BOOK LAUNCH - INTRO TO GREEK MORPHOLOGY BY EKEM & KISSI

The Trinity United Church Premises was the venue last Wednesday 19th May 2010, of the launch of the Text book 'Essentials of Biblical Greek Morphology - with an Introductory Syntax' co-authored by the Rev Prof J.D.K. Ekem and Rev Seth Kissi.

The well-attended launch was chaired by Rev Prof Emmanuel Adow Obeng a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast and now the Dean, School of Theology & Mission, Central University College. The Special Guest of Honour was the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, The Most Rev Prof Emmanuel Asante. In attendance were the spouses of the authors, family and Church members and a host of VIPs in Academia including Prof Ansere, Prof Florence Dolphyne and the President of the Trinity Theological Seminary, Rev Dr Cyril Fayose. Many students of the Seminary were also present.

Reviewing this all-important Text book, the Rector of the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission & Culture, the Rev Dr B.Y. Quarshie, made the following significant observations:

• the first book that has to do with a particular language - the teaching of Greek
• the first time Prof Ekem has co-authored with a colleague which is an important step in the path of mentoring
• the book acknowledges other authors on whose shoulders these 2 authors stand
• for a fuller understanding of the New Testament, one needs to study the culture and language in which the NT was written, and that is the Greek language. Greek is therefore important for every student of the NT and therefore Biblical Studies
• The book gives the rules of studying Greek and that enables the student to learn the language at a faster rate
• The book is highly recommended for every student of the New Testatment and of the Greek Language.

The Chairman in his closing remarks said all aspects of Theology - systematic, practical, traditional etc - the basis of Biblical Studies - were embodied in the book . Biblical scholarship, he said, was an 'endangered specie' because the languages are difficult - Hebrew and Greek - but he was happy about the book because it will make the sudy of the Greek language easy for students. He also was happy about the collaborative efforts of the 2 authors and stressed that for such collaborations to happen very often, junior colleagues must humble themselves and be ready to learn.Rev Prof Adow Obeng therefore recommended the book to all students of Theological Institutes in Ghana.
Launch Copies sold for GHC100 or more. At bookshops in Ghana, it sells for GHC15.
Please call + 233 244764263  or the Publishers, SonLife on +233 21 500631  or info@sonlifepress.com for copies.

pls: Cover style and launch photos & Foreword will appear soon here.

MAY 9, 2010 TEXT- ACTS 16: 9- 15, REV 21:22-27, JOHN 14: 23-29 THEME:”PREPARE FOR THE HEAVENLY CITY”

PREACHER: REV. FIIFI FOH ARKHURST
There are three schools of thought about our going to heaven. The first claims there is no heaven and is a figment of our imagination, while the second claims that Gods requirements for us to go to heaven are high and we cannot make it with our sinful nature. They third believe that there is not enough space for all of us in heaven, but Jesus Christ himself says, “in my father’s house there are many mansions” meaning that there is enough space for us all. Rev: 21 tells us that the presence of God is in his people in heaven. They continue to worship him with their light God, which shines on them. This establishes that there is heaven.
What goes into that preparation? We cannot prepare omelettes if we don’t know the ingredients used in its preparation, in the same way if we don’t know the preparation for heaven, we would miss the mark. You must accept Jesus to take away our sins, because without Him we cannot make it. This is the first step for our preparation.
There are so many people who could not make it to heaven and as we prepare, we must maintain our grounds. We might have fallen, but God is prepared to forgive us and give us a second chance.
Heaven is a reality and only those who have prepared would make it hence we need to be obedient. As a Christian woman looking for a job, you must not yield to sexual advances. Preparing for heaven as a civil servant means you should refuse bribes and not compromise with the world like others are doing. We must not sell our birth rights for mobile phone credits e.tc
Not everyone would get to heaven. Only those whose names are written in the lamb’s book of life would go to heaven. Eternal life is available to us because Jesus paid its price for all. As we prepare for heaven we should focus on Christ because taking our eyes of him would not make us get there.
The way we prepare for ceremonies such us child naming is the same we should for heaven. It is not too late because we do not know when Jesus is coming and it should be our prayer that the good Lord would help us as we prepare for the heavenly city.

