Author: Kuochoe

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.

Resource: I’ll be Honest.com

I’ll Be Honest (illbehonest.com) is a massive collection of audio and video sermons to inform, admonish and enlighten the growing Christian. In their own words:

I’ll Be Honest is a media ministry that is part of Grace Community Church of San Antonio, TX (gccsatx.com). We are seeking to publish Biblical Christian Videos on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Unlike the previous resources I’ve posted, I’ll Be Honest offers material from not one preacher but up to 66 different pastors, teachers and godly men and women of proven character. Some of them have over 50 years of experience in ministry. This allows I’ll Be Honest to cover a much wider variety of topics than any one preacher can cover in a lifetime.

It also means you get access to a bigger variety of accents, approaches and teaching styles. I don’t mean to encourage an “I am of Paul, I am of Apollos” attitude, but it is true that some people are better at explaining certain topics than other people, perhaps because they have a special burden for that issue.

I’ll Be Honest offers hundreds of sermons and recorded teaching services on topics like Christian Living, Church Life, Theology, Salvation, Family, Sin, Outreach and False Teaching. For a new believer, I particularly recommend the various titles under Examining Yourself and Assurance of Salvation to strengthen your hope in the promises of God and enable you to manifest the faith and love of Christ (as explained in Colossians 1:5).

The only disadvantage of I’ll Be Honest is the sheer size of most of the sermons and teachings means it takes a lot of bandwidth. I recommend downloading the mp3 versions instead of watching the videos if data is an issue. Their teachings are also in-depth and involving, which is a good thing but does take time and concentration to get through. It’s not quite suited for quick soundbites throughout the day (I recommend Wretched for that).

Apart from that minor drawback, I’ll Be Honest is a great resource for Christians seeking to grow and deepen their knowledge of various theological, moral and personal issues. Give their website a browse whenever you get the chance.

Verses of comfort in times of distress

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

A few days ago I had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night for what I will call a “medical incident.” Don’t worry, I’m fine, and it turned out to be nothing serious in the end, but at the time I felt very, very ill and was very, very worried. But as the verse above says, the God of all comfort comforts us in our affliction, and as I sat in the taxi and then in the hospital waiting room, I found various Bible verses just floating into my mind.

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b)

I drew strength from knowing that Christ was with me anywhere I went that night, even as we careened through the streets of Accra at 1am. Certain parts of Accra are surprisingly lively in the middle of the night…

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

It wasn’t directly related to my situation, but somehow this verse kept popping up into my mind repeatedly. I drew two messages from this verse. First, our lives are not our own. As the Bible says, we were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20) and our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15). It’s up to God to determine whether we live or die according to His love and purpose for us.

Secondly, Jesus loved us enough to give His own life up for us. Whatever happens to us in this life, we must remember that someone who loved us enough to go that far will never act in anything other than our best interests, eternally speaking. Even when we don’t understand what’s going on we should trust in that much.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

The love of Christ was the theme of the Accra Reformed Conference in 2016. I thought I appreciated the message at the time, but strangely enough it meant much more to me when I could barely keep my head up than when I was sitting comfortably in a church pew. Or maybe it’s not so strange, because as another verse that came to mind says,

It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. (Psalm 119:71)

Earlier that evening when I was feeling fine (oh, how quickly circumstances can change), my mind was on every other thing but God’s word. On my schedule, on my plans for the weekend, on money, on business… It took disaster striking to focus my mind back on Christ like a sharp knife cutting away unneeded fat.

If God were a human being he would say “Ahaa, so you have remembered me now, eh?” But praise be to God that He is not like us. Instead of letting times of affliction distract and confuse us, I pray we will use them as an opportunity to drive us and our hearts back to God. And I’m praying for myself that this focus on the things of God will remain even now that I am feeling so much better by God’s mercy.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride (Isaac Watts).

Last but not least, this beautiful hymn by Isaac Watts that I hummed to myself once I was feeling well enough to hum. Why that hymn? I don’t know. I like it well enough but it has never been one of my favourites. Perhaps it was my way of reminding myself of what really matters in this world and in our lives.

Conclusion

Don’t wait till you get into trouble to call on the name of the Lord. But trouble can’t be avoided in this world, the Lord Jesus told us as much (John 16:33). That’s why, as the opening verse said, I wanted to share with you the comfort that God gave me. It is my hope that you will be comforted in your own times of distress and will be able in turn to comfort others.

Grace be with you all.

Resource: The Briefing with Al Mohler

The Briefing bills itself as a “Daily worldview analysis about the leading news headlines and cultural conversations.” Or as the host Al Mohler puts it, a daily analysis of the news and headlines from a Christian worldview.

In a time of unprecedented change and moral decline the world over, all Christians need to be pointed back to the Bible again and again to help us know how to think and respond to the latest news and legislation going on in the world around us.

Dr. Albert Mohler is a Christian speaker and author of no small repute. He is currently the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a theologian with almost 25 years of experience. As we say in Ghana he is no “small boy” mouthing off about every current event but rather a mature Christian teacher who helps listeners make sense of the news and events going on in the world today.

Listening to The Briefing will help you articulate what exactly is behind that feeling of “But that’s wrong” you get when you read so many headlines today. Abortion, euthanasia, LBGTQI issues, war, natural disasters and all the other issues all require critical Christian thinking and responses. You’ll be able to make sense of these issues from God’s perspective and get the encouragement of knowing that His Word and His standards never change no matter what else does.

