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Twenty-one-year-old Comfort Atimbilla is the wife of Mumuni Jalil. The couple has been married for two years. Last year, the Lord was gracious to Comfort, and she conceived. The couple has since looked forward to what they refer to as the first of many children they hope to have. Although very optimistic, Comfort was equally worried. It was her first time at childbirth, having heard a lot of horrifying stories about the inconveniences in childbirth, especially at Kultamise.

Kultamise is a farming community in the Pusiga district in the Upper East Region. It is referred to as a “border town” because, together with other communities, it shares boundaries with Burkina Faso on the north, and Togo on the west. It has a Muslim-dominated population of more than 3,000 people, most of whom are vegetable farmers.

The community is separated from the Pusiga community by the Kulpelgu river. To get to Pusiga one ought to cross the Kulpelgu river or go through Burkina Faso – which is about four times the journey! This necessitated the construction of a concrete bridge over the river to link both communities. Unfortunately, the bridge was washed away by a flood shortly after it was constructed.

This means that residents of Kultaminse and other overbank communities can only come to the other side by crossing the river on foot or by canoe, which is rare. Simple as it may sound, this tends to be very life-threatening, especially when it rains and the river overflows its banks. For people like Comfort, crossing over was not just an option, but the only choice she has in order to access better antenatal care.

Apart from being the main commercial town in the district, Pusiga is also where the only standard clinic is located. This means that to access better healthcare, one must commute from Kultamise to Pusiga at all costs. However, for pregnant women, the challenges are more prevalent.

“When you are pregnant, the nurses discourage you from riding on a motorbike because it could lead to more complications, and since the motorbike is the most affordable mode of transportation here, the only alternative is to walk. So once every month from the latter part of last year, I had to walk for hours from Kultamise to Pusiga for antenatal care. It has not been easy o!” she says and chuckles.

Fast forward to Sunday, June 6, 2021, Comfort recounts the day she went into labour and had her worst fears realised: “At about 2:00 am, I began to feel pains in my tummy. I began pacing back and forth in the house. My husband was following me from one place to another because he knew I was due and was not taking any chances. After some time, the pains became more severe. So, he called his brother, sat me on a motorbike, and headed for the Pusiga District Hospital.

“When we got to the river, it had overflown its banks. It seemed dangerous to cross, but the pains were becoming severe, so my husband helped me off the motorbike, and together with my brother-in-law, they held my hand and helped me to cross the river.

After crossing it, my husband had to leave me and his brother on the other side to cross back to the bank of the river for the motorbike, and then cross over again to carry me to Pusiga. When we got there, I was told there were some complications, so I should go to Bawku instead. At Bawku, I had to wait for a while to be attended to, all the while I was enduring excruciating labour pains.

“This is why the Pentecost Clinic means more than just a health centre to us, it is here to save our lives and make life better for us. If it were here then, I would not have gone through the ordeal I went through. You people (The Church of Pentecost) have no idea what this means to us, especially to people like me who faced such a life-threatening situation. Imagine going into labour, and being carried on a motorcycle, imagine crossing a river on foot while in labour. I was even very fortunate, because others have lost their lives or even lost their babies as a result.”

Comfort, like many other residents, is optimistic about the future of the Kultamise community and the critical role that the Pentecost Clinic would play in this new era.

“Now, accessing quality healthcare is just a stone’s throw away and I do not have to even cross any river to get medical treatment. Now whether it rains or not, it makes no difference. The church has done so well and we as a people are very grateful,” she said.

According to the 2017 maternal health survey, maternal mortality ratio for Ghana is 310 deaths per 100,000 live births and pregnancy-related mortality ratio for Ghana is 343 per 100,00 live births. A review of the 2020 annual performance of the Ghana Health Service in the Upper East Region indicates that maternal deaths shot to 35 in the year 2020 from 30 in 2019, resulting in an institutional maternal mortality rate of 91 per 100,000 live births in the region. This was attributed to inadequate support services including infrastructure, residential and office accommodation as well as means of transport in all health facilities in the region.

Alhassan Kultamise, a native of the community, narrates how he lost his baby and almost lost his wife due to poor access to healthcare.

“It was late in the evening when my wife got into labour. When we got to the river it was too full and we were scared to cross. I did not know what to do. My wife was in pain and yet I felt helpless, there was nothing I could do; attempting to cross would have been signing our death certificates. So, we had to wait until the next day. In the end, we lost the baby, but for the mercies of God, I would have lost my wife as well,” he said.

Alhassan, a father of 12, says thoughts of the incident which took place about four months ago still saddens him. “I know for a fact that if this clinic were to be here, my child would have survived. This is why this community would forever be indebted to The Church of Pentecost for what you have done,” he said.

Carrying her three-week-old baby at her back, a cheerful Comfort Atimbilla joined Alhassan Kultamise and other residents to witness the historic commissioning of the Pentecost Clinic in the community by the General Secretary of the church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. The project was fully funded and constructed by the church, through its social services wing, Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS).

