Ivan Apedo – THE OLYMPIAD KING – In His Own Words

“If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is” – John von Neumann: It’s a quote Ivan has come to appreciate especially during this vacation and coming to the realization that there is life beyond the walls.

A young man with an extremely matured and determined mindset, we sat Ivan down and asked him a few questions about his experiences during the International Junior Science Olympiad, and his responses were quite interesting, to say the least.

Check out the interview below:

Who Is Ivan Elolo Apedo?

I am a 14 year old boy who attends GCIHS.

I like Mathematics and roller skating.

What international exposure has benefited you?

All of them, in multiple ways. I got to experience far tougher challenges, and gain some oppurtunities which I normally would never have gained access to.

For example, during the IJSO in Dubai, we travelled around, went to multiple universities and saw their programs. In addition, the IJSO and TIMO made me realise how different their education systems were from ours

How difficult was it to prepare for the competition in Dubai?

Very, very difficult. The IJSO was by far the hardest Olympiad I had ever written, Paired with the fact that we were behind on the syllabus, and I had never done a full lab experiment, and we had just three months to learn about a year or two’s worth of science

What do you take from being a student at GCIHS?

GCIHS actually helped me a lot. I gained useful lessons from my friends and teachers, and the school helped me to get closer to God, which is the most important thing

What has been your Biggest Inspiration?

Well, basically, as you know I like math, and, I loved to find that some mathematicians like Benard Reimann did not let “scientific knowledge” stop them from believing in God. I want to be a very influencial person, or in other words, a renowed mathematician, like Newton, so people can see what God has done for me.

Did you win a lot of Olympiad Medals Last Year ? – How did you combine Sharks , Olympiads and Classroom work? Talk about your GPA as well…

Yes, I won 6 actually. It was tough, to say the least, in addition to the progressives and all the other activities, but I felt motivated to make it work, so I tried my best, and ended up understudying for school. As such, my Gpa took a hit, and started to drop. However, when the stress eased, I managed to balance everything and sort it all out, and my gpa began to rise again. My GPA was wround 3.8.

What are your Future Aspirations / Goals?

I want to be a computer scientist and an engineer.

Did your Family play any role in your Success ?

Yes, a lot. My mother always encouraged me to learn, and both of my parents supported me financially. My sister, well, she agreed to stop bothering me and let me learn.

What message do you have for your mates, Olympians, Sharks Team and your admirers ?

Keep working hard, God has a plan for everyone. Even if it seems like you are going to fail, don’t give up.

Bennette Osae Addo : Star Teacher

Bennette Osae Addo, a teacher of the JHS department, recently won the ‘Star Teacher’ award for this academic term. His passion for teaching as well as his unwavering commitment to co-curricular activities have earned him this accolade. Sir Bennette, as he is called by many pupils of GCIHS, fully deserves to have his praises sung. His hard-work and dedication have impacted many students within the four walls of GCIHS, but his contribution to preparing the school’s pupils for competitions also contribute massively to the healthy image our great school enjoys.

Let us look at some things he has done for our school over the past few years.

In 2019, the first Sharks Junior quiz was held and a group of students were picked to represent our school. Sir Bennette, along with a few other teachers, coached our team to victory.

Later that year, Sir Bennette accompanied the team which had won the Sharks Junior quiz and a few students from other schools to the International Junior Science Olympiad. Their results were record-setting.

Again in 2020, GCIHS participated in the Sharks Junior quiz. Sir Bennette was again appointed, considering his past achievements in the competition, to coach the team of students who were going to represent our school. For yet another time, our school came out victorious in the quiz.

In August of 2020, the school registered students for the Singaporean and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO), the Vanda Science Olympiad and the Design Robotics and Computational Thinking Olympiad. Sir Bennette and Mr. Richard Senyo took the registered Students through what they needed to know to take part in the exam. Needless to say, it was a very impressive performance. Our school earned 37 out of the 69 medals that Ghana won.

As the house patron of House 4, his passion, help and support for the team is quite remarkable. He’s always available to cheer his team on, no matter what activity they are participating in.

