McKeown's Blog

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...