. Perhaps across Christendom in total. So many preachers, so interesting sermons, entertaining but utterly devoid of the life-saving truth.

In this particular sermon, the preacher repeatedly called for the congregation to “connect with God” and have a “relationship with Him.” He spoke about the importance of living a meaningful life and doing good deeds, then at the end he did the usual “Repeat this prayer after me” gimmick where he led members of the congregation in praying that they wanted to “connect with God.”

A false message and a failed presentation of the gospel. His message wasn’t one that was deliberately trying to lead people astray, but nevertheless it was false by reason of omission. Unlike the apostle Paul in Acts 20:27, he failed to declare the whole counsel of God.

At the end of the whole sermon I imagine that thinking members would have been baffled, not by what he said but by the many things he didn’t say.

Why must man connect to God? As His creations, why aren’t we connected by default? The preacher failed to explain that God created man in perfection, but Adam sinned, and in him we all sinned (1 Corinthians 5:22). We live every day in open rebellion to a holy God who cannot look upon evil and must judge sin.

Left to our own devices, we are doomed to be punished as we deserve for our sins.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:4-9 (NASB)

Why Christ? Because as God, He lived a sinless life on our behalf, fulfilling the laws of God that we could not do due to our sinful nature. Then, as the sinless lamb of God, He paid for our sin debt through the sacrifice of His life, becoming sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God through him, as 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 14:6

In other words, we cannot become righteous on our own, and we cannot be accepted by God without that righteousness. Thus God Himself prepared a substitute for us to take away that sin so that He can both punish sin as He should and redeem sinners as He desires (Romans 3:26). We cannot come to God in any other way but in the one way He has prepared for us: faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Long story short, it is not enough to talk about “connecting with God” without explaining why and how in a biblical fashion. I am saying this not to put one preacher down but to keep us all alert whenever we try to share the gospel with others. Instead of trying to amuse or simplify, we should focus on sharing the full truth and nothing but the truth of about Christ. Anything less is a great disservice to our listeners. May God help us to make the most of every opportunity.

Resource: Southern Seminary ‘Honest Answers’ series

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, currently located in Louisville, Kentucky, was founded in the USA in 1859 with the aim of serving the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention “by training, educating, and preparing ministers of the gospel for more faithful service [source].”

As part of their mission to train, educate and prepare people for service, the Southern Seminary has put up a series of videos on Youtube they call “Honest Answers,” where they provide short but comprehensive answers to many of the questions people have about Christianity. In their own words, it is “a series where Southern Seminary professors honestly answer questions directly submitted by viewers about theology, ministry, and life.”

Here is a link to Honest Answers. Most of the videos are 5-10 minutes long on average: short enough to listen to on a quick break but long enough to explain key points in details. I highly recommend subscribing to the channel so you can be notified when new videos come out. It’s good to be deliberate about the kind of media you consume, especially on places like Youtube with millions of creators, but more on that topic another day.

Honest Answers is a great resource for Christians at all stages of life, but I believe it would be most helpful for new believers and the people discipling them, because it provides simple explanations for basic questions about how to live the Christian life. For example, “What is the purpose of fasting?” “How can I improve my prayer life?” and “What should I do if I doubt my salvation?” There are all kinds of topics about other things like the stock market, the lottery, civil disobedience, Halloween, New Years’ resolutions, etc etc.

Honest Answers also addresses more esoteric questions that won’t affect what you do on a daily basisl such as “Who were the Nephilim?” and “What is the Apocrypha?” So if you’re idly curious about something or just have time to spare and want to learn more about theology, it’s a good place to check and pass the time.

As at the time of writing (Jan 29, 2020) there are 85 videos out so far with new ones coming every week. Dig in and share helpful answers with others so that 2020 can be a year of greater knowledge and wisdom for all of us.

“Bad things will not always happen to other people.”

Sometimes they will happen to you.

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 NKJV

Some time ago, I skimmed through a highly forgettable comic about a girl struck with a curse that doomed her to die in a few years. Or something like that. It’s so forgettable that I can’t remember the titles or the details or what country it came from. It was very boring and drawn out, so I skipped to the last chapter after reading a few chapters, .

