TREASURES OF THE COP

Pentecost Fire has donated this column to the following contribution from Pastor Charles Yaw Kodom of Damongo District in the Northern Region of Ghana which we consider timely and corresponds with the magazine’s position on the urgent need to protect and perpetuate the ideals on which The Church of Pentecost was founded. The Church must return to its core values and practices to remain relevant in contemporary times, bearing in mind its obvious challenges.

A treasure is a collection of valuable or important things such as gold, silver, jewelery, money, wills, keys and certificates. The importance attached to treasures matches the worth of the items to the owner. Custodians of treasures are mainly banks. The viability of every bank rests on how much it has in its strong room. Banks maintain their image if the deposits in their keeping are recognised and managed well.

In Matthew 13:44, Jesus spoke of a hidden treasure in a field to which the kingdom of God could be likened. He said when a man found the treasure, he hid it and, in his joy, sold all his possessions and purchased the field with the proceeds.

Pastor James McKeown, founder of The Church of Pentecost, and the early fathers of the Church discovered the hidden treasure  Jesus  in whom God has deposited the Holy Ghost, the word of God, prayer power, evangelism, giving, healing, and fellowship. They moulded their lives on this treasure and were able to build the Church on the strong foundation He provided. They recognised and held fast to what they had found and were empowered with spiritual gifts.

They also studied the Bible to grow in the faith. As a result, souls were daily won and added to the Church, converts set free from bondage and the dead raised to glorify the Lord. Again, their fellowship was strong and their love for one another genuine. They shared things in common and gave generously to support the Church.

The same Church has today become large. Yet its pastorate, officers and other leaders should hold fast to its tenets and tested practices, so The Church of Pentecost could still be seen as a beacon of light, hope, power, peace, comfort and succor to the disillusioned. The Lord Jesus told Martha in Luke 10: 41, 42: “Martha, Martha; you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that which is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

As believers and members of The Church of Pentecost, we should not worry and get upset about material things that can be taken away from us. Rather, we should choose heavenly treasures as a priority, because the needs of the Spirit are more important than the comfort of the body. King Rehoboam allowed the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the royal palace which King Solomon had made to be taken away by Shishak, King of Egypt. He then made bronze shields to replace the lost gold shields (1Kgs. 14: 25-27). We must treasure and hold fast to the Church's treasures bequeathed us by the fathers and hand them over intact to succeeding generations.  We should not hand over fake or worn treasures. We cannot!