The Youth Ministry Director of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Ebenezer Hagan, has charged young people to make a conscious effort to study the Word of God and keep it in their hearts.
Apostle Hagan made this statement on Saturday, December 2, 2023, when he addressed quiz contestants, supporters, and youth workers during the grand finale of this year’s National Youth Quiz Competition (NYQC) at PIWC-Asokwa.
In a brief exhortation, the Youth Director emphasised the need for young people to always feed on the Word of God for greater exploits.
He explained that the rationale behind the quiz competition is to help young people get closer to their Bibles.
“It’s likely that you may have read over a passage of scripture several times. That’s why we begin the competition at the local level to encourage many young people to begin reading the books we publish each year. For me, the joy I have is that, to be at this level means one may have read a passage of scripture as many times as one deems necessary, and that’s how God’s word gets to us,” he remarked.
Directing his attention to the contestants drawn from 16 areas of the Church, Apostle Hagan shared his experiences while serving as an Area Youth Leader in Tamale and as a District Pastor in Nyankpala years ago.
He revealed that preparing his candidates for the quiz at that time gave him the opportunity to read and meditate on some of Paul’s letters, particularly the one he wrote to the Philippians, since that was what his candidates were studying at that time.
He reminisced on how Apostle Paul’s view on the fact that the gospel being preached out of goodwill as well as for selfish interest by some for the sake of their stomachs was a joy to him and ushered him into a broader sense of understanding God’s word.
“Though his joy was that the gospel was being preached, juxtaposing it to the life and ministry of his son Timothy brought greater joy to him, and this is seen in how Apostle Paul commended Timothy’s resolute to preach the gospel out of goodwill,” he said.
He further stated that: “Timothy had proved himself to Apostle Paul as a son who stayed true to the faith. As a son serves a Father, so has Timothy been with him, having the interest of Christ at heart.”
“This portion of scripture he stumbled on while training his candidates for the quiz has really made inroads into my life and ministry and most of my sermons too,” he explained.
Apostle Hagan opined that the journey of competing in the quiz ensures that the word of God sticks in the individual for the rest of their lives, adding that: “With the word of God in you, it activates your ability to hear God when He speaks to you and through you. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through scriptures. At times, the scriptures will play through your mind, and the Spirit of God may speak to you at that time.”
He further revealed that to contest in the Youth Quiz brings a lot of good, and the bigger reward is the nourishing grace that God brings one through the constant study of the scriptures.
The Youth Director recounted how he met a Muslim who boasted about being able to finish reading the Gideon’s International New Testament Bible, saying: “The focus is not really to finish reading it, but it’s how the word of God gets into you.”
He further stated that the ultimate objective of leadership is to see the scriptures being recited by the contestants come alive.
“We want to see the life in it. That you’re having intimacy with God through His word and not just being in a hurry to finish reciting it in order to accrue high marks because it’s a contest. We want you to see the life in God’s word and enjoy yourself as you recite it,” he urged.
He further noted that it is a good thing to read God’s word repeatedly as it aids retention and has a transforming effect on the individual.
“The word of God can be likened to a seed. Allow it to grow. Don’t just recite it,” he stressed.
Report by NYQC Editorial Team
