Pastor Uyeh Urges LAWNA Ministers To Grow Souls to Christ’s Standard
This is no doubt in tandem with this year’s Ministers’ Improvement Seminar Theme: GATHERING THE HARVEST from JOHN 4:35. Most of today’s ministers are lethargic, lazy, worldly, materialistic, political, tribalistic, despondent etc. The commitment to their call is at very low ebb. The Church is now like sheep without Shepherd. The care and passion for souls are fast disappearing even in our very Church.
The LAWNA Territorial Chairman/Vice-President of The Apostolic Church Nigeria Pastor (Dr.) Senior Gabriel Okpako Uyeh JP has urged all the Ministers in the Territory to have a new change to the work and imperativeness of winning souls and maintaining the souls won by growing them to the standard of Christ’s stature, ready for rapture.
PASTOR (Dr.) S.G.O. Uyeh stated this in his welcome address during the 2024 LAWNA Ministers’ improvement seminar with the theme GATHERING THE HARVEST holding at each Area Headquarters throughout LAWNA Territory from Monday 13th – Thursday 16th May, 2024 read by Olorunda Area Superintendent, Pastor Ebenezer O Abe.
The LAWNA Territorial Chairman said that this year’s theme serves to reposition the Church and her ministers especially to the work of mission evangelism, soul winning; the work they are called onto. The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus is at hand more than ever. Millions of souls are also dying and perishing daily.
Pastor Uyeh also enjoined all Ministers to be ready to learn obediently and raptly with view to gain maximally and fulfill the Lord’s mandate.
EXCERPT
WELCOME ADDRESS OF THE LAWNA TERRITORIAL CHAIRMAN & VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH NIGERIA DURING THE 2024 LAWNA MINISTERS’ IMPROVEMENT SEMINAR HELD AT EACH AREA HEADQUARTERS THROUGHOUT LAWNA TERRITORY FROM MONDAY 13TH – THURSDAY 16TH MAY, 2024 (TO BE READ BY EACH AREA SUPERINTENDENT).
With great delight, I appreciate the privilege to gather again as Ministers of Christ in LAWNA Territory, though at each Area Headquarters this year, due to obvious challenges in the Nation. All glory, honour and adoration to God, the Owner, Builder and Keeper of His Church. Despite all odds, the testimony of the Church of God nationwide is that, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us.
This administration came on board towards the end of year 2023, hence, this is the first LAWNA Improvement Seminar to be held since the induction of the Chairman and his Principal Officers. I appreciate you all for your kind gesture to me and my colleagues during the induction. From the beginning, the Lord gave me the revelation of R-A-I-S-E; to raise the standard of the Church to a higher level. Since then, I have been spreading this God-given mission to all the stakeholders of the Church. Every Minister should not only have the knowledge of this but embrace, practice, and teach it in words and deeds. R-A-I-S-E: Remove, Admit, Institute, Strengthen, Elevate: my vision for this generation.
All Ministers in the Territory must REMOVE immorality, works of flesh, rebellion, evil association, inordinate ambition, idols, mammon, and all spiritual and social vices because the Church must be cleansed.
God also instructed that His Church must ADMIT salvation, holiness, power of the Holy Ghost, transparency, probity and accountability in the sanctuary for His power of old to revisit the Church.
While all the Saints must allow the old Apostolic faith, virtues and sound doctrine that are already waning down in the Church, of course, we cannot but STRENGHTEN the fast eroding Biblical practices, love for one another, unity, and empowerment. The psychological, spiritual and physical weak points of members must be addressed for a living and vibrant Church once again. After all, we are our Brother’s Keeper.
This will consequentially produce ELEVATION of teaching of the Word, Counselling, Restoration, Support, care of the Saints and the ministers alike as the time of Harvest is at hand.
This is no doubt in tandem with this year’s Ministers’ Improvement Seminar Theme: GATHERING THE HARVEST from JOHN 4:35. Most of today’s ministers are lethargic, lazy, worldly, materialistic, political, tribalistic, despondent etc. The commitment to their call is at very low ebb. The Church is now like sheep without Shepherd. The care and passion for souls are fast disappearing even in our very Church.
This year’s theme therefore serves to reposition the Church and her ministers especially to the work of mission evangelism, soul winning; the work we are called onto. The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus is at hand more than ever. Millions of souls are also dying and perishing daily. What shall we say on the day of reckoning? Shall we go back to our Saviour empty-handed? I expect all ministers in the Church to have a new change to the work and imperativeness of winning souls and maintaining the souls won by growing them to the standard of Christ’s stature, ready for rapture – John 15:16.
With this challenge, I am welcoming you to this Year’s Seminar. Let us be ready to learn obediently and raptly with view to gain maximally and fulfill our Lord’s mandate. I pray no one will leave this Seminar the way he came in Jesus’ name. The Area Council in each Area in LAWNA Territory should therefore do justice to the teaching of this Manual exhaustively and report to LAWNA Headquarters as appropriate, of the progress made in this regard.
I use this medium to appreciate the Coordinator of LAWNA Improvement Seminar Manual as well as the Contributors for the good job done on the manual of this year. May God bless them all and others who played one role or the other in the production.
Dear Ministers of God, with all sense of gratitude to God, therefore I welcome you all to this seminar in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. God bless you all (Amen).
PASTOR (Dr.) S.G.O. UYEH, JP.
The LAWNA Territorial Chairman & Vice-President of The Apostolic Church Nigeria
