Rev Offei Boateng
Minister in charge of Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Trinity Congregation in Takoradi, Rev Alexander Offei Boateng, has cautioned Ghanaians to beware of false prophets and pastors, who demand money and other possessions from their followers before addressing their challenges.
He indicated that there were some people who called themselves men of God but had resorted to exploiting people, saying “they have stuck to demanding money and this is fraud which is very bad”.
He pointed out that when Jesus came to the world, he preached the word to people and prophesied but did not collect money from anybody, adding “he did it freely for everybody so we the men of God should do same”.
He, therefore, called on prophets to desist from collecting money from unsuspecting people and giving them false prophecies. He stressed “if God has not spoken to you or given you a message for anybody, don’t force yourself or else you bring curses upon your life”.
Rev Offei Boateng, who is also the District Minister of the Presbyterian Church in Takoradi, revealed this to DAILY GUIDE in an interview during an outdoor evangelism programme organized as part of activities marking the 90th anniversary celebration of the church.
The church members went on procession through the principal streets of Takoradi amidst brass-band music and distributed materials containing God’s word to the people.
He mentioned that sharing the word of God with one another and distributing Bibles to people was the most important prophecy men of God should engage themselves in.
He indicated that if men of God were able to bring positive changes in the lives of people through the word of God or prophesy truthfully, they would not need to demand money but the people themselves would see the need to support their ministries.
He asked Christians to pray ceaselessly and seek the direction of God and the Holy Spirit during tribulations.
Eric Bruce – Amartey Jnr who is in charge of the Publicity and Publications sub-Committee of the 90th Anniversary Planning Committee noted that the act of evangelism had been a key ingredient in the growth of the Trinity Presbyterian Church.
He contended that in a world that was becoming increasingly more complex, secular-minded and technologically advanced, Christians ought to be encouraged to heed to the clarion call to go out and preach the gospel.
He asserted that Christianity was about sharing the good news of salvation, forgiveness and grace.
According to him, beyond commemorating the 90th anniversary of the church, the programme was also about consciously building the mentality of the membership of the church that evangelism was not just about teaching people the truth.
“But it is also about showing them the love of Christ through words, deeds and creating an environment where people can see what it means to be a follower of Christ,” he opined.
He took the opportunity to admonish politicians to stop politicising the scandals that had rocked some banking institutions in Ghana.
He appealed to politicians not to allow their emotions to override your judgement and reasoning.
“Instead of being quick to take stands, be it religious, political or ethnic, support the Bank of Ghana and the nation to rid the financial sector of charlatans parading themselves as bankers in order to protect public funds”, he admonished Ghanaians.
Kwaku Nyarko Addo – Chairman of the finance sub-committee of the 90th Anniversary Planning Committee opined that the evangelism programme would also help Christians to better grasp the central and underpinning truths of God’s word.
He therefore admonished all well-meaning Christians to take evangelism seriously.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi