Posts in category: Moving With IMD

The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, has challenged officers of the church to mobilise their members to build every broken gate in the local church to make the place dynamic.

He indicated that when Nehemiah realised that the walls and gates of Jerusalem had broken down, he mobilised some like-minded groups to help him repair all the 12 damaged gates so as to restore the fortunes of the city.

Apostle Agyemang Bekoe was speaking at the just-ended Kaneshie Area 2022 Officers Retreat (Apostolisation) at the Kaneshie Central Auditorium.

Treating the topic, “Mobilising the Squads to Repair the Gates of the Church” (Nehemiah 3:1-32; 12:39), he stated that for the local church to become an equipping centre, where people could be trained, mentored, and unleased to make an impact in society, leaders have onerous responsibility to ensure that every member is given a role to play in the church.

The first gate, the Sheep Gate (Nehemiah 3:1) was repaired by the High Priest and the priests. This gate, he said, represents the gate of sacrifice. He stated that before Jesus Christ was crucified, he had to pass through the Sheep Gate to Golgota.

In the church, the gate of sacrifice should be repaired by leaders so that people can render sacrificial services free of charge without demanding any financial reward.

The second gate was the Fish Gate (Nehemiah 3:3-5), which represents evangelism. He, however, said that when the Fish Gate was being repaired, the nobles of Tekoites did not put their shoulders to the work. Same thing is happening in the church today, he said, as ministers, officers and leaders do not involve themselves in personal evangelism, but usually send some particular group of people out while they stay indoors.

The third gate was the Jeshanah Gate or Old Gate (Nehemiah 3:6) which represents the old practices in the church. He was of the view that while the core values or practices of the church cannot be discarded in the 21^st century, leaders should blend them with modern trends so that the church would stay relevant to society.

Talking about the fourth gate, the Valley Gate (Nehemiah 3:13), Apostle Bekoe said that it represents suffering. He stressed the need to repair this gate of suffering since Christianity is not always smooth but also involves persecutions. He asked believers to endure hardships and be partakers of Christ’s suffering since their rewards are assured.

Revealing the fifth gate which was the Dump/Refuse Gate (Nehemiah 3:14), he said it represents sin. He asked officers of the church to repair that gate by nibbing sin in the bud anytime it rears its ugly head in the church no matter the people involved so that there will be sanctity in the church.

Repairing the sixth gate, the Fountain Gate (Nehemiah 3:16) which represents the Holy Spirit, he said that unless the Sin Gate is repaired the Fountain Gate cannot have its way.

However, talking about the seventh gate, thus the Water Gate (Nehemiah 3:26) which represents the word of God, he said the squad realised that it was still intact. This confirms the scriptures that all things will pass away but the word of God is forever settled.

On repairing the eighth gate, the Horse Gate (Nehemiah 3:27) which represents the gate of spiritual warfare, he said it was a gate where soldiers going for war dressed with their armour. He asked leaders to encourage the members to pray themselves so that they can stand against the schemes of the devil.

The ninth gate, the East Gate (Nehemiah 3:29) was closed for the return of the Messiah. This, he explained, represents the second coming of Jesus Christ. “We need to constantly remind our members about the return of our Lord Jesus Christ since this earth is not our permanent place of abode,” he added.

On the tenth gate, thus the Inspection Gate (Nehemiah 3:31), he said it was where soldiers going for war were inspected, and when they were returning from war, roll call was conducted and those who misconducted themselves at war were then punished, while those who fought well were also honoured. According to him, a day is coming where every work and action of believers will be examined and rewards given.

The eleventh gate, the Ephraim Gate (Nehemiah 12:39), represents fruitfulness and double portion. He said the local church should be centre of fruitfulness.

On the last gate which was the Guard/Prison Gate (Nehemiah 12:39), representing judgment day, he charged Christians to do their work well so that they will not face the wrath of God.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, has called on church leaders and officers to make the local church an equipping centre, where godly men and women would be raised to transform society.  

Speaking at the Kaneshie Area Officers’ Retreat (Apostolisation) on Tuesday, February 2022, at the Kaneshie Central Auditorium on the topic: “The Church as an Equipping Centre” – Matthew 28:18-20, he mentioned that the focus of the church now is disciple-making. This, he explained, is to intentionally teach, mentor, and equip people who come to Christ to live a Christ-like life to positively impact their spheres of life.

