The Kaneshie Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Mike Kwame Etrue, has called on Christians to make every effort to always uphold integrity in their private and public lives since it is required of them to be different.
According to him, the world is in dire need of people with integrity to transform the society, and that Christians cannot but to manifest the values and principles of God to brighten every place they find themselves, being the Salt and the Light of the world.
Apostle Mike Etrue, who is also an Executive Council Member of the church, said this in a presentation on the topic, “Living a Life of Integrity as a Christian” at the Greater Accra Regional session of the 2021 Ministers and Wives’ Conference on Thursday, January 28, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.
Taking his key Bible reading from Proverbs 10:9 (People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed), Apostle Etrue explained integrity as “wholeness, perfection, soundness, simplicity, completeness and sincerity.”
He indicated that Daniel excelled in his public life and was able to work under five successive regimes due to his high level of integrity (Daniel 6:3-5). According to him, though Daniel was very prayerful, what helped him most was his integrity. “Right from the beginning, Daniel set the boundaries and decided not to defy himself with anything ungodly,” he stated, while calling on ministers of the gospel to be people of high integrity with no questionable character.
Apostle Etrue pointed out that living a life of integrity as Christians is a must, non-negotiable, saying, “You can’t dodge it.”
He added: “Our generation critically needs leaders with integrity – people who cannot be bought, will not compromise with wrong, will walk the talk, and will be completely honest in small things as in great things.
“Unfortunately, integrity seems to be a critical aspect of leadership which are mostly found wanting, both in the church and society. God expects us to stand out and be counted as a people who do not yield to corrupt practices but always upholding ethical values in every area of our lives – at home, in the workplace and in the church.”
He charged believers to uphold high moral uprightness, hold themselves to ethical standards, eschew corruption, maintain a pure conscience before God and man, have no hidden agenda in their actions, do things without prioritising personal gain, live above reproach, and be consistent in their character, saying, “When integrity is upheld, when we pray revival will come and things will begin to change in the church.”
Reading from 1 Samuel 9:5-6, where Prophet Samuel passed the integrity test, he challenged ministers of the gospel and their wives and Christians in general to put themselves on the integrity level scale by subjecting themselves to self-assessment to know the perception of the people about them.
He gave some pointers to help believers to live a life of integrity. These include, obeying the word of God since the Lord detests lying lips (2 Corinthians 8:21; 1 Peter 2:12), abiding by the principles of God (fearing God and keeping His commandment), avoiding hypocrisy like the Pharisees which Jesus spoke against, and know that every action of theirs will be judged by God.
“Revival comes with greater level of integrity. When we lack integrity, we can pray for a whole day and we will never get the revival we so wish,” he concluded.
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