The edifice, worth GH¢ 850,000.00, has a fully furnished Out-Patient Department (OPD), Male and Female Wards, Delivery Ward, Dispensary, Washrooms for both patients and staff, Laboratory, and Consulting rooms as well as residential accommodation for the health officers.

According to the General Secretary, the intervention was informed by the urgent need to provide a health facility that can serve the community and its environs, particularly in helping to reduce maternal and child mortality in the area. “We trust that it will provide a lasting remedy to the decades-long problem faced by the people,” he added.

The facility is expected to serve communities located over the banks of the Kulpelgu river, namely Kultamise, Kolnaba, Bitsu, Nware, Gamburugu, Cinakom, Sangaboli and Kawerigu. It would further serve some neighbouring communities of Kultamise such as Zumbeku in Togo as well as the Hotige, Sugumonma, Garega and Morgande communities in Burkina Faso.

PENTECOST NEWS.

Abstract

What classical Pentecostals appropriate that enables their unparalleled response to missions has been identified as the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This largely informs the emphasis placed on this pneumatic phenomenon. Believers are strongly encouraged to desire this unfailing grace bestowed by Christ. Often special meetings are organised to seek for this encounter usually through prayer with laying of hands of church leaders on those who seek this experience. The usual proximity for the practice and the various bodily contacts especially the imposition of hands of the minister of the baptism on the recipient has been limited by the present global pandemic. Within a pandemic in which medical sciences put restrictions on the means through which this central praxis of Pentecostalism is carried out, this important practice by which Pentecostals receive power for kingdom work faces crises. This study uses a mixed designed mostly within The Church of Pentecost (CoP) to show how the pandemic influences the baptism in the Holy Spirit with respect to the means by which the baptism is imparted by human agents. The study reckons that the pandemic had a negative bearing on this Pentecostal distinctiveness. It recommends that the Holy Spirit and Christ, the baptiser in the Holy Spirit cannot be undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic with its limitation on bodily contacts and its tenet of social distancing. Emphasis should be placed on other means of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit by learning from the Bible and from cases mainly in the history of Pentecostalism in Ghana. This would enable the Pentecostal practice of the baptism in the Holy Spirit for continual Pentecostal power notwithstanding pandemics of this nature.

Introduction

Pentecostalism since its renewal at the turn of the 20^th century has grown to become a force to reckon with in world Christianity. The movement has been distinguished as a “third force in Christendom.” The Pentecostal movement has made incursions into diverse Christian traditions. Today, Professor Cephas Narh Omenyo could speak of “Pentecost outside Pentecostalism.” Dr. Alfred Koduah also talks of pentecostalisation of Christianity in Ghana. The Pentecostal fire keeps on burning its way into various Christian traditions and advancing Christian missions. With the realization by many scholars, both in and out of Africa that the heartland of Christianity has shifted from the West to the southern hemisphere, much of the growth is to be found within Pentecostalism. Thus especially in Africa, South of the Americas and Asia, Pentecostals are on the move preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. In fact, they are giving hope to the Euro-American West due to their efforts in “reverse mission” to the Western places.

This fervency and committed response to missions is due to a distinctive experience with the Holy Spirit in which one becomes empowered for service. This is mainly based on Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8, 2:1-18, 8:14-17 among others. This experience called baptism in the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues and operation in spiritual gifts has been the heartbeat of modern Pentecostals since the tail end of 1900. The dictum of belief in this regard goes like this, “that in the apostolic times, the speaking in tongues was considered to be the initial physical evidence of a person having received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” The outburst of the Pentecostal movement really took off in 1906 and the movement knew no bounds since then.

This essay shall take a brief look into the Pentecostal teaching of Holy Spirit baptism, consider the praxis of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and its implication for the current global pandemic. Data were collected using written interviews of 7 classical Pentecostal pastors; the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 field statistical progress reports on the baptism in the Holy Spirit collected from 20 administrative districts of the CoP in the Greater Accra region; and by participant observation. These would be analyzed towards assessing the progress of the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the face of the COVID-19. The 2018 and 2019 reports would be compared to that of 2020, the year of the pandemic. Using cases from the Bible and church history, other means of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit against the traditional practice of receiving the experience would be explored. These usual ways have been seriously compromised by the pandemic. I shall not delve into the history (emergence and progress) of the Ghanaian Pentecostal movement here. “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” and “Baptism with the Holy Spirit” have been used interchangeably in this essay.

“Second Blessing”

Pentecostal pneumatology is a fast-developing field of theology. This is partly as a result of the special attention given to the Holy Spirit by Pentecostals. It may seem at first sight that in salvation, Pentecostals place more importance on the Holy Spirit. Actually, Christ is the centre of Pentecostal teaching. As Keith Warrington, a New Testament scholar would put it, “Pentecostalism is pneumatologically Christocentric.” Dale Bruner’s assertion that Pentecostal theology is “pneumatobaptistocentric” is flawed. Pentecostal theological thinking revolves entirely around Christ through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit which is bestowed by Christ.

