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In my previous article, I wrote about the need to pursue and practice sexual purity: understanding the gospel correctly and applying the Word of God to your life, influencing both yourself and others. In this second part, we will explore some ways to help you live a pure life.

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).

Even though God warns us against discussing sex inappropriately, as the Apostle recorded in Ephesians 5:3-4, “But among you, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” However, God requires us to address this subject in the context of His intentions and purposes, not the world’s.

The starting point of sexual purity begins in the mind, not the body. To overcome sexual immorality, we must first sanctify our minds.

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality…” (Matthew 15:19-20). “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

We inevitably adopt the morality of the movies, music, and conversations we engage in. These things influence our actions. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” The cognitive is basic to the behavioral—what you feed your mind on shapes who you become.

Your destiny can be accurately predicted by what you allow your mind to dwell on. Sinful actions don’t arise out of nowhere; they are the cumulative product of what we watch, hear, and the moral compromises made over time, culminating in ungodly behavior.

Sexual temptation is not new, but its invasion of our homes is. We live in a technological world where immorality can enter our homes through mobile phones, television, and the Internet. Most of us are only a few clicks away from sexual immorality. Every choice we make to view and contemplate immorality desensitizes us to its evil and consequences.

As young people, God looks to us to be grounded in kingdom principles regarding our sexual lives. Shouting praises in church while succumbing to sexual immorality won’t help anyone. God wants us to be like the sons of Issachar in our time, who “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment” (1 Chronicles 12:32).

God does not want you to engage in premarital sex or activities that prepare your body for it. Apostle Paul recorded in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” To my single brothers and sisters in particular, there is a continuum of physical contact that begins with things like sitting close and hand-holding on one end and progresses to sexual intercourse on the other. In between might be an arm around the shoulder, a brief hug, a kiss on the cheek, a kiss on the mouth, a longer hug, prolonged kissing, fondling, etc. Scripture does not spell out exactly what “intermediate” behavior is permissible, but one thing is certain: the line must be drawn before either of you becomes sexually stimulated. This means that fondling—and anything else that results in a “turn on”—is forbidden.

Once you let your body cross the line, it will neither know nor care about your Christian convictions. Some Christians pray for God to protect their purity, then willingly put themselves in temptation and wonder why God didn’t answer their prayer. This is like putting a book on the edge of a table and praying, “God, please don’t let this book fall,” while continually pushing it further and further off the edge. No matter how fervently you pray that the book won’t fall, it will if you continue to push it. No matter how fervently you pray that you will not fall into immorality, you will if you continue to make choices that feed your temptation toward immorality. Don’t allow your choices to undermine and invalidate your prayers. God has your best interests in mind when He tells you not to engage in premarital sex.

What’s right is always smart and always for your good. Sex is not just something you do; it’s someone you are. It is linked to the welfare of your whole person. Engaging in sex outside of marriage is self-destructive in every sense. Sexual purity is always for the best—not only for God and others but for you. God would not tell you to abstain from impurity if it were impossible to obey Him. God is not cruel. He doesn’t command you to abstain from necessities, such as eating or drinking or breathing. Sex is something everyone can abstain from—it is a strong desire, yes, but never an emergency, never a necessity. Christ has given us the resources to resist every temptation:

“The grace of God teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12).

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

You can’t stay sexually pure by your own strength. The Bible says, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:10-11).

Satan is an expert at telling lies, and he tells them smoothly and convincingly. He makes it seem impossible to live a sexually pure life or to practice sex after marriage. He has persuaded many young people that “it’s okay to touch her there, it’s okay to let him touch you, it’s natural, it won’t hurt anything.” Soon there’s lust, sin, devastation, disillusionment, loss of respect, conflict, insecurity, and sometimes unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Many young people end up angry and bitter at themselves and others because they bought the lie; the relationship is ruined, and now they are paying the price.

Satan is a liar, but Jesus is the truth and the truth-teller (John 14:6). He said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Those who believe Satan’s lies about sex end up in bondage. Those who believe Christ’s truth about sex end up free.

