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The Takoradi Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Joseph Kwame Assabil, has admonished Christians to be committed to the goal of the Church.

Apostle Assabil made the call at the just-ended 2021 Ministers and Wives’ Conference (Western Region) which took place at E. K. Kyei Memorial Temple at Tarkwa.

Speaking on the topic, “The Goal of the Church,” on Day 2 of the conference on January 27, 2021, with scripture references from Ephesians 5:26-27, 3:21, 2:10, Apostle Assabil stated that the goal of the Church is to prepare a bride with magnificent beauty and splendor for Christ.   

Expounding further, he revealed that the goal of everything is so important that all energy, attention, and effort must be directed towards achieving that goal.

“To build a radiant church without stain or blemish, Christians must be committed to the goal of the church,” he affirmed.

He stated that God is using church leaders in preparing the members to be a glorious bride, hence church leaders must be studious in studying the word of God and be fervent in prayer in order to discharge their duties to the latter.

On building a radiant church, the Takoradi Area Head indicated that the Holy Spirit is the force that drives it into reality. He, therefore, called on ministers and their wives to rely solely on the Holy Spirit in building a glorious church.   

“The heart of man is desperately wicked; hence it is only the Holy Spirit who can transform it,” he indicated.

Apostle Assabil stated that Christianity is not about materialism but how the Holy Spirit inspires people through the word of God to live holy lives to help them make it to heaven, which is the ultimate goal of the church.

“People are being deceived so much into equating materialism with Christianity. This false teaching must never be entertained in our churches in order not to distract members from the goal of the church,”  he affirmed.

Speaking on the role of the church, Apostle Assabil revealed that the prayer sessions during church services should not be centered on materialism but the focus should be on holiness since a radiant church always reflects the nature of God.

He cautioned that preaching holiness without love becomes legalistic since holiness conjoined with love always produces the desired results. “The love of God must always be emphasized and pursued in the Christian journey. Accepting one another in their weaknesses is the sure way of helping them move towards the purpose for which the church was established,” he stressed.

Concluding his sermon, Apostle Joseph Assabil challenged Christians to be circumspect in the types of books they read and indicated that for the Church to remain pure, the word of God must be preached fervently, and false teachings must be disputed with the true and pure word of God.

Report by Western Regional Media Team.

Pentecost University has held its 12th graduation ceremony for masters, undergraduate, and certificate students. The ceremony took place on the Sowutuom campus in Accra on Saturday, January 30, 2021. It was attended by students, staff, and restricted guests from The Church of Pentecost, sister universities, regulatory bodies, in line with social distancing protocols of Covid-19.

The Council Chair of the University, Pastor Prof. Ellis Otto who opened the ceremony congratulated the students on attaining their respective academic levels. He also challenged the fresh graduates to live up to the expectations of their training.

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor, Pastor Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua repeated the university’s new focus to be a different kind, distinguished in research, morality, and problem-solving abilities; and ultimately be known and referred to as University A+. 

Prof. Agyapong-Kodua congratulated the fresh graduates and asked them to embrace research-led practices to solve problems at the local, national, and international levels. “This day reminds me of mine and I can imagine the joy in your hearts; I, therefore, congratulate you on attaining this feat on behalf of management and staff of PU.” …he said.

The VC outlined a few initiatives already on course and geared toward the University A+ agenda. Some include digitization of the administrative processes, the building of ultra-modern hostel facilities, acquisition of research grants among others.” I tell you this for you to be proud of your school and know that we are building a brand that you will leverage on, as alumni.” … Prof Agyapong-Kodua added. He, therefore, asked them to be torchbearers of the University A+ agenda.”

The best graduating student in MA. Pentecostal Studies Rev. Gabriel Nti thanked God for the quality of tuition he received. “I studied for my BA here and now masters here and can confidently and humbly say PU has a rich experience for students.”

Mr. Kingsley Yeboah Konadu, a Banking and Finance student emerged as the overall bests graduating student at the undergrad level. He also won other awards including best male graduating student and best student of the Faculty of Business Administration.

In his remark, Mr. Yeboah said he is humbled by the achievement. “Emerging the best graduating student from a prestigious and academically rigorous university like PU is very humbling.” … Mr. Yeboah said. He added that “I believe it was made possible by God’s grace, faculty members, and the circle of friends I kept on campus.”

