May 25, 2025 • 34 mins
What does it mean to be empowered for missions—not just in theory, but in everyday life? In this special message, Ebenezer Asiamah shares his deeply personal journey from nightclubs in Ghana to Spirit-led evangelism across continents. It’s a story of transformation, calling, and the unmatched power of God to use ordinary people for extraordinary mission.
Eben’s story begins with a “prodigal son” moment—a turning point when he recognized his life was far from God. Through the guidance of a local pastor and a fresh hunger for the Holy Spirit, he found not only forgiveness but boldness to proclaim the gospel. From those early days preaching in village centers without electricity, to ministry work here in the U.S., Eben has lived the truth that missions begins when we say yes to God’s purpose and power.
Drawing from Acts 1:8, Luke 4, and Matthew 28, Eben outlines three foundational truths:
1. Mission is the heart of the Father. From Genesis, God has always been seeking the lost. Mission isn’t our idea—it’s His.
2. Mission is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus was anointed to do the Father’s work, we need the Spirit’s power to live and speak boldly.
3. Mission is our calling. Whether across the globe or across the street, every believer has a role in God’s redemptive plan.
Eben also walked us through practical responses to this call:
- Pray. Spend time before the Lord and let Him place His mission on your heart.
- Evangelize and disciple. Be a witness in your home, your church, your workplace, and beyond.
- Support missionaries. Through prayer and generosity, you can be part of what God is doing globally.
This isn’t about guilt—it’s about invitation. God’s mission is fueled by grace, and He desires to work through surrendered people like you.
The world is still full of “unpossessed land,” both spiritually and physically. But we go forward with Jesus’ promise: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me…and I am with you always.”
We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Episode Transcript
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Ebenezer Asiamah (00:04):
Thank you so much for this day.
This is the day the Lord hasmade.
We will rejoice and be glad init.
I'm really thankful for theelders here at Trinity for the
privilege to stand here andspeak to the people of God.
It is very humbling and I'mreally thankful for this great
(00:24):
honor.
It is very humbling and I'mreally thankful for this great
honor.
My name is Ebenezer Esiama.
I've yet to meet anybody calledEbenezer since I moved to
America.
I don't know why, but there iscertainly Ebenezer Scrooge who
messed it up for me, but outwest I found a street called
(00:48):
Ebenezer, so that was comforting.
I'm really thankful that theLord brought me here.
The journey that led me here isall about missions, so this
morning we're going to look atmissions and how the Lord
empowers us for mission.
I'm going to read the book ofActs of the Apostles, chapter 1,
(01:10):
verse 1 to 8.
In the first book, o Theophilus, I have dealt with all that
Jesus began to do and teachuntil the day when he was taken
up.
After he had given commandsthrough the Holy Spirit to the
apostles whom he had chosen, hepresented himself alive to them
(01:32):
after his suffering, by manyproofs appearing to them during
the 40 days and speaking aboutthe kingdom of God, and while
staying with them, he orderedthem not to depart from
Jerusalem but to wait for thepromise of the Father, which he
said you heard from me, for Johnbaptized with water, but you
(01:56):
will be baptized with the HolySpirit not many days from now.
So when they had come together,they asked him.
(02:19):
He said to them when the HolySpirit has come upon you and
you'll be my witnesses inJerusalem, in all Judea and
Samaria, to the end of the age,shall we pray.
Abba, father, we thank you somuch for your kindness.
We thank you, lord, that youare the God of the harvest and
(02:42):
this is all about you.
O Lord, father, I ask, in thename of Jesus, that you would
speak to us this day, that ourhearts would be a federal soil
for your word, that we wouldreceive your word with
understanding and that youtransform us by the power of
your word.
Precious Holy Spirit, we askfor your empowerment also, help
(03:05):
us, oh Lord, that we may bewitnesses for you In wherever
you've called us.
May your name be glorified inus and through us, in Jesus'
name, amen.
So I was born in Ghana, in asmall community and was born to
a Christian family, and I grewup watching my parents always go
(03:30):
into church.
As a matter of fact, my dad wasa trader and also he was a
teacher and he served in thechurch.
And one thing I saw them doevery morning, from Monday to
Friday, before they would go towork, they would meet in a small
(03:52):
church and they would sharedevotion, pray and have time in
the Word before he would go towork.
And we would always go tochurch.
So I grew up going to church,but I didn't have any
relationship with God.
I was just going because myparents were going and at some
point in my life, when I was ateenager, I had some friends who
(04:13):
also didn't know the Lord, likemyself, and so we would go to
horrible places.
We'd go to nightclubs, wherevernightclubs, wherever.
Wherever there is music worldlymusic you'll find me there, and
at a point in around 2009 to2010,.
(04:35):
One time I was there, I wasstanding in a nightclub and I'm
like what am I doing?
It was like a prodigal sonmoment for me, and when the
prodigal son came to himself, hesaid what is happening to me?
You know, my father hasservants who are doing so much
better than I'm doing now.
(04:56):
So the Lord did that for me inmy life and I'm like, no, I'm
just, I need to go back.
And that was the last time Istepped foot in the nightclub
and I'm thankful that I had apastor then called Joseph Asante
who kind of brought me veryclose to him and would ask me to
(05:19):
read scriptures for him and hewould take me along in ministry.
So it kind of stirred my heartfor God and when I started out I
was very shy and timid.
I never thought that a timewould come I'll be able to stand
before people to speak.
But the word of God is quickand powerful, sharper than any
(05:41):
two edges sword, piercing evento the dividing asunder of the
soul and spirit and of thejoints and marrow, and the word
is a descent of the thoughts andintents of the heart.
When I read the word I justLord, your word says that we
will receive power when the HolySpirit comes upon us and we
will be witnesses.
(06:02):
So I started to seek the HolySpirit and I started to seek the
Holy Spirit and I started toseek the power of God and the
Lord was gracious to me to giveme his Holy Spirit who has been
working in me, giving me powerto stand before people and
declare the testimony of ourLord Jesus Christ.
