THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST

LAY LEADERSHIP
Training Manual

ADVANCE LEVEL 1

COMPILED BY THE NATIONAL DISCIPESHIP &

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

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All Right Reserved
Lay Leadership Training Manual (Advance Level 1)
Copyright 2016
The Church of Pentecost

Printed by
Pentecost Press Ltd, Accra Ghana
P.O.Box DC 803
Dansoman, Accra

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 FOREWORD

There are three dominant metaphors that define leadership

in scripture. First, Christian leaders are servants who
voluntarily submit themselves to the lordship of Christ and
the sovereignty of God. Second, Christian leaders are
shepherds who tenderly care for their flock - they feed,
protect, and guide their flock. They know the names of the
sheep and even lay down their lives for their sheep. Third,
Christian leaders are stewards who are entrusted with the
message of the gospel, gifts for ministry, and God’s mission.
They are trustees guarding what has been entrusted to their
care. When leaders demonstrate the blend of servant,
shepherd, and steward leadership in the Church, growth is
inevitable. Indeed, godly leadership in the local church is
essential to the spiritual life of the assembly. They provide
moral and spiritual oversight of the church.
In Ecclesiastics 10:10, the Bible states that “If the axe is dull
and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill
will bring success.” The axe may represent the knowledge
and skills one needs to be effective in any particular
endeavour, in this case the Church. Generally, the axe is made
dull through continuous use without sharpening. A dull axe
may ‘perform’, but its effectiveness is minimal, it will lead
to waste of time and strength. However, when time and
energy are spent to sharpen the axe, its effectiveness
increases. A sharpened axe brings great joy to the user.
Leadership training and development is the key means of
‘sharpening the axe’ of leaders.
Throughout scripture, leadership training is at the core of
the Biblical method for expanding the Kingdom. Both the
Old and New Testaments focus on training and multiplying
leaders who will change the world. In the Old Testament,

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Jethro challenged Moses to create a leadership structure and
leadership development system. In the New Testament,
Jesus spent three years training His disciples closely, and
then He sent them out to change the world!
It is with this understanding that the Executive Council (EC)
of the Church of Pentecost places much importance on
ministerial formation and leadership development as the
engine for sustained growth and development of the
Church. The Council seeks to enhance the productivity of
Church leaders by providing regular and relevant training
programmes at all levels of leadership. The Lay-Leaders’
Training Programme (LTP) is one of such efforts, ably
manned by the National Discipleship and Leadership
Development Committee (NDLDC)
The NDLDC, mandated by the Executive Council has
developed a 5-Step Structure for training leaders in the
Church. There is the Foundation Level (a pre-ordination
course) and Advanced Levels 1 to 4 (for ordained officers).
Certification is available for those who complete this 5-Step
Course. However, to enhance the continuous ‘sharpening
of the axe’, those who complete the Advanced levels will
continue to attend the Lay Leaders School. They will study
and discuss relevant topics that pertain to their personal and
ministerial growth.
The training programmes are not just designed for academic
stimulation but to give leaders practical insights and
opportunity for deeper reflection and action in the light of
the challenges of our contemporary society. The subjects in
each level, which have three (3) core components-Church
Doctrine, Leadership Development and Practical Ministry, are
purposely chosen and carefully designed to equip the church
leader with certain basic skills, principles and method to
enhance personal growth and ministry activities.

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I recommend this manual to all Church officers in all Areas
and Nations, and pray that the good Lord will richly bless
you with increased insight, knowledge and zeal as you seek
to hear and obey His voice and to serve Him in your own
generation.
God bless you.
Opoku Onyinah (Apostle Dr.)
Chairman, The Church of Pentecost.
June 2016.

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 INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

1. OVERVIEW
a. The Lay Leaders Training School is an integral and
key component of Vision 2018. The first Committee
headed by Aps. James Smith Gyimah made great
strides in the organization and development of the
School across all areas.
b. With the amalgamation of the National Bible Study
and Home Cell Committee and National Lay Leaders
Training School Committee (and now called
NATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP AND LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE – NDLDC), the
new team reviewed the existing structure in the light
of the Vision 2018 Agenda.
c. In consultation with Area Heads and with the
authorization from the Executive Council, the
structure now adopted is as follows:
2. FOUNDATION LEVEL
a. This level shall be an officers’ pre-ordination course.
All proposed officers MUST go through this course
before ordination and where possible the content
forming part of the interview questions at various
levels.
b. This level can be taken at any time of the year when
there is going to be an ordination. Thus, it should
NOT NECESSARILY form part of the Lay Leaders
School.
c. However, in the case where the ORDINATION will
take place during the Lay Leaders School, a separate
class shall be organized for these officers.

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d. The Area Bible Study, Cell & Lay Leaders Training
Committee (now called AREA DISCIPLESHIP AND
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE –
ADLDC) under the guidance of the Area Head shall
be responsible for the organization, monitoring,
supervision and reporting of this course.
e. The subjects are:
i. The Church of Pentecost in Perspective
1. Cop Overview
2. CoP Administration
3. CoP Finance
ii. Pentecostal Distinctiveness
1. Pentecostal Doctrine
2. Pentecostal Spirituality and Worship
3. ADVANCE LEVEL
a. This level shall be for ordained officers and it shall
continue EVERY YEAR.
b. This shall progress from Advance Level 1 through to
Advance Level 4
c. This level will be made up of 5 subjects; 3 core areas-
Church Doctrine, Leadership Development and Practical
Ministry; One (1) contemporary subject and an aspect
of the theme for each year will also be added.
d. Thus for Advance Level 1, the subjects to be handled
are:
i. Aspects of the 2016 Theme
ii. Discipleship in the Church of Pentecost
iii. Building a Healthy and a Vibrant Local Assembly

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 iv. The Doctrine of God
v. The Attitude of the Christian towards Politics
(contemporary issue)
e. Each year, there would be classes for Advance Levels
1, 2, 3, and 4, as the classes progress.
f. The Area Discipleship And Leadership Development
Committee (ADLDC) under the guidance of the Area
Head shall be responsible for the organization,
monitoring, supervision and reporting of this course.
g. The NDLDC and ADLDC shall collaborate to give
certificates to persons who complete the
Foundational Level and 4 Advance level courses. The
ADLDC shall build a database for that
purpose.
h. Those who complete the Advanced Levels will still
be trained each year in other areas of life andMinistry.
4. As a Committee we are grateful to God and
acknowledge the exemplary and visionary
leadership of the Chairman, Apostle Dr. Opoku
Onyinah, and his team of Executive Council
members. We appreciate the great support and
encouragement we continually receive from the
General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw
Kumi-Larbi and the International Missions Director,
Aps. Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo.
5. We are very grateful to God for the lives of the script
writers who painstakingly prepared the study
outlines for the use of the Church. Their names have
been captured in their respective scripts. We are
indebted to the Translators who diligently translated
the scripts from English to nine other languages.

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6. The members of the National Discipleship and
Leadership Development Committee, who provided
direction for the Lay Leadership Training and edited
the scripts deserve commendation. They are:
a. Aps. John Appiah Aidoo Dep. Coordinator
b. Aps. Samuel Gakpetor Secretary
c. Aps. Matthew Wettey Larbi Member
d. Aps. Dr. Ben Ali Member
e. Ps. Dr. Emmanuel Anim Member
f. Ps. Henry Ako-Nai Member
(Recorder)
g. Ps. Eric Ansah Member (LLTS
Organizer)
h. Ps. Franklin Hushie Member
7. CONCLUSION
Indeed, “the beauty and strength of The Church of Pentecost
is its application of the principle of the priesthood of all
believers” (Vision 2018, page 31). As a Committee, we are
of the view that, the above structure will enhance the
development and empowerment of our lay leaders for
effective ministry and ultimately accelerate efforts to achieve
Vision 2018 Goals and even more.
Aps. Dr. Stephen Kofi Baidoo
Coordinator, National Discipleship and Leadership
Development Committee

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword 3

Introduction And Acknowledgement 6

Aspects Of 2016 Theme 11

Discipleship In The Church Of Pentecost 40

Building A Healthy And Vibrant Local Church 61

The Doctrine Of God 84

Christian Attitude To Politics (Elections) 105

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ASPECTS OF 2016 THEME

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 LESSON ONE

THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF SATAN’S VOICE

(Script by Pastor Jonathan Kofie and Aps. Dr. Opoku Onyinah)

1. INTRODUCTION
There are different forms of Satan’s voice. As good
stewards it is important we identify clearly and
distinguish the Lord’s voice from many other voices
in the world as we press on to know, hear and obey
the voice of God in our generation. This presentation
distinguishes the voice of the Lord from Satan’s voice
in the world by looking at the different forms of
Satan’s voice in the world.
2. IDENTIFYING SATAN AND EVIL POWERS
a. First of all, the bible is clear on the existence of
apowerful being called Satan who presides over a
“kingdom”/ Spirits whose preoccupation is opposing
God and his people. (Zec. 3:1-2, Job 1:7-2 & 2:10,Eph
6:12, 2 Cor 10:3-6)
b. Secondly, there is also the existence of other evil
powers such as dwarfs, the forest monsters and
“Maami Wata”.
c. Believe in forest monsters are strong among people
living in forest areas.
d. Thas a deity and not worshipped.
3. IDENTIFIABLE OCCULTISMS
a. There is also the existence of the Occult world.
b. Occultism is a belief in supernatural powers and the
possibility of influencing or bringing them under
human control.
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c. It can be group into four kinds:
i. Divination
ii. Spiritism or Spiritualism
iii. Sorcery and Magic
iv. Witchcraft and Astral Projection.
d. It should be noted that bible condemns the
involvement in any of the occult disciplines whether
for good or bad. (Duet 18: 10-12, Isa 47: 13-14, Lev
19:31, 1 Sam 28:3)
3.1. Divination
a. It includes the use of astrology (enchanting,
horoscopes, zodiacs), reading of palm or tarot cards
or crystal balls, telepathy 1 , clairvoyance 2 ,
clairaudience3 and psychometric4.
b. These are an attempt to foretell future events,
discover hidden knowledge and interpreting omens
with the help of supernatural powers.
3.2. Spiritism or Spiritualism
It includes the use of necromancy, familiar spirits,
mediums, séances, trumpet mediums, ghost,
phantoms, and the use of Ouija boards, automatic
writing and trance speaking as a means to make
contact with spirits, such as people who are dead
and learn from them. (Lev 19:31)
3.3. Sorcery and Magic
a. Sorcery and magic include fetishism and voodoo.
b. These terms may be used interchangeably; sorcery
involves the use of drug, charms, and amulets
accompanied by incantations to appeal to
supernatural powers.
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c. Magic is the art of learning techniques and acquiring
knowledge in order to perform signs and wonders
through the help of a supernatural power.
3.4. Witchcraft and Astral Projection
a. It is believed that some people possess supernatural
powers which they may use for good or wrong.
b. Their mode of operation involves the use of witch-
spirit animal or witchcraft objects (which can be
material or immaterial).
c. Witches are claimed to astral project. That is the non-
physical part of their body leaves the body in the
spiritual state and it can consciously experience other
physical realities.
4. THE DEVILS SCHEMES
a. The devil’s schemes are his efforts to block us from
knowing Christ’s victories and what He has done for
us.
b. These are seen in false doctrines manifested in
arguments, pretensions, false philosophies, beliefs
and teachings, to deceive people to believe andbehave
according to the false doctrines and ideas. (2
Cor. 10:3-5, Eph 2:1-4) Let us consider a few of these
schemes of the devil.
4.1. False doctrines
i. This occurs when false teachers take an element of
truth and blow it out of proportion thus straying it
away from the biblical orthodoxy.
ii. False teachers could be believers who wander away
from the truth due to misguided opinion, poor un-
derstanding of scriptures or sin and those who never
been believers ( Acts 20: 29-31,2 Peter 3 :3-7).
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iii. Some common false doctrines are Docetism 1 ,
Gnosticism2 and Marcionism3. It is important to note
that most heresies and false doctrines are centered
on misrepresentation of the person of Jesus Christ.
4.2. Sexual Revolution (Deut 27:21, Lev 18:20-30, 19:27)
i. It is the belief that, sex is not sacred and that people
should feel free to express their sexual desires in
whichever way they please.
ii. The media, modern technology has become major
vehicles for promoting sexual revolution by
promoting sexual-driven image in their presentations.
iii. This is scripturally wrong.
4.3. The New Age Movement
i. There is also the new age movement which professes
a broad minded opening to all religions, and
encompasses a wide range of notions.
ii. They operate around spiritualism, astrology, Christ
consciousness, out of the body experiences,
reincarnations and the occult disciplines.
iii. They shroud themselves in beliefs such as all is one;
humanity is God, evolution of man into godhood,
one world order etc.

1
An ancient heresy asserting that Jesus lacked full humanity.
2
An ancient heresy stressing escape from this world through the
acquisition of esoteric knowledge.
3
A heresy that rejected the Old Testament and denied the
incarnation of God in Christ.

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4.4. Murder
It is a deliberate, premeditated design to cause the
death of a person. This Includes genocide, ritual
killings, revenge killing, contract killing and killing
to cover up of sin or pleasure killing (Deut27:25; 2
Sam 3:27, 11:14-24; 1 Kgs 21:1-16).
4.5. Territorial warfare
a. This concept considers Christian spiritual warfare on
two levels.
b. That is the ground - level and the cosmic level
(strategic level warfare).
c. The ground level deals with warfare against evil spirits
that inhabit people such as ancestral spirits, occult
spirits and ordinary demons of anger, fear etc.
d. Strategic level warfare deals with spirit that control
nations, regions, cities, tribes, neighborhoods,
institutions, religions, governments etc. while this
have proven to produce positive result, it does not
throw light on the true nature of our spiritual warfare.
5. THE TRUE NATURE OF OUR SPIRITUAL
WARFARE
In this section we redefine spiritual warfare in the
context of what the bible says. The bible teaches that
our spiritual warfare is in three forms. That is a
struggle, warfare and a fight of faith
a. A Struggle or Wrestle (Eph 6:10-17)
i. Though Apostle Paul used the term amour to paint
a picture of warfare; the issue is a struggle in the
human mind but not a battle between Christians and
the devil.

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ii. The real battle is between God and Satan in which
the battle ground is the human mind as it is seen
throughout the bible.
iii. He points out that, the devil works in league with
other forces to implement his plans of lies and
accusations to deceive a lot of people in this struggle.
iv. Hence it is important for the Christian to put on the
“full amour of GOD” which is an aspect Christian
life because the believer is complete in Christ.
b. Warfare (2 Cor. 10:3-6)
i. In the text above Apostle Paul points out that we are
in warfare but this warfare is not after the flesh.
ii. Thus is not wage with human strength and plans
but rather the weapons of our warfare are powerful
to pull down strongholds.
iii. Strongholds are ideas, beliefs arguments and
philosophies that make people disobedient to GOD
and keep them from knowing him.
iv. Again strongholds here re-echo’s the human mind
as the battle field and thus the battle is not directly
against the devil with human strength but against
the devil’s strongholds of believe systems and hence
we need divine power to deal with them.
c. The fight of faith (1 Tim 1:18-20; 6:12)
i. Here the apostle Paul identifies our spiritual warfare
as a fight of faith and urges Timothy to fight the good
fight of faith.
ii. In fighting Paul instructs him to wage war against
false teaching as shown earlier in 1 Tim 1:3-7.

