By Isaac Arkoh Cape Coast, April 27, GNA – Pastor Dr Mensah Otabil, General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), has advised Christians against the creeping culture of idolizing pastors as so-called “church god,” anointing oil and altars in worship. He stressed that the one true God of all creation was universal and could not be localised in any particular church, idolized or confined to any particular man God, church, or human figure, labelling such practices as “false doctrine.” Speaking at the consecration of the ICGC Exalted Temple at Abura in Cape Coast, Dr Otabil clarified the biblical meaning of the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” He explained that those titles referred to the one true God who made a covenant with the patriarchs based on faith and obedience. To him, ministers of God or Christians seeking personal fame by likening themselves to these biblical figures without fulfilling the spiritual prerequisites were misleading and unfortunate. He described as “strange” the practice lately where some junior pastors of some churches gave senior pastors a kind of spiritual authority and grace that should belong only to God. The practice, he said, appeared to have created the worship of human leaders instead of worshipping God alone, which distorted true Christian faith and practice. While calling on Christians to do more self-introspection and realignment with biblical faith to avoid practices that could lead to doctrinal errors or spiritual excesses, he questioned the notion of Altars. He said the trend where altars were treated as if they possessed special divine power themselves, rather than being symbolic places that direct worshippers seek God must not be entertained. Likewise, he emphasised a shift from the traditional biblical practice of anointing with a finger to the newer practice of pouring oil directly on people’s heads. He questioned the biblical basis for this change, implying that the latter practice may lack scriptural support and could be a misuse of the anointing oil. Dr Otabil urged Christians to keep Christ at the centre of their faith, avoid outsourcing their spiritual lives and reject seeking spiritual power through money or intermediaries. Instead, believers should cultivate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the sole source of true power, grace and salvation, a mission central to ICGC’s vision of spiritual renewal across generations. Pastor Jepson Ahene, Resident Pastor of the Exalted Temple, reflected on over 25 years of God’s faithfulness in the church’s journey, citing Psalm 127:1 to emphasize that the Lord was the true builder of the church. He described the temple as a beacon of hope and a sanctuary for transformation, calling the congregation to rededicate their hearts to Christ’s mission. The vision for the Exalted Temple was conceived in 1998 by Pastor Kingsley Akwasi Prempeh, a former Pastor with initial services held in homes from 1999 until the church acquired a land and began construction of a 1,300-capacity auditorium with a basement in 2003. The basement was completed in 2006, and the congregation moved in while construction continued. Additional facilities were added as the years went by to support the growing ministry and membership, which currently includes 450 adults, 115 youth, and 150 children.