How in the world am I supposed to write about a 21 day mission in Ghana in a blog?  There is just too much to tell.  I’ll just start writing and see where it goes.

In America we are lamenting the regressive moral state of the union looking back to the “good old days” but not really knowing what to do next.  Here’s a thought: Visit Ghana.  Yes, visit Ghana West Africa and see what a nation living with the fear of the Lord looks like first hand.  I’d heard stories about awakening in Ghana but after seeing the sovereign hand of God I am even more perplexed about the condition of the United States.

After hundreds of years of occupation by foreign powers Ghana attained it’s independence in 1957.  Through the first several decades struggles for stability plagued the new nation.  By 1980 it seemed to begin to settle down.  The past influence of the English church had had a great effect on the nation and it chose to use the Bible as its guide book for governing and reform.  They seemed to adopt a cultural Christianity and then the Charismatics and Evangelicals arrived.  Through the preaching of these Christian evangelists and the coastal communities already having a healthy respect for the Bible began to embrace Jesus Christ in mass.  The evidence of this can be seen in the numerous churches that fill the coastal regions and the naming of businesses with Biblical titles.  I observed a beauty salon with a sign out front stating, “With God All Things Are Possible, Beauty Salon”.  Almost every taxi has a Christian slogan painted across the rear window. The signs of an evangelistic movement are everywhere.

Prince Paul came to Christ as a result of this great move of God but he noted that though many people were coming to Christ, not so many were becoming disciples and carrying the message of Christ back to the villages where most of the new city dwellers originated from.  These account for more than 50% of the population of Ghana.  He also noted that the movement was decidedly foreign in its worship style.  As a result Prince Paul decided to plant a church in the capital city of Accra that was a disciple making Bible teaching church.  In 1995 Bible Baptist Church started as a small meeting with Prince Paul Konu, his wife and children.  It has grown to 300 adult members at the present.  But just teaching the Bible was not enough.  Prince Paul was burdened for the villages all over Ghana with little to no Christian witness.  In 1998 he began to visit the tribes in the Western Ashanti region because they had been dislocated from their native lands when the Volta River dam flooded their homes forcing them to move.  Not being able to own property there, they became a type of slave to the new tribes where they were relocated or they slipped away into the dense jungles to live off the land.  This is where Bible Baptist Church began its first church plant.  Between daughter and grand-daughter churches there are now 32 strong established churches among tribal villages throughout Ghana.  Using the cassette evangelism system of Village Evangelism there are now about 1000 evangelists walking through the countryside sharing Christ and seeking to gather the elect into churches.  It is an amazing site to behold.  It reminds me of the stories of the circuit riders of early America.  In addition to the church plants of Bible Baptist other church movements including the Assemblies of God, the Ghaha Baptist Conference and various Pentecostal movements have sought out Pastor Paul to instruct them on village evangelism as well as church planting methods.  The result has become a network of numerous churches working in concert, unified to complete the great commission and make disciples through Ghana and among tribes as far away as the Sahara Desert. 

One of the seminars was held in the city of Tamale which is about 90% Muslim.  This was a short notice meeting but still 64 pastors attended.  At the beginning of each seminar we ask the question, “What does it mean for God to be sovereign?”  In most seminars we received initial answers that described characteristics of God but not in Tamale.  Here we had 64 converted Muslims all pastoring and planting new churches in the face of much opposition but fearless because of their grasp of the sovereignty of God.  Each had been given a funeral by their families.  Men stood up all through this group expressing the clearly Gods’ reign in affairs of men.  Their Muslim background made this a clear doctrine that they had grasped immediately upon coming to know Christ.  As a result the Tamale group started where the others seminars normally ended.  Did we ever have a great time together.

Our job this past month was to meet with 370+ of these church leaders throughout rural Ghana and hold 2 day training seminars to help these evangelists and pastors grow in their knowledge and relationship with Christ.  We held 3 seminars in the northern region and 2 in the eastern Volta region as well as spending time visiting the western jungle churches.  Every seminar was filled with men and women who had great expectations to learn more of the greatness of God.  We had the pleasure of serving up a banquet of delights from the Bible that touched each person deeply.  What a delight to have so many hungry disciples with such enthusiasm and focus on the great commission.  I have had some wonderful experiences as a teacher of the Bible but have never seen such depth of commitment and strength of character in so many people all at once.  When the northern seminars were over we were each given chieftain titles that we were told would be registered with the main tribal group of the north that extended as far north as the Shara Desert.  My Ghanaian name is Naa Ziniah.  (One who brings light to the minds of our people.)  

Though we worked or traveled non stop for 21 days with little rest, often sleeping between potholes in the back of a van we have to say that a trip like this gives one much more energy than it takes.  My partner in ministry, Joe Vogel, will be putting together a Power Point soon.  When it is complete we will make it available for you to view via this blog and or our web site.  What a pleasure it has been to be able to join God where He is at work.

What a Way To Live,

Pastor Dave