For Pentecostals, the role of the Holy Spirit in salvation does not end with the rebirth experience. Beyond conversion-initiation of a person into Christ, there is another experience with the Holy Spirit. This Pentecostal theology emanates out of the setting of the Holiness Movement in which spirit baptism was seen as a sanctification experience towards perfection in Christ. This baptism in the Holy Spirit took a new understanding in the classical Pentecostal movement. This overshadowed the erstwhile interpretation as sanctification. In the new understanding, the baptism empowers the disciple of Christ for ministry in the kingdom of God.

In salvation, the Holy Spirit enables the regeneration of a person who has repented, come into faith in Christ and confessed the Lordship of Christ. The spirit is bestowed upon the person to transform the person into a new creation. Subsequent to this is a post-conversion experience with the Holy Spirit. Here, the Christian noticeably encounters the Holy Spirit. This “second blessing” is a nerve centre of Pentecostal thought and practice. Pentecostals have lived up to expectation per their claim of power after this experience. How do they seek this blessing in practice?

The Pentecostal Distinctive Practice of Baptism in the Holy Spirit

In classical Pentecostal churches, special times are set aside for prayers to seek the experience. This is announced to the church earlier on. It is sometimes accompanied by fasting. Apart from these special times, baptism in the Holy Spirit may become necessary in any church meeting due to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. The church leaders may be moved to lead the church to pray for the experience. This Pentecostal practice is an automatic part of conventions, gospel crusades and rallies. These are reported on by church leaders to their immediate superiors. Those who do not have a show of an appreciable number of people receiving the baptism for the period under review are queried. The power that the experience brings and the accompanying evidence incites many people to seek the experience. In this practice, “tarry meetings” are used to engage the Holy Spirit in deeper depths. The mindset of Pentecostal Christians, their expectation and the consequent result are well captured in this Pentecostal classic by E. C. W. Boulton:

Tarry for the Spirit

He shall come in showers,

Energising wholly

All your ransomed power;

Signs shall follow service

In the Holy Ghost,

Then the Church of Jesus

Prove a mighty host

On, then, Church of Jesus,

Claim your Pentecost;

God shall now baptise you

In the Holy Ghost

The meetings proceed with relevant sermons expounding on the baptism. These sermons are usually accompanied by testimonies. The sermons are interjected with spontaneous singing and shouts of hallelujah. A key aspect of this ministration is to explain to the congregation that the baptism gives the Christian power to witness, and enables the Christian to live a holy and victorious Christian life. It is taught that the physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues or other languages. These tongues may be known languages as in Acts 2:4-12 or mysteries according to 1 Corinthians 14:2. The preachers with a certain kind of enthusiasm would inform the congregation that “your tongue would change when you receive the baptism.”

The sermon is followed by hot Pentecostal songs about the Holy Spirit amidst drumming and clapping. The way the singing is done in these services seems to suggest that it is in this ecstatic environment that the Holy Spirit moves and get people baptised in him. Was this the case in the upper room on the “Day of Pentecost?” The prayer leader in many instances would invite the congregation especially persons that are yet to receive the experience to leave the pews and move forward. This is usually to give more space for people to comfortably pray. Frenzied happenings are expected during the prayer sessions so space is needed. The people are instructed to queue up in an orderly manner. This is to allow the church leaders to move among them freely to minister the baptism. Those who have received the baptism are encouraged to pray for themselves and for the ones who now seek the experience. The seekers are, in many instances, urged to pray and also keep on saying “Jesus, Jesus” in anticipation of the baptism.

After much prayer the leaders of the church especially the elders go and walk among and people to pray for them. They go to impart the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This ministration comes in diverse ways. One would often hear the prayer leader say, “the elders would now come and lay their hands on you.” Laying of hands as a means by which the baptism is done is not exhaustive. Other actions are seen being used for the ministration. Key methods used include breathing on seekers, putting fingers in their ears, pointing a finger on the forehead, holding the shoulders with two hands, putting hands on the eyes, raising the chin, placing the hands over the ears, holding the hands, rubbing the face with the hands, and putting hands on the chest. Many fall under the power of the Holy Spirit with shouts, groaning and speaking in tongues.

Whilst we can say that all these resonate with African primal religion, it is found in classical Pentecostal “Holy Spirit prayer sessions” not only in Africa but in the West and elsewhere. When the Holy Spirit descended at the Azusa Street in the USA in 1906, similar scenes were witnessed. The media portrayed the phenomenon at Azusa as “general chaos and a weird babel of tongues.” In this case, it was not merely African spirituality that was in the background. This way of life is to be identified with classical Pentecostals no matter where they find themselves. These methods used in the Pentecostal practice of baptism in the Holy Spirit are opposed to the protocols of the present global pandemic.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Medical Sciences Concerns in the Pandemic

The current global pandemic has gravely affected our everyday life. In Ghana, restrictions were imposed on the usual church meetings. On March 15, 2020, the president of the republic, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in an address concerning the fight against the pandemic, imposed restrictions on gathering including church meetings. The restrictions were eased in another address on May 31, 2020. The CoP for instance directed its churches to reopen for public worship starting on or after June 19, 2020. Thus for about 3 months, churches did not meet in the usual way.

