Posts in category: Moving With Gs

Christians have been charged as agents and ambassadors of Jesus Christ on earth to carry on the ministry of reconciliation and salvation that Christ Jesus came to do on earth through His death and resurrection.

According to Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Jesus’ death and resurrection reconciled man to God. He emphasized that the glory and Spirit of God, which were lost in the Garden of Eden as a result of sin, can only be reclaimed when one accepts Christ Jesus as their Lord and personal Saviour.

This, he said, is good news that must be shared with all people in order for them to believe in Christ’s finished work on the cross and become a new creation, turning away from their evil ways and becoming more like Christ.

Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi said this in a sermon he delivered yesterday at Bawjiase, near Kasoa as part of the on-going All Officers’ Retreat (Apostolisation) held in the Downtown-Ofaakor Area. The Bawjiase zone was attended by officers and ministers from seven districts in the Downtown-Ofaakor Area namely, Jei-Krodua, Papaase, Obom, Awutu Bawjiase, Awuakyekwaa, Abamkrom, and Hobor.

Speaking on the topic: “The New Creation and the Possessing the Nations Agenda” with the main text taken from 2 Corinthians 5:16-19, the General Secretary explained the purpose for the new creation. According to him, God created man in His own image and likeness but when the devil deceived man and caused him to sin against God, the entire human race lost that glory, and thus every man born of a woman on earth is corrupt and sinful.

He stated that since the departure of the Holy Spirit from man, humanity has been wallowing in sin and darkness, engaging in unspeakable acts such as homosexuality and the like. He explained that God, through His Son Jesus Christ, came to earth to pay the ultimate price to deliver humanity from Satan’s kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light in Christ Jesus.

The General Secretary further explained that since Christ’s death and ascension into heaven, the unfinished business of bringing all humanity to the saving knowledge of Christ and reconciling them to God has been left in the hands of His agents (Christians).

He, therefore challenged Christian leaders who are now new creations to let the light and salt in them be seen by all, so that others who are living in the darkness will turn from their evil ways and come to Christ to avoid God’s imminent punishment.

As Christ’s agents, Apostle Kumi-Larbi exhorted christians to uphold righteousness and live unquestionably so that God would use them to possess the nations. He contended that until Christians fulfill their true calling of becoming true agents of Christ by demonstrating to the world the Kingdom values and principles, the earth will not be at peace because sin will continue to dominate men’s affairs.

Reading from Ephesians 6:17, he advised them to put on the helmet of salvation to safeguard their salvation because the devil is always at war with them to cause them to lose their salvation in Christ.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has entreated church leaders to be mindful of their actions, words, deeds, and attitude in order to ensure that they are in line with the standards of God.

 “You must be little Jesuses everywhere you go,” the General Secretary stated yesterday when delivering the sermon in this year’s All Officers Retreat, dubbed: “Apostolisation” at Downtown Ofaakor, near Kasoa.

The week-long event, being organised in two zones – Downtown and Bawjiase, is under the 2022 theme of the church, “Equipping the Church As An Army to Possess the Nations” (Hebrews 13:20-21; Ephesians 4:11-12; 6:10-11).

It is hosted by the Area Head, Apostle Dr. Benjamin Ali, with Apostle Mike Kwame Etrue (Kaneshie Area Head and Executive Council Member) as the other guest speaker.

Speaking on Wednesday on the topic: “Righteousness, the Authority of the Kingdom,” the General Secretary said it is righteousness that will help officers and ministers of the church to exert their authority in the church and impact others positively.

He regretted that most people in positions of authority, both in the church and in society as a whole, had lost the moral justification to exercise their authority as a result of their questionable lifestyles.

Reading from Proverbs 14:25; 19:17; Hebrews 1:8-9, he asserted that it is by only righteousness that the fortunes of the nation can be turned around and help the church in its quest to possess the nations with Kingdom values and principles, thereby bringing many people to Christ.  

According to Apostle Kumi-Larbi, righteousness is a symbol of God’s Kingdom and that those who claim to be heirs of the Kingdom must be righteous in all their actions.

“In the church and the Kingdom of God, righteousness should be our hallmark, because the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of the Kingdom,” he stressed.

Explaining righteousness from the Old Testament perspective, he said that righteousness is being right with God by aligning with how God ordained things and how God sees them in the natural, moral or legal sense.

The General Secretary continued by entreating believers, especially officers of the church to put on the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:4) which signifies moral character and serves as their defense by way of protecting their hearts from evil.

Putting on the breastplate of righteousness, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi noted, is particularly important because the world is full of evil and sin (Romans 12:17-25; Matthew 5:38-42).

