Anyaa-Ablekuma Area Supports Joma Police Station Project

Anyaa-Ablekuma Area Supports Joma Police Station Project

The Anyaa-Ablekuma Area of The Church of Pentecost has donated 100 bags of cement at the cost of GHȼ8000.00 to the Anyaa Police District Command in support of the Joma Police Station project.

The donation was made on Monday, March 13, 2023, by the Area Head, Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye. He was accompanied by some Area Executive Committee members and the Joma District Minister of the Church, Pastor Albert Amoafo Anim.

ASP Bright Kwabena Asare, the Anyaa District Commander and a member of The Church of Pentecost, who received the items on behalf of the police service, thanked the Church for the generous gesture.

According to him, the Joma Police Station project started in 2013 to improve security in the Joma community and other surrounding towns. However, the project stalled due to lack of resources, a reason why they solicited the help of the Church in completing the project.

“The vision of the police unit is to have community policing so that the police will be closer to the people to provide the needed security issues,” he said.

ASP Asare also assured the delegation that the donation would be used for its intended purpose.

Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye, in response, stated that, although the Church has unmet needs, they gave the Police service a prompt response to their request because the security of her members and the community at large is very dear to the leadership of the Church.

He further assured them of the Church’s commitment to support the project to its successful completion.

The Area Head also encouraged ASP Asare to remain resolute and faithful in discharging his duty so that Christ will be glorified through his good works.

Report by Anyaa-Ablekuma Area Media Team

NPP To Participate In National Politicians’ Conference

NPP To Participate In National Politicians’ Conference

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has pledged to fully participate in the upcoming National Politicians’ Conference being organised by The Church of Pentecost between June 14 and 16, 2023, at Gomoa-Fetteh near Kasoa.

The General Secretary of the ruling party, Lawyer Justin Frimpong Kodua, gave the assurance when an eight-member delegation from The Church of Pentecost led by its General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, paid a courtesy call on the national executives of the NPP at its headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra today (Tuesday, March 14, 2023) to brief them about the conference and invite them to participate in it.

“This is a godly conference, and we will not turn our back on God. We support the National Politicians’ Conference, and we shall fully come on board,” Lawyer Kodua stated.

The NPP General Secretary commended The Church of Pentecost for its contributions to the national development of Ghana in the areas of school buildings, hospitals, and prison facilities.

Contributing, the Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Stephen Ayesu Ntim, thanked the delegation from The Church of Pentecost for the visit and appealed to the various Christian denominations in Ghana to partner with key stakeholders to ensure a very peaceful election in Ghana in 2024. 

On his part, the General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Kumi-Larbi, said the upcoming National Politicians’ Conference forms part of the 25 thematic areas of the five-year strategic vision of The Church of Pentecost, which is currently the largest Pentecostal church in Ghana, which has a presence in 151 nations with over four million membership.

“We want the impact of the Church to be felt in the nation. Consequently, The Church of Pentecost has over the years, organised several national events such as the Royals’ Conference, Ministers’ Conference, Environmental Care Campaign, and now preparing for the National Politicians’ Conference in June this year,” he said.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi continued: “We want to raise a generation of politicians, who will influence society with godly values and principles.”

The other members of The Church of Pentecost delegation present at the meeting include Apostle Lawrence Otu-Nyarko (Finance and Administration Director), Apostle Philip Osei-Korsah (Director of Counselling Ministry), Pastor Dr. Felix Dela Klutse (Media Ministry Pastor), Hon. Deaconess Elizabeth Sackey (Accra Mayor), Mr. Alfred Ofori Annye, Elder Stephen Djaba (Men’s Ministry Secretary), and Dr. Yao Yeboah (National Politicians’ Conference Planning Committee Secretary). 

Key NPP Executives present at the meeting include Ms. Rita Talata Asobayire (2nd Vice Chair), Dr. Charles Dwamena (National Treasurer), Ms. Kate Gyamfua (National Women’s Organizer) and other members of the party’s national executive committee.

Readers will recall that The Church of Pentecost delegation on March 7, 2023, also paid a courtesy call on the leadership of the opposition National Democratic Congress to invite the party to participate in the conference. The party executives also assured the Church of its preparedness to participate in the upcoming conference.

Online registration for the conference has been opened and ends on March 30, 2023. So far, about 1,000 politicians have registered.