Identify and meditate on the truths Christ tells you. Identify and reject the lies Satan tells you. Understand who you are in Christ: “but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you” (1 Peter 2:9). You should see yourself in this position. You must learn to think long-term, not short-term. Good or bad, you will always reap what you sow—you will always harvest the consequences of your choices. “Sexual pleasures are temporary, but the consequences of misdirected pleasure can last a lifetime, even after repenting” (John Bosco Brempong).

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:7-9).

It doesn’t matter how smart you think you are. It doesn’t matter whether you have a Ph.D. in physics; if you step off the tenth story of a building, you will fall to your death. Gravity is law—there’s just no getting around it. Likewise, God has set up spiritual laws that govern the universe, including laws concerning our sexual behavior. If we break His commandments, ultimately, we get broken.

Scripture teaches two basic alternatives in life: the way of God and the way of men, the way of holiness and the way of sin. Proverbs speak of the path of wisdom and the path of foolishness and calls upon us to make the right choices, which are also wise, and avoid wrong choices, which are also foolish. After laying out the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience, God said,

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

No matter how many wrong decisions you’ve made that bring death, you still have a chance to make it right. The God who envelopes us with His purity is still ready to save you. “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15). Run to Him, and He will give you the strength to overcome any sexual sins. The lifelong consequences of sexual impurity are worse than we can imagine. The lifelong rewards of sexual purity are greater than we can imagine.

Written by Isaac Kwofie

INTRODUCTION

In a world brimming with both material wealth and spiritual depth, the potential for collaboration between the World Bank Group and Christian denominations to eradicate poverty in the world is undeniable. By uniting the financial expertise and global reach of the World Bank with the grassroots networks, moral authority, and compassionate outreach of churches, we can unlock unprecedented opportunities for sustainable development and social justice.

The World Bank estimated that around 700 million people live on less than $2.15 per day, which is the extreme poverty line. The world is waiting for a period where the resources of finance and the compassion of faith can converge to rewrite the story of poverty. It would be a mind-blowing initiative. As two formidable forces—one rooted in financial prowess and the other in unwavering compassion—the stage is set for an unprecedented partnership with the power to redefine global development. Together, the World Bank and Christian denominations possess the tools to transcend economic barriers and mend social divides, thereby forging pathways to prosperity that honour both the dignity of every individual and the collective responsibility to uplift the marginalised.

Poverty is a problem that has been around since the dawn of time and is still a major issue today. There are many different definitions of poverty and its causes. The World Bank defines it as “the inability to attain a minimal standard of living.” In an article written by the Financial Times, entitled “Churches Have Lost the Habit of Almsgiving,” they cite a definition of poverty formed by Ken Leech in 1982: “Poverty is not ‘a problem’; it is the pain of the dispossessed.”

THE WORLD BANK GROUP AND THE CHURCH

The World Bank is arguably the world’s most important development institution in the world. It has distributed billions of dollars over the years and currently oversees over 160 projects in many countries. It was established in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference and first named the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The World Bank spends about $200 million on non-lending services and $30 billion on lending services every year, and its work affects millions of people.

Christian denominations and their affiliated NGOs worldwide are also doing much to combat poverty. While it would be impossible to estimate expenditures by Christian denominations with any accuracy, one could easily argue that the influence of Christian denominations is even more pervasive than that of the World Bank. Christian denominations form the core of civil society in Ghana and many countries. Some researchers estimate that Christian leaders in Africa have direct access to 90 per cent of the population (Sugden 2002).

The motive of Churches is to spread the message of God and to follow the path shown by Jesus Christ. The teachings of Christianity lead people to help each other, spread love, and work for noble causes. Jesus Christ himself is the servant of the poor. Christian teachings emphasise the development of human well-being and providing aid in emergency cases. During times of grief and misery, churches help people with medical aid, money, among other things.

A notable example was when The Church of Pentecost evacuated more than 300 displaced Ghanaians and over 600 other nationals who escaped from Ukraine because of the Russian-Ukraine War. The Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), Pentecost Hospital, Pentecost University, Youth, Men, Women and Children’s Ministries, which are all Directorates of the Church of Pentecost, are also embarking on a number of initiatives to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the masses and thereby contributing their quota to poverty reduction in Ghana and beyond.