On his part, Aps. Prof. Opoku Onyinah, the first Rector of the university and member of faculty, said he is impressed with how the ceremony was organized. He said, “being the first that the university held post charter, I must say it reflected the reinvigorated vision to be a different kind of university, distinguished for excellence.” Prof. Onyinah said. He added what stood out for him was some staff of the university who graduated with higher qualifications. The renowned theologian said that “as a human capital development enthusiast, I was pleased to see some staff who entered the university as menial employees with little to no academic qualifications upgrade to degree and masters’ levels in some cases; that is what pushed me to give them Staff Development Awards.

In all, 120, 424, and 144 students graduated at masters, undergraduate, and certificate levels respectively. It strictly adhered to all World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 protocols.

Source: Pentvars.edu.gh

The Kasoa Area Head of The Church of Pentecost and former General Secretary of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Apostle Ekow Badu Wood, has asked believers to let their Christianity exceed the borders of the church community if they wish to possess the nations for Christ.

“Practicing our faith outside the church is full-time Christianity, and only full-time Christians can possess the nations for Christ,” he said.

Apostle Wood said this on Friday, January 29, 2021, while speaking at the 2021 Ministers and Wives’ Conference (MWC’21 – Greater Accra Region), held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh. 

In a presentation on the theme, “I Am an Agent of Transformation,” with scripture references from James 1:27 and Romans 12:2, Apostle Wood indicated that the five-year vision of the church, which is ‘Possessing the Nations, I am an Agent of Transformation,’ is very timely and essential, because it encapsulates the entirety of Christianity.

He explained that the church is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. That end, according to him, is for the church to reach the world with the gospel of Christ and bring all to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“Christianity must not be centered in church; real Christianity begins from Sunday evening after church, when the believer must put into practice what he professed on Sunday morning,” he stressed.

He added: “Let us start practicing our faith from Monday to Saturday at the home, marketplace and everywhere we find ourselves, then we will be agents of transformation,’ and our lives will be living proves of Christ’s saving power and an example to the on looking world. Only then can we possess the nations for Christ.”

He expounded that an agent of transformation is like an ambassador sent to represent the mother nation in another country.

He, therefore, posited that “since no ambassador stays in his own country, as agents of transformation, our works of faith cannot be shown in church alone, but we must demonstrate our faith and belief in God outside the church.”

Citing Luke 10:30-37, Apostle Badu Wood drew lessons from the parable of the Good Samaritan. He noted that, “the priest and the Levite were coming from the place of worship. However, they by-passed the injured man because they did not want to get involved with the world outside their church community,” adding that, “our Christianity must have an impact on the world.”

“The goal of the church is to impact the world. If our Christianity remains in the church and only starts and ends on Sunday, then we are only part-time Christians,” he bemoaned.

“Salt is preserved in containers, but the purpose of salt is to be added to food to season it and make it edible. Therefore, if we are the salt of the earth, we cannot remain in church; we must go into the world and possess the nations for Christ,” he stated.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Kaneshie Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Mike Kwame Etrue, has called on Christians to make every effort to always uphold integrity in their private and public lives since it is required of them to be different.  

According to him, the world is in dire need of people with integrity to transform the society, and that Christians cannot but to manifest the values and principles of God to brighten every place they find themselves, being the Salt and the Light of the world.

Apostle Mike Etrue, who is also an Executive Council Member of the church, said this in a presentation on the topic, “Living a Life of Integrity as a Christian” at the Greater Accra Regional session of the 2021 Ministers and Wives’ Conference on Thursday, January 28, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.

Taking his key Bible reading from Proverbs 10:9 (People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed), Apostle Etrue explained integrity as “wholeness, perfection, soundness, simplicity, completeness and sincerity.”

He indicated that Daniel excelled in his public life and was able to work under five successive regimes due to his high level of integrity (Daniel 6:3-5). According to him, though Daniel was very prayerful, what helped him most was his integrity. “Right from the beginning, Daniel set the boundaries and decided not to defy himself with anything ungodly,” he stated, while calling on ministers of the gospel to be people of high integrity with no questionable character.

Apostle Etrue pointed out that living a life of integrity as Christians is a must, non-negotiable, saying, “You can’t dodge it.”

He added: “Our generation critically needs leaders with integrity – people who cannot be bought, will not compromise with wrong, will walk the talk, and will be completely honest in small things as in great things.

“Unfortunately, integrity seems to be a critical aspect of leadership which are mostly found wanting, both in the church and society. God expects us to stand out and be counted as a people who do not yield to corrupt practices but always upholding ethical values in every area of our lives – at home, in the workplace and in the church.”

