“We live in a country where the majority of us claim to be Christians, yet corruption is widespread, it is so bad that it has become part of our culture. Where is our light? For we cannot say we are the Light of the World and dwell in darkness.”
This sentiment was shared by the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, when he addressed participants on Day 2 of the Anniversary Seminar organised by The Apostolic Church, Ghana at the Community 5 Assembly church auditorium at Tema.
Speaking on the topic: “The Purpose And The Goal of The Church”, the Chairman called for an urgent need to refocus the Church to meet the purpose for which it was intended.
He explained that although churches continue to proliferate in every part of the country, they have not had the desired effect on society because of the lack of understanding of the purpose and goal of the church as intended by God.
Juxtaposing Ephesians 3:10 and Deuteronomy 4:56, Apostle Eric Nyamekye explained that God’s purpose for Israel and the Church are the same. He said that God set Israel apart for Himself so that through them the wisdom of God would be made known to the people of the world. Thus, through Israel, the other nations would know and acknowledge that Jehovah is the One True God and that whoever submits to His authority prospers.
This, according to the Chairman, meant that, although all peoples of the world were created by God, He strategically chose Israel as a channel through whom He would reveal Himself to the other nations of the world. However, now, God is seeking to achieve this through the Church, which is the community of both believing Jews and Gentiles. He, therefore, stressed that the church is not meant to be a terminal of God’s blessings but a channel of blessings to all peoples of the world.
He bemoaned that most Church leaders lack this understanding of what the church is and this is why Christianity is failing to serve its purpose in the contemporary generation. He said that in this dispensation, the church is expected to make the manifold wisdom of God known to the people of the world through the application of Kingdom principles and values at home, at the workplace etc.
The Chairman said that much of the responsibility lies with Church leaders to focus on achieving the purpose and goal of the Church because “it is the pulpit that makes the pew.”
He said it is the responsibility of church leaders to teach and equip members for service in the world because “it is the pulpit that makes the pew.”
“I consider church services as Half Time, where the footballers, return to the coach for encouragement as well as new tactics and strategies for the next half. However, the actual football game is played on the pitch. In the same way, real Christianity is lived out in the world, and not in the church auditorium,” he added.
Touching on the goal of the church, the Chairman said that, in building the church of God, it is important to constantly focus on the goal, this is because the purpose is embedded in it, adding that “The goal determines the purpose and the purpose informs the goal.”
Reading Ephesians 5:27 and Revelations 19:6-8, he said that the goal of the church, which he also referred to as the Bride of Christ, is to become a radiant church without spot or wrinkle, but holy and blameless.
Apostle Eric Nyamekye concluded by urging Church leaders to equip their members for service in the world and do everything in their ability to present them to the Lord as a holy and righteous community.
He also encouraged Christians to live up to their reputation as the Light of the World and the Salt of the Earth so as to curb the corruption that is bedevilling this nation.
PENTECOST NEWS