Pastor Mensa Otabil, General Overseer, International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) says the 2020 Crossover Service of the Church, which is slated for December 31st, will be held virtually.
“Because of the situation we are in, the crossover will be virtually virtual; that means the largest number of people will watch us online and on TV but we will also have in-person, we know that some of you will want to still come in-person, and we will make room for that,” he stated in his homily on Sunday at the ICGC Christ Temple Auditorium, Abossey Okai, Accra.
“As you know there will be very limited capacity both in the auditorium and in the surrounding spaces.”
He noted that the virtual crossover service would be held at the ICGC Christ Temple, Abossey Okai, Accra.
He expressed the hope that next year they would be able to go back to the Independence Square, where they usually had their Crossover Services without all the limitations they had now.
He said ICGC's theme for the year 2021 was “Fruitfulness”, declaring that “We are going to be fruitful in the land. The Lord will make us fruitful. The Lord will prosper us. And the Lord will cause us to be abounding in all good things.”
Dr Otabil speaking on the topic “How to build in 2021” challenged his congregants to set goals and to have a vision for the next year and to do something great and purposeful with their lives.
Quoting from the Bible, he said “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him.”
He said Jesus spoke this parable about what was required of his disciples; stating that the main message of this parable of Jesus was “full commitment”.
He said Jesus in his teachings about how to show commitment in Christian living, taught timeless principles that apply to other areas of human lives.
Dr Otabil urged Christians to commit to doing something specific in 2021.
“In a year of fruitfulness, how should we plan our lives? How do we face the next year? Sometimes people will say well, because of how turbulent 2020 has been, I am not even going to make any attempt to plan.”
He said it was important to plan because it was only in turbulence that one's plan became very effective.
“It is almost like a sea pilot, who is piloting a ship when he is piloting a ship, the ship is on turbulent waters, there are storms, there are waves, the pilot of the ship cannot say all because of the turbulence of the waves, I am not going to steer this ship again,” he said.
“It is because of the turbulence that you need to steer the ship, so because we live in uncertain times, you cannot predict what each year comes, you have to be purposeful about our lives because that is the only way we deal with the turbulence that comes to us.”
He mentioned four essential steps for attaining one's plan or vision in life.
Firstly, for one to be fruitful, one must decide what he/she wants to do; stating that “This is where we all start. You start with a decision. You start with what you have. You start with what you want. You start with how you want things to end up with you.”
He said for one to be able to do that, one had to imagine how 2021 would look like and how the things that one wants would look like?
Secondly, he mentioned that one must intend to make it happen – be intentional about one's choices in life.
Thirdly, one must count the cost for executing the plan; adding that “Assess if I have what is needed and mobilise what is needed. Go round and find ways to build capacities to fulfil your vision.”
For the fourth step, Dr Otabil said: “I must build it to completion – work and keep working.”
“We must continue working when things are going well, we must continue working when things are hard. We must continue working when people encourage us, we must continue working when people discourage us. We must continue working when we feel on top; we must continue working when we feel so low.”
He said that if one wanted to be fruitful and build that tower, one must keep working on it.
“You must stay on course till the vision becomes a reality,” he said.
—GNA
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