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The year 2020 was greeted with much excitement and expectations because of its uniqueness. Not only because it was a leap year but also because it marked the start of a new decade. These excitements and expectations were however short-lived due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the nations of the world, which has marred a huge part of the year.

By 11^th March, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. The pandemic has taken a significant toll on people and economies all across the world. As of June, over 8 million people had been infected, with the death toll reaching over 390,000. Educational systems, freedom of movement and social gatherings have also had their share of the impact. And the Church has not been spared either.

That notwithstanding, The Church of Pentecost has chalked some unforgettable milestones that give us the cause to celebrate the faithfulness of God despite the prevalent sense of pessimism. One of such historic milestones took place on Thursday, May 28, 2020, at the Jubilee House when the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo presented the Charter Certificate to Pentecost University College making it a full-fledged university.

This 48-year dream of the institution was realised after Pentecost University met the stringent requirements under regulation 20, clause 2, of the Tertiary Institutions regulations, 2010, Legislative Instrument (LI) 1984, which enjoins the National Accreditation Board (NAB) to consider the length of the period (not less than 10 years) within which the university has successfully operated under the supervision of a mentoring institution, the governance structure of the university, as well as the quality of teaching, research, academic staff and work of the university.

Other key points of consideration before the charter was granted to the university were the financial, material and teaching facilities and resources at the disposal of or owned by the university and any other factors that the NAB deemed appropriate.

That is to say that, in Ghana, the university charter is granted when there is enough evidence that the institution has satisfied all the requirements of academic excellence set out by the National Accreditation Board (NAB), together with related institutions under the Ministry of Education. No wonder that out of the 91 accredited private tertiary institutions in Ghana, only 7 of them, including the Pentecost University, have merited the presidential charter. Therefore, once the charter is granted, the university is transitioned into an autonomous institution with the capacity to award its own degrees in conformity with the laws of Ghana.

As we count our blessings, we must not forget to give God the glory due to His name for His abounding grace and blessings upon His church. He has been and continues to be faithful to The Church of Pentecost. May His Great Name be praised from generation to generation.

Apostle Dr Daniel Okyere Walker, the Rector of Pentecost University, under whose tenure this momentous milestone was realised, and his team and the students deserve commendation for the great work done.

All past Chairmen of The Church of Pentecost, past rectors, as well as past staff and students of the university whose diverse contributions has helped to propel the institution to such a commendable height also ought to be acknowledged.

It is worth noting that a lot of factors and decisive interventions made by the leadership of the church also contributed massively to what has been achieved. Prominent amongst them were the integration of the then Pentecost University College and the erstwhile Pentecost Theological Seminary (now School of Theology, Leadership and Missions) and the directive by leadership encouraging the various Assemblies, Districts and Areas to provide educational sponsorship for members to pursue higher learning at the university.

As a result, out of the 876 students admitted for the 2019/2020 academic year, 392 students were sponsored by the various Areas and Districts to the university. This upsurge in student enrolment went a long way to boost the financial strength of the university in an era when most private tertiary institutions are struggling financially.

We thank God for the wisdom He continues to grant the leadership of the church to navigate difficult situations. However, as we bask in the glory of attaining the Presidential charter, we must not forget the all-important advice President Akufo-Addo gave to the university at the charter presentation event.

The President urged Pentecost University to justify its new status as a full-fledged university by continuing to improve and introduce more innovative programmes and courses that will equip students with the requisite skills and competencies needed to impact the country and transform the economy. He also cautioned that the NAB will closely monitor the university especially in the areas of concern as prescribed by law.

In other words, a clarion call was issued to Pentecost University, and to a large extent The Church of Pentecost, not to rest on our oars but to continue to pursue excellence in order to realise the university’s vision of becoming the Number One faith-based university in Africa. This, however, demands a concerted effort by all stakeholders – the Church, Staff and Students.

The Church of Pentecost must lead this effort because of the instrumental role she has played in the attainment of this Presidential Charter. Now more than ever, the church must continue to provide the needed support, both advisory and financial, to the university to be able to live up to its new status.