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iii. He identifies the source of false teachings as deceiving
spirits and demons who through lies would want to
deceive the believer about the faith and turn them
against GOD (1 Tim 4: 1-2).
6. CONCLUSION
In summary our spiritual battle has been identified as
warfare, struggle, wrestle or fight and on the cross Jesus
defeated Satan and his cohort and we are now seated with
Christ in heavenly places. As good stewards of God, it is
important we distinguish the Master ’s voice from the
different forms of Satan’s voice and Scheme because we are
not ignorant of his devices.

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 LESSON TWO

SATANIC VOICES FROM BIBLICAL

PERSPECTIVES
(Script by Pastor Christian Tsekpoe and Apostle Dr. Opoku Onyinah)

1. INTRODUCTION
a. The Subject of hearing and obeying God’s voice is
very essential to the Christian Community. What
makes it even more critical is that while God is
speaking to His children, Satan also speaks. This
makes it difficult for some Christians to identify God’s
voice in the midst of many voices.
b. The question then is, how do we recognize God’s
voice and differentiate it from satanic voices?
c. This presentation will attempt answering the
question above. The presentation will consider what
the OT and the NT writers say about the place of
spiritual powers and assess the lessons that can be
derived from these Scriptures for our guidance.
2. SPIRITUAL POWERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
2.1. Satan
a. The Old Testament (OT) is quite clear about a being,
explicitly called Satan, who is powerful and presides
over a ‘kingdom’ in league with other spirits, who
oppose God and his people. The name Satan appears
in three different accounts of the OT (1 Chr 21:1;
Zec 3:1-2; Job 1:7-2:10).
b. The OT suggests the complexity of the spirit world
(Satan’s kingdom) and have some sort of hierarchical

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 control. For example Daniel 10:13-21 ‘describes
‘celestial powers’ that have particular connections to
the empires of Persia and Greece.’
c. The gods of the nations are described as demons/
devils (Deut 16:21-22; 32:16-17; Ps 106:34-38).
2.2. Witch, Witchcraft and Wizard
a. The Hebrew term ‘mekashshepah’ (root word
kâshaph) translated ‘witch’ in the King James Version
can correctly be translated ‘sorcerer’ or ‘sorceress’.
b. The terms are found in Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy
18:10. The term ‘witchcraft’ occurs in 2 Kings 9:22;
Micah 5:12; 2 Chronicles 33:6 and Nahum 3:4.
c. The correct translation of “the sin of witchcraft” in 1
Samuel 15:23 is said to be “the sin of divination,”
translated from the Hebrew term qesem.
d. A proper rendering of the Hebrew term yid‘oni,
which is translated ‘wizard’ in Leviticus 19:31 is said
to be a ‘familiar spirit’.
2.3. Sorcerers, Magic and Magicians
a. Sorcerers (mekaššepîm, kâshaph ) Ex 7:11; Jer 27:9;
Isa 47:9; 12; Dan 2:2; Mal 3:5.
b. This is the term that has been interpreted as the
practice of witchcraft in the Bible as stated earlier.
c. It denotes the use of drugs, with the provision of
charms and amulets, which is accompanied by
incantations and appeals to occult powers.
2.4. Divination, Divine, Divining, Diviner
a. Divination means to determine by lot or magical
scroll, soothsaying. It is the attempt to foresee or
foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge
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 by manipulation of objects or the interpretation of
omens by the help of supernatural power.
b. It is translated from the Hebrew words; qâsam,
qecem, miqcam, as found in Deuteronomy 18:10; 1
Sam 6:2; Pro 16:10; Isa 44:25; Jer 27:9; 29:8; Eze 13:9,
23; 22:28; 21:29; Mic 3:6, 11, Zec 10:2.
2.5. Enchanters, Astrologers, Familiar Spirits,
Necromancy
a. The term enchant implies the skill to divine, diligently
observe, prognosticate or conjure. (nachash, Lev
19:26; Num 23:23; 24:1; Deut 18:10; 2 Kgs 17:17;
21:6; 2 Chr 33:6).
b. The use of the term astrologers also denotes the act
of foretelling events concerning people’s personal,
social, and business life. It is like divination. (kasdîm,
Dan 2:2, 4, 7; 5:7, 10, 11, 30).
c. The term ôwb or soel ôb could also mean a possessor
of a spirit (I Samuel 28:7-25) or one who can consult
the dead.
2.6. False Teachers and Prophets in the OT
a. The presence of false prophets has been identified in
the Old Testament. (Jer 28:10-17)
b. False prophets are seen as those who give prophecies
that do not fulfill (Deut 18:20-22).
c. The OT however hints that the fulfillment of
prophecies is not the only way by which a true
prophet could be identified.
d. A prophet can give accurate prophecies or even
perform wonders, but may not be from God.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 reveals that if the prophecy does

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 not draw people closer to God but draws them away
from Him to other self-imposed gods, then the
prophet is a false one.
e. Again, Lamentation 2:14 indicates that prophecies
that cover up sin and tell people what their itching
ears want to hear, is false.
f. In addition, the OT hints that any prophet who
consults the dead and other spirits rather than God,
as well as any prophet whose words are contrary to
God’s word is false (Isa 8:19-20).
g. Jeremiah 23:1- 40 outlines a number of characteristics
of false prophets. These are clear indications that one
is not speaking from God. Some of these
characteristics are listed below:
i. They follow evil course
ii. They abuse their power as prophets
iii. They prophesy by Baal (evil spirits)
iv. They lead the people astray
v. They commit adultery
vi. They live a lie
vii. They strengthen the hand of evil doers
viii. They fill people with false hopes
ix. They speak visions from their own minds and
not from God
x. They do not stand in the counsel of the Lord to
listen and hear His word
xi. They run with a message when God has not sent
them

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 xii. They prophesy when God has not spoken
xiii. They say, “I had a dream” when God had not
revealed anything to them
xiv. They steal from one another, words supposedly
from God
xv. They wag their own tongue but will say “Thus
says the Lord”
xvi. They distort the words of the Lord.
3. SPIRITUAL POWERS IN THE GOSPELS
3.1. Satan
a. The reference to Satan, his kingdom and allied spirits,
and their opposition to the people of God are clearer
in the synoptic gospels than the OT.
b. He is called Satan (Matt 4:10), the devil (Matt 13:25,
39), the adversary or enemy (Matt 13:25, 39; Lk
10:39).
c. Satan is initially presented as the tempter of the Son
of God (Mk 1: 12-13; Matt 4:1-13; Lk 4:1-13). He
tempts to deflect Jesus from the fulfillment of his
messianic task.
d. He continues to oppose him (Lk 22:3 Matt 16:23).
3.2. Witch, Witchcraft, Demons, Demonized, Demon-
possessed
a. The word “witch” is not found in the Synoptic
Gospels.
b. However, Jesus’ encounters with the demon-possessed
people show that there is the belief in the reality of
human beings who are thought to be spiritually
powerful (Mk 1:21-28; Lk 8:26-37; Matt 9:18-25).

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3.3. The Nature of the Presentations
a. The Gospels show how Jesus encountered demon-
possessed people (demoniacs).
b. The four main narratives of Jesus’ confrontation or
exorcisms in the gospels clearly reveal the various
ways in which He encountered them.
c. Through these confrontations, Jesus left very
important lessons for His church, as the church
continue to encounter spiritual forces and demon-
possessed people.
i. The man in the Capernaum synagogue (Mk 1:
21-28; cf Lk 4:31-37).
ii. The Gerasenes man (Matt 8:28-34 par Mk 5:1-
17, Lk 8:26-37).
iii. The Syrophoenician Woman’s Daughter (Matt
15: 21-28 par Mk 7:24-30).
iv. The Epileptic boy (Mk 9:14-29 par Matt 17:14-
19, Lk 9:37-45).
3.4. The Purposes of Jesus’ Healing and Exorcisms
a. Jesus’ exorcisms reveal His authority over spiritual
powers as shown in the following Scriptures. (Matt
8:16-17; 8:28-34 and par.; Matt 9:32-34; Matt 12:22-
29 and par. Matt 15:21-28; Matt 17: 14-21 and par.;
Mk 1:23-28 and par.; Mk 1:39; Mk 9:38-41 and par).
b. Again, Jesus’ exorcisms reveal his mission. First, his
mission is seen as the reinstatement of the outcast
and this was demonstrated through his healing and
exorcisms (E.g. Matt 8:2-4 and par. Matt 9:20-22 and
par. Matt15:21-28 and par.; Lk 7:11-17; Lk 13:10-
17; Lk 17:11-19).

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c. Secondly, his mission was to initiate the Kingdom of
God. He went throughout the land, teaching about
the good news of the Kingdom, healing diseases and
casting out demons.
d. His healing and exorcisms also gave opportunities
to some of the people to believe. In addition, it is
seen that His healings and exorcisms gave him the
opportunities to teach about faith in God (e.g. Matt
8:5-13 and par.; Matt 17:14-21) and obedience to God
(Matt 7:21-23; Matt 8:2-4 and par. Matt 12:12:43-45
and par).
3.5. Johannine Literature
a. In the Johannine literature, there are no accounts of
exorcisms, yet the devil is very active.
b. All of the references to the devil relate directly or
indirectly to the death of Jesus (Jn 6:70; 8:44; 12:31;
13:2, 27; 14:30; 16:11; 17:15).
c. Some passages in the gospel of John denote that
Judas, the onetime apostle of Jesus, was “possessed
by the devil” (Jn 13:2, 27).
4. SPIRITUAL POWERS IN ACTS
a. The opposing work of Satan and his cohorts receive
special attention in Acts, although like the gospels,
the term ‘witch’ is not used.
b. Satan is directly mentioned in four places (Acts 5:3;
10:38; 13:10; 26:18).
c. The disciples confront spiritually powerful
individuals and overcome them. Examples: Peter’s
confrontation with Simon (Acts 8:9-23), Paul’s
confrontation with Elymas (Acts 13:4-12) and Paul’s

25
 confrontation with the girl with familiar spirit (Acts
16:16-21).
d. Satan is able to fill the heart of believers with evil
intent that lead to misfortune - death.
Peter speaks to Ananias “how it is that Satan has so
filled your heart that you have lied against the Holy
Spirit?” (Acts 5:3).
e. Acts hints that ‘Demoniacs’ have supernatural
knowledge. This is conveyed in the confrontation
between “the man who had an evil spirit” and the
seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16), because they
claim to know Paul and Jesus but not the pretenders.
f. Again, it is shown in Paul’s confrontation with the
slave girl who had the spirit of divination (Acts16:18).
5. SPIRITUAL POWERS IN THE EPISTLES
a. In Paul’s Writings, Satan and evil powers always
oppose God’s work/ people.
b. The opposing work of Satan and evil powers
continue to play a significant role in the rest of the
New Testament.
c. The names given to him include: Satan (Rom 16:20);
the devil (1 Pet 5:8); the serpent (2 Cor 11:3); the
evil one (Eph 6:16) and the god of this age (2 Cor
4:4).
d. Satan is mentioned in the rest of the New Testament
books, except Galatians, Philippians, Colossians,
Titus, Philemon and 2 Peter.
e. The writings of other NT authors also show that evil
stems from the devil who seeks constantly to devour
Christians and thwart the will of God (1 Pet 5:8-9; J
as 4:7-10; 1 Jn 5:18; Rev 12:9).
26
f. Paul’s terminology of “principalities and
powers”(Eph. 6:12) indicates an unexplained
complexity of the spirit world, which hints about
territorial powers (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24.).
6. THE DEVIL IS ACTIVE IN NEW TESTAMENT
a. The NT also shows that the devil and the powers are
very active in the world and will continue to be until
the final consummation when his power will be
completely subdued.
b. In John’s gospel, the Pharisees’ desire to kill Jesus is
seen as fulfilling the desire of their master, the devil
(Jn 8:42-45).
c. Satan enters into Judas before he sets forth to betray
Jesus (Lk 22:3; Jn 13:27).
d. Paul and other NT writers also show that the evil
powers are still in rebellion against Christ in
attacking the Church and effectively working in
unredeemed humanity (E. g. Eph 6:10-20; 1 Pet 5:8;
2 Cor 4:4; Rev 12:7-12).
7. FALSE TEACHERS AND PROPHETS IN THE
NEW TESTAMENT
a. The epistles do not directly mention the
demonization of Christians.
b. However, several passages warn about the influence
of false teachers to the extent that indicate that
Christians stand in real danger of being tempted,
falling and being controlled by demons, if they are
not careful to remain completely in the faith (2
Cor 11:2-4, 13-15; 1 Tim 4:1; 1 Tim 3:6-7; 2 Tim 2:25-
26; 2 Pet 2:1-22).

27
c. Many of false prophets will appear in the last days
and deceive many (Matt 24:11).
d. They come in sheep’s clothes but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves (Matt 7:15 – 22); they will perform
great signs and wonders and deceive many and if
possible, even the elect (Matt 24:24; Mk 13:22).
8. CONCLUSION
Even though the Bible presents spiritual powers as very
active in the world, it also reveals that the demonic is reduced
to secondary causes in the accomplishment of God’s
supreme purpose.
a. Instead, the sovereign reign of God over all his
creation, including Satan, the gods and the demonic,
is emphasized in the entire Bible.
b. God’s sovereign reign over the universe makes little
room for demonic activity to take place.
c. The ground upon which the devil operates is sin,
which comes from disobeying God’s voice.
d. The believer’s authority is thus rooted in knowing
the word of God and walking in the Holy Spirit in
order to clearly hear and obey the Lord’s voice.

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 LESSON THREE

THE CHRISTIAN’S RESPONSE IN THE WORLD

OF DIFFERENT VOICES
(Script by Aps. Samuel Gakpetor and Aps. Dr Opoku Onyinah)

1.0 INTRODUCTION
This presentation is aimed at considering the
appropriate response of Christians in ensuring that,
in a world of different voices, we would continue to
hear from God. In this pursuit, we will discuss some
voices that are speaking in relation to suffering,
nature of satanic attack and the sovereignty of God.
We will raise the appropriate responses and finally
reflect on knowing the Master’s voice as the key to
overcoming the different voices in our generation.
The responses will be gleaned mainly from the book
of Job.
2.0 SUFFERING IN THE WORLD
a. Satan’s loudest voice is heard during the vulnerability
of men including times of suffering.
b. These periods throws a lot of doubts into the hearts
of a believer. In a moment of tragedy and pains,
Christians do ask “why did God create man, if He
knew he will suffer”?Why did God allow evil if
He is a good God?If He cares, why doesn’t he do
something?
c. Unfortunately, calamities and suffering are mostly
attributed to the work of witches and the devil.
d. This has led many Christians to focus on the devil
more than Jesus Christ.