The National Politicians’ Conference is expected to be attended by politicians in The Church of Pentecost and other denominations across the country.

PENTECOST NEWS.

Dynamics Of God’s Sovereignty For Maximum Impact In Possessing The Nations

Dynamics Of God’s Sovereignty For Maximum Impact In Possessing The Nations

INTRODUCTION

The church includes all people who have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus. Such people receive forgiveness of their sins and also receive the Holy Spirit to indwell them to impart eternal life – life that is unending – life that is in the presence of God for all eternity. Some members of the church have gone to be with the Lord; they are the triumphant church. The rest of the church still alive on earth is the militant church. God establishes the militant church on earth with the purpose of bringing to bear His Kingdom values and principles on earth among humanity. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s Kingdom. The values and principles of God’s Kingdom is the life & teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This is the same as the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God encompasses all the character and power of God, which in one word can be termed “God’s Righteousness”. Jesus is God’s Righteousness (2 Corinthains 5:21). The carrier of the Kingdom of God through the church to all spheres of the earth is the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:28, “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you”.

The church is the vessel through whom the Holy Spirit imparts God’s Kingdom values by means of salvation and discipleship of humanity. In concluding His message to the churches, through John on the Island of Patmos, Jesus emphasizes the partnership between the Holy Spirit and the church in the salvation and possessing of the nations (through discipleship, beginning with evangelism). Jesus said, ‘“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life’ (Revelations 22:17). Discipleship is by means of the dual partnership between “The Spirit” and “The Bride” (the church). In this article, I seek to throw light on the sweet partnership between the Holy Spirit and the church in possessing the nation. I posit that, God is sovereign and already at work in bringing enlightenment to individuals and groups of people and the role of the church is to walk in the Spirit so as to discern the move of God in real time and to respond with obedience. The result at all times is maximum impact in possessing the nations for Christ.

MOSAIC LAW COULDN’T FISH FOR MEN!

God draws souls by the inworking of the Holy Spirit through the life of Christians and the church. When the minds of people are possessed for Christ, then we can firmly say we have possessed the nations. When Jesus said, the church should go into the world and make disciples of all nations, He was referring to bringing the gospel to groups of people. The Greek word for “nations” in that passage in Matthew 28:18-20 is “ethnos”; it is from this word that we derive the phrase, “ethnic groups”. Among others, the main imagery used in the bible to represent souls is “fish”. The plural of the word “fish” is “fish” but when there are different varieties of fish within a net, the plural becomes “fishes”. In calling the disciples to Himself, Jesus made them to understand that, the purpose of their call is to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). This means, Jesus is the first cause in this whole divine purpose of “fishing for people”. It is Jesus who “makes us” fishers of men. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). That is the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God means that God always begins the process of his redemptive work and gives us enlightenment to understand it and then gives us the free will to choose or respond in either accepting it or rejecting it. Remember, it was Jesus who opened the minds of His disciples so that they might understand the scriptures.

Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day (Luke 24:45).

Generally, in this life, if we do not understand the sovereignty of God, we will struggle restlessly without any fruit to show. In Luke 5:1-11, Peter and his colleagues had gone for fishing – literally – and were washing their nets. Jesus goes close to them and tells them to “launch into the deep for a catch of fish”. In their feedback to Jesus as they had their first engagement before Jesus called them, Peter said, they had toiled all night without a catch but “at the Word of Christ”, they will retry. What was the result? They had a huge catch! This is maximum impact! Jesus concluded their interaction by calling them as His disciples and telling them that, henceforth – from that time, they would be made fishers of men. The lesson we see here which the article seeks to discuss is that, we get maximum impact in life when we partner with God; when we get to know the will and voice of God and respond in time, the results is maximum impact and rest. Many of us are restless in life because we, like Peter and his folks, are “trying our best” without the voice, will, direction and leading of the Spirit of God. Without the voice of God, as the divine light, we are only groping in spiritual darkness. The Mosaic Law in the Old Covenant could not give this light.

