McKeown's Blog

Full-Time Christian 31 Jan Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:30-33 Exposition: A Christian is one who has come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and is living his or her life to please the Master. Christianity is the life of Christ which transforms a person inwardly and manifests outwardly in the clear view of everybody. The one who has come to Christ is a new creation. He must no longer live like he used to but rather depict the new kind of life he has received. The Christian life must be lived 24/7. There should be no segregation between the sacred and the secular. The way a person lives his or her life outside the four walls of the church tells to a large extent the true identity of that person. Our Scripture reading for today admonishes us to do everything to the glory of God. This means that God is interested in all that concerns us. Since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and God dwells in us, we must make sure that if God were physically present, He...

CoP-Liberia Holds National Prayer Summit 26 Jan 2022 A national prayer summit is underway in Clara Town - Monrovia, Liberia at The Church of Pentecost, FD Walker Temple. The prayer summit is an annual event organized by The Church of Pentecost - Liberia. This year's summit is the fifth since the return of the national head, Apostle Massaboi Zuwu, to Liberia. Over five hundred officers including national executives, all seven area heads, elders, deacons and deaconesses are attending the summit, which was officially opened on Monday by the National Head of the church in Liberia, Apostle Massaboi Zuwu. Speaking on the theme: "Equipping the church as an army to possess the nations", Apostle Zuwu underscored the need for the officers of the church to play their respective roles in equipping the church to possess the nations. "The Church is an equipping centre and therefore our task is to equip the church for the work of the ministry. Everyone has a role to ...

Jesus Focused On The Future Scripture Readings: Luke 22:66-69; Romans 8:18 Exposition: In the midst of affliction and troubling times, Jesus focused on the future, so should we. It is important you do not miss what Jesus says in Luke 22:69. Remember, He was being tortured, about to be crucified and facing the wrath of God that is going to be poured upon Him for the sins of humanity, but He was focused on what this would provide for the future. Jesus focused on the future glory. Though He was mocked, tortured and crucified, these turned out to be a great victory. A great victory that gave all believe in Him the opportunity to have their sins forgiven and live at peace with God. A great victory that was demonstrated by His victorious resurrection over death, hell and the grave! A great victory that gives YOU and I the awesome privilege to one-day gather around His throne and forever worship and praise the Lamb that was slain that we might have life and have it more abundantly...

430 Ministers And Wives Participate In Northern Ghana Conference 28 Jan 2022 A total of 430 ministers and their wives of The Church of Pentecost in Northern Ghana converged at Tamale to participate in the 2022 Ministers and Wives Conference. The four-day prayer and fasting conference which was officially opened on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at the Radach Lodge & Conference Centre in Tamale, was hosted by Apostle Sylvester Arhin (Chairman of the Northern Regional Coordinating Committee and Executive Council Member, who also doubles as the Tamale Area Head). It had the General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, as the special guest. Ministers and their wives were drawn from the church’s eight administrative Areas in the Northern Sector, namely Tamale Area, Walewale Area, Yendi Area, Sawla Area, Bolgatanga Area, Bawku Area, Wa Area, and Tumu Area, which constitutes the five political regions in the North – the Northern Region, Savann...

Own, Teach and Live By 2022 Theme – General Secretary Tells Ministers 27 Jan 2022 Ministers of The Church of Pentecost have been admonished to assimilate the church's 2022 theme by absorbing, teaching, and living by it. Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, made the call on Wednesday while speaking to ministers and their wives in the Eastern Region at the Koforidua Central Tabernacle as part of the Eastern Regional Ministers and Wives' Conference. The General Secretary believes that if ministers own and teach the theme at the local level, members would be better positioned to make a positive impact in society. The Church of Pentecost's theme for this year: "Equipping the Church As An Army to Possess the Nations," among other things, seeks to fully equip members with Kingdom values and principles in order for them to possess their spheres of life with godly lifestyles. The thematic areas are as follows: T...