Humans are highly sociable beings. Works that drive life require that we physically interact with one another. However, the means of transmission of the SARS-Cov-19 virus which causes the coronavirus disease breaks down the human social system. Perhaps, humanity would have to be thankful for the sophisticated tools of communication made possible by advanced technology. This has helped to alleviate the negative impact.

The virus gets into the human body via the mucosal lining in especially the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. These parts of the human anatomy are opened to the air. From an infected human, the air becomes contaminated with the virus through droplets. The structure of the virus enables it to attach itself to receptors on cell surface when it gets into the human body. It later penetrates the cell surface, replicates and multiply.

Considering how the COVID-19 virus is spread from one person to another, the various methods used in imparting the baptism in the Holy Spirit, as observed from practice, have been crippled. Medical sciences preventive measures of keeping a social distancing of not less than two arm’s length, not touching the eyes, nose or the mouth among other protocols eliminate the highly used bodily contact methods in the impartation. Meanwhile, these supposed means of receiving the baptism are deeply rooted in the minds of Ghanaian Pentecostals.

Data Analysis

7 classical Pentecostal pastors selected from 5 different administrative regions of Ghana; Northern, Eastern, Volta, Bono East and Greater Accra regions have been interviewed. The interview questions were 10 in all; 5 closed-ended and the other 5 opened-ended. All of them (100%) were very much aware of the COVID-19 protocols. Within this pandemic, all the pastors organised sessions of Holy Spirit Baptism. This points out the important place of the baptism in the Holy Spirit in Pentecostal thought and practice. All of the interviewees observed the protocols in their practice of the baptism. Classical Pentecostal church leaders are increasingly becoming considerate of medical sciences though divine healing is a centre of Pentecostal theology. They have rightly given a place for medical science in their doctrine of divine healing. In heeding the protocols, the prayers for the baptism were done by the leaders for the seekers from a distance. Concerning how the baptism was imparted, all the pastors responded that it was done by “praying for the seekers of the baptism from the platform as they [the seekers] stand in their pews.” 4 of the interviewees were of the view that the laying of hands impact on whether a person gets baptised or not. The other 3 responded otherwise.

From the year 2018, reports from 20 districts of the CoP that have been selected in the Greater Accra region, the cumulative number of persons who received the baptism in the Holy Spirit was 2707. In the year 2019, the reports from the same districts totaled 2688. This shows a reduction by 19 (0.7%) of the year 2019 figure against that of 2018. In the year 2020, these 20 districts show 1010 as the number of people who have received the baptism. Evaluating the year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic-stricken year, against the year 2018, a reduction by 1697 (62.7%) is observed. A reduction by 1678 (62.4%) is also seen when the figure of the year 2019 is used for comparison.

There has been a very significant reduction in the number of persons who received the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Has the frequency of the baptism services reduced? Almost all the interviewees organised a few of the baptism sessions. They pinned this on the COVID-19 protocols. One of them responded that “We are mindful of the COVID-19 protocols and the fact that at times people will have to be supported by strong deacons to avoid injuries when they are touched by the Holy Spirit.” Also, can this be pinned down on the reduction in church attendance? To a very less extent, the restrictions to church meetings for some weeks would influence this reduction. However, this study realizes that the protocols accompanying this pandemic are a more significant factor. This suggests that if the parameter of church attendance remains constant, there would be a significant reduction in cases of the baptism. This would be due to the no praying very close to seekers, laying of hands, breathing upon seekers, and putting fingers in the ears of seekers by church leaders in accordance with the protocols.

The Practice of Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Cases in the New Testament and Modern Church History in Ghana

Cases in the Acts narrative that apprise the Pentecostal teaching of baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues present with diverse circumstances under which the baptism takes place. In the first instance in Acts 2, it was within a corporate tarry meeting that the Spirit descended. In obedience to the instruction of Jesus in Acts 1:4-5 to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father God, the believers waited in prayer until they had the phenomenal experience. The immediate event which led to the baptism was most intriguing. A noise sounded like a mighty rushing wind was heard. They sighted what appears to be tongues of fire that separated and rested on each of them. It is recorded that all those gathered were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. Here, no hands were laid on the recipients of the baptism; not on their heads, shoulders, eyes, or any other part of the body.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit that took place in the home of Cornelius as recorded in Acts 10:44-46 presents with a similar case in which the family was filled with the Holy Spirit during Peter’s preaching. Apostle Peter did not use any special method that involves touching the recipients. Nevertheless, they received the baptism. To show that they have received the baptism, Peter in his narration of the event said, “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remember the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:15-16, NIV). Thus Peter connected the event at the home of Cornelius with the “you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” word given to the disciples by Jesus.