Testimony of our Lord JesusChrist.
(06:30):
So I started 2010, when Istarted to be in ministry and
minister the gospel, and thatsame year I was praying.
I said God, surround me withyour people, because the friends
that I had didn't know the Lord.
At that same time, too, I wasgetting ready to go to college
and the Lord did something,because in my little town,
usually when they finish highschool, that's it, that's the
(06:51):
end.
But by the grace of God, hehelped me to make it to college
and while there, he surroundedme with people who loved God and
will always be talking aboutthe things of God.
The Lord answered my prayerthat he was so gracious in
giving me friends who loved God.
And while there, there wereprophecies that the Lord has
(07:18):
called you to ministry and youwill be a missionary preaching
the word.
And so first year in college,they started calling me apostle.
So I spent four years in collegeand after graduation I was
praying.
I'm like, if the Lord is goingto use me, then I need to make a
decision and commit.
(07:38):
So I applied for ministerialapprenticeship program in the
capital of Ghana, a place it'scalled Accra, and there was a
missionary from America, it'scalled Pastor Richard Whitcomb,
and he was doing apprenticeshipprogram, where he invites people
and trains them and then sendthem out.
(08:00):
So I'm like I'm going to go forthis program.
So I applied and I didn't knowwhere I was going to stay, I
didn't know how I was going tobe provided for.
I just applied and went and, bythe grace of God the Lord was
so gracious they provided aplace of stay for me and they
(08:20):
were giving me monthlyallowances and took care of me
and trained me in the things ofGod.
It was there that I met myfather-in-law, pastor Mark
Medley.
In 2017, early 2017, he came toGhana and I was part of the
students that he trained and Iloved him.
(08:42):
The very first time I met him,I saw that there was something.
I loved him.
The very first time I met him,I saw that there was something
different about him and he lovedthe Lord.
So we went to villages,communities and bringing people
who are in ministry pastors andchurch workers together for
training, because they didn'thave that in the villages.
(09:02):
So I was part of the team thatorganized that conference,
sitting on motorbikes, going onvery hard roads and bringing all
the pastors.
So while we were there he gotsick.
He ate something that didn'treally settle well with him, but
(09:23):
anytime he would stand to speak, god would give him grace to
teach.
And so I said to myself thisman may never come back to
Africa again Due to what he wasgoing through.
But he came again.
He came the following year andhe didn't come alone.
(09:45):
He came with my wife, katie,and when I met Katie in the
village I knew that the Lord wasdoing something.
I knew that God has somethingin mind and I just thank God
that the Lord brought ustogether and he's so merciful
(10:08):
and gracious.
When I started out in my littlevillage sharing the gospel,
going to homes and people willask me are you a Jehovah witness
?
I'm a Jesus witness and Ididn't know that a time would
come I'd be standing here beforeyou sharing the gospel.
(10:30):
But God's word is so faithfuland true that when he gives us
his Holy Spirit and he gives ushis power, there's no telling
where God will take us.
And it's so amazing watchingwhat God is doing.
His word is true and he isfaithful, jesus Christ, when he
(10:51):
started his ministry and at theage of 30, when he went to that
place where he grew up, nazareth, they gave him the scroll of
the prophet Isaiah and he founda place where it was written the
spirit of the Lord is upon me.
He has anointed me to proclaimthe gospel to the poor.
(11:13):
He has sent me to proclaimliberty to the captives and
recovering of sight to the blind.
He has sent me to proclaimfreedom to the oppressed.
When he said that, he sat downand every eye was upon him and
(11:38):
he said Today this word isfulfilled in your ears.
There's nothing that Jesus didwithout the Holy Spirit.
Everything that he did, he didit by the Spirit.
It was the Holy Spirit whoempowered him to heal the sick,
to raise the dead, to cast outdevils.
And if we are called tomissions, we cannot do it
(12:01):
without the Holy Spirit.
We need the Holy Spirit toempower us.
We need the Holy Spirit to giveus boldness to be witnesses in
our own Jerusalem.
I believe that our Jerusalemcould be our home with our
family, where we share thegospel with our family.
And it doesn't end there.
(12:23):
He said in all Judea, and Judahmeans praise.
So I believe you could be inyour place of worship where you
see opportunities, in a place ofworship where you avail
yourself of God to use you forhis glory.
And then he said to Samaria andI think Samaria, sometimes in
(12:45):
our workplace it looks likeSamaria Because the Samaritans,
they are mistress of the Jewsand Gentiles.
In our workplaces we findpeople who are some are
believers, some are not.
So even there we can bewitnesses for Jesus.
And so thankful that my friendLuke from our work has joined us
(13:07):
this morning.
So the mission is the heart ofthe Father morning.
So the mission is the heart ofthe Father.
When you look at Genesis, whenman fell, it was God who took
(13:27):
the initiative and sought forman.
Adam was not going to seek forGod because he had obeyed the
devil and was lost in sin, deadin sin, but the heart of the
Father was pursuing him.
So I believe that mission isthe heart of the Father.
And he said Adam, where are you?
He wasn't asking this questionbecause he was ignorant of where
he was.
It's just giving him anopportunity to recognize his
(13:49):
state and to repent and turn tohim.
But he did not.
Instead he blamed God and weall know the story.
And later on, when Cain rose upagainst his brother Abel and
killed him because his sacrificewas not accepted and his
(14:09):
brother Abel's sacrifice wasaccepted before the Lord, he got
angry and killed his brother.
And even that God was stillseeking him, asked him, king,
where is your brother?
He said am I my brother'skeeper?
So the heart of the father isalways to seek the lost, to give
(14:31):
us the opportunity to turn toHim.
And that is what he does,because he loves us and that is
why he sent Jesus Christ, hisSon, to come and seek and save
the lost.
And so today, I believe thatthe Lord is still seeking His
lost children, and I know thatit may be a long time coming,
(14:55):
and maybe you've been prayingfor a relative, a loved one, to
come to the Lord.