However, what I read there made an impression on me that has lasted till today. The heroine, who somehow survived her curse, was reflecting on the whole ordeal. She said something like, “At first, when it was all going on, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘Why me?’ But then I thought again and I realized, ‘Why not me?’ Bad things won’t always happen to other people.”

It’s been several years since I read that bit of secular wisdom, but it has stayed with me because it is 100% true no matter how much we want to avoid it. Bad things won’t always happen to other people. Other people won’t always lose their jobs, or be diagnosed with serious diseases, or have accidents, or be attacked by robbers. Other people won’t always wake up and read text messages they never wanted to see. Sometimes these things will happen to you, and to me. And that is a normal part of this sinful, fallen world.

It’s fashionable in modern times to pretend that Christianity is a one-way pass to health, wealth, prosperity and a trouble-free path through life into eternity. When we hear of crime, sickness, war, accidents, we want to pretend it could never happen to us.

But the Bible never says anything about a trouble-free life, for believers or for unbelievers. While we can have joy, peace and comfort in the midst of the storm, we still be very much in the midst of that storm. Our ultimate rest will not come until we are finally home with the Lord.

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Romans 8:22-23 NKJV

In fact, almost all the great figures of the Bible experienced pain, loss, loneliness, betrayal and persecution. Right from the first human family of Adam and Eve, who lost a son to murder and another to banishment. Noah lost everyone except his immediate family in the flood. Abraham lost his father Terah, his brother Haran and later his wife Sarah. Isaac lost his mother, later lost his wife, was separated from his younger son for 20 years, had to deal with a rebellious older son and contentious daughters-in-law…

Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua…. It’s faster to count the figures who coasted through life with no problems… faster because the number is zero. Even if you live to be 999, you will still have to deal with the loss of your parents and an entire older generation.

Long story short, Jesus told us the truth, “in the world you will have tribulation.” (John 16:33) Pressures within, pressures without. Pressures that come from being a Christian, pressures that come from just being born of man. But His statement doesn’t end there. He promises us, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Therefore we have hope.

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8: 37-39

For some of us, 2020 has gotten off to a very bad start indeed. This is not what we had in mind when we heard of “Vision 2020.” But we take comfort in the fact that nothing can separate us from the love of God, and that He is with us in all our trials and temptations.

Let us first ensure that we ourselves are in Christ, having repented and believed in his salvation for our sins. Don’t trust in anything or anyone else except Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation. Then let us also redouble our efforts to reach our loved ones with the message of the gospel so that even in the darkest moments, we know that we will meet again where there will be no more tears.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

What does the Bible say about Christians and the government?

Belated Happy New Year, everyone! 2020 is a fresh start, and another opportunity to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” for all of us (2 Peter 3:18).

2020 is also an election year in Ghana (and in the USA) so we will be hearing a LOT about politics and voting. As Christians, how ought we to vote? No, before that, how ought we to think about and relate to the government? In fact, what is the government in the first place?

Here to the rescue comes this lesson series from Ligonier Ministries and the late RC Sproul: Church and State.

Sproul first lays a thorough background on what the government is, who established it, what its functions are and what the church’s relationship to the government should be.

He also deals extensively with some of the problems facing the church in America today. As Ghanaian Christians, we don’t have to deal directly with the same social legal issues facing the American church, but the principles of church and government are universal, so it is a great primer on all the relevant issues.

Furthermore, it would be blindly optimistic of us to think that we won’t eventually face the same social and governmental pressures our counterparts in other countries are currently going through so it’s good to learn more about global trends, if nothing else because it lets you follow the news more accurately.

One lesson I really enjoyed was chapter 4, “Established Religion.” That’s where Sproul deals with the history of the separation of church and state in America. It is very interesting history with lessons for all of us in how governmental involvement in religion frequently leads to oppression and suppression, but it’s also the least relevant to the Ghanaian context. But in this election cycle in America I predict you will hear a lot of ‘separation of church and state’ talk being bandied about, so it’s good to know what it does and doesn’t mean so you can correct people (kindly) and follow arguments intelligently.