In Acts 19:1-6, at Ephesus, Paul encountered a group of disciples who were not aware of the Holy Spirit not to talk of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Paul explained issues to them and placed his hands on them. This saw these Ephesian Christians speaking in tongues and prophesying. This case as well as in Acts 8:14-19 in which the Christians in Samaria received the Holy Spirit after Apostles Peter and John laid their hands show that laying on of hands is also a means by which baptism with the Holy Spirit can be ministered. But it is not an exclusive means, of course.

Many continue to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. Church history, globally and locally showed cases. An old Methodist preacher has this to say as captured in T. L. Osborn’s The Purpose of Pentecost: “We Methodists were praying together when we heard a noise, like the sound of a rushing wind in our prayer room, whereupon we gazed with wonder as cloven tongues of fire actually appeared upon our heads. In awe and worship of God, we were caught up in a heavenly atmosphere, speaking and singing in other languages.” This experience with the Holy Spirit was not made possible by the placement of hands on these Christians.

In the CoP, there have many instances in which people received the baptism with the Holy Spirit without the physical bodies of church leaders serving as bridges through which the baptism happens. John Mensah, one of the earliest healers in the CoP (then Ghana Apostolic Church) received the baptism which he very much desired during his personal prayers as recounted in volume 1 of A History of the Church of Pentecost. It is said that he personally fasted and prayed fervently for the baptism. His day of joy came one day when he woke up around 1 a.m. to pray. As he prays, he began to speak in tongues suddenly.

Opoku Onyinah, the 5^th chairman of the CoP also received the baptism through personal prayer. He narrated to me with joy how he got baptised as a young Christian. Then a Roman Catholic, he desired the baptism and got the experience eventually. He joined in a CoP prayer session during a time that Pentecostals would call “tarrying for the Spirit,” to pray for the baptism. He did not receive the experience immediately. He did not give up but continued his pursuit of the pneumatic encounter with fasting and prayer. On the last day of a seven-day fast, he went to a hide-out in a bush to pray. On his way to the place, he met another Roman Catholic who, like Opoku, was also seeking the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He requested this person to join him to pray in the bush. The two found themselves in a time of prayer. During the prayers, as he puts, “my tongue changed and I began to speak in tongues.”

James Kwaku Gyimah of Akroso, Stephen Owiredu of Brekumanso, among many other cases indicate diverse ways in which the baptism can happen. Other ways include the prayerful reading of the Bible, praying for seekers of the baptism from a distance without any bodily contact, and listening to the preaching of the word of God.

It is evident from the above that in the practice of the baptism, the Bible and evidence from the continual work of the Lord in history show that Christ, the baptiser with the Holy Spirit employs varied ways to course one to get the encounter. The methods that have become popular and the norm in Ghanaian Pentecostalism have swept under the carpet, the other ways in which the Lord can deal with his people.

The laying of hands has been revealed in the Bible as a means by which graces can be bestowed; being in ordination or special blessings. The Old Testament presents examples of this. For instance, Moses laid his hands on Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:9). Some patristic theologians took up the issue of the Spirit being given through the laying on of hands. Tertullian, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, Chrysostom, among others. Cyril of Jerusalem for example indicated that power has been designated by Christ to the Apostles to convey the Spirit through the laying of hands. Athanasius held a similar view. The interest of the church fathers on this issue was largely in the area of who qualifies to lay hands. Meanwhile, the laying of hands in Ghanaian Pentecostalism has become a baptismal rite that one who needs a baptism in the Holy Spirit has to go through. This method as a means of imparting the baptism in the Holy Spirit emerged from the cases in Acts 8 and 19.

Other methods evolved from diverse interpretations of biblical phenomena and perhaps from African primal religious practices. For example, John 20:22 in which Jesus breathed on his disciples to receive the Holy Spirit is sometimes used to justify breathing on seekers of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, this act by Jesus does not define a format for the baptism. Putting fingers in the ears is understood by some who ministers the baptism as a way of getting the ears of the seekers opened so they could hear from God and speak mysteries. This may have been wrongly picked up from Mark 7:32-35. More so and here too, Jesus putting his fingers in the ears of a man to heal him of deafness does not define a pattern for getting the ears of people opened whether spiritually or physically.

Conclusion

This essay has shown that baptism in the Holy Spirit, a distinctive classical Pentecostal practice has been impacted negatively by the present pandemic. The study points to the normative use of bodily contact between church leaders and seekers of the baptism in the Holy Spirit as underlining this impact. These popular methods used to minister the baptism have been undermined by the COVID-19 protocols. The methods also put in oblivion other ways by which the Lord used to baptise people with the Holy Spirit. The other means of receiving the experienced must be explored and built up in the minds of Christians. The Christian must come to grips with the fact that the Holy Spirit per his ontological nature cannot be limited by time and space. He cannot be undermined by the protocols of the present pandemic. We can be immersed in unlimited ways into the Holy Spirit by Christ. Restrictions that the pandemic placed on other aspects of church life should not limit Christ, the baptiser in the Holy Spirit. Pentecostal power must be on the go within any pandemic that may hit the world.

