Posts in category: Moving With Gs

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has entreated Staff at the Headquarters of the church to strive to be different in everything they do, having found themselves working in a Christian organisation.

He advised them to set high standards in godliness and in moral excellence so that no one would have anything against them.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi said this in an exhortation when addressing the Management and Staff Seminar of The Church of Pentecost Headquarters on Thursday, September 16, 2021, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa.

Speaking on the topic: “But As For You,” taken his main Bible passages from 1 Timothy 6:3-11; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Peter 1:5-11, he explained the reasons why Apostle Paul admonished his spiritual son Timothy to set himself apart and pursue things that are noble and of excellence.

He asserted that Timothy was a “man of God,” and for which reason he could not indulge himself in vices as any ordinary person would do.

According to the General Secretary, a man of God is one who has committed himself completely to God and His calling. Such, people, he stated, have no choice but to be different and pursue excellence in all things, saying, “The man of God’s overriding desire is to follow God’s direction.”

He indicated that for people of God to keep to the standards of God and make impact in society, they must have a heart after God’s own heart like David (Acts 13:22) and must obey His commandments. “The only requirement to be a man of God is to have a heart aligned with God’s heart, then the man of God will be molded by God to be and to do what God desires,” he stressed.

Just like Paul advised Timothy, Apostle Kumi-Larbi admonished believers to flee from vices and pursue virtue. Explaining virtue as the moral characteristics of a person that are universally deemed to be good, he mentioned that the Christian moral life is one that seeks to cultivate and practice virtue.

“Virtuous people do the right thing, as determined by what they believe is right or wrong. No one is born with fully developed virtuous character traits. Instead, we are all born with ‘virtue potential,’” he said, adding, “Virtues don’t develop on their own; they need to be cultivated. A virtuous life is living by your highest standards and values. Not because you want to impress people or get attention, but because you know in your heart it is the right thing to do.”

PENTECOST NEWS.

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has charged pastors and officers of the church to jealously guard the Pentecostal fire that the forebearers of the church have bequeathed the church.

“There is something in this church that we must seriously guard, and that is the fire (power) that keeps the church running,” he said, adding, “We really need fresh oil to keep the fire in us burning always.”

Apostle Kumi-Larbi made the call at the maiden orientation for resident pastors of Pentecost International Worship Centres (PIWCs) and their wives, executive committee members and presiding elders at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa on Friday September 10, 2021 on the topic: “Keeping The Fire On The Altar Burning.”

Quoting his Scriptures from Leviticus 6:8-13; Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-4, among others, the General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost took the participants back to the early days of the church where visible signs and wonders were prevalent whenever people gathered to pray.  

He stated that God continues to perform signs and wonders in the church today though many Christians are not experiencing it, simply because the fire that propels the miraculous appears to have been quenched by many believers through their actions and inactions.

He charged both ministers and officers of the church to make every effort to ensure that the fire that they came to meet in the church does not die out.

“The fire that we came to meet in the church must be kept burning. When the baton is given to you, you dare not let it fall. You must run with it until you get to the finishing line and hand it over to the next generation.

“This call upon your life is a noble task; it is a task to ensure that the fire in the church is maintained. When we as ministers and officers are on fire, members will come to church in high expectation and they would love to come to church always,” he stressed.

He added: “God has given us something and we dare not bring unauthorized fires – human experiences, schemes and other mechanical methods to adulterate it and to quench it.”

To keep the fire in the tent of tabernacle burning at all times which represented the presence of God in the midst of the Israelites, Apostle Kumi-Larbi said God commanded the priests to maintain it and never allow it to go out.

“God instructed them to remove the ashes, carry them outside the camp to a clean place, add fresh firewood and also arrange the burnt offerings every morning to keep the fire burning always. To ensure that the fire on the altar is kept burning always requires hard work,” he said.

Stating the reasons why God commanded the priests to maintain the fire on the altar, Apostle Kumi-Larbi revealed that the burning fire on the altar was to remind the people of Israel that God was with them. It also reminded them of the role the fire plays in sin offerings of the people, saying, “The fire shows the mercies of God that takes away our sin and shame and restores us into right standing with God.”

Touching on the possible killers of the fire, the General Secretary identified the failure to remove the ashes and the failure to add more wood to the fire as the main cause.

“The ashes are the byproducts of our offerings and works in God, thus our past experiences. We don’t have to rely on them; we should forget about them and look for fresh ones. We need fresh anointing for each today. We cannot rely on yesterday’s anointing to confront today’s challenges,” he said.