He’s actively involved in intra-school events such quizzes and the like.

He also acts as a class advisor and a patron for the Dance and Drama club. If you’re lucky, you could get the chance to witness him showcasing his wonderful dance skills during these club activities.

To add to his many skills, Sir Bennette is also in charge of Students’ Press, a group of students who help with the blog you reading right now.

He was crowned ‘Star Teacher’ for this academic term and I must say, he really deserved it for his amazing performance as a teacher.

Code For Gold

It seems Ghana Christian International High School has quite a number of students excelling in different aspects of life. We earned ourselves a name in academics and in sports but it looks like that’s not all we’re good at. A student of ours, who’s currently in his second year in Junior High School, has ‘coded’ his mark and has, no doubt, made us proud. Yooku Anamuah-Mensah is the name of this young gentleman who spent his summer behind a computer, like most of us, but in his case, accomplished something worthwhile.

This summer, Yooku joined WhiteHat Jr.. WhiteHat Jr. is an organisation centered around children and coding. The organisation prepares 6-14 year olds and teaches them fundamentals of coding-logic, structure, sequence and algorithm thinking to generate creative outcomes like animations and applications. WhiteHat Jr. was created to prepare children for the new world of technology. Students are taught in one on one online session from the comfort of their homes which is surely part of the reason the reason why Yooku was able to learn so much.

This whole experience has really earned Yooku a lot. He’s earned about two certificates from WhiteHat Jr.; one for being part of the top 20% who successfully completed The WhiteHat Jr. Artificial Intelligence Coding Curriculum Trial and another for his exceptional skills and outcomes in game development. He’s made five applications, most of which are games explaining his certificate. To top it all off, Yooku has his own website.

The folks at WhiteHat Jr. are so happy with Yooku that they are willing to give him a feel of what it’s like to be a future entrepreneur. On the 20th of January, 2021, Yooku will a part of 12 selected child-entrepreneurs who’ll meet Byju Raveendran, founder of Ed Tech and Karan Bajaj, CEO of WhiteHat Jr. to interact, and discuss what it takes to run a company along with their parents, of course. He’ll earn a CEO’s average salary for a day, in addition to the trip.

Yooku Anamuah-Mensah is one out of sixteen million children across the world who have their own websites. It might start with something as simple as a website but soon enough, he could own his own company.

Why don’t you check his site out yourselves?

https://yookuanamuahmensah.whjr.site/

GCIHS Students Shine At International Olympiads

Ghana Christian International High school has earned itself a reputation as one of Ghana’s best schools academically. Our beloved school is also flying high in co-curricular activities. The school has won the first two editions of The Sharks Quiz Juniors and Mr. Osae Addo and Mr. Richard Senyo have gone and flown our school’s banner high once again. Students from GCIHS competed at the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad(SASMO), the VANDA Science Olympiad and Design Thinking With Robotics And Computational Thinking International Competition(DrCT). There were nine schools including our beloved GCIHS that represented Ghana. There were also twenty-four countries and about two thousand, five hundred participants. Needless to say, they made the school proud.

The preparations for the olympiad, which was conducted online, started in mid- July. Students had sessions with teachers from GCIHS as well as facilitators from other institutions via zoom. The first olympiad that took place was the DrCT olympiad on the 14th of August. Fourteen days later, the VANDA Science olympiad also took place on the 28th of the same month. The final hurdle for the olympians, the SASMO Mathematics olympiad took place the following month on the 11th of September.

After a few weeks of waiting, participants were made aware of their results. Ultimately it was hugely successful for GCIHS. In all, there were six gold medals, eight silver medals and twenty-three bronze medalists. That is a grand total of thirty-seven medalists. One can be positive and hope for bigger things in the future as this is the school’s first time participating in these olympiads. 

The olympiad experience was an eye-opening one for many who took part in it. Even those who in the end, did not take home medals now have some experience in such competitions under their belts. This was only the school’s first time taking part in these competitions. This is an indication that the future is indeed very bright.

