Be Watchful of Sin: Rev. Dominic Ziba Admonishes Congregants.

Rev. Dominic Ziba

Rev. Dominic Ziba is a servant of God with a living word for a dying world. He is the Region 'A' Superintendent of Assemblies of God Ghana and the Head Pastor of Holy Ghost Temple Assembly of God (Healing House) in Bolgatanga. Rev. Ziba, being a minister of the gospel, had discovered through the study of the word of God and by the revelation of the holy spirit, the problem of the world and for that matter, the church today. This he described as "sin", but left on to our God that we serve He is most powerful.

He, therefore, admonished his congregants through a sermon he titled "The Four Categories of sin to watch". He taught on this sensitive topic during his preaching in Sunday worship at Holy Ghost Temple in Bolgatanga. The full detail is below:

Theme: THE FOUR CATEGORIES OF SIN TO WATCH

Text: Genesis 3:6 and James 1:14-15 SIN means:

1. A rebellion against the known will of God.
2. Anything that separates and keeps one far from God and fellowship.

Throwing more light on the topic, Rev. Ziba made these statements to enable listeners to understand the subject;

1. There are two pains in life - the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.
2. Don't be too foolish to consider just today. Remember the consequences of today will come tomorrow. (James 1:14 -15)
3. There is nothing fake in the Bible, the problem is our fake approach.
4. No one can help you without you. Until one had come back to his or her senses, nobody can help you without your effort. (Luke 17:32)

By elucidating the subject of Sin, he gave further examples of some characters in the

Bible like Joseph, Nehemiah, Noah, just to mention but a few, who chose the "pain of discipline." God specially honuored them as a result of the wonderful choice they made.

On the contrary, he mentioned some of the characters in the Bible like Judas Iscariot, Sampson, Ananians and his wife Sapphera, Lot's wife and Achan who chose the "pain of regret" by committing secret sins which finally led especially to the death of Achan and

his household in a miserable manner. Rev. Ziba reiterated his point with these words: ''beloved the problem of the church (referring to believers), today is about sin but left on to our God for He is most powerful". (Genesis 3:6 & James 1:14 -15). He, however, encouraged the members of the church saying in this sinful challenge, provided the church will take a new step to leave a decent life before the God of heaven, even if there is nobody to support them in that regard, God himself will back them he said. Going forward, the Head Pastor vividly outlined the four categories of sins that, the world and the church today must watch.

He categorically stated and explained to them as follows:

1. Besetting sins: These are sins a Christian and for that matter, a believer, easily commits despite efforts made to stop. (Romans 7:15).
2. Willful sins: These are sins people deliberately commit due to financial gains or benefits. (Psalm 19:14 and Hebrews 10:26 -27).
3. Secret sins: These are sins people commit in the dark or on the blind side of the other. Explaining this point to let members have a reflection on their lives, Rev. Ziba asked the congregation this question which is worth stating here;

WHAT ARE YOUR SECRET SINS?

He said it is possible some of us as Christians may have some secret sins which our boss, husband or wife and our pastor may not be aware of, except you. As a result, he charged every believer to repent from secret sins for God hates them.

For instance, he said, Achan in the Bible with his household finally diet as a result of his secret sins. (Joshua 7:19 -20).

Conclusion:

The Region 'A' Superintendent Rev. Dominic Ziba before bringing his message to an end, repeated "sin is the main problem of the church today, but left on to our God He is most powerful". This statement was made for the congregants to take a deeper reflection of the theme. (Genesis 3:6 and James 1:14-15). He said this theme was carefully selected and taught with the help of the holy spirit, to let Christians of today understand that

everybody is in charge of his or her own life and so must endeavour to leave a life that is pleasing to the father.

He further admonished the congregation in Holy Ghost Temple to note the following:

1. The bible is not a suggestion book but the Creator's instruction to better living.
2. God loves us equally but treats us differently.
3. You cannot make God angry and expect Him to make you happy.

After these thought-provoking statements, he gave three antidotes which the church can rely on to overcome sin:

1. You must have a sense of purpose. That is to say, a "purposeless living is the reason for a careless action". (Joshua 24:15 and 1Peter 2:9).
2. You must make a covenant vow not to abuse grace. Note that grace and sin cannot dwell in the same place. (Romans 6:1-15 and Titus 2:11-13).
3. Finally, a determination never to be a bad nut. Therefore, you must refuse to be called a "bad nut." In other words, God expects us to always portray good and consistent behaviour but not to be tagged as bad nuts contrary to His expectations.

Filed by: By Solomon Akparibo ([email protected]) HOLY GHOST TEMPLE, BOLGATANGA