Apostle John Osei Amaniampong, A retired minister of The Church of Pentecost, has charged Church leaders to model the fear of the Lord to members in order to stoke the fire of the Holy Spirit in their local churches.
According to him, one major characteristic of the early church was the fear of God, saying, “Unbelievers who heard them were gripped with the fear of God and got converted.”
The immediate-past La Area Head said this on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at the Kaneshie Central Assembly church auditorium during the fourth day of the 2023 Kaneshie Area Ministers and Officers’ Retreat (Apostolisation).
Speaking on the topic: “Stoking the Fire of The Holy Spirit: Living In the Fear of God In the Local Church,” Apostle Amaniampong (Rtd.) said that one of the symbolic representation of the Holy Spirit is fire.
“When Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites, He appeared to him (Moses) in the form of a stoking fire,” he said. He iterated that even though Moses was a murderer, God still used him to deliver he Israelites from slavery.
“As leaders, it is important for us to be full of the power and fire of the Holy Spirit. When the fear of the Lord is upon the members, they preach the gospel with courage and power,” he stated.
Expounding the fear of God, he explained that “it means having a deep respect, reverence and awe for God’s power and authority, adding, “it is to honor God with your life in such a way that you would not do anything in word or deed to displease him.”
He pointed out that in the Bible, the fear of God was described as obedience to God’s word, unconditional sacrifice, compassion for others, refraining from evil, keeping the commands of God, walking in the ways of God, loving God, and serving God with our hearts and soul.
He, however, warned that the absence of the fear of God in the Church would breed sin and all forms of impurities, thereby grieving the Holy Spirit and eventually quenching the Holy fire set in the Church.
He further urged the leaders to teach the members to carry the fear of God into all pursuits of life and eschew all forms of evil. “We need the fear of God to be present to stoke the fore of the Holy Spirit in the Church,” he said.
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