“In The Church of Pentecost, if you are talking of people who have been the recipient of God’s grace, I have been one of them. I was called into the full-time ministry at age 22, ordained as a Pastor at age 25, appointed a Regional Head (Area Head) at age 30, called into Apostleship at age 32, and at age 34 elected as an Executive Council member. All these show that I have been a recipient of God’s grace, but I can also say that I have also worked very hard and toiled physically,” Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah (Rtd.), the immediate past Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, has revealed.
Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah who is also a former President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), called on ministers and wives to work very hard in ministry as they combine the grace of God upon their lives to make maximum impact in the nations.
He indicated that although the grace of God is available for every believer, one would have to work hard, have an intimate relationship with God, and set up personal policies and goals to be relevant in ministry for the ‘Possessing the Nations’ agenda.
Addressing participants at the 2023 Global Ministers and Wives’ Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Fetteh on Friday, January 27, 2023, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah said that there are certain principles and practices Christians have to adopt to help them grow holistically, hence the need to work hard and be diligent and also rely on the grace of God.
Speaking on the topic, “Combine Grace with Hard Work,” he touched on certain personal practices such as waking up early in the morning, exercising the body, having personal devotions, having quality time in prayer, studying the word of God and meditating on it daily, healthy eating, among others which, he said, should be encouraged and pursued earnestly by Christians.
He recalled a scripture in 2 Timothy 2:15 which was one of his guiding principles, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
“I was challenged by this scripture to study the Bible and other books and even went to the extent of contacting some friends to teach me things I had no knowledge about in certain fields of disciplines to make me a better person,” he said.
He added that another scripture that helped him in his ministerial life is 1 Corinthians 14:40, “Let all things be done decently and in order.”
He revealed that this scripture propelled him to follow all church policies to the letter and motivated him to do ministry in a decent and orderly manner bearing in mind that God expects him to be unique in everything he does.
The immediate past Chairman further mentioned that Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and have been called according to his purpose,” armed him to be confident that in whatever situation he found himself (whether good or bad) since the Lord who has called him is always with him, He will work all things for good according to His purpose.
“It is important that you become conscious of the Lord’s presence abiding with you as a Christian even to the point that you trust and believe Him in every situation you find yourself,” he said, adding, “You may face challenges in ministry but you must keep on trusting the one who has called you.”
Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah highlighted some ministerial principles that will help active ministers and those on retirement to help them make maximum impact.
He admonished them to know their strengths and weaknesses and ask for help if need be for maximum impact. He called on retirees to check their zeal otherwise it may cause trouble, while urging church leaders to pray and prepare for all activities, saying, “Be sensitive to what goes on at church and be reminded that unless the Lord has called you into glory you need to learn on a daily basis.
PENTECOST NEWS.