The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has called on Christians to stir up their belief in the hope that Christ resurrected from death, and that those who die in Christ will live again in eternity.
“If there is no resurrection of the dead in Christ then there is no hope in Christianity. However, there is resurrection in Christ and one day the dead in Christ will rise again,” Apostle Nyamekye said.
Apostle Eric Nyamekye said this when he preached the sermon at the thanksgiving service in honour of the late Mark Ofosu Ampadu Jnr held at the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Sakumono, on Sunday, February 9, 2020.
Mark Ofosu Ampadu Jnr was a member of the PIWC – Sakumono who passed on to glory recently and was laid to rest on February 7, 2020.
According to the Chairman, neither science nor religion has been able to explain what death is about. “The question of death is a difficult one; how human beings depart from this earth, never to be seen again is mind-boggling,” he said, adding, “As long as we are on this earth we will suffer at one point or the other.”
Chairman Nyamekye noted that death renders all men equal on this earth. “The rich, the poor, the black, the white, the young, the old, the aged and even children, are all not immune against death; it is a road we will all travel.”
Speaking on the topic, “The Dead in Christ” based on 1 Corinthians 15: 12, the Chairman said that Apostle Paul in his writing to the church in Corinth said a lot about death. He said that in the midst of all the spiritual gifts, the church in Corinth still recorded death.
“Our God is the God of the living as well as the God of the dead,” he said, adding, “We can ask ourselves all the questions of how believers lose their loved ones. However, it is better to look at hope than to ask why disasters befall Christians.”
“Bear in mind that the secret things belong to God as scripture says, and in difficult times, when we do not understand our God, we should just thank him,” he stressed.
Reading 1 Corinthians 15: 58, Apostle Nyamekye assured the bereaved family and the entire PIWC congregation to stand firm and not be moved by the loss of the young man.
“Just have faith in the Lord, He who has said he will not forsake us will certainly come through for us, adding: “The loss of a loved one is where reality challenges our very faith. However, let’s learn to accommodate every condition or situation we find ourselves.”
Apostle Nyamekye prayed for the bereaved family and encouraged them not to lose hope no matter the situation, saying, “Some people pass on and their works do not follow them but our Brother’s work has followed him and he is resting in the bosom of the Lord.” He added: “In this life, bad things can happen to good people, so we should not allow what has happened to discourage the church, but let turn it around for the good of the church.”
The Resident Minister, Pastor Anthony Owusu Sekyere Kwarteng, thanked the Chairman of the church for the encouraging words to console the church and the bereaved family.
Report by Yaa Asantewaah Adu Boahene.
