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Tag: bible

  • Christians now prioritize social media more than the Bible – Eastwood Anaba

    Christians now prioritize social media more than the Bible – Eastwood Anaba

    The founder of Fountain Gate Chapel, Reverend Eastwood Anaba delivered a grave warning about the growing trend of prioritizing social media over the study of the Bible among Christians.

    Rev. Anaba noted with concern the widespread tendency for individuals to dedicate more time to scrolling through social media feeds, chasing the latest trends, rather than focusing on their spiritual development.

    Highlighting the detrimental impact of this shift in priorities, he cautioned that such behavior is inappropriate for Christians, as it leads them away from their spiritual connection with God.

    The reverend emphasised that the allure of social media often results in people spending more time engaging in online activities than in immersing themselves in the teachings of the Bible to strengthen their faith.

    Furthermore, he expressed alarm at how social media’s influence can cause some individuals to live as though they will not be held accountable in the afterlife.

    Rev. Anaba’s message to his congregation was direct: “Social media has drawn you away from your Bible. The time spent on platforms like Facebook and Instagram surpasses the time devoted to reading God’s Word. When was the last time you sat down with the Bible for even an hour?”

    In a call to action, he declared, “Today, I call upon the church to repentance. It is time for revival. We seem to be too preoccupied with worldly pleasures, forgetting the reality of heaven and hell. Yet, it is appointed unto man to die once, and after that comes judgement. Judgement is inevitable, so it’s crucial to align your life with God’s will.”

  • Holy Bible found intact after tanker explosion on Accra-Kumasi Highway

    Holy Bible found intact after tanker explosion on Accra-Kumasi Highway

    Despite the extensive damage to a Man Diesel Fuel Tanker head and its contents, a remarkable discovery was made—inside the wreckage, a Bible remained unharmed by the flames.

    Firefighters from Suhum Fire Station, under the leadership of STNO II Darwah Prince Ofobi, successfully averted a potential disaster on Monday, April 29, 2024, on the Accra-Kumasi Highway.

    The team responded to a distress call and found a blazing Man Diesel Fuel Tanker with registration number GS 5343-18.

    The firefighters acted swiftly and efficiently, bringing the situation under control and extinguishing the fire completely within minutes.

    Thankfully, there were no recorded injuries. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

  • Bawumia misquotes Bible verse at Owusu-Bempah’s church

    Bawumia misquotes Bible verse at Owusu-Bempah’s church

    Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia marked the Easter period with a series of visits to churches, where he extended Easter greetings to Christians.

    One notable visit was to the premises of Rev. Isaac Owusu-Bempah, the founder of Glorious Word Power Ministries International, in Accra.

    During his visit, Bawumia received prayers and sat on Rev. Owusu-Bempah’s chair, a gesture symbolizing blessings and respect. The reverend also commended Bawumia, affirming his character as good and his heart as pure.

    After the prayer session, Bawumia addressed the congregation briefly, sharing a message of hope and encouragement before departing.

    A short video clip of Bawumia’s address, in which he reportedly referenced a verse from the Holy Scriptures, has been circulating on social media.

    “If you go to the Book of Zachariah 4:1, what does it say, “It is not by might nor by power, but by the spirit of the Lord Almighty” he stated to applause.

    Those sharing the video of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s address have questioned whether he correctly quoted the verse from the Bible, suggesting a mix-up.

    According to those referencing the New King James Version of the Bible, Bawumia quoted Zechariah 4:6 instead of Zechariah 4:1.

    Zechariah 4:6 NKJV reads: “So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”

    Zechariah 4:1 NKJV, on the other hand, reads: “Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.”

  • Christians advised to buy Bibles in their native languages

    Christians advised to buy Bibles in their native languages

    The Reverend Dr. Kennedy Owiredu, who serves as the Translation Manager at the Bible Society of Ghana, has recommended that Christians acquire a Bible in their native dialects to attain a more precise comprehension of the Scriptures. He stressed that this practice would additionally contribute to the preservation and transmission of their local languages to the succeeding generation.

    Reverend Dr. Owiredu shared these insights during the 2023 Translation and Trauma Healing Seminar held at Sefwi-Dwenase Pentecost Central in the Waiwso Municipality of the Western North Region.

    The seminar attended by pastors, church leaders and Local Council of churches within the Western North Region was on the theme: “Bible Translation and Mother -tongue Interpretation for Pulpit Ministry.”

    Reverend Dr. Owiredu emphasized that one of the primary responsibilities of the Bible Society of Ghana is to translate the Bible into local languages. He encouraged pastors, church leaders, and religious groups to adopt the use of the local Bible in their respective congregations. He expressed concern that without practical measures, many local languages would gradually fade away, as the present generation fails to pass them down to the youth, who represent the future.

