Christians charged to deepen relationship with Jesus and God
Christians worldwide were on Thursday charged to exercise strong faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ and to deepen their relationship with him (Jesus) and his father Jehovah.
This was contained in a Public Discourse delivered by various speakers at an event organized by Jehovah’s Witnesses in more than 230 lands and islands including Ghana to mark the Anniversary of Jesus’ death.
Last year, more than 19 million people congregated at the Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other locations, to commemorate the Lord’s Evening Meal.
Speaking at the event in Dansoman, a suburb of Accra, Mr Mishael Opoku-Boamah, a Christian Elder with the Dansoman Central Congregation, urged the congregation to view Jesus Christ as a reigning heavenly exalted King who would soon bring to an end the pain and anguish of mankind.
He said Christ’ death was a means by which God provided a gift of everlasting life to mankind.
Mr Opoku-Boamah urged the congregation to build faith in God by taking in accurate knowledge of Jehovah and Jesus Christ in harmony with the scriptures at John 17:3.
He said as the faith of an individual grows, he or she was strengthened to fulfill other Godly requirements that included repentance, conversion, dedication and baptism.
Quoting from James 2:24,26, he stressed that Christians needed to exercise or show faith in the ransom sacrifice by means of their actions or works.
Mr Boamah stressed that Christian baptism did not end the race of Christian living, adding daily bible reading, regular meeting attendance and the evangelizing work were critical to the spiritual wellbeing of the individual.
Those in attendance received free copies of a 32-page colourful April 1, 2012 edition of the Watchtower magazine entitled “Jesus Christ-The Answers to Our Questions.”
The event, also known as the Memorial of Christ’s death, focused on how mankind benefits from the ransom sacrifice by Jesus Christ.
Each year, the Witnesses gather to commemorate Jesus’ death in obedience to the direct command to all Christians in Luke 22:19.
Jesus Christ instituted this observance on the night of the Jewish Passover in 33 C.E. The Passover was an event celebrated once a year, on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan.
To calculate that date, the Jews evidently waited for the spring equinox. This is the day when there are approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.
The first observable new moon nearest to the spring equinox marked the beginning of Nisan. Passover came 14 days later, after sunset.
Jesus celebrated the Passover with his apostles, dismissed Judas Iscariot, and then instituted the Lord’s Evening Meal. This meal replaced the annual Jewish Passover and therefore Jehovah’s Witnesses rightfully observe the Memorial of Christ’s death once a year.
Source: GNA