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The immediate past Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah (Rtd.), has disclosed that real revival begins from the almighty God himself and not from any act of perspiration.

Speaking at the opening of the Greater Accra Regional session of the 2021 Ministers and Wives’ Conference on Tuesday, January 25, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on the topic, “The Significance of Israel’s Conquest of Sihon and Og to the 21st Century Church,” the former Chairman advised church leaders to find the source of revival in their quest to revive the church.

“Revival is when a person begins to know who the Lord is and acknowledges him as such, there comes a change in the life of the person,” he said, adding, “It is the Holy Spirit who quickens the knowledge of God within us. As we acknowledge the greatness of God and honour him, something changes in us and the result is what people see as revival.

“The actual revival is within you – if you listen to the Holy Spirit who helps you to know God – certainly, there is going to be a change/revival in you.

He implored church leaders to find contemporary ways of doing things in order to be effective. According to him, when leaders become used to the methods and principles of doing things in the church, they can perfectly perform them without being inspired. “We need to find out the spirit behind everything we do as a church, because revival is not just doing things as the old people used to do it,” he stressed.

According to him, true Pentecostal spirituality is about spontaneity (allowing the immediacy of the Holy Spirit to take over the affairs of the church thereby resulting in the variety of spiritual giftings/activities working in the church), orality (the ability to share spiritual things with the brethren), and then simplicity, saying, “When the Holy Spirit takes over our services, people see it because the atmosphere changes; people feel his presence and they are satisfied and revived.”  

Taking his key texts from Nehemiah 9:22-23; 35-37; Deuteronomy 2:24-25; Joshua 2:10-11; Philippians 3:10, he revealed who Sihon and Og were, how the Israelites came across them and why the Israelites kept referring to the duo anytime they told their children of their story from Egypt to the Promised Land.

He said that both Sihon and Og were kings of the Amorites nations, and were related. They were both descendants of Esau and therefore brothers of the Israelites. He said that the Israelites had to pass through the land of the Amorites to get to the Promised Land, so Moses sent a peace message to King Sihon, to allow them pass through his land peacefully without being attacked since they were relatives.

However, he stated, Sihon, thinking that he was very power and had built a strong nation, refused Moses’ request and rather attacked the Israelites, but he and the Amorites were conquered.

He added that Og, the last of the giants after the flood, instead of learning from what had happened to Sihon, decided to fight the Israelites, but he was also conquered.

Apostle Prof Opoku Onyinah stressed that the Israelites from time to time told their children about their experience with Sihon and Og, to indicate the power of God which delivered them from the hands of strong enemies.

Drawing some lessons from the passage, the astute theologian related it to the importance of the family to God. He, therefore, challenged believers to do whatever they can to help their nuclear and extended families to believe in what they have subscribed to, thus Christ. In dealing with family members, he entreated believers to be very careful, looking at how Noah’s curse worked on Canaan after his father Ham had watched Noah’s nakedness.

He stressed the fact that God sees things differently from human beings. “The Lord is greater beyond our imaginations; we have not been able to comprehend him well. He is far above our understanding, so he sees things completely different from the way we see it.

“Looking at the descendants of Lot – the Moabites and the Ammonites – their background was very bad, but for the Lord it does not matter how somebody joins the family, so far as the person has joined the family, he is a family member. That is why as leaders we must respect all persons who come to church – whether they are old, young, children, experienced or inexperienced – no matter where the person comes from, you must respect him and see him as one of your own.”

He also revealed that it is the Lord who owns everything including the land and he gives it as he wants it.

He further advised believers, especially ministers not to take anything that the Lord has not given to them. “If you take it, it will slip off from your hands and the consequences can be disastrous,” he pointed out.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Goaso Area of The Church of Pentecost has launched the Pentecost Professional Guilds in the Area. The inauguration of the Professional Guilds which took place on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, was part of the church’s Vision 2023 overarching theme, “Possessing the Nations: Equipping the Church to Transform Every Sphere of Society with Values and Principles of the Kingdom of God.”

Addressing the participants on the topic, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it well,” Pastor Isaac Anane Yeboah of Sankore District urged them to demonstrate Christlike character in their workplaces without giving chance to any evil deeds from the kingdom of darkness.