    Reverend Owiredu also expressed apprehension about the growing trend in some churches that completely disregard the use of the local Bible during their services. He advised such churches to begin incorporating the local Bible into their worship, stating, “The Lord we serve communicates in all our local dialects.”

    He called upon the media to support the campaign for Bible translation into various languages by reaching out to the Bible Society for relevant information.

    Miss Afua Addae Adjeii-Authur, the Western North Regional Manager of the Bible Society of Ghana, added that they had identified groups supporting people in learning and writing the Sehwi language. Since 2020, they had graduated three groups in Wiawso, Bekwai, and Nkwadum areas, with plans to extend to Akontombra and surrounding areas. This initiative aimed to encourage residents to utilize the Bible, which had been translated into the Sehwi language. She further expressed hopes that the Sehwi language would become a subject in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and mentioned engagement with traditional authorities and stakeholders to make this a reality.

    Participants interviewed by the Ghana News Agency commended the Bible Society of Ghana for the seminar and expressed support for the idea of translating the Bible into local languages. They also urged church leaders to make an effort to incorporate the local Bible into their worship services.

  • Oldest most complete Hebrew Bible sells for $38m at auction

    Oldest most complete Hebrew Bible sells for $38m at auction

    The oldest most complete Hebrew Bible has been bought at Sotheby’s New York for $38.1m (£30.6m), becoming the most valuable manuscript sold at auction.

    The Codex Sassoon is thought to have been written about 1,100 years ago.

    It is the earliest surviving example of a single manuscript containing all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible with punctuation, vowels and accents.

    US lawyer and former ambassador Alfred Moses bought it for the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Israel.

    “The Hebrew Bible is the most influential in history and constitutes the bedrock of Western civilisation,” Mr Moses said in a statement. 

    “I rejoice in knowing that it belongs to the Jewish people. It was my mission, realising the historic significance of Codex Sassoon, to see it resides in a place with global access to all people.”

    Oldest most complete Hebrew Bible sells for $38m at auction
    It is the oldest single manuscript containing all books of the Hebrew Bible with their punctuation, vowels, and accents

    The winning bid exceeded the $30.8m paid by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 1994 for the Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci’s scientific notebook.

    But it fell short of the record for a historical document sold at auction set by hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, who bought a first-edition printed copy of the US Constitution for $43.2m two years ago. 

    The Codex Sassoon is named after a previous owner, David Solomon Sassoon, who acquired it in 1929 and assembled the largest and most important private collection of Hebrew manuscripts in the world at his home in London.

    The text of the Hebrew Bible – whose 24 books make up what Christians call the Old Testament – remained in flux until the early Middle Ages, when Jewish scholars known as Masoretes began to create a body of notes that standardised it.

    The Aleppo Codex, which was assembled around 930, is considered the most authoritative Masoretic text. However, damage from a fire in the Syrian city of Aleppo in 1947 means that only 295 of the original 487 pages survive today.

    The Codex Sassoon, which carbon dating shows was created around 900, is missing only 12 pages, according to Sotheby’s. 

    “It presents to us the first time an almost-complete book of the Hebrew Bible appears with the vowel points, the cantillation and the notes on the bottom telling scribes how the correct text should be written,” Sharon Mintz, senior Jewish artefact specialist at the auction house, said in March.

    Centuries of annotations and inscriptions reveal that the manuscript was sold by a man named Khalaf ben Abraham to Isaac ben Ezekiel al-Attar, who later transferred ownership to his two sons, Ezekiel and Maimon.

    In the 13th Century, the codex was dedicated to a synagogue in Makisin, in north-eastern Syria.

    After the town was destroyed by either by the Mongols later in the 13th Century or by the Timurids at the start of the 15th Century, the manuscript was entrusted for safekeeping to Salama ibn Abi al-Fakhr. It then disappeared in history for 500 years.

    The Codex Sassoon’s most recent owner was Swiss investor Jacqui Safra, who bought it for £2m ($2.5m) at auction in London in 1989.

  • Takoradi Bible College graduates 20 new preachers

    The Takoradi Bible College under the Takoradi Central Church of Christ has graduated 20 new Ministers with requisite skills to preach the word of God to the world.

    The new preachers were taken through the Old and New Testament survey, Ministry conversation, hermeneutics, Soteriology, Christology, Pneumatology, prophets, Psalms, Apologetics and church history among others under the three-year diploma studies.

    Brother Dr. Daniel Owusu Asiamah, the Director of the College, admonished the graduands to dedicate their lives to the unadulterated preaching and teaching of the Word.

    He said the lack of reading, knowledge and understanding of the Bible on the part of many Christians had resulted in charlatan gospel preachers duping people in the name of Jesus Christ.

    “These false prophets promise heaven on Earth…sell almost everything at the various churches, which can best be described as business centre, duping many unsuspecting seekers of God.

