The President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Reverend Professor Paul Frimpong-Manso, has admonished church leaders to inculcate the right biblical doctrines of Christ into their members.
“If you give your congregation a wrong doctrine it will affect their way of life,” Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso stated.
The immediate past General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Ghana, made this assertion on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoah-Fetteh, in the ongoing All Ministers’ Conference, hosted by The Church of Pentecost.
Speaking on the topic, “Continuing Steadfastly In The Apostolic Doctrines,” the theologian said that there are a lot of doctrines that have been formulated in the various churches which are biblically not sound.
Illustrating a few of such, he said that a lot of people often quoted for example, “If I am lifted, I will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32), when leading worship sessions. This, according to him, is out of context in terms of worship.
According to Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso, one notable scripture wrongly used was, “What is bound on earth is bound in heaven and what is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18-19). This scripture, he noted, is often used for prayer meetings, saying, “This text has nothing to do with prayer; it talks about the authority of the church to forgive and discipline.”
He added: “The truth about God can never be unimportant for a mortal being. Our attitude and thinking about God are the definitions of our lives; it controls and directs our behaviours.”
Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso, who is also the Chairman of the Ghana Evangelism Committee (GEC), explained the nature of doctrines and said that doctrines are the signs which deal with believers’ knowledge of God, and his relationship with the church, stating that it is a science because it consists of relating to God with divine things that are systematically arranged (theology).
“Theologians put certain facts together with supporting texts to explain thoughts about God. These things normally define one’s practice and their life, for they live by them,” he stressed.
He further iterated that at the formation stage of a church, among the things that are formed and developed are doctrines, stressing that while they are progressing, teething challenges may surface. He, however, reiterated that all these are dealt with to make them strong.
Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso then urged the clergy to read and study more than three to five Bible translations before settling on a scriptural text as a doctrine and practices in churches.
This, he said, may be based on the cultural settings of the author. Therefore, they must not be misinterpreted and used as doctrines in churches.
“Doctrinal knowledge is a safeguard against error; it defines the pillars of the church. Some doctrines are essential, while there are a few things, they overemphasise to define their church.
“Doctrines are not built by experiences and dreams. Therefore, mysticism should not be brought to confuse anyone in the New Testament church. In fact, in the New Testament, the church is the mystery,” he emphasised.
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