The IMD stressed that when members are well-grounded in Christ, they are then unleashed to their families communities, and workplaces to witness about their newfound life in Christ and the changes they have experienced as a result of their encounter with the gospel.

According to him, the more Christians go out and witness about Christ and the spotlight is thrown them, the better persons they become because it checks them from dabbling in sin.

Touching on some Kingdom methods of evangelism based on Matthew 13:24-28 (the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares) to drum home the need to make the local church an equipping centre, Apostle Agyemang Bekoe said that the devil always plants his agents in the church, hence the need to equip the members to be watchful and discerning to stand their grounds.

Quoting from Obadiah 1:17-21, he posited that there should be deliverance, holiness, and fire at the local church where members would access their possessions in Christ, stressing that “holiness must be our watchword wherever we find ourselves.”

Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe added that out of Mt. Zion shall be saviours, describing the local church as a place of raising saviours of the world who would transform their societies. He described the local church as Mt. Zion and the members as children of Zion.

He led the congregation through a time of intensive prayers after the sermon.

PENTECOST NEWS.

Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, has recommended that Christians train their souls to align with the spirit in order to become more spiritual and walk blamelessly in this perverse world.

Preaching on the theme: “The Helmet of Salvation” (Ephesians 6:17) on Sunday, February 13, 2022, at the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Accra, located at Kokomlemle, Apostle Bekoe explained that man is a tripartite being made up of body, soul, and spirit,  emphasising that, the human spirit serves as a conduit for communication between man and God.

“A spiritual Christian has an advantage over a carnal believer because they possess Christ’s mind,” he stated.

Reading further from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12 to explain the need for Christians to be regenerated (born-again), the IMD stated that if a man is not born-again, his spirit, which is the communication channel between him and God, is dead, saying, “You are operating at the soulish and the bodyish level.  Your spirit, which was once dead, comes back to life the day you accept Jesus as your savior into your life.”

When discussing the human soul, Apostle Bekoe stated that the soul is man’s mind, will, and emotions/feelings.

He did, however, reveal that it is the spirit of man that is born-again, not the soul or the body (2 Corinthians 5:17).

He believes that when a person is born again, it is the spirit that is saved, explaining that,  if the soul is to be added to the new creation, it must go through discipline and training (Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 1:13). He continued: “If you are a believer, your spirit is saved so that when God speaks, you can hear, and when you speak, God can also hear.  However, even if you are a born-again believer, if you allow your soul to be aligned with your body, you will become a carnal Christian, because the soul and your body have become friends against the spirit. As a result, you will walk in the flesh.

He, however, said once the soul has been disciplined, trained, and aligned with the spirit, the spirit and soul will fight against the body, stressing that, this will enable the person to walk as a spiritual person.

The International Missions Director stated that the helmet of salvation is one of the armours of God that the believer must put on at all times because it serves two functions, namely decorative and protective.

“Because salvation is a complete package, it is beautiful.  Salvation is the line that separates you from your past and your future. Salvation is the borderline and when you put on the helmet of salvation, the world can see your awesomeness in Christ.”

He also stated that the helmet of salvation shields the believer’s mind and thoughts from the enemy’s attack. It also prevents outside interferences, destructions, and disruptions from entering their minds and thoughts.

Touching on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-10), he stated that, while Jesus shared the same nature as God, he never considered equality with God. 

“The language of the world is equality. When gender equality was introduced, the divorce rate increased because a man and a woman can never be equal, but as a spouse, they can be one. When equality becomes your language (2 Corinthians 10:12), it will destroy your life because equality breeds competition, and competition breeds chaos,” he explained.

“Christ’s intention is for couples to be one and not equal. As Christians, oneness, not equality, should be the language,” he advised.

He also stated that Christ emptied himself and urged believers to do the same in order to receive the fullness of God, saying, “The day you become full of yourself, you will become empty of the Holy Spirit but when you empty yourself, you become full of the Holy Spirit.”

The IMD asked Christians to serve in whatever capacity they are assigned in the church because Christ allowed Himself to be a servant.

He also urged Christians to make humility a deliberate and intentional virtue to cultivate, as Christ was himself humble.

Among those present at the service were the IMD’s wife, Mrs. Deborah Agyemang Bekoe, and Apostle Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua (Associate Pastor of PIWC Accra and Vice-Chancellor of Pentecost University).