God gave the Mosaic Law to the people of Israel as an experiment for humanity to know that due to the Fall, humans are filled with lusts or inordinate desires and that makes it impossible for anyone to fully obey God’s law written on tablet – outside the human. Whenever the external written law meets human lusts, the result is sin, instead of righteousness. The Mosaic law was given for us to have this knowledge of the dynamics of sin and its consequence of death. The Mosaic Law lacked the power to deal with the sin nature of humanity; it diagnoses sins and prescribes “what to do” but does not give the power to do what to do. God therefore had to bring another law known as the Law of Spirit of Life in Christ. This law deals with sin – its fully pays the penalty of sin, forgives sins completely, cleanse the conscience of the sinner, crucifies the sin nature and gives divine power to a person to manifest the life of Christ. When the Spirit of Christ comes into the heart of a person, then they have been set free from the struggles with the Mosaic Law and have come under the supervision of a higher, better and empowering law. Living by the voice of the Holy Spirit (the unseen evidence) is what it means to walk by faith. He dwells in our hearts and writes what we have to do on our hearts, not like laws written with ink on external tablets. He also gives us the power to obey Him.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people (Galatians 3:19)

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin (Romans 3:20)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set youfree from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4)

Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So, the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (Galatians 3:23-25)

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First, He says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. (Hebrews 10:15-17)

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3)

FISH OF MANY KINDS…WHERE THE RIVER GOES!

In promising this beautiful new era or new covenant, God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was lying on the banks of the River Cheba in Babylon when the heavens were opened to him to see visions of God. The people of Judah (the Southern Kingdom of Israel after the split following the death of Solomon with their capital as Jerusalem) had been taken into captivity in Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar. While in captivity, God began to reveal series of events to happen to Ezekiel for him to communicate to the people. Prime in this vision was the coming of the New Covenant which has been explained in earlier paragraphs of this article. God, in Ezekiel chapter 1, pictures the New Covenant (being led by the indwelling Holy Spirit) as four living creatures with wheels on the ground besides them; the four living creatures moved in the direction of the Spirit of God.

When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels (Ezekiel 1:19-21)

In using another imagery to speak of the New Covenant, God spoke of the river from the temple in Ezekiel 47. God said that everywhere the river would go, dead things will be made alive. When the river joins the sea, the water there will become fresh, swarms of living creatures will live, and there will be large number of fish because the water flows there and make the salt water, fresh. God goes in to say that, in such a place, there will be fish of many kinds and fishermen will stand along the shores to catch fish.

He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so, where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea (Ezekiel 47:8-10)

We see from this imagery that it is the river which flows into the sea that causes living creatures there to live and gather fish of many kinds for fishermen. When Jesus came on the scene where Peter and his colleagues were struggling to catch fish, there result was maximum impact. Jesus refers to this river (living waters) flowing from the temple as the Holy Spirit flowing out of the bellies of the new creation – you and I in Christ.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified (John 7:37-39).

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

It is the outflow of the Holy Spirit from our lives in a particular direction that leads to maximum impact in the life of a person and in the quest by the church to experience maximum impact in possessing the nations. “Out of our bellies” means the Holy Spirit will go ahead of us and then we will follow. I remember an Ivorian fisherman with a French vessel who fellowshipped with us while in Seychelles. At a point, for 20 days, on the Indian ocean, their vessel had caught no fish. His Frenchmen challenged him to speak to “his friend up there” (referring to God) to help them. He called me and I told him to stretch his hands on the Indian ocean as I prayed as asked God to gather fish to their vessel by the wind of the Spirit. That night, to the glory of God, they caught many fish and had to leave some fish behind. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

A life of rest and maximum impact is a life that understands the sovereignty of God – that, God has a plan and desires to lead us and all we need to do is to respond by following His lead. Maximum impact, at the personal level, is to know the will of God for your life and to follow His lead in all aspects of your life. Maximum impact in possessing the nations is to know where and how God is moving and to flow along as local churches; it is to know where the Spirit of God has moved ahead to bring enlightenment to a person and a people. Jesus said, if the Father does not draw a person, he or she cannot come to salvation. God is merciful and gracious in giving opportunities for people to have enlightenment so as to make a decision to come to faith in Christ.

And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (John 6:65)

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-45)

If we do not pray to know the move of God and we just try by our own strength and experience, we do so much but, like Peter and his colleagues, we achieve very little. In Acts 16:6-10, we see the Spirit of Jesus resisting Paul from preaching in some places and leading Him to preach in another place. It is God who moves ahead to prepare the hearts of people for us to have harvest in soul winning. Our duty is to pray and discern the move of God and flow along. Sometimes, the resistance is the devil and we must discern and contend in prayer against his works and prevail over it; other times, the resistance is from the Lord. Effective prayer in evangelism and church planting is seeking to know where God is moving. If God could lead king Cyrus who did not have the Spirit of God indwelling him, how much more the new creation?