He stumbled upon Jesus at the age of 18, while on his way to the movies in pre-colonial Ghana, something that was considered the epitome of worldliness at that time. And yes, despite his strict Methodist upbringing, after returning from school he was steep into the secular life. Smoking, drinking, bad companies, you name it. Besides, it was December 31st and who wouldn’t want to have good time?

But this night was different. He overheard a tall, slender Caucasian male preaching from Genesis 3:9. He screamed with a sharp Irish accent, “Adam, where art thou?” Then the call changed to “Joseph, where art thou?” He was Joseph, but the Irish man didn’t know him from Adam! The call echoed in his heart, after a short consideration he abandoned his friends and responded to the call to give his life to Christ!

The Irish man was Pastor James McKeown, the founder of The Church of Pentecost, the 18-year-old youth was the Late Apostle Joseph Egyir-Paintsil!

In a matter of days, he was baptized into water and later the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, “In his own words, quoting John Wesley, “My heart was greatly warmed.”

In hindsight, his heart was more than warmed, it was set on fire! He pursued the things of God with fierce tenacity! Shortly after the baptism with the Holy Spirit, he joined a prayer team called the “Bombing Squad!” A group, James McKeown took keen interest in, and not surprisingly, most of the young men in that team became prominent ministers.

Joseph was then called into full-time ministry at 21 years.

He became an apostle and the first general secretary of the Church of Pentecost at 23 years of age! The youngest person to serve in the position and the longest serving, holding the position for 29 years until his untimely death. By this, he laid a solid administrative infrastructure for the church; vestiges of which remain till today!

A handsome, sharp, and charismatic young man who knew his value and placed an outsized value for the things of God!

He travelled the length and breadth of the country to establish new churches and strengthen old churches. He did this mostly with public transportation. When he finally got a vehicle, it was a battered yellow Peugeot handed down after being used extensively. Due to financial constraints he had to make do with the vehicle!

The automobile was notorious for breaking down during long journeys. It broke down under torrential tropical rains causing Pastor Paintsil along with the few passengers to push the car over a mile!

When he preached, the heavens came down. A powerful charismatic young man who taught the word of God with power and clarity.

He was known for baptizing people in water and fire at the same time, as most of the people he baptized in water came out speaking in diverse tongues!

He had an incredible healing ministry. A child suffering from seizures was healed instantly under his ministration. Another child who had developed epistaxis, (nosebleeds) for 3 days straight was prayed for at the parsonage and received immediate healing!

He had a powerful prophetic ministry! In fact, after his death, James McKeown disclosed most pastors and apostles called under his tenure were called through prophetic messages delivered by Rev. Paintsil.

When a young military man, Felix Elvis Antwi stayed with him for 2 weeks on a military assignment in Accra, his life was transformed fundamentally. He recalled Apostle Paintsil waking up at 4:30am consistently on a daily basis, pacing his front porch while praying. His family would later join him at 5am for devotion!

After returning from work, late Apostle Paintsil will head to Labadi beach, yards away from his residence to pray some more! This prayer life, and commitment to God, left an indelible impression on the military man. When Felix got into ministry, he mimicked Apostle Paintsil’s pattern of ministry!

He also witnessed and emulated his love for his wife and the intentionality in his parenting. Again, traits the young military man replicated in his life!

He embraced the educated, and well-to-do, into the church which was predominantly for people on the lower end of socioeconomic spectrum at that time.

He chaired the first national conference of the Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) in 1980. 

He spearheaded the formation of Pentecost Fire as the church’s official mouthpiece and become the co-editor of publication.

He shared James McKeown’s vision of productive collaboration with other churches and was instrumental in forming Ghana Pentecostal Council (GPC).

Rev. Paintsil was a visionary who saw the church decades away and positioned her in the light of what he saw. He purchased prime real estate/lands for the residences of the Chairman and General Secretary, which continue to be used after over half a century.

Between 1953 and 1962, The Church of Pentecost hit its most tumultuous period. A portion of the African leaders planned a daylight coup against the founder, James McKeown. While James McKeown was vacationing abroad, a team comprising mainly of elders, impassioned by brewing nationalism of the time, plotted to wrestle the chairmanship plotted out of the hands of James McKeown and replace him with an African Chairman. Not only was Rev. Paintsil one of the most influential voices at the time, he was also a blood relative of Apostle Anaman, the deputy chairman and the proposed African chairman.