MAY 2, 2010 TEXT- ACTS 11: 1- 18, REV 21:1-1 THEME:”RENEWING OUR LOVE” SERVICE OF HYMNS

SINGING OF HYMNS AND EXHORTATION: BRO. ALEX OFORI KARIKARI
We began our exhortation by singing “As the deer panteth”.
My faith looks up to thee was the 2nd hymn we sang.
MHB 431 was one of the 6500 hymns Charles Wesley wrote. This was backed by 1 John 4:9 which showed how he showed his love that we might live through him.
MHB 448 written by a Scottish visually impaired Minister George Matheson, after his college friend decided not to marry him due to his impairment.
MHB 602 this is a hymn that speaks to the elderly, in psalm 92 the righteous would flourish like palm trees, which raises greater awareness for Gods fellowship. He still loves us and our lives are in his hands.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 speaks about love. There are 3 kinds of love; aero which takes, phyla which speaks about giving and taking while the third, agape which loves in spite of who you are. This is the kind that of love Jesus demonstrates to us and his disciples and we should go out to do the same to others.

APRIL 25, 2010 TEXTS:- JOHN 10: 22-30 & ACTS 9: 36-43 THEME: JESUS GIVES ETERNAL LIFE

PREACHER: REV. DR. D.N.A. KPOBI

INTRODUCTION

There are some people who like asking questions, but do not listen to the answers. They would come and ask you the question over and over again because they did not listen to your answer. It can be very irritating because such people are not really interested in your answer; indeed in most cases their minds are made up and they have decided the kind of answers they are expecting before they ask.  Such people are found in every society and in every age.

Jesus and the Jews

The ancient Jews were like that in their relationship with Jesus. They were full of expectation of the Messiah and so they went to Jesus again and again to ask him whether he was the Messiah. But they had already decided that he was not the Messiah, so the answer he gave was not important to them. The passage from John 10 was one such occasion when they confronted Jesus at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. “How long will you keep us in suspense?” they asked Jesus. They had forgotten that they had asked him that question many times earlier. Many examples can be found in John’s Gospel about the Jews asking him and he giving them the same answer. See for example:

a) when he cleansed the Temple (Jn. 2)

b) when he healed the man at the pool of Bethesda (Jn. 5)

c) when they grumbled at his teaching (Jn. 6)

They had already decided that nobody can come from Nazareth in Galilee and be a Messiah so Jesus could not be the Messiah.

Jesus’ answer to them was therefore direct and to the point: “I did tell you but you do not believe”. It was an indication that he had told them before in the past and that at the time they were asking, they still did not believe. He was indicating to them that theirs was a case of deliberate unbelief. In other words, it was not a lack of knowledge that made them to ask but a lack of faith. What they were doing was actually pretending to have doubts about who Jesus was, whereas the truth was that they had decided not to believe he was the Messiah. Jesus was therefore pointing out to them that it was not he who was keeping them in suspense; it was their lack of faith.

The Jews represent all of us

All of us are like the Jews of Jesus’ time. Just like the Jews, God has given us all the answers we need already, but in most cases we have refused to accept God’s answers. We have made up our minds on many things and when we go to God we only want him to tell us what we want to hear. The history of our relationship with God makes this point very clear. It started all the way back in the Garden of Eden where our first parents decided not to accept God’s warning: if you eat this fruit you will die. Adam and Eve decided not to believe what God had said but to believe the lies of the Devil instead. We have been following in their footsteps ever since. Just consider the questions that you keep asking God and see whether he has not provided the answers in his Word or through his servants – preachers, prophets, elders and even friends.

God is reminding us today that if we are still carrying our questions on our minds, it is not because he has not provided answers but because we do not believe his answers. For example:

a)”whatever you ask in my name….”  - if we believe this statement, we would not be seeking solutions to our problems elsewhere. Solutions to our marital, financial, employment and other problems are to be found in Jesus not in human designs.

b) “if you are going to offer your gift at the altar…...”  - if we believe this, we would know why our prayers are not being heard by God because he has told us to be at peace with our fellow men before coming to him.

c) As a nation God has made it clear to us that it is only righteousness that would exalt us, but we do not believe it and we keep going to God to ask him to exalt us when our nation is full of injustice and corruption. 

The message Jesus gave to the Jews is what he is giving to you and me today.