29
e. Sometimes when prayer meeting themes are not
focused on dealing with the enemy,attendance is low.
Sadly some ministers and denominations have taken
the advantage to exploit church members.
f. Scripture severally present three sources of suffering
namely: NATURE, SATAN and GOD.
2.1 Suffering Due To the Fall of Nature
a. After the fall (Gen.3:14-19), the world has never
been perfect. The universe and its systems, human
beings and other living things have been subjected
to frustration (Rom.8:18-25).
b. Although Jesus has redeemed us from the fall
through His death and resurrection, believers live
between the times of its “already-but-not-yet”.
c. So we are still subject to the fallen nature. Suffering
and death still exists in the world. E.g. Old age comes
with its associated diseases (loss of vision, memory
etc.).
d. Biblical examples of Godly heroes who suffered are
Isaac’s blindness (Gen.27:1), Paul Co-worker
(Epaphroditus, Timothy and Trophimes) Phi.2:27,
1Tim.5:23, 2Tim.4:20
e. Natural occurrences like flood and earthquakes at
times affect us.
f. The world is also governed by natural laws- laws of
cause and effects, laws of sowing and reaping and
others.
g. When these laws are violated, the natural occurrences
occur. E.g. when one is exposed to contagious diseases
or dangerous chemicals, suffering could be
experienced.

30
h. This is not because of evil or good BUT BECAUSE
WE LIVE IN A FALLEN WORLD.
2.2 Suffering Due To Works of Satan
a. In the bible, Satan is presented as the cause of some
aspects of suffering as in the case of Job (Job.1-2) and
the case of the persecuted Christians (1Pet.5:8- 9).
b. The devil induces spiritual attack which may
manifest in physical infirmities as in the case of Paul’s
‘thorn in the flesh’ (2Cor.12:7).
c. He is able to harness the power of the fallen world to
bring suffering to the believer (Job.1:14-19, 27)
d. Satan’s main aim for every kind of suffering is that
we might curse God and deny him.
e. Believers need to know that Satan cannot touch him
except God permits (Job.1:10). God further places
limits on him (Job.1:12, 2:4-6).
2.3 Suffering Coming From God
a. In both the Old and the New Testament, God is
sometimes presented as the source of various kinds
of suffering. It could either be as a result of no wrong
done as in the case of Job and Paul’s thorn in the
flesh (1 Sam 2:6; Job 1 & 2; 2 Cor.12:7-12).
b. It could also come as a result of sin as in the case of
David, for killing Uriah and taking his wife
(2Sam.12:13-18).
c. Like a loving parent, He chastises His Children. He
does it to correct us (Heb.12:9) that we may be
partakers of His Holiness (Heb.12:10).

31
d. It is for the believer to yield the peaceable fruit
righteousness (Heb.12:11).
e. It is for the believer not to be condemned with the
world (1Cor.11:32).
2.4 The Believer’s Response
a. How then should we respond to suffering as
Christians? Throughout scripture, servants of the
Lord have gone through one form of suffering or
another.
b. No matter the source of the suffering, it is for a
purpose and therefore the believer must seek to
understand it and learn from the experience (Paul’s
thorn was to keep him from becoming proud).
c. In every case of suffering, the believer must believe
that God cares deeply for him no matter the
circumstances (Rom 8:37-39)
d. Believer must expect God to give him the grace
needed to go through the affliction until deliverance
comes (1 Cor. 10:13) (and even if deliverance doesn’t
come) and always remember that our High Priest is
interceding for us (Heb 4:14-16).
e. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, the Apostle Peter lists out 5 ways
Christians can respond to suffering;
i. Do not consider it strange or be surprised when
you suffer (verse 12)
ii. Properly evaluate your sufferings (verse 15-18)
iii. Rejoice in your suffering (for this makes you
partners with Christ….(verse 13)
iv. Entrust yourself to God for grace to endure or
overcome (verse 19)

32
 v. Continue to do well (verse 19).
vi. The mark of maturity in a Christian is not
freediom from pain but total trust in God
spite of pain
3.0 NATURE OF SATANIC ATTACK
a. In the bible the voice of Satan is heard as recorded
directly three times: First was in the Garden of Eden
(Gen.3:1-5), secondly in the book of Job (Job.1:9-
11) and thirdly with Jesus after His forty days fast
(Matt.4:1-11).
b. Satan always tries to attack the truth of God’s word.
c. Satan in the book of Job tried to cause even God to
doubt man.
d. When he spoke with Jesus, he attacked the power of
God and tried to cause the Son to doubt His identity
and the Father.
e. He tries to oppose God by influencing believers to
live in a way contrary to the word of God. E.g. He
incited David to count the Israelites against the
counsel of his leaders. 1Chron.21:1-4.
f. As his name “adversary” means, he tempts, misleads,
torments, traps, hinders, and deceives Christians
(1Thess.3:5, 1Cor.7:5, 2Cor.12:7; 11:14).
3.1 Satan assaults believers in the mind (Eph6:12,
2Cor10:3-6)
Paul in 2Cor. 10:5 describes the stronghold of Satan
as arguments which involve ideas, beliefs, doctrines,
teachings and practices that makes people disobey

33
 God. He entrenches these in the heart of people to
hold them captives.
3.2 The Believer’s Response
a. Satan’s method has not changed. He still attacks,
twists, mocks or dismisses the word of God. It can
be done through friends, siblings, teachers,
neighbours,e.t.c.
b. Believers must flee from such tendency and serve
God contently wherever they find themselves.
c. Christians should not allow sin to have dominion
over them by giving in to the craving of the flesh.
d. Christians are warned against the works of the flesh
not because they are demonic. Such vices may
become the foothold of Satan and also bring the
wrath of God (Eph.4:20).
e. Christians are not to fight the devil but rather that
their armoury for protection against the enemy is
based on what God has done through Christ.
f. They are to stand by putting the word of God into
practice and be reminded of their position in Christ
g. The assurance is that so far as the believer is under
the control of God, no evil power will be able to
overpower them.
4.0 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
4.1 Another voice that is speaking loudly today is that
Satan is all powerful. Indeed, once we attribute
almost all issues to Satan, we have made him all
powerful already. Sometimes Christians acts as if
Devil has the final say.

34
 But the bible clearly says “the Lord He is God, the
One true God, with overall supremacy over all
spiritual powers” (Deut.6:4; 33:2-3, Ps.89:5-8,
Eph.4:4-6). The spirits, whether good or evil, remains
under God’s sovereignty.
4.2 The fact of God’s sovereignty implies that Satan
cannot take his own course in this life without the
knowledge and the permission of God (Job.1:12,
Matt.4:1). The agents he uses can be used of God to
affect His divine plan (Matt.16:22-23, Acts.2:23-24)
4.3 God’s sovereignty is seen demonstrated in the book
of Job. God is seen accepting Satan at his presence,
by initiating the suffering of Job by asking him a
question (Job.1:8). God permits and gives the limit
of a righteous and blameless man (Job.2:6).
4.4 Our Response
a. As Christians, the sovereignty of God should make
us rest, knowing that He is in total control of our
lives, even when it hurts. He works it out for my
good (Rom.8:28).
b. We should still trust God in time of suffering. Job
got it right when he said ‘though he slays me, I will
trust Him’ (Job.13:15a).
c. Job again understood God’s sovereignty by
worshipping Him (Job.1:20). He was settled that
God is still God and deserve to be worshipped.
d. No matter what happens, God still reigns and
deserve our worship. This should be the Christians
response in a world of different voices.

35
e. Job also looked beyond the present world to the end
time (Job.19:25-27).
5.0 EXORCISM
Arriving at a decision of demonic activity or
witchcraft, possession should not be made lightly.
a. Exorcism/Deliverance may be performed after a
person has passed through counselling session and
it has become absolutely clear that the problem is
demonic.
b. Also Exorcism should not be the prerogative of a
group of people who are thought to be gifted in that
field. Every member of the Christian family who is
matured and prayerful and has the faith can exercise
the grace. Mk.16:15-18).
5.1 Approach To Exorcism
As to the techniques or methods of exorcism,
preferably those used by Jesus are to be followed.
a. His main method of exorcism is a word of command.
b. The Word of God is supreme in times of exorcism.
c. Faith in the word by both the practitioner and the
possessed is crucial.
d. Allowing the ‘demons to speak’ may be
accommodated privately and never publicly, since
the utterance may cause another problem.
e. Dangerous practices like where confessions can put
a social stigma on self-claimed witches who may
never be accepted in the society again.
f. Confession however can be done privately.

36
g. The role of the Holy Spirit in effecting the work of
Christ in the life of the believer must also be
emphasized.
h. The purpose of the Holy Spirit baptism in the crucial
to Pentecostal Ministry
6.0 KNOWING THE MASTER’S VOICE
a. From the foregoing, it is obvious that the major key
to living victoriously in this world is the ability to
know the voice of the Master.
b. Once you know the Master and His voice, no matter
the conditions of life, you will hear him-in prosperity
or poverty, life or death, sickness or health, peace or
turmoil.
c. However, anytime men listen to another voice, the
result is curse and suffering. Example Adam and Eve
(Gen.3:1-19), David (1 Chro. 21:1-3) and Saul (1
Samuel 13 & 15).
d. My Sheep Knows Me and My Voice (John 10:4, 14)
i. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my
sheep and my sheep know me”.
ii. Unlike other animals, sheep rarely find their
own way safely and so their guidance and safety
lies in the Shepherd’s leadership (Psalm 23:1-2).
iii. Firstly, Jesus’ usage of ‘my sheep’, is a picture of
ownership, the sheep belong to Him. Those who
hear God’s voice are those who belong to Him

37
 iv. Being saved by His grace through faith in Him
is being bought at a price.
v. These are the sheep that hear and recognize His
voice,because they know Him as their Shepherd.
e. My sheep listen to my voice and they follow me
(Jn. 10:27).
i. His sheep do not only know Him and His voice
but listen to Him. As the sheep of His pasture
we are expected to follow Him, wherever He
may lead.
ii. Our obedience demonstrates true submission
to the Lordship of Christ. It is easy to call Him
“Lord” and yet not to do the things He says
(Lk.4:46).
iii. It is wrong to hear His voice constantly and yet
consistently refuse to do His will.
iv. By practicing God’s word in our lives, obedient
Christians submit to the authority of Jesus and
make Him- who is the living expression of the
written word – their lord in the truest and most
practiced sense (Jn.14:15, 21,23).
7.0 CONCLUSION
The presentation challenged us to know the master
and His voice as the key to victorious living in this
world.
a. In conclusion, God still speaks today and those who
belong to Him can hear his voice through scripture,
prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom,
special impression by the Holy Spirit, dreams,visions,
circumstances and through the exhortation
of other people.

38
b. The more time we spend intimately with God and
His word, the easier it is to recognize His voice and
His leading in our lives through any other means.
c. The Believer must realize he can go through suffering
no matter his level of commitment any other means.
d. Christian suffering is inevitable. Suffering is part of
the Christian race and life.
e. However the Lord has assured us that he is always
with the believer and will deliver us. Be encouraged
and stay strong in your faith just like Job.

39
 DISCIPLESHIP IN
THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST
(Script by Aps. Samuel Gakpetor)

40
 LESSON ONE

1. INTRODUCTION
Disciple making is the basic message of the commission
Jesus gave to believers (Mathew 28: 18-20).
Who is a disciple?
A disciple of Jesus is one who has made a complete
commitment to follow Him and live in submission to his
authority and teachings in order to be transformed into
his image.
Thus, the goal of disciple making is to transform the
new convert won for Christ into His image.
Generally, discipleship is defined as the process of
providing every opportunity possible to help new
converts to grow in love towards God and fellow
human beings and in the essential areas of the
Christian life to the point where they can walk on
their own, win and disciple others also for Christ.
Thus, discipleship begins but does not end with the
preaching of the gospel and winning of souls. It also
involves an intentional and well-coordinated
process that provides every opportunity to integrate
new converts into the local church, and to transform
them into faithful Disciples of Christ.
One of the core values of the Church of Pentecost is
discipleship which is understood as training believers
to be like Christ. The emphasis is onholiness,
righteousness, faithfulness, honesty, sincerity,
humility, prayerfulness and the leading of disciplined
and responsible lives.(Discuss the details of discipleship
as indicated above). The Bible study and Home Cell
manual provide further guidance in this process.
41
This course seeks to
i. Provide an outline of the discipleship process in the
Church of Pentecost in order to streamline its
implementation in each local church.
ii. Identify opportunities and challenges for its
implementation in the local church.
Discuss how the pastors and church officers can be made
responsible to implement the guidelines in these manuals
in the local church.
2. EVANGELISM & EFFECTIVE FOLLOW-UP; THE
BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS OF DISCIPLESHIP
a. Evangelism
What is Evangelism?
Evangelism may be defined as the preaching and sharing of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ to others with the intention of converting
them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
This entails:
i. Acknowledging that one is a sinner and has fallen
short of God’s standard (Isaiah 53: 6, Romans 3: 23)
ii. Repenting of one’s sin and confessing the lordship
of Jesus (Acts 2:38)
iii. Accepting Jesus as one’s Lord and personal Saviour
(Acts 16: 31)
iv. Submitting oneself to water baptism which is an
outward sign of what has taken place in the person
(Acts 2: 38).
People can only be discipled when they have been won for Christ
whereas a disciple of Jesus is one who has made a complete

42
commitment to follow Him and live in submission to his authority
and teachings in order to be transformed into his image.
A convert is someone who has confessed Jesus as his lord
and personal savior.
As a Church:
i. We must be committed to Christ’s command to
preach the gospel to every creature.
ii. We believe that Christians ought to have the mind
of Christ in preaching the gospel and winning souls
(John 4: 32-34).
iii. We must give priority to the preaching the gospel in
the communities, places of work, schools etc. through
various means (rallies, crusades, personal, tract, bus,
market, social media, etc.) to win all people; children
and adults.
iv. We are to equip and empower members through
the various Ministries to use every opportunity (or
create opportunities) to preach the Gospel.
v. We must be urgent and earnest to reach unbelievers
with the gospel so they can be reconciled to God
through Jesus Christ.
b. Follow-Up
Follow-up is the process of giving continued
attention to new converts so they will grow into
maturity in Christ and be at home in the local church.
(Colossians 1: 28-29)
Challenge of follow-up
One of the most difficult, yet important, tasks facing the
local church is the ministry of effective follow-up. While
the average local church seems to be passionate in the area

43
of evangelism, the failure rate in successful follow-up is
alarmingly high! The reason for such spiritual negligence
may include:
i. our failure to understand the importance of follow-
up as a biblical mandate (Matthew 28:19, 20) or the
inability to see how effective follow-up is as part of
the spiritual process of assimilation and fellowship
or
ii. it may be due to lack of knowledge on effective
follow-up.
The need for follow-up
Follow-up is vital to the growth and development of all new
believers. Just like new born babes, new converts need the
nourishment from the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2), protection
from falling away through deceit from Satan, peer pressure
and false doctrine (1 Peter 5:8), training in developing
effective Christian habits, love and comfort. The goal of
effective follow-up is to:
a. Clarify the new converts’ understanding of the
gospel and the decision they have made to accept
Jesus as their Lord and Savior;
b. Collect information from the new converts for
continuous follow-up;
c. Connect them to a small group of fellow believers
and a mentor who leads the new Christian into
meaningful relationships and service.
d. Care for the new believer by providing resources to
help their faith grow (within 48 hours).
Apostle Paul is a very good example of one who did
a great work on follow-up. In his first letter to the

44
 Thessalonians, converts he had won to the Lord, his
follow-up strategy is outlined. He:
a. prayed for them (1:2, 3; 3:10);
b. wrote follow-up letters to them in order to address
various needs (because they were far from him);
commended and encouraged them (1:6-9);
c. was an example to them (1:5, 6; 2:10);
d. gave them an ultimate goal: to walk worthy of God
(2:12; 4:1);
e. spent himself for them (2:8); related properly to
them, as a father, a nurse, a person burdened for
their lives (2:7-13);
f. sent Timothy to minister to them and to establish
them (3:1-3);
g. was aware of the opposition of Satan and made them
aware of this enemy (3:4, 5); made them aware of
virtues to attain; love (3:12; 4:9), purity, (4:1-7);
honesty (4:12); gave them many specific instructions
in Christian living, such as those listed in 5:11-22
and
h. assured them of God’s work within them to enable
them to obey these commands (5:22-24).
We request that leadership at all levels of the Church
should establish effective follow-up teams to ensure
that new converts won to the Lord are retained in
the church and discipled.
Discussion Questions
1. What is the difference between a convert and a disciple?
2. How can a convert become a disciple?