Just know that your prayerswill not be in vain, that the
Lord, who is always seeking forthe lost, will seek and find the
lost loved one and bring himback to him.
In Jesus name, amen.
(15:20):
Missions, it's also the father'swork.
It's what he does.
He's always working.
When Jesus came, it said of himin Acts, chapter 10, verse 38.
How God anointed Jesus ofNazareth with the Holy Spirit
and with power, who went aboutdoing good and healing all who
(15:42):
were oppressed by the devil, forGod was with him.
So this mission that we arecalled to is our Father's work,
and he gives us all that we needto to is our Father's work and
he gives us all that we need todo what he has called us to do.
We just went through the bookof Nehemiah and we saw how God
(16:03):
worked in the life of Nehemiah.
I loved it when the words werecoming.
This morning he actuallyNehemiah spent more time in
prayer before the Lord.
He did spend more time than theactual time it took for him to
complete the walls.
It took 52 days to complete theassignment, but we heard this
(16:24):
morning that three months he wasseeking the face of God and
asking the Lord for help toexecute his mission.
I also found a man that I loveso much in the scriptures,
called David, and this man is aman after God's own heart.
And it's for a reason, becauseI look at the life of David at
(16:50):
the most difficult time in hislife, where he had fallen into
sin and he was praying andrepenting before the Lord.
His prayer is recorded for usin Psalm 51.
When you get to verse 10, hesays Creating me a pure heart, o
God, and renew a steadfastspirit within me.
(17:13):
Do not cast me away from yourpresence, do not take your Holy
Spirit from me.
Restore also unto me the joy ofsalvation and uphold me with a
free spirit.
So will I teach transgressorsyour ways, and sinners shall be
(17:34):
converted to you.
This is a man who is repentingof his sin and he's talking
about teaching God's word totransgressors that sinners will
be converted to God.
He knew the heart of God.
He knew that it's the heart ofthe Father that sinners will
convert to him, because Goddoesn't take any pleasure when a
(17:58):
sinner dies in his sin.
If there's anything thatgrieves the heart of God, it's
when people die in their sins.
But for his people, he says,precious in the sight of God are
the death of his sins.
The death that is not pleasingin God's sight is the death of
(18:19):
the sinner.
But he knows that his ownpeople are coming to him, so he
rejoices to welcome them.
So this morning we will praythe heart of David that sinners
will turn to God, because hisarms is always open.
That is why Jesus was nailed onthe cross, so that his arms
(18:41):
will always be open to anyonewho turns to him and he never
forsakes.
He never leaves his children.
His arms are always open.
The mission is also our callingas children of God.
God has called us to be in hismission.
(19:04):
Jesus said in Matthew, chapter28, verse 18 to 20,.
Jesus came and said to them allauthority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
Now, this scripture saved mylife, because where I grew up, I
(19:25):
was raised up in a lot of fear.
I was always afraid of demonicpresence and all kinds of things
.
But when I read this scripture,jesus said all authority, not
only in heaven but on earth, isgiven unto me.
Like well, there's no need tobe afraid of demons, there's no
need to be afraid of the devil,because Jesus has all authority.
(19:49):
He's the King of kings and theLord of lords.
All power belongs to Jesus andat the mention of the name,
every knee shall bow and everytongue shall confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
He said.
Therefore, go make disciples ofall nations.
(20:10):
Go make disciples of allnations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of theSon and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe allthat I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you,always, to the end of age.
We are not alone.
(20:31):
I'm not standing here alone.
He is with us.
He has not called us to bealone.
He is right there with us,giving us all the power, all the
authority, all the grace thatwe need, even as we work with
him.
Missions is an opportunity towork with God, and I love how
(20:53):
the gospel of Mark ends.
He says that.
And they went forth preachingthe word, the Lord working with
them, confirming the word withsigns following.
So wherever we go, we don't goalone.
The Lord is always working withus in the mission.
(21:14):
The gospel is for the world.
It doesn't end with us.
It is not just what God doesfor me and that's it.
No, god has a plan for thewhole world.
For God so loved the world, hegave his only begotten son.
But whosoever believes in himshould not perish but have
(21:39):
everlasting life.
It's also said in 2 Corinthians5, verse 19,.
It says that in Christ, god wasreconciling the world to
himself, not counting theirtrespasses against them, and
entrusting to us the message ofreconciliation.
(22:01):
God wants to reconcile with man,and at the cross is where the
reconciliation takes place.
I have a little bit ofbackground in accounting and we
studied what we call bankreconciliation statement.
And we studied what we callbank reconciliation statement
and in that sometimes thecustomer's cash book may not
agree with the bank statement.
So they try to figure outwhat's the difference, what
(22:22):
caused the differences, so theyprepare bank reconciliation
statement.
God wants to reconcile us tohimself and that is why he gave
Jesus Christ and he said he hasmade us ministers of
reconciliation.
We bring people in agreementwith God.
Because of sin, man is nolonger in agreement with God.
(22:47):
But at the cross our sins areforgiven, but at the cross our
sins are forgiven.
The blood of Jesus is enough towipe out all our sins and bring
us into harmony and agreementwith the Father.
God intends that everyone whohas embraced the gospel become
part of the great enterprise ofspreading the gospel.
(23:10):
It may look different for eachand every one of us, but we are
all called Hallelujah.
We are not left out.
There is an assignment for us.
God desires that his son, jesusChrist, reign in every heart,
that Jesus be exalted and belifted up in the hearts of men,
(23:33):
because he is indeed our savior.
He is the one who delivers usfrom the domain of darkness and
he has transferred us into thekingdom of his son.
Pastor Tyler mentioned that verysoon actually, when I
immigrated from Ghana to theUnited States, I have to be
(23:55):
resident here for three yearsbefore I can apply for
citizenship.
I'm not a citizen yet, butthere is a time where I can
apply for it.