All eyes were on Rev. Paintsil as to where his allegiance will fall. Along with the attention came attacks, both spiritual and physical. But none of that shook Rev. Paintsil. He pledged his allegiance to the founder of the church and his God! He stood his ground and actively steered the church through this turbulent period. He was one of the founder’s most trusted confidants. The chaos and schism went all the way to the then President of Ghana who advised the name change. Rev. Paintsil was part of the leadership that rebranded the church from Gold Coast Apostolic Church to the Church of Pentecost. After the meeting, President Kwame Nkrumah, remarked to his cabinet, “this Paintsil man is very intelligent and hardworking, His church will succeed!” 

And yes, his church succeeded!

Today, the church he fought and toiled for is 3 million people strong, in more than 100 countries around the world and actively growing.

Exactly 40 years ago today, the world and The Church of Pentecost lost this preeminent founding father. A man among men, a person of unparalleled calibre, charisma, and grace. After a revelation of his passing in December, he addressed the whole nation of Ghana in February, and on this very day, March 22, 1981, at a prime age of 53, with a promising future ahead, he went to be with the Lord. Late Apostle Joseph Egyir-Paintsil has left a legacy that worthy of emulation by this and future generations. He has left behind a spiritual, ministerial and an administrative inheritance that will speak for generations to come!

The life of late Apostle Paintsil, is a reminder of how ready our God is to use all who avail themselves! The Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons, and He is no respecter of age either! A 23-year-old today may be considered an unsettled college graduate who needs another decade to decipher the direction of their lives. But 23 years in the sight of God can be an Apostle, manifesting all 5 ministering giftings, exercise multiple spiritual gifts, and build the administrative foundation for a church to thrive four decades later! 

Today we don’t only celebrate the legacy of Apostle Paintsil. We celebrate a God who can use anyone, of any gender, at any age for his own glory.

“Joseph, where art thou?” Samuel, David, Peter, Mary, Elizabeth, Beatrice where art thou?” God is calling, and He is ready to use you as His instrument for this and future generations!

God richly bless you!

By Samuel Antwi-Boasiako, MD

The Grace Movement!

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus global pandemic, individuals, societies, institutions, organizations and systems have had to necessarily adjust themselves to embrace another way of life. This is as a result of of the rates and spikes of infection and re-infection in different waves and variants across the globe with its associated fatalities and devastation to humanity in general. As of February 2021, over 111million people had contracted the virus with over 2.4million deaths. My heartfelt condolences to all who have lost loved ones not to talk of the untold hardships it has brought to our world today.

UK Nightingale Medical Director Dr. Vin Diwakar said, “I can tell you Covid-19 is a horrible, horrible disease that leaves so many including young people, breathless and gasping for life.” Dr. Stefan Nava at Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna, Italy after testing positive also said, “The disease taught us one important thing: Medicine is a probabilistic science, 1+1 may give you 3 because something unpredictable can really screw things up. It changed my life because I got the sense of being mortal.” My prayer! Oh Lord God of all creation, the universe, the Nations and humankind, please have mercy on us, forgive our sins and lift your hands against this plague that is still sweeping across the Nations and heal the Land for us in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today, some major cities in the world are still in some sort of total or partial lockdown with many more having to live with certain statutory restrictions for only God knows when. We have all been, thus, compelled to adjust, adapt or completely change our way of life and replace it with one termed as the “new normal”.

This lifestyle has, today, succeeded in transforming the socio-cultural settings of our daily lives. It is characterised by no or minimal physical contacts among persons and,  when it becomes necessary, the duration and time allotted have been cut substantially. Regular washing of hands, the keeping, and maintenance of best hygienic practices at the shopping malls, markets, schools, religious, and all other social gatherings have been the order of the day. Major church programs and activities are successfully being hoisted on virtual platforms. Financially prudent and efficient measures have also been embraced by individuals and corporate organisations to meet the difficulties of the times. The “new normal”, although challenging to keep, has brought entirely new perspectives to life which can be harnessed for one’s benefit. Revival is basically bringing back to life or a renewal of a system which is threatening to die off or lose its fervency, power and relevance. Instead of focusing on the discomfort the Covid restrictions, individuals, institutions and para-church  organizations should rather fish out the revival opportunities it offers.

God in times past, locked down one of His messengers with unprecedented restrictions in the belly of a fish for three agonising days and nights when He insisted on saving the people of Nineveh, which is present-day Mosul in Iraq (Jonah 1:1-17). Out of sheer disobedience, Jonah embarked upon a route and towed a particular line of action that was not going to inure to the benefit of the Lord’s vineyard business. God’s “new normal” was for the people of this great city who were perishing-bound to turn from their wicked ways and turn to Him through Jonah’s message. When Jonah attempted to resist this, God visited the shipping vessel with a violent wind until he was thrown into the sea. It was in this period of self-isolation and traumatic experience that he reconnected with God and accepted His “new normal” plan.