Ideally I would do a follow up post analyzing the Ghanaian constitution to see what it has to say about religion and also write another post about how we should think and feel about the new “National Cathedral” under construction, but I don’t want to lie to you and say I will do it. Just listen to these for now and I’ll see you when God wills it. Adieu!

The Christian woman’s role in the family (part 1 of 2)

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. – Titus 2:3-5

November 2018 will mark 8 years since I became a Christian. In that time I’ve been privileged to sit under a lot of godly teaching in Ghana, but no pastor in my memory ever covered Titus 2:3-5. Nor do they seem likely to given how the current Ghanaian culture glorifies women working outside the home and vilifies anyone who suggests otherwise. Time to rectify that today with two pertinent articles on the subject.

Today’s corporate women and the curse of ‘maidservanthood’

This opinion piece by Daniel Ofosu-Asamoah appeared on Ghanaweb on 17th May 2018. While it is not written from a Christian perspective, it is interesting for the unflinching look it takes at the various challenges faced by Ghanaian women in balancing working outside the home with their God-given mandate to care first for their husbands and children (Titus 2:5).

However the article contains a lot of flawed examples. Here’s one telling sentence: “The present economic situation of today does not allow one man to be the breadwinner of a family of three or four and above and reduce the woman of the house to a housekeeper.” First off, does the present economic situation really not allow men to be breadwinners? Where are the figures to back that assumption up? As Wikipedia would say, “Citation needed.” I would be genuinely interested in a comparison of the costs of living, say, 30 years ago and now to see if it’s as impossible as the writer declares.

More glaring, however, is the phrase “reduce the woman of the house to a housekeeper.” Reduce? You see the way feminism diminishes the role of a woman at home and makes homemakers feel inadequate? Why must a woman’s self-worth only come from discarding her own role and taking over a man’s? What is demeaning about caring for your own children, raising them to be godly and spiritual people, loving your own husband, managing the health, finances and food of your own home?

Especially in light of the various problems Ofosu-Amponsah raises with the opposite approach:

  • No time for family.
  • Active interference by maids in marriage.
  • Children receiving poor care and training.
  • Children picking up negative values from caregivers.

Just the last one alone will tell you the immense value of a Christian mother in the home overseeing the development of her child. After all, if you just want to put your child through school and feed them food so they grow, anyone can do that. But if you want to counter the direction the world is going in, to raise them to love God and Christ, to believe what you believe then you have a huge task ahead of you. A task too large to outsource to random househelps, school teachers and relatives, as helpful and welcome as such people may be.

It’s almost amusing but also sad how the article lists all the various problems and even adds, “When I was young, one of the momentous periods in my life was when I came home to see my mother in the house,” but never comes to the realization/admission that maybe the solution is a return to the natural order of things.

And with that, I introduce the second article I read today on the subject of Christian women and the family. It’s actually a letter by a 44-year old homemaker to a Christian radio program. The letter itself dates from 1995 but the sentiments expressed are even more relevant in 2018.

The Infiltration of Feminism in the Church

It’s a long but good read, and I urge you to pay special attention to the quote:

“A woman holding down a demanding full-time job cannot also raise her kids. It is the person who is with them all day who decides what they will read and see, how well they handle anger. Caretakers instill, bit by bit, their moral codes, their manners and even their enthusiasms. That doesn’t mean that a mother who works is irrelevant to her children – only that the major task of childrearing has been subcontracted out”.

Emphasis mine. If we don’t stamp our own imprint on our kids in their formative years, someone else will.

The article also deals with the question of guilt and the working mother. Should women feel guilty for working outside the home? That they do is evident just from a quick Google search, but should they?

“Guilt can be good if it brings to the person realization of the fact they have done something wrong.” Indeed. Guilt is bad if it is rehashing sins that have been confessed, repented of and forgiven. But if you are currently outside the will of God and you know it, you should feel bad. It’s the healthy Christian response.

We’ve seen how much the family loses by disregarding Titus 2:3-5. What does the family gain in exchange? Prestige in the world’s eyes. Work experience. Nicer houses and cars and smartphones. Money. “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.

