Renowned preacher and Leader, Founder of Parliament Chapel International (PCI), Apostle Francis Amoako Attah, has called on Ghanaians to shift their mindset from excessive reliance on prayer to practical hard work, arguing that God’s first instruction to humanity was not worship, but work.
Speaking on Angel FM, the Apostle stressed that many African countries—especially Ghana—have lost their development focus by prioritising religion over productivity.
According to him, Adam neither prayed, fasted nor worshipped, yet “God visited him every day in the cool of the day.” He argued that the first biblical command was for man to work and keep the garden, not to build temples or focus solely on religious activity.
Apostle Amoako Attah lamented that many factories and state-owned enterprises established during the era of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah have now been converted into church buildings, while the same congregants pray for opportunities to travel abroad in search of work.
“We are destroying what we have, and now we pray to go to other countries to work,” he said. “God’s mandate is a business mandate. Eden was God’s first world business centre.”
Citing Luke 2:49, where the young Jesus said He must be “about my Father’s business,” the Apostle underscored that work, enterprise, and productivity are central to biblical teachings. Even the Quran, he noted, encourages trade and economic activity.
“Prayer is good; it sustains you and prevents demonic attacks. But prayer does not pay rent. Prayer does not buy a plane ticket,” he emphasised.
He warned that without a renewed commitment to work, many Christians would continue to struggle financially regardless of how much they pray. He urged citizens to take responsibility for their personal development instead of waiting for government interventions.
“Governments will come and go, but if we fail to work, we will remain the same. Nothing will change for our betterment,” he said, adding that agriculture, in particular, must be sustained and protected.
The Apostle expressed worry that in Ghana and much of Africa, the only sectors attracting massive youth interest are politics, church ministry, football, and galamsey, which he described as an unhealthy trend.
He further criticised some religious leaders, describing them as “the laziest persons now in Africa,” insisting his message was not to discourage prayer, but to encourage a balance between prayer and practical effort.
“Pray and work,” he concluded. “If not, every year you will meet believers who will still remain poor.”