Responding Positvely to a Crisis The Lord is in Control of all things Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 12:9; James 1:2-4; Psalm 107:28-33 Exposition: Every one of us will have some kind of affliction we will need to face; many of us will have to live with a specific “thorn in the flesh.” Paul asked God to remove his. God said “No.” Paul’s conclusion, “His grace is sufficient for me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). It’s not wrong to ask God to remove the pains of affliction. We see Job crying out to God, especially in the fear and anguish of night (Job 7:4). The rest of the book reveals that Job was able to say and demonstrate, “Though he slays me, yet will I hope in him” President J.F. Kennedy once remarked that ‘when written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity”. Every crisis is at the same time an opportunity. Crises are often caused by unexpected difficulties but within them are opportunities that c...

Remain Calm, Crises Move Us Toward Christ-Likeness Scripture Reading: Luke 22:66-69; Psalm 131:2; Proverbs 17:22 Exposition: David had to do this on multiple occasions. In Psalm 131:2 we read, “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul…” In the New Testament, Apostle Paul tells the church in Colossae to let the “peace of God” rule in their hearts. Whether the crisis is completely out of our hands or some portion is marginally under our control, we need to remember that ultimately, we must trust God to show up. The Holy Spirit is called, “The Comforter.” There is a real, supernatural ministry of encouragement that the third person of the Trinity gives to the New Testament believer that surpasses understanding. Some of the most intense affliction is when God permits a challenge into our lives and Satan uses that as an opportunity to bring discouragement and doubt. We read in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Our afflic...

The Shoes Of The Gospel Of Peace And The Shield Of Faith 07 Jan 2022 EXPOSITION:  As part of equipping the militant church, yesterday, we began looking at the whole armour of God. Today, we’re looking at two other parts of the armour. These are the footwear/shoes and the shield. In a general sense, good footwear protects your feet from thorns, rocks, and insects. It gives you the confidence to stand, walk and run without concerning yourself with what is on the ground because you know you are protected. The shield also gives protection from objects that are thrown at the warrior. For the Christian soldier, the shoes signify the message of the gospel of peace. When a believer comes to Christ, he has peace with God. Having this knowledge helps in overcoming the deceits of the devil. The devil plays on the ignorance of Christians by letting them feel even after coming to Christ, God still holds their previous sins against them. However, God reconciled us to Himself immediately after we...

Jesus, Our Source of Power 21 Jan 2022 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Acts CHAPTER 1 VERSE 1 TO 8; SECOND Peter CHAPTER 1 VERSE 3. EXPOSITION: Aside all the physical reality we see, the world is a spiritual place and we need spiritual power to survive and make impact. In our reading for today, we have been assured that His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. The assurance we have is that God’s provision meets every need of ours. This actually includes our need for spiritual power. The Acts chapter 1 verse 8 account assures us that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we shall receive power. Today many young people are searching for power in many wrong places like the cults, yoga, transcendent meditation...

Building Your Body 22 Jan 2022 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: 1 Timothy 4:1-8 EXPOSITION Our bodies are the vessels through which we manifest God’s glory. There cannot be a human being without a body. As young people, our bodies grow with significant changes. A predictable sequence of physical changes occurs both in males and females transiting from childhood to youth age. This includes changes in body proportions, rapid skeletal growth and appearance of hairs in the under arm, on the chest, and private parts. At this time, boys widen in the shoulders and develop thicker muscles, they begin to experience break in voice. Girls expand in the hips and experience enlargement of breast with the onset of menstruation. All these changes come with the need to give special attention to the body such as eating well, sleeping well, etc. so we can grow healthily. Physical exercise also helps us immensely in our quest for healthy growth. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 Paul reveals that physical exercise is of some val...

The Power of Personal Decisions 17 Jan 2022 EXPOSITION: Whether we believe in the reality or not, the decisions we take affect us; they make us or break us. It is therefore very important to consider the decisions we take in life. Decisions are the conclusions or resolutions reached after careful consideration. Daniel 1 teaches about the power of personal decisions. We see young men from Judah taken to Babylon as captives and selected to be trained so they can serve in the King’s palace. Daniel decided not to defile himself with the King’s food which had been sacrificed to idols. “The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom” (Dan, 1:19-20). Entering into the King’s service and being found ten times better is an achievement any young...