And now I'm still a citizen ofGhana and someday I'll be a
citizen of the United States ofAmerica.
The Bible says that we haveanother citizenship.
(24:17):
It says our citizenship is inheaven, where we eagerly await a
savior from there, our LordJesus Christ, whom, by the power
that enables him to bringeverything under his control.
(24:41):
So, everyone who believes inJesus Christ, there is an
instant transference.
We are transferred into thekingdom of God and we are
transferred into the kingdom ofGod and we are citizens of the
kingdom of God.
Now in the United States I haveto wait for three years, and
(25:01):
sometimes it's even longer, butin God's kingdom we don't have
to wait that long.
That moment that we believe inthe Lord, we become part of the
family of God.
So to conclude, there's ascripture that I read in Joshua,
(25:22):
chapter 13.
Now Joshua was very old and inthe previous chapter, the last
verse, it talks about how theyhave defeated 31 kings and they
have conquered a lot of lands.
But in Joshua, chapter 13,verse 1, he says Now Joshua was
(25:48):
old and advanced in years.
And the Lord said to him youare old and advanced in years
and there remains still verymuch land to possess, very much
land to possess.
There are still many lands topossess and the Lord is willing
(26:08):
to empower His people, howeverthat looks like in the land that
he wants us to reach for Him.
He wants to do that.
So how do we respond?
Respond like Nehemiah, inprayer.
So mission is his birth inprayer, that we spend time
(26:30):
before the Lord.
Jesus told the disciples wait,spend time, wait for the promise
of the Father, don't be in ahurry, wait.
And they waited for 10 days andthe Holy Spirit came and they
became different people.
Peter, who previously would notwant to identify with Christ.
(26:51):
He was very timid and deniedthe Lord.
After that he was a differentman.
Saint Peter stood and spoke theword and 3,000 people were
converted.
That's the difference that theHoly Spirit makes in our lives.
During the COVID time, I was inprayer See my little town
(27:16):
praying and the Lord spoke to me.
He said take the gospel to thecommunities around you.
I said, okay, I will do that.
So I started going to thecommunity centers and we shared
the gospel.
They were in lockdown, but inthese communities some of them
they don't even have televisions, but they had a PA system where
(27:41):
I could go there and speak andeveryone would hear me.
So I'll go and speak and we'llgo to homes, ask them how they
are doing, share prayer withthem, ask them what they thought
about the way that was preached, and many were encouraged.
Now it cost money to go to allthose communities and so while I
(28:04):
was on the mountain I knew somepeople that I wrote their names
down Say, oh, maybe God willtouch their hearts to support
the mission that he has laid onmy heart.
Now, as I obeyed the Lord andwent after we have reached about
12 communities, I went back tomy notes and I looked at the
names and these people.
(28:25):
I haven't talked to them aboutwhat the Lord had put it on my
heart to do.
I haven't asked them to supportit, lord, and respond to what
(28:46):
he's calling us to do.
We can also respond inevangelism, making disciples I
did mention it In our homes, ourchurch, here at Trinity
Community Church, and also atour workplace workplace.
We can be a light Jesus in ourworkplace, and also to foreign
lands very soon.
(29:09):
There are people from herecurrently who are on foreign
lands for the mission of God.
Maybe God may be calling someof us to that.
We should be open to what Godwants to do with us and also we
must intentionally supportmissionaries with our prayers.
I'm so thankful this morningthe elders and the prayer team
(29:34):
how they covered me in prayerand it's amazing because we need
prayers of the saints, becausewithout the people of God we
can't do it.
I believe that there are someof us that the Lord will be
calling to just intercede forpeople who are on the fields
(29:55):
doing missionary work and ifthat is us, let us respond to it
and invest time in praying forpeople in missions and also
support missionaries with ourresources and support
missionaries with our resources.
I don't have to talk more aboutthat because this is a
missionary church and that isalready done here.
(30:18):
But this morning I want us toenter into a time of prayer
because I believe that there aresome here that the Lord is
doing a work in our hearts.
I believe there are some herewho wants to reconcile with God.
You may have believed on theLord, jesus Christ before, but
(30:39):
right now you are at a placewhere it feels like it's stopped
and it feels like you've hit awall in your walk with God, and
the Lord wants to make a wayright now.
So the prayer team will becoming right now, I believe.
If you are like that and youwant to renew your relationship
(31:01):
with God, I want you to comeforward and we will share a
prayer.
The Lord wants to renewcommitments and he wants to make
a way in the hearts of hispeople.
(31:22):
He is a faithful God.
Thank you Jesus.
Thank you, abba, father.
He is a faithful God.
Thank you Jesus.
Thank you, abba, father.
We bless your name.
We give you praise, lord.
We give you all the honor.
I'll be open as they come, justpraying that the Lord will take
(31:51):
whatever has been a hindrance,whatever is stopping us from
going forward in our walk withGod.
The Lord will remove it.
I also want to pray for somepeople.
You know that you've beencalled to missions, but you
don't know where to start or howthat looks like.
(32:12):
You can also join us in prayer.
And the final group of peoplethat we want to pray for this
morning is for those who neverhad any encounter with the Holy
Spirit and you desire the HolySpirit to come, to come and
reign in your life.
(32:32):
Because without the Holy Spiritto come, to come and reign in
your life, because without theHoly Spirit, there's nothing
that we can do.
Paul went to a place and theyhad believed and they were
baptized.
He asked them so since youbelieved, have you received the
Holy Spirit?
They said we don't know.
We don't know about any HolySpirit.
(32:52):
So if we are here and you'venever had any encounter with the
Holy Spirit, the prayer teamwill be praying for you in the
name of Jesus Church.
Let's stand up and worship theLord and bless His name.
Father, we give you praise.
(33:14):
If you need prayer, you can walkforward In Jesus' name.
Thank you, lord.
We bless your holy name.
Lord, we give you praise.
We magnify your name.
Oh Lord, we exalt you, lord.
Thank you, holy Spirit.
