The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, joined members of the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Tarkwa as the guest speaker at their Third Annual Impartation Service held from 5th to 11th November, 2018.
The 2018 Impartation Service was on the theme, “Awake, Awake Put on Your Strength” (Isaiah 52:1).
In a sermon Apostle Gyesi-Addo revealed that any Christian leader who slumbers is as vulnerable as a new convert.
He defined sleep as a state of not being awake and that during the process of sleep, sensory reaction is altered and inhibited from its function. The physical benefits of sleep, according to him, helps to regain energy, boost immune system, enhances metabolism, lower stress and enhances creativity and improves memory and learning.
The IMD cautioned that though sleep is such a significant aspect of human life, certain times and conditions may require that a man ought not to sleep.
He likened sleep to spiritual apathy and a state of insensibility. Inferring from Romans 13:11, the IMD stated that when the Church goes to sleep, it does not react to the realities around it but flow with the world instead of confronting the moral decadent and corruption around them.
According to him, spiritual sleeping is a lack of feeling and the sleeping person becomes impervious about his environment.
Using the theme text, Isaiah 52:1-5, the IMD stated that the Israelites slumbered because they had a sinful relationship with the world, hence the call to stand up and shake off the dust.
According to Apostle Gyesi-Addo, when the Church joins itself to the world in sin, it does contrary to the Word of God. This leads to the situation where instead of the Church overcoming the world, the world overcomes the Church.
This, he said, will render Christendom vulnerable and the world may overcome the Church because the world feels at home in what they do. Quoting from verses 3 and 5 of Isaiah 53, the IMD explained that the Israelites sold themselves to the world for nothing, saying, “They were cheap and blasphemed the name of the Lord.”
Using Psalm 121:1-9, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo gave reasons to justify why God does not slumber nor sleep. He said God does not sleep because He is always on duty for His children, always prevents His children from slipping, and protect His children from evil.
The IMD explained that since Christian leaders are imitators of God, they must learn from God not to slumber. He said Christian leaders who are deep in slumber are vulnerable and ordinary, full of lies and pretence, unaware that they are disturbances to others, oblivious about the anxiety of others concerning his state, barely shows gratitude and fails to worship God.
Apostle Gyesi-Addo concluded with a call for the Church to put on its strength which is Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the blood of Christ, the Holy Ghost, Giving and Prayer.
The IMD used the occasion to thank some PIWC members who over the years have set themselves apart to contribute to missions work every month and prayed for them with a call for many members to do same.
Present at the service were Apostle John Appiah Aidoo (Tarkwa Area Head), Pastor Charles Nyarko (Resident Minister), ministers and their wives in the Area, among others.
Report by Pastor Charles Nyarko
