Discipleship

'the members of the church at Sakpe'

Sakpe is a community in the Yendi municipality that we have recently reached with the Gospel. Before their acceptance of the good news of Jesus Christ the majority of these people practiced syncretism (trying to combine different religious beliefs). We visit them regularly to teach them the basic concepts of the Christian faith to set the foundation right. Whilst discussing Bible passages the people raise many questions that are very important to them, even to the extent that some of these issues were real barriers preventing them from accepting the Gospel. These are some of the questions they asked:

• How can somebody really die to save others? Within the context of the Konkomba and Dagomba people, they think that Jesus might have made this arrangement (dying on the cross) so that he himself gains something through it - for it to be a selfless sacrifice is difficult to understand.

• If I die, who will perform my funeral? This is extremely important to the people in this area. Culturally, when somebody dies, the person has to be sent off well so that the person's spirit will join the ancestors. If the funeral is not performed well the spirit of the person 'hangs around' causing all kinds of misfortune. When somebody becomes a Christian, family members and people from the community (non Christians) do not want to perform the funeral since they believe that the deceased is unclean. It is therefore very important to assure those new believers that the church will take up that responsibility and even more importantly explain that their spirit will go to God.

• Can I still marry more than one wife? Most Dagomba men marry at least two women which is accepted culturally and also because of their Muslim faith.

• What do I do with my three wives that I married before I became a Christian? We generally encourage them to maintain their wives, to take good care of them and of their children as they have already made that commitment.

• Can I use traditional medicine when I am sick? Also an important question. Some traditional medicine can be used without any problems (like herbs). However, sometimes a traditional healer will ask the sick person to perform sacrifices and the blood of an animal is used as a means of efficacy. If that is the case then that medicine cannot be used.

• Can I have juju (a supernatural power) to protect myself? Again, these supernatural powers can only be used if animal sacrifices are being made and it is therefore not acceptable within the church. Moreover, when one becomes a Christian the highest Power (God Himself) is the one who protect us.

Thinking about all the questions the people raised it made us realise once again that after people come to faith in Christ they need to be taught regularly. We cannot just take it for granted that they have understood everything by becoming Christians. There are thousands of people like the community at Sakpe whose salvation 'depends' on our response and commitment to the words in Romans 10:14, 17, 'How, then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?...Consequently faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.'

'because nobody within the church can read at present they use a hand wind tape recorder with cassettes to listen to the Word of God when they meet and there is nobody around to teach them'