NATIONAL HOLY SPIRIT CONFERENCE
THE HOLY SPIRIT: WELCOMING THE DIVINE POWER IN ACTION
WELCOME ADDRESS
1985

SYNOPSIS: This welcome address honors the Holy Spirit as Christ’s Chief
Representative, setting the stage for a conference focused on His power in action.

The Hon. P.N.D.C. member, our Beloved Chairman, and Elders of the Church of God,
Blessed Guests and saints and beloved of Christ Jesus, our Saviour and Lord.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We count it a
great joy and indeed a blessing to witness an occasion like this, the opening of a National
Holy Spirit Conference, such a Conference is of both a spiritual and national importance.
As you know, the Holy Spirit is what we may describe as the Prime Minister, General
Superintendent or Executive Chairman of the Church. Christ is Head, King and Lord of
the church.
In starting the church, Christ Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords walked like human
being among His people. As always with pioneers, He never received official Honour in
His day. There was secret acknowledgement but open confrontation on His divine claims
as son of the Living God, the Messiah. Although He receives honour today in many hearts
and in many lands, many are still doubting His deity and denying Him in diverse ways. But
praise the Lord that the church and people of Ghana have today assembled to honour the
Holy Spirit, the chief representative of Christ in the church, and the spirit power and
Creative Force who is commanding the hosts of heaven, and the church on earth and all
creation to fulfill divine purpose on earth and in the universe.
The Holy Spirit the moving hand of God behind creation, behind the seasons and behind
all issues of life and nature. Thus, in honouring the Holy Spirit at a national assembly such
as this, the church and people of Ghana are by definition honouring God the Creator and
Jesus Christ the Lord.
It is a great blessing to our beloved country therefore that both the church and State are
represented here. With great joy and adoration before the Living God, and on behalf of the
church of God in Ghana, the Planning Committee welcomes the special guests and you
all to the opening of the Second National Holy Spirit Conference.
As you all know, the church has been commissioned by Christ Jesus to disciple the
nations, to turn men from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, to destroy
the works o the devil, and establish righteousness, justice, peace and equity in society,
to bring restoration in creation and bring all things under subjection to God through
Christ; in short, to establish the Kingdom of God. The church as Jesus said is the light and
salt of Society, and accordingly the hope of mankind and destiny of the world.
Knowing that the wisdom, knowledge and mind of man cannot comprehend the vision,
will and purpose of God, and knowing also the forces that the church has to contend with
in the inner conversion of man and the re-ordering of human society for the ultimate good
of man and peace and goodwill on earth, again, knowing the limitation of the human will
and the frailties of the flesh, Jesus commanded the church to wait to be endued with
divine power, by the Holy Spirit before embarking on the mission. The Holy Spirit
welcomes to teach, to guide, to direct and to administer the operation of the church in
the furtherance of the divine cause. Christ has come to save the world, to redeem man
from sin, and Satan. The Holy Spirit has come to translate this into reality in the
regeneration and transformation of lives in the re-ordering of society, and in transmitting
supernatural divine power to man so man regain his lost divine attributes and spiritual
power to stand against Satan and the demonic hosts who are behind evil, wickedness,
utter depravity, unrighteousness, suffering and death in society.
The national Holy Spirit Conference have been designed not only to honour the Holy Spirit
and bless the Father and Christ for His coming, they are being organised to promote the
teaching on the Person, Ministry and manifestation of the Holy Spirit as distinct from the
lying and imitative working power of Satan and demons. We also hope by these
conferences to encourage the building up of meaningful fellowship with the Holy Spirit
and hence walk with God.
The Bible teaches that it is not only Satan that is roaring like lion seeking to devour, men
also move in sleight and cunning craftiness, lying in wait to deceive. When man makes
power, prestige, money and earthly happiness their main pre-occupation, even the Spiritfilled saint can be an unwitting tool in the hands of Satan. It is only by the Holy Spiritanointed preaching and exposition of the scriptures, prophetic revelation and
discernment and bold and courageous confrontation of the enemy and evil that church
and society can truly live in righteousness, peace and social justice. It is only when the
saint obtains clear understanding of the truth of the Gospel and the moving hand of God
that Christian can enjoy the fullness of personal liberty, joy and power in Christ and
successfully undertake the tasks of the church. It is only by the word and the spirit of
truth those nations, peoples and the world can be saved from the lying working wonders
and wicked schemes of witches, magicians, spiritist, occultists, and men with their
beguiling religious sprit, and false doctrines. shall know the truth and the truth shall set
you free.”