Reading from Ecclesiastes 9:10 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, Pastor Yeboah admonished the participants to work with all their might; not to pretend to be working, do proper planning, acquire knowledge and apply wisdom in order to possess their fields of work.

According to him, the values and principles of the Kingdom of God enjoin Christians to be the light and salt of the world, imbued godly attributes such as integrity, love, patience, humility, hard work, and faithfulness. “We cannot transform the nations around us if we are not prepared to change the norms and face challenges,” he said, adding, “Transformation is targeting all weaknesses in the structures of the various institutions.”     

The Area Head, Apostle William Kojo Edzorhoho, who chaired the programme, asked professionals in the church to be light and salt in their respective professions, saying, “Christians, particularly The Church of Pentecost members should not continue to disappoint God at their workplaces.”

He implored the workers including ministers of the gospel to showcase godly attributes in their areas of specialization. He reminded the participants of the diverse challenges they are going to encounter in their effort to demonstrate Christlike attitudes in their workplaces. “Can we not get believers who can stand for Christ and mitigate the canker in our society?” he questioned.

The various guilds launched by the Area Head include Dressmakers, Drivers, Artisans, Health Workers, Education, Finance, Banking, Judiciary and Media.

Report by Overseer Benedict Ahiabu.

The La Area of The Church of Pentecost has granted scholarships totaling GH¢30,000.00 to six brilliant but needy students from various districts in the Area in Accra to pursue various courses at the Pentecost University (PU). 

The scholarship is for this academic year and renewable based on the performance of the students.                          

The six students made up of three young men and three ladies qualified for the scholarship based on their outstanding performance and meeting the requirements for the educational scholarship scheme of the church. The package covers their tuition, facility user fees, and accommodation, as well as SRC dues for their four years’ stay at the University.

The six will be pursuing courses in Nursing, Information Technology, Business Administration, and Physician Assistantship.

Presenting the letters of funding to the students, the La Area Head of the church, Apostle John Osei Amaniampong, cautioned them to eschew falling into bad companies, but rather associate with equally brilliant colleagues to improve upon their lives to ensure the continuous support by the church.

A parent of a beneficiary, Beatrice Toe, thanked the church for coming to the rescue of the students in their most difficult times.

Report by Peggy Ama Donkor.

The Anyaa District Minister of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Seth Ohemeng Asiamah, has urged Christians to remember their first love and be revived to accomplish greater works.

Speaking on the theme, “The Officer As A Catalyst Of Revival” at the second session of the Ablekuma Agape District Officers and Leaders Retreat, Pastor Asiamah noted that God can equally use the current generation of Christians to do greater things if they avail themselves just as He used their forefathers since God is an unchangeable God.

“We don’t avail ourselves for God’s work because we have forgotten our first love. Therefore, we need a revival to go back to our roots.

“God is capable of reviving churches and individuals, so we must long for it. A leader must be revived to revive the church,” he disclosed.

Defining revival as ‘a divine intervention of God through His Spirit; restoring, renewing, and reanimating His children,’ Pastor Ohemeng Asiamah said that revival is not meant for unbelievers but children of God.

Touching on some symptoms of those who need revival, he revealed that when one becomes careless in devotion, when the love for God and desires for His work begins to fall, and when one’s love for the world and the beautiful things in it supersedes the love for God.

“Dogmatic and arrogant attitudes also need revival. When one’s oil dries out, there should be a revival for that person,” he pointed out.

Pastor Asiamah disclosed that one surest way to revival is obedience to God’s word, saying, “If you want great revival and good counsel, read the Bible and obey every single word.”

He added that unity and fellowship of the brethren is a great cause of revival. He, therefore, encouraged the officers to be united and allow the Spirit of God to move them in the direction of the Lord. He further advised them to eschew acts of disunity, hatred, backbiting, ‘pull him down,’ selfishness, and other negative behaviours that hinder revival and church growth.

Pastor Asiamah also recommended worship as a great source of revival. “We must constantly and genuinely go to the throne of God with worship, and by so doing God Himself will revive us greatly since revival comes from Him,” he indicated.