The leadership of the church has already taken a bold and concrete step in this regard with the launch of The Church of Pentecost Chairman’s Education Foundation (COPCEF). The foundation is targeting to raise $100 million in 10years to provide scholarship opportunities to deserving students in need and also contribute massively to the infrastructural development of the university. So far, COPCEF has been able to realise about GH¢1.5million. Members of the church of good financial standing, as well as the general public, are encouraged to support this laudable cause.

The various Areas and Districts who sponsored members to the university are commended for their great effort and encouraged to continue to provide such interventions to support the youth of the church while helping to ensure that Pentecost University remains financially robust.

Church leaders must also create awareness at the various levels of the church and encourage their members to make Pentecost University the tertiary institution of choice for their wards. Church members must also turn up in their numbers to support the university during PU Offering days. The PU Offering day is an annual event dedicated to raising funds to support the operations of Pentecost University (PU) at the various levels. Church leaders are, thereby, encouraged to take this very seriously.

Staff and Students of the university, on their part, must continue to pursue excellence in all facets. Indeed, the exceptional performances of the students and staff helped the university to win several coveted awards in the preceding year. Among them were: The Most Outstanding and Overall Best Private University; Best Private University for Communication Studies; Best Nursing and Midwifery Institution in Ghana and the largest Association of Business Executives (ABE) centre in West Africa and one of the top 40 ABE centres globally.

The outgoing Rector, Apostle Dr Walker, for instance, was awarded Most Respected CEO and Most Outstanding CEO of Private Universities by the Ghana Industry CEOs Awards and the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) Ghana Tertiary Awards respectively. The Vice-Rector, Elder Prof. Omane Atwi, was also honoured for his outstanding contribution to the Accountancy Sector and for serving as a pioneer president of the Ghana Institute of Directors.

With God on our side, when the Church continues to do her part and Staff and Students of Pentecost University continue to do exploits, then certainly the vision to become the Number One faith-based university in Africa will take less than 48 years to achieve.

Webster’s unabridged dictionary defines wisdom as “knowledge and its capacity to make due use of it.” It can also be explained as the quality of having experience and good judgment. How Prophet Nathan exposed King David’s infamous murder of Uriah, together with how he relayed God’s ruling on the matter, has been touted by many as one of the most fantastic displays of wisdom in human history. Exposing the secret act known to only the celebrated King of Israel then, and his loyal army commander who also happened to be his nephew, was a herculean task.

David, Israel’s greatest warrior of all time, who happened to be their King strangely declined to join the military campaign against the Ammonites at the time Kings go to war (2 Samuel 11:1). Strolling around his rooftop, he chanced upon a lady, by name Bathsheba, taking her bath. He sent for this lady, who was Uriah’s wife, and impregnated her. In his attempt to conceal this sinful act, he disingenuously called Uriah from the brazing battlefield and lured him to spend some days with his wife. David sought to push the responsibility of that pregnancy to Uriah. Tried as he did, his plan was unsuccessful. Therefore, he conspired with Joab, Israel’s army commander then, to have Uriah killed, so he can cover up and marry Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:6-27). After the assassination of Uriah, who also happened to be among David’s thirty mightiest warriors, God vehemently expressed His displeasure at what David had done (2 Samuel 11:27).

He sent His rebuke and ruling on the matter through Nathan to David. Nathan’s mission was primarily to bring to light what David had done in secret, express God’s displeasure about it, and inform him of the consequences of his action on his household. The socio-political stature of David and Joab made the revelation a sensitive task, although it was a God-sent mission. Even more complex about this mission was the tendency of the news to rip apart the entire nation.

Best practices required the provision of tight security and safety measures in such sensitive reproach, and the announcement of such verdicts. Nathan had none of these at his disposal, but he was required to go to the King’s palace and point out his secret act to him. The period before, during, and after this, was very crucial for both parties. Every minute of his posture, composure, and demeanor during the period was going to be critical. Unarmed Nathan was solely going to act as the bailiff, lawyer, cross-examiner, special prosecutor, the ruling judge, and a prophet within that short time. Any indiscretion on his part, by way of his presentation would have spelled doom for the whole nation – with himself as the possible first casualty. Such was the enormity of the task that confronted Nathan the Prophet.

