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...