He charged believers to uphold high moral uprightness, hold themselves to ethical standards, eschew corruption, maintain a pure conscience before God and man, have no hidden agenda in their actions, do things without prioritising personal gain, live above reproach, and be consistent in their character, saying, “When integrity is upheld, when we pray revival will come and things will begin to change in the church.”

Reading from 1 Samuel 9:5-6, where Prophet Samuel passed the integrity test, he challenged ministers of the gospel and their wives and Christians in general to put themselves on the integrity level scale by subjecting themselves to self-assessment to know the perception of the people about them.

He gave some pointers to help believers to live a life of integrity. These include, obeying the word of God since the Lord detests lying lips (2 Corinthians 8:21; 1 Peter 2:12), abiding by the principles of God (fearing God and keeping His commandment), avoiding hypocrisy like the Pharisees which Jesus spoke against, and know that every action of theirs will be judged by God.

“Revival comes with greater level of integrity. When we lack integrity, we can pray for a whole day and we will never get the revival we so wish,” he concluded.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The former General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr. Alfred Koduah, has beseeched Christians to jealously guard their minds against the maneuvering philosophies of secular humanism.

Apostle Dr. Koduah, who is the current Area Head of the Teshie-Nungua Area of the church, said this on Thursday, January 28, 2021, while delivering a paper at the 2021 Ministers and Wives’ Conference (MWC’21 – Greater Accra Region), at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh. 

Speaking on the topic, “Secular Humanism,” Apostle Dr. Koduah revealed that “secular humanism is the most dangerous philosophy in the world today. It is the opposite of Christianity and fights against all Christian principles.”

He explained that secular humanism has been an age-long philosophy that has been growing gradually and winning the minds of many who fall prey to its enticing principles and standards. According to him, it published its first manifesto in 1933, and reviewed it in 1973 and 2003 respectively.

Expounding further, Apostle Dr. Koduah identified some basic principles and teachings of secular humanism and advised the church to be mindful of them and make conscious efforts to guard their minds against them.

“Secular humanistic values may seem innocuous and harmless to the Christian faith, however, if left to linger, it will find its way into the church and cause irreparable damage to our faith,” he cautioned.

He, therefore, advised that “values like disbelief in God or the afterlife and supernaturalism, disbelief in the Bible, disbelief in Jesus Christ, strong belief in evolution, the literal deification of human beings, rejection of absolute truth, rejection of religious-based laws, and downplaying the marriage system, are all secular humanistic principles that we should fight against with utmost seriousness.”

Apostle Dr. Alfred Koduah revealed that secular humanism spreads through means like the school system and the media. He, therefore, implored all believers to jealously guard their minds and especially the minds of their children from such principles.

“If we want to possess the nations for Christ, we must wage war against secular humanism, win the minds of people and turn them back to the knowledge of Christ,” he stressed.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Chairman of the Central Regional Coordinating Committee of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Samuel Yaw Antwi, has asserted that the world needs a true revival, which must start from the Church.

According to Apostle Antwi, who is also the Cape Coast Area Head and Member of the Executive Council of the church, “in our quest to possess the nations as a glorious Church in these times when the whole world is engulfed in pain, darkness and heartache, there is a need for a revival.

“We need a true revival starting from the Church; a renewal of every member which will ultimately spread to the nations; one which would bring about transformations.”

Apostle Antwi said this in his keynote address at the Central Regional session of the 2021 Ministers and Wives’ Conference of the church held at the New Jerusalem Auditorium in Winneba.

He noted that it is only a transformed church that can transform the nations, saying, “The nations of the world are crying out for the manifestation of the children of God who have been revived and transformed to serve as source of light.”

Apostle Samuel Yaw Antwi, therefore, advised ministers and their wives to cry for a revival in their personal lives and in their ministries. “We must get to that point where we are fully submitted to the Lord and seek to be a certain kind of people who have decided to respond to the heavenly call to be beacons of light to the world,” he stated, adding, “The flock of God is looking for leaders who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness; leaders who are frustrated with lukewarm service, but rather constantly yearn for the glory of God; leaders who are ready to eschew all forms of worldliness and leaders who are not satisfied with their present experience of the Lord, but are eager to have a deeper experience daily.”

“I pray that we would genuinely hunger for revival and encounter the fire of God which would revive and transform us. May we be fully aligned to the will of our Lord and Master who has called us to lead His flock in a time such as this, and to possess the nations of the world.”

Report by Pastor Solomon Kwasi Kyei.