It is, therefore, never out of place to attribute the success of that tough assignment to the display of Nathan’s wisdom. It was wisdom, because he could have chosen to share the content of the message with some of his trusted friends, which would have led to the leakage of the secret before meeting David himself. He could also have called a press conference or premiered the reproach for some financial gains. Nathan could have spoken anyhow to King, with the excuse of having lost the respect he had for him. Nathan, however, maintained his composure until he met his revered King and the Lord’s anointed. At the palace, he started with a parable that got David to appreciate the gravity of his offense before delivering God’s ruling to him (2 Samuel 12:1-6).

This approach by Nathan has been cited by many, during Christian leadership training and mentorship programs, as exemplary. It has to do with how he organized his presentation. It was a dossier mixed with the needed decorum, God’s fairness and love, but not without the accompanying punches (2 Samuel 12:1-14). It took courage to point out to the King, “You are the man…you killed Uriah with the sword of the Ammonites and took his wife to be your own wife” (verse 7, 9). Per the definition of wisdom, Nathan used the knowledge God had given him about what David had done in secret wisely. It was, therefore, undoubtedly wisdom at play.

The natural response from people of that stature in society in the caliber of King David would have been to deny any knowledge of the act. After all, at the time, the only person besides him who knew about the conspiracy was Joab, his nephew. David could also have retaliated against the Prophet and had him executed because he was one of the most powerful kings of the world then. Contrary to expectation, he admitted and said, “I have sinned against God.” (2 Samuel 12:13). David didn’t call it a weakness, short-coming, mistake, misstep, miscalculation, or indiscretion on his part. This was a king who, in another instance, openly admitted to God and prophet Gad in 1 Chronicles 21:8 that, “I have sinned greatly… and done a foolish thing” after he counted Israel’s fighting men.

Humility is what caused David to complement Nathan’s mission and made it successful, no matter the consequences that stared at him and his household. Humility is not showing a quiet, or timid or weak personality. It is also not the ability to construct sentences before revered and respected personalities carefully. It is neither specializing in singing the praise of people when they are around. Ironically, it is the only fruit of the Spirit whose counterfeit is quite challenging to detect but in mass circulation. The dictionary defines humility as the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. It is one priceless virtue that makes people admit their wrongs unconditionally. When was the last time you frankly admitted your sins before your fellow men or people you wronged?

The respect accorded to the prophets of God in those days couldn’t have been the only reason David accepted and confessed his sin before Nathan. Prophet Micaiah got a haughty slap in the face, imprisoned, and fed with the bread or food of affliction when he told King Ahab what was going to happen to Israel in one of their military campaigns (1 Kings 22:24-27). In another instance, God sent a prophet to ask King Amaziah why he imported idols from the people of Seir after his victorious military campaign against them. In 2 Chronicles 25:14-16, the King interrupted the prophet and said, “Since when have I made you the king’s counsellor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!”

The usual backlashes of people of authority, when faced with God’s word against their expectation, is why Elisha instructed the Prophet who he sent to anoint Jehu as Israel’s new King to run away without delaying afterward (2 Kings 9:3). John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded by King Herod, the tetrarch, when he pointed out his immoral act to him (Matthew 14:1-11). I beg to differ with the school of thought that John could have lived a little longer had he been a little wiser in his presentation on the King’s conduct. At nowhere did the Bible say John took a microphone to announce to the hearing of all Israel of Herod’s immoral behavior. According to Matthew 14:3, he went to discuss the issue with him. Even when John told soldiers to stop taking bribes and warned the crowd following him to bear fruits worthy of repentance, the Bible says, they still run to him asking; what they must do to be saved (Luke 3:9-14). If Herod had humbly accepted John’s reprimand, I believe there would also have been expression such as “John’s wisdom or approach.”

Similarly, if Ahab had taken Micaiah’s warning to him, a phrase such as “Micaiah’s wisdom” would have also been cited, during leadership training sessions. In John 18:20-22, the Lord Jesus was slapped in front of the high priests, when he told them a simple undeniable truth concerning his teachings. Deacon Stephen had his share, when he was stoned to death after his response to the members of the Sanhedrin and telling them what the Holy Spirit had for them (Acts 7). It suffices to say from the few Biblical illustrations given above that no matter how the word of God is sugar-coated, it will still hurt, discomfort, and irritate a proud heart.

