The Apostolic World Conference 2013 on Tuesday opened in Accra with a call on Christendom to be humble ambassadors of God so people will be inclined to listen and act according to the message of the gospel.
Apostle Ebenezer Nsesa Abebresa, National President of the Apostolic Church, Ghana, who made the call at the opening of the four-day conference, said the gospel of Christ Jesus still remained the good news and the solution to all world crises.
He said God had never forgotten about the world amidst all the changes that continue to plague it, adding, the gospel still has the capacity to penetrate the world full of catastrophes to give it hope.
Ghana is the second African country after South Africa to host the Apostolic Conference which is held every four years by the Apostolic Movement worldwide to stir up the zeal of members of the Church into spreading the gospel to all mankind.
The theme for the conference is: “Belting the Globe with the Gospel” and it is being attended by close to 1,200 people from 31 nations including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ghana, Nigeria, France, USA, UK, Italy, Germany, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Papua New Guinea, Switzerland and New Zealand.
Apostle Abebrese welcomed all the delegates who represented various congregations of the Apostolic Church that had grown from a few brethren in a few assemblies in its 78 years of existence, to several thousands of churches in the 46 administrative areas of the world.
He said belting the world with the Gospel meant “encircling the world with the word of God so as to give security to the world and save it from its dangers”.
He said since God loves all people irrespective of their colour, language, race or creed, and gave Jesus as a saviour to the world, Christians ought to go to the world to “belt the world with the gospel” through zeal, combined with knowledge to enable them do the work more efficiently.
He called on the leadership of the church to empower the youth with the teachings of the gospel and allow them to take up responsibilities by further spreading the word of God to their peers and to all people into the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Apostle Emmanuel Mbakwe, National Leader, Apostolic Church- UK, expressed the hope that the conference would enable all members and leaders to catch afresh the vision of their founding fathers and forge ahead with greater vigour on the mission of belting the globe with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He said in the quest to belt the globe with the gospel, Christians must present a gospel that was holistic, a message that addresses the needs of the total man, without compromising the essence of what it meant to be truly born again and committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“We must proclaim and demonstrate the good news of the Kingdom. There are many enticing and deceptive sounds around today. The message we proclaim must be the gospel of grace. That message is non-negotiable as our mandate. We must contend without fear or favour, for the faith once delivered (Jude 1:3), Apostle Mbakwe added.
The events which has various sessions including seminars, mini-conferences, inspirational services as well as tours of various tourist sites was also attended by various church leaders from other faith in the country including Reverend Dr Robert Ampiah Kwofie, Founder Global Revival Ministry, Apostle Nana Yaw Kumi Larbie, General Secretary of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle-General Sam Korankye Ankrah of the Royal House Chapel, and Rev. Erasmus Odonkor of the Bible Society of Ghana.