The Resident Pastor for Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC) – Sakumono, Pastor Anthony Owusu Sekyere Kwarteng, has admonished Christian men to be mindful of the doctrines they expose themselves to.
“The doctrine you hear and believe in can shape you. If you do not keep the gate of the soul well, you will be prone to false doctrine,” he said
Pastor Kwarteng said this when he preached on Monday evening (September 14, 2020) as part of the National Pentecost Men’s Ministry (PEMEM) Week celebrations dubbed, “Possessing the Nations as Effective Gatekeepers” – 2 Samuel 18:24-28, Isaiah 21:12-13, Mathew 13: 25-30.
The week-long celebration commenced from Monday, September 14, to Sunday, September 20, 2020.
Speaking on the first day of the celebration dubbed, “Time with the District Pastor,” Pastor Kwarteng stated that gatekeepers in the olden times were not only stationed at the gates but their duties went far beyond that. He again stated that gatekeeping was a form of service to people appointed to carry out that duty.
Pastor Kwarteng read from 1 Chronicles 26: 1-19, 2 Chronicles 8:14-15, John 18:16, among other scriptures, and explained that the critical accounts from the Bible indicated that all the gatekeepers were Levites who were strategically positioned at four main areas; those positioned at the City gates, those at the temple doors, those appointed to the entrance of the house of the priests and watchmen positioned by the walls.
According to him, the qualifications of a gatekeeper include being a Levite, a ministering priest, a trustworthy person, and a person with a servant’s heart.
Pastor Kwarteng indicated that in this current generation, a gatekeeper refers to or can be likened to someone playing four cardinal roles – one in charge of their individual lives, the nuclear family, watching at their workplaces and the church or community. “You should be able to do all and excel in all. You should be duly prepared with a heart fully committed to the Lord,” he added.
He enumerated the roles of gatekeepers as follows; providing security, keeping the city and temple secured; holding the keys to the temple gates (1 Chronicle 9:27), guarding the tents of meeting, and watching what should enter and what should get out (1 Chronicle 9: 28-29) and appointing others and training them (1 Chronicle 9:19, 2 Timothy 2:2).
“When we are effective in our gatekeeping duties, the Lord will bless us and the devil will not be able to sow weeds among us,” he said.
Report by Yaa Asantewaah Adu Boahene.