    “As if that was not enough, they cause fear and panic every now and there with doom prophecies.”

    Dr. Asiama said such nefarious activities must not be condoned in the country…”these nefarious activities must be checked and stopped through genuine preaching and proper interpretation of the scriptures”.

    He said, true preachers of God were not afraid to speak the truth, no matter the consequences, adding, Christian Preachers must be willing to fight against atheism and any form of false doctrine.

    The Director of the College entreated the new preachers to devote attention to the existence of God, the Bible, the Gospel and the Church adding, “Your mandate is to enlighten the world about all the aforementioned”.

    Professor Pikay Richieson, a Professor at Manchester University, called on Christians not only to warm the pews as usual in churches, but live by the word of God and affect the world at large.

    Brother Writena Amponsah, Prefect of the Graduating Class, said the vision, optimism and dynamism used to equip the class with the requisite knowledge, will be used in the various ministries.

    The Takoradi Bible College under the Takoradi Central Church of Christ has graduated 20 new Ministers with requisite skills to preach the word of God to the world.

    The new preachers were taken through the Old and New Testament survey, Ministry conversation, hermeneutics, Soteriology, Christology, Pneumatology, prophets, Psalms, Apologetics and church history among others under the three-year diploma studies.

    Brother Dr. Daniel Owusu Asiamah, the Director of the College, admonished the graduands to dedicate their lives to the unadulterated preaching and teaching of the Word.

    He said the lack of reading, knowledge and understanding of the Bible on the part of many Christians had resulted in charlatan gospel preachers duping people in the name of Jesus Christ.

    “These false prophets promise heaven on Earth…sell almost everything at the various churches, which can best be described as business centre, duping many unsuspecting seekers of God.

    “As if that was not enough, they cause fear and panic every now and there with doom prophecies.”

    Dr. Asiama said such nefarious activities must not be condoned in the country…”these nefarious activities must be checked and stopped through genuine preaching and proper interpretation of the scriptures”.

    He said, true preachers of God were not afraid to speak the truth, no matter the consequences, adding, Christian Preachers must be willing to fight against atheism and any form of false doctrine.

    The Director of the College entreated the new preachers to devote attention to the existence of God, the Bible, the Gospel and the Church adding, “Your mandate is to enlighten the world about all the aforementioned”.

    Professor Pikay Richieson, a Professor at Manchester University, called on Christians not only to warm the pews as usual in churches, but live by the word of God and affect the world at large.

    Brother Writena Amponsah, Prefect of the Graduating Class, said the vision, optimism and dynamism used to equip the class with the requisite knowledge, will be used in the various ministries.

    “You taught us to be just like the Bereans in the Bible, to strive to be scholars and always remember there is only one interpretation of the text…if it is, it is…and if it is not, it is not”.

    Source: GNA

  • George Floyd death: Trump’s church visit shocks religious leaders

    Last night he held a Bible in front of St John’s Episcopal Church, just across the road from the White House. Today, he’ll visit the Shrine to St John Paul II, also in Washington DC.

    But US President Donald Trump’s signalling of religious affiliation has not been welcomed by a range of clerics as the nation struggles to manage the twin challenges of a pandemic and widespread political protest.

    The Episcopal Bishop of Washington, the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, said: “The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.”

    James Martin, a Jesuit priest and consultant to the Vatican’s communications department, tweeted: “Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. God is not your plaything.”

    Rabbi Jack Moline, President of the Interfaith Alliance, said: “Seeing President Trump standing in front of St John’s Episcopal Church while holding a Bible in response to calls for racial justice – right after using military force to clear peaceful protesters – is one of the most flagrant misuses of religion that I have ever seen.”

    President Trump does not belong to a particular congregation, only occasionally attends a service and has said many times that he does not like to ask God for forgiveness.

    But while he may not consider church essential to his personal life, it may yet hold the keys to his political future.

    In 2016, Mr Trump won 81% of white evangelical votes and exit polls found that white Catholics supported him over Hillary Clinton by 60% to 37%.

    Mr Trump’s status, as the champion of evangelical and conservative voters, can seem peculiar given his use of divisive rhetoric, his three marriages, accusations of sexual assault by dozens of women, the hush-money paid to a pornographic film actress, and the record of false statements made during his presidency – more than 18,000 according to the Poynter Institute’s Politifact website.

    But he has sealed a powerful bond with religious voters by embracing their political priorities and appointing two Supreme Court justices – Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch – and federal judges with their support.

    This may explain why – though an irregular congregant himself – the president has repeatedly demanded the reopening of churches, saying, on 22 May, “If they don’t do it, I will override the governors.”

    Religious conservatives appear to be the most solid core of Mr Trump’s voter base, despite political unrest and the vast number of deaths from Covid-19.

    According to the latest Pew Research Poll, 75% of white evangelical Protestants say he’s doing a good job in handling the pandemic – down 6 percentage points from six weeks before.

