Otabil Crosses Over

Pastor Mensah Otabil is a leading Ghanaian clergy.

Posted On: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday January 3, 2012.
Pastor Mensah Otabil, General Overseer of International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), says the abundance of gold, other mineral resources and the oil discovery may not necessarily guarantee prosperity for the nation.

He said it is living in purity as a people that would propel the nation into prosperity.

Pastor Otabil, who is also the Chancellor of Central University College (CUC), one of the fast-growing tertiary institutions, was speaking at a watch night worship service dubbed ‘Crossover’ held at the Accra Sports Stadium to usher in 2012.

Pastor Otabil said there is too much wrongdoing in the society – corruption and breaking of the law – and that if only Ghanaians will repent and live pure lives, the nation will not require foreign aid to become prosperous.

He predicted that Ghana will go through peaceful elections in the 2012, so that people will appreciate the work of God.

“People are worried about the elections of Ghana; I think we’re going to have a very, very peaceful election. It’s going to be so peaceful we will be looking round and say ‘what is happening, it’s too peaceful.’ God is giving this country peace.

“Our nation Ghana and its neighbours in Africa have struggled for years to build successful, economically viable nations but you and I know that it’s been a very difficult process, and there are many reasons to give for that but I think at the root, or one of the key problems that we have is that there is too much of wrongdoing in all of us – corruption in all of us, there is too much breaking of the law with all of us. If each one of us here live pure, Ghana will be turned around in one year.

“If each African decides to be honest, to be fair, to be kind, to be generous, if every worker decides they are not going to take a bribe, and every businessman decides they are not going to pay a bribe, and each one of us decides we are going to do our work honestly, we don’t need any foreign aid, we will be able to build our own country.”

“All of us want to see God. A pure heart is the heart that sees God. If you want to see God in 2012, then the condition of your heart must be right. A pure heart is a heart that is cleansed from sin. A pure heart is a heart that is in union with God, and Jesus said that those who have a pure heart are blessed, and not only are they blessed, they will see God,” he said.

“Before you do something ask yourself these questions – it is true, is it noble, is it just, is it pure, is it lovely, is it virtuous. When you are talking to somebody ask yourself ‘I’m I telling the truth… If all of us lie to one another, we become a nation of liars and that is not beautiful.

We can have oil, we can have diamond, we can have gold, we can have everything we want those commodities do not build a nation, it is the character of the people that builds a nation. Oil is useless if we don’t have a noble character to manage the oil that God has given to us. We can discover all the oil we want in the world , we can have the oil of Saudi Arabia but if we steal all the money, there will be nothing to benefit anybody.”

Events leading to the programme were not the best for the Christian community as the venue used by ICG for decades was being threatened to be taken over by the National Security and given to another influential man-of-God, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams of the Action Chapel International (ACI).

National Security sources had corroborated reports that though Pastor Otabil had booked for the Independence Square and paid for the venue some five months ago, the government has taken over the venue and given it to Duncan-Williams, who was also happy about it and busily advertising to use the place for his church’s end-of-year watch night.

Apart from the attempted take-over, Archbishop Duncan-Williams also named his 31st December service ‘Passover’, quite similar to Pastor Otabil’s annual ‘Crossover’ theme.

Eventually, it was media coverage of the unfolding events that compelled Archbishop Duncan-Williams to withdraw from the use of the Independence Square for the ‘Passover’.

However, a statement issued from the Office of the General Overseer of the Church, indicating it was withdrawing from the Independence Square had said the decision of ACI to use the Independence Square to pray for the nation with a message of “2012: Year of Divine Providence--No Violence” seems to have led to unfortunate misrepresentations in the media.

“Amongst some of the regrettable comments that have been made is an impression that has been created that it would be better for another Church to use the Independence Square for a car park on the night of 31st December, than for ACI to use it for its watch night service,” the statement signed by Archbishop Duncan-Williams had said.

“In view of these misrepresentations and in order to ensure peace and harmony in the body of Christ and amongst Christian brethren, the Archbishop of ACI has decided that the Church should relocate its 31st December 2011 Passover Service from the Independence Square.”