45
3. What opportunities do you find in your local church for
effective follow-up?
4. What do these words ‘Intentional’ and ‘well co-
ordinated’ mean for effective discipleship in the local
church?
5. What are the challenges of effective follow up? How
can we overcome these challenges?

46
 LESSON TWO

INTEGRATION OF NEW CONVERTS THROUGH

INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP

INTRODUCTION
We continue our discussion on discipleship in the church
by looking at existing structures in the church that help to
integrate and disciple new converts. The aim is to highlight
how the various components of these structures help to
integrate and disciple the new converts. It is important to
note that when all efforts have been made in winning people
to Christ (through all forms of outreaches) and bringing
them into the church through effective follow-up,
discipleship will help to develop these converts into vessels
the Lord will use for His glory.
As captured in our core values, mature Christians and the
local church are responsible for the growth and maturity of
the new converts. The fact that new converts have been
brought to the church is not a guarantee that they will
remain. The new converts must be intentionally discipled
until they are integrated and established and feels at home
in the local church. To neglect this responsibility is to risk
losing new converts.
The process of integration and discipleship in the Church
of Pentecost includes participation in Water Baptism, New
Converts’ Class, Holy Spirit baptism, extending Right Hand
of Fellowship, weekly Bible Study, Home Cell meetings and
Mentoring. This lesson looks at water baptism, right hand
of fellowship, new converts’ class and Holy Spirit baptism.

47
i. WATER BAPTISM
Following the biblical command of Jesus in the Great
Commission (Matt. 28:18-20, Mk. 16: 15-16), The
Church of Pentecost upholds baptism (by
immersion) of new converts as soon as they are won
to the Lord and when there is opportunity. This form
of baptism is commanded by Christ. It is a baptism
to be undergone by believers, thus witnessing to their
identification with him in death, burial and
resurrection (Roman 6:3-7).
We believe that water baptism is:
a. an outward sign of an inward change - genuine
conversion:
b. a symbol of identification with the death, burial and
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:3-6);
c. an open declaration of separation from the world; to
follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt.
3:3-15; I Pet. 2:21).
All efforts must be made to teach new converts about the
meaning and significance of water baptism. This could be
done at the Church when there is enough time before the
baptism or at the site of baptism (especially when the time
between conversion and baptism is very short). The
preparation of converts for baptism is very important because
it enables those to be baptized to understand the
consequence of the decision they have taken. These
processes are very important as they help to establish the
new converts in Christ. Church membership in CoP begins
after the convert has been baptized in water.

48
ii. RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP & THE LORD’S
SUPPER
Converts who have been baptized in water and taken
through a period of teaching on salvation, assurance
of salvation and justification, are to be given the right
hand of fellowship as a means of integrating them
into the local church and inviting them to partake of
the Lord’s Supper. The right hand of fellowship is
done by the District Minister (or his designated
representative) at the Local Assembly before the
whole congregation. (Gal 2:9)
The Lord’s Supper was instituted by the Lord
Himself and it is a celebration and constant spiritual
renewal of our commitment to Christ(Matt. 26:26-
28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 23:19-20). It can be
celebrated as frequently as desired. In the Church of
Pentecost, it is observed at least once a month and in
most cases on the first Sunday of each month. It is
disciples who are in full fellowship who are called to
partake of the Holy Communion (1 Cor. 11: 23-33).
Thus it is an important discipleship practice. The
solemn and spiritual preparation for the communion
service enables the believer to review his walk with
the Lord in order to make necessary amends.
iii. NEW CONVERTS’ CLASS
One of the imageries Jesus used for soul winning is
fishing (Matt. 4:19). As soon as you catch fish, there
must be an intentional effort at preserving the fish
for use as and when necessary. In like manner, when
a convert is won, every effort must be made to
preserve the convert for the Master’s use. Like the
fish, we must make intentional efforts on the converts
to make them fit for the Master’s use. They have to

49
 be nursed and gradually taught how to follow step
by step into the Lord’s purpose for their lives.
The New Converts’ Class is established to fulfill this
purpose.
a. It provides for the new convert an opportunity to be
integrated into the fellowship of the saints.
b. They are also taught the fundamental teachings of
the Christian faith and encouraged to develop closer
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
c. It provides a safe nest for the new convert to learn,
grow, ask questions, form new relationships and grow
in confidence.
d. The class is to be held at least once a week, either on
Sundays alongside the Bible Studies or at any other
day convenient for the class teacher and converts.
(However it is best to do it on any other day so that
the new converts can be part of the Bible Study)
e. The Discipleship Manual is to be used for the classes
for a period of about 3-6 months.
f. It will be more effective to keep the same class
together instead of allowing other converts to join
the class when they have missed earlier classes.
g. The New Converts Class is a major means of
discipling in the local church. It is expected that every
local church will have a functional and effective New
Converts Class. Leaders should consult the
Discipleship Manual for the details on this ministry.

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iv. BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
What is Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience of the
Holy Spirit coming upon and filling those who are
born again with the initial evidence of speaking in
tongues (Matt.3:11, Lk. 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, 8 Acts 2:1-
4, Acts 8:14-17).
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift for all believers
including new believers who need His empowerment
for service, spiritual growth and maturity.Through
the experience spiritual gifts are imparted to the
believer for the benefit of the church. Leaders are
encouraged to provide opportunities for new
converts to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. It will be
very appropriate that right from conversion, new
converts are taught about the Holy Spirit and taken
through an intentional time of prayer and fasting,
and all night prayer meetings to help them receive
the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The new believer
who is baptized in the Holy Spirit receives extra grace
to live for Christ, and power to witness for Him. This
can take place at any time after conversion - during
follow-up, at water baptism etc. Christlikeness is
achieved when the new convert is fully yielded to
God through the help of the Holy Spirit. Thus
baptism in the Holy Spirit is an integral part of our
discipleship process.
Discussion Questions
1. Explain how each of these practices help to integrate
and disciple the new convert.
a. Water baptism
b. New converts class
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 c. Right hand of fellowship
d. Baptism in the Holy Spirit
2. Are these practices evident in your local church? Discuss.
3. How can these practices be made effective discipleship
tools in the local church?

52
 LESSON THREE

INTEGRATION OF NEW CONVERTS INTO

SMALL GROUPS

INTRODUCTION
Small groups provide one of the most effective ways new
converts grow in their walk with Jesus.
What are Small Groups?
Small groups constitute one of the discipleship tools of the
Church of Pentecost, and comprise the ministries, home cells
and bible study groups.
a. Through the interactions and sharing of experiences
in small groups, believers have opportunities to grow
and mature in Christ. For example, a group member
will learn the power of prayer as he experiences the
prayers of the group for himself and others, and as
he also sees the personal prayer lives of the members.
b. Through the small group, new converts are taught
what a life of prayer is all about.
c. When small groups disciple their members, those in
the groups develop. They see so much more to be
learned and known, and develop a hunger for that.
d. Through the small group new converts are
encouraged to go out into their communities and
small world and integrate grace, truth, and growth
into all contexts of their world.
Therefore, when the new converts have gone
through the New Converts Class they are to be
integrated into some of the small groups in the local

53
 church for continuous growth. While at the New
Converts’ Class, new converts encounter mostly
young believers like themselves. However, in the
other small groups, they also encounter mature
believers whose lives and ministry help to build them
up towards Christlikeness.
i. MINISTRIES
The Ministries in The Church of Pentecost are age-
related, gender-based and mission - oriented small
groups that were established for the purpose of:
a. discipling the members and
b. providing them with opportunity to use their
gifts to serve Christ and His Church.
There are five (5) Ministries – Children, Youth, Men,
Women and Evangelism. These are well equipped to
address the peculiar needs of their members. Leaders should
therefore help new converts to belong to at least one ministry
where they can be further discipled among their peers. Each
of the Ministries meets once a week on a designated day.
The 5 Ministries are distinct in respect of their membership
and focus:
a. The Children Ministry exists for all Children under
13 years with committed adults who have a calling
and a passion to disciple the children for Jesus.
b. The Youth Ministry is to equip and empower all
the youth in the church (from 13-35 years) to become
useful vessels in the hands of Master Jesus.
c. Women’s Ministry exists to handle the peculiar
needs and challenges of all the women in the Church.
This ministry does not have an age bracket; it is
gender-based.

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d. The Men’s Ministry has the mandate to handle the
peculiar needs and challenges of all the men in the
Church. This ministry does not have an age bracket;
it is gender-based.
e. The Evangelism Ministry comprises all members
of the church: children, youth, men and women. Its
mandate is to spearhead evangelism at the various
levels of the Church.
ii. HOME CELL
What is a Home Cell?
A Home Cell is a group of members (normally 8-
15), usually living within the same community, who
meet weekly in a home/community for prayer,
worship, fellowship, evangelism & study of God’s
word.As a community-based ministry it also
provides pastoral care for the church members and
helps to ‘close the back door’ of the church.
The pastoral care of the local church is to be done
through the Home Cells which meet once every week
except on the Communion Sunday, and follow a
study manual.
The benefits of a functioning Home Cell are many and
include the following:
a. It enhances effective integration of new converts into
the church, and those who are falling can easily be
traced by fellow believers in the same community.
b. It promotes discipleship because it gives new
members the opportunity to observe the lives of
mature believers in the context of the home/
community.

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c. It is relatively easier to know new converts and other
members of the local church and address their
peculiar needs.
iii. BIBLE STUDY
Small groups in The Church of Pentecost include
Bible Study Group which is:
A permanent small group in the church, which meets
weekly at a specified place in the church to study the
word of God in a systematic way to know more about
God and His word for the growth of both new converts
and mature members.
In the Bible Study group, young Christians study together
with others the systematic teaching on the theme for the
year and other relevant topics as provided in a study manual.
As members study together, they challenge each other to
apply the principles of God to their daily lives, thereby
producing growing disciples of Jesus Christ. In the local
church, the Bible Study is to take place every Sunday except
the Lord’s Supper Sunday.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the small discipleship groups in the church?
2. How does the bible study and home cell concept help to
disciple members?
3. What opportunities exist in the ministries for
discipleship? How can these opportunities be used to
disciple members in the local church?
4. What are the main challenges to running effective
ministries in the local church?
5. How can the clergy and laity be made accountable for
these structures?

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 LESSON FOUR

INTRODUCTION
We conclude our lessons on discipleship in The Church of
Pentecost by looking at how mentoring and pulpit ministry
contribute to discipling of new converts. We also look at
how to integrate and disciple members transferred from
other churches.
i. MENTORING
Though discipling in a small group is profitable,
another effective discipling method is for mature
Christians to intentionally identify new believers and
“pour” themselves into them so they can become
like Christ. Paul said “imitate me as I imitate Christ
(1 Cor. 11:1). Indeed, the goal of discipleship is
Christlikeness.
Christ can be seen in the pages of scripture, but more
clearly in the lives of mature believers as they seek
to reflect His life. Thus in the local church, leaders
are encouraged to provide mentoring opportunities
to members. However, for new converts, the role of
the mentor is a very necessary. New converts can
grow in a small group setting but their growth will
be enhanced when combined with the intentional
mentoring by mature believers. Leaders in the local
church must therefore connect new converts to
mature members as soon as possible (when they
accept Christ) so as to disciple them.
ii. PULPIT MINISTRY
Preaching and teaching delivered from the pulpitof
the local churchform part of efforts to disciple the
members. Leaders of the local church are to bear
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 this in mind when preparing their messages, and be
mindful to preach and teach messages that build
members to grow into Christlikeness.
iii. HOW TO INTEGRATE AND DISCIPLE MEMBERS
TRANSFERRED/ FROM OTHER CHURCHES
Another major challenge in the Church is how to
integrate members from other local churches into a
local church. Truly it is a great privilege to have the
Lord send a member to the local church when there
are many churches. In Matthew 25:31-45, Jesus
stresses the need to warmly welcome ordinary
people who come to us; to receive them is to receive
Him.
RECEIVING GUESTS IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
When members move from other local churches to another
within the Church of Pentecost, it is the duty of the host
church to welcome the guests and make them feel at home.
Those from other churches should be treated similarly.
Guests who decide to join the local church should be
intentionally integrated otherwise they will feel lonely and
may go back to their former church or any other church
that will receive them well. The integration will include:
a. A warm welcome,
b. Follow up on them through calls,
c. A visit to know their homes (within 72 hours),
d. Placing them into the small groups (Home Cells,
Bible Studies, Ministries), and
e. Assigning them mentors as soon as possible.
This measure will ensure that we maintain most of the guests
we receive in our churches.

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MODALITIES
When the guests are members of The Church of Pentecost,
it is expected that they will come with a TransferCard signed
by the minister of the District from which they are coming.
This makes the integration easier. Without the Transfer Card,
the Presiding Elder should see the District Minister for
guidelines before accepting them into membership of the
local church.
If the guests are officers (elders, deacons or deaconesses) of
The CoP, in addition to the transfer card, the District Minister
of the receiving District should contact the Minister of the
releasing District to ascertain the commitment of such
officers and accordingly receive and introduce them to the
local presbytery and later the district presbytery.
In the case where the person is a member of a Pentecostal
church (with doctrines similar to that of CoP, e.g. baptism
by immersion) they can be received into membership. This
should be done after they have produced a baptismal card
(or any other identification), and the reasons for leaving their
former churches ascertained by the minister/presiding elder
(officer). In the case where the guest is not from a member
church of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council
(GPCC), the condition for acceptance into membership is
to go through baptism by immersion.
The following must also be carefully observed:
a. The local assembly should not hurriedly give
positions to any new person who is being integrated
into the Local until they have confirmed their genuine
growth in the Lord and with the endorsement of the
District Minister.