The Anyaa District pastor did not leave fasting and prayers as a way of reviving the church and the individual, saying, “We must always pray and seek the face of the Lord to prepare us for greater works.

Quoting Psalm 85:1-6, Revelations 2:1-7, and Acts 2:42, he encouraged the officers to always be revived to be in tune with the Spirit. “A believer, especially a leader must be revived in such a way that they will always be on fire so that they can lead the church with a discerning spirit that will ensure sound doctrines and teachings, discipleship, and holistic church growth.” This, according to him, will help the church to possess the nations.

Report by Alex Nkrumah.

Christians have been advised to manage their resources well and avoid being spendthrift to save their future from jeopardy.

“Watch your spending habit because you have a future to protect,” Pastor Charles Oduro of Yennyawoso District of The Church of Pentecost said this during the End-of-Year District Presbytery Meeting held on Saturday, January 9, 2021, at the Central Assembly auditorium.

Exhorting the presbyters on the topic: “You Are Responsible For Your Own Life” based on Proverbs 6:6-8, the District Minister charged them to continually go to the presence of God in prayer for Him to direct and guide them in all their endeavours (Psalm 32:8). He also urged them to trust and depend solely on God for He alone can turn their fortunes around, noting that, “Whatever you believe works for you.”

Pastor Oduro explained that an ant does not have any captain or ruler, yet they wisely manage their own affairs. Like an ant, he entreated Christians to be prudent in managing their resources.

“The wealthiest of the world are not the ones who earn most but those who learn to manage their wealth prudently,” he stressed.

According to him, Christianity commences from physical to spiritual and, therefore, urged believers not to toy with life, saying, “You have to seize life before life seizes you.”

Using his own life as a case study, the man of God further advised believers to avoid impulse buying and encouraged them to draw a budget on what to be spent.

“I know how much I spend every week and I don’t overspend,” he revealed.

Touching on what not to do in life, Pastor Charles Oduro stated: “Your upkeep should not constitute a major burden on your family, wife, husband, children, and members in order not to become an avoidable nuisance to the community.

“You must be a man/woman of substance and people should be happy to see you as you will be a blessing to them,” he concluded.

Report by Emmanuel Nana Nsiah.

The Teshie-Nungua Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr. Alfred Koduah, has said that leadership plays a key role in the spiritual and physical growth of the church.

“Church leaders play vital roles in the spiritual awakening of its members and the growth of the church as well as their own spiritual lives,” he said, adding, “If we want to see revival, the leader must wake up and play his or her role for revival to take place.”

Apostle Dr. Koduah said this in a sermon during a day’s retreat organised for officers of the Pentecost International Worship Center (PIWC) – Sakumono on Saturday, January 2, 2021.

Speaking on the topic, “Reviving the Glorious Church; My Role as a Church Leader” taken from Ephesians 3:21; 5:27, Apostle Dr. Koduah explained that revival always breaks out when one is dissatisfied with his or her spiritual life as well as when the church is dying out, stressing that that is the time God wants leaders to revive members and themselves.

“Revival always breaks out when one is not satisfied with his or her spiritual state and yearns for a renewal of spiritual things of God,” he said.

Reading further from the book of Revelations 2:1-7, Apostle Dr. Koduah entreated Christian leaders to emulate the qualities or attributes of the church in Ephesus such as hard work, having an attitude of endurance, perseverance, and not tolerate evil people. He, however, cautioned church leaders from forsaking their first love. He encouraged them to remember their first love in the areas of observing their daily morning devotions, praying together with their families, and studying the word of God. He also encouraged them to repent of their ways and return to their first love.

Apostle Dr. Koduah commended the leadership of PIWC – Sakumono for organising the spiritual exercise for its officers at the beginning of the year.

The Resident Minister, Pastor Anthony Owusu Sekyere Kwarteng, was grateful to the Area Head for honouring the invitation to speak at the retreat and commended all the officers who made it for the programme.

The annual event seeks to rekindle the faith of the officers as well as prepare them for the new year. It is also a time to wait on God through fasting and prayers and to reflect on the goodness of the Lord for the ensuing year.

Report by Yaa Asantewaah Adu Boahene.