Jesus continues to teach us

Anytime you hear a sermon or meditate on the Word of God, remember that that is God’s way of reminding you of the answers that he wants you to have. In the Gospels, Jesus never gets tired of teaching the Jews even if it meant repeating himself over and over again. Our passage this morning is one such occasion when Jesus repeats his teachings about his “Messiahship”. He reminds them that it is only when we become like sheep and choose to listen to his voice that we can hope for eternal life. The metaphor of the sheep is meant to indicate those qualities of the sheep that Christians need to emulate, namely, absolute trust, willingness to obey and adequate intelligence to know its leader. To adopt the qualities of the sheep is to be assured of eternal life and to be assured that you are absolutely safe with God and that no-one can snatch you from God’s hands. Eternal life means being eternally in the presence of the God.

Are there questions you want to ask God? Are you willing to accept his answers? Or have you already made up your mind? Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will have eternal life. AMEN.

RESPOND TO THE CALL OF JESUS

                                                                             

Today is 3rd Sunday after Easter

THEME: RESPOND TO THE CALL OF JESUS

1st Reading:Acts 9:1-6; 2nd Reading: Rev 5:11-14; Gospel Reading: John 21: 1-19

Preacher(2nd Service):Bro Alex Oppong-Poku.

Saul had collected a mandate from the Jewish Authorities in Jerusalem to arrest Believers from Damascus. On his way, as we read from Acts9: 1-6, Christ appeared to him.
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.* So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.
 
Saul recognised Jesus's voice in spite of his (Saul's) persecuting Him and as he responded to the call of Christ, his life was transfromed.
 
Today Jesus still calls us. His call is universal...calling men and women of all race and colour to serve him.
 
His call means we must have full Fellowship with God. He who calls us will equip us and strengthen us to be able to do the work He has entrusted to us.
 
As Jesus said to Peter in the 2nd Reading, His call to us is to take care of His sheep. His sheep are of the household and also those outside who need to come into the fold. These are people who need the Word, our love and support. His call therefore unites us as a family, because we have one objective. Everyone therefore is important in this call and no one must exclude himself/herself.
 
Jesus's call demands obedience. Saul obeyed and his life was transformed, and he later became Paul.
Likewise the disciples obeyed, they cast their net and had a bumper harvest.
We must also obey the call to take care of His sheep.
Taking care of the sheep demands commitment, faithfulness and willingness.
We must be prepared to spend and be spent...as in MHB...Go Labour on, spend and be spent.

Bro Alex Oppong-Poku is an official of the VAT Service and a member of Trinity United Church.

APRIL 11, 2010 TEXT- ACTS 5: 27- 32, REV 1:4-8 & JOHN 20:19-23. THEME:”AS THE FATHER SENT ME SO I AM SENDING YOU” PREACHER: REV. ISAAC ETUAH-JACKSON Brethren in the Lord, today is the 2nd Sunday of Easter and it implies to discuss this theme and to appreciate the fact that the resurrected Jesus Christ is giving us work to do. The slowness of faith of the disciples in the reception of the news of the resurrected Christ had its value for the future church and all of us if they had been expecting the resurrection and anxiously looking forward to it, people could say that they imagined it and that they persuaded themselves it had happened. The gospel reading emphasises that the disciples had shut themselves behind doors for the fear of the Jews that their turn would come next to die. So they were meeting in fear, listening for the knock on the door. Suddenly appears in their midst – he was not bothered by the locked doors. Jesus first words to the stunned disciples was peace be with you. Shalom in Hebrew means peace, may you be saved from trouble- is a normal everyday Hebrew greeting and a blessing in the 1st century. It was appropriate given the disciples circumstances. They were still recovering from what they had thought was the loss of their teacher. What Jesus meant here is “may God give you every good thing”. He replaces fear with peace. Thus is what the resurrected Christ does for us. The resurrection of Jesus trumpets the assurance that no matter we see or what life brings – God is sovereign- he is in control and his purposes will not be thwarted. The fact of the resurrection means no matter what situation we are in, or what the visible and invisible strength arrayed against us we can face it with confidence rather than with fear. This is what Jesus is sending us to go and to the world in general and in Africa and Ghana in particular. Much of the self inflicted lack of peace in Africa and Ghana has been born with animosity based on differences- whether ideological, ethnic or religious - Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda, Abudus and Andanis in dagbon, Techiman and Tuobodom in Brong Ahafo, Asante Gyaasetse and Nii Ga of the Ga state. The disciples rejoiced when Jesus showed them his hands and side. This is indeed the Lord. Happiness is the world’s virtue but Joy is distinctively Christian. Then Jesus gave disciples the commission which the church must never forget. As the father had sent me, so i send you. This is what westcolt called “The Charter of the church” this means three thing for us today: i. Jesus is dependent on his church to spread the goodness: The church is the body of Christ (Eph 1:23) must continue with the message Jesus brought to all men from God- the message of agape love of God. The church is to be mouth and speak the fact to run the errands and hand to the work of Jesus. Jesus is sending us to send the salvific message to the broken world. ii. The church is dependent on Jesus: This is to stay that the church needs Jesus. A person who is to be sent out needs a message to take; he needs power and authority to back his message. Without the response of Jesus the church has no message. Our message is that Jesus has resurrected and offered us life. iii. The church must be obedient to Jesus: because Jesus obeyed God and condescended into our world showed Jesus obedience to God. It follows that the church is fit to be the messenger and the instrument of Christ only when she perfectly loves and obeys him. The church must never go out to propagate her own message, never follow man-made policies but must follow the will of Christ who gives and guidance for his work. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples to emphasise them for mission and guide them into all truth. (John 16:13). This is what happened in the 1st reading in Acts 5: 27-32 with the power of the Holy Spirit the disciples preached with favour peter and the other disciples bravely and fearlessly proclaimed the divinity of Christ- to even the Sanhedrin and declaring we must obey God rather than men (verse 29). Hark the voice of Jesus crying.

