The Savannah region is one of the warmest parts of Ghana with an average daily high temperature of 34 degrees centigrade. It is yearlong warm (hot) and often experiences its rainy season from April to mid-October.
This is why it was quite unusual to suddenly see the clouds gathering by mid-morning yesterday at Sawla, a community in the Sawla-Tuba-Kalba district of the region, only to be followed by a heavy downpour for about 20 minutes.
Needless to say, having to endure high temperatures of up to 42 degrees, the sight of rainfall at any time of the year is always welcome news and a great relief to residents of Sawla and its environs.
However, for the indigenous members of The Church of Pentecost who had converged at the Changbalyiri Assembly auditorium for the “Sawla for Christ” crusade at the time, the rainfall was very “symbolic” and a confirmation of the prophetic declaration made by the Kasoa Area Head, Apostle James Asare, during his ministration.
In his sermon titled “The Spirit Without Measure, based on John 4:1-14” the Kasoa Area Head said that there is a massive outpouring of the Lord’s spirit on the Sawla land and that life in the community would not be the same again after this visitation of the Lord.
He further stated: “The visitation of the Lord is both spiritual and physical. When the Lord visits a land, He comes first in the spiritual realm, before it later manifests in the physical. So today is raining day and a day of abundance.”
He said that the Holy Spirit is given to believers by God through Jesus to guide, counsel, teach and strengthen them to live up to the purpose of God for their lives.
“God has given us a helper, in the person of the Holy Spirit, to help us through our life’s journey. If we neglect Him, we would miss our providential way, but if we hold on to Him, He will ensure that everything the Lord has said concerning our lives, which we call destiny, would come to pass,” he said.
He explained that the believer encounters the Holy Spirit in three ways; the first encounter, he noted, is the “Well Encounter” (John 4:1-14), which symbolises the beginning of one’s salvation.
“To experience the Well Encounter, one must repent from their wicked ways and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour” he highlighted.
The Kasoa Area Head explained that having the Well Encounter is not enough, rather every believer must yearn to have a deeper encounter with the Holy Spirit. The next encounter, he mentioned, is the “River Encounter” (John 7:38), symbolising the giftings of the Holy Spirit. The final encounter, according to him, is the “Rain Encounter,” which brings life back into any dead situation.
As Apostle Asare elaborated on the “Rain Encounter,” suddenly the clouds started to gather and it began to rain heavily.
The sound of rainfall on the roofing of the church auditorium and around the building was greeted with a spontaneous cheer by the members who could easily link the Word being preached to the downpour.
The scene also confirmed what the Evangelism Ministry Director, Apostle Dr. Jimmy Markin, had earlier told the Chief of Sawla (Sawlawura), Abdullai Iddrisu, when he led a team to pay a courtesy call on him at his palace on Tuesday.
Addressing the Chief, Apostle Dr. Markin said that wherever the gospel message of Jesus Christ is received, the blessing of the Lord rests on the land and transforms the lives of its inhabitants.
He, therefore, assured the Chief of a special visitation of the Lord in the land during and after the mega crusade.
“My dear Chief. Please mark every single word of my mouth: This event will be historic and it shall be said that, after this crusade, Sawla land was never the same again,” he said.
From all indications, Sawla land has received a mighty visitation of the Lord these few days. Although, there are still two more days to go, the “Sawla for Christ” crusade has been a huge success.
In addition to the thousands of souls led to Christ through various evangelistic outreaches, several spectacular events have been recorded since its opening on Tuesday to the glory of God.
The event, which is under the theme: “In the Name of Jesus” (Acts 3:6), is expected to end on Saturday, March 19, 2022, with a medical outreach at Changbalyiri, a community also within the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district of Ghana.
PENTECOST NEWS