Opinions of Tuesday, 15 November 2016

Columnist: Sarpeah, Adu

The impact crew: Hungry pastors

File photo. File photo.

The great commission of Jesus Christ admonishes Christians to take up the cross and make disciples of all nations. But is that what we see today?

How Jeremiah, Hosea, Malachi, Samuel, Amos, Isaiah in the Christian Bible sacrificed themselves to the service of humanity and God is entirely different from what our men of God are doing nowadays.

Likewise, after the earthly life of Jesus Christ, the disciples passed through "thorns" to make sure the word of God gets to the last person.

Contrary, the work of God has become so cheap that every person who takes up the Bible and prophesy for his stomach calls himself a man of God.

Simply, no legitimate certificate or legalities are required in setting up a church in Ghana. More importantly, since matters of religion are difficult to ascertain its authenticity, most people are afraid to talk about or question the actions of some Ghanaian men of God.

The Christian Bible which serves as a road map to live a good life and a guide to the pastoral work never teaches or advices pastors or preferably "men of God" to engage themselves in active politics. But what do we see in Ghana nowadays?

False prophesies about the impending general elections are circulating here and there as if it's the ultimate part of their calling.

The so called men of God in Ghana have reduced the prime aim of the pulpit to political talks giving room for party faithful to insult the sacred. I call them "Hungry Pastors", because they just want to be popular in the media but not to make the word of God popular!

Currently, our country is politically, socially and economically "sick", therefore, the best these pastor can do for mother Ghana is to go on their knees to seek for divine intervention for the nation. Sadly, the likes of Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah, Rev. Agyemang Prempeh, Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Enim, Prophet Dennis Whole Asante, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi and many others have all lose their pastoral focus. Instead of doing what's expected of them, in their selfish interest, they jump from one media to the other prophesying the likely presidential candidate to win the general elections! What is more painful is that in all their utterances, they attach the name of God to it.

Most of their predictions, though, have centered on the flag bearers of the two leading political parties – the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

This clearly shows that what these political pastors are saying is not coming from the almighty God. They're mere fabrications from their personal reasoning. Because, the general elections are not only about presidential candidates, but parliamentary candidates are also vying for positions.

Therefore, every genuine prophesies must cover parliamentary candidates also, but these "hungry" men of God led by Rev. Owusu Bempah, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi and Prophet Akwasi Agyemang Prempeh only specialize in the presidential race. This means, whatever they come out to say are only personal fabrications which has nothing to do with the mindset of God. They only prophesy to get the attention of the various aspirants for their selfish gains.

In Ghana, one cannot leave out the aforementioned pastors if one samples some of the selfish political thoughts by these notable "hungry pastors and prophets".

Recently, Prophet Akwasi Agyemang Prempeh of the Springs of Joy Ministries International on "Good Evening Ghana", a programme hosted by Paul Adom Okyere, recently said unlike President Mahama, most of the presidential aspirants were double-minded and tried to blend the worship of God with other lesser gods in their quest to win power, which makes President Mahama the favourite candidate to win the upcoming election.

Contrary, the founder and leader of the Glorious Word Power Ministry, Rev. Prophet Owusu Bempah, had earlier confidently prophesied that the Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, would win the 2016 election. He declared on TV3's show "Restoration" on March 1, 2016, that "What I see is what I say. But some events will occur again and that is what might bring about problems.

Similarly, in his latest interview on Okay FM with Kwame Nkrumah Tikesie, he said Ghanaians can burn down his church if NPP loses the general elections! In a report carried by the Ghanaian Times newspaper, the Founder and General Overseer of Word Victory Chapel International, Prophet Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Enim, also prophesied victory for President John Dramani Mahama in the 2016 general election.

Claiming that he had earlier prophesied that the 2012 presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, would emerge as the winner in the NPP congress last year, Prophet Enim said God revealed the victory of President Mahama to him through a vision and asked him to make it known to Ghanaians as a sign of God's endorsement of the President.

I want to know if the work of God has now been reduced to only prophesies? Does giving prophesies only prove how powerful a man of God can be? From day one, the politicians whom we've entrusted our resources have failed us. Therefore, Ghanaians are not expecting men of God to fail them too. If the likes of Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah, Rev. Agyemang Prempeh, Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Enim, Prophet Dennis Whole Asante, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi and others want to engage themselves in active politics, they're free to do so. However, they should remove the pastoral "spectacle" they're wearing! Ghana has reach a point where peace campaign messages must be each and everyone's topmost priority, but not falsehood talks by these "hungry pastors".

If they know how to fast for God to reveal the winning candidate to them, it will be far better if they could fast and pray for the peace of the nation in the impending general elections.

For when the nation is at peace, they will get the opportunity to "dupe" their members with tithes and offerings. If their congregation is in need of their false prophesies, majority of Ghanaians don't need them.

These political pastors must put aside the Bible and descend to the streets to do proper campaign rather than the noise they're making! Ghanaians are not blind to choose in between policies and vote accordingly, for a mere prophesy doesn't win an election.

I am tempted to believe that these pastors don't know their Holy Scriptures well. They don't spend time to study the word of God to know the implications or punishment surrounding the giving of false prophesies. The Book of Ezekiel chapter 13:1-9 (NKJV), clearly shows that the Lord has not sent them to prophesy, yet they hope that the word may be confirmed.

Adu Sarpeah
theimpactcrew.gh@gmail.com
0241210870/0506140870