Greetings in the name of our Lord Yeshua, who was, and is and is to come.
Let us delve straight back into the matters discussed in Part 1 of this series. Last time, it was stated that the state of affairs in a modern nation reflects the state of the church in that nation. Also, the following ?kristometric? equations were introduced to help us understand how the state of the church affects the state of a nation:
1. Corruption + Bribery + Ghana = Injustice in Ghana = Injustice in the Church in Ghana = Corruption + Bribery + the Church in Ghana.
Likewise, 2. Integrity + Justly Earned Wages + Ghana = Justice in Ghana = Justice in the Church in Ghana = Integrity + Justly Earned Wages + the Church in Ghana.
Apart from the kristometric equations, it was also stated that based on Yeshua?s first commandment of Mark 12:30, believers in Yeshua (like Israel to whom these words were addressed) ?shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment? (KJV).
Having dealt thoroughly with what it means to love God with all one?s ?heart? in Part 1 of this series, I will now proceed to elaborate on what it means to love God with all one?s soul. I will also relate this to the vice commonly referred to as ?respect of persons?.
1. Why do politicians in Ghana seem to be so ?untouchable? in the face of wrongdoing? Answer: They are aware of the cowardice of the mass majority of their nationals and that they will likely go unchallenged when they do wrong. And besides, they recognise that their nationals will often support them in wrongdoing ?for a piece of bread?.
2. Why do some Ghanaians seem to worship leaders who are clearly engaging in unjust acts that contribute to human suffering? Answer: Because they have been brought up with an acute sense of the ?respecting persons? mentality, especially on the basis of family ties and how they can benefit materially from their associations with leaders.
3. Why do some Ghanaian leaders blindly associate themselves with foreign leaders, even beckoning without relent to their ungodly policy advice that often contributes to the suffering of Ghanaians? Answer: These Ghanaian politicians also suffer from an acute sense of ?respect of persons? mentality in the form of an inferiority complex.
4. Why do the wards of politicians often blindly support the immoral conduct of their parents who abuse their political office? Answer: As in most parts of the world, these children are trained to idolise their parents. Also, the culture of Ghana rarely gives room to question the wrongdoing of older persons. The Ghanaian notion of eldership is primarily a matter of two digits and how they compare to someone else?s two digits. In the Evhe language the ?elders? will say, ?metsi wu wo, eyata elebe nadoto nye? (I am older than you, therefore you should listen to me).
So there you have it. But that?s not all. There is another dimension to this respect of persons affair. Where do the ?men and women of God? fit into the picture you ask? Well, one would think that if they are truly of God then they would have to be on God?s side. Hmmm, so then, Yeshua was correct in pointing out that there would be false prophets among us. Throughout history, true prophets have always been known to have a stormy relationship with political leaders when the state of a nation is in moral decline. This is because a nation?s moral decline is often the direct result of the conduct of political leaders.
When one reviews the contents of a number of Ghanaian dailies it should be quite apparent that the supposed men of God in the nation are not saying much about the wrongdoing of political leaders in the way of rebuking them. It is in the wake of the calls to legalise prostitution on the part of government that we are now hearing weak rants from Christian leaders that this is wrong? Hmmm, may I inquire if the spiritual leaders of the day are at all discerning of the spiritual climate of the nation? Because a government doesn?t just wake up one morning and decide that it wants to legalise prostitution. No, no, not at all. Rather, all acts of humanity are inspired. Either by the Holy One or the evil one. Since the first term of the current crop of political leaders in Ghana, there has been an ?inspiration? behind policy. I will leave the origin of this inspiration for the discerning to figure out. The topic today is respect of persons.
In His days in a human body suit, Yeshua the Messiah of mankind manifested all the true characteristics of a prophet. He was bold. He spoke on behalf of God. He was just. He called evil, evil. He gave warnings. He declared judgments!
Is your relative involved in illegal activity that compromises that stability of the Ghanaian nation? If you are Christian or Christlike, it is your duty to apply yourself in whatever capacity God has called you without fear or respect of the person of your relative. Are you a politician who has a mandate to serve the people? Then do it with no respect of the illegal demands of relatives. Keep your honour intact! Esteem the fear of the people as a form of respect that the living God can take from you at any time by debasing you publicly. As for foreign leaders, they were not elected to run your country. Sometimes, you must remind them of this plainly. How they take such comments will be your education on what they really think about you. You will also know if they really care about your nationals at all. To the children: I know it is tough to be a Ghanaian child. I?ve been there. But if papa or mama is stealing and the living God should permit you to get wind of it you must do your duty. Do it with all due honour to your parents. That means, acknowledge their rightful place in your life and address them appropriately whilst getting the point across. I?m not saying you should ignore wrongdoing on the part of a parent. Rather, I?m reminding you that scripture provides protocol on how you should address older persons. If you?ve forgotten, check out 1 Timothy 5. Lastly, remember that God is your most important parent.
This series remains a challenge to the Ghanaian Christian and a wake up call to examine the measure of Christlikeness that is in you. I will admit that I have no fear of man and will gladly declare any judgment I am given to deliver to any of Ghana?s political or church assembly leaders. I hope they are listening and considering their daily conduct. The question is, what about you?
To be continued in Kristometrics ? A Challenge to the Ghanaian Christian (Part 3)