The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso has made a passionate appeal to Christians to seek God, ask for vision and pursue it with passion. He said these three will propel the Christian to his or her destination. Prof. Frimpong-Manso made this call during the Assemblies of God Pastors Prayer Conference at the University of Cape Coast where Ministers of the Church had gathered to pray for themselves, the church and the country as a whole.
Quoting from Mark 10:46-52, with the theme ‘’I want to see”; the Superintendent used blind Bartimaeus story to bring forth some lessons for the men and women of God who had gathered there to pray. The blind man met Jesus and he had a change from his monotonous wretched life, he stressed. Rev. Frimpong-Manso shared five lessons he has learnt from the text with the pastors; these include the background of Bartimaeus; his cry to Jesus; the opportunity he had; the posture of Christ; and his response. He explained that the father of Bartimaeus was a blind man; hence, Bartimaeus was coming from a home with blindness, which suggests a dark or black background.
Prof. Frimpong-Manso further posited that the story of blind Bartimaeus is similar to that of Jabez. Both did not blame anyone for their predicament but rather Bartimaeus prayed to God. He assured the clergy that their destiny is in their hands and can be changed.
Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso stressed that on that particular morning, Jesus was about to pass that way, on His way to Jerusalem to meet His final destiny of His life. This makes this episode interesting because Bartimaeus was blessed to catch hold of Jesus during the last days of His earthly ministry. A great multitude thronged Jesus, Bartimaeus heard the commotion and hastily inquired about it, someone told him “Jesus is passing this way!” That was enough! He could not see but could hear and cry. He raised his voice above the multitude and screamed out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Imagine raising your voice above such a large crowd! That was a passionate cry.
The General Superintendent continued that Bartimaeus was receiving little money, but that was not the end. He seized that opportunity because he had already positioned himself for a breakthrough like Zacchaeus. People warned him and tried to silence him but he raised his voice higher! “Nothing can stop a passionate seeker of God”, he echoed.
The General Superintendent further emphasized that, Bartimaeus kept crying to Jesus until his voice reached Him; Jesus stood and commanded him to be called. The blind beggar received a call from the Messiah. When Bartimaeus was asked of his desire he replied, “I want to see”. According to Prof. Frimpong-Manso, blind Bartimaeus could have requested for money or any other thing the world cherishes but he asked for sight, ‘Vision’. He stressed that a man who pursue vision and passionately go after it will always rejoice at the end.
The General Superintendent opined that Bartimaeus exercised faith when Jesus called him and therefore, encouraged the pastors to remain resolute in their faith in God. He concluded by suggesting three important needs in life including God, Vision and Passion to pursue the vision.
This year’s conference is organized in two zones. Zone one is being held at the University of Cape Coast Auditorium 900 with Pastors from Central, Western, Volta, Eastern A & B and Greater Accra Regions from 19th– 21st August, 2019. Pastors in Ashanti, Northern, Upper West and Eastern C Regions are also meeting at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi from 21st–23rd August, 2019.