In a society like ours where there is so much superstition, ignorance, poverty, diseases
and open worship of Satan and demons, demonic groups and their lying stock-in-trade
openly parade in “respectability” defying God, human conscious ordinary decency.
These are the wicked and divisive forces behind political upheavals, economic
oppression and lack of progress, social injustice and wicked systems and structures in
society. Again, these are the destructive spirits behind tradition and cultural practices
that are inhibitive and unprogressive with their diverse sacrifices leading men into
darkness and death. These are the spirits behind religious systems that make slaves of
their practitioners, merchandise of their “flock”, promoting salvation but actually
reducing men in dignity and denying true liberty.
Thus, if the church can play its prophetic and priestly role in society with all boldness,
power and authority and effectively disciple and prepare men for the Kingdom of God, the
church shall require a deep and knowledgeable walk with the Holy Spirit. For, without
divine love, wisdom, and power of God the efforts of man can never prevail. The church
needs the gifts of the Holy Spirit, its weapons of warfare and the direct church need the
gifts of the Holy Spirit, its weapons of warfare and the direct supervision of the Holy Spirit
to expose and stop the counterfeit and ravages of the devil.
The church in Africa cannot undertake its tasks of unseating the powers of Satan and help
build viable, progressive God-fearing peaceful nations on the strength of human wisdom
or black magic power and witchcraft by religion. The church will fail God and man if its
theology is concerned only with the destiny of the soul-spirit and is not addressed to the
spiritual, physical and social systems of the world. The doctrine is false if its message is
“Be Saved” and has a good time thereafter, god of mammon and the “good” life.
In this connection, the issue facing the church in Africa is not one of Africanising
Christianity. It is rather the Christianisation of Africa. The Christian faith deals with eternal
truths and a new social order which is neither Greek nor Jew, civilized nor barbarian, black
nor white, east nor west. It is a heavenly ordered system, with God as King and Christ as
Lord. Its law is love as expounded by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount.
Its end objectives are Liberty and Eternal and the Glorification of man unto spiritual level
with Christ above angels, principalities and powers. The church in Ghana has a spiritual
and moral responsibility for the lives and living conditions of the peoples of Ghana. But
the church is not an alternative government or governmental institutions responsible for
socio-economic programmes any more than political parties, the June 4 Movement,
Kwame Nkrumah Revolutionaries, Kotoka Fan Club, Ga Nyemimei Akpee, or Fante
Fekuw, is responsible for constructing streetlight or providing public conveniences. In
spite of their joint concern for the welfare of the people, there must be clear distinction
of the function of the king, the Priest and the Prophet in the nation.
The church has a divine-ordained mission under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It is
noteworthy in this connection that the Head of State, Chairman Rawlings is now calling
upon the church in Africa in particular and the world in general to take up her prophetic
robe and staff of divine authority in national and global affairs. It is only when the church
depends upon and receives revelation and unction from the Holy Spirit that it will have
that power and wield the influence characteristic of the prophets, judges and propheticknap such as David of the Old Testament and John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself in the New Testament. Other wise, the church’s voice becomes another voice,
human, and not the Divine of “Thus Saith the Lords.” It is for this cause that Christ having
ascended appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and gave
them to the church, under the guiding hand of the Spirit of Truth. Ephesians 4:11-13.
“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ; Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
Beloved in Christ, the Second National Holy Spirit Conference is concentrating on the
discussion of the ministries of these offices in the church and the dynamics of Holy Spiritinspired and directed leadership in church and society.
Participants will also be introduced to the relationship the individual believer needs to
build with the Holy Spirit to stand as saint and servant of God. The evening talks will be
followed by ministry in the demonstration of the Spirit in action, the theme of the
Conference. The public and participants will have a taste of the power of God in action to
save, heal, deliver, baptize in the Holy Spirit and grant graces of power for ministry.
We are happy to announce that the speakers in this year’s conferences are all Ghanaians
(with only one missionary from England). The Conferences were initiated last year by the
Ghana Evangelical Society. This year, four other churches and fellowships have joined.
We are confident that many more churches, fellowships and organisations will join in the
future so in the end another objective of the conference, Unity and meaningful Fellowship
in the church shall also be achieved.
We are blessed to have your fellowship today. We are happy to welcome the entire
participants. We assure you a blessed fellowship, anointed ministry deepened
understanding God’s will for you and expanded vision for your ministry and high calling in
Christ. We end by honouring the Holy Spirit; “Both riches and honour come of these, and
thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make
great, and to give strength unto all………” (1st Cor. 29:12)
Glory be to the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Peace be to you all!
Praise the Lord!