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Quippa Kicker “Pele”

A young gentleman who left our school, Ghana Christian International High School, and our country to make his mark, has made us very proud. Said young gentleman goes by the name, Emmanuel Gyadu – Mantey who moved from Ghana to the United States of America; Aliquippa, Pennsylvania to be exact.

Back in Ghana, Gyadu – Mantey played soccer and basketball and hoped to play basketball in his new home. Though he had never played American football, he asked to try out for Aliquippa’s, aka The Quips, American football team and it is his soccer approach to kicking that caught their attention. Soon after witnessing Gyadu – Mantey kick for the first time, Mike Warfield – Aliquippa’s coach – nicknamed him ‘Pele’ after the retired Brazilian soccer star who was one of the greatest in his time.

Coach Warfield said, “It’s the first time he’s ever kicked a football, but really, he’s kicking like he’s been kicking for several years. Garrett Tonio, our kicking coach, is so impressed with him.”

The Quips weren’t really kickers up until two years ago, when Coach Warfield was hired. The coach’s debut season saw Daniel Elmore playing extensively not only on kickoff but for extra points as well. This year, Elmore is expected to start as a linebacker and might not get to kick as much as he did. That’s where “Pele” falls into the picture.

He’s a played a few games and it’s quite admirable. He has been noted as Aliquippa’s kicker who boots field goals in consecutive games and has converted eight extra points.

It’s looking good. He’s fitting in with the team and the Quips seem to love having him on their team and they’ll love him even more if he keeps up his kicking game.

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  Gyadu-Mantey about to take one of his extraordinary kicks

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  Gyadu-Mantey in his team’s jersey

• Sources:
  • https://www.timesonline.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2020/08/31/ghanaian-kicker-hopes-give-aliquippa-special-teams-threat/5674133002
  • https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2068773422808/meet-the-aliquippa-kicker-from-ghana-whose-nickname-is-pele

CHRISTIAN HIGH AND DPS REMATCH IN THE SHARKS QUIZ FINAL

In the second edition of The Sharks Quiz Juniors , two schools have proven to be almost invincible throughout their journey towards the trophy. This is not very shocking because the two did same in the Maiden Edition of the Junior Sharks Quiz. They are none other than Delhi Public School (DPS) International and Ghana Christian International High School (GCIHS).

They have proven their worth in the competition for the past two years, beating schools by effortlessly oozing class. Watching the two battle it out throughout the competition gives you a feel of the magic the contestants work on stage. The speed and accuracy of both schools is almost unbelievable.

The maiden edition of The Sharks Quiz saw Ghana Christian International High School and Delhi Public School battle it out in the final. Christian High prevailed in the hotly contested final last year, overcoming their opponents by a mere five points.

For the second year running, both schools have qualified for the final, setting up a rematch which would provide DPS with the perfect opportunity to get their revenge. The DPS team for this year’s edition includes Adam Seidu and Shriman Jha, two stalwarts of last year’s team that reached the final. DPS will hope that their team’s dexterity and experience will take them a step further than they went last year.

Ghana Christian International High School, however will be no walk over. They have not lost any of their matches in the competition so far and their team boasts the electrifying duo of Jason Acheampong and Jormi Clive- Plange, two brilliant science whizzes who have consistently lit up the competition in the STEM round.

The defending champions could take the trophy back home or a new champion could steal the crown. They are two excellent schools with amazing ability ready to finish it off. It’s an almost unpredictable match.

Who will emerge victorious in this clash of the titans? Don’t miss out on the action. Live on TV3 this Saturday at 2:30pm.

DPS contestants in their semi final against Manna International School

Ghana Christian International High School contestants in their semifinal against Burma Camp JHS

GHANA CHRISTIAN INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL HEADING FOR THE FINALS OF THE SHARKS QUIZ

After working hard to progress through the competition, Ghana Christian International High School and Burma Camp JHS met in the semifinals of The Sharks Quiz to battle it out for a place in the final. Both schools knew the importance of this contest and they were not about to let this opportunity slip. Before the contest even started, the cheering teams of both schools were already screaming on the top of their voices, cheering their teams on. Before a single question had even been asked, a battle had already ensued!