A mother’s role in the family is indispensable. If a worker drops dead today, there’s another person in her role the next week. I know because I saw it happen at my former workplace. “Hii, hii, oh Elizabeth!” A few days later there was an advert in the Graphic. And life went on.
“How long will you love what is worthless and aim after deception?” Psalm 4:2b.

A woman exchanging her immense contributions to her family for titles and money should feel guilty, in the same way someone who trades a gold necklace for plastic beads should feel bad.

I have more to say on this subject, particularly on the effects of these trends on Ghanaian families in particular. And of course the pressing question, “Where are the men in all this?” Join me next time for Part 2 of “The Christian woman’s role in the family” as we tackle this (needlessly) thorny and sensitive subject and look at the way forward.

Resource: Downtown Bible Class with Scott Gilchrist

All the resources I have posted so far have been online resources. I hope you have found them helpful and educational. Still, there’s no doubt that online resources are a drain on precious bandwidth and credit so this week I bring you an offline resource: Downtown Bible Class on Spring FM 102.7. It’s a radio program that airs every weekday evening at 9pm sharp and features 25 minutes of sound, eye-opening Bible exposition by American pastor and teacher Scott Gilchrist.

Who is Scott Gilchrist? What is Downtown Bible Class?

Scott Gilchrist has been Senior Pastor at Southwest Bible Church in a suburb of Portland, Oregon since 1979. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and has a passion to see God’s Word taught and understood. He is heard daily on the radio broadcast “Downtown Bible Class” and teaches the Bible to the business community in downtown Portland each week at the Portland Art Museum.

Downtown Bible Class: We are a non-denominational Christian ministry whose purpose is to bring clear, Christ-centered Bible teaching to the marketplace. We believe the Bible is God’s word, and that it is the only reliable source for truth. Since the spring of 1993, DBC has met each Wednesday in downtown Portland, Oregon. (official website)

Best things about Downtown Bible Class

It’s available for free on Ghana radio, 102.7 FM at 9pm every weekday. If you have a phone, you have a radio. Set an alarm and tune in every day. Radio programs don’t use up any bandwidth, they don’t cost any money and they’re easy to share with your friends, family and anyone in a 10 foot radius.

I’ve been listening to Pastor Gilchrist since 2011 and he has never steered me wrong but has instead provided clarity on a variety of difficult and tricky issues. His teaching is 100% based on the Bible, illustrated with pertinent examples drawn from real life. He has a real passion for the unsaved and for educating Christians about who they are in Christ, and it shows in all his sermons.

There’s also an element of humility and a willingness to admit when he doesn’t have all the answers that is missing in some otherwise excellent Bible teachers (no names will be given) but he doesn’t guess or give up either.

Let me give an example: in Hebrews we are told that Jesus Christ gave up his life once and for all and then sat down at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12). In Acts, on the other hand, Stephen looks up into heaven and sees Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand (Acts 7:55-56). So which is it, is Jesus sitting or standing in heaven right now? Pastor Gilchrist doesn’t brush the question aside or skip over the seeming contradiction but instead examines the issue from all sides and all arguments and gives his (prayerfully-considered) opinion. It’s very helpful.

Hm? You want to know his answer? Well then you’ll have to listen to Downtown Bible Class!

Drawbacks of Downtown Bible Class

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Downtown Bible Class itself. The problem is with Spring FM’s presentation. Gilchrist does verse-by-verse exposition of the New Testament book by book. Spring FM jumps around from sermon to sermon without notice. I tracked them for a week. One day they were in Acts 7. The next day in Hebrew 7. Then in Acts 6. And on and on with no semblance of order. That’s not how the Bible is meant to be read or how Bible exposition is meant to be followed.

It’s also a bit inconvenient that you can’t pause and reflect on the sermons or listen to them right away when they’re on the radio. I like to pause, take notes, check the Bible and think a little sometimes before going on.

More information and further sermons

There used to be a website called essentialchristianity.net where you could get all the past Downtown Bible Class sermons in one place. The radio program still advertises it, probably because it’s an older recorded program. Sadly that site is now down, but all the sermons have been moved to the Southwest Bible Church website (click here) along with Gilchrist’s latest sermons. Now you can listen any time you want!

Until next time, keep growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. As will I.