Nii Laryea Afote-Agbo, Greater Accra Regional Minister, says grooming the youth in the word of God was one way of ensuring a lawful society. "A high sense of discipline, a sympathetic and caring nature and the zeal to do the right thing are all borne of good grooming, which is derived from the word of God."
The Minister said this in Accra on Sunday, at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Deliverance Assemblies of God Church.
"Let us raise our children in the fear of God. When they have their values based in Godliness, they would be able to withstand trials and temptations which could mar their lives," he said.
The Greater Accra Minister said a country which was largely made up of God-fearing people would definitely build a disciplined society.
He congratulated the church for her achievement and expressed the hope that it would continue to impact positively on young people, as well as the society as a whole, for the progress of the nation.
In his sermon on, "Celebrating the Faithfulness of God," Rev. Dr. Ato Bentil, National Treasurer of the Assemblies of God Church-Ghana, said despite the humble beginningsĀ of the church, it had been able to reach great heights after 30 years.
He encouraged people not to feel discouraged by their circumstances, but to strive to achieve their goals.
"There is often a lot more potential in people than they could immediately acknowledge. What is needed is to have faith in God," he said. Rev. Bentil said the principle of reaping only what one had sown always held in this world, and urged people to work hard towards achieving their aims all the time.
The Senior Pastor of the Church, Rev. Delali Bodza, said the vision of the church was to empower young people with leadership skills, which would help them grow into more useful citizens.
"A good leader is master of himself, and is capable of effectively guiding people in areas where he has already mastered," he said.
Rev. Bodza urged churches and other religious bodies to remain neutral as the country approached Election 2012.
He said since these churches served as checks on the society, aligning themselves to political parties compromised their integrity, and adversely affected the society.