APRIL 4, 2010 TEXT- IS 65: 17- 25, 1 COR 15:19-26 THEME:”CHRIST IS RISEN” PREACHER: REV. SETH KISSI Message not available. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

APRIL 2, 2010 GOOD FRIDAY TEXT- ISAIAH 52: 13-53:6, HEB 10:16-25 THEME:” THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PASSION AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST”

PREACHER: REV. FIIFI FOH ARKHURST
Beloved in Christ, if we compare the manner in which the service of the world’s greatest men have been rendered and that in which Christ’s work of redemption has been rendered, we are immediately impressed with an outstanding contrast, for while the service of men is rendered during their life time and while Christ too, for that matter lived a life of unparallel service, the climax of Jesus’ work came at its very close, and our salvation is ascribed to his passion and death.
Dear Christian friends, we are reflecting on the importance of the passion and death of Jesus. The first reading from Isaiah reveals a valuable component of our salvation, the passion and death of Jesus that is the agony of Christ. It is amazing how much detail given by Prophet Isaiah came true in Jesus. For through his death Jesus did suffer for humanity. Again, by his death Jesus secured for all believers
1. Healing both spiritually and physically
2. Penalty for our sin.
My dear Christian friends in the second reading from the book of Hebrews the writer made a powerful statement that God will remember our sins no more. For Christ forgives completely, so there is no need to confess our past sins repeatedly. And as believers, we can be confident that the sins we confess and renounce are forgiven and forgotten. That all these have been made possible via the passion and death of Jesus. The writer of Hebrews continues to say that via the passion and death of Jesus, we have confidence to come to God. We can relate with God as a father without any inhibitions. In the 3rd reading we read about Jesus being tossed here and there by Annas and Caiaphas.
Dear Christian friends, it is interesting that the death which they thought to inflict on Jesus as dishonour and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death defeat. The death of Jesus Christ becomes not the end, but the beginning. It is not the end of the way, but the way of the beginning. For via his death, Jesus brought the end of death and the beginning of life. In other words, Jesus died that we might live. We deserve to die but Jesus decided to die in our stead. Decided to take our place so lift up your heart. Don’t be sorrowful. Hope for the future lies in what God did long ago via the death of Jesus. Remember, via his death Jesus has conquered the world. When night comes, pray “lead kindly light”. When there is no place to stand sing “how firm a foundation, ye saint of the Lord”. In the midst of our days and years Christ comforts us as surely as he did his sorrowing disciples long ago. And as Lord of life, he cries “I died and lived for you”.
Beloved in Christ, let us remind ourselves that via his death Jesus made a big sacrifice for us and the sacrifice accomplished a lot. For when Jesus died on the cross, he was giving his life so we could have eternal life. That is to say, Jesus died for our sins.
For the death of Jesus is a damage repair, so anytime you see a crucifix, consider how much Jesus gave to you and remember to be generous to others.
My dear Christian friends, the significance of the passion and death of Jesus cannot be overemphasised in any way. We were nobodies but his death has made us somebody.
Again, his death has given us assurance of salvation let us remember that the specific purpose of Christians death was to secure forgiveness for us as taught in scripture, for Christ suffered for sins once so that the unrighteous might be brought to God. Remember Jesus paid a debt he did not owe because you owed a debt you couldn’t pay.
It is my hope and prayer that the Lord will help you to bear the burden of the weak as Christ did and to learn that exultation comes only after humble selfless service.

MARCH 28, 2010 TEXT- ISAIAH 50:4-9, PHILLIPIANS 2:5-11 &LUKE 19:29-40 THEME:”PREPARE TO FACE CHALLENGES”

PREACHER: REV. ISAAC ETUAH-JACKSON
Today is Palm Sunday, a day Jesus Christ rode triumphantly in to Jerusalem as the blessed king who comes in the name of the Lord to face the challenge of dying on the cross to save us from the power of sin and death.
Today, we also begin what we call in Christendom-the passion of Christ or the holy week, a week we recall how he loved us and how he has shown this love.
In the 1st lesson read to us, we see how the 2nd Isaiah describes in these verses how the suffering servant- the messiah- facing the challenge of life- suffering which the father has designated for him. He is to preach the message of God’s mercy to men. Many rejected him and tortured, but God was on his side and would not be moved from his resolute purpose by his insults and injuries.
Brethren in the Lord, the sufferings, various episodes or stations in the life of Jesus were all challenges to Jesus (betrayal, denial, trail by Caiaphas and Pilate and eventual crucifixion). He triumphed in the end. This is to teach us that challenges are inevitable in life but when we remain resolute with the help of God just as the suffering servant was- he remained unswayed by whatever hardship that was awaiting him as he rode to Jerusalem to be crucified (Ezekiel 3:8-9 and Luke 9:51).
No matter how he was to be mistreated, mocked and repudiated, the servant /messiah had such full confidence of God’s support that he welcomed the challenges in life schools, workplaces, in your marriage, in your family- am here today to tell to brace up and face these challenges because God’s helps is available to us in the face of these difficulties and challenges. This is why the church was red parament (liturgical colour) to teach us that the Holy Spirit is present to give us help in order to face these challenges of life. Amen
Brethren Jesus Christ at the end of a long journey eventually came to Jerusalem. This was in fulfilment of Zechariah’s prophecy in 9:9 Zion’s king should come to her righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt the foal of an ass.
When Jesus reached Bethpage and Bethany he sent for a donkey, he mounted it and his entry into Jerusalem to face his life challenge became a royal procession, with the king surrounded by his disciples and greeted by cheering crowds – like we have done today. Jesus by this action entered Jerusalem as king of peace and love and not as the conquering military hero whom the mob expected and awaited to liberate them from roman rule.
The people threw their clothes on the donkey for Jesus to sit on. The people shared what they had with Jesus Matthew 21:8 and Mark 11:8 mentions the cutting of Branches and spreading them on the road. The crowd shouted hosanna to the one who comes in the name of the Lord, quoting psalm 118:26 hailing Jesus as Messiah. Hosanna means save us now. Brethren, because Jesus was able to face the challenges in life by taking the form of man even though he was God, humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross most wretched of deaths a death a roman writer describes as she was highly exalted, given a name above every name and at the mention of his name every knee must bow and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the father.
Let us face the challenges in life with Christ this passion and holy week- tomorrow –Friday please do not be left out and am certain we will also receive grace and favour from God to be able to face our individual challenges in life. Amen

MARCH 21, 2010 TEXT- ISIAIAH 43:16-21, PHIL 3:4-14 THEME:”DWELL NOT ON YOUR PAST GLORIES”

