The Youth Ministry Director of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Ebenezer Hagan, has advised Christian youth to prioritise God’s interest over their personal interest.
Pastor Hagan said this during the dedication ceremony for the church building of the Takoradi Technical University (TTU) branch of the Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) on Sunday, May 15, 2022.
In his sermon, which had 1 Chronicles 17:1-2 and Philippians 2:19-21 as his key Bible texts, the Youth Director expressed the concern that individualism, where people seek their own interest and not that of others or God, has become prevalent in the contemporary world.
He noted that David was not just satisfied with having a luxurious palace, but chose to pursue the interest of God by conceiving the idea to put up a suitable house for the Lord.
According to Pastor Hagan, to look out for the interest of God is to think about the things of God, show concern about the things of God, and defend the cause of God.
He added that David is one of the kings of Israel who continually looked for the interest of God. He said David did this by bringing back the ark of God after it was captured, always desiring to please God, deciding to build a house of God and giving huge offering to build the house of God even after he was told that he was not the one to build the temple.
Quoting Philippians 2:21, the Youth Director further noted that although Apostle Paul had so many people around him whom he worked with, it was only Timothy who demonstrated a genuine concern for the things of Christ.
“Unlike Timothy, many people look for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Pastor Hagan revealed that those who seek the interest of God obtain favour from Him.
“While David was after the interest of God, God was also after the interest of David. So God sent the Prophet Nathan back to David to tell him that God has promised to make his name famous and give him a lasting dynasty,” he said.
The Youth Director ended his message by urging Christian youth to commit themselves to the things of God like David and Timothy. He advised them to always bear in mind that they serve a Good God and He is moved and touched whenever His children seek His interest.
Pastor Hagan also urged them to be creative and innovative in promoting the interest of God, and to see to it that every asset (property) of the Lord, including the new PENSA-TTU church building, is taken good care of.
Report by Pastor Emmanuel Opoku Mensah (PENSA Travelling Secretary for Takoradi Sector)