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So, they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them (Acts 16:6-10).

This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut: “I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name (Isaiah 45:1-3)

I remember in my first ministerial station, Poyentanga in Wa Area, Upper West Region of Ghana, we planted a number of assemblies but how two of them were planted really highlighted the sovereignty of God so clearly. In both cases, a young man will come from a community and tell us that they need a church in the community and people are gathered and waiting for us. Before they came, like in the case of Peter and Cornelius, the Lord will grant peace in our hearts as we waited upon Him in prayer for direction. It was amazing! The sovereignty of God would always bring to mind, the song, “The cloud of glory is moving”. Hallelujah! Singing…

The cloud of glory is moving

Move with the cloud (2x)

The cloud of glory is moving

Move with the cloud (2x)

Let your spirit arise

And your mouth filled with praise

Come, let us worship together

And wherever He will be

New heights will be achieved

Move with the cloud (2x)

FISH OR SCORPION?

At the personal level, the principle is the same. To make maximum impact, one must understand the sovereignty of God in their lives and flow by the leadings of His Spirit. The sovereignty of God in the life of a person is in two folds – God uses situations and circumstances the person has no control over to draw them to the point of enlightenment by the gospel then He gives them the space to take a decision to receive or reject the gospel by their freewill. This phase also includes the role a person plays, as an unbeliever, in the salvation of others. Once a person receives the gospel, he or she receives forgiveness of sin and the Holy Spirit now comes to indwell them and begins the next realm of the flow of the sovereignty of God in their lives. If they reject, God continues to give them periodic visitation so as to expose them to more opportunities to accept Christ. When the allocated period of God’s visitation is over – the person seals their condemnation. This happens especially when the person after so many exposures to the gospel, refuse to repent and turn to Christ, and rather choose to go deeper in a false doctrine, religiosity or be a frontline advocate for any of the agenda of Satan such as the ideology of secular humanism and homosexuality. Such a person is very likely to die in their sins because after so many exposures to the gospel, they feel they know it all; they blaspheme the Holy Spirit and trample the Spirit of grace underfoot. They have crossed the line – to into the realm of unpardonable sin. The devil takes over and lead them into more and more depravity resulting in death without repentance. Every sin is forgiven by the blood of Jesus but what will forgive the unpardonable sin which is the sin of rejecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit about the blood of Jesus as atonement for sin? Nothing! A person in deliberate or willful sin of rejecting the testimony of the Spirit of Christ about Christ becomes a reprobate – damned! Such people are “scorpions”, not “fish”! The Father will not give the church “scorpions”, but “fish”.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:26-29)

“Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Matthew 3:28-29)

Paul talks about such reprobates but gives thanks to God on behalf of the redeemed for their obedience to the gospel – Paul speaks about two sets of people – the redeemed and the reprobates:

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruitsto be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-13)

In the book of Jude, Jude creates awareness to the church about these reprobates. He encourages the church to be aware of them and to stay aware from them while they focused on getting grounded in their faith in Christ. In creating the contrast between the church and these reprobates, Jude describes the reprobates but when it comes to the church, Jude would start by saying, “But you, dear friends…”. This is what Jude says in verse 3 & 4:

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written aboutlong ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord (Jude 3-4)

It is difficult for a person who has had many chances of enlightenment to come to be renewed again to repentance when they have consistently rejected the offer! This was the state of many Hebrews after Jesus had ascended into heaven and the gospel was being preached to them; they struggled to receive the gospel after many opportunities. The writer of Hebrews talks about these people to the believers among the Hebrews and assures them that, their case is different because they have taken advantage of their time of visitation and received the gospel. Hallelujah! We do not need to waste time on people whose time of visitation is not yet up or whose time of visitation has passed – awaiting another merciful time of visitation. We must go where the Spirit is visiting; we move when the cloud moves!

Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallenaway, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:1-12).