The pride in many people shows up in times of reprimand, correcting, or disciplining. Whereas some repent for their wrongs when rebuked, others show rebellion in return. Proverbs 15:10 says, “Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die.” In 2 Chronicles 15:7-19, Prophet Oded’s words of encouragement from God, inspired and encouraged King Asa to continue the good works he had started as a king. Unfortunately, during his last days when he erred, and God reprimanded him through Prophet Hanani, he became angry and so enraged that he imprisoned the prophet. He became afflicted with a disease in his feet. In 2 Chronicles 16:12, the Bible says, “…Though his disease was severe, even in his illness, he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.” He died two years later as a result. Similarly, when the priests of God confronted King Uzziah to reprimand him for burning incense to the Lord, he became furious and started raging at them right in temple until leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead (2 Chronicles 26:16-19). The canon of scriptures had this to say about him, “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” (2 Chronicles 26:16).

On the other hand, King David’s humility became evident when he went to God in fasting and prayers for seven days pleading for the life of his son. Although Nathan had told him the child was going to die, he laid down every ego, and before his servants, cried unto God for His merciful intervention when the child was taken ill (2 Samuel 12:15-18). No wonder David became the only Biblical character to have won the accolade, “a person after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).

Interestingly, it was the same Prophet Nathan God sent to name David’s second child with Bathsheba after he rightfully married her (2 Samuel 12:25). The name given by God was Jedidah, which meant “loved by the Lord.” When David became old and could not keep warm, it was Nathan who God used to foil the palace coup that was staged by Adonijah (1 Kings 1:11-40). If David had killed Nathan or maltreated him, would he have continued to benefit from his ministry? Many people, out of sheer pride, have maimed the “Nathans” God sent on their way to correct and straighten them and have thus suffered needless ordeals as a result. From the above discussions, I can safely conclude that King David’s display of humility largely contributed to what has become known as “Nathan’s wise approach.” The successful outcome was, therefore, not as the result of Nathan nor David but the right proportional mix of the former’s wise approach and the latter’s humility.

By Pastor James Agyin

As relational beings, it is undoubtedly one of the main desires of every person to be connected with others by whatever means possible, regardless of their location, social status or religious beliefs. This is why Social Media has become a platform of choice for most people in the world today to satisfy this longing desire to stay connected.

The global persecution of Christians and the various plagues that continue to ravage the world, including the latest COVID-19 pandemic, affirms the view of many notable theological scholars and religious leaders that we are edging closer and closer towards the final days of the earth’s history. This, therefore, calls for an urgent response by Christians to prioritize the sacred duty of evangelism, as the signs of Christ’s imminent arrival draws closer than ever. For this reason, concerted efforts should be targeted to reaching out to as many people as possible wherever they can be found.

Social Media, in this case, ticks the box perfectly as an avenue for reaching out to people in these times because of its increasing rate of engagement. Social Media is no more seen as an entertainment platform for young people, but as a place, where they practically live their lives. All kinds of people, both adults and the young, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, now patronise the various platforms to express their opinions and to pursue other endeavours in business, education, health, etc.

Statistics on Social Media activity in contemporary times show that, usage has reached unprecedented levels. The Global Social Media Research Summary released by Smartinsights.com in 2020 revealed that more than 4.5 billion people are said to be active internet users within every hour of the day. The year 2020 alone has recorded 321 million new internet users. The findings also reveal that more than half (60%) of the total global population are active Social Media users!.

Social Media is gradually taking over as the number one form of communication. Newspapers which used to be the number one form of communication are gradually losing their relevance due to Social Media. When one looks around, the average youth is an active user of one or more of the social media platforms like, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, WeChat, SnapChat, Skype, YouTube, 2go, Ayoba, Telegram, etc.

Now, the world is fast shrinking into a global village through the Internet, and the outreach strategies used by the Biblical Apostle Paul can now be achieved through effective use of the worldwide web.