He disclosed that Jesus Christ came into the world to impute the righteousness of God in believers. This was done through the shedding of His blood and resurrection which has cleansed the believer from all unrighteousness, thereby sanctifying and justifying them (Romans 8:1-4; Galatians 3:13-14; Colossians 2:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

“We are now new creations having been made the righteousness of God. We are God’s righteousness because anyone who accepts Christ as his Lord and Saviour receives a new identity in Christ. God imputed His righteousness in us, and we are to reflect it in our communities. With the image of Christ in us, we should be able to influence others,” he said.

PENTECOST NEWS.

In a dispensation where the media is saturated with news stories of doom and gloom, the General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, says it is very refreshing to retell the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, through the celebration of Christmas.

Delivering a sermon today on the topic: “Joy To The World, A Saviour Is Born” (Luke 2:8-16) at the Mamprobi Central Assembly, Apostle Kumi-Larbi said that there is a deliberate attempt to gradually shift Christmas from its central focus as a celebration of Christ.

He noted that some people are determined to take away the Christ factor from Christmas and rather observe the period as a holiday. 

“How can we say we are celebrating the birthday of a ‘person’ and yet not want Him to be part of the celebration?” he wondered.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi, therefore, urged Christians not to fall for this subtle-ungodly agenda and rather commit to reestablishing the essence of Christmas, which is to celebrate the goodness that came out of the birth of Christ.

Touching on the significance of the birth of Christ, the General Secretary explained that the depraved nature of the human race, which resulted from sin (disobedience) caused them to attract the wrath of God (Romans 3:23, Romans 1:18, 31-32).

He said that to restore humans to their former glory, God intervened by coming down to redeem mankind from sin in fulfilment of the prophecy given by Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:8-9).

“[The Book of Matthew] records that in the appointed time Isaiah’s prophecy came to past; God came down to earth in the flesh to save mankind through the birth of Christ. So, His birth was a confirmation of God’s salvation for mankind,” he said.

He further noted that Christ is God’s gift to the world so that through Him, all those who believe would become God’s children as He originally intended before the fall.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi also stressed that Jesus is a total package, describing Him as “the wonderful Counselor; Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace,” and that without Him, life on earth has no meaning. These, according to him, are among the many reasons why the birth of Christ is worth celebrating.

The General Secretary, therefore, advised unbelievers to accept Jesus Christ into their lives to enjoy the numerous benefits of His birth.

He also urged believers to hold firmly to Christ and walk with Him throughout the ensuing year to experience a truly prosperous New Year.

The service, which was the climax of this year’s Christmas Conventions, had in attendance members from all four assemblies (Mamprobi Central Assembly, Bethel Assembly, Korle-Bu Assembly and English Assembly) of the Mamprobi District in the Dansoman Area of the Church.

Merry Christmas!

PENTECOST NEWS

God has offered His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to the world as a complete package for those who accept and believe in Him, the General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has asserted. 

Speaking at the 2021 Christmas Convention organised by the Baatsona District in the Teshie-Nungua Area of The Church of Pentecost on the Christmas eve [Friday, December 24, 2021] on the theme: “The Birth of Jesus: Fulfilment of God’s Word” with scripture references from Isaiah 7:14; 9:1-7; Matthew 1:22-23; Galatians 4: 4-5, among others, Apostle Kumi-Larbi called on the world to gladly embrace God’s indescribable gift and enjoy the full benefits thereof. 

He stated that when a gift is given and nobody receives it, it remains with the giver, saying, “Jesus Christ has been given to the world by God as a gift but not until the world receives Him, He remains with the owner (God). 

“As a gift to the world, Jesus is a package and when you accept Him, you receive the full promises of God for your life.” 

According to the General Secretary, nobody is a mistake in life. However, what can make one a mistake in life is their failure to recognise God’s gift [Jesus Christ] and accept Him and walk with Him for the rest of their lives. 

Touching on what makes Jesus Christ a package with reference to the prophecies of Prophet Isaiah foretelling the birth of the Mesiah, he averred that aside the salvation that Jesus offers to all those who believe in Him, He comes into one’s life as a Wonderful Counselor. Explaining further, he said that because of what Satan did to man in the Garden of Eden to deprive man of God’s glory and thereby ended up confusing the entire human race, humanity needs a Wonderful Councilor, someone who knows the mind of God and will be able to interpret it to humankind so that man can be restored to his former glory. 

Apostle Kumi-Larbi also said that Jesus is a package because He is a Mighty God. He indicated that Jesus is described as a ‘Mighty God’ because He performs and does wonderful things which no mind can fathom. He said that it is only Jesus Christ who can correct all that the devil has destroyed in a man’s life. 

