Let truth guide your actions — Methodist Minister

A superintendent minister of The Methodist Church Ghana, Very Rev. E. A. N. Archer, has called on Ghanaians, especially political actors, to let the truth of God guide their actions.

He stressed the need for all to desist from indulging in falsehood, selfishness and greed.

Rev. Archer, who is the Superintendent Minister of the Tema Circuit of the church, gave the admonition when he delivered the sermon last Sunday at the Calvary Methodist Society, Community Three, Tema on the theme: “Will you also go away?”

He said even as people sought political power or other positions to serve the nation, “we should bear in mind that any political power or positions obtained without the truth of God could become a curse”.

He stressed that believing in God even in difficult times, empowered us to live a life acceptable unto God.

Commitment

On the theme for the sermon, Very Rev. Archer stated that “Will you also go away?”, as Jesus asked his apostles, was a call to commitment and spiritual renewal.

He said commitment was the application of one’s total resources to the service of God and also whatever purpose one was called to pursue.

The call to commitment again, according to Very Rev. Archer, was deepened by one’s action or good reflection of God’s love to mankind in times past. As Christians and indeed as God’s creation, he said the call was a reminder not to lean on our own understanding but to trust in all His ways so as to fulfil God’s call to service.

Very Rev. Archer recommended to all the faithful to read Proverbs chapter three and made specific reference to verses five and six which read: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

Truth is virtue

He said unfortunately, most leaders, such as politicians and members of the clergy, did not regard the truth as a virtue, and urged Ghanaians to endeavour to live “a life towards the future with a firm understanding of the truth of God even as we reflect on the past”.

“If we don’t uphold the truth in our dealings with the people we supervise, rule or worship, we will neither prosper nor achieve anything meaningful,” he said, adding that “we cannot cheat God as truth will surely triumph over evil and everything”.

He said people left their churches for a lack of basic understanding of the spiritual reality.

Very Rev. Archer failed to understand why Christians continued to allow the word of God to disturb their comfort zone and reasoning and said the only reason that accounted for this was that ‘‘man wants to hear only what pleases him’’.

He, therefore, appealed to Christians to reassess and rededicate themselves to the teachings of Jesus Christ, pointing out that if we continued to live in ignorance, we would lose the essence of our calling as Christians.

He also advised Christians who out of arrogance and annoyance left the churches as a result of misunderstanding between them and the pastors, church leaders or members, to always place the word of God first before all other considerations, stressing that ‘‘the Church does not belong to any individual but God’s vineyard.’’