To capitalise on the potential of the Internet in evangelism, Christians and churches must learn to use the power of these new Information and Communication Technologies to propagate the eternal gospel.

For centuries, various forms of technology have been employed by early believers to disseminate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even in the days of Paul the Apostle, his use of the ink and the scroll was seen as high-end technology at the time. This proves that Technology has always been with us, and has helped with the dissemination of the Gospel. In this dispensation, Social Media is the technology which the Lord has provided for Christians to aid our evangelistic efforts.

The Great Commission of Jesus Christ is that, the gospel should be taken to the ends of the earth through various evangelistic activities (Matthew 28: 19 – 20, c.f. 24:14). Today, Social Media has emerged as a utility tool that can be tapped into to provide a method of communication that is fast, far-reaching and interactive. Social Media can, therefore, be used in many ways to spread information in and outside the church.

Social Media evangelism is a form of evangelism where the gospel is presented on the internet via media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, WeChat, SnapChat, Skype, YouTube, GodTube, Telegram and so on. Activities on these platforms may include Christian apologetics, church services, Bible studies, Cell meetings, evangelical messages, etc.

We have seen in recent years an emphasis on the friendship and networks (or community) approach to evangelism. In one of the earliest books on the internet and evangelism, Careaga states, “Electronic evangelism is friendship evangelism via the internet.” This was written way before the likes of Facebook and Twitter, which take the concept of friendship even further. We are now networked with thousands of people like never before. According to internet tool Tweet Reach, you can reach 34,877 people with one tweet (given that I have 3,086 followers). Compare this with the numbers one might reach through an average Sunday service in a church, or even the conventional crusade or rally! This kind of reach in networking was unimaginable even just ten years ago.

Some Christians and churches who have identified Social Media as a ripe missions field have taken up the conscious practice of posting Christ-centered content and inspirational messages with the hope of reaching out to unbelievers on the digital space. Although the initiative of flooding the internet with Jesus-related content is applauded, Social Media evangelism would be more effective when a one-on-one approach is adopted. That is to say, just as personal evangelism is touted as the most effective means of winning souls for Christ, the same approach should be adopted when evangelising to people in the digital space. This is because people would find it easier and more comfortable to ask questions about faith in a private space online.

Building quality friendship is a very key aspect of evangelism, since it breeds trust between the believer and the one being evangelized. This also enables the unbeliever to freely open up and share his or her opinions about Christianity for redress. Such personal conversations cannot be done publicly, but privately. As in the case of Nicodemus, who visited Jesus in the night to seek clarifications on the Christian faith, we must engage unbelievers through private chats so that we can provide effective assistance for them.

Another issue of importance, when it comes to online evangelism, is Follow-up. There are a lot of things which seek the attention of people on the internet. It is worth noting that, the devil is also employing Social Media to lead souls astray. We must, therefore, not leave anything to chance, but continue to engage the people we evangelise to, especially those who have responded or seem to be responding to the gospel message. This means that, the more we follow up on people we share the gospel to online, the higher our chances of winning them for Christ.

Social Media is ripe for a massive harvest of souls for Christ. This is because the online environment has made us more available and accessible than ever. People are looking for answers – answers that they are not likely to get on Google but from the believer; and if they get it from someone they know and trust, then all the better!

Social Media is a big pie which we must do everything possible as a Church to get a piece of, and not wait for crumbs or leftovers. We must employ all tools available to us to ensure that we augment The Church of Pentecost’s efforts in realizing the vision of “Possessing the Nations.” Now is the time to invade the media space with the unadulterated word of God. We already have the message; we only need the channels or medium to reach our target audiences. Social Media and the Internet, in general, are here is provide us with a way to permeate the toughest parts and people of the world, wherever and whenever.

The Church must rise to the task. After all, she exists for nothing else but to draw people to Christ and to make them like Him. Let us, therefore, go out with creativity, boldness and these amazing new tools in our hands to share the best news in the world with more people than ever before. As Jesus did, let us pursue people with the Gospel wherever they are.

Between 2 to 7 BC, the Word became flesh and dwelt among men; in the 21st Century, the Word has become Digital and made its Dwelling among men on the Digital space.

By Pastor Isaac Annor