He added that Jesus is the only Prince of Peace to the world, and that He calms every worrying situation that one finds himself in.  

Jesus is a wonderful package because He is an Everlasting Father who can help and direct His children in order not to miss their providential way. Reading from Romans 8:15-17, he encouraged believers to be strong in the Lord and boldly come to Him with their challenges for a perfect solution. 

Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi ended his sermon by launching the congregation into intensive prayers.  

As part of the service, the Teshie-Nungua Area Head, Apostle Wilberforce Nkrumah Agyeman, on behalf of the Area presented a birthday package to the General Secretary who celebrated his birthday on the eve of Christmas. 

Present at the service was the host District Minister, Prophet Fred Antwi, and the wife of the Area Head, Mrs. Grace Nkrumah Agyeman, among others. 

PENTECOST NEWS. 

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, says believers have the power to influence society with righteousness and help elicit God’s blessings for their respective nations.

He said that creating an impact of righteousness in society begins with believers learning and living out God’s word (Bible), then teaching their children to do the same, emphasising that, “Righteousness must be taught from one generation to the next.”

Apostle Kumi-Larbi said this yesterday during a duty visit to the Michel Camp District as part of the post-Heads’ meeting Apostolisation schedule.

Preaching on the topic: “The Role of Righteousness In Transforming Society,” the General Secretary said that the prosperity of every nation largely depends on the righteousness of its citizens. 

Quoting Proverbs 14:34 and Proverbs 11:11, among other scriptures to buttress this assertion, he stressed that it is, indeed, righteousness, and not politicians, that exalts (prospers) a nation.

“This means righteousness greatly affects how God honours a nation and how others regard it. Sadly, this is a truth that some Christians ignore or pay very little attention to this,’ he bemoaned.

The General Secretary further indicated that when majority of people in a nation purpose in their hearts to know God and walk in His will, the nation would begin to reflect righteousness and become morally strong. 

He attributed the alarming rise in people’s receptivity to hitherto ungodly acts to the apathy of Christians towards unrighteous acts perpetuated in society in recent times. He said that when Christians do not speak out against the sins around them, others easily misconstrue it as a sign of approval or acceptance, and the sin of one, once allowed and accepted, can corrupt many and affect and disgrace the whole nation.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi, therefore, called on Christians, who form about 70 per cent of the nation’s population, to make their presence felt by living above reproach in all their endeavours, bearing in mind that the lifestyles they portray have a significant effect on society.

He said: “As we become spiritually strong believers, it becomes our task to nurture spiritually strong families. And as we raise spiritually strong children, we have a better hope of producing spiritually strong leaders who can lead with righteous principles. But it all starts with the small ripple we begin as individuals.” 

Every nation has its unbelievers who continually produce sin, but only the believer has a spiritual nature (acquired at salvation) which enables him to walk with God in accordance with Scripture, he added.

He, however, cautioned that if Christians fail to influence society positively, the results could be far-reaching since it would elicit the curse of the Lord as was the case of the nation of Israel in Jeremiah 23:40 and Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

PENTECOST NEWS

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has said that the prosperity of a nation largely depends on the level of God’s righteous standards upheld by its inhabitants (citizens).

Speaking on the topic: “Righteousness; The Authority of the Kingdom” at the ongoing 2021 Heads’ Meeting at Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Fetteh today, Apostle Kumi-Larbi noted that the progress of every nation is not determined by its political leaders; but rather, “it is righteousness that exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34).

He, therefore, stressed that the best response that believers could give to the moral decay in society is to live out the life of righteousness imputed on them through the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross.

“Unless righteousness permeates society, it will be difficult to lead people to Christ because there is a lack of the knowledge of sin,” he said.

He defined righteousness as a behaviour that is morally justifiable or right before God, adding that, such behaviour is characterised by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. 

“The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behaviour, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, serve as the standard by which He measures human righteousness,” he stated.

Expounding Romans 1:18-32, Apostle Kumi-Larbi said due to the fall and subsequent depravity, humans have become godless and wicked. A consequence of this, he said, has been that now humanity has suppressed the truth by their wickedness and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for created images, among other things.   The General Secretary explained that Jesus came primarily to make it possible for humanity to be restored to the righteousness of God.

According to him, the righteousness of God makes provision for the redemption of the sinner from their sins, stressing that, every believer must not indulge in unrighteous acts because the righteousness of God frowns on the sinful life of the sinner.