59
b. As a matter of importance, the district minister
should try to meet all persons who have joined the
local assemblies within his district (with the presiding
elders of local churches involved) regularly for their
backgrounds in order to enhance their integration
and provide any other help.
It is expected that when the above modalities have
been followed, guests who wish to join the local
church will have a smooth integration and
assimilation.
CONCLUSION
The Great Commission demands that converts made by the
church are discipled by teaching them to obey all that Jesus
has commanded. It is when new converts are discipled that
they ‘will turn the world upside down’ Acts 17:6. As at the
end of 2015, statistical report indicates that the CoP
represents about 8% of the Ghanaian population. This
means that our members can make the necessary impact in
their sphere of influence if they are well discipled in the
local churches. In this course, we have outlined most of the
processes necessary for the fulfillment of the discipleship
agenda. It is expected that, the processes outlined will be
implemented in each local church or made more effective
to ensure that we disciple our members for the generational
and national impact we are called to pursue.
Discussion Questions
1. How can mentoring be made an effective tool to disciple
members in the local church?
2. How do we ensure that teaching and preaching in the
local church help to disciple members?
3. How would the modalities outlined above help integrate
visitors and members transferred to the local church?
60
 If we are not fish
And if our
BUILDING A HEALTHY AND VIBRANT Ch
LOCAL CHURCH and
(Script by Aps. Samuel Gakpetor)

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 LESSON ONE

1. INTRODUCTION
Wherever a group of believers meet as a local church
to study the Bible, worship the Lord, share
fellowship, among others, it is expected that they
would live peacefully and work in unity to show the
beauty of Christ to others and bring them also to the
saving knowledge of Christ. This, however, is not
always the reality. For the local church experiences
internal conflicts from time to time. Sometimes they
fall short of God’s standard concerning their goals.
Yet Jesus expects them to live and work together
because He has made adequate provision to take care
of the internal weaknesses.
This course is designed to guide participants to:
a. Know the “Blueprint” Jesus has provided toward
building the Church
b. Identify some internal relational weaknesses in the
local church
c. Appreciate the key role of prayer in the growth and
development of the local church
d. Know and work at some biblical marks of a healthy
church
e. Appreciate the value of quality worship in the
attractiveness of the local church
f. Recognize the need to train and develop effective
leaders for the local church
1.1 In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said “I will build my Church
and the gates of hell shall not prevail over it”.

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 The verse captures Jesus’ first distinct mention of the
church in the New Testament.
1.2 The Church is not something of less importance in
the mind of God. In the New Testament, it is the
CENTERPIECE (it means it is of central importance
to God). Indeed, the kingdom of God is much larger
than the church, because it includes more than the
church. The domain of the kingdom of God covers
the whole universe.
1.3 The church is the only institution God ever had to
buy (Acts 20:28). God created everything else, but
the Church cost Him dearly! This explains the reason
why He is committed to building it.
1.4 The statement from the Lord in Matthew 16:18
implies that, the Church he is building has power
over any obstacle, even the gates of hell. Wherever
the Church exists, it must make a positive difference
in the lives of its members and eventually impact
the community and the nation. This assertion was
clearly evident in the church which ‘turned the world
upside down’ (Acts 17:6).
1.5 Bill Hybels states that,
The Local Church is the hope of the world….. The
hope of the world is not government, academia,
business, but the church because it is to the church
that God has entrusted the message of salvation,
which truly changes people’s lives and
hearts…..When the Holy Spirit is in charge, and
when God’s anointing power is on a Church, lost
people are getting found, and found people are
growing up, and lonely people are getting enfolded,

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 and bored people are finding a purpose and a cause,
and the poor are being cared for.
1.6 The statement from Jesus also implies that He is the
Master Builder of the Church, and uses leaders He
has chosen. Thus as leaders we do not, and cannot
build the church on our own; we simply cooperate
with the Master Builder!
2. BIBLICAL MARKS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH
Acts 2:40-47 is the earliest picture of the church of
Jesus Christ. It was organized under the authority of
the apostles who developed the model of the local
church as it is meant to function. While some of the
specifics may vary from their culture to ours, the
essence of how the church is intended to be remains
the same. The following describe the main qualities
indicated in the early church.
2.1 Aggressive Evangelism
And with many other words he testified and exhorted
them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse
generation.” Then those who gladly received his
word were baptized; and that day about three
thousand souls were added to them…And the Lord
added to the church daily those who were being
saved. Acts 2:40-41, 47.
a. The surest sign of health in a church is its ability to
birth new souls. Any church that fails to reproduce
has a serious health concern and needs treatment
(Jn 15:2-4). The early church was a soul-winning,
evangelistic organism as indicated in the above
scripture. Its message was clear, “Be saved!” In other
words, it recognized that without Jesus Christ, people
were lost and so they earnestly preached the gospel.

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b. Our mandate from the Word of God is to present
every individual in the world with the opportunity
to be “born-again” through washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5).
Unfortunately, many churches have lost their
evangelistic zeal to win the lost and are involved in
all kinds of “revival” meetings. Our churches must
always evaluate if we are truly fulfilling the mandate
of our Lord to “rescue the perishing.”
c. How can you tell if your local church is a witnessing
church?
The following are some indicators of a healthy, evangelistic
church:
i. Witnessing Members:A healthy church is
composed of Christians who are soul winners. The
leadership has instructed them, equipped them and
motivated them to effectively witness in every arena
of their life. Jesus said, “…you shall be witnesses to
Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The first thing
Jesus said to His disciples was “follow Me and I will
make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). The last thing
he said was “go into all the world and make disciples”
(Matt. 28:19). Thus everyone who follows Christ is
to be a soul winner. Some years ago, in almost every
service, you find a member bringing a person to the
church to accept Jesus Christ.
How is it today in our Church? What do you think about
the statement below?

If we are not fising for souls, we are not following Christ . And
if our church is not filled with followers of Christ, we have
failed as leaders and our churches are unhealthy

65
ii. Regular Altar Calls: Altar call is an invitation for
people to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
a. In a witnessing church, this is part of almost every
service-funeral, naming, week day or Sunday service.
This is because of the understanding that there may
be people present who may not have accepted Jesus
Christ.
b. Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles gave
people an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ (See
Acts 2:37-4:41).
c. The altar call which was very common in our
Churches some years ago is almost forgotten in some
of our churches today. This may be a sign of decline
in our drive and passion for evangelism.
iii. Evangelistic Outreaches: Every church that is
evangelism-focused has a form of corporate outreach
to its community. This would include rallies,
crusades, house to house, schools evangelism etc.
Among the marks of the church are:
a. From time to time all the members gather in prayer
and then are sent out to win souls for Christ. Years
ago, evangelistic outreaches were done almost every
month, where all the members are sent out for
evangelism.
b. Sometimes, it is done on Sunday morning after a
short service.
These public evangelistic outreaches have two significant
purposes. First, they distinguish the church in the
community as, not only a social influence, but also an agency
of God evangelizing the world. Second, it unites the
congregation under a common vision of winning the lost
for which they stay focused.
66
What is the state of the Evangelism Ministry in your Local
Church? How committed are your leaders in evangelistic
outreaches?
iv. Vibrant Evangelism Ministry:Though the whole
congregation is called to win the lost, the Evangelism
Ministry discusses with the district minister and the
presiding elder to plan the outreaches. The ministry
equips the members and motivates them to be
effective in soul winning. They spearhead (in
collaboration with other ministries) the follow up of
converts won through rallies and church services to
retain them in the local church.

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 LESSON TWO

1. INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’
doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers. Acts 2:42
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations
….Matthew 28:19-20
i. It is relatively easy to evangelize and possibly win a
soul. But we are called, not only to evangelize, but
also to disciple new converts to fully submit their
lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
ii. Each year in our churches, many people profess faith
in Christ. Painfully, however, some local churches
leave new converts and older members to their fate.
As a result most of the new converts are lost back to
the world; the older members also fail to experience
transformation due to lack of intentional care and
discipling by mature believers.
iii. Jesus emphasized discipleship—even more than
evangelism. He knew that the future of the church
depended on the willingness of those He discipled
to lay down their lives for the mission given them.
Thus the health (and survival) of churches today
depends on their ability to produce disciples. We
need people who are willing to invest their lives into
new believers (and even ‘old’ believers) to produce
Christ-like disciples who will impact their
generations. The following are necessary for effective
disciple making:T.E.A.M.M.M.S

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a. Teachings – onekey component of discipling others
is instruction. Jesus spent tremendous amount of
time in teaching his disciples. Flowing out of His
relationship with them are:
i. He taught them about almost everything-prayer, the
Holy Spirit, faith, forgiveness, kingdom life, love, etc.
ii. Because they were with him, the disciples heard all
that he taught in public. However, in some cases, he
taught them privately.
iii. Throughout the Gospel narratives, Jesus sort to
correct the disciples’ thinking. He used their error as
teaching moments to reveal greater truths of the
Kingdom of God.
In the same vein, in any discipleship relationship,
we must focus on teaching the disciples in modes
they will understand. The avenues for teaching in
the local church include:
New Converts Classes, Bible Study and Home Cell Groups
etc.
b. Experience– Jesusdeveloped His disciples by
delegating ministry responsibilities to them. He sent
them out and gave them real ministry experience.
Hands-on experience was a vital part of Jesus’
discipleship curriculum. For example, as we teach
the disciples how to witness, it is necessary to provide
them with opportunity to experience this in real life,
rather than keep them idle.
c. Accountability– Oneway of making those we
disciple accountable is to receive reports from them
concerning tasks we assign them. Jesus’ disciples
reported back to Him whenever they returned from

69
 a ministry trip. This allowed time for the disciples to
reflect on, and review their performance; they then
receive further instruction from Jesus. The local
church can use this strategy as part of discipleship
relationship especially for new believers.
d. Modeling– To make His disciples grow, Jesus
demonstrated how they should live the Christ-
centered life. One reason Jesus had such a lasting
impact on His disciples is that He lived the message
before them daily. He was the message and the
method. By walking with Jesus, they saw how He
lived His faith in the real world:
i. He prayed before them.
ii. He fed the poor.
iii. He had compassion on the multitude.
iv. He healed the sick.
In other words, He lived the life that He wanted to reproduce
in His disciples. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He
expected His disciples to say and do what He said and did.
It is important that we practice what we preach, because
the people we are training will follow our life and example.
The most powerful message is a life lived for God.
e. Mentoring– Inorder to disciple others, there is the need
to build relationships that feature love, commitment,
authenticity, vulnerability, accountability, and
intentionality with those we disciple. Having called His
men, Jesus made a practice of spending time with them.
By letting His disciples follow Him, He opened up His
life to them and mentored them (Matt. 9:9, John 1:43,
11:54. 1 Thess. 2:8).

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f. Multiplication– Jesus expected His disciples to
reproduce His likeness in others. He imparted His
message and mission to His disciples so that they
would reproduce themselves in others and make
disciples of all nations. The Great Commission
requires followers of Jesus to reproduce themselves
and “Make disciples.” Let us commit our lives and
our churches to reproducing ourselves in others in
order to make disciples of our communities and our
world. We are called to select, train, and send disciples
of Christ out into the world to repeat the process of
discipleship (2 Timothy 2:2).
g. Supplication– Thisis a humble and passionate
appeal by Jesus for His disciples. This is what is
expected of all Disciple-makers.
2. CONSTANT PRAYER
They…continued steadfastly…in prayers” Acts 2:42.
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer
was offered to God for him by the church. Acts12:5
Jesus said, “My House shall be called a ‘House of Prayer”
(Matt. 21:13).
John Wesley said, “God does nothing on earth except
in answer to believing prayer.” Many churches,
unfortunately are not experiencing any significant
move of God because the people are not praying—
in fact, some are suffering needlessly because they
fail to pray. Dick Eastman said, “Something happens
when we pray that does not happen when we don’t
pray.”

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The following are elements of a praying church:
a. Regularly scheduled prayer gatherings for
congregation: The church in Acts “continued
steadfastly…in prayers” (Acts 2:42). We should do
the same in our day. The point is that corporate prayer
should be a habit of the church. This is vital because
if the church as a community is not emphasizing or
“scheduling” regular prayer, then the people will not
regard it as a habit to be valued. The healthy church
is a church that prays. It doesn’t just talk about prayer
or teach about prayer – it prays! These could be done
on Fridays or any other day within the week where
the whole congregation gathers to pray. It could be
dawn, evening, or morning. It could be held at the
local level, zonal (a number of local churches coming
together) or district level.
b. Periodic calls to prayer: These are regular, special
calls to pray for certain needs or concerns that arise
in the body. They may consist of all night prayer
meetings or proclaiming a week-long fasting and
prayer. We see the early church doing this when
Peter was locked up in prison (Acts 12). Healthy
churches respond to crises or challenges by calling
the people to prayer.
c. Regular prayer meetings for leaders: Nothing
promotes health in a church like a united team of
leaders who regularly gather for prayer. Whether
these take place monthly, quarterly or weekly, they
provide a time for the leaders to express their
humility before God, their dependence on His power,
and agreement by faith. It also strengthens their bond
of unity. This is vital because Psalm 133:1-3 says,

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 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity!”
d. Active intercessory team: One effective way for a
church to remain prayerful is through the use of an
established “Intercessory Team. This is a group of
people who carry a special burden for intercession
and have been commissioned by the church
leadership to stand in the gap on a regular basis for
specific concerns related by those leaders. These are
trusted individuals who act as spiritual watchmen
over the local church praying for God’s blessing and
repelling the schemes of the adversary. (Isaiah 62:6).
e. Pastors or Presiding Elders who pray: A church
whose pastor or presiding elder doesn’t pray is
destined for decline! In Acts 6:4, the apostles
declared, “we will give ourselves continually to
prayer…” The early church was careful to ensure that
its foremost leaders were men of prayer. No church
can be healthy if its pastor is so caught up with
ministry tasks that he can’t pray. It is important that
such tasks be delegated to other capable people so
the “man of God” can shut himself into the prayer
closet to commune with God. Leonard Ravenhill
said, “No man is greater than his prayer life. The
pastor who is not praying is playing.”
Discussion Questions
How does the prayer life in your local assembly measure with
what has been described above?