PREACHER: REV. ISAAC ETUAH-JACKSON
Today is the fifth Sunday of lent (next Sunday is Palm Sunday). During lent the church helps us to prepare for great events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. These events set us free from the slavery of sin and also raises us up to be sons of God and heirs to the eternal kingdom of heaven. Today’s discussion is to remind us that we are only passing through this earth and need not dwell on our past achievements, possessions, power, pleasure but build on Christ’s foundation in order to grow into maturity and to attain eternal salvation. Amen
In the 1st lesson, we read part of the message of encouragement which the 2nd Isaiah preached to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. The miracles of the first exodus would be surpassed by those of the 2nd, the liberation of the Babylonian exile. We need to remember that the Israelites lost their homeland cannan and were taken prisoners to Babylon in 586BC, but the God of their fathers did a new thing by bringing them back to their homes and established them there once again through Cyrus- a heathen king who facilitated their return (Ezra 1:1-11). God did this so that the Israelites may declare his praise and to bring them to the realisation that that they do not need to dwell on their past.
Brethren, dwelling on past glories is what st. Paul addresses in the letter to the Philippians. The congregation in Philippi must have included some Jewish Christians or at least must have come under the influence of Judaisers; the Jewish Christians insisted that the gentile Christians should be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. To explain what he means, Paul takes himself as an example. He had dwelt on his past glories by being extremely happy about his adherence to Jewish traditions but now he dismissed the status and dignity given him by his race, religious rites and tradition as rubbish. Why because he has now found a real reason for boasting: i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, whose sake i have lost all things. (Verse 8)
Brothers and sisters in the Lord like Paul we should also discard our pride in such things as our race, social status, achievements in academia, business, work among others. Let us not dwell on our past glories as individuals and as a church. As new people of God we should rather boast of our identity in Christ and our desire is to become like Christ in all respects, including his suffering, death and resurrection (verse 10) Paul ignores his past successes and failures as he presses forward expectantly to reach the goal. (Verse 13-14)
Brethren just as Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery in our gospel reading even though her accusers the scribes and Pharisees who had become so blinded by their pride in their own righteousness in the strict observance of the 613 precepts of the law of Moses. Paul contrasts his former Christian life with his present Christian life. St Jerome is on record to have said that Jews wrote the hidden sins of the Woman’s accusers. The woman was told to go and sin no more and the result of her changed life is recorded in St John gospel 12: 1-8 where she anointed Jesus feet to prepare him for his burial.
We must not dwell on our past successes, glories and failures but we must press on towards the Goal having faith in God. A mark of a Christian is keeping on towards the goal, trusting in the Lord despite the circumstances. A Christian is like a runner who looks forward to crossing the finishing line.
As Christians we should not think that we have arrived because today the non churched are no longer geographically but are culturally distant from us. This is because our culture in church makes the church irrelevant to them.
As members of this church and for that matter Christians one thing we all can do as we try not is dwell on our past glories is to make our work places, schools e.tc an extension of the church mission and of in fact that is the reason why we come to church every Sunday so that we can change agents in our communities, schools and workplaces.

MARCH 13, 2010 TEXT- HEB. 5:11-6:3 THEME: “GROWING INTO MATURITY”

PREACHER: REV. FIIFI FOH ARKHURST
Every parent expects his child to grow and not be a liability on him. So does GOD also expect from us. Maturity is a gradual process that takes time. It has nothing to do with age. To be matured is to turn your back to the world and live as Christ expects of you, living as if the things of this world are of no importance and refusing to be weighed down by material concerns.
The message in Heb 6:1 is meant for Christians and not unbelievers. The writer of Hebrews wrote to Christians about what the writer refers to as elementary doctrine.
For they were arguing about;
1. When one should be baptized (infant baptism v adult)
2. Which mode of baptism was acceptable (immersion or sprinkling)
3. Where one should be baptized (by the riverside or the chapel)
4. What posture of prayer is suitable (standing, kneeling, prostrating or sitting)
5. Which mode of worship was acceptable and so on.
The writer complains that his reader’s knowledge of the bible is inadequate to follow the rest of his argument. He insists that they must become more biblically informed if they wish to persevere. They had to get past the basics to biblical maturity.
From Heb. 5:11-6:3 it could be declared that Christians although truly born into God’s family were not matured. The writer observed that the Jewish Christians were not growing up in their understanding because he found it tough to teach them anything more than their spiritual ABC which he termed elementary basics hence the command to grow into maturity. (Heb 6:1)
Beloved in the Lord I want you to draw your attention to the fact that it is possible to acquire much knowledge in the word of God, praying in spiritual language, casting out demons but still not be matured. Signs of immaturity (as outlined in the scripture reading) are;
1. Laying again the foundation of repentance (5:11) here the Christian life is likened to a building under construction which from time to time they have to dig up the foundation and lay it again. Thus after a long time there is still no progress in the building. The same sins tempt most of us day in and day out which makes us repent over and over again. Let’s learn from Paul in Cor. 13:11 saying “when I was a child I talked like a child but now I am an adult i behave as one”
2. Our inability to share with others. Let’s grow into maturity by sharing with others. (Heb 5:12)
3. How much we know is how much we absorb we need to go past the little truth we knew long when we became Christians. That Jesus died on the cross for your sin, that you have eternal life and that he has gone to prepare a place you, e.tc We are in perilous times so let us go on to maturity. When people do things against us are we ready to reconcile and forgive them.
4. Inability to use the word of righteousness (Heb 5:13) the spiritual weapon the bible should be handled properly as we fight with the Devil. We should feed on the word of God in order to grow into maturity. Do we meditate on God’s word?
5. Can you tell the difference between the correct use of scripture and mistaken one? Heb. 5:14 the people were unable to tell between good and evil. The immature Christian is easily led astray, can you recognise temptation before it traps you? For the author the ability to differentiate critically bad and truth was very important.
Certain elementary teachings are essential for all believers to understand. These basics include;
1. Importance of faith
2. The Foolishness of trying to be saved by good deeds.
3. The meaning of baptism and spiritual gifts.
4. The facts of resurrection and eternal life.
To be matured we need to move beyond and not away from elementary teachings to a more complete understanding of it. For the writer they had to get past the basics of biblical Maturity this is what he intends for them to do. Matured Christians should be teaching new Christians the basics.
What should fully matured Christians look like? People who are matured are;
1. Secured in their relationship with Christ. They know they have eternal life (1 john 5:11-13)
2. Rooted and built up in the spirit
3. Victorious over sin. Come back from their senses after sin.
4. Understands the words of the scripture and can apply it effectively in their lives.
5. Has an effective Prayer. Phil 4: 6-7
6. The fruit of the spirit is seen in their lives
7. Obedient in service to the Lord. Doesn’t think about what people say. Jn 14:15,23
8. Actively share their faith with others. 1 pt 3:15
9. Actively participate in Christian fellowship. Heb 10:24-25
10. They have compassion on Christians and are wailing to give to others. Col 3:12-14
Are you prepared to grow into maturity? Then we have to be;
Actively involved in church the church, attend programs
Sensitive to the holy spirits promptings
Realise your inadequacies anytime you go to God in prayer.
Read and search in scriptures
Cultivate the habit of fasting
GOD wants us to mature, what we know is good but we need to know more.
Our prayer at any point in time should be that we grow into maturity.