NO COMPETITION FLOW ALONG “THY RIVER”

As has already been discussed, God’s sovereignty is in two folds for a person. The first part is the events and people God uses in the attempts to draw us to salvation in Christ as well as the part we play in our state of unbelievers in the salvation of others. The second part is God’s plans for us after we have come into Christ. When some of the roles a person, as an unbeliever, plays in the salvation of others are ordained by God and prophesied ahead of time, like in the case of Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, Cyrus etc., God gives increasing mercy and often long life for this “vessel of wrath”, as Paul’s calls them it in Romans 9, to have opportunities to make a decision for the gospel.

It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”Therefore, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory (Romans 9:16-23).

So, he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matthew 2:14-15)

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing (Ezra 1:1)

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it whichever way He wishes (Proverbs 21:1)

God has sovereign plans for each person before salvation and after salvation. Before salvation, there are things that will happen to us which He has ordained to happen to us without our control so as to contribute to His redemptive plans and there are other things that happens to us because we used our freewill to decide leading to disastrous consequences. We cannot blame God for such decisions within the realm of our freewill. It is indeed true that, sometimes, “The foolishness of man undermines his way [ruining whatever he undertakes]; Then his heart is resentful and rages against the LORD [for, being a fool, he blames the LORD instead of himself] (Psalm 19:3). Satan often operates on the freewill domain to ensure that a person dies before their time so that God’s sovereign move in their lives towards their salvation and those of others will not happen.

As discussed earlier, some, like Pharoah, are ordained as vessels of wrath to try to stand against God’s salvation and for such people, God gives mercy for them to have more chances to be saved. When they are ripe for salvation and we are discerning, God will always lead us to them like He led Peter to Cornelius (Acts chapters 9 & 10). Others who are vessels of honor such as Moses, Samuel, Jesus, Timothy etc., born as exceptional children with redemptive purposes, receives godly direction right from infancy, guiding them right into their salvation when they become adults. They may have their struggles with the flesh, but God disciplines them and guides them into salvation so as to use them for their divinely-ordained redemptive purpose.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

In his book, “The Making of a Leader”, Dr. J. R. Clinton posits that, right from birth, God ordains six (6) phases in the life of a person with different sets of process items (events and people) – all with the aim to drawing the person to salvation in Christ and thereafter into ministry (receiving God’s goodness and sharing with others under the power and leading of the Holy Spirit). These six phases are: Sovereign Foundations; Inner Life Growth; Ministry Maturing; Life Maturing: Convergence; and Afterglow (or Celebration). The events ordained by God to lead a person to salvation in Christ and their role, as unbelievers, towards the salvation of others is what Dr. Clinton refers to as “Sovereign Foundation”. Details of each of these six phases will be focus for another article.

CONCLUSION

Let me conclude by saying that, God has brought together lots of past experiences and people (some of whom were very evil) to draw us to salvation in Christ. He has now given us the Holy Spirit to flow out of our bellies as rivers of living waters to direct us into His plans for our lives. There is no room for comparing ourselves to others; God has unique plans for each of us. There is no need to restlessly compere for positions at all cost – even leading to the death of other humans. We are called to help one another to practice a life of hearing the voice of the Lord and walking in them. This understanding helps us to avoid restlessness and manipulation because we know that our lives are in the hands of the Lord. When we flow with the leading of the Spirit as our response to the sovereign moves of God, the result is maximum impact of our personal lives and maximum impact of our lives as local churches in possessing the nations for Christ. There is no room for worry, fear, anxiety etc. The song that will describe the true state of our hearts at all times will be:

You don’t have to worry and don’t you be afraid
Joy comes in the morning, troubles days don’t last always
For there’s a friend in Jesus, who will wipe your tears away
And if your heart is broken, just lift your hands and say:
“I know that I can make it

I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands”

So, when the tests and trials, may seem to get you down
And all your friends and loved ones are nowhere to be found
Remember there’s friend in Jesus, who will wipe your tears away
And if your heart is broken, just lift your hands and say
“I know that I can make it

I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands

With Jesus, I can take it
With him I know I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands”
“I know that I can make it

I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands.

Written by Apostle S. K. Fianko-Larbi (CoP-Kenya National Head & CoP East African Bloc Coordinator)

I Want To Know Him More - Ex-Fraudster & Idolater Encounters Christ

“I Want To Know Him More” – Ex-Fraudster & Idolater Encounters Christ

Michael Elikplim engaged in many fraudulent activities and made a living out of scamming people for their hard-earned money.

As Eliplim got richer, he acquired houses, cars and other properties at luxurious locations and was enjoying the good life.