He explained that true repentance is seen in a life that is patterned after the life of Christ (the bearing of fruit of the Holy Spirit). He urged Christians to demonstrate genuine repentance by upholding righteousness in their character, conscience, conduct and speech daily. This, he said, would validate their witness and testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Using Noah, Daniel, and Job as character examples, he noted that the three men were commended in Ezekiel 14:12-14 for upholding righteousness in their generation. The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost said aside from being loved by the Lord, some traits shared by the aforementioned righteous men include faithfulness, obedience, humility and virtue.

“Although they were in the minority, they stood firm for the Lord. They also endured for the Lord,” he added.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi challenged Christians to emulate the above righteous men by putting on the breastplate of righteousness (moral character), which, according to him, serves as the believer’s defense since it protects their heart from evil.

“To be able to influence every sphere of society with values and principles of the kingdom of God such as Goodness, Mercy, Justice and Sincerity, we should model lives of righteousness as a breastplate, which is a defensive armour that cannot be hidden,” he noted.

PENTECOST NEWS

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, says the church’s agenda of possessing the nations for Christ could be realised within the shortest possible time if an effective follow-up ministry or system is put in place by all the local assemblies.

Addressing participants of the ongoing Evangelism Conference (EVACON 2021), organised by the Evangelism Ministry Directorate at the Kaneshie Central Assembly auditorium yesterday, Apostle Kumi-Larbi stated that Follow-up is the best way to bring the biblical principle of multiplication back into the church. 

He defined follow-up as the process of gaining an audience with individuals that had already been won to Christ, and training and bringing them to a place of mature fellowship with Christ and service in the church. 

The General Secretary also noted that the follow-up ministry aims to integrate new converts into the church, keep them enlisted, build them up spiritually, and teach them to win others to Christ. 

According to him, due to the lack of follow-up and discipleship process, most souls won are lost again to the world, whilst a lot of church members also seem ignorant of the basic doctrines of the Church.

“This is why there are many lukewarm and backslidden members on the church’s register,” he lamented.

He believes that by adopting a more effective follow-up system, the church could multiply its numbers and facilitate the vision of possessing the nations, stressing that, without ‘follow-up’, spiritual multiplication will not happen.

Throwing more light on the concept of ‘Spiritual Multiplication,’ Apostle Kumi-Larbi said the concept basically involves four stages – evangelising (teaching others to receive the gospel), following up on converts (teaching them to observe all the commands of Christ), reproducing (training new Christians to begin to teach others) and multiplying (mature converts now making disciples who would, in turn, teach others)

Apostle Kumi-Larbi further noted that unlike spiritual addition, which only involves leading people to Christ, spiritual multiplication involves leading people to Christ, then developing them until they are leading others to Christ.

He said by employing both the spiritual addition and spiritual multiplication approaches, the Church would witness unprecedented growth across the globe.

“Suppose you develop just one truly ‘multiplying Christian’ each and if each year those ‘multiplying Christians’ develop one more ‘multiplying Christian’, in two years,  there would be four, in five years, there would be 32, in ten years, there would be 1,024, in twenty years, there would be 1,048,576 and in thirty-three years, there would be 8,589,934,592 disciples,” he revealed.

He, however, added: “If  you simply baptised 1,000 souls a year, in thirty-three years, there will only be 33,000 and not all will become ‘multiplying Christians.’“

The General Secretary, therefore, called on church leaders to put in place new converts classes in their respective churches and put experienced leaders or teachers in charge to teach the converts sound Biblical doctrines and also offer good them counsel and support them in prayer as they deal with initial challenges in their Christian journey. 

He also urged them to establish follow-up teams with mature Christians as leaders and ensure that the leaders supervise the visitation and work of the team.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi, however, noted that effective follow-up demands much time and commitment to meet the holistic needs of the Christian converts.

He also added that follow-ups should be undertaken with the goal of assisting the new Christian to be filled with all the fullness of God, to be rooted and grounded in love; united in the local church, and to, in turn, reach out to others and disciple them for Christ.

The Evangelism Conference (EVACON) is a biennial event organised by the Evangelism Ministry of The Church of Pentecost to equip Evangelism Ministry Leaders at the various levels of the church in discharging their mandate effectively. This year’s event is under the theme: “A Revived Church in an Aggressive Evangelism and Informed Intercession” (Ezekiel 37:1-10).

PENTECOST NEWS

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, on Sunday, October 24, 2021, commissioned and dedicated a sickbay constructed by the Pentecost International Worship Centre, Odorkor (PIWC-Odorkor) at the Church’s premises.

The facility, described as a first of its kind in The Church of Pentecost, is one of the three legacy projects undertaken by the Church as part of its week-long 10th-anniversary celebration.