MARCH 7, 2010 TEXT – IS. 55:1-9, 1 COR. 10:1-13, LUKE 13:1-19 THEME:”RELIANCE ON GOD”

PREACHER: REV. SETH KISSI

God has problems with our understanding and judgement. He appears to paint a picture of how we behave and invites us to come and depend on him. In his eyes we have denied ourselves life, satisfaction and what we need, pursuing things we don’t need which we are not necessary.
There’s a difference between our ways and his. (Is 55: 8 & 9) this forms a wave of action because we follow our ways which makes us hungry, thirsty and unsatisfied.
When we depend on him we would find how deficient, thirsty and thoughtful our ways are. The narrative and parable throw light on how things should be done. When eighteen people perished in the tower of Siloam. Jesus saw an attitude of judgement in those who told him about the incident, portraying the victims as sinners. Jesus told them that their ending would be worse if they didn’t repent.
He then spoke to them about the parable of the fig tree which had not bore fruit for three years, its soil was re-fertilised and was given one more year. After it had still not bore fruits so it had to be cut. When we set our eyes on others, we forget our problems and feel very good, perfect and flawless but Jesus called their attention and asked that they think about themselves.
Jesus was in the synagogue one Sabbath when he saw a woman who came in with burns she had for about 18years and healed her. The head of the synagogue drew the attention of the congregation to this and said to them we have six days of work and do not have to work on the Sabbath. They were deficient on the understanding of the Sabbath. So Jesus broke their understanding making them know that preaching on the Sabbath was also work. Doing what they wanted to do and what they didn’t want to was not observing the Sabbath. Sometimes relations can come in the way of things we have to do to serve humanity. It could lead to low productivity but we pray to GOD to invite us to come to live in his ways so that our ways and thoughts would change.
The mustard seed as small as it is grows and birds of all kinds perch on. Jesus asks, what is the shelter to the woman who has been saved. The well being of humanity is paramount to everything. if you have a sacrifice to make and someone has something against you, leave it go and ask for forgiveness before offering it or GOD would not receive it. This is the kind of attitude GOD wants, that we are people of his and not ourselves.
Eating food offered to idols is tantamount to idol worship. We should not do anything to lead to the fall of a brother not even offering food. That for Paul is the way of GOD, we rely on him that our ways would find peace drawing us to him.
Let’s come to him today and ask that our words, ways and faults would enhance people on him. For that to happen we have to rely on him.