PENTECOST NEWS.

“Every believer has been enlisted as a soldier in the army of God and has a role to play in the church. Therefore, as a church, we do not want any member to be idle; everyone must be trained and assigned responsibility.”

These were the words of the International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, as he spoke on “Mobilising the Squads” at the climax of the La Area Officers Retreat (Apostolisation) on Friday, February 11, 2022, at the Dr. Thomas Wyatt Memorial Temple, Accra Newtown.

He indicated that Jesus Christ is the Commander of the army of God. Listing some of the components of a fighting force, the IMD said that the fighting army has its concept of operation which includes its doctrines, principles, and values. In the same manner, the church has its doctrines, tenets, values, principles, and practices which guide the members in their conduct and operations.
There are also physical factors that the army employs when going to war. These include manpower, equipment, performance, sustainability, and readiness. According to him, soldiers who lack this equipment cannot fight and win a battle.

He also touched on moral factors such as unity, loyalty, and morale of the army. Relating it to Christian warfare, the IMD said that believers need unity to win the battle against the devil. They also have to be loyal to the Commander-in-Chief (Jesus Christ), the structures, and the leadership of the church which give directions to the troops, saying, “As an officer, your loyalty to the church should be absolute.”

Stressing on the importance of morale at the camp of the army, he admonished believers to support one another in the work of God so that the Master’s business will not suffer loss.
Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe further mentioned three levels as strategies in organising the army for battle. These are strategic level, operational level, and tactical level.
Dwelling on the tactical level of mobilisation, he said that it is broken down into sections, then to squads and teams with leaders.

“The squads and the teams which are smaller groups help to make the soldiers active and responsible to one another,” he explained.
Likewise, in the church, squads and teams help to engage members in the church. He advised presiding elders and ministry leaders at the local level which is the equipping centre to endeavour to assign every member to a specific team and squad so that no one will remain reductant in the church. This, he said, will help make every member responsible to someone.

Quoting Nehemiah 3:1-32, he disclosed some areas in the church where members can be assigned to operate in. This includes Bible study facilitators, prayer warriors, mission partners, welcoming committees/ushers, house-to-house evangelism squads, schools evangelism teams, follow-up teams, hospital evangelism teams, Children’s Ministry workers, videographers, instrumentalists, dawn preachers, and community development teams.

He identified some five strategies in mobilising the squads. These are enlistments (going out for the souls); training them through the new converts/new members classes; registration (taking the biodata of members and knowing every detail information about them); integration (through interaction, discipleship and mentoring them to ground them in the faith), and deployment which emphasizes on equipping the members to go out and bring in souls.

The International Missions Director noted that if members are not properly trained, they cannot be deployed to make an impact in society, hence the need for intentional discipleship and mentoring to fully equip the members to be agents of transformation.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The International Missions Director of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyeman Bekoe, has indicated that salvation of the believer is critical in equipping the church for battles.

“One of the weapons in the Christian journey is the helmet of salvation,” he said during the opening session of the La Area Officers’ Retreat (Apostolisation), on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at Dr. Thomas Wyatt Temple.

Delivering a sermon on the topic, “Significance of the Helmet of Salvation,” Apostle Agyeman Bekoe defined salvation as, “being saved or delivered from sin through Jesus Christ.”

Using scriptural references from Ephesians 6:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:17, he revealed that the new creation or new birth of a believer comes with the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Saviour.

“Not until one accepts Christ as Lord and personal Saviour, they are dead and have no connection with God,” he stated.

Quoting from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12, he noted that man, being tripartite, is made up of body, soul, and spirit. He also said that the spirit of man serves as the communication channel between God and man.

“If anyone is not in Christ, their spirit is dead, hence, there is no communication network between them and God,” he declared.

He further added: “The moment one comes to accept Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour, that communication channel is opened, and they can talk to God, hear from Him, and be able to wear the helmet of salvation.”

Describing the soul of man, Apostle Agyeman Bekoe said that the mind, will, and emotions, are trained and disciplined to align themselves with the spirit of man when one becomes born again. This, he said, makes the individual spiritual again.

“If the soul aligns itself with the body instead of the spirit, they fight against the spirit, and the individual behaves carnally even though they have accepted Christ,” he noted.

He urged ministers and officers of the church to strive to put on the helmet of salvation which will push them from the past into the future.