The Power of Personal Decisions 2 18 Jan 2022 EXPOSITION: The Preacher admonishes the young person to take a critical decision during his/her youth. He or she is to ‘remember his or her Creator’ during this stage of life. Failure to do so, will lead to consequences in the latter days, which the Bible refers to as evil days. Thus, failure to take the critical decision to ‘remember’ God in one’s youth will lead to regrets. Healthy personal development requires that we learn to avoid taking hasty and immoral decisions in life since our decisions have repercussions. Life is in three stages – learning (formal/informal), working, and retiring years. The young person falls within the learning and working years. The three stages of life are however so interconnected that failure to take the right decisions in one affects the other stages. In light of this, care must be taken in the choices and decisions one makes with the course of study, type of work one engages in and the relationships one e...

My Friends and I 19 Jan 2022 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 15:33 EXPOSITION: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘friend’ as one attached to another by affection or esteem. Everyone needs a friend; cherished respected and loved as such. There are countless instances where people have introduced their friends to scholarship opening, job opportunities or other social advancement opportunities. The scriptures enjoin us as young people to make friends with our brothers and sisters in the faith. It is through this friendship that we can spur one another unto love and good deeds, build each other up and encourage ourselves. The story is told of a young university student who chose to live in isolation though he had three roommates, and several people in his class. He was asthmatic. He spoke to no one on campus and even shared nothing with his roommates. He felt he was living in a way that will avoid troubles. One day, he had an episode of asth...

More Room For Improvement 20 Jan 2022 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:  Luke 2:40-52 EXPOSITION: I remember in my early years of schooling, I received termly reports on my academic performance from my teachers. Two things on the report were always anticipatory; my position in class after the termly exams and then the comments of my class teacher. I was always excited to see on the report that I had occupied the 1st position. In haste, I would move to the class teacher’s comments section.  Surprisingly, despite my 1st position, the comments would read: ‘Excellent performance, more room for improvement’. I was always taken aback with the belief that my teachers were not satisfied with my performance. It was later that I came to understand that those comments were meant to challenge me to be extraordinary and not complacent. Someone has said that the only room which is so big is the room for improvement. In Luke 2:52, it is recorded that Jesus grew in wisdom. If the life and ministry of Jesu...

Expect New Things From Go (Part 2) 11 Jan 2022 EXPOSITION: This prophecy which says ‘behold I am doing a new thing’, wants us to forget the former things and former ways. When we talk about former things, two things come into the picture; the Good and the Bad. The good can be: 1. Some successes you may have achieved within the period. 2. God’s miraculous power you may have enjoyed! 3. Privileges, opportunities and favour that came your way in the previous year. 4. What God used you to achieve. The bad moments can refer to the failures and disappointments that came your way as a result of your family background, geographical location or through some sins and mistakes you did. Both the good and bad have a way of blocking your vision from seeing the new thing that God wants to do in your life. While the good memories can make you complacent, the bad memories can equally make you get disappointed and frustrated from achieving your future aspirations. The antidote, therefore, is what Paul p...

Expect New Things From God (Part 1) 10 Jan 2022 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Isaiah 43:13-19 EXPOSITION: This week we shall be studying about receiving new things from God as we seek to forget the former things and press on to the future for our heavenly call and mandate. A little background into the text above shows that God through Isaiah gave a prophecy to the Israelites. The Israelites, who had been the Lord’s chosen, were held captive by the Egyptians for 400 years. They had been away from Israel for 430 years but their first thirty years were not in captivity. God through his mercies delivered them from captivity. They were again held captive by the Babylonians when they disobeyed God. It was through this that the Lord through Isaiah gave this prophecy. As they received this prophecy, they started thinking about how God had delivered them in the past. They had become so familiar with God that they started thinking for Him. As Christians, sometimes we customize the ways and doings of God ...

