WEST AFRICA HOLY SPIRIT CONFERENCE
STAND UP: THE CHURCH’S MANDATE TO CONQUER AFRICAN
DARKNESS
OPENS- 1988

SYNOPSIS: This message challenges the African Church to stand up, using the Word
and Spirit to conquer darkness and establish Christ’s Kingdom in Africa.

The Leader of the Ghana Evangelical Society, (GES) Bro. Enoch Agbozo, has called on the
church to be up and doing so as far as the word of God and Power of the Holy Spirit are
concerned in order to overcome the powers of darkness which are on obvious rampage
to arrest Africa’s quest for Peace, Progress and Prosperity. He said these are times of
great religious and politico-economic and social stresses which did not need only
spiritual guidance or leadership alike, but it is also an indicator for the church to STAND
UP. Bro. Agbozo was delivering the keynote address at the opening of a five-day West Africa Holy Spirit Conference at the Auditorium, School of Business Administration,
University of Ghana, Legon.
He said the conference is the end result of a vision which is aimed at translating the
kingdoms of the world into the Kingdom of God and His Christ. He added that the church
stands as a beacon of light and hope as refuge system and anchor for mankind in these
times. But he warned that in this exercise the church must be sure of the soundness and
integrity of the Christians Faith and the Truth, she preaches and practices. Bro. Agbozo
said if the church will remain as he put it, as Ambassadors of Christ, Redeemer and
Saviour of the world and Priests and Prophets of God in Human affairs, then the church
must understand, accept, keep faithful to and stand up for God, the faith and humanity.
He said this conference could and must be another Pentecost Day if participants would
with one accord and expectancy wait for the latter rain.
Bro. Agbozo said if the church’s message has no divine basis and only re-echoes the
philosophies of man, if the church’s liberation movement is anchored on MarxistLeninist or Liberal-capitalist philosophy or humanist theories and the wisdom of men,
then the church has no right to claim hearing other than those accorded the most noisy
in society. He described the church as a Divine Machinery for the revelation of the oracles
of God and the building of the Kingdom of God on earth.
He said the church is neither black nor white, African nor European, American nor Asian,
Evangelical nor Pentecostal, Roman Catholic nor Protestant. He said the church is one.
The mission is one. And the goal is one. Dwelling extensively on areas that the church has
failed, Bro. Agbozo said the scripture without the Spirit is letter not the Word of God. He
lamented about how we have made gods of human intellect and human conscience and
added that the spirit of man, unyielded to the Holy Spirit cannot be an effective vessel of
God.
Among the panacea, Bro. Agbozo prescribed for the healing of the church particularly in
Africa is that the church needs to re-investigate the claims of the so-called modernism
in the church – which produced, liberal theology, humanism with their corresponding
secularism in church practice. He said it is a sad commentary to see Africa returning to
those Dark Days when ancestral demon worship and idolatry put our people in spiritual
bondage and death, ritual murders, blood sacrifice and customary and cultural practices
of darkness, causing restraint to progress. He said except there is acceptance of the
emptiness and woe of idolatry, traditional African religion and Satan worship,
evangelism, mission work and Kingdom building cannot make any meaningful impact.
Bro. Agbozo said after having failed that for the church can still make amends and he
suggested three areas where religion has to deal with in society and these include Man’s
spiritual well-being, his social well-being and his physical well-being and material wellbeing. He said human beings have from time in memorial been opposed to God. Bro.
Agbozo also talked about the rebellious political structures of the world and said
wherever they rear their ugly heads, and they kill, maim and imprison their citizens
indiscriminately, when they deny justice and trample upon rights, oppressing the people
and openly deny Christ and hinder also the church one can easily tell the category of the
spiritual force in control. He said in Africa, the leadership of opposition to God and Christ
usually get hooked on to spiritist, jujuman, mallams, spiritual forces of darkness with
their ritual murders and blood sacrifice, arrogance and wicked and ruthless handling of
opposition. He said soon the powers that be turned against the church and all
movements of righteousness, justice and equity will fall.
In conclusion, Bro. Agbozo said and I quote; “We may be agreed on apartheid in South
Africa, but can we be agreed on oppression at home, on the political-religions movement
to banded together against the church and the people.”
Unquote, among the aims of the West African Holy Spirit Conference is the raising of the
standard in the knowledge and power of the Word and Spirit for the church as well as
against the invading forces of the cults and occults. Highlights of topics to be discussed
include The Spirit World, Spiritual Warfare and Christian Faith and Nation Building. The
conference is organized by the Mainline Denominations, the Evangelicals, Pentecostals,
the Roman Catholic Church and the Independent Churches. The theme is STAND UP
Issued by West African Holy Spirit Conference Secretariat.
06/09/88