Matthew 26:6-8: – Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. 8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste?
As most of you know, King and Priscilla Hammond were at Covenant Church this past Sunday to update us on their ministry in Ghana. I had an opportunity to visit with King before his talk and had always wondered when in his life he was led to the decision to lead this Ghana ministry. Remember that King grew up in Ghana as an underprivileged child in a fatherless family, was able to come to the US to attend college, and then became a successful businessman here.
I was able to speak with King about when he became a Christian and when the Ghana mission was conceived. King told me that he became a Christian during a visit back to Ghana after he was a successful businessman in the US. He had returned home to Ghana to visit his mother and God gave him the nudge to become a Christian. As King showed us in his presentation last Sunday, there are a substantial number of Christians in Ghana, mostly in the southern half of the country. He showed a map which indicated the Muslim religion is followed by most people in the northern half of the country, where Ghana is located. So King returned to the US fully energized to change his life, and to begin service to God.
At that time, he already knew Priscilla and she informed him that she was moving to Atlanta to begin working with a homeless ministry there. He decided to join her in that ministry. King then left his company and he and Priscilla joined the Safe House ministry in Atlanta GA (https://www.safehouseoutreach.org/ ) in 1987. They served God faithfully through that ministry until God spoke to King again through a dream. In that dream, God shared the above scripture with King. King couldn’t believe the “indignity” felt by the disciples (led by Judas) at the woman (Mary, sister of Martha, and also of Lazarus who Jesus brought back from the dead) serving Jesus as she did and “wasting” the valuable perfume. But who are we to question God’s ways?
Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
King was immediately moved to “waste” his life for Christ, and to do so by spreading the Word of God in his native Ghana. He spoke with Priscilla and she agreed to this new journey. They began plans for their new life and moved to Ghana with two small children to begin the Alabaster Project in Ghana in 1999 (note the name of the ministry comes from the scripture, and their compound in Ghana is named Bethany).
They now have a very successful ministry going in Ghana, as we see in their regular newsletters and from King’s presentation last Sunday. In addition, they now have outposts set up in the countries of Chad and Mali, with a goal to establish outposts in all 11 countries in northern Africa, throughout the area of Africa dominated by Muslim believers. They also have the issue of dealing with the Sahara Desert which covers all 11 countries in their plans. They also updated us on their plans to bring South American missionaries to these new countries they plan to serve, and have just set up a training base in the country of Panama to prepare missionaries specifically for this service.
I ask each of you now this question to consider – What do I need more – all my possessions and things that will all waste away over time, or to establish an eternal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The answer to this question does not require you to get rid of all your possessions or to move out of our country to be in service, but it does require you to make a decision of your priority in life.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
We have paper copies of King’s presentation last Sunday which we can share with anyone who would like to see his presentation.
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Finally, we taped King’s presentation and will soon put it on our church website. Anyone who would like to see his presentation can have access to it soon.
Matthew 10:38-39 – “And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
May God continue to bless the Alabaster Project in Ghana and support its growth into the countries in northern Africa.