An Answer to the Critics II

Understanding God and His dealings with His Servants

Let me start from a personal experience. I saw my father blessed with an amazing healing gift from the Holy Spirit. He will pray for the sick and they will get healed. Some were healed immediately and others too were healed later. So it became a strong evident in his life, the workings or dealings of this healing grace on him.

But as he was traveling through this life, he fell sick along the line. We couldn’t figure out how to cure him. Medically it was a sickness with no cure. It has to be managed by his doctors or the medical profession. The church prayed for him yet he was not totally healed.

I had the opportunity to be around my father 24/7. Helping and supporting him because most of time he was very weak and couldn’t do anything for himself, even self-help activities were most of the time impossible to be done on his own. Then a lot of questions were running through my mind. He was weak and out of shape such that he couldn’t even pray on his sick bed. So I began to encourage him to pray and to talk to his heavenly father.

When he even regained a little strength physically, I saw him fast and pray on his sick bed. I thought I will now see results; God will definitely heal my father. So when the sickness remained and eventually got worse again. I ask my father is anything he will like me to know. Imagine a son asking the father such question because he can’t figure out a man carrying a healing grace of healing the sick, sick in bed. Where is that grace, why is it not working for him but it is working for others.

I literally ask my father to confess, if there is anything to confess. It was difficult, very difficult. My father looked at me and smiled. He said; I never wrong anybody, I have no skeletons to hide, I have never consulted any power or authority apart from the God of the Holy Bible. There is nothing to confess. But rather told me the things that God through him had done.

I felt so ashamed and embraced yet very confused. I know many people ask the same questions in different ways. Why is that a Pastor, a man of God or a woman of God prays for the sick to get healed and yet when he is sick he seeking medical attention.

In worse case scenario the same sickness or disease he prayed to God to heal someone is probably the same sickness or disease killing him.

An answer to aid our confession is that no true power or authority is meant to serve anyone’s individual needs or himself/herself. The position and authority conferred on any individual in any organization or institution is NOT meant to serve an individual need and purpose. But rather it is to serve others.

The authority of lecturer or tutor is not meant to serve the lecturer individual needs and purposes but rather to use that authority to serve the students.  The authority of a medical doctor is meant to serve his patients. The establishment of any business is to serve is customers in exchange for money. The authority of a political power is meant to serve the citizens of the nation or country.

But because we have failed to uphold these ideals as a nation and in the entire world, the new norm which has become the order of the day is to seek power or authority and use it benefit oneself but not serve others. Gone are the days people will serve in high places of authority and Power and make their exit with no personal gains or rewards except their monthly rewards and pensions and the amazing impact on the lives of people they served. Now it is a taboo to be in a position of authority not use it to benefit oneself.

The authority invested in man by man can be perverted for selfish gains easily. But the authority and the grace of God invested in any man by God Himself cannot easily perverted to serve a selfish agenda.

I therefore came to the conclusion that the grace of healing that God has placed upon my father’s life was not for him to use it to serve himself but to serve others. I knew that on the sick bed if my father had an opportunity to pray for anybody who was sick, the Person will have been made whole.

God invest His grace, His Power and Authority in a man for that man to use it to serve the needs of others and not oneself. So the grace of God, His Power, His Authority that is working in the life of any man of God is not meant to serve the needs of that man but rather to serve others.

An Answer to the Critics 1

I was on Social Media enjoying a live telecast of one of the renowned man of God in the country. Then out of nowhere somebody wrote,

“Always people are giving testimonies of your Pastor pray for them to give birth but the same Pastor who helps his members to get kids cannot have kids with his wife. They have been married for the past 25 to 30 years without a kid. Isn’t it wonderful? Members think about it.” Onipa Suro Bribi.

I have equally seen and read all sorts of critics against some men of God in this country and across the world. Many have decided not to respond and many too do not have an answer for their critics especially with respect to these lines of criticism. Many followers of these men and women of God are not able to defend their pastors in the right way because they don’t have an answer for the critics. At the end of the day, the approach of their defense ends up in way that it shouldn’t.

Many men and women of God are struggling to answer these very questions from the critics, because the questions of these critics seem to be intellectual correct and very worthy of asking. What the world doesn’t know is that these men and women of God in their private moments with God, come and see how they cry on their knees before God asking Him for help and even to deliver them out this shame. Because of such school of thoughts of these critics, many have backslidden and couldn’t continue been men and women of God. Why? Because they never stop asking these questions and they didn’t get the answer.

They never stop praying these prayers:

 “I pray for people and you immediately do it for them. Am praying for myself the same need I prayed for someone else whom you answered and you are not answering mine. Why?”

Now to the Critics have you ever thought about this, if these men of God should stop praying with and for people because of their personal challenge that they are facing, do you know what will have happen to the people whom they prayed for or with them to receive an answer to their prayers?

