Fruitful Living

Letters from God – Why forsake your first love? (Part 1)

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Rev. 2:2, 4

INTRODUCTION

God delights in communicating with His children. He does not leave us in doubt or in the dark about His wishes on how we should live. He is not okay with our doing just anything that catches our fancy, or doing things anyhow without care.

He looks down at the affairs of men, divining the intention of our heart and assessing our ways, so that we can be the best that He has created us to be, here and in the world to come.

Earlier in the course of history of the church, God took a look at what was going on in the church. These churches were made up of members who loved Him and had decided to serve Him, some in spite of grave threats to their lives.

They were in different geographical places and spiritual phases in their experiences. Yet, they were almost all sick and had problems that needed solutions they could not offer on their own.

And, rather than leave them alone in that condition, God sent them messages to let them know that He was watching and could heal them.

These letters are equally applicable to us today. The best way to understand them is to put our personal names where the name of the church is.

If you have not gone through the experience described in it already, chances are that you will likely go through it some time or the other. That is the essence of reading these letters.

They have DIAGNOSTIC value – just like what a lab test will tell you about what is going on in your body and will explain the cause of health symptoms you might have been experiencing or is lurking in your body.

The letters to the Churches in Asia Minor also have DESCRIPTIVE value, in that they describe the details of what is good, and what is bad. The description is almost like what a microscope will reveal, down to the last minute detail.

They tell what is obvious outwardly, and also go on to describe what is in the heart. Only and Omniscient God can do that.

Finally, these letters have PRESCRIPTIVE value, in that they tell what to do to avoid dying as a result of whatever ailment has been diagnosed. The prescriptions are like pills, therapies or procedures that can heal what has been diagnosed and described.

Like the early churches, we have different geographic addresses and are at different spiritual phases in our experiences. Yet God cares about each one of us at those different points that He speaks to our needs through the messages to His churches. We are the church of today, literally and figuratively.

We need the spiritual diagnosis, description, and prescription that summarises our spiritual condition and what it can be if we allow God to continue His work on us.

It is for our own good to take these messages seriously, whether for the benefit of their diagnostic, descriptive or prescriptive values.

We will start with the first letter, to the church in Ephesus.

LETTER TO THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS

Here is the letter from God to the Ephesus church of the first century, unedited, as recorded in the book of Revelation. The Ephesus of that time is in the nation of Turkey today.

The letter was written by the apostle John, the beloved disciple of Christ. He is also known as John the Revelator, because of the many visions he received when he was banished to the Isle of Patmos by the Roman Empire.

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my Name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

TO BE CONTINUED

By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author

Fruitful Living

Qur’an: A Book of Guidance beyond Ramadan (Pt.3)

The Qur’an as a Book of Law and Legislation

The Qur’an is not just a book of spirituality; it provides laws that govern various aspects of life. Some of the legal principles found in the Qur’an include:

•Faith in Allah: The foundation of all laws, where belief in One God (Tawheed) is emphasised as the purpose of human existence (Qur’an 112:1-5).

•Marriage and Family: The Qur’an lays down clear guidelines for marriage, the rights and responsibilities of spouses, and the treatment of children (Qur’an 4:3, 4:34).

•Inheritance Laws: The division of wealth after a person’s death is carefully outlined in the Qur’an to ensure fairness and justice (Qur’an 4:11, 4:12, 4:176).

•Business Ethics: The Qur’an prohibits deception and promotes honesty in trade and contracts (Qur’an 4:29).

These laws provide the framework for a just society where fairness and morality are upheld.

The Quran and Major Prohibitions

1. Prohibition of Alcohol (Khamr) and Intoxicants

Qur’anic Verses: Surah Al-Baqarah (2:219) “They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, ‘In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit.’”

Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:90-91) “O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid them that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?”

Explanation:

•Initially, Surah Al-Baqarah (2:219) acknowledges that alcohol has both benefits and harms but emphasises that the harms outweigh the benefits.