(33:36):
We magnify you, lord.
We give you all the praise inthe name of Jesus.
Thank you, lord, for what youare doing in your church.
Oh Lord, calling us to yourmission, lord of the harvest, we
pray to you, lord, in the nameof Jesus, for all those that you
(34:01):
are calling this morning.
Father, we pray in the name ofJesus, that you empower us with
the Holy Spirit.
You help us, oh Lord, tofulfill that which you've called
us to do.
Paul said Say to our keepersthat he may lay hold of the
(34:22):
ministry which he has receivedfrom the Lord, that he may
fulfill it.
Father, we pray, in the mightyname of Jesus, that the
ministries that you've given usempower us, oh Lord, that we
will fulfill it to your gloryand to your praise.
We give you all the glory, ohLord.
(34:46):
We give you all the honor.
We thank you, father, in Jesus'name, amen.
Amen.
Thank you so much for this day.
This is the day the Lord hasmade.
We will rejoice and be glad init.
I'm really thankful for theelders here at Trinity for the
privilege to stand here andspeak to the people of God.
It is very humbling and I'mreally thankful for this great
(00:24):
honor.
It is very humbling and I'mreally thankful for this great
honor.
My name is Ebenezer Esiama.
I've yet to meet anybody calledEbenezer since I moved to
America.
I don't know why, but there iscertainly Ebenezer Scrooge who
messed it up for me, but outwest I found a street called
(00:48):
Ebenezer, so that was comforting.
I'm really thankful that theLord brought me here.
The journey that led me here isall about missions, so this
morning we're going to look atmissions and how the Lord
empowers us for mission.
I'm going to read the book ofActs of the Apostles, chapter 1,
(01:10):
verse 1 to 8.
In the first book, o Theophilus, I have dealt with all that
Jesus began to do and teachuntil the day when he was taken
up.
After he had given commandsthrough the Holy Spirit to the
apostles whom he had chosen, hepresented himself alive to them
(01:32):
after his suffering, by manyproofs appearing to them during
the 40 days and speaking aboutthe kingdom of God, and while
staying with them, he orderedthem not to depart from
Jerusalem but to wait for thepromise of the Father, which he
said you heard from me, for Johnbaptized with water, but you
(01:56):
will be baptized with the HolySpirit not many days from now.
So when they had come together,they asked him.
(02:19):
He said to them when the HolySpirit has come upon you and
you'll be my witnesses inJerusalem, in all Judea and
Samaria, to the end of the age,shall we pray.
Abba, father, we thank you somuch for your kindness.
We thank you, lord, that youare the God of the harvest and
(02:42):
this is all about you.
O Lord, father, I ask, in thename of Jesus, that you would
speak to us this day, that ourhearts would be a federal soil
for your word, that we wouldreceive your word with
understanding and that youtransform us by the power of
your word.
Precious Holy Spirit, we askfor your empowerment also, help
(03:05):
us, oh Lord, that we may bewitnesses for you In wherever
you've called us.
May your name be glorified inus and through us, in Jesus'
name, amen.
So I was born in Ghana, in asmall community and was born to
a Christian family, and I grewup watching my parents always go
(03:30):
into church.
As a matter of fact, my dad wasa trader and also he was a
teacher and he served in thechurch.
And one thing I saw them doevery morning, from Monday to
Friday, before they would go towork, they would meet in a small
(03:52):
church and they would sharedevotion, pray and have time in
the Word before he would go towork.
And we would always go tochurch.
So I grew up going to church,but I didn't have any
relationship with God.
I was just going because myparents were going and at some
point in my life, when I was ateenager, I had some friends who
(04:13):
also didn't know the Lord, likemyself, and so we would go to
horrible places.
We'd go to nightclubs, wherevernightclubs, wherever.
Wherever there is music worldlymusic you'll find me there, and
at a point in around 2009 to2010,.
(04:35):
One time I was there, I wasstanding in a nightclub and I'm
like what am I doing?
It was like a prodigal sonmoment for me, and when the
prodigal son came to himself, hesaid what is happening to me?
You know, my father hasservants who are doing so much
better than I'm doing now.
(04:56):
So the Lord did that for me inmy life and I'm like, no, I'm
just, I need to go back.
And that was the last time Istepped foot in the nightclub
and I'm thankful that I had apastor then called Joseph Asante
who kind of brought me veryclose to him and would ask me to
(05:19):
read scriptures for him and hewould take me along in ministry.
So it kind of stirred my heartfor God and when I started out I
was very shy and timid.
I never thought that a timewould come I'll be able to stand
before people to speak.
But the word of God is quickand powerful, sharper than any
(05:41):
two edges sword, piercing evento the dividing asunder of the
soul and spirit and of thejoints and marrow, and the word
is a descent of the thoughts andintents of the heart.
When I read the word I justLord, your word says that we
will receive power when the HolySpirit comes upon us and we
will be witnesses.
(06:02):
So I started to seek the HolySpirit and I started to seek the
Holy Spirit and I started toseek the power of God and the
Lord was gracious to me to giveme his Holy Spirit who has been
working in me, giving me powerto stand before people and
declare the testimony of ourLord Jesus Christ.
Testimony of our Lord JesusChrist.
(06:30):
So I started 2010, when Istarted to be in ministry and
minister the gospel, and thatsame year I was praying.
I said God, surround me withyour people, because the friends
that I had didn't know the Lord.
At that same time, too, I wasgetting ready to go to college
and the Lord did something,because in my little town,
usually when they finish highschool, that's it, that's the
(06:51):
end.
But by the grace of God, hehelped me to make it to college
and while there, he surroundedme with people who loved God and
will always be talking aboutthe things of God.
The Lord answered my prayerthat he was so gracious in
giving me friends who loved God.
And while there, there wereprophecies that the Lord has
(07:18):
called you to ministry and youwill be a missionary preaching
the word.
And so first year in college,they started calling me apostle.
So I spent four years in collegeand after graduation I was
praying.
