The Right Reverend Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mantey, Chairman of the Christian Council Ghana, has admonished leaders of the country to sacrifice their "comfortable lives" if they want to see Ghana grow and do well.

“When you are running a country, a church, or an organisation, the leaders must learn that people will only follow those who can sacrifice. People don't follow people who just want to enjoy the goodies all the time. There are some people who always want to enjoy themselves even at the time that they are to be sacrificing.

“For example, you are made the leader of this country, this country is in serious financial crisis and trouble, you don't start chopping the goodies at a point where we are all suffering, you are supposed to sacrifice for all of us,” he said.

Reverend Mantey, also the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, made the call while delivering an Easter message to Ghanaians in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

He said until leaders of every institution to those of the nation understood the concept of sacrifice, and that there was "no crown, without a cross," their institution and the entire nation could not transform.

The Christian Council Chairman said there had sprung up many teachings that tended to manipulate people to think that if they became Christians, everything would be smooth for them in life and said: “It is never true, Jesus never said everything will be well with us. Rather, he has promised us that when we go through the valleys of the shadow of death, he will be with us, and he will give us strength to go through suffering. If anybody teaches us that if you become a Christian, everything will be rosy, the person has disturbed your faith,” he added.

He asked Christians to have hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, bearing in mind that their problems and attacks were dead with Christ and a new beginning would resurrect with him.

“Christians need to understand that although Jesus Christ died, he rose up from the dead. We should remember some Sundays of resurrection are coming in our moments of distress, attack and difficulties and that what people tell us that bring us pain and suffering, are not the last words.

“It is only God Almighty who has the last word over our lives. Let not any medical doctor have the last word over your lives. I pray that no power on earth except the power of God will ever be allowed to crash you because Jesus rose from the dead. I wish Ghana a blessed Easter. May Ghana become a new place and new life because of Easter,” he said.

GNA