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04.06.2015 Feature Article

The Legacies Of Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri (Founder Of Bethel Prayer Ministry Int.)

The Legacies Of Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri  Founder Of Bethel Prayer Ministry Int.
04.06.2015 LISTEN

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the Cross,

Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss

From victory unto victory, His army shall he lead

Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is LORD indeed.


The above hymn by George Duffield summarizes the earthly saintly life of Bishop Dr. Paul Owusu Tabiri, the founder of Bethel Prayer Ministry International who was called home to be with His Maker on Thursday, 2nd June 2005 at 10:05 am.

This paper seeks to discuss five Christian legacies such as Healing and Deliverance, the five-fold ministry of Jesus, spiritual curfew/ban on demonic activities, This is your Breakthrough (the Five Bs (Breaking, Binding, Blasting, Brandishing and Bombing) and the valedictory of Dr. Paul Owusu Tabiri.

He accepted and received Jesus Christ as his LORD and Saviour when he was invited to chair the annual harvest of the Church of Pentecost, Dormaa Ahenkro Assembly, in 1980. Due to his commitment and devotion to the work of God he was made the Presiding Elder of the Church of Pentecost, Estates Assembly, Sunyani for five years and Regional Deacon (Brong Ahafo) concurrently for twelve years. He was the first president and the first Field Representative of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship in the Brong Ahafo region.

God called him into full time Evangelistic and Healing Ministry in 1988 as a Prophet, Evangelist and Apostle whilst on a business trip to the United States of America, and was compelled to return to Ghana to start Bethel Prayer Camp under the jurisdiction of the Church of Pentecost with seven (7) people on 7th July 1990.

Healing and Deliverance
God used Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri to win countless souls for our LORD Jesus Christ, to raise the dead, heal many incurable diseases/sicknesses and to set people who were under the satanic dominion free in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Through him God brought salvation, deliverance, hope, and enlightenment to people in bondage and the poor from all walks of life. He preached and taught the word of God so as to bring many to the redemptive saving knowledge and power of our LORD Jesus Christ as well as instilling in his listeners and members how to wage a successful warfare against the enemy. The quotation below from Pentecostalism, the Eddies of Ghanaian Christianity (2001) by Professor Kingsley Larbi emphasizes the passion and mission of Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri,

'I am determined to meet the needs of the people. I am determined to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him only. I do not preach social gospel. I do not preach verbal gospel. I want people to see God. The Kingdom of God is not a weak Kingdom; it is a powerful Kingdom. I take the Holy Spirit as my senior Pastor. The full power and the manifestation of the Spirit is utilized'

The questions every pastor or leader should answer are as follows:

  1. Am I determined to meet the needs of people or personal needs?
  2. Do I preach the gospel of Jesus Christ or social/political gospel?

Jesus' mission must be the mission of the Church.

The five-fold Ministry of Jesus
The key goals of our father that he pursued have been summarized as the five-fold ministry of Jesus by Professor Kingsley Larbi (2001) as follows:

  1. The Gospel of salvation and reconciliation, the Gospel of sanctification and righteousness, the Gospel of Divine healing, deliverance, and the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of prosperity, material and financial blessing and the Gospel of Divine Judgment and eternal Heaven.

Spiritual curfew and ban on demonic activities

A friend and ally of Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri, Rev. Major Alex O.K. Duah pays glowing tribute as: 'the late Bishop had the calling and ministry of the Prophet Elijah. God gave him a ministry of fire that gave Satan and his conspirators sleepless nights; that thwarted their plans and intention, and that saw much of their strongholds and projects in ruins!…'

The aforementioned quotation emphasizes that the LORD used him mightily to destroy the plans and agenda of witches and wizards in the name of Jesus Christ.