According to him, the wood that ignites the fire are oxygen, heat, fuel and the chemical reaction, saying, “Oxygen represents prayer, fuel represents the word of God, heat represents the Holy Spirit, and the chemical reaction is Christian fellowship since iron sharpens iron.”

Stressing on prayer, he indicated that when oxygen (prayer) is fueled by the word of God, the fire will definitely come.

Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi concluded his presentation by asking pastors and officers to serve the Lord with passion and allow people to see the light in them and feel the heat. “Repairing the broken altar is a prerequisite for igniting the fire of God,” he stated.

PENTECOST NEWS.

It was all joy as people from various parts of the country met at the Ashaiman Estate District Central Assembly of The Church of Pentecost on Sunday, July 25, 2021, to witness the retirement of Pastor Samuel Asare-Konadu and his wife Agnes, after serving for 37 years in active pastoral ministry.

The service, which was officiated by the General Secretary of the church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, was graced by both retired and active ministers, including Apostle James Nana Ofori (Mankessim Area Head), Apostle Emmanuel Ofei Ankra-Badu (Tema Area Head), and Apostle Emmanuel Kwesi Acquah (Resident Minister of Pentecost International Worship Centre, Kokomlemle), among others.

Eulogizing Pastor Asare-Konadu, the General Secretary narrated how the former has been helpful to him and his family, especially during his early days in ministry at Kojokrom in the Western Region.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi revealed how Pastor Asare-Konadu taught him the rudiments of ministry, which, he said, have helped him to be well-grounded in ministry. He, therefore, thanked God for preserving his life and successfully bringing them to the end of the active service.

Preaching the sermon on the topic, “Ending The Race In Victory” based on 2 Corinthians 2:14, Genesis 41:50-52, the Tema Area Head, Apostle Emmanuel Ofei Ankra-Badu, said that the Christian journey is a race and that it is important for every believer to cross the finishing line.

Using Joseph as a case study, Apostle Ankra-Badu said that although Joseph faced a lot of persecution from his brothers when he shared his dreams with them, he was able to fulfill his destiny because he did not allow their evil acts to destruct him as he was able to overcome it.

For Christians to finish their race victoriously, he entreated them to be focused and take every step to forgive and forget those who offend them in order to have a clear conscience to embark on the journey.  

He thanked God for helping Pastor Asare-Konadu to cross the finishing line gloriously.

Various testimonies applauded Pastor Asare-Konadu and his wife for their selfless service in the house of God.

The General Council described him as cool and collected, humble, open-minded, simple, and very accommodating, saying, “He has developed a reputation for being detail-oriented, serious, reliable, and down-to-earth minister of the gospel.”

Profile of Pastor Samuel Asare-Konadu

Pastor Samuel Asare Konadu, born 65 years ago at Asamang in the Ashanti Region, had his basic education at the Chiraa Urban Council Primary and Middle ‘C’ Schools in the Bono Region. He continued to Somanya Technical Institute to pursue a course in Automobile Engineering. He proceeded to Kumasi Polytechnic (now Kumasi Techincal University) and completed in 1981 and worked with the Public Works Department (PWD) upon completion.

He was called into the full-time ministry of The Church of Pentecost in 1984 and served in seven districts, namely Twifu Agona (1984-1990), Wa (1990-1995), Sekondi (1995-2001), Alajo (2001-2008), New Juabeng (2008-2013), and Ashaiman Chapel Square (2013-2021). In all, he served for 37 years. He has been on sick leave for a couple of years prior to his retirement.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Church of Pentecost has joined forces with the Ghana Police Service to plant trees at the National Police Training School, Tesano in Accra as part of efforts to green Ghana and preserve the environment.

The General Secretary of the Church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, together with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh, and members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), on Friday, June 11, 2021, planted commemorative trees at the Police Depot to mark the Green Ghana Day, which saw the planting of 5 million trees across the country.

In a speech to herald the exercise, the IGP said that the Police Service was planting 5,000 trees out of the 5 million trees at all police facilities across the country as part of their contribution to the Government’s Green Project.

The IGP indicated that the exercise was to be replicated at all police stations and facilities nationwide where all Regional, Divisional, and District Commanders, as well as Station Officers, were to plant a minimum of three seedlings each at their offices/stations. “Our officers commanding all the six police training schools will equally plant 50 seedlings each,” he added.

