The brethren of East Legon congregation (Accra East district) were blessed to have Lead Apostle Samuel Oppong-Brenya reveal the mystery and purpose of the death and resurrection of our Lord, in a special visit to celebrate the divine service for the departed on 1st March 2020.
He based the sermon on Romans 14:9, “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”
The unseen is greater than the seen. “We are not here alone” began the Lead Apostle, “We are in the midst of a multitude.” He continued: “Not all things are seen with the human eye. The unseen surpasses those of the physical world we live in. Whatever that has a name exists. That which is named and can be seen shall pass away. Those that have a name, yet cannot be seen shall remain forever. Our forefathers named the realm of the departed; we have never seen it and it shall never pass away. This is the mystery revealed to us.”
Our preparedness to intercede. “The Lord has elected this day that the church should intercede for the unseen realm of the departed.” He continued: “We celebrate divine services on the days of Pentecost, Christmas and many others. In all these, we are not encouraged to prepare ourselves ahead of the occasion. Yet, in the past week, we were asked to prepare for this intercessory service because the task we are about to undertake is beyond us.”
There is a world beyond our world. The Lead Apostle explained: “Jesus Christ died. Why? So He could go into the world of the departed. This tells us that there are two worlds, the world of the living in which we are, and the world of the dead.” The world of the dead is also characterized in two parts; light and darkness. Our deeds will determine which side of the beyond we transition into. “We cannot choose which side of the realm to belong. When a thief dies, he will transition into the bondage of thieves (darkness)” he highlighted.
The living have the power to intercede. The souls in the beyond are helpless. They do not have power to change their unredeemed states. “The altar of grace is here on earth. The power of the Apostles’ ministry is here on earth. By the authority given to the Apostles’ ministry, the sins of many departed souls will be given. Through our Chief Apostle, many will be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, and celebrate Holy Communion.”
Grace for the living, and the dead. He said: “Christ went into the realm of the departed out of love, so that all men shall receive salvation. This is the reason for His sacrifice. The grace of the Lord extends to the realm of the departed.” The scripture testifies that Jesus Christ went to the realm of the departed to preach the gospel to the multitude from the days of Noah as though they had never died.
The Lead Apostle concluded: “Let us accept and draw near to this sacrifice in our living days, so we can receive His grace at the appropriate time. Let us find the Lord now, and not wait till our death. May the Lord bless the living who are interceding for the departed. However, let us be watchful lest we fall in our faith.”
The service was assisted by Bishop Asare (Accra Apostle Area), District Elder Boadu (Winneba district) and Community Evangelist Odum (East Legon congregation).
