The Kaneshie Area of The Church of Pentecost began the 2018 Apostolisation Retreat on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, with a clarion call on ministers, ministers’ wives and officers to remain in basic message of Christ by bearing fruits of repentance.
Speaking on the theme, “Remain In Christ and His Basic Message” based on 1 John 2:24-25, the Tamale Area Head, Apostle Isaac Nii Kotei Djani, defined the Basic message of Christ as the “vital essential communicated word of Christ to His Church or followers”. This, he believed, is the primary or fundamental information that Christ wants everyone to hear and live by.
He further stated that leaders can acquaint themselves with the basic message of Jesus Christ by studying what Christ taught, His personality and attitude (character) and the things He lived for or the impact He made on earth.
Touching on the “essential or vital” teachings of Christ, Apostle Kotei Djani stated that Christ came to the world to preach the basic message of repentance to everyone (Matthew 4:17). He opined that the message of repentance was a follow-up to the basic message of Christ’s forerunner, John the Baptist, (John 3:3-4). He also quoted from Matthew 6:33, Luke 10:20 and Matthew 25 to buttress Christ’s message of repentance.
Apostle Kotei Djani also asserted that believers must remain in faithfulness, holiness, integrity and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. According to him, people who stay in church without truly repenting tend to live in mediocrity. These individuals, he noted, usually find it difficult to remain in Christ, submit to leadership or Church policies and sometimes leave the church because they do not have a strong foundation.
He, therefore, called on Church leaders to bear fruits that demonstrate to the world and their members that they have indeed repented and they truly believe in Christ.
“The fruits can be borne only when a person lives in constant obedience to God’s word and the leadership of the Church,” he stated.
He concluded by admonishing church leaders to “take an introspective look at their lives and seek God’s grace and mercy at every point in their Christian lives.”
Other speakers for the week-long retreat include Apostle Mike Etrue (Kaneshie Area Head), Pastor Nicholas Darko (Finance and Admin. Director, COP Headquarters) and other ministers in the Kaneshie Area.
Report By: Gideon Osei Ansong & Gideon Kobena Fosu
