The Founder and Leader the of Living Yahweh 7th Day Sabbath Assemblies Apostle Okoh Agyemang has called on the Body of Christ to cultivate the Spirit of Sympathy for the less privilege, widow and Orphans among others in the society  

He made this declaration during the Church Annual Charity Show with the Theme “IF THE CHURCH CANNOT FULFIL ITS EVANGELISTIC CHARITY OBLIGATION AND OTHER MISSIONARY OBJECTIVES THEN IT HAS NO REASON TO EXIST AND SUCH CHURCH MUST HAVE IT’S STRUCTURES PULL DOWN.” At Anyaa Market Car Park in Accra, this year’s Charity Show was splendid with varieties of commodities decorated and well arranged to be donated to the poor. Welcoming the participants to the Passover ceremony Elder Dr. Odei Ansah indicated that the Charity Show was aimed to lessen the burden on the lives of the needy and their families and also augment efforts by the government in providing for their needs in the country. 

 

According to him, the Charity Show is an important program of the church to provide physical needs not only to members of the Church but those outside the Church.  He explained how the church raised money and items from themselves as pastors and members for the donations. Dr. Odei Ansah also explained that the Church honours and award personalities and institutions which have distinguished themselves in their endeavours. He stated that it has been the passion and vision of the church to give to the needy every year as the Word of God directs and God bless them. According to him, the church must always fulfill its Core mandate and the Great Commission. He is of the view that churches must be concerned about the welfare of their members. He said they have put some structures in place to take care of those whose parent can’t cater for them from crèche to tertiary institution and other professional training such as hairdressing, dressmaking and opening artisans, shops for others.

 

Preaching the sermon for the occasion the Founder, Apostle Okoh Agyemang spoke on the topic “Possessing the Spirit of Sympathy”

He first expressed their sincere thanks on to the Almighty Yahweh for blessing them over the years. He indicated that Yahweh has truly blessed their effort and rewarded their hopes. He added that they are who they are, all because of the Lord loving goodness Apostle Philemon Okoh Agyemang, stated emphatically that they will continue to strive to meet the spiritual needs of the community as well as to help those who are under bondage. He explained that for them to be the church to send Revival to the world they have to encourage each member to do their part within the missionary outreach projects.

He expressed the need for society to cultivate the spirit of helping one another rather than discouraging others when the need arises.

Apostle Okoh Agyemang also stated that it is their prayer that other churches will learn from it and emulate the example for it is essential to take care of the needy as Christian.

 

He used Luke 14:12 where Jesus encouraged those who are blessed to invite the needy and bless them. Apostle Okoh indicated that it is the mandate of the Church as it is stated in James 1:27 to take care of less privilege in the society. 

Quoting from Proverbs 11;24, he stated the essence of rendering the necessary service to the society in terms of enhancing welfare to needy people. Apostle Okoh Agyemang also used the Parable of the Wedding Feast by Jesus to explain that if one really wants to do something good for people he or she should do it to people whom they would not get anything back.  According to him, anyone who truly or really wants to be blessed by the Lord should do good things for people who in return cannot do good things for them which is Christ-like character, and it is a simple promise given by God with his word standing surety.   

Citing Proverbs19:17- which states that’ He who has upon the poor lends on to the Lord and that which he has given will He pay him again’. In this proverb, Apostle explained that God guarantees the gift or debt.  He noted that it the obligation of the children of God to be concerned with the venerable and the needy in the community. He remarked that there are some people who always talk about what they received from others without demonstrating what they rather have done to others. He further used Luke 10:30-33 on the gesture of the good Samaritan who showed mercy and sympathy on the Jew who had been robbed, and went on to take complete care of the injured man and ask if the society normally find such a caliber within the society and called on them to have compassion on those who are destitute.

 

Apostle Okoh Agyemang also cited from Isaiah 1:17- which reads ‘Learn to do well, seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ According to Apostle from this Scripture if a person is truly right with God they will also treat their follow man right and seek the welfare of the less privilege.

 The special Guest of Honour the Director General of Criminal Investigations Department COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo Danquah was highly impressed about how the church has over the years donated to the needy and wish them God’s blessings to continue the good work and further used the occasion to call on all and sundry to be mindful of those they stay within their community. She also indicated that society should be ever ready to report to the Police on any suspicious attitude or behavior of an individual.

The Guest Speaker and Ga Central Director of the National Commission of Civic Education, Madam Cynthia Anima Boadu added her call to the campaign of clean environment and sanitation. She said the change in the climate and severe weather conditions is due to the pollution of the environment. Madam Anima Boadu called on all to have a change of attitude towards bad sanitation practices to avoid the worst climate conditions.

This year’s Honour and Award were received by three personalities namely Chief Superintendent Kofi Sarpong of Ghana Police Service a Gospel Singer, DSP Augustine Offei of Anti Robbery Unit of CID Headquarters Accra and Nana Odei Ampofo a Poet, Drummer, and Journalist. They were presented with a plaque and a very expensive Cloth and among other things.

Opanyin Kofi Aygekum Head of School of the Performing Art University of Ghana Legon congratulated the awardees for their selfless exemplary conduct and call on all to take what God has endowed them very seriously and always contribute their quota for national development.

 

 

Among the items presented for the donation were thousands of Pieces of Clothes, Wax Prints; Wheel Chairs, Cartons of soap toiletries, Bales of Second Hand Clothes, Footwear’s, Bags of Rice, Tom Brown and maize among several other things.

Among other officiating ministers who graced the occasion are …….

Among other scriptures, Apostle Okoh Agyemang used to buttress his point on the importance of helping the needy in the society are as follow: James 1;27 ‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world’. The apostle said this is what praising God is all about, for anyone with proper faith would produce proper works and victory in everyday life and living. James 5:4 ‘Behold, the hire of the labourers who  have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, cries and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the of the Lord of Sabbath’

According to him, one should not heap too much treasure at the expense of others. For the Lord is not happy or has seen it.  

Proverbs3;5 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean  not unto your own understanding .’

Proverbs3;27 ‘Withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do it ‘

 

From this scripture, Apostle explained the kindness that all Christian should show and do to other Christian and even to the wicked and for that matter. It is the spirit of Christ that should characterize all of the Godly.

Proverbs 11:24-there is that scatters and yet increases and there is that withholds more than is meet but it turns to poverty’

Apostle explains that when you give you gain but when you keep you lose for God loves a cheerful giver.

Proverbs 16:6- ‘By mercy and truth iniquity is purged and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil,’

By this Apostle demonstrate that the moral effect of this great fact and Doctrine is to cause men to God and depart from evil. 

Proverbs18:16- ‘A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.’

With this Apostle indicated that the individual is not there for himself but due to his gift and such individual must not forget that the giver of this gift is God.

 

Proverbs21:13- ‘Whoso stops he hears at the cry of the poor he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.’

 With this Apostle meant that we sow what we reap as indicated in Galatians 6:7

Psalm 112:5 ‘A good man shows favor and lends, he would grind the affairs with discretion.’

 Apostle is of the view that the blesses of the Lord make it possible for a good man to lend.

Job 31:19- ‘If I have seen any perish for want of clothing or any poor without covering.’

Deut15:7- Relief for the poor, ‘if there be among you a poor man of one of your brethren within any of your gates in your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother’.

 Apostle noted that despite the promise of great Blessing, regrettably, many simply would not hearken unto their own voice or the voice of other; in one way or the other, poverty will always be the result.  

Luke 12:16- ‘And He spoke a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully’

 

He used the rich fool to explain that riches if rightly adequately received should be of blessing from God and treated accordingly.

 Proverbs24:27 ‘Prepare your work without, and make it fit for yourself in the field and afterward build your house. ‘

With this Apostle reveal that one needs first to attend to the business of God and others and the business will build a house for him.

Job 26:1:6 ‘How have you helped him who is without power? And how do you save the arm that has no strength? Have you counseled him who has no wisdom? And how have you plentifully declared.’

 According to Apostle Job is using irony to rebuke the worthlessness of his friend Bildad on human reason and added that all human reasoning as it regards the Lord and his work, is worthless.

Psalms 126:5 ‘They who sow in tears shall reap in joy.’

Job 29:15 –I was eyes to the blind and feet was I to the lame and father to the poor.

Mathew 25:31 –‘And when the son of man shall come in his glory, and all his holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of His glory.’

Apostle concluded that the Lord would bless and reward all those who take care of the poor and the less privileged in the society.