The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has said that the ultimate objective of every minister must be to become like Jesus Christ.
According to the Chairman, being a minister of God is not just about being “a good or efficient pastor” but ensuring that one models his or her life after Christ and leading others to do same.
“A Pastor is a Christian first before anything else. Therefore, every minister of God must know that he is in the business of saving himself first and saving his hearers,” he said.
Apostle Eric Nyamekye said this during his interaction with Ministers and Wives of the church in the Eastern Region at the Koforidua Central Tabernacle on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, as part of his weeklong visit to the region.
In his exhortation, the Chairman singled out Moses and Job for their humility and teachable spirit and urged the ministers to emulate them.
Reading from Job 6:24, he pointed out Job’s willingness to learn and be taught by his colleagues. The Chairman also noted how Moses demonstrated his meekness in Exodus 18:14-24 when he heeded to the counsel of his Father-in-Law, Jethro.
As church leaders who are highly revered by members, Apostle Eric Nyamekye cautioned the ministers to be wary of pride and arrogance but rather develop a teachable spirit so that they would be able to excel in the task entrusted to them, stating that, “No one is above advice.”
He further advised ministers of the church, especially those stationed at rural or remote areas, not to look down on the members, instead, they should accord them with respect and work together with them to advance the Kingdom of God.
“When we post minsters to the various stations, we send them there not because of the facilities, but because of the souls there. Once there are people, then there is work to be done. So do not look down on the people no matter how impoverished they are, rather focus on winning them for Christ, grounding them in the faith and using your professional knowledge and skills you have acquired to build their capacities,” he said.
Touching on the sacrificial nature of ministerial service, Apostle Eric Nyamekye explained that, just like the Levites, ministers have been set aside by God as a living sacrifice for Himself to serve His purpose on earth (Numbers 3:9, 12 and 45).
He noted that the call to the full-time ministry is a great and noble call, hence ministers and their wives must delight in the work of the ministry. He urged them to always rejoice for the fact that they have been chosen by God to win souls for Him, bearing in mind that there is a reward for those who diligently serve the Lord.
Apostle Nyamekye also advised wives of ministers to support their husbands in fulfilling their mandate as ministers of the church. He bemoaned the situation where some ministers’ wives renege on their ministerial duties and spend little time at their duty stations.
Referring to Luke 1:5-6, he explained that in the Old Testament, only the descendants of Aaron were called into the priesthood. For this reason, he explained, Zechariah was ordained as a priest because he was from the ancestry of Aaron, likewise his wife, Elizabeth.
He, however, explained that although Elizabeth was also from the lineage of Aaron, she did not bear that title because the priesthood was reserved for only males at the time. That notwithstanding, he said, Elizabeth together with her husband observed all the commandments of the Lord.
“The same applies in The Church of Pentecost, although the title of a minister is conferred on the man, it is expected that both, the husband and wife, would work together for an effective and successful ministry,” he said.
Apostle Eric Nyamekye, therefore, advised ministers and their wives of the church to be devoted to the work of the ministry and always trust in the providential grace of God to meet their needs.
The Chairman, who is in the company of his wife, Mrs. Mary Nyamekye, is also accompanied by the Home and Urban Missions (HUM) Coordinator, Pastor Emmanuel Agyei Kwafo, and the Persons With Disability (PWD) Coordinator, Probationary Overseer, Alexander Nyame, on the weeklong tour.
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