Tamale: Reverend Dennis Dabukari Tong, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Tamale, has urged Christians to move beyond listening to the word of God to practising scripture in their daily lives. He emphasized that ignorance of the word of God is not an excuse, as it is being preached in various places.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Bishop made this appeal during his weekly homily to Parishes in the Diocese in Tamale on Sunday. The sermon, themed 'Let The Word of God Grow in You,' called for obedience and the bearing of spiritual fruits. Reverend Tong highlighted the accessibility of God's word through various media such as radio, television, and public places, urging Christians to act on what they hear.
He cited 1 Samuel 15:22 to stress that God values obedience over religious rituals, stating, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." Reverend Tong pointed out that difficult situations and personal desires often lead believers to disobey God, resulting in regret, as exemplified by Esau's story in Genesis 25:32.
Right Reverend Tong further explained that Christians are called to be like good soil that receives, understands, and produces a bountiful harvest. "But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone, who hears the word and understands it. This is the one, who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown," he said.
He encouraged the congregation to remain steadfast in their obedience to Christ and service to humanity.