The Suame Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle John Obeng Kesse, has asserted that the full-time ministry is a divine call to a life of responsibility and service.
According to him, “the Bible categorically states that priesthood is not a position but a service, a call and a responsibility.”
The Suame Area Head said this on Friday, June 10, 2022, when he officiated the ordination service of Pastor Stephen Okorie Asante (Kona District) and Pastor Sylvester Avorgah (Kasei District) at Mampong Akyeremade Central Assembly (MAAT). He was assisted by the Mampong Area Head, Apostle Samuel Kwabena Asare.
Speaking on the theme, “The Pastor,” Apostle Kesse explained that all pastors are called from amongst the people, ordained as ministers for the people and sent back to serve among the people before God.
Reading from Exodus 28:1-3, he said that when God chose Israel as His people, Moses took his brother Aaron with him to play the role of his spokesperson resulting in his appointment as a priest for the Israelites.
Apostle Kesse said that priesthood is based on a call. This, according to him, was stressed by God in Numbers 17 when he appointed Aaron and the Levites to serve as priests and silence the people’s agitation of the Israelites.
He, therefore, reiterated that priesthood is not a matter of entitlement, but rather it is only the person called by the Most High God who can become a priest.
“No one takes the priesthood honour and dignity upon himself unless he is called just as Aaron was,” he said.
Apostle Obeng Kesse noted that, since the call to ministry is divine, pastors have a great responsibility regarding their call. He, however, added that the church members must also play a supportive role in ensuring a successful ministry.
The Suame Area Head explained that, for the Israelites to be able to embrace this concept, God commanded them to make a priesthood garment for the priest. This, he said, was to remind the priest of his responsibilities to God and the people.
“In the same way, the clerical, which is our priestly garment, is not an ordinary attire but a garment of responsibility,” he stressed.
Apostle Kesse indicated that the specification, design and style of the priestly garment as prescribed by God in Exodus 28 spelt out the kind of responsibility to be borne by the priest.
Outlining them, he said the priest is to serve and respect the people entrusted to his care. teach them the unadulterated word of God, and to intercede for them in prayer. The pastor is also to lead a holy life; live above reproach.
“It is the pastor’s responsibility to wake up receiving mana from heaven to feed the flock for them not to be malnourished,” he added.
The Suame Area Head also indicated that the priesthood is a sacrificial ministry in which the individual presents his whole being to the service of God and the church.
“The clerical is a sign of a sacrificial rope tied around the pastor’s neck, making him available unto God and the church daily and at all times.,” he stressed.
He also advised the members to support and take care of their ministers by providing for their physical needs so that they would be able to discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Pastors Stephen Okorie Asante and Sylvester Avorgah were part of the ministers of the church who were called into the pastorate by the leadership of The Church of Pentecost during the Extraordinary council meetings in May 2022.
In attendance were the Mampong Area pastorate and their wives, officers and members from the Kona and Kasei districts and some officers and members from the other districts within the Area.