•Later, Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:90-91) categorically prohibits alcohol by calling it an act of Satan, leading to enmity and distraction from worship.

•The Quran and Islam promote self-control, mental clarity, and a healthy society, all of which are undermined by intoxication.

2. Prohibition of Gambling (Maisir)

Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:90-91) (As mentioned above, prohibiting both intoxicants and gambling.)

Explanation:

•Gambling is addictive and leads to loss of wealth, social harm, and emotional distress.

•The verse warns that, like alcohol, gambling leads to enmity and hatred among people, diverting them from spiritual duties.

•Islam encourages earning wealth through honest work, not through chance-based games that exploit others.

3. Prohibition of Interest (Riba) on Loans

Qur’anic Verses: Surah Al-Baqarah (2:275) “Those who devour usury (riba) will not stand except as stands one whom Satan has driven to madness by (his) touch. That is because they say: ‘Trade is just like usury,’ but Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury.”

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:278- 279) “O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers. And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your capital—[thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged.”

Surah Al-Imran (3:130) “O you who have believed, do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied, but fear Allah that you may be successful.”

Explanation:

Interest-based transactions exploit the poor and create economic injustice.

The Qur’an makes it clear that Allah and His Messenger declare war against those who persist in usury.

Islamic finance promotes ethical investment and risk-sharing, ensuring fair economic transactions.

4. Prohibition of Fornication and Adultery (Zina)

Qur’anic Verses: Surah Al-Isra (17:32) “And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is an immorality and an evil way.”

Surah An-Nur (24:2) “The woman and the man guilty of fornication—flog each one of them with a hundred lashes. Let not pity for them make you lenient in (the execution of) the law of Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a group of the believers witness their punishment.”

Explanation:

Islam protects family structures and promotes modesty to maintain social harmony.

Surah Al-Isra (17:32) does not just prohibit zina—it even forbids coming close to it (e.g., through inappropriate interactions, pornography, etc.).

Surah An-Nur (24:2) prescribes legal consequences to deter fornication.

Marriage is encouraged as the lawful means of fulfilling desires in a responsible way.

* The writer is the Metropolitan Chief Imam of Kpone Katamanso

By Imam Alhaji Saeed
Abdulai, the Author

Fruitful Living

‘Let’s cherish, preserve our culture’

• Pastor Benjamin Nobi

The Sunyani Estate District Pastor of the Church of Pentecost in the Bono Region, Mr Benjamin Nobi, has emphasised the need for Ghanaians to cherish and preserve the country’s culture in its truest form devoid of any form of adulteration.

According to him, “succeeding generations stand the risk of missing out on the valuable cultural heritage and possibly engage in acts contrary to what reflect what our forebears bequeathed to us.”

Pastor Nobi explained that “as we celebrate Ghana month in March, it must not only celebrate the occasion in passing but reflect and preserve the original cultural practices as passed on by our forebears so as to stand the test time.”

Pastor Nobi also stated that this during a book launch on Sunday at the Newtown Assembly of the Church of Pentecost.

The book title: ‘The Real Person’ was authored by Mr Emmanuel Frimpong, an elder of the church.

To buttress his point, he indicated that for instance “our forebears used to harvest rain water known in Akan as Nyankontonsuo to pour libation before the whites brought hard liquor like Schnapps,” adding that those who introduced hard liquor in pouring libation in our traditional certain have adulterated our culture.

“This aspect of our culture needs to be highlighted for the youth to know” he stated.

Stressing the importance of writing the book, Pastor Nobi stated that writing a book helps to share knowledge and pass on information which could be relevant for the future.

Elder Emmanuel Frimpong in an address added that the motive for writing the book was to draw attention to how some people can present themselves from their true character and how such people can change to reflect the will of God.

He said he spent seven years to author the book which has 108 pages with 25 sub topics.

Elder Frimpong expressed his gratitude to his family, church and individuals who supported him both in kind and cash to enable him come out with the book.

From Daniel Dzirasah, Sunyani