clcgh.org Building The Capacity Of Christian Leaders, Equipping The Saints For The Work Of Ministry, Redirecting Straying Christians To The Sound Knowledge Of Christ
There are over 718 million Christians out of over 1.4 billion population of Africa. These Christians love God but they have a serious attitudinal problem.
They do not like to personally read and study the Bible for enlightenment, knowledge, insight and understanding so as to detect error and escape deception.
Christians in Africa know that God caused His inspired Word to be written for them to read and study it publicly and privately.
The Bible is not a collection of books for only pastors to read but for all Christians saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus
The Bible must be read because God’s Word is food for the soul, it refreshes the mind, makes people wise, it promotes righteous living, it makes believers grow into salvation, it rejoices the heart and it demolishes strongholds.
Today, the Bible is available on mobile phones, tablets yet many literate Christians in Africa do not want to spend quality time to read it. This is a bad attitude.
Perhaps, they have not been taught to know that Jesus Christ, our great example, read the Scriptures (Luke 4:16).
And if Jesus read the Scriptures, then His disciples who are commanded to learn from Him ought to read the Bible. But most Christians in Africa do not learn from Christ; if they do they will be inspired to read too.
Most Christians like to talk to God in prayer than to read the Bible to have God talk to them. Prayer is good but the Word of God is better.
Jesus did not begin with prayer as many have taught it; He began with the Word. You cannot pray according to the will of God without knowing the Word of God.
Moreover, Paul, the apostle, describes believers who read, study and search the scriptures to see if the things others teach them are true as open-minded and noble (Acts 17:11).
This means Christians who do not read the Bible are close-minded, ignorant and gullible. This is why they are easily deceived and fed with heresies which do not help them grow up spiritually and educationally.
This is the same reason many ignorant pastors in Africa make so many mistakes while trying to explain biblical passages thereby leading unsuspecting Christian astray from the sound knowledge of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear that those who do not diligently read and study to know the Scriptures make mistakes or err (Matthew 22: 29).
This places a responsibility on all literate Christians in Africa and elsewhere to repent and read the Bible daily and commit themselves to living it, acting on it, and doing what it teaches. Those who refuse to read exhibit a bad attitude.
By James Quansah