FEBRUARY 28, 2010 TEXT- GEN. 15:1-12, PHILI 3:17-21, LUKE 13:31-35 THEME: “ENDEAVOUR TO REACH YOUR GOD GIVEN GOAL”

PREACHER: PROF. EBENEZER OWUSU
(Service of hymns)
In Luke 13: 18, Jesus said I will drive demons, heal today and tomorrow all this in the name of the father. Martin Luther king said music is the first gift to GOD followed by divinity. It is a very great gift to come to him to express our joy.
Moses raised his hands saying I will sing unto the lord he is my strength, song and salvation when Egypt was drowned in the sea. By singing we offer praises to him. (We sing Majesty)

Look everywhere you see that there is no life but he knows the plans he has for us, plans of good and not of evil. (Sing PHB 634)

we sing MHB 490 by john Samuel Bewley Monsell junior in 1860.
When we have problems with our schooling, jobs, marriages and our exams. We need to trust in the Lord with our hearts. (Prov. 3:5-6)
we sing because he lives by Edgar stutt.

MHB 91- all hail the power of Jesus name.
Service ends with - It is well with my soul. (Song)

February 21, 2010 TEXT: Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Romans 10:8-13 THEME - “TRUST IN THE LORD” PREACHER: BRO BEN KWAPPONG-AKUFFO

What does trusting in the Lord mean?
A father buys his son an umbrella as a gift. This son and his father mostly go for Sunday prayer meeting. The people in their vicinity had requested they pray for rain since they had not been rain for weeks. On the day of the meeting the boy brought his umbrella and was the only one to have brought his in the crowd. They prayed for two consecutive Sundays and there was still no rain, despite this the boy still brought his umbrella.
On the third Sunday, before the end of the prayer meeting the clouds had come down and at the end the prayer meeting it started to rain. Everyone was left stranded as it rained but this boy looked to his father and told him he was going. The dad asked him how and he told him he brought along his umbrella.
Those who prayed unlike the boy had no trust in GOD. Men always have to pray and keep trusting.
HOW TO KEEP OUR TRUST IN GOD.
1. Jesus told a parable in (luke 18). The story was about a judge who had no respect for GOD and man but only for his ethics. There was this poor widow who always came to him but he never had time for her. She kept on coming and one day the judge decided to see to her. We should continue believing and have assurance that GOD would call on us.

2. Living by his word (luke 4:1-13).Jesus responded with the word when he was tempted. (Phillipians 4:6). Who do you go to when you have a problem?
You thrust out the Lord when you do not live by his word. When we have problems with our brothers we first have to pray to God for direction. The last thing we should do as a Christians is to bring he problem before the church but we mostly bring our differences first before the church which should not be the case.
His word for us today is today is that we would not be put to shame when we trust in him.

FEBRUARY 14, 2010 TEXT: 1 COR. 1:10-17 THEME- “ONENESS IN CHRIST” PREACHER: REV. ISAAC ETUAH-JACKSON

The people in the church of Corinth had diverse backgrounds. All people travelling through north, south, east and west had to pass through this town because of where it was situated. Paul speaks about divisions and asks them to be united.
The church then was divided into groups;
1. The first group consisted of Paul and his followers. They felt they were at liberty because of the word.
2. This group headed by Apollo was known for eloquence and the ability to explain the word of God.
3. Cephas who was a disciple of Christ was the leader of this group. His followers were Jews, who observed the rituals of their tradition.
4. These were the followers of Jesus Christ. They saw themselves as righteous people and saw anyone else as non entities.

Paul accuses the church of trading all forms of messages. He pointed out the distractions in the church. Some were;
i. they focussing on who baptized them rather than the one who died for their sins.
ii. Valuing eloquent wisdom rather than the gospel.
Christ is not divided hence we should not be divided by any minister. We should be seen as one no matter where we are coming from. There is unity in diversity. Our gifts must be brought together to build the church of Christ.
The non essential things are being Presbyterians, Methodists or charismatic’s and the like.

Our differences must not lead to factionalisms since this brings acrimony to the church. The church is multi-dimensional hence unity and diversity should lead to us being rooted and built up in Christ.
We pray that there would be genuine oneness in the church that we are truly rooted and built up in Christ.
Love, like death hath all destroyed
Rendered all distinctions void,
Names and, sects and, parties fall;
Thou o Christ is all in all. (Hymn 720)