FOREWORD BY EDWIN OFFEI-DANQUAH
Jeffery Opoku is a venerable giant in the field of basic rubrics in Christianity enlightening us over the years regarding the moral sensitivity, leadership ability and overall growth concerned with the Christian. His newest masterpiece “The Vessel” is a treasure for pastors, evangelists, deacons, church leaders and all the like who are in the business of working for the kingdom of God. This book integrates insights regarding the conduct of Christians with respect to the anointing (the oil) and how the Christian (the vessel) wielding such power, should conform to biblical standards. Jeff has the gift of making complex spiritual analogies accessible to the reader through his books.
Church leaders, upcoming Christian leaders and members of the body of Christ with the hunger and thirst for things pertaining to the Kingdom of God will find this book a gold mine as it takes time from chapter to chapter to dissect and to bring to light sensitive issues on the subject of the character of Christians and how important it is to God that we not only do His work but His will also.
In the first chapter of this book, “The Character and the Anointing”, Jeff establishes a relationship between the character which he calls the vessel and the anointing which he calls the oil. The most interesting fact is he uses his personal life experience as a baby Christian to teach us on the adverse effects of being ignorant of the fact that the anointing must be coupled with the right kind of character. The moral crusader, Brother Jeff, in chapter two of his book, describes the three influences of the anointing(oil) on the individual(vessel). He explains the verity that we are subject to these influences and relates it to a statement “without character desiring an anointing is calling for trouble”.
“Character: the prerequisite for ministry” is the focus of the third chapter. It emphasizes the view that, for a Christian to be established in his ministry and in the body of Christ, character cannot be left out in his daily dealings. He explains that for our ministries as Christians to be fully successful, we need to meet these three criteria: wisdom, godly character and the ability to teach the Word. In Chapter four which is my favorite chapter, Master Jeff relates science to the word of God. This chapter captioned “Performing litmus test on vessels” shows that the people(vessels) around us should be tested as the bible said in 1 Timothy 3:10. The author outlines practical steps to prove the vessels around us in this chapter.
In the last chapter “Building a Strong Character”, the writer asserts the importance of building a strong character fit for the Master’s use. This incorporates the procedure to build such a strong character.
Jeff is a brother and spiritual mentor to me. I have been blessed immensely by this book and other writings of his. Character is a sure solid foundation for us as Christians. This book provides a road map of how to channel our efforts to all spheres of our lives to develop our character to prove ourselves worthy of our calling.
Edwin Offei-Danquah
Creative Director
A-Lang Worship Centre Media Department
Church of Pentecost, Accra.