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 LESSON THREE

1. LIFE-GIVING WORSHIP
Continuing daily with one accord in the
Temple…praising God. Acts 2:46-47
i. A very important aspect of the life of the church is
the biblical mandate to worship God. It is the highest
expression of one’s devotion to God. It is the reason
why we were created.
ii. Worship is vital to the life and health of a church.
Every community of believers breathes through its
worship system. The vitality of a local church is linked
to it. God’s people thrive on meaningful worship and
it, in turn, produces spiritual people. Many
theologians and pastors are realizing this truth today:
J.J. von Allmen said, “It is by its worship that the
church lives.” Joseph C. Aldrich wrote, “When the
spiritual life of a congregation is weak, it is most
evident at the level of worship.”
iii. The vitality of the church is best indicated by the
nature of its worship. The early church loved to
worship God! They placed much emphasis on the
biblical mandate to give God praise and thanksgiving.
We should emulate their shining example in worship
which has the following importance to the church:
a. God’s presence is manifested in our midst as we
worship.
b. It strengthens our spirit.
c. It brings joyfulness
d. It serves as a means to overcome challenges
(Habakkuk 3:17-19; Acts 16; Phil 4:6-7)

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2. ENDURING UNITY
The early church was committed to expressing the
love of God as they worshipped together and cared
for one another (Acts 2:44-46, 4:32). For Christians
to continue walking in love as was seen in the early
church the following points are worthy of note:
i. The devil uses division as his main weapon in his
effort to destroy God’s work. The devil understands
what Jesus said about his (the devil’s) own kingdom
(Mark 3:24-26).
ii. Some churches are weak because there are conflicts
among them
iii. Even churches that appear most united experience
aspects of disunity. This shows that true biblical unity
– is not the absence of conflict; it’s the presence of
leaders with reconciling spirit.
iv. Leaders with a “reconciling spirit” takes
responsibility for resolving differences; it takes the
initiative and says “What can I do to resolve this
conflict and be reconciled to my brother?”, and make
a move to seek reconciliation.
v. This is what Jesus meant (Matt. 5:23-24)
3. CONSISTENT GROWTH
As the body of Jesus Christ the church is a living
organism which needs to grow holistically (Acts
2:47).If she fails to grow then there is something
wrong. There are 2 ways in which growth is
measured: individual and corporate.
i. Individual Growth. This is the spiritual maturity
that should take place in the lives of individual
members of the church in their relationship with the
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 The following are some of the marks of cooperate
growth for the church.
a. Numerical growth (Acts 2: 4)
b. Availability of equipped and motivated labourers for
the harvest (Luke 10:2)
c. Availability of resource for infrastructure and social
services (chapels, etc.).
Discussion Questions
How would you describe the growth of your Local Assembly?
4. EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and
signs were done through the apostles.”(Acts 2:42-43)
“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven
men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and
wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but
we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the
ministry of the word.”(Acts 6:3-4)
i. The success of the early church is credited to the
leaders who were impassioned agents of the Holy
Spirit operating in the will of God. As such, they were
able to lay a foundation that would ensure the
advance of a vibrant, life-giving church.
ii. Leadership is the key element that ensures a church’s
health. In fact, any church that is lagging in spiritual
vitality may actually be suffering because of its
leaders. If a body is dying and its people are
powerless, if worship is dry and the altars are barren,
if ministries are unfruitful and immorality is swelling,

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 those who are charged with leadership must be the
first ones examined. Bill Hybels mentioned that “the
local church is the hope of the world, and its future
rests primarily in the hands of its leaders”.
iii. Any survey of healthy churches will reveal three
common qualities found in its leaders. These include
leaders who love God, leaders who have character
and leaders who have vision. Conversely, churches
that are unhealthy will usually have leaders who lack
them.
a. Leaders Who Love God: Without leaders clearly and
boldly demonstrating a love for God with all their
heart, soul and strength, followers become confused
by blurred standards and a plethora of questions:
“Should I go to church? Should I witness? Should I
read my bible, pray, and fast?” What causes
complacent Christians to intensify their love for God
and renounce all idols? It is not just a well written
sermon delivered with expository prowess. It is a
leader visibly demonstrating a passion for God with
head and heart and hands. It is a leader who visibly
demonstrates the scripture that defines true
spirituality: “As for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). Indeed, if the leaders don’t
have a hunger for God, how can those who follow
them? Lukewarmness in a church can always be
traced to lukewarmness in the leaders. The healthy
church has leaders who model Christianity with their
live and passion for God and show the people how
to love and how to live.
b. Leaders who have Character: A leader’s character
is like the foundation of a building. If it is not strong,
deep and firmly fixed in place, the man’s life and all

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 he has built will eventually fall. It does not matter
how anointed he is, how attractive his ministry or
powerful his gifts, without character, all threatens to
collapse. “Charisma can take a man to the top, but
only character will keep him there.” It is character
that keeps a man honest, ethical and pure. It is
character that binds us to our godly responsibilities.
It is character that holds us up when the heavy
temptations of leadership threaten to pull us down.
Those in leadership face greater warfare than do
others, therefore they must have the heart, the
character, the foundation that can withstand such
pressure. This is why Paul stipulated that a leader
“must not be a novice, lest being puffed up with pride
he fall into the same condemnation as the devil” (1
Timothy 3:6).
c. Leaders who have Vision: According to George
Barna in his book, vision is a clear mental image of a
preferred future, imparted by God to His chosen
servants and is based on an accurate understanding
of God, self and circumstances. Vision is a clear
understanding of what your ministry is to achieve—
a vivid idea of what the future should be as well as a
passion to achieve this future. Vision is conviction.
It is passion. It is a force that drives us. True leaders
with true vision are obsessed with the idea that they
are meant to achieve something meaningful and are
captivated by it. Vision is vital to leadership because
it attracts a following. Indeed, a healthy Church has
leaders who, having waited upon the Lord, have
received a clear direction of where God wants His
people to be. The leaders needs to develop vision to
fulfil all that have enumerated below:

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a. Aggressive Evangelism
b. Intentional Discipleship
c. Constant Prayer
d. Life-giving Worship
e. Constant Growth
f. Raising other leaders who love God, love God’s
people, have character and have vision.
g. Acquiring physical properties like church
buildings,instruments etc. for the Church.
h. When these visions are received from the Master
Builder, shared with the other leaders and
members and pursued vigorously through the
power of the Holy Spirit, our churches shall be
the Church that Jesus promised to build and
achieve the

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 LESSON FOUR

1. ROLE OF LEADERS IN BUILDING A HEALTHY

CHURCH
One of the keys to building a healthy Church is godly
leadership. God’s method of fulfilling divine purposes
on Earth has been men. (Gen. 1:28). Generally, people
are like sheep and as such need to be led (Num.
27:17). In view of this God raises people as leaders to
address this need. Such person however must know
that leadership is vision, service and influence.
What is leadership?

Leadership is knowing what God wants us to do and helping

others to know it and also become committed to it.

1.1 Levels of People: There are three kinds of people in

the world. These are:
a. People who make things happen,
b. People who watch what’s happening, and
c. People who wonder what happened.
God want us to be in the first category. One of the inspiring
persons who demonstrated this trait was Nehemiah. He saw
the destitution and hopeless situation of his people and with
the help of God he organized his people to rebuild of the
Walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. He serves as a practical example
of what ordinary people can do when they:
a. Love enough to care,
b. Care enough to cry,

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 c. Cry enough to pray, and
d. Pray enough to act.
2. GODLY LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES FROM THE
BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
There are about seven (7) godly leadership principles
we can learn from the life of Nehemiah, which can
make us better leaders as we seek to build the
‘broken walls’ of the Church. Among other things
godly leaders:
2.1 Have a clear vision of God’s purpose and plan
(Neh.2:11-12a). Visionary leaders often see what others
do not see. As a visionary Leader Nehemiah translated
a God given vision into concrete walls. First he shared
his vision with his people and led them to work at it
in order to fix that which was broken.
What is the content of Vision 2018? How are you
achieving it at the Local level?
2.2 Create a team, organize and delegate, doing only
what they (should!) can do and equipping and
empowering others to do what they also can do
(Nehemiah 2:6-8; 3:3). Team building is one
strategic means of accomplishing greattasks with
ease. As a credible and competent leader Moses
relied on the services of other leaders like Aaron,
Joshua and Caleb to help him bear the heavy load
of leadership. The need to work through teams was
further demonstrated by, Paul and Barnabas and
ultimately Jesus Christ.
2.3 Know how to motivate others in a Godly manner
(Nehemiah 2:17-18). They scratch followers where
they itch. And, if they are not itching, they challenge
them until they do.
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2.4 Are determined to perseverein the face of
opposition(Nehemiah 4:1-10). Leaders refuse to
throw in the towel or drop out of the race. They view
opposition as part of the leadership challenge, and
are courageous.
2.5 Have a genuine love for their people (Nehemiah
5:7). The heart of leadership is empathy and not self-
promotion and exploitation of the sheep. Godly
leaders seek the well-being of their followers as
demonstrated by Jesus and Nehemiah. Thus, leaders
must not condone acts of extortion but rather expose
and destroy systems that promote exploitation of the
poor and disadvantaged. Nehemiah left the comfort
and luxury of palace life to seek the welfare of his
people. Such concern and sacrifice for people builds
trust, love and fruitful relationship between leaders
and followers.
2.6 Discover ways to resolve conflict (Nehemiah 5:1-
8). They care for the whole organization, and confront
wrongdoers and troublemakers immediately.
2.7 Walk by God-given convictions and demonstrate
commitment for which they do not compromise no
matter what is involved (Nehemiah 13:8-24). Their
lives are driven by integrity, the word of God and
Biblical conviction.

When leaders identify the marks of a healthy church, cooperate

with the Master Builder and become committed to the cause of the
Church, lives shall be transformed and communities and nations
impacted.

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CONCLUSION
Bill Hybels stated that:
“There is nothing like the local church when it’s working
right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking.
Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals
the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges
to the lost and offers truth to the confused. It provides
resources for those in need and opens its arms to the
forgotten, the downtrodden and the disillusioned. It breaks
the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers
belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the
capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater
capacity for healing and wholeness. There is nothing like
the local church when it is working right! It transforms lives,
heart by heart... Soul by soul... Life by life. That’s why the
most important thing I can do is to lay down my heart for
the cause of Christ.”
May we commit ourselves to cooperating with the Master
Builder to build His Church according to the biblical
blueprint he has provided.

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THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
(Script by Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Anim)

84
 LESSON ONE

INTRODUCTION
Belief in the existence of a Supreme Being is universal. In
Africa, for instance, the belief was expressed in the daily
practical experiences of the people before the advent of
Christianity. However, it is in the Bible that we know about
the various ways in which the Supreme Being (God) has
revealed Himself to human beings. At the end of this course
it is expected that participants will:
a. Be abreast of the nature and character of the One true
God
b. Know the names by which God has revealed Himself in
the Old Testament
c. Know how God has revealed Himself in the New
Testament
d. Have clearer understanding of God being in three
persons
e. Appreciate the existence of God in African thought.
BELIEF IN THE ONE TRUE GOD
1.1. What does The Church of Pentecost believe about the
One true God?
“We believe in the existence of the One True God,
Elohim, Maker of the whole universe; indefinable, but
revealed as Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit –
One in nature, essence and attributes; Omnipotent,
Omniscient and Omnipresent”
This is the second tenet or stated “believe” of the Church.
It may also be described as a Statement or Article of
Faith or Credo.

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In this study it is necessary to know that:
1.1.1. Creed became necessary in the history of the
universal Church as it sought to establish its identity
in the light of both general and special revelation
viz the Word of God including the Holy Bible.
1.1.2. At the center of the tenets (what the church holds
to be true) is the man named Jesus, who appeared
in Palestine in the time of the emperor Tiberus (also
known as Caesar) and was crucified under the
Roman procurator called Pontius Pilate. We know
of him through the accounts and records of his
ministry as recorded in the New Testament.
1.1.3. Christians, also known as Believers of the Faith,
expressed their solidarity with the life and ministry
of Jesus and his testimony as the Son of God. It is
the history of Jesus of Nazareth which provides the
foundation and the basis for our understanding of
God and his relation to his creation.
1.1.4. The New Testament reveals how the early Christian
communities came out with certain confessional
formulae as a means of holding together and
conveying the essential outlines and principles of
their understandings of the personal relevance of
Jesus to their situation. It is this same principle which
the books of the Old Testament had affirmed with
regards to the existence of God and his manifestation
among his people as The Lord and Redeemer.
1.2. God in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)
In the Old Testament, all the names given to God
proclaim some aspects of his nature and reveal his
manifestations in the affairs of mankind. This is
because God does not lend himself to direct

86
 observation. He can only reveal himself to us as he
did with Moses in Exodus 3. Three names of God
are significant:
1.2.1 El, Eloah, Elohim and in Greek, Theos– This is
translated in English as ‘God’. El Elyon means God
Most High and conveys the thought of a transcendent
being, exceptionally strong and with inexhaustible
life in Himself. God is One on whom both God
Himself and everything that is not Himself depends.
This is the picture Moses might have received when
he encountered God in the burning bush in Ex. 3.
Here, God revealed Himself as a burning fire in a bush
and yet the bush was not consumed. The point here
is that contrary to human perception of the laws of
nature, God, depicted as a ‘burning fire’ did not need
the material substance of his environment in order
to survive, as a natural burning fire would need the
substance of its environment in order to remain
active. God therefore is self-existent, self-sufficient and
self-sustaining.
1.2.2 The next name of God which expresses his being is
Adonay (Adonai) in Hebrew and Kyrios in Greek.
This is translated as ‘Lord’ in English language and
means one who rules over everything external to
him. It was the common name used by the Jews
after the exile.
1.2.3 Another name of God is Yahweh, meaning ‘the
LORD’ as translated in the Authorized Version (AV)
or the King James Version (KJV), the Revised
Standard Version (RSV) and New International
Version (NIV) of the Bible. It is often rendered
Yahweh Sabaoth, which is translated as ‘Lord of hosts’
or ‘Lord of the heavens’.

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1.2.3.1 Yahweh, originally written as YHWH is called
Tetragrammaton, meaning a “four-letter-word”, and
was not pronounced, because it was considered a
most holy name.
1.2.3.2 YHWH is the personal name for God by which his
people were to invoke Him as the Lord who has
taken them into covenant relationship with Himself
in order to show them his power, grace and mercy.
This was the name God first revealed to Moses in
the burning bush in Exodus 3; ‘I AM THAT I AM’.
1.2.3.3 The meaning of the English word God is ‘to call’
and indicates simply the object of worship, one
whom human beings call upon or invoke.
1.3. The Name Jehovah and Other Titles of God
The Hebrew word Yahweh (The LORD) is
sometimes translated as Jehovah in our English
Bibles.
1.3.1. As indicated earlier, the original name of God was
not vocalized, especially after the Exile in about 538
BC, and YHWH also spelt YHVH, was considered
too holy and people were scared to pronounce it.
1.3.2. Beginning from the 13th century, attempts were made
by some monks to find a vocalized name for God
and in 1518, Petrus Galatinus, a Catholic priest made
a publication in which he spelt God’s name as
IEHOUA. In this artificial construction, the vowels
of Adonay and Elohim were combined with the
Tetragrammaton YHVH to form Jehovah as a
substitute in reading.
1.3.3. The name Jehovah was popularized in the English-
speaking world by William Tyndale and other early

88
 Protestant translators. In later translations, the name
Lord or LORD was used in place of Jehovah,
indicating that the corresponding Hebrew is Yaweh
or YHWH.
Discussion Questions
i. What is a creed?
ii. What is the second tenet of The Church of Pentecost?
iii. Give the meaning of each of the following Hebrew names
of God
a . Elohim
b . Adonay
c. Yahweh

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 LESSON TWO

THE NAMES, SELF-REVELATION AND

TRINITY OF GOD

1. The Names of God

God’s self-revelation with humankind enables us to
give Him a name or title. The names of God therefore
reveal in part some aspect of his nature and character
or attributes. In the ancient world, knowing one’s
name was a special privilege that offered access to
that person’s thought and life. God favored His people
by revealing Himself by several names which offered
special insight into His nature and character. These
experiences provided a medium for trust, fellowship
and worship. The following are some of the other
names in honor of God in the Old Testament that
stem from the basic name of Yahweh. They are
related to God’s self-revelation and activities in the
lives of individuals and society:
1.1 Jehovah-Jireh– This name is translated as “The-
LORD-Will-Provide,” commemorating the provision
of the ram in place of Isaac for Abraham’s sacrifice
(Gen. 22:12-14). The literal meaning of this name is,
The Lord who sees, or The Lord who will see to it.
1.2 Jehovah-Nissi –This name means “The-LORD-Is-
My-Banner,” in honor of God’s defeat of the
Amalekites (Ex. 17:15).
1.3 Jehovah-Shalom – This means “The-LORD-Is-
Peace,” the name Gideon gave to the altar which he
built in Ophrah (Judg. 6:24).

