The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has advised Chaplains and Christians in general to make conscious efforts to reach out to persons within their immediate surroundings and minister to their needs.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi observed that in most cases, Chaplains are more focused on offering professional services to their organizations, but often fail to minister to the needs of persons close to them such as family members, relatives, friends, brethren and others within their inner circles.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi said this on Monday when he exhorted participants of the maiden Joint International Chaplaincy Training programme on the topic: “Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time and at the Right Place.” The 6-day event, which is taking place from March 11 to 16, 2019 at the Pentecost Guest House, Gbawe, is being jointly held by the Ghana Prisons Service and The Church of Pentecost.
Using the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 and Galatians 6:9-18 as his main points of reference, the General Secretary noted that the popular parable of Jesus Christ centres on four key characters; three Jews (the Priest, the Levite, and the victim) and a Samaritan.
He noted that in the parable, the Priest and Levite were more interested in the function they performed in the temple and failed to minister to the need of the victim who had been attacked by robbers.
He said that although the service they (the Priest and Levite) were providing to God in the temple was important, Jesus, through the parable, was emphasizing the need for them to have met the immediate need of the victim who at the time needed their services more.
“In other words, the Priest and the Levite did not do the right thing at the right time. The lesson we must draw from here is that when people are in need, we ought to help them. Therefore, look around you and provide help to someone in need,” he said.
The General Secretary, therefore, advised Chaplains and Christians, in general, to make themselves useful to those around them such as their immediate families, households and community folks bearing in mind that God, in His wisdom, has strategically positioned them in their respective families, homes and communities to serve the needs of the people.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi further noted that the Samaritan’s deed was exemplary because he reached out to a Jew in an era when Jews looked down on the people of Samaria; they regarded them as inferior and, therefore, did not associate with them.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi advised that just like, the Good Samaritan, Chaplains and Christians in general, should willingly offer support to the needy and destitute in society without expecting anything in return, stating that: “Naturally, people are more inclined to help those in society from whom they could gain favour in the future. In so doing, they tend to focus more on people who do not even need their help and ignore those who are actually in need of their services.”
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