The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, has challenged officers of the church to mobilise their members to build every broken gate in the local church to make the place dynamic.
He indicated that when Nehemiah realised that the walls and gates of Jerusalem had broken down, he mobilised some like-minded groups to help him repair all the 12 damaged gates so as to restore the fortunes of the city.
Apostle Agyemang Bekoe was speaking at the just-ended Kaneshie Area 2022 Officers Retreat (Apostolisation) at the Kaneshie Central Auditorium.
Treating the topic, “Mobilising the Squads to Repair the Gates of the Church” (Nehemiah 3:1-32; 12:39), he stated that for the local church to become an equipping centre, where people could be trained, mentored, and unleased to make an impact in society, leaders have onerous responsibility to ensure that every member is given a role to play in the church.
The first gate, the Sheep Gate (Nehemiah 3:1) was repaired by the High Priest and the priests. This gate, he said, represents the gate of sacrifice. He stated that before Jesus Christ was crucified, he had to pass through the Sheep Gate to Golgota.
In the church, the gate of sacrifice should be repaired by leaders so that people can render sacrificial services free of charge without demanding any financial reward.
The second gate was the Fish Gate (Nehemiah 3:3-5), which represents evangelism. He, however, said that when the Fish Gate was being repaired, the nobles of Tekoites did not put their shoulders to the work. Same thing is happening in the church today, he said, as ministers, officers and leaders do not involve themselves in personal evangelism, but usually send some particular group of people out while they stay indoors.
The third gate was the Jeshanah Gate or Old Gate (Nehemiah 3:6) which represents the old practices in the church. He was of the view that while the core values or practices of the church cannot be discarded in the 21st century, leaders should blend them with modern trends so that the church would stay relevant to society.
Talking about the fourth gate, the Valley Gate (Nehemiah 3:13), Apostle Bekoe said that it represents suffering. He stressed the need to repair this gate of suffering since Christianity is not always smooth but also involves persecutions. He asked believers to endure hardships and be partakers of Christ’s suffering since their rewards are assured.
Revealing the fifth gate which was the Dump/Refuse Gate (Nehemiah 3:14), he said it represents sin. He asked officers of the church to repair that gate by nibbing sin in the bud anytime it rears its ugly head in the church no matter the people involved so that there will be sanctity in the church.
Repairing the sixth gate, the Fountain Gate (Nehemiah 3:16) which represents the Holy Spirit, he said that unless the Sin Gate is repaired the Fountain Gate cannot have its way.
However, talking about the seventh gate, thus the Water Gate (Nehemiah 3:26) which represents the word of God, he said the squad realised that it was still intact. This confirms the scriptures that all things will pass away but the word of God is forever settled.
On repairing the eighth gate, the Horse Gate (Nehemiah 3:27) which represents the gate of spiritual warfare, he said it was a gate where soldiers going for war dressed with their armour. He asked leaders to encourage the members to pray themselves so that they can stand against the schemes of the devil.
The ninth gate, the East Gate (Nehemiah 3:29) was closed for the return of the Messiah. This, he explained, represents the second coming of Jesus Christ. “We need to constantly remind our members about the return of our Lord Jesus Christ since this earth is not our permanent place of abode,” he added.
On the tenth gate, thus the Inspection Gate (Nehemiah 3:31), he said it was where soldiers going for war were inspected, and when they were returning from war, roll call was conducted and those who misconducted themselves at war were then punished, while those who fought well were also honoured. According to him, a day is coming where every work and action of believers will be examined and rewards given.
The eleventh gate, the Ephraim Gate (Nehemiah 12:39), represents fruitfulness and double portion. He said the local church should be centre of fruitfulness.
On the last gate which was the Guard/Prison Gate (Nehemiah 12:39), representing judgment day, he charged Christians to do their work well so that they will not face the wrath of God.
PENTECOST NEWS.