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1.4 Jehovah-Shammah – This phrase expresses the
truth that “The-LORD-Is-There,” referring to the city
which the prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision (Ezek.
48:35).
1.5 Jehovah-Tsebaoth– This name, translated “The-
LORD-of-hosts,” was used in the days of David and
the prophets, witnessing to God the savior who is
surrounded by His hosts of heavenly power (1 Sam.
1:3).
1.6 Jehovah Elohe Israel – This name means “LORD-
God-of-Israel,” and it appears in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and
the Psalms, Other names similar to this are Netsah
Israel, “The Strength of Israel” (1 Sam 15:29); and
Abir Yisrael “The Mighty One of Israel” (Is. 1:24).
1.7 Jehovah- Tsidkenu– “The LORD our righteousness”
(Jer. 23:5-6). The prophecy of Jeremiah which allude
to the fact that God will always do that which is right
because he is righteous!
2. God Revealed in the New Testament
The Christian view of God comes from the biblical
revelation, in which God is revealed not only as
author of creation but also the maker and redeemer
of humankind. God is understood as the
unchangeable, sovereign in creation, providence and
grace. God is conceived as the almighty Spirit who
is worshipped and whose aid is invoked by human
beings.
For Christians, and in the New Testament, the
existence of God is presumed and is the basis of
theology and doctrine. God is understood as:
a. Self-existent, self-conscious, personal Being, who is
the origin of all things, and transcends the entire
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 creation. The affirmation that God exist calls for a
statement of faith and experience.
b. The one who is beyond human comprehension so
He can only reveal Himself. In the Hebrew Bible or
the Old Testament, the existence of God is assumed
and is self-evident. For only the fool says in his heart
that ‘there is no God’ (Ps. 14:1).
2.1 General Revelation: The affirmation that God can
be known also calls for experience of God’s self-
revelation as he transcends all his creation. We often
call this general revelation. The Apostle Paul explains
that God’s eternal nature and deity have been ‘clearly
perceived in the things that have been made’ (Rom.
1:20; Acts 14:17; Ps 19:1-2).
2.1.1 The broad reference to general revelation suggests
that ‘in some sense every created thing gives evidence
of God’s character’. Moreover, ‘it is man himself,
created in the image of God, who most abundantly
bears witness to the existence of God’.
2.2 Special Revelation: Jesus of Nazareth, as the Son
of Man, gives a fuller expression to the image and
likeness of God both in essence and character, that
is to say, who He manifests himself to be and what
He does. Thus God reveals himself to us both in
words and in actions. God does what he says. This
revelation is typified in Israel’s deliverance from
Egypt at the hands of Pharaoh. God acted out his
word of deliverance by taking Israel out of bondage
into the Promise Land.
2.2.1 The unity of word and action is also demonstrated
in God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ, who is
himself, the “Word” of God – God acting out his
word in human form.
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2.2.2 Thus the Word of God is interpreted or acted out in
Christ. This is what is referred to in theology as
incarnation. The Word became flesh and entered the
community so everyone could see (Jn 1:14).
2.2.3 What God has to say to us about Himself is what
God did in Christ; His life, death and resurrection.
Jesus did not only talk about the coming of the
kingdom of God’s love, justice, peace and mercy but
also demonstrated or acted it out in his healing and
deliverance of the sick and afflicted, forgiving of sins,
befriending the poor and marginalised in society.
Among Christians, God (with a capital ‘G’)
functions as a proper noun or a personal name,
belonging to one being only, who draws unto himself
all the thoughts that the biblical names of God
express but this God can be known as a personal
God only in His self-revelation in the Scriptures. Thus
the Bible is written not to prove that God exists, but
to reveal Him in His activities. In this case, the
biblical revelation of God is progressive, reaching
its fulfilment in Jesus Christ His Son. So when we
talk about God, we look to and also at Jesus Christ
to give us an idea of what God might be like, both
in essence or nature and in character.
3. God in Three Persons
Very distinct to the Christian belief of God is that
the Creator is as truly three as He is one. God is the
one who has revealed himself to be Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
3.1 The Trinity of God: Within the complex unity of
His being resides the doctrine of the Trinity. This

93
 doctrine states that God is three persons, each person
is fully God and yet there is one God. The three
persons are not mutually exclusive, are coequal and
coeternal in power and glory, and cooperate in all
divine actions. In this sense of unity, God is a
fellowship. God’s life is eternally within himself; a
fellowship of three equal and distinct persons: Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. In his relationship to his moral
creation, God was extending to them the fellowship
that was essentially his own. ‘Let us make man in
our image, in our likeness’ (Gen. 1:26) is an
expression of God not only to reveal himself as a
fellowship, but to make that life of fellowship open
to the moral creatures made in his own image and
so fitted to enjoy it. This is the essence of salvation,
an act of God’s mercy and love, which are in his
very nature.
3.2 Where from the word ‘trinity’?
3.2.1 The word ‘trinity’ describes the belief in Christian
theology that the one God of the universe is
comprised of three persons; God the Father, the Son
(Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. It has been the
conviction of Christians throughout the centuries
that this is what the Bible teaches.
3.2.2 The word ‘trinity’ comes from the Latin word trinitas
meaning ‘three’. The word does not appear in the
Bible; rather it is a theological label meant to
summarize the passages of the Bible, which teach
that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are each fully
God.
3.2.3 The use of the word as a label is similar to other
doctrines such as ‘communion’, ‘incarnation’ and
‘rapture’ which words do not appear in the Bible.

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3.2.4 The early church Father Tertullian (c. 155 – 230) is
believed to have first used the term trinity to
describe the God of the Bible.
The doctrine of the Trinity is an attempt by Christian
believers to express in feeble and inadequate
terminology the supra-human interrelationship of
God as experienced in God self-revelation to humans
as Father, as Son (of the Father), and as the Spirit (of
God). This is the most outstanding revelation of God
in the Holy Scriptures. All three exposures lead to a
revelation of God’s salvific exercise which can never
be fully expressed in human language and
experience but is limited to what we perceive him
to have done.
Discussion Questions
i. Identify any three of the compound names of God and
their meanings
ii. What are the two broad classes under which we discuss
the self-revelation of God?
iii. Show the difference between the general revelation and
special revelation of God
iv. Why do we use the word ‘trinity’ even though it is not in
the Bible?

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 LESSON THREE

THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF GOD

1. The Nature and Character of God

Nature is what a person is. Character is personal
moral nature revealed in action. God’s character is
known only by his revelation. In God’s dealing with
people, his character is clearly displayed.
We get a sense of who God is as we observe his actions
in creation and in the affairs of mankind. In Jesus,
God expressed his love and compassion. In the life
of the people of Israel, God revealed himself as both
Redeemer and Judge. Here are other attributes of
God, within his nature and character:
1.1 God is a Person: By this we mean he is rational, self-
conscious, and an intelligent moral being. God is the
supreme mind, the source of all rationality and
architect of the universe. The person of God is
revealed in the way Jesus spoke to him in terms that
were meaningful only in person to person
relationship, e.g. ‘My father’, ‘Your son’. God is a
living person, he has a will and gives himself a name
(Ex. 3:13-15).
1.2 God is Spirit: Although God is understood as
personal, yet he is not to be limited by human ideas
of personality. He is not a human being in this sense
but one who is eternal and not limited by space and
time. He has no beginning and no end. Jesus taught
that “God is Spirit” (Jn. 4:24), by this it means God
has no physical body or measurable form, therefore
he is invisible, one cannot see him with the human

96
 eye. However, God became visible in human form
in the person of Jesus Christ, but his essence is
invisible.
1.3 God is Sovereign: By this we mean that God makes
his plans and carries them out in his own time and
way and according to his own purpose. In other
words, his will is in his own hands. God does not
lend himself to the full knowledge and
understanding of mankind. He is transcendent and
greater than any human being can imagine or
conceive. However, He is immanent as He reveals
Himself to humans. In this regard, the Holy Scripture
forbids anyone depicting God in human or other
forms (Dt. 4:15-16).
1.4 God is Holy: Holiness implies purity, soundness and
that which is set apart from sin for God. God in his
holiness is separated from or exalted above other
things (Is. 6:1-3). Holiness refers to God’s moral
excellence and perfection. Holiness is a virtue which
inspires awe and goodness. God’s holiness brings
demands on his people. Because he is holy, his people
must also be holy (Lev. 19:2), for this forms the basis
of the bond of fellowship. The holy God, who
demands holiness in his own children, also
graciously supplies. Holiness is God’s gift that we
receive by faith through His Son, Jesus Christ (Eph.
4:24).
1.5 God is Immutable or Changeless: This means God’s
nature remains the same although his activities or
works may change (Heb. 1:12).
1.6 God is Omnipotent or All Powerful: By this we mean
God’s power is unlimited. He can do anything that is
not inconsistent with his nature, character, and

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 purpose (Gen 17:1; 18:14). The only limitations on
God’s power are imposed by himself (Gen. 18:25).
1.7 God is Omniscient or All Knowing: This means God
knows everything above and under the Sun. He
possesses all knowledge and wisdom (Job 38:39;
Rom. 11:33-36). This attribute is so because God is
everywhere at the same time. In the same way he
knows the thoughts and motives of everyone.
1.8 God is Omnipresent or Everywhere: God is not
limited by space and time, neither is he confined to
any part of the universe but is present in all His power
and majesty at every place and time. (Ps. 139:7-12).
Thus, he is the God of all the earth (Gen. 18:25).
1.9 God is Righteous and Just: Righteousness as applied
to God refers to his affirmation of what is right and
just. This nature of God is best understood in the
requirements of the Decalogue or the Ten
Commandments. The righteous and just God will
always punish sin but this same sense of
righteousness provides avenues for mercy and
restoration, which is only made possible through faith
in the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf (Rom.
1:16-17; 3: 24 - 26).
1.10 God is Love: Love is the essential, self-giving nature
of God. God’s Love for man seeks to awaken a
responsive love of mankind towards God. It is the
loving nature of God that compelled him to give his
best for our worst, the sacrifice of his only begotten
son for the remission of sin and restoration of loving
relationship with mankind (John 3:16; Rom 5:8).
1.11 God is Eternal: Eternity refers to God’s relation to
time. Past, present, and future are known equally to

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 Him (2 Pet. 3:8; Rev. 1:8). God therefore is not
limited by time, he is beyond it.
Discussion Questions
Show appropriate practical life situations in which you will
identify God in each of the following ways
i. God is a Person
ii. God is Spirit
iii. God is Sovereign
iv. God is Holy.
v. God is Immutable or Changeless
vi. God is Omnipotent or All Powerful
vii. God is Omniscient or All Knowing
viii. God is Omnipresent or Everywhere
ix. God is Righteous and Just
x. God is Love

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 LESSON FOUR

GOD IN AFRICAN THOUGHT AND EXPERIENCE

(The names of God should be rendered as known and

used in each language and not the translations from
the Akan names as used in the text)
1. INTRODUCTION
The fact of God’s self-revelation may explain the
African experience of God and his involvement in
the affairs of the people. The High God in some
African religions and culture is an ultimate divinity
beyond time, space, or human control. The concept
of God in Africa is understood from the meaning of
the names and attributes given to God, this stems
from ones experience of God in his activity and
dealings with his people. Thus the Akans have the
maxim, obi nkyerå abofra Nyame (the child grows
to know the overwhelming majesty of God).
1.1 Some Akan names of God: The most used name of
God among the Akans of Ghana is Onyame, often
pronounced Nyame. The Akans designate the
Supreme Being by three distinctive names, Onyame,
Onyankop]n and }d]mankoma.
1.1.1 Onyame corresponds to the basic idea of Deity.
1.1.2 Onyankopon (Onyankop]n), more appropriately
described as Supreme Being or Supreme Deity in
the sense of a personal religious God, while
1.1.3 Odomankoma (} d]mankoma) corresponds to a
conception of God as the Infinite Being, One who is
dependable and merciful.

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1.2 Common to each of these names is the appellation
of Boadee (Booadee), Creator, Architect, Carver or
Inventor. Each of these three names of God is
recognized as possessing certain qualities
characteristic of its function. God’s self-revelation in
the natural world and among his people makes it
possible for his subjects to give him a name and to
relate to him in an expressed reality of that name.
2. NAMES OF GOD IN SOME AFRICAN CULTURES
2.1 Oluwa is the name given to God by the Yoruba
people of Nigeria who identify God as the owner of
the sky or the heavens.
2.2 The Igbos call God Chukwu, the Almighty.
2.3 The Ngombe people of Congo identify God as
Akongo, meaning the creator of the universe; the
moulder of men like a potter,
2.4 The Baganda people of Uganda refer to God as
Katonda, meaning the creator, protector and helper.
He creates children and moulds them in a woman’s
body.
2.5 The name Leza for God is commonly used in East
Africa viz Zambia, Tanzania and upper Congo. The
name comes from the verb meaning ‘to cherish’ as
a mother does her child. Leza gives the elements
such as the rain and sunshine.
Although the source(s) of this identification of God as the
Almighty might have come in a limited way to the African
people, these local names of God have found their way into
the local language bible translations and are also at the center
of their daily experiences and worship of God.

