Friday 14 November 2008

Come to me....... you will find rest for your soul

‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’(Eph. 6:12).

Abukari in reaching out to the Konkomba and the Dagomba people in and around Yendi works closely together with Azindow. His story is so remarkable that we thought it would be interesting to share it with you.

'Pastor Azindow and his family'

Azindow is from a village close to Yendi and is a Konkomba by tribe. He is married and has four children. When he was a child he did not have the opportunity to attend any formal school but when he was 20 years old he joined a Konkomba literacy class. He obtained two certificates, one in Konkomba reading and writing proficiency and one in English. Azindow came from a family of idol worshippers. The Konkomba in general believe in gods or spirits which direct their lives. In many families you will find a stone or carved image representing gods or spirits. They regularly make a sacrifice to these gods to appease them and then put some of the blood of the sacrifice on the image they have. They invoke spirits of the dead or the ancestors as a source of power.

It was in this environment that Azindow grew up. In 1981, Azindow’s brother was “married” to two gods, gulimade and kundi. This means that he became the owner of these gods and a medium through which the gods would speak to the ordinary people. He had to swear allegiance to these gods and went into a covenant with them. But two years after he received those gods he fell sick and died. It was then that Azindow became the sole owner of these ‘powerful gods’. Azindow had to follow the rules and regulations of these gods, bring sacrifices to them to appease them and by so doing he was able to help people by consulting these gods on their behalf. People from far and near would travel to Azindow’s village to seek help in marriage, sickness, preventing tragedies and to be empowered in their businesses. Azindow could make people become successful in their businesses in no time but with a price to pay.

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called: those he called, he also justified: those he justified, he also glorified.” Rom. 8:29-30. Azindow gives thanks to God for his mercy in delivering him from the bondage of idol worship. In 1989, a Christian friend constantly told Azindow about Jesus Christ and in response Azindow was urging him to accept his gods by telling him of the wonders of his gods. But one day Azindow was miraculously touched by the words from the book of Matthew 11:28-29, which says, “come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”. On hearing that verse Azindow realized that the money and time he spent in sacrificing and appeasing the gods were a heavy burden on him. The words “you will find rest for your soul” kept ringing in his heart and with much resistance and opposition from the gods he slowly but confidently gave his life to Jesus in 1990. What a relief it was no longer to live in fear of repercussions from the gods if he did not fulfill the obligations in serving them.

After Azindow became a Christian, he denounced and broke all the covenants and contracts he had with the gods, burning all the artifacts of the idols and became fully committed to Jesus Christ. Azindow was encouraged to always pray and read his Bible, if not the powers of the small gods would torment him. Eight years later, in 1998, as a result of the gleaned education he had (night literacy classes) he gained admission to attend a Bible Training Centre at Chaina (a training centre of the Bible Church of Africa in the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana) and obtained a certificate in Biblical studies as the first step to equipping himself for the Kingdom of God. Even before he went to the Bible Training Centre, the Lord used him to establish four Churches for the Bible Church of Africa within the Yendi district. After completing his training, he came back and together with the Yendi team he took care of churches in the Yendi district in nourishing them with the Word of God. Eventually more churches were planted. Altogether the Lord has blessed the ministry in the Yendi area with about 20 churches among the Dagomba and the Konkomba people.

'The church in Azindow's village'

Since Azindow became a Christian, many people have seen the protection Christ has given him and the blessings of Christ upon his life. That has encouraged many people to also give their life to Christ. Why? Because initially people had told him that since he rejected the idols he would die, but when they saw that he continued to live many of them also burnt their idols and gave their lives to Jesus. They are part of the church today.

Notwithstanding all these challenges of ministry and personal development, Azindow saw the need for acquiring further knowledge and skills for the ministry, so he decided to go to Maranatha University College (MUC) to learn more so that he would be well equipped to train others as 2 Timothy 2:2 urges us. In the churches in the Yendi district and beyond emerging leaders need to be taught and nurtured and church administrations need to be developed for the holistic growth of the body. Despite the fact that Azindow never had any formal education as a child, he graduated from Bible College with a Diploma in Ministry just last week!

'Pastor Azindow and his wife at his graduation ceremony'

'Abukari with Azindow at his graduation ceremony'


Thank God for:

  • how He has changed Azindow’s life and through him that of many others
  • the sacrifices he makes for serving God in establishing and nurturing churches in the Yendi district

  • the wonderful co-worker he is in our ministry

Pray for:

  • protection of Azindow’s life and that of his family as he is engaging himself in a spiritual battle
  • sensitivity to God’s calling, knowing where He leads him and doing what He wants Azindow to do
  • a good working relationship between Abukari, Azindow and the other co-workers in the area
  • wisdom in helping to lead the churches and nurturing them

  • more financial support for Azindow, his family and ministry. Besides his work as a pastor he now has to farm for enough income to support his familiy and ministry, more financial support would give him more time and opportunity to reach out to those who have not yet heard the Gospel.

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