Break the barriers of stagnation : Otabil urges Christians
The General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, Pastor Mensa Otabil, has challenged Christians to break out of cycles of limitation and stretch to unprecedented levels of achievement.
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Pastor Otabil, who is also the convener of the annual Greater Works Conference, was speaking to thousands of participants at the just ended 2016 edition of the conference.
He used the thought-provoking session to charge all in attendance to stretch beyond their current capacities and abilities and press beyond barriers unto greater heights in life.
"In life, you can be stuck at the same place for years. You are stuck when everything you do becomes routine and repetitive with no improvement.
You may hate it and yet you find yourself remaining there," Pastor Otabil remarked.
He recounted how, over the years, he had made deliberate choices to break out of repetitive moulds and stages on the road of life. He used examples in transport and housing to demonstrate how the individual can progressively decide to overcome hurdles at every stage and move unto higher levels of living.
"The key to making a change is to be angry at the stagnation in your life. Until you determine that 'enough is enough' you will give excuses for your poverty and stagnation," he said to the audience.
He established that the time was right for the Church, both as individuals and a collective to rise up to take its place and play its role of influencing society for God’s glory. "Breaking barriers in life is deliberate and intentional. You have to determine to stretch to the next level," he concluded.
The Greater Works Conference is organised annually by the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) to seek God's face and receive power to influence society with the principles of Christ.
It is preceded by a 30-day fast that brings together the hundreds of branches of church in Africa, Europe, North America and Australia.
This year's conference was held on the theme “Influencing the Nations.” The tens of thousands of participants who thronged the Independence Square were treated to uplifting praise and worship and inspirational music from various choirs from individual assemblies of the church.
The headline musical performances were by the Accra Symphony Orchestra and Lumina, who thrilled the audience with a fusion of classical compositions and other genres of music.
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo from Kingsway International Christian Centre in the United Kingdom spoke on "Thirty reasons why you should own your own company.”
The televangelist and broadcast magnate, enumerated the benefits of entrepreneurship as a Christian and the leverage it gave in a world where influence vested in those who possessed wealth and capital.
Bishop Mike Okonkwo of Nigeria took his turn to challenge Christians to emulate the example of Christ and let their righteous living influence the world for good.
He said that it was regrettable that Christians had entangled themselves in guilt, fear and doubt, instead of being bold and walking in the finished work of Christ.
He challenged the Church to rise out of mediocrity, by putting on its royal apparel and taking its rightful place as the light and salt of the world.
Bishop Tudor Bismark from Zimbabwe, exhorted participants and passionately spoke about Africa’s potential to rise out of darkness and be the leading light of the world. This hope he shared, would only be realised if the Church in Africa rises and takes the helm of affairs in all spheres of life.
The Greater Works 2016 conference climaxed with a call to participants to go out there and do greater works in their workplaces and communities.
Participants described this year's event as a truly historic and memorable one.