He disclosed that monitoring and reporting teams will go round to inspect the trees to ensure that they are nurtured and catered for so that they will grow to maturity.

“Our objectives are aligned to the objectives of the government in connection with the Greening Project, which is to embark on an aggressive afforestation programme to protect the forest and the environment, and to address the degradation of Ghana’s forest reserve and ecosystem, and also to achieve our goal of protecting our forest.

“For those of us in the Ghana Police Service, this will help us to beautify our police stations and offices, and especially our training schools which have large compounds,” he stated.

Speaking with PENTECOST NEWS, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi expressed his joy over the successful take-off of the project. “I am fulfilled and I feel relief because it’s a burden that our Chairman shared with us. Later when the Government came on board it gladdened our hearts, so we were waiting and praying that God will give us life to see it come to reality.

“This is our core duty given out by God to protect his creation. We are not just planting trees, we are encouraging ourselves to plant, water, and nurture and make sure that they grow. I have planted three trees today and I want to challenge every Ghanaian to endeavour to plant at least one tree either in your house, workplace, school and in the street. Wherever we find space let us plant it.

“So far we have not done well towards the environment looking at the way we are destroying our river bodies and littering around, with choke gutters all over. God gave us the environment to protect it, and it is about time Ghanaians sat down and realised that we cannot mess up our environment and still hope to live in it and enjoy good health. So as we have started today, let’s all come on board, brace this vision and rid our nation of filth.

“A real gentleman/lady is a person who does not liter. Please don’t put your rubbish on the ground; put it in your bag because it is your own waste. Let’s change our attitude and our environment will be clean and the air we breathe will be pure, and it will help us to live longer.

On his part, the National Coordinator of the church’s Tree Planting Project, Apostle Samuel Kojo Gakpetor, said that The Church of Pentecost started the tree planting exercise nationwide about two weeks ago. “Today being Green Ghana Day, we came on board the Government’s initiative to push the Green Ghana Day agenda. To God’s glory, we have seen massive involvement of our churches across Ghana.

“This is just the beginning. As we activate our consciences on the need to keep our environment clean, we pray that this is not just going to be a nine-day wonder. All of us should look out for opportunities to plant trees any day any time,” he said.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Church of Pentecost, as part of the Green Ghana Project, on Friday, June 11, 2021, planted trees at the Mantse Agbonaa, located in James Town, Accra.

Led by its General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, and the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, the church was joined by officials of Bible Society of Ghana and representatives of the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council to plant a number of trees at the courtyard which is a popular spot for political and social events in the capital.

The General Secretary called on members of the church and Ghanaians in general to get involved in the national exercise by planting at least a tree. He urged them to ensure that their trees were watered and nurtured to maturity to protect the environment.

The Church of Pentecost, in collaboration with the Ghana Forestry Commission, is planting one million trees out of the 5 million trees targeted by the Government.

Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi planted the first tree, followed by the International Missions Director. Others who planted trees included the wife of the Chairman of the church, Mrs. Mary Nyamekye; the La Area Head of the church, Apostle John Osei Amaniampong and his wife; Madam Catherine Odjidja, Communication and Resource Mobilization Manager of the Bible Society of Ghana; Apostle Lawrence Otu-Nyarko, Finance and Administration Director of the church, and Apostle Samuel Kojo Gakpetor, National Coordinator of the church’s Tree Planting Project.

Earlier, the General Secretary led a team from the church and the Bible Society of Ghana to the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council to seek the blessing of the chiefs for the exercise.

Report by Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako (PENTECOST NEWS).

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has encouraged church leaders to be passionate about doing the work of God.

Speaking on the topic, “Doing the Work of God with Passion,” at the Western Regional session of the ongoing Ministers and Wives’ Conference on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at the E. K. Kyei Memorial Temple, Tarkwa, the General Secretary advised ministers and their spouses to do the work of God with enthusiasm, interest and zeal.

“Passion is when a person has an intense enthusiasm, a craving for God and His work, with compelling emotions and feelings coupled with God-given desires that compels him or her to make a difference. 

“Passion is the fuel, a keen interest, a strong desire, a hunger, a thirst and a craving for God and His work. Passionate people are hardworking, and their output beats those with talent who fail to work on their talents through discipline and training,” he said.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi indicated that a person’s desire fueled by passion will bring about the greatest results in his life and ministry and the fire on his inside will affect everything on the outside. 

