By: Phil Adams/Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
As God continues to lift God’s Arena Of Liberty (GOAL) up from grace to grace, the General Overseer and founder, Prophet Sunday Obi Enu, has revealed that soonest, the Commission shall open up a Standard Bible School that will issue certificates to participants after graduation.
Plans on when it shall commence shall soon be unfolded, he added.
He made this disclosure in Calabar while at the opening ceremony of a one day seminar for Ministers and workers in ARENA tagged “Effective Minister”.
According to him, “we are blessed with capable, trained and ordained Ministers of God with vast knowledge to impact on people willing to develop their spiritual life and the love for God”.
He said that ninety percent of his Ministers and workers are living a righteous life. God is raising men and women of integrity here in this Commission.
The idea of the Bible School is to build your spiritual life from one stage to another to be able to serve God in truth and spirit.
The seminar is among many other spiritual activities planned for the year in the Commission.
Speakers were drawn amongst serving ministers in ARENA.
The first paper subtitled “importance of prayer and fasting in Ministry” was presented by the Father of the Commission, Papa Abraham.
He referenced Eph. 4:11-13 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”.
“Effective Minister is birthed by the need to have effective ministers in the Five fold ministry from generation to generation. It is a generational theme till Christ returns.’
He said prayers are meant to glorify God, magnify and Exalt God, Thank Him in appreciation, Praise His Persons, His Acts and Testify His great works of favour, mercy, kindness, wonders, love etc.
“An Effective Minister is one who hears from God when God answers or speaks – Matt. 13:9/Rev.2:7, he noted”.
He said prayer is the only answer to impossible situations, it lauches a mortal man into the realms of the supernatural, it is spirit in action, it be made anywhere and everywhere, in the prison, depth of the sea, in the belly of a fish even I height of the space.
Fasting, he said, “is self denial”. He cited 1Thes.5:23 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
“Fasting means hearing from God, to comply with Divine Will or purpose Gal. 5:16/Col 5:5/1Cor.14:1/2:12-14.”
Abuse of fasting can be linkenes to carrying fasting to the extreme. See Isa 58:1-11/59:1-4/Lk18:12/Matt.6:16-18 respectively.
He said what makes fasting powerful are Holy Spirit, Word of God, Faith, Godly character and speaking by declaration.
Rev. Kingdom Obi who spoke on “Leadership by the Word and by the Spirit, defines Christian leadership as the act of influencing/serving others out of Christ’s interests in their lives do they can accomplish God’s purposes for and through them”.
She listed love, modesty, motivation, correction, followers of God’s will, an honour and submit to God’s authority as christian leadership principles “.
For more understanding, read the following Bible verses,Matt.20:26/Prob.29:14/Philip2:3/Prov 29:11/11:14.
According to her, leaders are chosen by the Holy Spirit, Acts 6:3-6. It empowers leaders with boldness, Acts 4:13, it encourages and strengthens Acts 7:54-56 and as leaders, its presence and influence in your life is very sacrosant.
Also in his presentation, entitled “Ministerial Ethics and Kingdom Culture” PSt Ubong Thompson, said in this Kingdom, we operate a system/pattern/culture/govt which is the Kingdom of God.
“In this Kingdom, there are attributes. We have a language, mentality, principle, belief character/fruit, he noted”.
Pst. Ubong went on to says that, “every child of God must exhibit the kingdom culture, he/she must speak like Christ, think like Him, and live as Christ.”
He said that a true minister of God should have the following character as in 1Cot.4:2/Acts 6:3/Eph.5:18/Acts 20:23/Jud.1:20/ Col 3:16 among others.
Finally, the fourth paper presentation was done by Pst. Udah Okey tagged “Focus on the Mission”.
He regretted that “there are many today including leaders who have forgotten the purpose and mission of the Church”.
“They are carried away by the work, so much so they have forgotten the objective. They are carried away by the sights and pleasure, many distractions and attention on the way, Heb 12:2”.
He warned believers to focus on the Mission God has called you. Every human being has a mission to accomplish at the end of he/her living. Read Jh.3:17-18/2Corth. 1:8-9/Heb. 13:4″.
Udah advised that we must work in faith and victory. Set your eyes on the promises of God, and you only have one life journey, by saying yes to Jesus.
He admonished us to focus on our mission at all times, so as not to be misled. See Isa. 39:7/Matt.2:24-26/Lk 11:15/Mk.12:13-17/Matt.22:15-22/Jh.18:36.
The seminar was attended by Ministers and workers in ARENA as well as other guests from outside.
It recorded a huge success at the end. Papers were presented. The significance of the seminar was the impartation of selected Ministers of God who were imparted upon by the Prophet and General Overseer, Prophet Sunday Obi to the admiration of participants.