I'm like, if the Lord is goingto use me, then I need to make a
decision and commit.
(07:38):
So I applied for ministerialapprenticeship program in the
capital of Ghana, a place it'scalled Accra, and there was a
missionary from America, it'scalled Pastor Richard Whitcomb,
and he was doing apprenticeshipprogram, where he invites people
and trains them and then sendthem out.
(08:00):
So I'm like I'm going to go forthis program.
So I applied and I didn't knowwhere I was going to stay, I
didn't know how I was going tobe provided for.
I just applied and went and, bythe grace of God the Lord was
so gracious they provided aplace of stay for me and they
(08:20):
were giving me monthlyallowances and took care of me
and trained me in the things ofGod.
It was there that I met myfather-in-law, pastor Mark
Medley.
In 2017, early 2017, he came toGhana and I was part of the
students that he trained and Iloved him.
(08:42):
The very first time I met him,I saw that there was something.
I loved him.
The very first time I met him,I saw that there was something
different about him and he lovedthe Lord.
So we went to villages,communities and bringing people
who are in ministry pastors andchurch workers together for
training, because they didn'thave that in the villages.
(09:02):
So I was part of the team thatorganized that conference,
sitting on motorbikes, going onvery hard roads and bringing all
the pastors.
So while we were there he gotsick.
He ate something that didn'treally settle well with him, but
(09:23):
anytime he would stand to speak, god would give him grace to
teach.
And so I said to myself thisman may never come back to
Africa again Due to what he wasgoing through.
But he came again.
He came the following year andhe didn't come alone.
(09:45):
He came with my wife, katie,and when I met Katie in the
village I knew that the Lord wasdoing something.
I knew that God has somethingin mind and I just thank God
that the Lord brought ustogether and he's so merciful
(10:08):
and gracious.
When I started out in my littlevillage sharing the gospel,
going to homes and people willask me are you a Jehovah witness
?
I'm a Jesus witness and Ididn't know that a time would
come I'd be standing here beforeyou sharing the gospel.
(10:30):
But God's word is so faithfuland true that when he gives us
his Holy Spirit and he gives ushis power, there's no telling
where God will take us.
And it's so amazing watchingwhat God is doing.
His word is true and he isfaithful, jesus Christ, when he
(10:51):
started his ministry and at theage of 30, when he went to that
place where he grew up, nazareth, they gave him the scroll of
the prophet Isaiah and he founda place where it was written the
spirit of the Lord is upon me.
He has anointed me to proclaimthe gospel to the poor.
(11:13):
He has sent me to proclaimliberty to the captives and
recovering of sight to the blind.
He has sent me to proclaimfreedom to the oppressed.
When he said that, he sat downand every eye was upon him and
(11:38):
he said Today this word isfulfilled in your ears.
There's nothing that Jesus didwithout the Holy Spirit.
Everything that he did, he didit by the Spirit.
It was the Holy Spirit whoempowered him to heal the sick,
to raise the dead, to cast outdevils.
And if we are called tomissions, we cannot do it
(12:01):
without the Holy Spirit.
We need the Holy Spirit toempower us.
We need the Holy Spirit to giveus boldness to be witnesses in
our own Jerusalem.
I believe that our Jerusalemcould be our home with our
family, where we share thegospel with our family.
And it doesn't end there.
(12:23):
He said in all Judea, and Judahmeans praise.
So I believe you could be inyour place of worship where you
see opportunities, in a place ofworship where you avail
yourself of God to use you forhis glory.
And then he said to Samaria andI think Samaria, sometimes in
(12:45):
our workplace it looks likeSamaria Because the Samaritans,
they are mistress of the Jewsand Gentiles.
In our workplaces we findpeople who are some are
believers, some are not.
So even there we can bewitnesses for Jesus.
And so thankful that my friendLuke from our work has joined us
(13:07):
this morning.
So the mission is the heart ofthe Father morning.
So the mission is the heart ofthe Father.
When you look at Genesis, whenman fell, it was God who took
(13:27):
the initiative and sought forman.
Adam was not going to seek forGod because he had obeyed the
devil and was lost in sin, deadin sin, but the heart of the
Father was pursuing him.
So I believe that mission isthe heart of the Father.
And he said Adam, where are you?
He wasn't asking this questionbecause he was ignorant of where
he was.
It's just giving him anopportunity to recognize his
(13:49):
state and to repent and turn tohim.
But he did not.
Instead he blamed God and weall know the story.
And later on, when Cain rose upagainst his brother Abel and
killed him because his sacrificewas not accepted and his
(14:09):
brother Abel's sacrifice wasaccepted before the Lord, he got
angry and killed his brother.
And even that God was stillseeking him, asked him, king,
where is your brother?
He said am I my brother'skeeper?
So the heart of the father isalways to seek the lost, to give
(14:31):
us the opportunity to turn toHim.
And that is what he does,because he loves us and that is
why he sent Jesus Christ, hisSon, to come and seek and save
the lost.
And so today, I believe thatthe Lord is still seeking His
lost children, and I know thatit may be a long time coming,
(14:55):
and maybe you've been prayingfor a relative, a loved one, to
come to the Lord.
Just know that your prayerswill not be in vain, that the
Lord, who is always seeking forthe lost, will seek and find the
lost loved one and bring himback to him.
In Jesus name, amen.
(15:20):
Missions, it's also the father'swork.
It's what he does.
He's always working.
When Jesus came, it said of himin Acts, chapter 10, verse 38.
How God anointed Jesus ofNazareth with the Holy Spirit
and with power, who went aboutdoing good and healing all who
(15:42):
were oppressed by the devil, forGod was with him.
So this mission that we arecalled to is our Father's work,
and he gives us all that we needto to is our Father's work and
he gives us all that we need todo what he has called us to do.
We just went through the bookof Nehemiah and we saw how God
(16:03):
worked in the life of Nehemiah.
I loved it when the words werecoming.