    But while one voting bloc remains faithful, the country at large is deeply divided. According to analysis by the website FiveThirtyEight, which collates all polling data, 43% of Americans agree with the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, while 53.4% disapprove.

    Several religious leaders are hoping that Trump’s visit to the shrine may encourage him to reflect on the words of then Pope John Paul II, delivered to the United Nations in 1995.

    “The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the 20th Century,” he said, “is the common effort to build the civilization of love.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Bible now symbol of decoration, security under pillows – Reverend

    Reverend Ken Djotepe, acting Director of Programmes, Economic and Social Relations of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana on Sunday said that the Bible has become a symbol of decoration and security posts under pillows of Christians.

    He said it had also become a fashionable enterprise to own one without reading it.

    “We as Christians have failed to pray fervently and read religiously the Bible and have therefore fallen short of the grace and glory of God,” Rev. Djotepe said and called for change of hearts.

    He said this in a virtual sermon on the second Sunday after Easter under the theme, “Lord Stay With Us,” as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to keep Churches shut in order to obey the social distancing protocols.

    The Reverend Minister said one of the cardinal principles of a Christian was to remain prayerful with regular reading of the Bible but the situation was the reverse.

    Rev. Djotepe said failure to read to understand the scriptures made Christians susceptible to illogical and untruths being disseminated by charlatans, who preyed on them for lack of knowledge.

    “Owning a Bible does not make you a Christian,” he said.

    Rev. Djotepe said for the “Lord to stay with us,” Christians must know the word, God’s prophesies and how His salvation worked.

    He said the faithful would renege on their Christianity if they failed to partake in communion as a sign of his blood and body.

    Rev. Djotepe said partaking in communion reaffirmed the Christian faith in remembrance of Jesus Christ, as the Lord and Saviour.

    He indicated that communion was instituted as a re-unionised camaderie in ancient time and continued to be upheld today to build a community of righteousness and decency.

    Rev. Djotepe said Jesus Christ had energised Christians enough to remain relevant until his second coming, where a final banquet would be laid for abundant food and wine and no hunger and disease again.

    He urged Christians to exemplify the principles on which, Jesus Christ continued to operate and refrain from being hear-say believers.

     

    Source: GNA 

  • Woman tears out the part of the Bible asking wives to be submissive and uses it to smoke weed

    A woman tore out a part of her bible and used it to smoke weed and she shared photos on Twitter for her followers to see.

    Before she carried out the act, she shared a photo of the dried marijuana placed in the middle of an open bible.


    “Forgive me, Lord,” she captioned the photo.

    Source: .celebritiesbuzz.com

  • Meet the first Ghanaian preacher who read the bible from a mystical stone

    Kwame Sampson Oppong, also known as Sèbètutu; meaning (Destroyer of native charms or Personal deities) was born in Brong-Ahafo, (now in Ghana) in a slave family originating in Gurunsi (now in Burkina Faso). He was a Goldcoast Prophet/Preacher.

    Kwame Sampson Oppong started his life as a labourer before becoming a Traditional Priest as he got a ‘Spiritual call’. His business activities and divine call as a traditional priest and a healer took him to Ivory Coast.

    He continued his labourer job in Ivory Coast until he became a foreman. In 1913, he was unfortunately jailed in Ivory Coast for embezzlement.

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    Whiles in jail, he had an encounter with God through a dream instructing him to burn his fetishes. He resisted this and other admonitory experiences over several years before eventually accepting the call.

    He later returned to the Gold Coast precisely Bompata in the Ashanti territory in 1917, where he began preaching and calling for the destruction of fetishes and abandonment of magic and witchcraft.

    He later moved to Brong-Ahafo where he got a large following including chiefs and other traditional leaders.

    Kwame Oppong had a unique way of preaching, he often held a large bamboo cross in one hand and carried a flat oval stone in the other which he linked to the Biblical verse, Revelation 2:17 NIV.

    “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”

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    Oppong wanted to work with the Basel missionaries but was rejected by the Basel missionaries (Presbyterian Church) several times because of his style of reading from a mystical stone suspecting his conversion until 1920 when he met a Wesleyan Methodist missionary, W. G. Waterworth, and traveled with him, and from then on Oppong worked with the Methodist church.

    He brought a great impact to the Methodist church and baptized over 10,000 people and converted over 20,000 souls.

    Oppong retired later and lived at his native village where he carried out his evangelistic outreaches in neighbouring villages. He later died in 1965.

    Bibliography:
    1. “Sampson Opon”. dacb.org. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
    2. “Sampson Opon”. dacb.org. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
    3. Haliburton, Gordon MacKay (1965). The calling of a prophet: Sampson Oppong. OCLC 606176724.

    Source: www.ghanaianmuseum.com