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The General overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, Dr Mensa Otabil, has charged Christians to guard against the danger of abandoning the message of the gospel of Christ as they become preoccupied with their breakthroughs and the blessings of God on their lives.
Explaining what he describes as a heavy burden on his heart, Dr Otabil prayed and hoped that Christians all over the world would consider and take up the charge of propagating the gospel of Christ in its entirety without losing any aspect of it.
He lamented the materialistic nature of the Church in Africa lately which he says is causing them to miss the real reason behind their salvation.
In a 39th anniversary message to members of his church, Otabil was gravely concerned that though the church in “Africa has grown wide”, it is “not deep” – its theology is not deep, its faith is not deep and the commitment of the people is not deep.”
He said, “beyond their own needs, there’s no further commitment”.
The pastor cautioned against the risk of losing “the fragment (the message) if we progressed” in that manner.
He attributes the phenomenon to “people embracing Christianity simply as a means to survive the horrors of the African reality – of failed governments, disappointments – and the Church has been our hope”, he added.
Dr Mensa Otabil is concerned that, today, people only go to church “to pray for daily bread, breakthroughs, to pray for this and that, husbands, wives and children – and that has been our pre-occupation” to the extent that, the need to pursue the course of preaching the gospel is pushed to the back burner.
He describes Christianity in the world today as “both hopeful and depressing”.
That’s because, according to him, continents such as Europe which brought the message of the gospel to Africa have abandoned it. Same is said of Asia-minor, Jerusalem and Samaria.
‘‘The danger is, will we (Africa) also abandon the message of the gospel?” he quizzed.
To avert same fate, Otabil enjoined Christians to be committed as a church and grow in deepening their faith in God so that, nothing (no aspect of the message of the gospel) may be lost.
Also because “not just to meet their needs but to entrench God’s purpose for the salvation of the human race’’.
Referencing for emulation, the sacrifices and commitment of the early Christians in their bid to spread the gospel, Otabil urged Christians of today, particularly those of his ICGC assembly not to take for granted the battles endured by the early Christians.
According to him, “some of them were brutally treated, some were killed and others were beheaded”.
He quizzed whether the gospel would have reached Africa today, assuming those Christians had relaxed and just enjoyed their moments with Christ.
Dr Otabil acknowledged how herculean it has been to preach Christ for the last 2000 years.
In spite of that, the early Christians held on to the message of the gospel so that it could reach this far.
That he said is worth emulating else we risk experiencing a very ‘dark’ age in our history as people.
He is convinced that “Africa is the hope of the world – in so many ways – not just economically, but spiritually as well. It is now the cradle of the Christian faith”.
The pastor prayed that the ICGC will grow deeper in the things of God.
He also prayed that pastors will not succumb to the pressure of their congregants asking for only their needs to be met.
Instead, they would nourish them with the rich word of God – the theology to enable them to grow their faith, otherwise, they as pastors may lose all of them eventually.
International Central Gospel Church was birthed on February 26, 1984, in Accra by Pastor Mensa Otabil. The Church currently has scores of branches across the country.
It will turn 40 years in 2024.
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