By Michael Nnebife
An Awka-based evangelist, Mr Chuka Iloha, of Peace House, Awka, has charged youths to work hard to live a life of holiness to enable God to fulfill His programmes and purposes for their lives.
The Awka-based evangelist gave the charge last Sunday at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Awka, Anambra State, while delivering a sermon during a service to mark the 2025 Youth Sunday in Awka Diocese.
The evangelist emphasized the important position youths occupied in the life of any human society, reminding youths that both God and the devil had interest in them for the sustainability of their kingdoms.
While regretting that nowadays, many young people used all manner of clumsy excuses to compromise their belief in God, Iloha urged Christian youths, particularly the femalefolk, to study the lifestyle of the Biblical Esther with a view to emulating her for the actualization of divine purpose for them.
Evangelist Iloha who identified hunger for knowledge of God, as a quality expected of any true Christian youth, also recounted the Biblical account of the Prodigal Son, urging youths to repent of their sins and go back to God.
The evangelist who spoke among other things, stressed that man born into the world, had a wicked heart, but expressed joy that God had made subjective provision for man to change the heart through sincerely believing in and accepting Jesus Christ.
Earlier, while rededicating the youths of Our Saviour’s Church to God as part of ceremonies to mark the 2025 Youth Sunday, the Vicar of the Church, the Rev’d Canon Azubuike Mgbikeh, said, without the grace of God, man could not overcome the tricks the devil used to fight the world.
Canon Mgbikeh noted that the devil understood that when he got youths, he conquered the world, hence, the worrisome high rate of criminality and immorality among youths in the world.
Mgbikeh therefore advised youths to draw closer to, and lean on God for His grace to overcome the devil.
He prayed for them, asking God to bless, guide, and grant them His grace to enable them to live their lives usefully in Him and for Him.
Special prayers for the religious, as well as political leaders, especially the Anglican Archbishop, Province of the Niger and Bishop, Diocese of Awka, the Most Rev’d Alexander Ibezim; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State; and his Deputy, Onyekachukwu Ibezim; special presentation and thanksgiving by the celebrating youths, among others, featured in the service.
