THEME: BEHOLD THE NEW GHANA: BLESS THE LORD O PEOPLE OF GHANA (PSALM 134) 

PREAMBLE 

Peace be unto the nation and people of Ghana. O Holy Assembly on this blessed day of the Celebration of The New Ghana. 

Ghana is the nation and people sought out, reconciled, delivered, set free, healed, redeemed, married, and blessed as Nation and People Holy unto the Most High God. Due to the reconciliation, healing, and redemption of the country, Ghana has been restored as a stable, viable, and secured nation. Not only that, but Ghana also stands now as a Nation and People chosen and blessed for God’s own inheritance among the nations (Psalm 33: 12). 

Ghana now shines as BEULAH LAND—a land married and blessed for God’s government and kingdom order of peace, righteousness, justice, and joy, freedom, and liberty where stands and will stand the Temple or Tabernacle and Throne of God, and shining in the light, beauty, and glory of Jehovah God in Africa and the world. 

BLESSED GHANA, A BEAUTY, JOY AND ROYAL DIADEM IN THE HAND OF GOD. 

Psalm 48 speaks loudly and clearly about the beauty and joy of a nation where God the Creator is the King that rules the nation and is known in the households, entities, and institutions in the land as God—and is acknowledged as the refuge and defense of the nation. 

Psalm 33 assures in this connection that the peace and security, progress, and prosperity of such chosen nation does not depend on horses and chariots, armies of security agencies, and military might but the word, counsel, and watchful eyes and hand of the Most High God. Peace, Progress, and Security are attained and preserved by righteousness and justice in the knowledge and fear of God. 

Isaiah chapter 62 reveals that it is righteousness in the land that attracts and secures it as Royal Diadem in the hand of God. 

THE PLACE OF THE CHURCH 

From Psalm 48 and Psalm 33 and Isaiah 62 it can be observed that the Church or Mount Zion has great responsibility towards creating and establishing a state of peace, righteousness and justice, joy, stability and security, progress and prosperity of nations. 

Isaiah chap. 62, reveals further that the prophetic and watchman role, and nation building activities of the Church are as important as the apostolic, evangelistic and discipling and priestly roles of the Church in Church Building and Kingdom Building activities of the Church. 

THE NEW GHANA 

Ebenezer! This is where the Right Hand of God, via the Church and the entire people of Ghana, has brought the country. We have a New Ghana, a nation—chosen, redeemed, married, and established in the Kingdom of God as Chosen and Blessed Nation and People— Holy unto God, Star of Africa with a new name, Beulah Land, The New Jerusalem. 

As we all can testify, this did not come about by the works of spirits and men, politicians and political parties, or soldiers, the military, or the armed forces of the land. It came by Divine Intervention, Deliverance, Redemption, and Restoration. This has made Ghana stand, shining bright in the Light, Hand, and Glory of the Most High God as Christian nation, people of peace, righteousness, and holiness unto God. Ghana has become an oasis of peace, stability, security, and hope in the sub-region and for that matter the continent of Africa as a whole. This is the doing of God, NOT due to any abstract concept of democracy, political, ideology, revolutionary, philosophy, nor any theory of social construct. 

THE OLD GHANA REVISITED 

By way of reminder, let us recapitulate briefly the erstwhile condition prevailing in the country until the Lord’s intervention and mighty works brought us here. 

1. The Old Ghana Empire and Colonial Gold Coast :The first condition to be visited is the old Ghana of Ghana Empire and Gold Coast colony era.  The days of the Ghana Empire were days of idolatry, sorcery, charms, witchcraft, blood sacrifices, violence, tribal wars and blood, political instability, life insecurity, unstable economic conditions, weak statecraft, and poor governance. 
2. This was the state of affairs that opened the gates for colonial exploitation and oppression, foreign imperial occupation, and control. Tribal Africa’s empires and kingdom—dominated by war gods and demons, feudal lords, and oppressive social conditions—could not stand the onslaught of foreign invasion and control. The net result was a state of war: political instability, violence, wars and blood and pain, backwardness, poverty and desolation, foreign exploitation, oppression, and control.  This is the situation from which the emancipation movement sought to or was expected to deliver the country. It aimed to establish a state of peace and security, economic viability and social progress, cohesive national identity, stability, and sovereignty. 

THE EMANCIPATED GHANA 

Unfortunately, the emancipation movement was struck and bitten by the age-old political rivalry, instability, and disunity. This was compounded by continued satanic and foreign oppression and control, and further burdened by corrupt, poor statecraft, and oppressive governance. 

Indeed, the critical factor of peace, righteousness, justice, unity, politics—governance free from and/or devoid of political rivalry, violence, and war and instead enhanced by well-ordered economic performance and social order free from foreign manipulation and control did not receive adequate and priority attention. 

