Posts in category: Top Stories

The University of Ghana-Legon Campus Pastor of The Church Of Pentecost, Pastor Kwadwo Obeng, has advised young Christians not to compromise the values and principles of the Kingdom of God.

According to him, values and principles are inseparable, saying, “Values are what we cherish in the kingdom of God, whereas principles are how we live to fulfill the values of the kingdom of God.”

He added: “If chastity is my value, then my principle will be no pre-marital sex.”

Pastor Obeng was speaking on the topic, “The values and principles of the kingdom of God” during the just-ended PENSA Ghana Conference which took place concurrently at three centres – University for Development Studies (UDS) – Tamale; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) – Kumasi, and the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC) – Gomoa Fette.

Using Matthew 6:32 – 33 and Revelation 3:11 as his main texts, Pastor Obeng noted that being anxious about things in life can cause one to do something they never intended to do.

The UG Campus Pastor asserted that seeking first the Kingdom of God has two meanings – accepting Jesus as Lord and personal saviour and prioritizing one’s life by putting God first in all things.

“Seeking first the Kingdom of God means keeping the principles and values of the Kingdom of God,” he said, adding, “To be able to transform society, carry something society does not have to bring a change.”

He, however, noted that the values and principles of the Kingdom of God are the things to carry to transform society.

According to him, values are the primary and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate attitudes or actions. They provide general guidelines of conduct, whereas a principle is a widespread belief one has about the way he/she behaves.

He explained that there are personal and institutional or cultural values. Cultural values, he said, are accepted by societies and reflect what is important in each context. The values in the Kingdom of God are what are accepted.”

He pointed out that keeping principles comes with self-discipline and resilience, and also comes with sacrifices, saying, “A Christian with principles does not live on what is popular.”

The Campus Minister further explained that a kingdom is the domain of a king or a king’s sphere of influence.

He indicated that every kingdom has subjects, accepted norms, and lifestyle and seeks to extend its territories.

“As a church, we possess nations to transform every sphere of society with God’s Kingdom values and principles,” he said.

He added: “The Kingdom of God is a people who belong to God and they become God’s domain. The Church is a called-up group with a covenant with God. When you are called up, you become a domain of God.”

He, however, examined that there are some people in the kingdom of Satan. Therefore, it is the responsibility of Christians to win them to God’s Kingdom.

Concluding his sermon, Pastor Kwadwo Obeng admonished the youth to take up Jesus Christ as their role model, saying, “There are good role models, but Jesus should be your ultimate role model.”

PENTECOST NEWS

The Boamang District in the Offinso Area of The Church of Pentecost has launched the ‘Boamang Royals Festival’ which seeks to foster unity and accelerate the development of Boamang and its surrounding communities.

The festival dubbed, ‘RoyalFest,’ an initiative of  The Church of Pentecost, aims at bringing together all stakeholders in the district such as traditional leaders, political leaders, religious leaders, and other opinion leaders to brainstorm the development of the community, deepen relationships, pray for the communities and champion the common good of the community.

The maiden edition took place at Boamang on December 26, 2022, at the residence of The National Security Minister, Hon. Albert Kan Dapaa.

Speaking at the event, the Boamang District Minister of The Church of Pentecost, Probationary Overseer Alex Nana Owusu Nkrumah, stated: “When the Boamang District of The Church of Pentecost was created, we visited most of the stakeholders of the community. Per our interactions with them, we realised that the leaders have good plans for the community. We, therefore, decided to bring the leaders together at an event to have a friendly conversation to foster unity and champion a common goal for the community.”

According to the District Minister, one pressing issue will be on the table for deliberation every year. Some of the key developmental issues to be addressed will include equipping the youth to succeed the older generation, raising the next millionaires from the communities, helping the younger generation to live a responsible life, and enhancing educational policies and structures that will help raise the best students in the communities.

Among the prominent persons who graced the occasion was the Queen mother of Boamang (Boamanhemaa), Oheneyere Nana Akua Pokuaa I, and members of the traditional council.

In her address, Oheneyere Nana Akua Pokuaa commended The Church of Pentecost for the brilliant initiative and declared her massive support to ensure its success.

“I will not leave this work for only The Church of Pentecost to do. I will support you by actively taking part myself and ensure that all other churches and opinion leaders of the communities have also taken part,” she gladly pledged.

Pastor Ernest Agyei of Offinso Newtown District on behalf of the Offinso Area Head of the Church, Apostle Samuel Edzii Davidson, launched the programme.

In an exhortation, Pastor Agyei admonished the people to let Christ be the foundation of their lives. He said that if Christ is the foundation, then they are sure of a successful end.

