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The Co-ordinator of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Yaw Adjei-Kwarteng, has called on ministers of the gospel to be zealous for God, saying, “Ministry becomes a drudgery when there is no zeal.”

Apostle Adjei-Kwarteng, an Executive Council Member and Bompata Area Head of the church, charged Christian leaders to emulate the zeal of Jesus while cleansing the temple and the passion of Apostle Paul towards ministry to counteract every danger.

“How dared Jesus embark on the temple cleansing when he was not even a Levite? What was Paul’s observation leading to the call on Archippus to pay attention to his ministry? he asked.

Speaking on the theme, “Zeal, the virtue to reposition your ministry,” on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, at the Heads’ Session of the 2023 Global Ministers and Wives’ Conference (GMWC) currently underway at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa, Apostle Adjei-Kwarteng explained that the zeal of Jesus led to the repositioning of the sanctity and the use of the temple and more importantly a paradigm shift from the temple (physical building) to his body.

The Bompata Area Head indicated that excellence and meticulous adherence to the word of God is evidence of zeal in one’s ministry.

“Zeal consumes the self, slothfulness, and inhibitions and releases exuberance, animation and energy in action,” he stressed.

He also mentioned love, godly jealousy, knowledge, and joy in the Holy Ghost as the four components of zeal that Christian leaders must yearn for to reposition their ministry.

He explained love to mean the earnest desire to know God; godly jealousy as being possessively concerned for the things of God; knowledge as a clear understanding of who God is, while joy means a wholesome desire and delight in carrying out one’s assignment.

“You cannot do proper ministry when you have lost your joy. Know that in repositioning the local church, the presence of God must be carried by men who are zealous for him and yet are knowledgeable of him since enthusiasm without knowledge is madness,” he stated.

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The Mampong Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Samuel Kwabena Asare, has urged children of pastors to strive to personally know God and walk with Him.

He made the call during an end-of-year Area Ministers’ Family Retreat held recently at the Hidden Hills Hotel and Suit, Agona-Ashanti.

Speaking to the theme of the retreat, “Knowing the God of our Fathers in Maintaining Generational Blessings,” he said that Abraham walked with God to the extent that God could not hide anything He was about to do from him.

Referencing Genesis 18:17-19, Apostle Asare said that God’s covenant blessing for Abraham was conditioned to transcend to generations after him, and that Abraham was to pass on the blessings to his children and grandchildren who would further pass on to future generations.

He added that the condition was for the descendants of Abraham to know and obey God so that the blessings shall be maintained and further passed on.

“In order for us to maintain the blessings God has promised us, God wants us to know Him to activate the blessings in our lives,” he asserted.

According to Apostle Asare, knowing God is to become conscious or aware of the presence of God and have intimacy with Him.

He added that as children of ministers of the Gospel, they must be astute Christians by knowing God intimately without compulsion, saying, “The fact that you are a minister’s child does not grant you automatic access to heaven.”

Drawing an example from the life of Moses in Exodus 3:1-6, the Mampong Area Head indicated that Moses grew up having so much information about the nation Israel and God, although he was nurtured in the Palace of Egypt.

The retreat which brought together all ministers of the area, their wives, children and their households was to share fellowship. The children were divided into two groups – ages 0-6 years, and ages 7 and above. The 0-6 group was engaged in activities like drawing, singing, dancing and watching movies, while their older counterparts were also taken through the talks, workshops, and prayer sessions. Some of the topics treated included: “Knowing, Loving and Appreciating your Church,” “Belonging to The CoP and getting involved in Church Activities,” and “Avoiding Familiarity with things of God, Church Members and Officers.”

The facilitators were Pastor Daniel K. Amedey (Ejurafie District), Pastor Vincent Cudjoe Amuzu (Kofiase District), and Pastor Timothy Afum Adipah (Jamasi District).

Pastor Patrick Twumasi (Agona Apemso District) and Pastor Francis Nyarko Koomson (Nsuta District) also led the participants in prayer.

Report by Mampong Area Media Team.

The Yennyawoso District Minister of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Charles Oduro, has advised Christians to work on their names and make them great because names are very important.

According to him, Jesus even worked to have a name that is greater than any other name conferred on Him (Philippians 2:5-11).

Pastor Oduro gave this exhortation during the climax of the New Tafo Area week celebration on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at the Yennyawoso Central Assembly auditorium.

The week-long event, held at the district level, was under the theme: “Stoking the Fire of the Holy Spirit in the Local Church for Maximum Impact in the Nations (John 7:37-39; 2 Timothy 1:6-8; Acts 1:8).

Speaking on the topic: “What Is Your Name?” the Yennyawoso District Minister noted that a person’s glory is vested in their name. He explained that those with minimal names make infinitesimal impact.

“Great or good name brings blessings and favour to the bearer of the name and even those associated with them,” he stated.

