National and Area Heads of The Church of Pentecost in Europe and Africa have been charged to desire the power of God so that they can make good use of the authority that has been conferred on them by leadership to impact the lives of the members of the church.
The Chairman of the church worldwide, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, gave the admonition when he opened the virtual Europe-Africa Apostolisation Conference on Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
Speaking on the topic, “Authority and Power” based on Luke 9:1; 20:1-8; John 1:12; Acts 1:8; Hebrews 5:1-5; Romans 13:1-5; Galatians 2:9-10; 1 Samuel 13:11-14; 2 Chronicles 26:16-21, among other scriptures, he explained that the words ‘authority’ and ‘power’ are synonymous and are used interchangeably. However, there are differences, and that authority is not power, neither power an authority.
He indicated that authority comes before power, but the people of God need both to fulfill the mandate of God in their lives.
According to him, much is demanded from people who have authority to occupy certain spaces in church and society, saying, “When you have authority, people expect you to deliver.”
He added: “When you have authority, you must pray for power so that you can deliver. As heads of the church, we need power to be effective. We have been lifted to a position of authority to solve big problems. It’s not just showmanship. We must prepare to solve big tasks. Therefore, we need God’s power to perform.”
Apostle Nyamekye cautioned that since authority is conferred, it can be revoked. He, therefore, entreated heads of the church to be warry of the positions they occupy in order not to seek self-aggrandizement. This, he said, would derail effort by leadership to building a better church for tomorrow.
Defining power as the ability to do or act, or the capability of doing or accomplishing something, the Chairman enumerated three things that authority and power are supposed to do in society – answering questions, meeting needs, and solving problems, saying, “It is the power that answers questions, meets needs and solves problems.”
When authority fails to do these, he said, then it lacks power. It then creates dissatisfaction and all sorts of chaos in society, citing the book of Job 32.
Using kings Uzziah and Saul as case studies who suffered damning consequences following their inability to keep to their limits, the Chairman advised heads of the church to exercise their roles with circumspection by keeping to the policies and directives of the church.
This year’s conference which has other speakers like the General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, and the International Missions Director, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, will end on Saturday, July 10.
