Posts in category: Top Stories

The Cape Coast Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Samuel Yaw Antwi, has charged the clergy to encourage small prayer group meetings within the local church to ensure great revival in the church.

“As Christians, we need to keep a close relationship with God by interacting with Him through His word and prayer,” Apostle Antwi said.

The Executive Council Member said this on Thursday, January 26, 2023, during the 2023 Global Ministers and Wives’ Conference, which is ongoing at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa-Fetteh, near Kasoa.

Delivering a paper on the topic, “Encouraging Personal Devotion and Small Groups Prayer Meetings to Strengthen the Local Church,” Apostle Antwi defined a small group as a micro-community of three to twelve persons doing the Christian life deeply together.

“When you are few, you can expose yourselves to one another by sharing your weaknesses and strengths for support,” he said.

Using Matthew 4:18-22 and Luke 6:13 as scripture references, Apostle Antwi said that Jesus had a small group at the beginning of His ministry which enabled Him to minister within a framework of interpersonal relationship, saying, “This small group formed the basis or platform for His ministry to large groups.”

He added: “One of the trademarks of The Church of Pentecost is its dedication to prayer. The mantra: ‘Prayer is the work, and the work is prayer’ has been carried down from the Founder, Rev. James McKeown to the current generation.”

He disclosed that a typical assembly of the church had its doors open for any member to walk in and spend time before the Lord in prayer.

Apostle Samuel Yaw Antwi, therefore, called on the clergy to reflect on this fading core value and find appropriate ways to revamp it in an effort to strengthen the local church.

PENTECOST NEWS

An Executive Council Member of The Church of Pentecost, who doubles as the Area Head of Tarkwa, Apostle Dr. Daniel Okyere Walker, has admonished the clergy to carry the fear of God for maximum impact in the nations.

According to Apostle Dr. Walker, the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in various ways in the local church, where sinners are constantly being saved and added to the church. 

“It is time to make a maximum impact by stoking the fire of the Holy Spirit in bigger proportion through the fear of God,” he stated.

He made this admonition on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at the opening of the 2023 Global Ministers’ and Wives’ Conference, organised by the church, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa.

Delivering a presentation on the topic, “Stoking the Fire of The Holy Spirit, Living In the Fear of God in the Local Church,” the Western and Western North RCC Co-ordinator said that Jesus told the disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit before doing ministry.

“Being baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples were equipped and repositioned to go into the world,” Apostle Dr. Walker iterated.

He disclosed that one major characteristic of the early church that had made a major impact in their communities, nations, and wherever they went was the fear of God in the church.

Defining the fear of God, he noted that it is having a deep respect, reverence, and awe for God’s power and authority. He, therefore, urged the clergy to honor God with their lives in such a way that they would not do anything in word or deed to displease him.

Touching on the fear of God in the local church, the Executive Council Member charged the clergy to obey God’s Word; sacrifice unconditionally; have compassion for others; refrain from evil; keep the commands of God; walk in the ways of God, and love God and serve Him with their heart and soul.

“Ministers must avoid amassing wealth for themselves at the expense of sacrificing wholly to God,” he said, urging, “We want to reposition the church such that apostles, pastors, and members will fear the Lord and would not condone sin.”

Apostle Dr. Walker further explained that when we talk about fearing God it does not only involve having deep reverence or respect for God, exercising careful obedience to His word, but being sincerely afraid of God.

He charged the active and retired ministers gathered across the globe to keep themselves holy and pure, wearing the righteousness of Christ to lead other members in righteousness and holiness in the church.

“When the fear of God is in operation in the church, the fire of the Holy Spirit is rekindled always, and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit becomes prominent,” he posited.

PENTECOST NEWS.

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.

PENTECOST NEWS

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.