The first round ended with Chrisitian High gaining a 40 point cushion. They obtained sixty points whilst Burma Camp JHS ammased 20 points.

In the second round, there was a low-scoring draw as both schools gained a mere points total of 15 points each. The third round would either make or break the schools’ hopes of qualification to the final.

As had seemingly become their modus operandi, the defending champions put on an amazing show in the third round. Burma Camp JHS were not able to amass any points and Ghana Christian International High School obtained 40 points. Christian High hoped to finish it off in round 4.

Ghana Christian International High School finished it off in the fourth and final round, where they beat Burma Camp JHS by 20 points.

At the end of the competition, the scores read 130 to Ghana Christian International High School and 30 to Burma Camp JHS. Burma Camp were debutants in the competition and it was an extremely impressive feat that they reached the final four. Christian High had reached the final once again and were hoping to emerge victorious for the second consecutive time.

CHRISTIAN HIGH QUALIFY FOR FINAL FOUR OF THE SHARKS QUIZ

After an earlier win in the round of 16 against Osu Home JHS, Ghana Christian International High School faced Tender Care Preparatory School from Wa in the quarter finals of The Sharks Quiz . Christian High were hoping to continue their title defence whilst Tender Care, despite being newcomers, had excelled and performed exceptionally well in the competition. This was undeniably going to be an interesting competition.


By the end of round 1, the defending champions were stunned as their Wa counterparts stormed into a 10 point lead.

Christian High stayed calm and hit back in the second round. They amassed 50 points to their opponents’ 35. The champions were back in the lead. Going into round 3, both schools knew that it would more or less be the decider.

Christian High did the damage in round 3, they ended that round with forty points and their opponents were only able to obtain 10 points . It was as a result of speed, accuracy and teamwork that Christian High were able to overcome the Tender Care team in this round.

In the fourth and final round, the defending champions finished it off by beating their opponents by 10 points. Tender Care ended the contest with 90 points and this was unfortunately not enough to beat the defending champions who had amassed a total of 140 points. The Christian High cheering team was roaring with excitement . Christian High had taken a huge step towards the defence of the trophy and they were through to the semi finals. Tender Care’s impressive campaign, however, had come to an unfortunate end.

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5G?, Really?

Lately there have been a lot of conspiracy theories circulating concerning COVID-19. Of course, even in the midst of this pandemic, people seem to have found a way to misinform thousands of people on various social media platforms about COVID-19. Some say that the virus was made in a lab somewhere, others claim that being able to hold your breath for 10 seconds means that you don’t have the virus, there are also those who say that the virus is actually a marketing scheme by hand sanitizer companies since this pandemic is going in their favour but the story that really caught my attention was one that said that 5G is either causing or accelerating the spread of COVID-19.

This conspiracy theory is generally saying that 5G can suppress the ability of the immune system, thus making more people vulnerable to the virus. They argue that the energy levels of 5G radio waves can disrupt the normal functioning of the human body thereby affecting the immune system. Some of its theorists suggest that the virus is actually transmitted through the use of 5G networks.

Here’s why this theory should not be agreed with;

The energy levels of the 5G radio waves are not very different from its predecessors which have posed no harm in the past years. The radio waves of 5G are on the low frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum making them powerless when compared ultra-violet light and gamma rays which are on the opposite end of the electromagnetic spectrum. 5G radio waves do not have the ability to heat up your body, let alone damage human cells, the entire immune system or transmit a virus.

Have we even taken into consideration the fact that some of countries were the pandemic has affected the most haven’t even launched 5G? Countries like Iran, India, Japan and France haven’t launched 5G networks in their countries. Even a country like the United States of America, which currently has the highest number of cases and deaths, is still preparing to launch and use 5G networks. How then can we say that 5G is the cause or even a catalyst for the spread of the virus?

Scientists have branded this theory as outrageous as well as utter and complete rubbish because there is no evidence or research backing the claims and arguments of the conspiracy theorists. The theory is actually biologically impossible. It has been branded the “worst kind of fake news.