This motive of service to humanity and working for noble causes can be common between the Church and the World Bank in the reduction of poverty. The World Bank Group is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Its aim is to reduce the poverty of the world. This aim can be the same as the church’s aim to reduce poverty in the world. The bank employs many methods to help in the reduction of global poverty. Apart from supporting the poor with funds, it also presents its member countries with knowledge, information, and informed analysis related to poverty and its impact on wealth.

In 1998, the then World Bank President James Wolfensohn initiated the Bank’s engagement with Faith-based organisations (FBOs). The World Bank has sustained these engagements with FBOs over the years and has worked to engage FBOs more strategically in an effort to foster greater operational collaboration and partnerships to address complex challenges. The Bank’s faith engagement efforts are focused on advocacy, relationship building, evidence building, and operations to advance shared priorities around a green, resilient, and inclusive recovery with a strong focus on human capital, fragility, and climate change.

The primary entry point for faith actors seeking to engage with the Bank is the World Bank Group’s Faith Engagement Team (via faith@worldbank.org). This team also helps World Bank Group staff to support their FBO engagement strategies and outreach. Faith-based organisations (FBOs) are entities dedicated to specific religious identities, often including a social or moral component. The Bank recognises their distinct strategic value given their unique attributes, including the fact that more than 80% of the world’s population claims religious affiliation. Unfortunately, little information is readily available on the Bank’s policy towards world faiths, largely because of deliberate decisions on the part of the Bank. Concern that close cooperation between a secular body and faiths may be perceived negatively in the West has led the Bank to confine much of its discussion about such relations to a special Intranet not readily available to outsiders.

In 2015, the World Bank Group and faith-based organisations made up of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organisations formally joined forces for ending extreme poverty by 2030 – a goal backed by the World Bank Group’s 189 member countries.

“These commitments from religious leaders come at just the right time – their actions can help hundreds of millions of people lift themselves out of poverty,” said the then World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim, during the 2015 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC, USA. “Nothing has been more exciting to us in the last year than the collection of faith leaders who have drafted and endorsed this moral imperative statement, recognising that now it is possible to end extreme poverty. We’re going to work together to do it,” said Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service.

ROLE OF CHURCHES IN ADDRESSING POVERTY

It is the churches’ work among the poor and their suitability as a trusted partner that makes the World Bank sought out and conducted a partnership consultation in 2003, between the World Bank and the World Council of Churches, asking the question ‘how can we bring synergy to our work to support the world’s poor?’

Churches have a significant role in addressing an issue like poverty. The poor may turn to churches, as well as other civic and volunteer organisations, for help in times of personal and national economic crises. This is evident in the volunteer work performed mostly by The Church of Pentecost worldwide, and even the Protestants and Roman Catholics after World War II, in building the economies of war-torn nations. Churches are among the most influential institutions in poor communities around the world. The voices of religious leaders carry moral authority in the public sphere, which can be used to effect positive changes in the lives of the poor. Churches may provide assistance and a moral framework for the poor to escape an impoverished life.

WORLD BANK’S COMMITMENTS TO POVERTY REDUCTION

The World Bank Group is committed to fighting poverty in all its dimensions. The Bank uses the latest data, evidence, and analysis to help countries develop policies to improve people’s lives, with a focus on the poorest and most vulnerable. With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.

The Bank Group is a secular, multilateral institution that does not place any religion over another or favour religious organisations over any other stakeholder group or development partner. However, it has studied, surveyed, and collected data on services provided by faith-based organisations in developing countries, in areas such as education, health and land restoration. The Bank’s Faith Initiative hopes to develop the partnership with religious leaders and organisations and strengthen constructive dialogue, collaboration, and evidence around the role and contribution of faith-inspired organisations in development.

