“The Church of Pentecost (CoP) should be our greatest treasure in life as ministers of this great Church. We need to love her dearly and cherish her in our hearts. This is why everyone in the Church should be respected and deeply loved.”
These were the words of the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, to ministers of the church, during the closing ceremony of the 2023 Global Ministers and Wives’ Conference on Friday, January 28, 2023, held at Pentecost Convention Centre, (PCC), Gomoa-Fetteh, near Kasoa.
Delivering a sermon on the topic, “Loyalty,” Apostle Nyamekye said that the people purchased by the blood of Christ are God’s possession.
“If these people are God’s special possession, then they should be our greatest treasure. For it is in their talents, gifts, and treasury that we would find the strength of the Lord,” he said.
Reading from 1 Chronicles 11:9, Apostle Nyamekye iterated that David became powerful because the Lord was with him. He, however, said that David did not succeed alone but had support from his team.
“Great leaders do not succeed alone, behind them is a great team that support them. People talk of the leader because he is the face of the institution but behind a good leader is a team supporting his mandate,” he stated.
He disclosed that one way of showing loyalty to the church is to have a strong love for the church. He admonished the clergy to keep faith in the church that brought them into full-time ministry.
Explaining the pattern of the local church in the New Testament, he pointed out that Apostle Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:21 won many people who became disciples of Christ. In the same vein, he said, in establishing the local church, elders are appointed to take care of the church.
“The elders are appointed as leaders of the local church; we need to respect and close the gap between the clergy and the officers,” he said.
The Chairman called on ministers to avoid despising members who do not have certain skills or talents. This, he noted, is because not all can preach, rather some can teach, serve, and give to help make the church great.
“The common good of The Church of Pentecost is that everyone is useful to the church of God. All of us together, that is the officers and pastors are co-workers in the Lord’s vineyard. One thing we need to fulfill this is to be loyal to the trust and task,” he noted.
He further admonished members of the church not to draw away from the Church when the battle become tough: stating, “Even when the leaders make mistakes, it is imperative for members and ministers to cover their shamefulness for the sake of the church.”
“Don’t you know that we represent the church and when you destroy us, you destroy the church?” he quizzed, adding, “Anyone who destroys the church of God will face the full wrath of God.”
He advised the leaders to uphold the policies of the church which, according to him, are the ligaments that hold the church firmly to stand. He said that if a minister drifts away from the policies of the church, he is breaking the ligaments of the church.
He explained that loyalty to the church means commitment, faithfulness, sacrifice, love going the extra mile, intercessory prayers, effective leadership, and defense.
“Loyalty is to make the body of The Church of Pentecost better. Therefore, we need to be careful of our attitude to the body of the church, so we do not send the members that make up the body away. Cherish it,” Apostle Nyamekye concluded.
PENTECOST NEWS