WEST AFRICA HOLY SPIRIT CONFERENCE OPENS
Theme: STAND UP (Eph. 6: 10-18)
CHAIRMAN’S CLOSING REMARKS: STAND UP FOR MISSION AND NATION
BUILDING
1988

SYNOPSIS
The conference blessed participants and now commissions them to STAND UP against
apostasy, confront all gates, and build God’s Kingdom with unity and power

PREAMBLE
Blessed be the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places and hath chosen us to be partakers of His Glory in the Holy
calling of Revealing God to Man, for man’s Redemption and Walking in His Eternal Glory,
Power and Authority to gather all things unto God the Father.
Blessed be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for this glorious gathering and
conference granted us to consider our calling and work in the church and the world. We
bless the Holy Spirit specially for giving us the conviction and directing us and making it
possible not only to come but also to fully and profitably participate in the West Africa
Holy Spirit Conference, WAHSCON ’88.
We thank and bless the Lord for the wonderful way He has led us to the waters and green
pastures to drink and to eat to our heart’s contentment. Indeed, it has been a real
blessing to us, organizers, speakers and most important of all participants. We are
expecting, we came unsure of what lies ahead. We came only to observe. But we are all
going back convinced applauding the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God, the
Power of the Holy Spirit and the joy of fellowship in unity under the wings of the Holy
Spirit.
First of all, let me take advantage of this occasion, on behalf of the organizers to thank all
of you for your love and obedience to God, your desire to know the things of God and your
commitment to the Gospel of Christ, and hence you honouring us with very little
information in the first place. Surely, it was the Holy Spirit who guided you. The
Presbyterian Minister from Nigeria told me he came on the instruction of the LORD,
without the knowledge and permission of his church otherwise they would not let him.
We must mention here specially the brethren from Nigeria and the Ivory Coast who came
by road inspite of the flight difficulties. Second, may we express our appreciation of the
keenness of mind, spiritual and blessed behavior as saints. We know you have been
blessed by the Lord. It is our assured hope that you are going to do exploits for the lord.
First in your churches, your communities, and the nations of your origin. What a joy to
know we have one and serve one Lord!
As you know, the theme of the conference is STAND UP with the key scriptures as
Ephesians chapter 6: 10-18. However, our discussion has been built around Isaiah 62:
10 the ambit f which we have been investigating some critical areas of Christians worship
and witness in the world. Our enquiries have been directed at the four gates of
1. The Church and the Christian faith
2. The Church and the spirit world
3. The Church and the Religious World
4. The Church and the politico-economic socio-cultural world
We have learnt much, been delivered, sanctified, equipped further for the Masters
continued use. How blessed are we! These things I would like to remind you, which we
pray you never forget and which yet should share with all;
1. The Headship and Lordship of Jesus Christ in the church
2. The rise in apostasy – in the rejection of the WORD OF GOD AND the HOLY SPIRIT
in the church
3. The church in mission in the world confronting all gates, all reality with the gospel
and tied with that
4. The church’s responsibility in social transformation and nation building in Africa.
THE AIMS OF ORGANISERS
We believe we have sown a seed of power and hope for this. Let our confidence in you
and above all the HOPE of God, in making us come to participate be amply justified. We
believe this will happen to the Glory of God.
In this connection, I would refer us all to Psalm 102, which is a cry of mourning of the
Psalmist for his personal problems but above all the state of the church and the nation.
The critical state of the church and nation has consumed him to the point of
helplessness, yet he maintained some hope of revival and glory. Verse 1,2,4,5,8,12-
16,21-22.
HOPE
EXTERNAL GOD
If we are consumed with the burden of the church and nation let us not consider
ourselves too feeble, too unlearned and weak or so unimportant to do something about
it verse 14. Everyone is important and should be precious in our sight. The church’s cry is
for unit and power. The nations cry is for Salvation, Peace, Righteousness and Blessings
of God. To this are we changed. Commissioned To Build the Kingdom. Let us take what
we have learnt to our churches in memos, in testimony, in personal calls on the authority,
above all in continue prayers for wisdom, faith, power and direction.
Beloved, united in Christ let us stand up and face every gate, repairing, quelling rebellion
and established our prayer on the Highway under the Banner of the faith