“If we ignore religious communities and organisations, we do so at our own peril because these could be potential champions and allies for what the Bank is doing, particularly given the amount of common ground there is with many faith traditions who also care deeply about poverty,” said Adam Russell Taylor, who leads the Faith Initiative at the Bank He noted that faith-based organisations play a “huge role” in providing vital services, such as health, education, social protection, and, increasingly, peace-building.

BENEFITS OF COLLABORATION

The impact that churches have as agents for social change is currently of great interest to World Bank Group. From its field experience with those in poverty, World Bank recognises that help offered to the poor is widely varied and that faith-based initiatives are among those with the greatest reach and impact. There are several compelling reasons to suggest that churches and the World Bank Group should strengthen the partnership in the overall strategy to combat poverty. The first of these to be discussed is the potential to utilise the vast global reach of churches through the respect and credibility they hold in local communities. The second benefit of collaboration is the chance to leverage the resources of both organisations, and the third is the potential to enhance local community engagement.

UTILISING THE GLOBAL REACH OF CHURCHES

The worldwide community of churches exceeds a population of two billion, and this means that churches are well established in communities throughout the world. The Church of Pentecost, the largest Pentecostal church in Ghana alone has close to 30,000 local churches in Ghana with over four million memberships globally. The church is also present in 170 countries. The local church is often a central place where individuals within a community gather and can be a place of common ground, respect, and trust. Church engagement is particularly strong in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, where there is a high prevalence of poverty.

Often, the clergy and church leaders are the most educated and influential members in these communities and can play a significant role in the public policy process. The documented positive impact of church-based programs in community development and social justice makes the church an attractive partner for the World Bank. Various studies in Africa found that the most successful community-based programs were often initiated by church leaders.

These programs focus on changing the attitudes of individuals within a community and promoting community-based solutions to problems. The trust and rapport held by church leaders in a community can facilitate the mobilisation of communities to improve their situations and can assist in promoting the participation of the most marginalised groups. In Ghana, for example, many churches, including The Church of Pentecost, have mobilised resources to help restore the poor to normal life. In Latin America, church organisations have also worked extensively with various groups of children who are the victims of abuse and exploitation. The Catholic Relief Services is also reaching 100 million people in nearly 100 countries.

LEVERAGING THE RESOURCES OF THE WORLD BANK GROUP

The World Bank Group boasts the largest multilateral source of loan and grant finance for developing countries. World Bank Group’s financial potency has been used for the betterment of societies on numerous occasions through its projects tailored to increase economic opportunities, foster social development and poverty reduction, and produce knowledge that strengthens the link between good governance and development.

With the recent global turmoil and need for development and poverty reduction reaching unprecedented levels, partnership between churches and World Bank Group will provide the churches with significant direct support to poverty reduction and knowledge transfer through the use of analytical work and policy advice which focuses on action and capacity building in these areas. The partnership with World Bank Group will enable the churches to have first access to knowledge, funds, and initiatives custom-made to their areas of interest in poverty reduction and knowledge transfer.

STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIP

Through an effective partnership, the World Bank Group and churches will be able to pursue their shared vision of social justice and poverty eradication. By working together on joint programs aimed at poverty reduction and sustainable development in poor communities, both institutions will be able to tap into each other’s areas of expertise and influence. Some of the strategies include:

DEVELOPING JOINT INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS

Joint initiatives and programs are the lifeblood of effective collaboration. They enable partners to work together to achieve specific goals, address particular issues, or implement a well-defined project. Joint initiatives and programs can range from, for example, collaboratively training church members, to co-financing a project in a World Bank client country. The parameters, objectives, and expected outcomes of the initiative should be well understood by all partners. This mutual understanding will provide a basis for joint action and will also allow the partners to measure progress and achievements. If the church and World Bank Group find that they work well together co-financing a project in a client country, they may very well be more inclined to collaborate on a larger scale in the future. This incremental approach provides learning experiences and concrete evidence before moving into more involved forms of collaboration.

SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND BEST PRACTICES

Churches are the world’s oldest and most widespread institutions. They have had many success stories and failures in attempting to address poverty in its many forms. Their development work has taken place in many different cultural and social contexts and in many different forms. At the local level, churches run many community development projects. At the national level, many churches like The Church of Pentecost, have been involved in running hospitals, schools, and other social services. Much of this work has taken place under trying circumstances, with churches often being the only institution with a sustained and positive presence in communities affected by conflict or disaster.

In other situations, churches have been active advocates for the poor, speaking out on issues of social and economic justice and mobilising public opinion and actions to address the needs of the poor and marginalised. With such a wealth of experience to draw from, churches are in an excellent position to benefit poor people through the application and sharing of their knowledge and best practices.

As a knowledge-based institution, the World Bank places a high value on obtaining and using knowledge in various forms. Knowledge sharing and learning can happen in many different ways: from grassroots level learning in community-driven development projects, to policymaker learning on global issues of importance. Whichever way it happens, the main point is that the best development outcomes are obtained when knowledge is used effectively. Poverty reduction strategies cannot emerge solely from ‘the top down’ but should be based on knowledge of what has worked in the past, what is currently working, and addressing poor people’s knowledge of what has not worked in addition to the reasons why. This implies a very strong emphasis on learning and knowledge sharing both within the World Bank Group and partner organisations and stakeholders such as the churches. This, in turn, requires a culture and an incentive structure that promotes openness, honesty, holiness, risk-taking, and learning from both failure and success.

MOBILISING FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The World Bank and churches can work out innovative ways to combine forces on financial resource mobilisation. One possibility might be to create a theology of development investment and establish a church-sponsored or joint investment fund with the World Bank aimed at financing development projects in selected countries or sectors.

PROMOTING ADVOCACY AND POLICY CHANGE

In the present polarised climate around some controversial global economic issues such as trade and the Iraq war, it will be important to carefully identify the issues on which joint work is possible. The World Bank Group and church leaders should seek to identify a few global policies or governance issues in the work on which World Bank Group’s technical analysis can provide useful information to the churches.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the collaboration between the World Bank and churches is not just advantageous but essential in the global effort to eradicate poverty. By pooling together their resources, expertise, and networks, they can address the root causes of poverty with a comprehensive approach that combines financial investment with moral guidance and community empowerment.

Written by Pastor Dr. Felix Dela Klutse (The writer of this article is the Media Pastor of The Church of Pentecost | Email: felixklutse@yahoo.com/fdklutse@thecophq.org)

Introduction

The 16^th century Protestant Reformation within Western Christianity championed by Martin Luther has come with it the good fortune of the consolidation of the Bible’s teaching on salvation through faith; and making the Bible, the key authority for all matters, assessable to the laity, among others. to many people of his day, Luther was tearing Christendom apart. Before this momentous juncture in the history of the Church, there have been several schisms occasioned by diverse disagreements in Christian thought and practice, led by other reformers including but not limited to John Calvin, William Tyndale, Huldrych Zwingli, and John Knox. Consequently, the Christian Church became a conglomeration of diverse Christian traditions including Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Reformed, Methodism, and Pentecostalism, among others. Indeed, when one even takes Pentecostalism alone, its monolithic characterization will become a challenge. The vital question to pose is who do these Christian denominations bear witness to? Is it not Jesus Christ? Certainly, from a critical perspective, Jesus Christ is a person who needs to be discussed considering his grand importance in the world. It is these reflections on him and the movement he began that spawned the diverse Christian expressions of faith in him. However, insofar as the various Christians claim to bear witness about Jesus Christ, their witness must be essentially common. This must provoke the Church to work at unity to make its witness effective.

Towards a Greater Understanding of Other Christian Traditions

Is Christ divided? Regrettably, consequences of Christian disunity remain key to the various setbacks that the Church suffered and continue to suffer. There are numerous cases in which Christians belonging to diverse traditions have been hostile to one another. There has been unhealthy competition among various Christian denominations. This makes the watching world question what the Christian Church stands for and demeans Christian witness. Meanwhile, Jesus Christ desires that his people be one (John 17:11). This oneness must be worked at even in the face of the diversity seen within the Christian faith. Those who work at forging Christian unity are doing the will of Christ. This effort must be inspired by what Jesus Christ stands for; what he taught. Koinonia or fellowship, a definitive feature of the Church must provoke various Christian traditions to spread their tentacles to reach out to their brothers and sisters in other traditions. Without koinonia, the Church cannot realize its purpose fully. It also compromises the evidence that we are in Christ and we walk in him indeed (1 John 1:6-7). Steps must be taken to encourage communion in the Spirit.