Through Al Mohler’s insightful analysis of the media and news articles of the day also comes in handy whenever you watch anything on the TV or radio, as you will quickly come to realize that there’s no such thing as agenda-free media. Every advert, every podcast, every movie, every broadcast has a message behind it that the discerning Christian would do well to listen to.

What I appreciate most about The Briefing is that it led me to realize that the Christian worldview is the only one that can stand up to the evil forces behind the so-called “moral revolution” sweeping the world right now. Everything else will crumble to the pressure eventually.

Tradition and culture? They change all the time.
Legality? Changes even faster, especially in the past 10 years.
Practicality? Just because something works or does not work doesn’t affect the morality of that thing in God’s eyes. It’s only the Christian worldview that lets you say “I’m going to do the right thing regardless of the consequences because God said so.” Whether you succeed or fail in the eyes of this world does not matter as long as you fulfill your ultimate purpose on this earth, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

It really helps you know how to engage with unbelievers on these issues so you can keep bringing God’s timeless truths to bear on recent matters. Dr. Mohler is especially good at pointing out the many contradictions and hypocrisies that attend this “revolution” – though at the end your goal is not to see unbelievers squirm but to bring them to the light of Jesus Christ.

There’s only one major drawback to The Briefing: it mainly addresses news and affairs in North America and Europe. I’ve been listening every day for almost a year and haven’t heard Africa mentioned yet, much less Ghana. No news is good news, eh? It’s only natural for Dr. Mohler to deal with what concerns him. We should make our own local version of The Briefing to cover Ghanaian matters. Economic issues. The media. Tragedies like the Circle fire, road accidents, tragic murders. The recent spate of acrimonious ‘celebrity’ divorces. We can’t expect someone outside to cover things we could be covering ourselves.

And a minor drawback: it’s too short! 30 minutes isn’t nearly enough time to cover every single news items I would like him to cover. But that’s just me being greedy.

Check out The Briefing on weekdays on its official website here. I’m sure it will soon become part of your daily routine.

Lessons from the fall of UT Bank and Capital Bank

He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28)

This past Monday (14th August 2017), Ghanaians were stunned to hear that UT Bank and Capital Bank, two seemingly successful banks, had been shut down by the Bank of Ghana and taken over by Ghana Commercial Bank for non-performance and undercapitalization among other issues. In this time of uncertainty, it is right for us to pray for those affected by the upheaval, particularly the staff and suppliers who are suddenly facing the very real prospect of unemployment in the near future. At the same time, as Christians, we shouldn’t miss the lessons to be learned from this kind of news.

  1. There is no such thing as a truly safe investment on this earth.

    Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)

    As far as we know, all deposits in those two banks are still safe. But the sudden news of their demise must come as a reminder to bank customers that anything can happen to your finances on earth at any time. You may trust in the bank to keep your money safe, but the bank is a human institution with weaknesses and failures of its own. Only riches stored up in heaven can never be lost.

  2. In light of the above, while the Bible does call us to be good stewards of our earthly resources, they are not to be our ultimate source of hope.

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17)

I believe this warning goes to all of us, rich or poor. If God has blessed you with material wealth, your mindset should be “Thank you God for this rich blessing” and not “Sweet! Look at all this loot!” And conversely if you are in a tight situation, don’t deceive yourself and think that everything will be perfect once you have a little more money. Trust God for His provision at His timing, knowing that the same Lord gives and takes away (Job 1:21).

3. Someday this world and its riches will all disappear in a flash.

In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! (Revelation 18:17a)

The book of Revelation tells us one of the things that will accompany the end of the world is the destruction of the world’s financial systems in a brief period of time. Just as we woke up one morning to discover two banks gone, so also we might wake one day to hear tales of a complete financial collapse around the world. If it sounds impossible, just remember that on Friday 11th August, most Ghanaians thought all was well with UT Bank and Capital Bank.

We don’t know for certain what the future holds, but there is One who does. God, who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). If you are going through a financial crisis at present or if you have been affected by the sudden closure of the banks, I leave you with these words of comfort from Matthew 6.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Trust in the Lord and He will see you through to the end.

Wretched Radio (Christian radio and video series)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things (Philippians 4:8)

Instead of watching the latest music videos and viral marketing broadcasts, why not check out something edifying on Youtube for a change?

Wretched Radio is a Christian video/radio series that has been running since 2005 on streaming radio and video with Todd Friel as its frontsman and spokesperson.

The program covers just about every salient topic pertinent to Christian life today, from salvation to marriage to death to thinking correctly about current events, with a focus on providing godly, Biblical bases for our beliefs while pointing out error in a loving way. Best of all, most (video) episodes are only 5-10 minutes long, perfect for a quick watch when you want to brush up on a certain topic. Todd Friel is always amusing and lovable to watch while never compromising on the truth of God’s Word.

But don’t take my word for it, try some episodes from their official Youtube channel here: Wretched Network. Browse through their uploads and you’re bound to find something that piques your interest or addresses a situation you may be dealing with. Topics like these:

And all that is just from a cursory glance at their page. As you can see some of the topics are fairly controversial in Christian circles today, but what I like about Wretched is that they don’t run from even the touchiest of topics – all backed by scripture. Even if you don’t agree with everything Friel says, the Biblical basis makes Wretched videos a good place to start when gathering info on any subject. Highly recommended whenever you have the time, and at under 12 minutes for most videos, you have no excuse!