Expounding further, the General Secretary indicated that passionate people are always drawn to their passion, willing to sacrifice for it, express it everywhere and are unperturbed by critics.

Making references to Numbers 25:6-13 2 Samuel 6:12, 2 Samuel 6: 13,17, 2 Samuel 6:14-16, 2 Samuel 6:12-23; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 and Exodus 33:15-16, he revealed that because of his passion for the things of God, Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, turned God’s anger away from the Israelites. According to him, Phinehas achieved this feat due to his zealousness for God in dealing with unrighteousness among God’s people. 

Apostle Kumi-Larbi encouraged church leaders to be passionate about cultivating God’s presence daily, the Kingdom of God and its representatives on earth (Church), righteousness, lost souls, the Gospel, the ministry of prayer and the Word, and about excellence in ministry endeavours. 

He also revealed that the love of Christ is the catalyst for godly passion and that people who are passionate about God are active for Him. “They make time for God, whether that means getting up early in the morning to make that time possible or sacrificing some activity that they enjoy to do most,” he explained.

He further advised Christians to make choices that strengthen their fellowship with God and ask Him to give them the passion to do greater works for Him.

“As we develop a closer relationship with God, one of friendship and intimacy, our passion will grow, and as it does, doing the things He asks us to do will follow naturally,” he stated.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi further indicated that the passion of Christians would be manifested in their resolve or determination to follow God even at the peril of their lives, as was the case of some of God’s greatest missionaries who risked their lives and ministries for the sake of God’s promises, regardless of their emotions.

He concluded by admonishing Christians to do the work of God with passion and to be “crazy” for the Kingdom business in season and out of season.

Report by Western and Western North Regions Media Team

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has advised Christians to be very circumspect in their utterances and be gracious in speech.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi noted that words are very powerful and should never be uttered carelessly since it could have an adverse impact on the listener or hearer.

“We all know that words can be cruel because they have power. We have all been hurt by what someone said to us. We know that words have staying-power because we carry wounds from our youth where someone said something negative to us or called us by a derogatory name. And even now, we still feel some pain whenever we think about it.

“So, if we know this, why are we still so careless with our words?  Why do we easily spew negativity instead of using the power of words to build ourselves and those around us up and be a positive influence?” he bemoaned.

Reading from 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 and Ephesians 4:29, the General Secretary reminded Christians of their new status in Christ – new creations – and urged them to make conscious efforts to shrug off the old sinful nature in order to reflect the nature of Christ in their conduct and particularly in their speech.

“From the very moment we are regenerated (born again), the old-self is to be put off and should remain nailed to the cross, and we are to ‘put on the new-self.’ This is because we have become a new creation with the new life that is found in Christ,” he explained.

He urged Christians to effectively put on the new nature by making a decisive and deliberate effort to adopt godly attitudes and behaviours while abstaining from carnal things. He also advised them to rid themselves of worldly vices and to stop deceiving, defrauding, or harming others. “We are also advised against sinning when anger rises in our heart, and deal with wrong motives and harmful emotions swiftly,” he added.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi, again, asserted that “Christians do not just read God’s word and study its content in order to expand our knowledge of Scripture, but are required to obey and apply scripture to our everyday life,” adding that “when we walk in the unity of the Spirit and live in the holiness of heart, we mature in the faith, grow in grace, and produce the fruit of humility; patience; gentleness and love.”

He, therefore, encouraged Christians to desist from the use of foul and abusive language because it does not nourish (improve) the lives of their hearers, creates deep wounds, causes unpleasantness in the environment, a sign of spiritual illness or immaturity, and, more importantly, because they will render an account to God on every word that is uttered carelessly. (Matthew 12:34-37)

In the place of unwholesome talk, he advised Christians to always utter gracious words that would edify themselves and those around them.

“As Christians, the words we speak should flow from a heart that is centered on Christ and should minister timely words of grace and encouragement to others,” he said while noting that “another aspect of gracious speech is the Christian’s ability to resolutely defend their faith in gentleness and respect.”

This passionate appeal by the General Secretary was contained in a sermon titled “Let Your Speech Always Be Gracious And Seasoned With Salt,“ which he delivered on Sunday, December 13, 2020, when he fellowshipped with members of the Osu Central Assembly of the church.

Other scripture references used by Apostle Kumi-Larbi include Ecclesiastes 10:12-14, Proverbs 15:1-2, Proverbs 15:23, Proverbs 18:21 and James 1:26.