He expressed worry that not much impact is being felt in Ghana although majority of Ghanaians are Christians.

“Now, money has become the yardstick for a successful living, so instead of living righteous lives to get good names, people rather prefer making money by all means,” he lamented.

Pastor Agyei commended Boamang District of the Church for laying the foundation of the developmental growth of the community on Christ.

The Minister of National Security, Hon. Albert Kan Dapaah, an indigene of the town, in a fraternal message, expressed his gratitude to The Church of Pentecost for organising the programme, saying, “The initiative is going to help a lot.”

With joy, he said that even though he is a Methodist, his wife is a proud member of The Church of Pentecost, while one of his children is an elder of the Church.

The maiden edition brought many stakeholders such as traditional leaders, religious leaders, businessmen and women, government officials, and individuals from various private institutions.

RoyalFest comes off twice every year, thus in July and December.

Report by Boamang District Media.

Pentecost University (PU) has received clearance from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to commence five new Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) programmes, making PU the first indigenous Ghanaian University to start BEng. programmes on its own.

The programmes include BEng. Robotics and Automation, BEng. Electricals and Electronics, BEng. Systems Engineering, BEng. Manufacturing Engineering and BEng. Environmental Engineering.

Commenting on the development, the Vice-Chancellor of PU, Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua,   said the approval of the programmes was monumental and has reinforced the University’s position to provide a leading engineering education that will equip the next generation for the increasingly sophisticated industry, dubbed “Industry 4.0, 5.0.”

Linking it to the Pentecost Engineering Village, the VC said there would be intensive research and nurturing of sufficient expertise for national development.

The Acting Director of Pentecost University’s International Digital Centre, Isaac Kuma-Yeboah, added that the new programmes are significantly different from the regular Bachelor of Science programmes.

According to the Director, the BEng Engineering Programme is more geared toward research, teaching and learning with intensive industry engagement for both the students and faculty members.

Providing further details on the models, Mr. Kuma-Yeboah said the students would undertake industry attachment in their first three years of study and spend the entire fourth year in the industry under the joint supervision of faculty and industry practitioners.

Pentecost University is a leading multidisciplinary University in Africa. The new programmes add to it strategically diverse programmes in Business, IT, Health and Law.

PENTECOST NEWS

Over 1500 members of the Odorkor Area of The Church of Pentecost attended the watchnight service on Friday to climax the Area’s weeklong fasting and prayer programme, dubbed “Beginning With Jesus.”

The event, which was held in morning and evening sessions at the Sampson Okyere Memorial Temple, was under the theme: “Oh Lord, Give Us Great Grace to Reposition Ourselves to Possess the Nations” (Acts 4:33).

As part of the event, the various speakers, namely Apostle Isaac Tetteh Juddah (Odorkor Area Head and Host Minister), Apostle Dr. Christian Tsekpoe, Apostle Rigwell Ato Addison (Rtd.), Apostle Johnson Agyemang Baduh (Rtd.) and Apostle Emmanuel Asante (Rtd.), took turns to make prophetic declarations on members as they begin the New Year.

Exhorting congregants during the watchnight service, Apostle Tetteh-Judah urged believers to ensure that the grace of God they have received in Christ produces the desired effect.

According to him, Christians can maximise the grace of God upon their lives by committing themselves to prayer and the word of God as well as being sensitive and obedient to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.

“Don’t be like Jacob, who was blessed, but still struggled in life. Rather look up to God to direct your path,” he charged. 

The service had in attendance the Odorkor Area pastorate and their spouses, as well as officers and members of the Area.

Report by Odorkor Area Media Team.

The newly-constructed Bale Assembly Church Building in the Mandari District of The Church of Pentecost (CoP) has been dedicated.

The building, largely financed under the Community-Based Church Building (CBCB) initiative of the CoP General Headquarters, was dedicated by the Sawla Area Head, Pastor David Amankwaa, on December 28, 2022. Pastor Amankwaa was assisted by the Mandari District Minister, Overseer Jones Dwomoh Amankwah, and a section of the area pastorate.

The Bole District Minister, Pastor Benjamin Addo Boateng, who doubles as the Sawla Area Secretary, delivered a sermon titled “Open the Door of the Temple of God” with Bible references from 2 Chronicles 29:1-8 and Psalm 141:2 at the event.

In his sermon, Pastor Addo Boateng emphasised the need for believers to keep the door of the Lord’s temple continually opened with prayer and worship.

The Area Secretary noted that they could achieve this by meeting regularly to offer prayers and sacrifices like incense before God, adding: “This will bring glory to the people and, by extension, the community.”