The Week In Review 09 Jan 2022 EXPOSITION: This week, we have been looking at how the church can be equipped to play its role as an army of Christ in these end times. God has strategically positioned the church to ensure that His kingdom is established here on earth. To facilitate this process, He has placed leaders over the church. According to Ephesians 4:11, these leaders are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers whom he has placed over the church. The militant church like any other army going to battle must be thoroughly prepared and in the right uniform or attire. The attire an army wears gives it an identity. In the same regard, there is a prescribed uniform for the Christian soldier. This uniform comprises the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace as your shoes, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. The church militant, cannot pick and choose which ones to wear but must put on the whole armo...

The Helmet Of Salvation And The Sword Of The Spirit 08 Jan 2022 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Ephesians 6:17-18; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 EXPOSITION: Helmets are very important in preserving lives. The helmet protects the head which contains the brain. Injury or damage to the brain can be very disastrous and fatal. As part of his tunic, the Roman soldier makes sure he always has his helmet on. He also carries a sword which he uses to battle the enemy. The assurance of salvation is a great weapon of the believer. Due to this, the devil seeks to keep many people in the dark. His desire is to prevent genuine believers from knowing that they have been saved while he deceives professing Christians who are not really saved into thinking they have received salvation. The militant church needs to guard its mind against deception. The mind is the battlefield. It is the mind the devil seeks to take captive. The things we feed our minds with, in the long run, determine the kind of people we be...

 The Church of Pentecost is a Pentecostal denomination that originates from Ghana. The Church currently has a presence in more than 105 countries globally. Its current Chairman is Apostle Eric Nyamekye. The Church of Pentecost PIWC-COP-Logo.gif Classification Evangelical Christianity Theology Pentecostal Governance Presbytery Chairman Apostle Eric Nyamekye Region Worldwide Headquarters Accra Founder Rev. James McKeown Origin 21st May, 1953 Asamankese, Ghana Congregations Over 20,000 Members Over 3,000,000 Official website thecophq.org HISTORY IN DETAIL The church has its origins in a British mission of Rev.  James McKeown (missionary)  in  Ghana  in 1937. [1]  In 1953, The Church was founded as Gold Coast Apostolistic Church. Upon the country's attainment of independence in 1957, the name changed to the Ghana Apostolic Church. In resolution of a conflict with the Apostolic Church, Ghana, the then President of Ghana, Dr. Nkrumah ruled that the church adopted...

 The Church is the household of God, redeemed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ. • The Church is therefore not a mere social institution, but a family of saints being trained and equipped until we all attain the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). • The following guidelines are therefore intended to help you walk worthy of your calling as a child of God: a. Set aside a period daily for a personal quiet time in prayer and meditation on the Word (Matt. 6:6; Eph. 6:18-20). b. Always endeavour to adequately prepare yourself through prayer and meditation before coming to the house of God (Heb. 4:15-16). c. Be in your seat in good time before the commencement of service and participate fully in every aspect of the service. d. Endeavour, by word and deed, to bring up your children in the fear of the LORD, and bring them with you to the house of God. Supervise and monitor the active participation of your children in Sunday School and Youth Minis...

  Shape Your Life with the Words of Life The Christian life, from start to finish, is utterly dependent on the grace of God. Not only do we come into spiritual life by sheer grace (Act 18:27; Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:5), but it is in divine grace that we continue on (Acts 13:43). It is by God’s grace that our souls survive through many trials (2 Cor. 12:9; Heb. 4:16), are strengthened for everyday life (2 Tim. 2:1; Heb. 13:9), and grow into greater maturity and health (2 Pet. 3:18). And it is God’s grace that enables us to make choices and expend effort to seek more of God (1 Cor. 15:10). It is a gift that we would have the desire for and take action to avail our- selves of the means of God’s grace—his voice (the word), his ear (prayer), and his people (fellowship)—with the most basic principle of grace being the immersing of our lives in his word. The Word Original Before we identify the presence of God’s voice in our lives with the many good habits of taking in his word—whe...