Psalm 62:11 God has spoken once; I have heard this twice …

One of the challenges in this contemporary world is hearing the voice and leading of God. In fact, for many, it does not happen. The idea that God speaks is a myth. It is even worse among those who do not even believe God exists. To those people, it is just a figment of the imaginations of those who claim to have heard God. After all, psychoactive drugs can make such hallucinations possible, they always retort.

At a youth camp meeting in Techiman, at that time it was called Area C of the Church of Pentecost, Pastor Moses Agyea Manu (as he was then) gave a prophecy during worship on the second day of the meeting. The prophecy he gave took about one (1) hour. He virtually repeated the sermon that came the previous day when he was absent from the meeting and was about thirty-five minutes drive away from the meeting’s venue in Wenchi all in the then Brong Ahafo Region.

Ministerial work appears to assume a theatrical dimension these days and may make one say that such experiences that occur a lot in the COP are rehearsed and played on the congregation. That is far from that. It is always the power of God that speaks to His people. For His word does not proceed and returns void, unless it has accomplished the purpose for which it was sent.

Be a judge for yourself and tell me if this is coincidental.

On Sunday, 18th July 2021, I set out to go to church for fellowship. Before I left the room at GIMPA and when I had not settled on where to fellowship that morning, the Atomic Assembly of the Church of Pentecost had won the bid. My motive for that morning was to go somewhere to learn something new that could be suggested to the leadership of where I regularly fellowship in the Kintampo Area. In my thinking going to the Church Of Pentecost Dr. Thomas Wyatt Assembly (Accra) would have been great. That is the seat of the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost. In my mind, if I could not go to the seat of the Head of the Church, Atomic Assembly could suffice.

The battle of where to go for my church service could not end till I finally decided upon several considerations to have my church service on the University of Ghana’s campus with PENSA. But before I left the room, I checked on google to have a look at the Assemblies that were closer to me. Surprisingly, I could not locate Atomic Assembly on the map. When I got out and asked some of the security men, as regular as with most Ghananainas, I was directed in a manner that only a few will able to use to make a proper judgment.

On my way to the bus stop from GIMPA to UG, I realized that the time was almost 8:00 am, and the tendency to meet the students halfway in their service was high. So I contemplated for some minutes before deciding to head towards the other direction away from UG in search of where to fellowship. I was optimistic to see a signpost that might direct me to a church.

After a ten to fifteen minutes walk, I saw a signboard of the Church of Pentecost with the inscription “Kisseman Assembly”. I resolved to follow the direction and have my fellowship with them irrespective of the language that was going to be used for service.

Just at the junction where I saw the signpost, there was a great revival church in a magnificent building. The instruments, particularly the trumpet, that was blown were enough to entice one who appeared stranded to be a visitor to that church. Right behind the magnificent church building was the Kisseman Spots Complex where as usual, some people were having their Sunday soccer games and was worth admiring as a spectator. After all, everyone might understand how I had struggled to settle on where to fellowship.

I kept walking in the direction of the signpost and heard a shout of “Sons of God, match forward”. This was about two hundred meters ahead of me. So in my mind, I was near the church because it is the church that has that greeting. I started settling in when I was getting closer but immediately realized that, the way and manner the church had been decorated was not pentecostal. I had to keep going till I finally saw the next faded direction to the Kisseman Assembly. I had gone earlier and had to wait for about half an hour for the service to start.

The simple but brief sermon that was preached also talked about a prophet that did not obey God’s word to the letter in 1 Kings 13. When God had given him an assignment with specific instructions, he allowed himself to be deceived to do otherwise and finally died. “The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.)“

This portion of the message which was about standing against seduction and deception had been preached a week before in another Assembly in Kintampo that is about nine hours away from Kisseman Assembly. The essence of the message used in Kintampo by the Elder that preached was about complete obedience to the instructions of God.

Why must I hear the same message twice in a row within a week by two different people who are separated by space? Did they rehearse without me knowing t play on my intelligence? What surprised me most was that, while waiting for the service to start, I was reading the scriptures in 1 Samuel 15 and 16 that bothered on obedience being better than sacrifice.

Coincidence? That must be a tight one in my view.

It is my honest belief that it was a clear message to me at such an appointed time and rather than being confused, I am required to move in obedience to what God seeks from me.

Continue with the permutations and critical thinking, but for me “God has spoken once; I have heard this twice … “