To secure his wealth and have his victims spellbound, he went to some spiritualists for charms to back his trade.

All seemed to be going well for Michael until one fateful day when his whole world came crushing down on him.

A close friend of his betrayed him and caused his arrest. As a result, he lost all he had acquired, albeit fraudulently.

After the dust settled on the situation, he headed to his hometown, Adaklu in the Volta Region of Ghana, to escape the shame, disgrace and misfortune that had befallen him.

But tried as he did, Michael was unable to move past his predicaments and thoughts of spiritual forces continued to taunt him.

On the March 9, 2023, two members of the Evangelism Ministry Advance Team, who had been stationed at the Adaklu District, paid him a visit as part of a house-to-house evangelism exercise.

Michael shared his story with them and they, in turn, told him about Jesus Christ and how He paid for the sin of all humanity.

Right after hearing the message, Michael made the decision to accept Christ into his life and insisted on being baptised by immersion.

“I feel like a big burden had been lifted off my shoulders,” he said afterwards.

Michael is very zealous about his new-found faith and now holds Bible studies at his residence.

His thirst for the things of the Lord keeps growing by the day.

When quizzed about his passion for study of the Bible, a rejuvenated Michael said: “I want to know Him (Jesus) more and more.”

The house-to-house evangelism exercise was part of activities organised by the Evangelism Ministry ahead of the upcoming “Ho for Christ” Crusade.

The crusade, which is under the theme: Jesus Came To Seek and Save (Luke 19:10), would be held at the Anglokordzi-Rabazey Children’s Park. It would be climaxed on Saturday, March 18, with a free medical outreach.

PENTECOST NEWS

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Man Accepts Christ, Surrenders Idols To Be Destroyed

Mr. Sampson Yaw Sewor George, a 48-year old traditionalist at Todome in the Volta Region of Ghana, has accepted Christ as his Lord and personal Saviour, and consequently surrendered his idols to be destroyed.

The spectacular event took place during a house-to-house evangelism exercise undertaken by members of the Evangelism Ministry Advance Team of The Church of Pentecost.

Sharing his story with PENTECOST NEWS, Mr Sewor said, for some time now, he had been on the lookout for more spiritual powers to add to what he had already inherited from his late father.

According to him, the main reason why he wanted to be more powerful was to enable him eliminate his ex-wife or her new husband or both.

However, after his engagement with the team, he voluntarily pulled a ring from his throat and handed over his deity to be destroyed.

He subsequently gave his life to Christ and has been baptised in water by immersion.

The house-to-house exercise was part of preliminary activities scheduled by the Evangelism Ministry ahead of the upcoming “Ho for Christ” Crusade.

The crusade, which is under the theme: Jesus Came To Seek and Save (Luke 19:10), would be held at the Anglokordzi-Rabazey Children’s Park from March 14 to 17, 2023.

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Odorkor Area Launches 2023 Environmental Care Campaign

The Odorkor Area of The Church of Pentecost on Sunday, March 12, 2023, launched the 2023 Environmental Care Campaign with a clarion call on all Ghanaians, particularly Christians, to end enviromental pollution.

The event, which was held at the Odorkor Central Assembly church auditorium and chaired by the Area Head, Apostle Isaac Tetteh Judah, had in attendance ministers and wives, officers, members and officials from the Universal Plastic Products Recycling (UPPR) Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies.

In his opening address, Apostle Tetteh Judah said the Environmental Care Campaign is one of many initiatives birthed under the five-year strategic vision of the Chuch, dubbed “Vision 2023” (Possessing the Nations).

He explained that The Church of Pentecost, through Vision 2023, is seeking to make her impact felt beyond the walls of the Church building.

“The Church is not an end to itself but a means to an end. God’s plan is to use the Church as a means to reach the nations. Christians are discipled and sent back to win souls. The Church is, therefore, supposed to be light and salt to the world, and one way we can impact the community is the Environmental Care Campaign,” he said.

Reading from Acts 17:26, he said that God in His wisdom marked out the boundaries of every land for all people of the world.

“From the whole earth, God chose us to inhabit this nation Ghana, so we must be proud of our nation,” he said.

He said that the Environmental Care Campaign, which was initiated five years ago, is aimed at creating awareness and educating the citizenry on environmental pollution in order to protect and preserve the land which the Lord has entrusted to them as Ghanaians.

