THERE was a little village called Oshogun on the banks of the Niger River in Africa and at the time in which our story begins, it was a very sad village. The Foulah — a dreaded man-stealing tribe — had made a surprise raid upon the village and had taken a number of captives. Among these were a young boy named Adjai, his sister, and some of his relatives. They were taken to the coast — Adjai and his sister to be slaves of the chief of the Foulatah and the others to be slaves of another master. Adjai was sold again and again until he was separated from his sister. He was so miserable that he wanted to die. Finally, he was put in the dark, dirty, crowded hold of a slave ship.
Poor Adjai! How awful it is to be alone, a captive with an uncertain but certainly frightening future. Such is the sinner “without God and without hope". But Adjai did not know that God loved him and that He had already prepared a way of deliverance for him. Before long a British warship captured the slave ship and Adjai was free!
Adjai was given into the care of some missionaries in Sierra Leone. They clothed and fed him and told him about the Lord Jesus Christ who died and shed His blood to save man from the slavery of sin. Adjai believed what he heard, and was truly “born again.”
As a man Adjai, now known as Samuel Adjai Crowther, returned to his people to preach the gospel.
As the light of the gospel began to be spread in that dark land, so long under the power of Satan, souls began to be drawn to Christ.
But Satan, the enemy of souls, is always ready to resist the work of the Spirit of God. Soon the believers began to suffer persecution. Their persecutors promised them wonderful things if they would turn away from Jesus; but they refused. Threats of dreadful punishment did not stop them from confessing Jesus as Lord. While in prison, one of the believers made the following reply to his persecutors: “I never refused to perform my duty; but as for turning back to heathen worship, that is out of my power. Jesus has taken charge of my heart, and padlocked it, and the key is with Him.”
Thus Adjai and his fellow believers had found that it was better to be redeemed by the precious blood of Christ than to be slaves of sin and Satan. Adjai lived through many dangers to tell others of salvation through the death and blood of God’s beloved Son, his Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you trusted in Him?
ML-05/28/1972