The political and social order of the post-independence era was fraught with political rivalry, disunity, and violence, oppressive governance, military destabilization, civilian-cum-military chess games embedded with foreign manipulation and control. There was also a state of unrighteous, unjust, oppressive, and misguided governance saddled with corruption, mismanagement, and selfish pretentions, hypocritical alliances with foreign nationals and corporate entities, political parties and governments that no more than perpetuated the old colonial exploitation, oppression and control, frustration and unmitigated suffering of people. 

In fact, the nation is still beset with the vestiges of neo-colonialism and neo-imperialism. It is these negative forces and sad state of affairs that prompted Divine intervention not only to break the chains of war, violence and blood, political rivalry—the triggers of non-development and social desolation—but also dismantle human wickedness, satanic control, and foreign oppression and control. The Most High God had to set in place conscious plans and concrete works of reconciliation, deliverance, redemption, and restoration grounded in the will, authority, and power, knowledge, will, counsel, kingdom, and throne of God. 

These were worked out with and through the Church body on one part, and the entire people of the country on another. The Divine plan of intervention, reconciliation, redemption, and the establishment of the nation and people in the God Kingdom Order was specifically made known and assigned to the Ghana Evangelical Society (GES) as a commission. There was a special covenant with the Most High God on the matter.  

Accordingly, the Society played a significant catalyst role in the Divine redemption of the country. We can therefore declare with full authority that, it is the Divine intervention that has brought Ghana to where she stands and is shining now as a nation, people, and government of peace in the righteousness, judgment, knowledge, and hand of God. 

THE REDEMPTION IS OF GOD NOT MAN 

In this direction, we can say with all confidence—and yet in all humility—that Ghana is now safely anchored and secure in the Hand of God. This state of affairs was not brought by any Spirit nor Power, Political Leader nor Political Party, Soldier nor the Military. 

The New Ghana is the work and workings of God Almighty. No politician, political party, soldier nor the military can take honor. If anything, the days of honor for politicians, political parties, and soldiers as liberators, redeemers, and fathers of the nation are over.  

None of them—not even Nkrumah nor Danquah—can claim honor anymore. It must be remembered in this connection that it is Nkrumah who sowed the seed of discord and disunity, and politician-cum-political party rivalry in the otherwise untied emancipation movement.  It is his break with his colleagues of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) that ignited political rancor into flames. This further escalated with the One-Party State and the system. It opened the gates wide for foreign manipulation, military takeover, and destabilization of tranquility, security, and progress in the political economy. Above all, it was Nkrumah and the CPP that rejected the Almighty God as God and Father of the nation and disbanded the Christian foundation, righteousness, teachings, counsel, and ethics to guide conduct in the land. 

THE CELEBRATION 

With this background, it is my privilege to deliver the note of joy and message of hope, so all join hands in celebrating God and Country, Church and National Redemption on the occasion of the CELEBRATION OF THE NEW GHANA, land of our birth: Beulah Land, The New Jerusalem, and the Star of Africa. 

The message of joy and hope goes simply as:  

BEHOLD THE NEW GHANA 

BLESS THE LORD O PEOPLE of GHANA 

It is based on Psalm 134. The Psalm calls upon us all—particularly those who have travailed and are travailing over the country—to view with gladness and joy the “NEW GHANA” that has emerged from Divine intervention and church mission. 

This is the fruit of their labor. The Church and the country, under Jesus Christ, have fought battles over the country. Many, in and outside the church, served in diverse ways as instruments in the Hand of God with Christ as the commander in chief in the battles for Ghana. Victory has been won. The mission is accomplished. Ghana is free, stable, and secure in the Hand of God. Hallelujah! 

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.”  

Bless you, O people of God beginning from the Church—Mount Zion from where deliverance came to the nation and its people. Let us remember in this regard that, as the Spirit of God puts it in Psalm 44 :3: 

Our fathers and ourselves did not redeem the country. It was the right hand of God and the light of His countenance that have overshadowed the country and brought Ghana our beloved country to this place and day of THE NEW GHANA. 

CONCLUSION 

Behold the New Ghana, O people of Ghana! Rejoice, Rejoice in the sanctuary. Make it known from the Church—ye chosen ones of Zion—what great things the Lord has done for the country. Everybody, let us bless the Lord our God—the redeemer, God, and Father of Ghana. 

May the Lord God who made heaven and earth bless the “New Ghana” from the sanctuary from the Holy hill of the worship of God, the Temple, even from Zion, Hallelujah.  Amen and Amen! 

Sunday, February 28, 2010