He explained that this year’s campaign would mainly focus on plastic waste management and environmental cleanliness.

“God has given us the environment and we have a task to protect it. So if we don’t do something about plastics engulfing us today, generations  who will come after us will blame us,” he cautioned.

The Odorkor Area Head also charged Ghanaians, particularly members of The Church of Pentecost, to contribute their quota to national development, especially in protecting and preserving environment.

“We have a duty as citizens and Christians to protect the nation. We need to rise up against environmental pollution. Environmental Care Campaign should not just be a nine-day wonder; we should live it,” he urged.

Hon. Doreen Edem Mensah, the Head of Human Capital at UPPR and a Deaconess of the Church, said that her outfit has chosen to partner the Church because this year’s Campaign is in line with their operations.

“The previous year the focus of the campaign was on forestry, that was why we planted more trees. However, this year, the Universal Plastic Products Recycling (UPPR) has chosen to come on board because the Campaign is focusing on Plastic waste management,” she said.

The Head of Business Development at UPPR, Mr. Ismael Nii Sowah, also educated the gathering on the various plastic waste management processes.

He said that, as part of their work, the UPPR buys back plastic waste from individuals for recycling purposes thereby providing indirect employment for many people across the nation.

He said that the UPPR directly employs over 100 people who see to the recycling of the plastic waste into reusable products.

Despite the many benefits of plastics recycling, Mr. Sowah said that the most sustainable way of dealing with plastics and keeping the environment clean is to reduce its use.

Mr. Edwin Napie, the Head of Procurement at UPPR, also explained to the participants UPPR’s terms and conditions for the sale and collection of plastics.

Among those present at the launch ceremony were Pastor John Tetteh Wayoe (Area Secretary) and Pastor Ebenezer Doku (Odorkor Area Environmental Care Campaign Coordinator).

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144 Souls Won During Peki Sports Outreach

The Evangelism Ministry of The Church of Pentecost, in collaboration with the Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM) of the Peki District of the Church, organised a Sports Outreach last Saturday.

At the end of the exercise, 144 people gave their lives to Christ.

The sports evangelism outreach was part of preliminary activities scheduled by the ministry ahead of the upcoming “Ho for Christ” Crusade.

The crusade would be held at the Anglokordzi-Rabazey Children’s Park from March 14 to 17, 2023.

The event, which is being hosted by the Ho Area of the Church, is under the theme: Jesus Came To Seek and Save (Luke 19:10).

PENTECOST NEWS

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55-Year-Old Man Miraculously Healed Of Stroke

Mr. Kwame Eleabo, a 55-year-old resident of Ziavi Dzogbe in the Volta Region of Ghana, has miraculously recovered from a mild stroke and speech impairment a day after surrendering his life to Christ.

Mr. Eleabo, who had been incapacitated for over a year, received Christ into his life when some members of the Evangelism Ministry Advance Team preached the gospel message of Jesus Christ to him and prayed for him during a house-to-house evangelism exercise.

The following morning, the team decided to pay him a visit and to engage him on his new-found faith in Christ.

When they got to his residence, to their utter surprise, they saw Mr. Eleabo cheerfully doing household chores without any sign of discomfort – completely different from the condition he was in a day before.

According to Mr Eleabo, after he accepted Christ and the team prayed for him, he still went to bed that evening unable to stand on his feet. However, when he woke up the next morning he realised that he had been healed and could now do the things he could not do before.

“This morning I walked to the barbershop all alone to trim my hair,” he said. He was therefore, grateful to God for His healing power and for coming to his aid when all hope was lost.

The house-to-house evangelism exercise was part of preliminary activities scheduled by the Evangelism Ministry ahead of the upcoming “Ho for Christ” Crusade from March 14 to 17, 2023.

The crusade, which is under the theme: Jesus Came To Seek and Save (Luke 19:10), would be held at the Anglokordzi-Rabazey Children’s Park. It would be climaxed on Saturday, March 18, with a free medical outreach.

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Increase Your Intimacy With God – Mrs. Tekper Advises Christians

The wife of the Achimota Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Mrs. Matilda Tekper, has advised Christians to make deliberate efforts to develop an intimate relationship with God in order to make a maximum impact in their spheres of life.