Catholicism as well as Protestantism have made some effort to work at a greater understanding of diverse Christian denominations to promote mutual respect and enable Christian witness. The effort of the Protestants can be traced to Edinburgh 1910, a world missionary conference organized to appraise Christian missions and discuss ways of cooperating to promote the evangelization of the world. This meeting catalyzed, as it were, Christian ecumenism considerably. One of its results is the Faith and Order Movement which championed the cause of Christian unity. There have been earlier movements that had ecumenical instincts. On the part of the Catholics, there was a reconsideration of the popular idea in Catholicism that Protestants are rebellious. This became tangible when at Vatican II, there was the formation of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU). Consequently, intentional efforts towards Christian unity conversations between Catholics and other Christian traditions took off. Over the years, there have been bilateral unity talks between various traditions. Pentecostals for instance have had Christian unity conversations with Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and the Reformed churches, among others. These talks were led by ecumenical bodies formed within the various traditions like the Christian Unity Commission of the Pentecostals which was formed in 2020 by the Pentecostal World Fellowship. Meanwhile, individuals within various Christian traditions have also championed unity conversations as well. Some ecumenical bodies have met at the national, regional, and international levels. Some of these bodies include the World Council of Churches, Pentecostal World Fellowship, Baptist World Alliance, World Evangelical Alliance, and the Global Christian Forum (GCF).

Global Christian Forum in Ghana

The Global Christian Forum was inspired by the World Council of Churches. It aims to foster mutual respect among members of the World Council of Churches. This means that though the World Council of Churches is an ecumenical body, the Global Christian became a structure independent of the Council. It provides a common arena through which various churches and para-church organizations can have vital conversations.

Among earlier meetings, the Forum essentially mushroomed from a consultation held in Pasadena, USA in September 2000. Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Evangelical Churches, Anglicans, and Pentecostals, among others, were present at this consultation. From there its purpose was outlined. At the heart of this is the promotion of Christian unity and improved commitment to the mission. Following Pasadena 2000, there have been other consultations at the regional and international levels in Hong Kong, China; Lusaka, Zambia; Warburg, Germany; Limuru, Kenya; Santiago, Chile; Manado, Indonesia; New Delhi, India; and Bogotá, Colombia, among other places.

For its fourth global meeting, the Forum comes to Africa again. The first global meeting was in Kenya, the second in Indonesia and the third was held in Colombia. This means that for its global meetings, the Forum comes to Africa again. Specifically, the Global Christian Forum is in Accra, Ghana for deliberations guided by the theme, “That the World may Know” (John 17:23B). The only reason for this goes beyond the fact that the majority of the world’s population is in the global south. From where I stand, this demonstrates the role of the southern hemisphere in today’s Christianity. Africa has been integral in his role. However, more importantly, the Church of our Lord Jesus is pressing on towards the fulfillment of the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ. All Christians must work at this wherever they find themselves so that the world will know that we are disciples of Christ.

Conclusion

Koinonia must not be limited by doctrine and order of public worship. It must transcend liturgy.  Christians, who of course have been saved by the one Lord and have received the same Spirit, must without any hindrance whatsoever commune with one another. This communion in faith, indeed, becomes a testament that Christians belong to Jesus Christ. Jesus longs to see himself and his disciples as an organic whole so that the life of Christ flows to all of them as a unit. It is a way by which Christ is preached and the world is won. It can invoke the fear of God in the world (Acts 2:41-43). It has the potential to invoke repentance in unbelievers. The agenda of our Lord Jesus Christ is then promoted and glory goes to him.

Written by Elder Dr. Stephen Ofotsu Ofoe