Reading from Proverbs 22:1, Pastor Oduro explained that though money is good, it cannot do everything in life, saying, “Money cannot buy life, good health, peace, wisdom, power of God and good name.” He, therefore, urged the congregants to always prioritise a great or good name over everything.

He further explained from Genesis 12:2 that God’s promise to Abraham to make his name great is for all believers because any individual who believes in Christ Jesus becomes a descendant of Abraham and shares in his blessings.

Giving meanings of some biblical names, the clergyman noted that everyone lives to fulfil their name. He said that the name ‘Jesus’ means ‘Saviour,’ and this is exactly what He (Jesus) lives for (Matthew 1:21).

Pastor Oduro also noted that though the roles the Holy Spirit plays in the life of a believer are numerous, they all sum up being the Comforter whose mission is to make life comfortable for believers (John 16:5-7). He said that any Christian who is genuinely baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit is blessed with all kinds of blessings, both spiritual and physical.

“With the advent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples, who were fugitives became rulers of the land. So, when the Holy Spirit baptises you, you must have a name,” he said, adding, “The Spirit came to take the disciples out from darkness, obscurity and their hiding place in the upper room to limelight and bestowed on them a great name.”

On how to stoke the fire of the Holy Spirit, Pastor Charles Oduro charged Christians to uphold the virtues of praises and worship, fasting, and faith in God.

“One of the emblems of the Holy Spirit is water (Psalm 46:4). So, if He comes into your life and your land is even arid and infertile, He waters it and makes it fertile for fruitfulness,” he stated.

Present at the service was Mrs. Gladys Oduro, wife of the District Minister.

Report by Emmanuel Nana Nsiah

The Dunkwa Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Jones Awuah Afrifa, and his wife, Mrs Juliana Awuah Afrifa, have feted more than 120 widows in the church, as part of their annual donations to the less privileged.

The feast, which took place at the Area Mission House during the Christmas festivities, was patronized by widows and widowers from the Dunkwa municipality.

Apostle Awuah Afrifa disclosed that the gesture was to share in the goodness of God with the widows and to remind them of the love of God in their lives.

Quoting from James 1:27 and 1 Timothy 5:3-16, he mentioned that widows are key players in the intercession of the church.

According to him, widows’ devotion to the things of God is important as that could bring them closer to God.

He urged them to use the gifts of God deposited in them to support the work of God, while encouraging the young ones among them to open up to remarry when the right persons approach them.

The Area Head also entreated them to try as much as possible to raise their children in a godly manner, saying, “Remain steadfast in the Lord though you may be in difficult times with the demise of your spouses. God will never leave nor forsake you.”

The widows expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Area Head for the kind gesture.

Sharing their stories, one of them who lost her husband about 30 years ago, indicated that widowhood is noted with difficulty and loneliness due to the negligence of their families and the entire society. She encouraged her colleagues to engage in skill-based trades to avoid being burdens on their families.

The widows were treated to varieties of local cuisine dishes, made merry, and danced to God’s glory.

In attendance were Pastor Emmanuel Ansah and wife (Dunkwa District), Pastor Christian Nimoh (Kadadwen District), Pastor Barnabas K. Nortsu and wife (PIWC, Dunkwa), and Pastor Edward Fosu and wife (Atechem District), as well as the Area Women’s Leader, Deaconess Mariam Mensah.

Report by Pastor E. A Ayaabah-Willington.

The Co-ordinator of the Volta and Oti Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) for The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr. Oliver Dela Quampah, has challenged Christians to do away with what he terms as ‘entitlement agenda card,’ but rather develop a heart of gratitude and be appreciative to God and the people they encounter in life.

He believes that whatever is appreciated increases in value and, therefore, expects Christians to always express appreciation and thanksgiving to God and fellow humans.

According to him, some Christians overlook the value of gratitude and appreciation because of their ‘entitlement agenda card’ and some cultural nuances, saying, “It takes the grace of God to give thanks to him always,” he said. He added: “Don’t play the entitlement agenda card with God.

Be grateful to God always, be grateful to your pastors, family, and your members. They owe you nothing. In fact, the ‘entitlement agenda’ is a killer of relationships and should be done away with, he noted.

Apostle Dr. Quampah who is an Executive Council Member and doubles as the Ho Area Head of the Church, made these remarks when he addressed the Heads’ Session of the 2023 Global Ministers and Wives’ Conference of The Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh near Kasoa, on Monday, January 23, 2023.

He spoke on the theme, “Overflowing with Thanksgiving” with scripture references from Colossians 2:6-8, Psalm 118:1, and Luke 17:11-19.

He pointed out that gratitude is a universal language and must not be taken for granted, stressing that believers have more to thank God for than to complain about.

“In fact, our thanksgiving list should be longer than our shopping list,” he said, adding, “We set high standards and expect people to deliver, and we fail to commend and show appreciation should they fall short of our expectations.”

PENTECOST NEWS