She said this at the bi-monthly prayer meeting of the Greater Accra Ministers’ Wives of The Church of Pentecost which was held on March 9, 2023 at the Thomas Wyatt Memorial Temple, in Accra Newtown.

Speaking on the topic; “The Ministers’ Wife; Reposition Herself for Maximum Impact”, Mrs. Tekper noted that “in order to make positive impact, you need to be a mature Christian.”

Explaining further, Mrs. Tekper noted that a mature Christian is a believer who knows God and puts their trust in Him. “If you do not know someone, you cannot be friends with them or trust in them. But you cannot know someone, without getting close to them. The friendship you build with the person helps you know them better, because you would learn about their likes and dislikes,” she explained.

Referring to Acts 22:14-15; Mrs. Tekper further noted that Apostle Paul drew closer to God and got to know Him better, adding that: “God sets us apart so that we would know Him more.”

She said that having an intimate relationship with God is beneficial to the individual as it has a positive on one’s family; especially children, friends and the community.

Mrs. Tekper advised Christians to be determined in their pursuit of God by renewing their minds and committing to the study of the Word. “It is by God’s mercies that we have been called as ministers wives. It is not a coincidence that we are married to Ministers, so we must work hard to support our husbands in order to accomplish the purpose for which they have been called,” she said.

She urged the ministers’ wives to complement their husband’s ministry by doing good, serving with all their heart and helping the members to remain steadfast in faith.

Mrs. Tekper also advised to endeavour to keep their respective mission houses neat and tidy bearing in mind that it is a special residence serving a divine purpose.

Ending her sermon, Mrs. Tekper advised ministers’ wives to be faithful to God and serve Him with a good heart.

“We must be wives of good behaviour. How we are in the inside should be displayed in public. As Proverbs 16:32 puts it, we must be people with self-control. Let’s not forget that we have a God who is able to help us control ourselves. That said, let us work with zeal so that the glory of God will be revealed to all men.” she said.

The prayer meeting was attended by both active and retired ministers’ wives of the church.

This month’s meeting was purposefully held to pray for both internal and external missions of The Church of Pentecost and also to fellowship, share knowledge and be equipped to excel in ministry.

The event was graced by the wife of the General Secretary of the church, Mrs. Rose Kumi-Larbi, and the wife of the International Missions Director (IMD), Mrs. Deborah Agyemang Bekoe.

The next session of the regional prayer meeting is scheduled to take place in May.

PENTECOST NEWS.

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IMD Embarks On Missions Promotional Tour

The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, fellowshipped with members of the New Tafo Area last Thursday as part of his McKeown ‘s Missions Week promotional tour to the Ashanti region.

The historic visit, which took place at the M. K. Yeboah Memorial Temple, Krofrom in Kumasi, attracted a high turnout, despite the threat of the rain.

Addressing the elated congregants, Apostle Agyemang Bekoe read 1 Chronicles 16:23-24 and explained that God’s people have special responsibility to praise Him, and proclaim the good news of His salvation day to day, which is the mission statement of the Church.

He was glad to announce that The Church of Pentecost has its presence in 151 nations. He indicated that missionaries are most often sent into a completely foreign and unfamiliar context and culture, faced with environmental and language barriers.

In the light of this, the IMD outlined the power of encouragement, especially to missionaries, revealing that active interest shown by members towards them and the work is a tangible reminder that someone really cares for them.

According to him, missionaries are strengthened to overcome the myriad of challenges and hardships related to carrying out the task through encouragement, hence the need for members of The Church of Pentecost to reach out to them through phone calls.

He, therefore, urged members of the Church to develop active interest in encouraging missionaries. Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe also commended the various Areas of the Church for their support, especially during missions weeks revealing that, many members of the Church witnessed and confessed to the significance of the tithes and missions offering during the Russia -Ukraine war.

He called for more support towards missions work, particularly this week, which has been designated as Missions Week. The New Tafo Area Head, Prophet Samuel Tetteh Doku, was grateful to the IMD for the visit.

He called on members to heavily support the missionary cause because it is the biblical model of expansion of the kingdom of God, and by helping the missionaries, “we help in spreading the good news to the whole world.”

Present at the service were Apostle J. B. K Tawiah (Kwadaso Area Head), Mrs. Victoria Tetteh Doku (Wife of the Area Head), Area pastorate and their spouses.

Report by Emmanuel Nana Nsiah & Dennis Owusu