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The memory of the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, is what many Christians say Christmas is all about, and I agree. Although the factions of the Christian sect deny the celebration of this holiday because for them it is related to pagan worship, and like the omnipresent services of the Christian church on Sundays, it is not biblical and circular.
It is observed that the Christian church today complains about the circularization of Christmas. Christmas has become a season of family reunions, vacations, parties, and holidays. Sayings like “happy holidays” and merry Christmas are common; Evangelical Christians, the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement in particular abhor this.
In this article, beyond these advertised positions, I argue that many Christians and to a large extent the church, particularly the African church, have lost focus or, better yet, are superficial in their (perception of) impact on the continent. I appeal to all churches in Africa to look beyond the Eurocentric or universal notion of the Christian faith and to focus on meeting the undeniable and urgent needs of Africa and its growing youth population.
Churches in Africa today can only be considered ‘useful’ when they are ‘socially relevant’ in addition to the spiritual impact they seek. What is the church? The church is both the pastors and the bylaws that govern the faith and, most importantly, the people who call themselves Christians – the believers, both young and old. The shift from a primary focus of spiritual impact to a combined focus of spiritual and social impact is crucial for the future of African youth. Projections from the Pew Research Center (2015) tell us that the proportion of the Christian population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will double, and Christianity will remain the largest faith on the continent by 2050 (58.5%). By 2050, 1.1 billion of the 1.9 billion people who will live in sub-Saharan Africa will be Christians (see Table 1 below). 1.3 billion of the African population by mid-century would be under 25 years of age (United Nations Population Division, 2017). The African church’s commitment to today’s socio-spiritual impact will go a long way toward improving and hopefully changing the African narrative by 2050.
And she will give birth to a son and you will call his name JESUS, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us that three things are paramount, faith, hope, and love, and the greatest is love. We know from Hebrews 11: 1 that faith is the assurance of what is expected. That is, hope is the denominator. To have faith, you need hope. And to have love you need faith. Because God is love. Without faith, no one can see God. So love is based on hope and faith. In Matthew 1:21, Jesus’ purpose was stated, namely, to save his people from their sins / strays / violations of God’s laws, to restore those who did not hit the mark. The word ‘save‘in the original translation is Sozo means (1) saving, keeping safe and sound (2) rescuing from danger or destruction (3) saving one who is suffering, healing, healing and restoring health (4) preserving one who is in danger of destruction.
Jesus did not come to earth for himself, but for others, why do you think your story is different? Each of us is on this planet with a God-given purpose that is definitely not for personal glory, but for a positive impact on other lives. In Luke 4:18, Jesus declared, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery from sight to the blind, to set the wounded free. ” Everyone, including the church, has our mandate to love and save buried in Jesus’ mandate.
James said, our faith is demonstrated by our works (James 2:18). Which means that the proof of our love is in our actions. Love moves us to act. So, we must ask ourselves, are we committed to acts of love? I am not referring to a one-time donation or a spontaneous action. Is your life given? Is your life committed to the good of others like Jesus? Is the African church committed to unlocking the potential of African youth or is it contributing to the waste of life and purpose?
As we celebrate Jesus, we must remember that He came to show us the way. He lit the way! We read the stories of these people who acted by faith in Hebrews 11: 7-12. He was not talking about the preaching of Noah or Abraham, etc. He was talking about his ACTS OF FAITH! These were people who lived for God and acted in their day as we do in this 21st century. Keep in mind that their leaps of faith were not necessarily for them, but for others / descendants. What happens to the church? In our world today, particularly in Africa, more than 200 million young people are stranded, stuck somewhere in between: no job, bad education, even no parents to care for and love them, they face limited opportunities. There is hunger, poverty and the waste of lives. If Jesus were here today, what would He do?
Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our lights shine before men. Let’s take some examples. Joseph ruled Egypt because he loved the people enough to solve a problem. David’s faith led him to face evils and the greatest challenge of his day, Goliath. Job said that I served the blind with eyes and the lame with feet (Job 29:15). Even God loved us and that is why he gave us Jesus … Has your faith translated into acts of love?
Remembering the birth and life of Christ is remembering a life of purpose and destiny. A meaningful life! We get very involved with the celebrations and catch up on the holidays and forget that the reason Jesus came was for us. And now we are here for the others. He gave us an example: the way he lived, the way he loved, the way he faced the status quo. Most Christians today are just verbal and ‘talk-talk’ believers without action. Your beliefs are dead, because there is no faith in action. Why are we fine with millions without food, inadequate health, and shelter? We are in our churches singing and celebrating among ourselves when there are many (some of whom are in church) whose voices have been silenced due to their socioeconomic location. Will we dare to speak for them or better yet amplify the voices of young people through our positions and timely expositions?
Like Jesus, we are born to love, we are born to save not only by orally preaching the word of God, but even more so by translating our faith into works that have spiritual and tangible impacts on felt needs. Jesus came for the ‘sick’ (Matthew 9:12). He identified with the weak, the weak, the abused and the broken. Why do we want to identify with only the powerful and rich?
We must imitate Christ in his love and commitment to save others. The church must be committed to the full realization of the potential of youth in Africa. God bless you.
How do you identify this specific challenge of your calling? Like Jesus, read! Read widely and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Have compassion on people. Your inspiration may come while watching a movie, listening to music, reading your Bible, a novel, or even your course material … just be sensitive.
1. Pray. Hebrews 5: 7 tells us that Jesus prayed for his purpose to be fulfilled. Luke 22:44 tells us that Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood. I was praying to fulfill destiny. Pray that God will forgive our sin of neglecting our mandate and pray for the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Because you need His courage to act.
2. Move / Act out of inspiration to face a social, psychological or spiritual problem. Give yourself and your life to this task.
At 12 years old, Jesus was being eaten up by zeal and passion to love and save. I challenge you to seek the love and salvation of others, body, soul, and spirit.
I was inspired to start the Nkosuo Initiative and now voice1Africa. We are inspired by the dreams of African youth. I am dedicated to this, in addition to preaching and working in the business world, I am committed to changing the narrative on the continent.
This message was shared with about 100 students of the University of Ghana Mass Choir in December 2020.
Dennis Joseph Nii Noi Quarcoo © 2020
The writer is a reverend minister and youth leader. President of the Voice1Africa youth initiative and founder of the Nkosuo Initiative Foundation. (www.voice1africa.org). EMAIL: [email protected]
