Pastor urges Christians to shun evil

The District Pastor of the Accra South-East District of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, Pastor Emmanuel Samuel Thompson has urged Christians in the nation to shun evil to really depict their Christian nature.

He noted that true Christians must show their status by portraying the character of Christ who was sinless on earth.

“As individuals and people who claim to be Christians, we must live the way we profess that we are Christians. Today, we see people who are Christians but they still live all sorts of evil lives. But if we want to be true Christians, we must shun evil and live truthfully to God,” he urged.

He warned that people will not go to Heaven based on the Church they attend, but rather based on their relationship with God.

The man of God was speaking on lesson 8 with the topic “How must we appear before the Lord?” at the Nungua South SDA Church, as the last study topic to climax a week- long Pre-Camp Meeting Revival that ended on Saturday.

“The reason for today’s topic is this Tuesday we are embarking on our annual camp meeting. We have done a lot concerning our preparations but today, we want to emphasise the way we need to appear before God. Yes, people think because they are Christians and their names are in the Church record books that will give them the guarantee to go to Heaven. But in Christianity, churchgoing is part of Christian activity. But nobody will go to Heaven because the person attends Church. We are going to Heaven based on our relationship with Christ, and that is, our character. So based on our Christ-like character that we portray, that will make us good Christians to send us to heaven”, he explained.

The lessons throughout the week were to prepare the believers in all 10 churches in the District toward their Camp Meeting which begins this Tuesday, 18th August, and ends on the 23rd of August 2015, at the Adidome Senior High School in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Preaching from the key texts Leviticus 10: 3, 10; and Psalm 24: 3-5, Pastor Thompson earlier admonished the church saying - as many prepare to meet the Lord at the camp with many expectations, they must endeavour to do so with holy hearts and hands.

“We should appear before God if we understand our condition and try to change from our attitude. In the olden days, before the children of Israel would appear before God, they came out of all the sins, the filthy things they were doing. So it is a matter of self-examination, you need to examine yourself. You need clean hands, you need a pure heart, and if you clean yourself, you will come out pure before God, you will attain that holiness and you can appear worthy before God.”

Pastor Thompson noted that, God was holy, and therefore those who come to Him seeking his presence and blessings must also present themselves holy, outlining some of the ways believers can attain holiness;

“We can be holy if we understand the word of God, believe in it, live by it and follow the precepts of God. By obeying His commandments, we must be holy. Jesus is holy because He followed all the commandments of the Father. That is why we also have to do the same thing to be holy. We should occupy the time in self-examination and in penitent mood, clean hearts- not polluted with wrong eating habits, satanic games of gossiping, backbiting, fornication, lies, envy pride, provocative and forbidden dressing, deceit and rumour spreading”, he urged believers.

He also questioned whether Christians who appear before God have truly returned their tithes and offerings into the Lord’s storehouse, not robbed others in their businesses and cheated in their taxes; urging the confession of sins as the Bible admonishes (James 5:16, Ps 15: 1-5).

“God requires us to confess and apologise to those we have wronged and forgive those who have wronged us; and heal all broken relationships. When we do these, God blesses us.”

The District Pastor also noted that the dressing and language of Christians must depict reverence for God, and so is music that is holy (Deuteronomy 23: 12-14). He also did not mince words on cleanliness which invites divine presence of God; while untidiness drives divine presence away.

“In the book of Deuteronomy, God warned the Children of Israel to keep their camp clean. Again, He asks them to add tools to whatever they are taking to their camps so that even when they are going to ease themselves they will dig the ground, cover it so that the environment will be clean. God wants to visit us, and God will not come in a place where there is a mess. So we need to take everything filthy from the presence of God so that we can benefit from the blessings of God. As you go to camp this Tuesday, endeavour to keep your surroundings clean to invite the presence of God in your midst. Nursing mothers must equip themselves with all that is necessary to keep a clean environment in the presence of God (James 4:8). We need to be clean everywhere, at home, in church and our own bodies as well”, he admonished.

Pastor Emmanuel Samuel Thompson, the District Pastor of Accra South East District of the Adventist Church noted that God actually laid down rules and regulations on how the Church as whole, individuals, parents and children should reverence Him. Leaders must therefore take care in reverencing God and giving glory – and not cause any distractions in places they meet the Lord.

He urged all to educate themselves and their families to draw near to God, and He will surely draw near them. Earlier, the District pastor explained the reason the Adventist Church always went on an annual camp meeting.

“We embark on camp meeting every year, not because the church wants its members to go places, but it is Biblical. Because God called his people to meet three times in a year, we in the Seventh-day Adventist Church agreed that every year, we will meet all our congregations at one place, we will assemble all our congregations at one place to seek the face of God and revive ourselves for His soon coming.”

Every District of the Church nationwide sets its time for camp. The Accra South East District was inaugurated in 2008, and , and has all its eleven Churches under it namely Nungua South (the oldest church), Teshie Central, Tsuibleoo, Blessed Hope, Tebibiano, Baatsona, Amazing Facts, Beach Road, Nautical, Agblezaa, Nungua North; taking part in the camp meeting.