The IMD revealed that the helmet of salvation also has a decorative purpose which beautifies and announces the presence of a true born-again Christian after every battle.

He then encouraged the Church to always work at their salvation to help protect their minds from the disruptions and interferences of this world, especially with new converts who need to be focused, determined, and resolute in their faith.

“The battlefield is the mind of the believer. The devil or enemy will throw many negative thoughts in the mind of the Christian, but with the help of the helmet of salvation, they can withstand all the devices of the devil and the pressures of life,” he emphasised while entreating the members of the church to understand the worth of their salvation.

Concluding his sermon, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe asked members of The Church of Pentecost to be agents and ambassadors of Christ.

The four-day teaching and prayers retreat for ministers and their wives as well as officers of the church will end on February 11, 2022.

Report by Gina Akua Padi.

The International Missions Director of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, and his wife Debora on Christmas Day [Saturday, December 25, 2021] fellowshipped with members in Awakyekwaa District of Downtown-Ofaakor Area. 

He was received by the Downtown-Ofaakor Area Head, Apostle Dr. Benjamin Ali, together with the Awakyekwaa District Minister, Overseer George Arthur. 

The elated church members who could not hide their joy happily sang and danced to the glory of God. 

Delivering the sermon on the topic, “The Wise Gifts” taken from Matthew 2:11, Apostle Agyemang Bekoe explained that the Wisemen [their number was not specified by the Bible] presented three important gifts, namely gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus and also bowed to Him. 

According to the IMD, the gold represents royalty which depicts Jesus’ kingship. It also represents worth and stability. He stated that as the king of the world, Jesus is the originator of all the treasures in the world, and that His children have access to them. 

He also said that the frankincense presented to Jesus exudes fragrance which is also used for medicinal purposes. He mentioned that anyone that comes to Christ must radiate the beauty and aroma of Him which makes believers attractive and so special. He further stated that Christ is the epitome of healing and heals those who come to Him and give them clarity of mind. 

Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe concluded his sermon by saying that myrrh is a preservative used to preserve dead bodies from seeing corruption. This, he said, was about the death of Christ which was foretold ahead of His birth and God making the appropriate provisions for it so that His body would not see corruption. 

The whole atmosphere was charged when the International Missions Director led the congregation through a prayer session after the word ministration. 

PENTECOST NEWS. 

The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, has called on heads of the church to make every effort to take the gospel of salvation to every part of the world.

He said although The Church of Pentecost has done creditably well in taking the gospel to the nations as it currently has its presence in 109 nations across the globe, there are still about 159 unreached nations yet to be possessed by the church for Christ.

“There are still more lands to be possessed. We should not rest on our laurels; we need to move as fast as possible to possess every land of the world for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” he stated.

Apostle Agyemang Bekoe revealed this when addressing National/Area Heads at the 2021 Heads’ Meeting of the church on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa.

Speaking to the topic, “Possessing the Nations Agenda – The Missions Perspective,” the IMD said that out of the 159 unpossessed nations, eight are in Africa, 30 in Asia, 56 in Europe, 23 in North and South America, 20 in the Caribbean, 21 in Australia/Oceania and disputed Antarctica.

Per the church’s five-year strategic vision of Possessing the Nations, it intends to capture at least 40 of these unpossessed nations for Christ by the end of the year 2023. The ambitious agenda, he stated, requires a more concerted effort by all stakeholders so that the overarching vision of the church would be realised at the end of the period.

Touching on some of the implementation strategies needed to drive the missions aspect of the Possessing the Nations agenda of the church, Apostle Agyemang Bekoe mentioned 22 thematic areas that his office has developed to help achieve the agenda.

These include planting churches in prime areas in the nations, increasing soul winning and creation of more districts, training ministers in the diaspora to be missions-minded aside providing ministry to people largely of Ghanaian descent, aggressive ministry to the homeless, drug/drunk/sex addicts, encouraging the establishment of more Pentecost International Worship Centres (PIWCs) in the nations and training of leaders at all levels.

Other strategies include establishing more French-speaking churches in the English-speaking West African countries and vice-versa, introducing French programmes on the church’s television station – Pent TV to reach out to the Francophones, establishing Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) in the nations, and strengthening the affiliation with PENSA International to recruit students and alumni as volunteers for social work and evangelism..

PENTECOST NEWS.