Jonah then called upon God for help and as part of his cry, said, “…I will look again toward your holy Temple.” (Jonah 2:4). He continued, “… what I have vowed I will make good….” (Jonah 2:9). After the prayer, the Bible says, “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah unto dry Land.” (Jonah 2:10). God released him this time around to great Nineveh and not Tarshish, his familiar and comfort zone. At Nineveh, Jonah saved 120,000 souls who were bound to perish. According to Jonah 3:3, this city was so large that it took 3-days to go through it. It was, therefore, never a coincidence that Jonah had to be locked down for 3-days in the belly of the fish waiting on God for the Herculean task ahead of him and achievable in not less than 3-days. Though uncomfortable, it was a necessary evil for Jonah to stay in the belly of the fish for 3-days and 3-nights.

Even though the “new normal” the world and its socio-cultural settings are being forced to accept comes with many challenges, there are also an avalanche of opportunities God will use to His glory if only believers embrace them. Like Jonah’s case, is it not possible that the assignment ahead of us requires a total re-examination and re-alignments to God’s “new normal” according to His calendar of events? And which may not necessarily be the usual expectation? The more Jonah hid under the deck in the ship, the rougher and rougher the sea became (Jonah 1:11). Fighting the “new normal” will only result in more difficulties and frustrations. God had prioritised the salvation of the entire people of the city over Jonah’s prejudices regarding sinners.

Out of Jonah’s imposed restrictions in the belly of the fish sprout out the needed revival to possess the great city of Nineveh and its surroundings for God. As the greatest stakeholder of the vineyard business, the Lord Jesus would not allow any old-fashioned mentality, systems, and traditions that do not lend themselves to Spirit-directed improvements to stay in the way of the great awakening and revival in these last days. All humanly cast-in-stone practices that appear allergic to the Spirit’s move will have to give way to His “new normal”.

Similarly, when the Holy Spirit began taking over the territories of the Middle East region in the early days of AD 33, some of the religious zealots of the Mosaic laws determined to fight God’s “new normal” on many fronts. Led by the scribes, Pharisees, the high priest, and teachers of the law, a serious campaign was waged against the early church. As a result, many adherents to the “new normal” in Christ Jesus suffered diverse ordeals until the Lord placed Saul under a lockdown. As he was nearing Damascus to arrest the disciples, the Lord flashed a light from heaven around him, which caused him to fall on the ground. Like Jonah, for three days, Saul was blind and did not eat or drink anything. Saul began praying during this period, and he started seeing visions (Acts 9:1-12).

His lockdown restrictions turned him from a murderer to a Paul who shook the Greco-Roman jurisdiction to its foundations for Christ. Paul eventually became the apostle of the highest number of books that contributed to the canon of scriptures. Jonah’s “new normal” in the belly of the fish for three agonising days is what made him a hundred and twenty thousand souls winner. Israel’s “new normal” as a result of their 40-day lockdown in the valley of Elah and under siege by Goliath, the Philistine champion is what unleashed David who was to become Israel’s greatest king and warrior of all time. Joseph’s “new normal” when he was locked down in prison is what enabled him to become the prime minister of Egypt. What have you been seeing in this “new normal” way of doing things concerning the fallout of COVID-19? Are you concentrating on only the discomfort relative to the old manner of ways? Or you are still at a loss and sitting idle awaiting your usual way of life? As a believer, can you not see new and golden opportunities all around you? And for you to discern the times to be unleashed to your God-given potential?

Why not embrace it, be at rest with the new normal, and allow the best God wants to make out of you for your household, society, and the world at large? In any case, the more you fight this “new normal”, the more stressful it will impact your life. My deepest concerns and sympathies go out to all who have lost their jobs as a result. May the Lord make a way out to soothe the pain many are experiencing in these times. There are, however, many blessings that life in the “new normal” has brought to many individuals, households, organisations, and society.

Human and all material resources are under serious scrutiny. Procedures and processes are also being audited to eliminate all double handling for optimal operational levels across all sectors. Let us accept the “new normal” by seeking the face of God to discern the times, so we don’t fruitlessly wrestle it. By taking a sober Spirit-led reflection of your activities at the home, office, church, and your workplace, God can help improve your lot and bring the best in you. Let us also educate our households and constituents and calm their nerves, inspire hope and confidence in them to make every opportunity out of the times.

Embracing this “new normal” is what will enable us to employ all the tools in reaching out to the lost most cost-effectively as well as discipling the nations. On the third day, Jonah was vomited unto dry ground for his discomfort to cease. Paul equally received back his sight after the third day. Joseph became the prime minister in Egypt after his two years’ incarceration and Israel after forty days in the valley of Elah, saw their God-given and anointed king. The discomfort, pain, and anguish we are all experiencing today, courtesy COVID-19, will, therefore, be over sooner than later. Care must be taken not to allow it to pass by without catching every blessing, revival or renewal God has for us in the period. The church will come out more refined, purer, well-focused, efficient, and more effective than the pre-covid era. Christ insists, “I will build my church, and the gates of hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

By Pastor James Agyin Orhin