PENTECOST NEWS

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has called on Christians to be a little bit passionate about the things of God in their quest to possess the nations for Christ.

Speaking on Wednesday at the ongoing 2020 Heads’ Meeting on the topic, “Doing the work of God with Passion” with 2 Samuel 6:12-23; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 as his anchor texts, the General Secretary implored believers to be more passionate and zealous in order to do exploits for God, saying, “If we want to do something extraordinary we must have passion for it. We can’t do the work of God anyhow and expect results.”

He indicated that God expects Christians to be fervent in spirit and zealous in good works, and that no matter where they find themselves – whether the environment is conducive or not – they are expected to excel.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi defined passion as “any powerful or compelling feelings or emotions.” According to him, passion is a God-given desire that compels one to make a difference. He added that with strong desires, one can do amazing things. “Passion is the fuel in the fire for action; something that pushes you to go beyond your limit. Without passion, there will be no positive results,” he stated.

Referring to the death of Christ on the cross, the General Secretary stated that Jesus defied all odds to die a shameful death on the cross because of his passion to save humanity. “Jesus was so passionate concerning our salvation. The Bible says that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us,” he said.

Also reading from Jeremiah 20:9, he entreated believers to allow what is in them to well up so that people around them will benefit from their zeal.

To him, it is passion that often separates success and failure. He stated: “A desire fuelled by passion will bring about the greatest results in life. If you are passionate about your vision, dream, and plans, you will get the desired results.”

Talking about the characteristics of passionate people based on2 Samuel 6:12-23, he said that passionate people always want to be close to their passion as reflected in the life of King David who was so passionate about bringing the Ark of God, which represented the presence of God, home.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi further noted that passionate people are hardworking, and their output beats those with talent who fail to work on their talents through discipline and training.

He called on leaders of the church at all levels to be passionate about righteousness, lost souls, and the Gospel, because many souls are dying and are going to hell. “I pray that God will charge us, give us more grace and the power to win souls. We should be passionate about populating the kingdom of God and depopulating hell.”

Concluding his sermon, the General Secretary prayed that God will set members of the church ablaze for them to move without fear to possess the nations.

He stated: “There is something in us that must well up but without passion it will not affect the community. People who are passionate about God are active for God. They make time for God.

“We should make choices that strengthen our close relationship with God. If you want that passion, ask God to give you that grace.

“Your Passion will manifest in your determination to follow Jesus and do his bidding. Once you join Jesus’ party, he must win, because we know no defeat. Let the church arise and do God’s work with passion. Let us do the work of God with passion. Be crazy small for Jesus.”

PENTECOST NEWS.

Three outgoing Ministry Directors of The Church of Pentecost have formally handed over the administration of their respective ministries to their successors.

The event, which took place on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at the Headquarters in Accra, was supervised by the Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC), Apostle David Tettey Tekper, and the General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, on behalf of the Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye. Also present to witness the ceremony was Prophet David Kankam Beditor (Ashaiman Area Head/Executive Council Member).

The ceremony saw the outgoing Children’s Ministry Director, Apostle Fred Tiakor, handing over to his successor, Pastor Prof. William Otoo Ellis, while Deaconess Mrs. Grace Lucy Yeboah-Asuama (outgoing Women’s Ministry Director) handed over to her successor, Deaconess Mrs. Philomina Mireku. Apostle Emmanuel Ofei Ankra-Badu (outgoing Pentecost Men’s Ministry Director) also handed over to Apostle Vincent Anane Denteh, the new director.

Both the outgoing Deputy Women’s Director, Deaconess Mrs. Margeret Osei, and the incoming Deputy Director, Deaconess Mrs. Vivian Amfo, were present.

In his remarks, the General Secretary, Apostle Kumi-Larbi, stated that the exercise was very important in the administration of the Church.

He stated that the process has delayed since the Church’s calendar begins in September. This, he said, was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the Church’s calendar.

According to him, the new directors will officially resume work on November 3, 2020.

Pastor Prof. Otoo Ellis, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, thanked God and the leadership of the Church for offering them the opportunity to serve the Church. He also thanked the outgoing directors for the great work done in the ministries.

While calling for the support of leadership, their predecessors, and all stakeholders to help them to effectively carry out their mandates, the new Children’s Director pledged their commitment to do their best to serve the Church in their new positions.

PENTECOST NEWS.