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CONCLUSION
Godis the First Cause, the creator and sustainer of the
universe who has provided mankind with a revelation of
himself through the natural world of general revelation and
through his Son, Jesus Christ, revealed to us through the
special revelation of the Holy Bible. Although the full
revelation of God was revealed in Jesus Christ, the human
mind cannot fully understand God. This is because human
beings are limited in their knowledge and wisdom, and God
transcends all that there is.
God may be described in terms of attributes or how one
encounters him. An attribute is an inherent characteristic
of a person or being. While we cannot describe God in a
comprehensive way, we can learn about Him by examining
His attributes as revealed in the Bible and as individuals and
community of believers experience him.
It has been explained that the Old Testament is more than a
history of the Hebrew people, or a collection of literature on
various subjects and characters. At the heart of the OT is a
picture of Israel’s glorious God, who manifests himself in
the affairs of his people, and in many and varied ways,
through creation, through the law and the prophets, and
through visions. The purpose of God’s self-revelation is not
to give people an intellectual ascent to who he is but to allow
his people to relate to him.
The New Testament bears witness to the historical Jesus as
God’s incarnate and a revelation of his nature and character.
This special revelation of God through Christ enables his
people to acknowledge his Lordship and worship him.
Whilst God might have been revealed in some measure to
all people everywhere, it is his self-revelation in Christ that

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provides a legitimate avenue for restoration and fellowship
with fallen humanity. Thus God’s nature is revealed in his
actions or attributes, which humans can experience and lead
to faith and believe in Him.
Discussion Questions
i. Identify three names of God in your mother tongue and
show the meanings
ii. Give any two proverbs in your mother tongue that show
the character of God

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REFERENCES
Ashwin-Siejkowski, P. The Apostles’ Creed: The Apostles’ Creed
and Its Early Christian Context (London: T & T Clark, 2009)
Berkof, L. Systematic Theology (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The
Banner of Truth Trust, 1958).
Danquah, J. B. The Akan Doctrine of God: A Fragment of Gold
Coast Ethics and Religion (London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.,
1968).
Douglas, J. D. et al. (eds.). The Illustrated Bible Dictionary
(London: IVP, 1980).
Ferguson, S. B. et al. (eds.) New Dictionary of Theology
(Leicester: IVP, 1988).
Grudem, W. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical
Doctrine (Leicester: IVP, 1994).
Guthrie, S. C. Christian Doctrine – Revised Edition (Louisville,
Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1994
Mibiti, J. S. Concepts of God in Africa (London: SPCK, 1975)
Mbiti, J. S. Introduction to African Religion (Oxford:
Heinemann, 1975)
McGrath, A. E. The Genesis of Doctrine: A Study in the
Foundation of Doctrinal Criticism (Cambridge, MA:
Blackwell, 1990) Holy Trinity. See www.religionfacts.com/
trinity (accessed 09/04/16)

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CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TO POLITICS
(ELECTIONS)
(Script by Ps. Franklin A. Hushie)

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 LESSON ONE

INTRODUCTION
‘Man is by nature a political animal.’ ARISTOTLE
Definition and Common Features of Politics:
a. It is exciting because people disagree. They disagree
about how they should live.
b. Who should get what?
c. How should power and other resources be
distributed?
d. Should society be based on cooperation or conflict?
And so on. They also disagree about how such
matters should be resolved.
e. How should collective decisions be made? Who
should have a say? How much influence should each
person have? And so forth. For Aristotle, this made
politics the ‘master science’: that is, nothing less than
the activity through which human beings attempt
to improve their lives and create the Good Society.
Politics is, above all, a social activity. It is always a
dialogue, and never a monologue.
These features indeed call for the discussion and eventual
understanding of the subject of politics at this forum. This
will help us coexist as good Christians as we engage in and
practice our inherent activity of politics.
Christianity has generally considered political authority as
an essential element of human society. It is believed that if
politics is handled and practiced in the light of Christian
values it can play a positive role in God’s purpose for
humankind in this world.

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DEFINITION: The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
has defined Politics as “the activities involved in getting and
using power in public life, and being able to influence
decisions that affect a country or society”.
In this presentation we will be looking at The Biblical View
of the Christian’s Relationship with the State, how Pastors,
church leaders and Christians in general should conduct
themselves when exercising their political orientation and
during election years.
THE CHRISTIAN AND THE STATE: BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES
Rom.13:1-7; 1Pet2:13-17.
a. The first truth is that the will of God permeates and
supersedes every aspect of life. It is God’s will that
takes precedence over everything and everyone
(Matthew 6:33).
b. What He has purposed, He will bring to pass, and
no government can thwart His will (Daniel 4:34-35).
In fact, it is God who “sets up kings and deposes
them” (Daniel 2:21) because “the Most High is
sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them
to anyone he wishes” (Daniel 4:17).
c. A clear understanding of this truth will help us to
see that politics is merely a method God uses to
accomplish His will. Even though evil men abuse
their political power, meaning it for evil, God means
it for good, working “all things together for the good
of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
d. Christians must understand also that our
government cannot save us! Only God can.

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e. The apostles commanded the first-century
Christians, as well as us today, to proclaim the gospel
and live lives that give clear evidence to the gospel’s
transforming power. (Romans 13:2).
f. Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which
God has established. The authorities that exist have
been established by God. Rom13:1
g. Scripture indicates that civil authorities and laws
exist to restrain evil in society. Therefore any believer
who breaks the law can expect to be punished by
the state. Apostle Peter affirms the same theme in 1
Pet 2: 13- 17.
h. Paul indicates that government owes its legitimacy
to God. However, if the state abandons its proper
function, and is not operating according to God’s
purpose, the Christian must obey God rather than
any human institution. (Acts 5:29; Dan. 3:16-18;
Da.6:6-10).
Should a Christian run for political office?
a. Whether or not Christians should run for political
office is one of those “hot-button” issues that provoke
strong responses on both sides of the question. There
are no direct references in the Bible to Christians
running for political office. But there are Christian
principles we can bring to bear on the decision
whether or not to seek political office. Anyone
considering running for office would do well to
consider these principles and prayerfully seek God’s
will for his/her own life.
b. There are instances in the Bible where we find godly
men holding high political offices in the land in some
of the ancient countries.
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c. One question to equally consider is that, “If is it
permissible and biblical for a Christian to take a job
in a secular company why is it non-scriptural to hold
political office?”
d. Examples from the Scriptures of those godly who
were in political office.
I. JOSEPH: (GEN 41:41 KJV)
Joseph was taken from the private sector as he
worked for Potiphar. He spent two years of unjust
humiliation in Pharaoh’s prison and was taken from
the prison and made Governor of Egypt. He was
second in command to Pharaoh over all the land and
people of Egypt.
II. DANIEL: (DAN 5:29, DAN 6:2 KJV)
III. NEHEMIAH: (NEH. 5:14 KJV)
Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah were all taken from the private
sector and placed into high political positions, ruling over
countries.
Discuss some of the demerits of sending unbelievers to
occupy Political Office
DEMOCRACY
The word Democracy comes from two Greek words demos
meaning people and kratia meaning ‘ruling power’. Thus
democracy is government by the people. It is the form of
government in which the supreme power is vested in the
people and exercised directly by them or by their elected
agents under a free electoral system. Since Ghana for
instance practices this form of government, is said to be a
democratic state.

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FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY
a. Free and Fair Elections: In a democracy, the process
by which power is entrusted to the rulers is by the
ballot box. Therefore, elections that are free, fair and
devoid of fear constitute an important feature of
democracy. Intimidation and threats, vote buying,
rigging of elections and other electoral malpractices
are undemocratic.
b. Rule of Law: Democratic government is based on
the principle of Rule of Law. This principle is that all
people and institutions are subject and accountable
to the laws of the land i.e. the constitution, fairly
applied and enforced. The government must not
resort to arbitrary use of power and citizens must
operate within the laws of the nation.
c. Enjoyment of Rights: In democracy, citizens must
enjoy fundamental rights like, freedom of speech,
association and movement. These rights must be
enjoyed without fear of arrest. Citizens should have
the right to seek redress when their rights are
violated.
d. Tolerance: This is defined as a fair, objective and
permissive attitude toward those whose opinions,
practices, race, religion, tribe, political party, etc. differ
from one’s own.
It is a democratic virtue to listen to the views of others,
including opponents. We must tolerate other
viewpoints of any matter of discussion without
resorting to insults and violence.

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e. Elected Representation: Electing representatives is
a feature of democracy. This means that the majority
of the people have the right to elect their
representatives into the legislature to make laws.
f. Free Press: This refers News media not controlled
or restricted by government censorship in political
or ideological matters. A free press is able to criticize
and expose government policies and decision and
so enhance democracy.
g. Independence of the Judiciary: Judicial
independence means the judiciary is not controlled
by the executive or the legislature. An independent
judiciary has the power to interpret the constitution
without bias and ensure fairness and impartiality in
the administration of justice.
Discussion Questions
1. To what extent should Christians involve themselves in
politics?
2. Can a Christian Stand for elections to be voted into
political office?
3. How can the Christian defend his right of association?
4. Why is necessary for Citizens to pay taxes and other
revenue to the state

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 LESSON TWO

GENERAL ELECTIONS

a. Since the coming into force of Ghana’s constitution

of the fourth republic in 1992 Ghanaians have been
going to the polls to elect their President and
Parliamentarians every four years.
b. This, usually, takes place on 7th December. In 2016
the date set for voting is 7th November and the people
of Ghana would be expected to exercise their civic
duty.
c. During voting the people of Ghana vote to elect a
President and Parliamentarians, in line with Article
1 (1) of the 1992 which states:
The sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in
whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government
are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid
down in this constitution.
d. In a democratic society, it is important for every
qualified citizen to vote during elections because it
is a civic duty and a means of exercising one’s
constitutional right as a citizen.
BENEFITS IN VOTING
a. When you vote, you have the ability to influence the
outcome of elections and therefore the choice of a
government, you are also able to help influence the
course of social, economic and political affairs.
b. By voting to choose a suitable candidate, you become
involved in the decision-making process at all levels
of governance.

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c. By participating and involving yourself in the
electoral process, you contribute to build a strong
democracy
WHO QUALIFIES AS A VOTER
Article 41 of the constitution of Ghana indicates that to
qualify to vote, a person must be
a. A citizen of Ghana
b. 18 years and above
c. Of sound mind
d. Registered as voter
HOW CHRISTIANS SHOULD CONDUCT THEMSELVES
AS GOOD CITIZEN DURING THE ELECTION PERIOD
The Bible instructs Christians to always conduct themselves
in a manner worthy of the gospel and Christ for that matter.
Titus 3:1-2. Such injunction are held to include, among
others,
a. be subject to rulers and authorities
b. be obedient
c. be ready to do whatever is good in the sight of God
d. do not speak evil of others for political advantage
e. be peaceable and considerate as you pursue the ideas
of the party you support
f. show true humility to all men, but ensure your
ultimate obedience to God
SOME SUGGESTED ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR
a. Avoid needless arguments, especially those likely to
promote conflict
b. Avoid abusive language, especially on opponents
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c. Do not make unkind or insulting comments on other
tribes and their people.
d. Do not insult leaders, flag bearers or MPs of both
the ruling and opposition parties. Treat them with
respect.
e. Do not sell your vote to anybody or political party,
God is not pleased with that.
Questions Discussion
1. Why is it important for Christians to vote during
elections?
2. What are the factors that should influence our voting
pattern?
3. How should we conduct ourselves during election period
as Christians?
4. How should you conduct yourselves during the elections:
a. As a Parliamentary candidate
b. As Presidential candidate
c. As a member of the Electoral Commission
d. As a member of the security agencies
e. As a Returning Officer
f. As Traditional Ruler
g. As Polling Agent
h. As Journalist
i. As a Voter

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 LESSON THREE

GUIDELINES FOR MINISTERS AND

CHURCH LEADERS

By the grace of God CoP operates in all Areas in the country,

and Local Churches congregations consist of members of
all the political parties. Therefore, ministers and church
leaders need to be circumspect in their conduct and
pronouncements during electioneering period. They are
therefore expected to keep to these basic rules among others
as agents of peace: They should not;
a. Use the church’s pulpit as a political platform to
propagate their support for a particular party or
candidate.
b. Speak disrespectful about the party or candidate they
do not like from the pulpit.
c. Make their political persuasions known so as not to
undermine the unity the Local Church.
d. We are wearing party colors in church and other
public places.
e. Use party souvenirs eg. Stickers on cars, T- shirts,
caps etc.
f. Be partial when campaigning politicians seek
audience with their congregation, eg. Flag bearers,
MPs, Assembly men, but give them all a fair hearing
and play the role of a neutral referee. If in doubt the
Area Head contacted for guidance.

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WHAT TO DO ON VOTING DAY
1. Do not overtly or covertly aid a minor or a foreigner
to vote and do not be party to any electoral
malpractice eg ballot box stuffing or snatching. Use
the appropriate channels to report such malpractices.
Do not take the law into your own hands
2. Avoid impersonation; it is an offence punishable by
law.
3. Avoid multiple voting; it is an offence punishable by
law.
4. Comport yourself and avoid all acts of provocation
and violence.
5. Ensure that your name is on the Electoral Register
6. Know the exact location of your polling centre
7. Be at the polling centre between the hours of 7am.
and 5pm.
8. Comply with any regulations or directives issued by
the Electoral Commission and polling officials.
9. In voting for a candidate, pray and consider their
party’s manifesto or policies.
10. Do not go to the polling centre in party colors or
paraphernalia (T-shirts, bandana, flags or wristbands,
etc.)
11. Thumbprint the ballot paper properly to avoid
rejection.
12. Go home after casting your ballot. You may go back
to the polling station after 5 pm to observe the
counting.
13. Vote early, vote peacefully and vote according to your
conscience.
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POLITICAL TOLERANCE, STABILITY AND NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.
Political tolerance may be described as a culture or a way of
life of a people where individuals or groups of individuals
holding different views on politics reject or accept each
other’s, views without resorting to verbal attacks, abuses or
physical violence.
Political tolerance is essential in any democracy, it gives rise
to a stable and peaceful society, which is a prerequisite for
national development. To enhance tolerance, the whole
society has a role to play;
a. The ruling government must avoid the tendency to
use the state machinery to suppress or intimidate its
political opponents or critics. The government must
respect the views of the minority.
b. The minority must also play its role as a shadow
government in a constructive manner, keeping the
government in line. The national interest must always
guide their criticisms and scrutiny of government
policies and programs.
c. The Citizenry, who constitute the followers of the
political parties also have a part to play. We must
tolerate each other’s political views, religious, or
ethnic backgrounds, and avoid attacks on each other.
Discussion Questions
1. How wrong is it for the church leader to keep his political
persuasions open?
2. What are we expected to do on the Election Day?
3. How do we promote political tolerance among as good
citizens of the state?

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 LESSON FOUR

INTOLERANCE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Intolerance of any kind, be it political, religious, ethnic etc,

poses a great threat to the peace and stability of any society.
The conflicts that have plagued many countries, with the
carnage and untold suffering are largely due to people’s
inability or unwillingness to tolerate each other’s views. In
the recent past countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda
and La Cote d’Ivoire have suffered untold hardship due to
civil conflicts. The many ethnic and chieftaincy disputes in
Ghana today are brought about by people’s willful bigotry.
Below are some consequence of political intolerance:
1. Intra, and Inter -Party conflict
2. Intra and Inter – Ethnic conflict
3. Ruling government oppresses perceive enemies
4. Moves by groups oppose to the government supplant it
5. Civil unrest through demonstration etc
6. Civil war if conflicts are not resolve in the Law Court
7. Contract killing (political assassination)
8. Emigration of perceive political opponent into exile
9. Possibility of some citizen becoming refugees
10. Brain drain on the economy
11. Loss of foreign investment opportunities
12. Low moral leading to decline in productivity
13. The emergence of child soldiers

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14. Rape of women/girls by soldiers/resisting forces
15. Destruction of physical infrastructure
16. Destruction and unlawful exploitation of natural
resources
17. Unemployment and high cost of living
18. Growing level of corruption
19. Increase in cases of fraud and armed robbery
20. Breakdown of social structures like the family system
and Local government
Discussion Questions
Discuss the consequence of political intolerance and how it will
affect the church.
CONCLUSION
It is believed that Christians form about 70% of the
population, and every twentieth Ghanaian is a member of
the Church of Pentecost. If we all determine to treat every
person with respect and dignity, irrespective of their tribe,
religion or political leanings, we will all be contributing to a
more tolerant and peaceful nation.

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 ANY QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS OR OTHER INFORMATION?
ALL GENERAL questions, suggestions or information to be forwarded to any
of the following persons;
APS. SAMUEL GAKPETOR (0244093690)
PS. ERIC KWEKU ANSAH (0244172836)
You can also send your suggestions to the emails below;
copdiscipleship@gmail.com AND samgakpetor@gmail.com
The following persons can be contacted for editorial inputs and queries for any of the
languages below;

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