This morning he actuallyNehemiah spent more time in
prayer before the Lord.
He did spend more time than theactual time it took for him to
complete the walls.
It took 52 days to complete theassignment, but we heard this
(16:24):
morning that three months he wasseeking the face of God and
asking the Lord for help toexecute his mission.
I also found a man that I loveso much in the scriptures,
called David, and this man is aman after God's own heart.
And it's for a reason, becauseI look at the life of David at
(16:50):
the most difficult time in hislife, where he had fallen into
sin and he was praying andrepenting before the Lord.
His prayer is recorded for usin Psalm 51.
When you get to verse 10, hesays Creating me a pure heart, o
God, and renew a steadfastspirit within me.
(17:13):
Do not cast me away from yourpresence, do not take your Holy
Spirit from me.
Restore also unto me the joy ofsalvation and uphold me with a
free spirit.
So will I teach transgressorsyour ways, and sinners shall be
(17:34):
converted to you.
This is a man who is repentingof his sin and he's talking
about teaching God's word totransgressors that sinners will
be converted to God.
He knew the heart of God.
He knew that it's the heart ofthe Father that sinners will
convert to him, because Goddoesn't take any pleasure when a
(17:58):
sinner dies in his sin.
If there's anything thatgrieves the heart of God, it's
when people die in their sins.
But for his people, he says,precious in the sight of God are
the death of his sins.
The death that is not pleasingin God's sight is the death of
(18:19):
the sinner.
But he knows that his ownpeople are coming to him, so he
rejoices to welcome them.
So this morning we will praythe heart of David that sinners
will turn to God, because hisarms is always open.
That is why Jesus was nailed onthe cross, so that his arms
(18:41):
will always be open to anyonewho turns to him and he never
forsakes.
He never leaves his children.
His arms are always open.
The mission is also our callingas children of God.
God has called us to be in hismission.
(19:04):
Jesus said in Matthew, chapter28, verse 18 to 20,.
Jesus came and said to them allauthority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
Now, this scripture saved mylife, because where I grew up, I
(19:25):
was raised up in a lot of fear.
I was always afraid of demonicpresence and all kinds of things
.
But when I read this scripture,jesus said all authority, not
only in heaven but on earth, isgiven unto me.
Like well, there's no need tobe afraid of demons, there's no
need to be afraid of the devil,because Jesus has all authority.
(19:49):
He's the King of kings and theLord of lords.
All power belongs to Jesus andat the mention of the name,
every knee shall bow and everytongue shall confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
He said.
Therefore, go make disciples ofall nations.
(20:10):
Go make disciples of allnations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of theSon and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe allthat I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you,always, to the end of age.
We are not alone.
(20:31):
I'm not standing here alone.
He is with us.
He has not called us to bealone.
He is right there with us,giving us all the power, all the
authority, all the grace thatwe need, even as we work with
him.
Missions is an opportunity towork with God, and I love how
(20:53):
the gospel of Mark ends.
He says that.
And they went forth preachingthe word, the Lord working with
them, confirming the word withsigns following.
So wherever we go, we don't goalone.
The Lord is always working withus in the mission.
(21:14):
The gospel is for the world.
It doesn't end with us.
It is not just what God doesfor me and that's it.
No, god has a plan for thewhole world.
For God so loved the world, hegave his only begotten son.
But whosoever believes in himshould not perish but have
(21:39):
everlasting life.
It's also said in 2 Corinthians5, verse 19,.
It says that in Christ, god wasreconciling the world to
himself, not counting theirtrespasses against them, and
entrusting to us the message ofreconciliation.
(22:01):
God wants to reconcile with man,and at the cross is where the
reconciliation takes place.
I have a little bit ofbackground in accounting and we
studied what we call bankreconciliation statement.
And we studied what we callbank reconciliation statement
and in that sometimes thecustomer's cash book may not
agree with the bank statement.
So they try to figure outwhat's the difference, what
(22:22):
caused the differences, so theyprepare bank reconciliation
statement.
God wants to reconcile us tohimself and that is why he gave
Jesus Christ and he said he hasmade us ministers of
reconciliation.
We bring people in agreementwith God.
Because of sin, man is nolonger in agreement with God.
(22:47):
But at the cross our sins areforgiven, but at the cross our
sins are forgiven.
The blood of Jesus is enough towipe out all our sins and bring
us into harmony and agreementwith the Father.
God intends that everyone whohas embraced the gospel become
part of the great enterprise ofspreading the gospel.
(23:10):
It may look different for eachand every one of us, but we are
all called Hallelujah.
We are not left out.
There is an assignment for us.
God desires that his son, jesusChrist, reign in every heart,
that Jesus be exalted and belifted up in the hearts of men,
(23:33):
because he is indeed our savior.
He is the one who delivers usfrom the domain of darkness and
he has transferred us into thekingdom of his son.
Pastor Tyler mentioned that verysoon actually, when I
immigrated from Ghana to theUnited States, I have to be
(23:55):
resident here for three yearsbefore I can apply for
citizenship.
I'm not a citizen yet, butthere is a time where I can
apply for it.
And now I'm still a citizen ofGhana and someday I'll be a
citizen of the United States ofAmerica.
The Bible says that we haveanother citizenship.
(24:17):
It says our citizenship is inheaven, where we eagerly await a
savior from there, our LordJesus Christ, whom, by the power
that enables him to bringeverything under his control.
(24:41):
So, everyone who believes inJesus Christ, there is an
instant transference.
We are transferred into thekingdom of God and we are
transferred into the kingdom ofGod and we are citizens of the
kingdom of God.
Now in the United States I haveto wait for three years, and
(25:01):
sometimes it's even longer, butin God's kingdom we don't have
to wait that long.
That moment that we believe inthe Lord, we become part of the
family of God.
So to conclude, there's ascripture that I read in Joshua,
(25:22):
chapter 13.
Now Joshua was very old and inthe previous chapter, the last
verse, it talks about how theyhave defeated 31 kings and they
have conquered a lot of lands.