In 1992 he had a crusade organized by the Church of Pentecost at Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region and he made a decree that no witch or wizard should operate in the district by eating human flesh as well as drinking human blood for six months, in the name of Jesus. Following the disobedience of the decree by some witches and wizards who attempted to operate at Kato, a suburb of Berekum, Professor Larbi wrote in his book as follows:

The 'spoil' they were carrying and their monies fell down at Kato when they were overpowered by the host of God. Their 'spoil' fell down.

It looked like human flesh. No flies could perch on the meat. Dogs also avoided the 'meat'. The money that fell was mostly old currencies including Gold Coast half pennies.

Many travellers on the road stopped to look at the 'meat' and several people took pictures.

The Body of Christ must rise and pray for the operation and manifestation of the real power of the Holy Spirit and not to allow 'self-styled, so-called men of God to bring the name of the LORD into disrepute and pollute Christianity in the country.

This is your Breakthrough (The five Bs)

The maiden book of Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri, This is your Breakthrough (2004) that our beloved father wrote is a book that is pregnant with spiritual and ecclesiastical accoutrements or weapon for waging a meaningful and productive war against one's enemy. Anyone who would like to embark on effectual prayer so as to ensure complete deliverance spiritually, morally, financially, emotionally, physically as well as acquiring intellectual competence in Christianity is advised to read the book religiously and prayerfully. All that God used our beloved father to do in the ministry for seventeen (17) years (1988-2005) including the introduction of the five Bs (Breaking, Binding, Blasting, Brandishing and Bombing) have been made self-explanatory and comprehensive in This is your Breakthrough.

The Valedictory of Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri

According to our mother, Apostle Mrs. Georgina Owusu Tabiri, Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri shared his valedictory word with her and the children in London on 28th April 2005 before he came to Ghana as follows:

'One day, I woke up in the night about 2:00 am and was deeply worried about the worsening financial situation of the Church and some members and the LORD ministered unto me and said,

'Why are you worried? My son, do not worry!'

And the LORD gave him the following Bible key verses (Matthew 6:33-34, 3 John 2-4 and Matthew 13:44-46). Matthew 6:33-34 says,

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

According to him the Kingdom of God is priceless treasure that is to be desired above all else and we must give up everything that would prevent us from being part of it.

All genuine leaders of the Gospel must seek the kingdom of God first without dying for all other things that others are dying to get, preach the unadulterated Word of God, do the work of an evangelist instead of pursuing personal aggrandizement and run the race faithfully with the intention of winning an eternal prize.

Anytime, we think about our father as children, the following qualities come to mind; humility, kindness, generosity, loyalty, integrity, peacefulness, honesty, dependability, care, concern, fun, loving father, loving husband, assiduous and committed Presiding Bishop par excellence. Do we have to celebrate and appreciate the good deeds of people when they are no more? It is far better to appreciate and honour our parents, leaders and loved ones when they are alive rather than describing them with all the sweet juicy words when they are no more.

God requires the Church in Ghana particularly Christian leaders to emulate the good examples of men of God like Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri (1935-2005), Rev James McKeown (1900-1989), Apostle Peter Anim (1890-1984), who sacrificed everything for the sake of the Gospel as well as some selfless living legends like Arch Bishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, Rev. Dr. Mensa Otabil, Rev. Dr. Robert Ampiah-Kwofie, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, Rev. Eastwood Anaba, Bishop Charles Agyin-Asare, Apostle Samuel Gyamfi and Rev. Steve Mensah who continue to sacrifice everything for the swift growth and development of the Church and the nation.

Our loss is indeed great and irreparable but we take consolation from 1Thessalonians 4:13-14.

Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri, your wife, Mrs. Georgina Owusu Tabiri and children, the Body of Christ particularly Bethel Prayer Ministry International and your family salute you and thank God that you were a blessing to all and sundry considering the life-transforming Christian legacies you left behind.

The writer (Lecturer- Ghana Technology University College, Faculty of Informatics)

By Michael Owusu Tabiri
E-mail: [email protected]

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