A Reflection of the Lowly State of Our Societal and Christian Values in Ghana
By Scriptural Knowledge Tabernacle
In the Epistle to the Philippians 4:8, the Apostle Paul wrote the following with fervour and passion: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Like most of us, the apostle was not always pure, true, and honest throughout his lifetime until he was transformed by a unique, life-changing epiphany on his way to Damascus to persecute the followers of Christ.
In his Daily Manna Commentary on July 14, 2024, W. F. Kuyimi writes, “Before his conversion, Apostle Paul was a chief sinner, a blasphemer, and an injurious person who persecuted Christians (1 Timothy 1:12, 13). He encountered Christ on the way to Damascus on an expedition to persecute followers residing outside Jerusalem. He was cornered and conquered by a greater love, pardoned, and forgiven. He experienced radical transformation and eventually became the most prominent figure of the apostolic age.”
Then known as Saul, he was instantly reformed into Paul, who led a historical charge to promote the cause of the Gospel after that heavenly encounter. Saul, now called Paul, turned his apparent weakness into a positive change that continues to influence many people today.
Over the past few days, news and videos have circulated with headlines focusing on a con-artist chef who creatively diverted the attention of 30 million plus Ghanaians and other vulnerable people around the world with a venerated award that did not exist in any regulated realm.
Many were quick to condemn, judge, make fun of, poke, and create more headlines from this calculated act of staged deception. Rightly so, we need not tolerate the devious scheme of the chef, but, like the proverbial speck in our neighbours’ eyes, we fail to notice the logs in our own eyes.
Are we not all to blame for this deception?
Just like the prestigious news stations, modern-day bloggers and educated journalists who patronised the chefs’ grandstanding public celebration of this faked success, have we all not been gullible and failed to carry out basic due diligence before parting with large sums of our illicit money into get rich quick investment scams in our ever-insatiable appetite to get rich quickly in this country?
The scheme of the repentant chef is no different from that of a pastor who is oblivious to the corrupted tithe from the rich contractor in the church. Neither is he any different from the Headmaster or the Chief Directors in our Ministry/State Owned Enterprise, who are unethically enriched with constant flows of “fat” brown envelopes stashed with dishonest money.
The crafty chef is not different from the extortionist market woman who overprices perishables in Dome Market or the carpenter or plumber who overprices replacement parts just to make ends meet.
We often speak of change and set our standards of unethical behaviour only on those in the political or educated classes as the benchmarks for reforming our wrongdoings, even though we are all part of this endemic appetite and affinity for dishonesty just to make a living and live way larger than life will permit us.
Indeed, urgent change is required, and we must change, but not through the ease of pointing humourous fingers on social media, creating scapegoats, or the violent radicalism that recently raged through Kenya.
The change we seek will occur when we each begin to evaluate our lifestyles in sober moments of reflection. The change we crave will show up only when we adhere to the lifestyle principles in a Sunday sermon and in a sound Bible teaching and pure scriptural only New Testament Church.
Change will come when the preacher is led to focus more and more on the justification, sanctification, regeneration and transformation of mankind solely through the grace that is attained through salvation and atonement on the Cross carried and earned by Christ Jesus at Calvary, rather than the get rich quick prosperity Gospel.
Change will occur when the majority of Christians (70% or more) completely surrender not only to Christ’s saving grace but also accept Christ as Lord and ruler of their lives. That way, our full surrender to Christ as Saviour and Lord will reflect in our values and ethical considerations.
That way, our decision-making will be informed by the tenets and values of our faith as practicing followers of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and our Lord. If we can follow and practice biblical principles, our decisions will, by default, honour nobody but Christ our Saviour and soon-coming King.
Change will come when we individually and collectively profess childlike humility like Paul…. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin (Romans 7:24-25).
And so the hymn writer soberly reflects…. Nothing can for sin atone: nothing but the blood of Jesus. Naught of good that I have done: nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Like it or not, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Somehow, somehow, someway, we find ourselves in a stratified marginalised society dominated by dishonesty, stark poverty, high unemployment, and environmental decadence, and this has been the story for most of our history.
Meanwhile, the few and privileged rich in our midst remain unashamedly rich and nonchalant as we collectively continue to recite (very often) our sacred national anthem, “God bless our homeland Ghana and make our Nation Great and Strong” yet we lack any passion for patriotism for this nation and above all, we lack the fear of God – our creator, maker, and ultimate ruler.
Scriptural Knowledge Tabernacle is affiliated to Your Money Counts Ghana, a non-profit, interdenominational Christian Foundation that teaches people of all ages whole life stewardship based on the Bible.