Some of these people or even most of them went to seek help from the profession called medicine. The medical profession couldn’t help them. The medical profession said, to some, that it was medically impossible for them to have baby or children because their condition.

They were those who the medical profession couldn’t heal them of their diseases and some they couldn’t even diagnose. Please let face facts, in our medical world today, there are many diseases and sickness that they do not have a cure for them. These sickness and diseases are killing people in and out of our hospitals. The best they could do is to let you know that it is manageable but no cure.

Additionally do you know the psychological trauma and mental stress that patients go through in dealing with a medical condition that there is no hope for cure for them medically? No wonder on our screens, there are many fun comedian content to easy the psychological stress and mental pressure on the population.

For those whose medical conditions could even be cured, majority of them don’t even have the financial muscles to foot their medical expenses. Our medical system equally has it challenges that it is dealing with that affect it effectiveness and efficiency in terms of it delivery of services. By six in the morning you are in a queue to see your medical doctor but you end up seeing him/her at four in the evening. As if you are also a medical staff of the hospital that went to work.

Do you know the impact to have a country that the populations are sick psychologically? How do you build a country full of unhealthy people? You just ask the minister of health. How do you build a vibrant economy with sick people and with a population of many unresolved issues and problems because the political system and governance has no answer for them?

Now what I am trying to draw your attention to is that fact if the man of God had stop praying with and for people looking babies for 35 years now, because of his own personal issues. How will these people would have received their babies? Because of our medical system couldn’t help them. Have you ever guessed what would have happen to this people? So who and what system was going to help them conceive and have children?

These Men and Women of God together with the church system have provided so many answers and solutions to individuals and even as a whole to the country to aid it development. Let’s forget about the covid-19 contributions from the churches to the government of Ghana and go back to history. The church has been the primary source of education to the population of Ghana right from the pulpit and to the schools they have built. Those who cannot go to school get their education in the church auditorium. They get into church and they are been educated. A type of education that is life long, it only ends when the person dies. The curriculum of church education is life itself. The church teaches everything about life leaving nothing out. A comprehensive and practical curriculum that at least every Sunday you know that you will be taught something new.

These men and women of God and the church are providing education to the population; they are healing the sick, setting the oppressed free, psychologically and mentally helping the population to be healthy. Why then do you write a manifesto and a national development plan sidelining the church? But in terms of crises you run to the church seeking help and support.

But for today, critics like these who are looking for an answer. Here is your answer. It is time in Ghana and across the globe for critics of such school of thoughts understands God and God’s dealings with His direct representatives on earth.

There is an undeniable fact about the power and the influence that dwells in a name or on a name. Today we call it Brand.

Henry Owusu-Mintah

THE POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST

The Beautiful Gate Experience Part 2

The power and the influence in a name or on a name is measured by who and what honours that name.

Henry Owusu-Mintah

Another important event that happened at the beautiful gate of the Temple is the bold introduction of the name of Jesus Christ to confront the situation or the circumstance. Peter and John were so bold to confront the lame condition of the man with the name of Jesus Christ.

6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3.6-10 ESV)

Peter and John knew that they didn’t have Gold or Silver but what they had was the brand name of Jesus Christ. It is a name that so powerful such that men and women honour that name. Spirits and Powers honours that name, even circumstances and situations honours that name. The name of Jesus Christ is the only name that God Almighty has made a vow to always honour and glorify.

Wherever the name of Jesus Christ is used, there is always a positive and a favourable response. Just imagine how men and women honour certain names on earth. Today, in our world just a name on a man’s complimentary card can open doors and opportunities for you. What is the name that you honour so much. The name that when you hear or you are told that this man said you should do this, you cannot resist.

There are names that are honoured by certain people and only those people. Beyond that class of people that name is not honoured. There are names that are honoured locally and internationally as well. The power and the influence in a name or on a name is measured by who and what honours that name. There are names that their influence and power is geographically limited. In certain territories and geographically location the name loses it power and influence. The name of Jesus Christ is not geographically bound or limited. The Power and influence in the name of Jesus Christ is limitless. It has no end.

The name of Jesus Christ is the name that is honoured by all. Both great and small, poor and rich. This is the name that is honoured by spirits. This is the name that is honoured by all flesh and blood as well. This is the name that is honoured by every situation or circumstances of life.

To master the art and the science of the use of the name of Jesus Christ is to open up your life to a life of unimaginable possibilities and realities. The name of Jesus Christ is the only name that every situation and circumstances respond to and obey.

Peter and John introduce the name of Jesus Christ to confront his lameness and the results was that the man’s lameness had no choice but to respond to the name and disappear. let us use the name of Jesus Christ everyday and to also confront every situation and circumstance in our lives.

The name of Jesus Christ is the only name that the realms of the spirits listens and obeys, it is the only name that every physical realities and situations obeys as well. Learn to use it.

Henry Owusu-Mintah

God richly bless you and stay blessed. God watch over you and Keep you.

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