The facility, which comprises a consulting area, nurses’ station, and a dispensary, has been named the ‘Pastor Jonathan Kofie Sick Bay’ in honour and memory of the late former Resident Minister of the Church.

Commissioning the facility, Apostle Kumi-Larbi commended the leadership of the Church for the project and encouraged other churches to emulate the laudable initiative. He said that the facility would provide medical care for members and also serve as a place where first aid could be administered before an ailing person is taken to the hospital.

The wife of the late minister, Mrs. Regina Kofie, who was also present to witness the ceremony, expressed gratitude to God and the Church for making the project a reality. She also thanked the leadership of The Church of Pentecost for the tremendous support her family has received since the demise of her husband.

Speaking on the topic: “Building Glorious Gates for a Glorious Church” during the Sunday Service before the commissioning, the General Secretary stressed on the need for Christians to examine their lives and repair any ‘broken gate’ that would oppose the collective goal of building a glorious church.

Using Nehemiah 3:1-32 and Nehemiah 12:39 as scripture references, Apostle Kumi-Larbi explained that when the time came for the Israelites to return to Jerusalem after years in exile in Babylon, they came in three batches. The first batch was led by Zerubbabel, who helped to build the temple of God. The second was led by Ezra, who restored the worship of the Lord, whilst the final batch was led by Nehemiah, who saw to the rebuilding of the 12 gates of Jerusalem.

He, therefore, inferred that in building a glorious church, Christians must first understand that their bodies are temples of the Most High God and refrain from ungodly acts that do not bring glory to Him. He further noted that, just like Ezra, Christians must also restore their worship life by ensuring that the relationship between them and God remains cordial at all times.

Dwelling more on the rebuilding of the 12 gates, the General Secretary said that broken gates expose an individual to the attacks of invaders (the devil and his cohorts). For this reason, every Christian must be conscious about repairing any ‘gate’ in their life.

He further noted that Nehemiah was able to mobilise his comrades towards a common goal, and together, they were able to construct all the 12 gates in a record time of 52 days. This, according to him, was because everyone was involved in the work.

“To build a glorious church and be able to accomplish what God has planned for us, there must first be the mobilisation of the people, then ensure that everyone understands and catches the vision, and also, we must all be prepared to put our hands to the wheel,” he charged.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi noted that the first gate to be repaired by the Israelites was the Sheep Gate. He explained that it represents the altar of sacrifice, stressing that, the Christian journey is a life of sacrifice. “The Church we see today is a result of the sacrifices made by our forebears. On the other hand, the sacrifices we are making today would be assessed by future generations,” he noted. He, therefore, urged believers to first offer themselves as ‘living sacrifices’ to the Lord and be willing to offer their resources (time, money, skills etc.) in advancing the Kingdom business.

The next gate to be fixed was the Fish Gate, which, he said, represents evangelism (soul winning). He said that the evangelistic aspect of the church is needful because God has called believers to make them “fishers of men.”

Expounding on the old gate, also known as the Jeshanah Gate, which was the third to be repaired, Apostle Kumi-Larbi said that Christians must hold on to the sound biblical doctrines that the forebears have bequeathed to the church and not allow themselves to be swayed by false doctrines.

According to the General Secretary, the Valley Gate, which represents suffering and humility, also signifies that the Christian life comes with suffering. In view of this, Christians must be prepared to suffer for the sake of the gospel and also humble themselves to serve each other.

The Dung Gate, on the other hand, represents sin and self-cleansing. This, he explained, stresses the need for Christians to do away with sin, and strive to work on their weaknesses.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi also noted that the Fountain and East Gates represent the Holy Spirit and the second coming of Christ, respectively. Explaining further, he said that Christians must rely on the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance in all their endeavours and must also be mindful that the ultimate goal of the Christian life is to make it to heaven.

The historic service, which climaxed the 10th-anniversary celebration of PIWC-Odorkor, was attended by Apostle Dr. Christian Tsekpoe, who represented the Odorkor Area Head, Pastor Felix Okyere Anti (Resident Minister, PIWC-Odorkor), Mrs. Roberta Aseyoro (Wife of the Odorkor Area Head) and Mrs. Gifty Anti (Wife of the Resident Minister)

The service also had some past members of PIWC-Odorkor present, including the Director for the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), Elder Richard Amaning.

The weeklong anniversary celebration, which featured a Prayer Marathon, Music and Drama Night and a Time with Uncle Ebo Whyte, was under the theme: “Building Glorious Gates” (Nehemiah 3:1-32).

PENTECOST NEWS