Simply put, the theory just doesn’t make sense. I beleive this article has gone a long way to show the truth to those confused minds out there that were starting to believe the theory is possibly true.

By : Maame Akyaa Osei

THE EFFECT OF CORONAVIRUS ON SPORTS

The novel coronavirus has affected almost every activity under the sun in one way or the other and the world of sports has not been spared. Some of sports’ biggest names have fallen victim to the virus and the pandemic has also had a devastating effect on sport financially. In the subsequent paragraphs, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on sports would be examined.

In the Premier League, the news that Arsenal gaffer Mikel Arteta had tested positive for the virus broke out on the twelfth of March. A day later, it also became known to the general public that Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi had contracted the virus. The premier league’s reaction to this was to postpone all action until the third of April. However, on the nineteenth of March, the Football Association in the United Kingdom announced that the league would be postponed till at least April thirtieth. Both Arteta and Hudson-Odoi have fully recovered but the Premier League season remains on hold. All of Europe’s top leagues have also been postponed till further notice and the Euro 2020 tournament which was due to take place this summer has now been postponed till 2021. La Liga side Valencia announced that 35% of players and staff have tested positive for the virus. Paulo Dybala, Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani of Juventus have also tested positive.

In the NBA, Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant most notably tested positive for the virus on the seventeenth of March. Other NBA players such as Marcus Smart, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchel have tested positive as well. Players of Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers have also tested positive but the teams have opted not to disclose the identities of these players to the general public.

As aforementioned, the pandemic has also had a devastating financial impact from sports. Let us take for instance the postponement of the Olympics. The Independent tells us that television companies paid a total of four billion dollars to televise Rio 2016. India Today also tells us that that Tokyo 2020 Olympics has already generated a record three billion dollars in domestic sponsorship revenue. The magnitude of this amount should tell you something about the financial loss that has been endured due to the festival’s postponement. In football, all clubs will miss out on matchday revenue and pubs and businesses that have been built around sports centers will also be at a loss. Forbes also found that about a fourth of NBA revenue comes from the sale of tickets, a venture which obviously can no longer go on.

It is refreshing to know that the world of sports is doing its part in fighting coronavirus. Heavy weight boxer Conor McGregor recently pledged one million euros worth of protective equipment to Irish hospitals. Premier League giants Manchester United and Manchester City came together to pledge a combined amount of one hundred thousand euros to combat the pandemic. Players of Championship club Leeds United have also agreed to take a pay cut in order for a sum of money to be donated to fighting COVID-19.

All in all, COVID-19 has had a huge and adverse impact on sports. Thankfully, the world of sports is fighting back.



Kofi Anyimadu,
9S

The Corona Virus : From The Students’ Perspective

We are being told to stay at home, washing hands has suddenly become a norm and hand sanitizers are being used as body lotions, this is all because of the novel corona virus. The corona virus disease also known as COVID-19 has taken us all by surprise. Discovered on the 31st of December 2019, this disease has spread faster than almost every disease on earth.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS CHRISTIAN HIGH PROVE THEIR WORTH AGAINST OSU HOME SCHOOL.

It was the 28th of January, 2020 and Christian High School and Osu Home School were gearing up for what would be the sixth competition of The Sharks Quiz. Christian High had the task of defending the previous year’s trophy against the newcomers from Osu Home. It would turn out to be an absolute cracker of a contest.

The first round ended in a stale draw with both sides amassing just thirty points each.

Round 2 ended in a shocking defeat for the defending champions as Osu Home School beat Christian High by fifteen points.

For round 3, the coaches of Christian High saw it fit to introduce Jormi the super sub to change the game. She came to the party, and she came with fire. Christian high put up an amazing round 3 show and beat their opponents by 75 points. The contest was surely beyond Osu Home now, but in competitions you never say die until the bones are rotten.

