Frontline Ghanaian preacher and university founder, Dr Mensa Otabil has said many African preachers manufacture heresy while preaching. He also expressed great concern about how the church is being run in Africa.Otabil founded International Central Gospel Church headquartered in Accra, Ghana. He is also the founder and Chancellor of Central University College, and CEO of Otabil and Associates.He chided African preachers in a recent message sighted online by Church Times .
Heresy is preached boldly
He said, “In Africa, we preach heresy freely and boldly. African preachers manufacture heresy. While preaching he is manufacturing heresy and people are eating it because they don’t know anything.”
According to him, “One of the biggest challenges of the African Church is that church leaders do not know it’s not their church. They will say I sweated, I sowed seeds, I worked hard. When I heard the call where were you?”
Otabil said however that the question should be: “When you did not hear the call, where were you?
The call is the same
He added, “The one who called you is the same person who called the members. We were all called. We all belong to the called assembly.”
Sounding a note of warning to African pastors he said, “Pastors, the church is not yours and the people are not yours. The one who called you also called your members.”
Know about Jesus
Otabil observed further, “If Jesus is the one who built the church, is it not reasonable that we know a lot about Jesus? We must cleanse the African church and ensure it is a good custodian of the mystery of Christ for the Next Generation.
“It is His church. You are members of His body. He is the head of the body. And in the body of Christ, it is not as if the pastors are under the head of Christ after which comes the members. We are all members.”
While noting that God gives special gifts to some people to do special things, he said, “It does not make them owners of the body.”
No class distinction
He expressed disgust at the way the Church in Africa creates a class distinction between those on the pulpit and those on the pew.
His words, “The fact that I am standing on the pulpit and preaching does not make me superior to the members of the church.
“Christianity is not about barriers. That is Israel. Jesus says I will build my church.” adding, “If we function the way he wants us to function, nothing can stop us.”
We are grace mates
Otabil also expressed concern about some of the statements emanating from the pulpits such as, “We may be age mates, we are not grace mates”
He said, “I don’t even know what that means. How were you saved? By grace, how was I saved? By grace? We are grace mates.
“The Church in Africa created barriers because the African society likes barriers. We live in a hierarchical society where power must be concentrated at the top and hammered down on everybody.
“So, when we become Christians, we allow our culture to undermine what Christ is building. And if we don’t build the way Christ wants us to build, we will be like Israel with great promise yet going into captivity.”
Need driven church
He also noted that the church in Africa has become driven by need and not love for Christ. “Because of too much need and poverty, our ministry is now becoming need-based.”He said.
While we minister to people’s needs, Otabil said, “They must know doctrine. They must know who God is. They must know why we believe in the Trinity.
“They must know why we believe in Jesus. They must know the foundations of our faith. It can’t always be about receive, receive, and receive. We must also teach sound doctrine.”
Read also: Having pastors’ pictures in your home for purpose of miracle is idolatry-Otabil: https://churchtimesnigeria.net/pastors-pictures-homes-idolatry-otabil/
Pollution
Christianity Otabil’s estimation “will not die in Africa because people resisted us but because we polluted it so much that it is no longer Christianity.
“We preach it. But it is not Christianity. There is no historical faith there. There is no doctrine there. It’s all theatre and gymnastics going on. We can fill a large auditorium but it will not be Christianity.”
Make Christ the focus
He counseled church leaders to make Christ the centre of their message. “Teach his ways, teach his life, teach his humility. Teach the way he loves people.” He said.
He recalled that while he was growing up as a young Christian in the early 70s he did not know there were pastors because people were called brothers and sisters.
“I didn’t know people bear pastors then not to talk of bishops. We called each other brothers and sisters. And we were not thieves. We loved Jesus. We studied the Bible. People spent time in the presence of God. We did not spend time praying for money and wealth.”