But in Joshua, chapter 13,verse 1, he says Now Joshua was
(25:48):
old and advanced in years.
And the Lord said to him youare old and advanced in years
and there remains still verymuch land to possess, very much
land to possess.
There are still many lands topossess and the Lord is willing
(26:08):
to empower His people, howeverthat looks like in the land that
he wants us to reach for Him.
He wants to do that.
So how do we respond?
Respond like Nehemiah, inprayer.
So mission is his birth inprayer, that we spend time
(26:30):
before the Lord.
Jesus told the disciples wait,spend time, wait for the promise
of the Father, don't be in ahurry, wait.
And they waited for 10 days andthe Holy Spirit came and they
became different people.
Peter, who previously would notwant to identify with Christ.
(26:51):
He was very timid and deniedthe Lord.
After that he was a differentman.
Saint Peter stood and spoke theword and 3,000 people were
converted.
That's the difference that theHoly Spirit makes in our lives.
During the COVID time, I was inprayer See my little town
(27:16):
praying and the Lord spoke to me.
He said take the gospel to thecommunities around you.
I said, okay, I will do that.
So I started going to thecommunity centers and we shared
the gospel.
They were in lockdown, but inthese communities some of them
they don't even have televisions, but they had a PA system where
(27:41):
I could go there and speak andeveryone would hear me.
So I'll go and speak and we'llgo to homes, ask them how they
are doing, share prayer withthem, ask them what they thought
about the way that was preached, and many were encouraged.
Now it cost money to go to allthose communities and so while I
(28:04):
was on the mountain I knew somepeople that I wrote their names
down Say, oh, maybe God willtouch their hearts to support
the mission that he has laid onmy heart.
Now, as I obeyed the Lord andwent after we have reached about
12 communities, I went back tomy notes and I looked at the
names and these people.
(28:25):
I haven't talked to them aboutwhat the Lord had put it on my
heart to do.
I haven't asked them to supportit, lord, and respond to what
(28:46):
he's calling us to do.
We can also respond inevangelism, making disciples I
did mention it In our homes, ourchurch, here at Trinity
Community Church, and also atour workplace workplace.
We can be a light Jesus in ourworkplace, and also to foreign
lands very soon.
(29:09):
There are people from herecurrently who are on foreign
lands for the mission of God.
Maybe God may be calling someof us to that.
We should be open to what Godwants to do with us and also we
must intentionally supportmissionaries with our prayers.
I'm so thankful this morningthe elders and the prayer team
(29:34):
how they covered me in prayerand it's amazing because we need
prayers of the saints, becausewithout the people of God we
can't do it.
I believe that there are someof us that the Lord will be
calling to just intercede forpeople who are on the fields
(29:55):
doing missionary work and ifthat is us, let us respond to it
and invest time in praying forpeople in missions and also
support missionaries with ourresources and support
missionaries with our resources.
I don't have to talk more aboutthat because this is a
missionary church and that isalready done here.
(30:18):
But this morning I want us toenter into a time of prayer
because I believe that there aresome here that the Lord is
doing a work in our hearts.
I believe there are some herewho wants to reconcile with God.
You may have believed on theLord, jesus Christ before, but
(30:39):
right now you are at a placewhere it feels like it's stopped
and it feels like you've hit awall in your walk with God, and
the Lord wants to make a wayright now.
So the prayer team will becoming right now, I believe.
If you are like that and youwant to renew your relationship
(31:01):
with God, I want you to comeforward and we will share a
prayer.
The Lord wants to renewcommitments and he wants to make
a way in the hearts of hispeople.
(31:22):
He is a faithful God.
Thank you Jesus.
Thank you, abba, father.
He is a faithful God.
Thank you Jesus.
Thank you, abba, father.
We bless your name.
We give you praise, lord.
We give you all the honor.
I'll be open as they come, justpraying that the Lord will take
(31:51):
whatever has been a hindrance,whatever is stopping us from
going forward in our walk withGod.
The Lord will remove it.
I also want to pray for somepeople.
You know that you've beencalled to missions, but you
don't know where to start or howthat looks like.
(32:12):
You can also join us in prayer.
And the final group of peoplethat we want to pray for this
morning is for those who neverhad any encounter with the Holy
Spirit and you desire the HolySpirit to come, to come and
reign in your life.
(32:32):
Because without the Holy Spiritto come, to come and reign in
your life, because without theHoly Spirit, there's nothing
that we can do.
Paul went to a place and theyhad believed and they were
baptized.
He asked them so since youbelieved, have you received the
Holy Spirit?
They said we don't know.
We don't know about any HolySpirit.
(32:52):
So if we are here and you'venever had any encounter with the
Holy Spirit, the prayer teamwill be praying for you in the
name of Jesus Church.
Let's stand up and worship theLord and bless His name.
Father, we give you praise.
(33:14):
If you need prayer, you can walkforward In Jesus' name.
Thank you, lord.
We bless your holy name.
Lord, we give you praise.
We magnify your name.
Oh Lord, we exalt you, lord.
Thank you, holy Spirit.
(33:36):
We magnify you, lord.
We give you all the praise inthe name of Jesus.
Thank you, lord, for what youare doing in your church.
Oh Lord, calling us to yourmission, lord of the harvest, we
pray to you, lord, in the nameof Jesus, for all those that you
(34:01):
are calling this morning.
Father, we pray in the name ofJesus, that you empower us with
the Holy Spirit.
You help us, oh Lord, tofulfill that which you've called
us to do.
Paul said Say to our keepersthat he may lay hold of the
(34:22):
ministry which he has receivedfrom the Lord, that he may
fulfill it.
Father, we pray, in the mightyname of Jesus, that the
ministries that you've given usempower us, oh Lord, that we
will fulfill it to your gloryand to your praise.
We give you all the glory, ohLord.
(34:46):
We give you all the honor.
We thank you, father, in Jesus'name, amen.
Amen.
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