“Some Christians believe in the teaching that they can enjoy the benefits of salvation through Christ without having to accept the ‘inconvenient’ challenge of His lordship over their lives. Many Christians today are comfortable with Jesus in a manger and Jesus crucified on the cross but not how we may share in his suffering; this is erroneous.”

This was a statement made by Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Anim, the Director of the School of Theology, Missions and Leadership at Pentecost University, on Thursday, January 28, 2021, while speaking at the Ministers and Wives’ Conference (MWC’21- Greater Accra Region), at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh. 

Delivering a sermon on Day 4 of the conference on the topic, “The Christian and The Lordship of Christ,” based on Romans 12:1 and Galatians 2:20, Apostle Dr. Anim explained that “living an obedient and victorious Christian life calls for a life of commitment and submission to the Lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

He revealed that many of the early believers and disciples had to choose between their lives and accepting Jesus as their Lord. 

He noted that “in those days, only Caesar, who was the Emperor of Rome could be addressed with the title ‘Lord,’ as a result, when the early believers referred to Jesus as their Lord, most of them were killed and some thrown into prison. That was the price they had to pay for accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ, can we do the same in our time?”

Apostle Dr. Anim further expounded that “the name Lord is what led to the crucifixion of Christ because the Jewish religious leaders referred to it as blasphemy, but Jesus’ resurrection proved otherwise and established Jesus as Lord and the true Son of God.”

Reading from Romans 12:1, he charged that “since we have been delivered by the death and resurrection of Christ, our lives are not our own, we must, therefore, present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto our Lord.”

He, therefore, posited that “many of the challenges we face in the church today are because we acknowledge the salvation of Christ, but we have not accepted Him as our Lord,” adding that “most Christians want to make Christ an administrative secretary, always stamping and approving everything we wish and desire to accomplish.”

He reiterated that “the Lordship of Christ is not a one-time action or confession; it is a constant obedience to every command and desire that is not only acceptable but pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“The early believers had to face death and prison just to profess Christ as Lord, we are privileged not to be faced by the same challenge, therefore, let nothing hinder us from giving ourselves wholly to the will and command of God,” he stressed.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Koforidua Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Samuel Osei Asante, has admonished pastors and their wives to have a Christ-centered goal for the people God has called and placed in their care.

Speaking on Tuesday, January 25, 2021, at the ongoing Eastern Regional Ministers and Wives’ Conference on the topic, “The Goal of the Church: The Role of Revival,” he explained that a goal is a result or achievement towards which an effort is directed.

Highlighting the difference between goal, purpose, and a process, he said that a goal is what one builds, whilst a purpose and process are why and how one is builds.

He admonished ministers not to allow the goal for the church to be lost since Jesus has already set the goal for the church – “I will build my Church.”

Quoting Howard Hendricks who asked a minister, “What are you trying to do to these people anyway,” the Koforidua Area Head charged ministers to have a purpose for the people God that has called and trusted to their care to shepherd. He further advised ministers to nurture believers so that they will be devoted followers of Jesus Christ.   

“What are we doing at our various local assemblies?” he quizzed, adding, “Ministers must not just hold services for meeting sake, but we must strive to experience God at our meetings.”

With reference from Ephesians 5: 22-27, he stated that the goal of the church is that the church would be a beautiful bride prepared for her bridegroom which is Christ (Rev. 19: 7).

He entreated ministers of the church to ensure that their programmes and activities are geared towards the goal of the church.

Using Matthew 25: 1-13, Apostle Asante, who is a member of the Executive Council and Coordinator of the Eastern Regional Coordinating Committee of the church, encouraged ministers and their wives to prepare themselves for the coming of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

Further reading from Ephesians 2:10, he indicated that as craftsmen take their time to mould an artifact, “we as ministers must carefully craft the members that God has put in our care.”

On the focus of the church (Romans 8: 28-29), he explained that God’s purpose is that the new convert would become like Christ and that must be the purpose of the minister of the gospel.

“God is receiving a Church without spot or wrinkle,” he said, he said, adding: “Ministers are representatives of God on earth and must therefore pursue the goal of preparing a people without spot or wrinkle to meet the Lord.”

“A Christian must go beyond the basics of having an understanding that prayer is an interaction with God and not just communication with God.”

Touching on revival, Apostle Asante explained that revival is “a sovereign activity of God where He renews His people individually and cooperatively in vigour – affecting both sincerity of belief and quality of behaviour by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

According to him, when there is an outbreak of revival it leads to the goal of the church.

Report by ERCC Media Team.