Religion of Monday, 26 September 2016

Source: GNA

Don't accumulate wealth, while others suffer - Rev. Anaba

Reverend Eastwood Anaba, President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries Reverend Eastwood Anaba, President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries

The Reverend Eastwood Anaba, the President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries, has urged Christians to use their resources to save lives as demonstrated in the story of the ‘Good Samaritan’, as told by Jesus Christ.

He said it was ungodly for any Christian or church to accumulate wealth and live in opulence, while people were committing suicide, dying from curable diseases, dropping out of school, going to bed hungry or committing sins because of poverty.

Rev Anaba was delivering a sermon on the theme: “The Supreme Jesus; The Love Revolution”, at the Trinity Baptist Church, in Accra, to mark the end of the Church’s Integrity Conference.

The five-day conference is marked annually for Christians to reaffirm their commitment to serve God and mankind with integrity.

Rev. Anaba said the expression of love through good works must characterise Christianity, hence Jesus’ summary of the 10 Commandments into loving God absolutely and loving one’s neighbour as one’s self; explaining that both principles were placed on an equal pedestal.

However, he said, it was evident in today’s society that the fellow-feeling of the early Christians had virtually eroded, while self-centeredness and wickedness were taking root in Christendom.

“Christians today neglect the sufferings and the misery of the people around them and boast of their riches fat bank accounts,” he said. “How can you push away those who need you and turn around to raise those hands to praise God?

“If your riches are not in action for good works, then you are actually poor because you are not solving the problems that Christians are mandated to address.”

Rev Anaba said attending to the needs of fellow being was more important than attending to God’s because while human beings needed one another to thrive; God didn’t need anyone to survive.

That was why, he said, in the parable of “Sheep and Goats”, which relates to the Judgement Day, Jesus explained that showing compassion for the sick, the hungry and the prisoner was akin to attending to His needs.

He urged Christians to, therefore, be industrious so that they could have the wherewithal to engage in compassionate activities.

The Integrity Conference was also addressed by Pastor Agu Irukwu, the Senior Pastor of the Jesus House, United Kingdom, Pastor Kingsley Appiagyei, the founding Pastor of TBC and Dr Mensa Otabil, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church.