The Osu Home team needed a 60 point gap in the fourth round to draw level with their contenders. Christian high, of course, did not sit back and watch this happen and they went on to win round 4, obtaining thirty points to their opponents’ five. The champions qualified to the quarter finals as they amassed a total of 150 points whilst Osu Home School got 65 points. Was this the first step in a title defence or simply a positive in an ultimately unsuccessful defence campaign? Tune in to TV3 at 2:30pm on Saturdays to find out.

Osu Home JHS contestants pictured.

By Kofi Anyimadu and Maame Akyaa Osei

THE INTER-HOUSE QUIZ COMPETITION: THE FALL OF THE GIANTS AND THE VICTORIOUS UNDERDOGS

On the morning of 13th March, 2020, the stage was set for the long-awaited inter-house quiz competition. The competition was going to involve the calm, composed and confident House 1, the star-studded giants House 2, the underdogs House 3 and the fighters House 4. ‘Who would emerge victorious?’ was the million-dollar question.

The first contest of the day was between house 2 and house 3. The cheer teams of both houses were solidly behind them and it was time for the contestants to work their magic. After round 1, House 3 had started to pull off a surprise with a 5-point lead. However, it looked like the contest had been upended when House 2 carried the second round with 20 points. House 3 came back to the party by thrashing the House 2 team by 30 points in round 3. House 2 needed to pull off a 20-point victory to advance to the next stage but the House 3 team wasn’t having any of this and they sealed their victory with 10 points. The entire auditorium was in disbelief and the House 2 contestants were gutted as they left the stage. The giants had fallen and the underdogs were emerging.

The second competition was between Houses 1 and 4. This competition was a tight, highly anticipated contest with equally strong teams. At the end of round 1, House 1 was leading with 60 points. It was up to the contestants to keep the fire burning. Round 2 ended with a tie meaning House 4 was catching up. Round 3 made it clear that the victory was definitely not for House 4. As round 4 finished, it was evident that House 1 was definitely an all-round house. This win qualified House 1 to the finals to meet the legendary House 3. This competition was so fiercely contested, it kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time.

The final contest was between confident House 1 and legendary House 3. It proved to be a contest worthy of a final. It was the most anticipated event and the crowd was excited. After round 1, House 1 had accumulated 60 points whilst their counterparts from House 3 had only been able to amass 20 points. The House 1 team had an almost insurmountable lead of 40 points. But if there’s anything we’ve learnt from the earlier contests, it’s not over until it’s over. The House 1 team set out to defend their lead and House 3 geared up to overtake them but their efforts were not enough to catch up with House 1. House 1 took a further step to glory with a 5 point round 2 win. For round 3, House 1 was at their wits end because House 3 was catching up to them. The quizmaster was seemingly prophetic when he declared, “Never say die until the bones are rotten!”. This is simply because the resurgent House 3 side were able to turn the tables by giving their opponents a gap of 35 points in round 3. They were back in the game and it was game on from then on. A magic round 4 display from House 3. With all the zeal in the House 1 contestants lost, that was it. The trophy was for House 3 and the supposed underdogs had emerged victorious.

Let’s take time to acknowledge some outstanding individual performance.

First up is our math goddess, Althea Kermah. Blessed with both speed and accuracy, this math girl’s talent has been applauded by an opposing school’s principal in an inter-school friendly competition. She was awarded at the competition for best in Math.

Next, we have the amazing Sena Ohene who knows all the happenings around the world. He is hopefully taking over from Kofi Anyimadu, an equally good student in this field. It’s interesting how he’s able to retain all this information. Sena was awarded for best in General Knowledge.

Another star goes by the name Shaun Ayivor. He isn’t gifted with speed like Althea but his accuracy is top-notch. Shaun was awarded for being the overall best student.

Let’s not forget another excellent student known by all as Joshua Anglamenga. His performance was unfortunately not appreciated by an award but must be applauded either way. His speed in Science during the quiz was spectacular and accuracy was present to back it up.

Both Shaun and Joshua were in the winning House 3 team and definitely contributed to their win.

Enjoy some pictures from the event

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Authors : Kofi Anyimadu , Francess Opata , Jormi Clive-Plange , Sena Ohene

Editing and Compilation by Maame Akyaa Osei

Sunday Devotion; Question: “What does the Bible mean when it tells us to fear not / do not fear?”

Question: “What does the Bible mean when it tells us to fear not / do not fear?”

Answer: The Bible’s commands to “fear not” are plentiful and occur in a variety of contexts. As God’s people, we are not to be fearful. We have no reason to live in fear.

The Bible often says things like, “Do not fear,” “Do not be afraid,” and “Fear not.” Of course, these commands do not contradict the command to “fear God” (1 Peter 2:17). The fear of God keeps us from sin; the fear of man leads to sin, and that is what we are to avoid: “The fear of man brings a snare” (Proverbs 29:25, NKJV). Also, the biblical command do not fear does not negate the need for prudence and caution in this world. We are not to be cavalier but prayerful in the face of danger.

The fear that the Bible tells us to avoid is concern mixed with anxiety or dread; it is the feeling of alarm we have when we expect trouble or danger. Followers of Christ are not to live in a state of anxiety. We have higher expectations than simply anticipating trouble. In fact, we have the means to rise above fear: “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV).

God’s command to “fear not” is applied in several ways in the Bible. For example, the fear of what other people think should never prevent us from obeying the Lord (see 1 Samuel 15:24; John 9:22). We should not fear lacking provision in this world (Luke 12:6–7). We are not to fear the plans of the wicked, even when they rise to power (Psalm 37:1–2, 9–17, 35–38).

When the Bible tells us, “Do not fear,” it means we are not to allow anxiety or fretfulness to rule our lives or take root in our hearts. We are not to be people of panic. We are to be people of faith.

Having been justified by God, we need not fear divine condemnation (Romans 8:1). Having been chosen by God, we need not fear His rejection (Ephesians 1:4–6; Luke 12:32; Jude 1:24). With Christ as our Shepherd, we need not fear the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4). With the Maker of heaven and earth watching over us, we need not fear anything (Psalm 121).

Psalm 91 speaks of the one who “dwells in the shelter of the Most High” and who says of God, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (verses 1–2). Those who trust in God can live fearlessly: “You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you” (verses 5–7). There is a direct correlation between faith and the confidence to face the dangers of life: “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (verses 9–10). We rest in God’s promise: “‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble’” (verses 14–15).

Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Christ presents two very different results of that miracle. When the angel descended to the tomb and rolled the stone away, “the guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint” (Matthew 28:4, NLT). The angel let them lie there. But later, the angel spoke to the women who visited the tomb: “Don’t be afraid! . . . I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead” (verses 5–6, NLT). With one group, God takes away their fear; with the other group, He allows fear to overwhelm them. The difference was one of belief versus unbelief.

Recommended Resource: Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear by Max Lucado

More insights from your Bible study – Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

AFRICAN DAY – 2020

Another exciting event on campus GCIHS, on the 6th of March we saw the true colors of Africa.

From Clothing: Kente, Bakatari, Djellaba (not “Djarabia”), Kanzu and Kanga (Swahili), Madiba Shirt (South Africa), Kaftan (Senegal), Dashiki (West Africa), Guayabera (Zimbabwe).
To Language: Swahili (East Africa), Amharic (Ethiopia), Yoruba (Nigeria and other parts of West Africa), Oromo (Horn of Africa), Hausa (Nigeria and other parts of West Africa), Zulu (South Africa), Shona (Zimbabawe), Arabic (Africa), Akan (Ghana), Ewe (Ghana), Ga (Ghana).
To Festivals: Ouidah Voodoo (Benin), Gerewol (Chad), Aboakyir (Ghana), Hogbetsotso (Ghana), Fêtes des Masques (Ivory Coast), Festival of the Dhow countries (Zanzibar), Timkat (Ethiopia). You can download the pictures below………….. Our well dressed personalities for the day were Eunice and Isaac…Do you agree ? Let us know your thoughts in the comments session.

THE BEAUTY OF AFRICA

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Congratulations Eunice…..You nailed it

Congratulations Isaac….You were on point.