The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo has asked Missionaries to build on the solid foundation of Christ.
Apostle Gyesi-Addo said this on Friday, June 7, 2019, at the Pentecost Theological Seminary during the Missions Orientation seminar that was organized for newly-called Missionaries of The Church of Pentecost.
Reading from 1 Corinthians 3:11, he explained that the solid foundation is Jesus Christ and that anyone building on it must build according to the pattern that has already been laid.
He observed that in these last days some Ministers of Christ have lost focus due to audiences who have itching ears to specific messages. “In these last days, some preachers are not preaching the core salvation message. Because they want to keep large numbers, they try to satisfy the itching ears of their congregations. But we must not do that,” he said.
The IMD stressed that every Missionary and every Christian must preach the authentic message of Jesus Christ, for if the foundation is destroyed what can the righteous do (Psalm 11:3).
Making a further reference to Isaiah 28:16 and 1 Peter 2:4-6, Apostle Gyesi-Addo explained that a prominent feature of the foundation worthy to be built on is that, it should have been tried and tested. He added that Jesus Christ is the only tried and tested foundation that the Missionary must build upon. Using the analogy of the Samaritan Woman in John 4, he explained that, people rushed to Christ through her testimony, but their spiritual growth was rooted in the latter and not the former.
Delving into biblical exegesis, the IMD explained from 1 Corinthians 3:12-14 that, building on the Solid Foundation with materials such as gold, silver and costly stones show sound doctrine as well as preaching Christ with worthy motive. However, building on the foundation with materials such as wood, hay or straw is the evidence of erroneous doctrine or unworthy motive of preaching Christ where the resultant effect is a church packed with unregenerate members.
Apostle Gyesi-Addo charged Missionaries to ensure that their messages focus on the person of Christ (Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:30-35), the word of Christ (John 8:58; Matthew 28:18; Luke 10:19) and the works of Christ (Luke 4:18, Matthew 11:4-6). The IMD explained that, sound doctrine is essential in the church for various reasons. Among them are; the Early Church was built on sound doctrine (Hos. 4:6; Acts 15), in this age of relativism, Christians must know what they believe. He added that, sound doctrine helps to test the spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:20; 1 John 4:1) and ensures Discipleship and Christian maturity.
Furthermore, he said sound doctrine in the church is also essential for effective evangelism (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), an authentic source of church practices, providing a good foundation for the exercise of spiritual gifts and making a distinction between Christians and other religions. Again, sound doctrine is essential in the Church to combat false teachings (Titus 1:9-11). It also helps to handle life situations such as bereavement (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The IMD intimated that, when sound doctrine is not taught, the effects on the Body of Christ are spiritual illiteracy, spiritual bondage, spiritual ignorance and spiritual perdition.
Report By: Pastor Gordon Ansah