Dedicating the building, Pastor David Amankwaa stated that prayer is an essential part of every church and Christian. 

He, therefore, urged church leaders and members to make the Church auditorium a sacred abode where they will always seek the face of the Almighty. 

“Prayers offered from the temple will be answered, for it is the place the Lord has dedicated for His service,” he further noted.

Present at the service were Mrs. Rosemond Amankwaa (Wife of the Sawla Area Head) and Mrs. Felicia Dwomoh Amankwah (Wife of the Mandari District Minister), as well as leaders and members of the Bale Assembly.

Report by Sawla Area Media Team

The Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Elder Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has advised the youth to place maximum value and worth on themselves in order to build wealth for their future.

“There is so much potential in you, therefore, place value on your time. Every second of the day matters,” he stated.

Elder Dr Siaw Agyepong said this on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC) during the ‘Impact Makers Conference 2023,’ organised by the Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) under the Youth Ministry of the church.

In a presentation on the topic, “Repositioning Your Mind To Make Money,” during the Entrepreneurship segment of the conference, Elder Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong said that God, being the first entrepreneur, brought order out of chaos and created the universe for the good of humanity.

“The earth was formless and empty until the first entrepreneur spoke and brought forth the heavens and everything in it,” he said.

According to him, God placed entrepreneurs to fill in the gap in the marketplace, to make life better for others, saying, “The ability to create and the entrepreneurial mindset of God was filling man with wisdom, understanding, knowledge and with all kinds of skills for exploits.”

“Everyone has the genes of God to multiply and produce, in that case, if you are a human and not multiplying, there is an error because you are to multiply and increase,” he added.

The business mogul admonished the youth not to chase money as the motive for entering into business but identify a gap or problem in their surroundings and solve it, and then money will chase them eventually.

He encouraged the youth to develop creative skills and ideas which, according to him, will birth multinational companies despite their fields of study and expertise.

He stated: “Once you are studying, you also look at creativity to find many things in the world that connects you to your studies and ambitions,” adding, “Saying ‘No’ to problems always keeps money away from you. Just embrace the problem and find a solution for it.”

Touching on the Parable of the Workers (Matthew 20:1-16), he identified four groups of workers who were engaged to work in the vineyard. These groups, he said, were the early morning workers, those standing at the marketplace doing nothing, those not making the effort, and those still standing idle waiting to be hired.

Sharing a snapshot of his life and the establishment of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the Executive Chairman noted that in the year 2006, there was an upsurge of public health problems that could be traced to critical challenges in the waste management sector of the country.

“By the middle of 2023, we would be operating a total of 20 solid waste treatment plants, seven liquid waste treatment plants, 16 plastic waste treatment plants, and 15 medical waste treatment plants all over the country,” he pointed out.

He further urged the youth to have the consciousness to give tithes and it will lead them into prosperity.

PENTECOST NEWS

Christians have been admonished to demonstrate the love of God at all levels in their effort to make maximum impact in the nations.

The Suame Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle John Obeng Kesse, made the call in a sermon he preached on Sunday, January 1, 2023, at the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Suame in Kumasi.

Apostle Kesse noted that in line with the 2023 theme of the church, members of the church need to demonstrate love at all levels because the basis for their services to God emanates from their love for Him.

“In 2023, the church demands that the local church will be repositioned and reconsider stirring up their love for God to achieve maximum impact,” he stated.

Speaking on the topic, “Loving God wholeheartedly to make maximum impact in the local church” based on Isaiah 1:2-3, Apostle Kesse said that although God required the Israelites to reciprocate the love He showed them so that they would be blessed, the Israelites failed to do that but rather rebelled against God.

He said Jesus was sent by God to the world to help address three key things – dealing with sin, Satan and reconciliation of man to God.

According to him, Jesus also came to teach the mystery of godliness through His incarnation. In  1 Timothy 3:16, he said, God became man in the person of Jesus who lived in this sinful world, yet was without sin.

Due to the perfection and divine nature of Christ, those who believe in Him have the power and ability to defeat sin and say, ‘No’ to all forms of ungodliness, he pointed out.

He further disclosed that Jesus came to the world to reveal the Father (God) to humanity.

He entreated believers to walk outwardly with God, thus building personal intimacy with God by studying His word and walking according to what His word says. This, he said, makes it easier for one to mature in Christ.

With scripture reference to Romans 12:1-3, he advised believers to walk inwardly with God.

“We don’t just love God by words but rather by our deeds as well,” he said, adding, “Our actions must confirm our confessions.”

He concluded his sermon by encouraging Christians to know God and make Him known to others, saying, “Make Him your judge, lawyer and king.” 

Report by Suame Area Media Team.