CATCH THE FIRE : MY 50TH BIRTHDAY MESSAGE

MY 50TH BIRTHDAY MESSAGE : CATCH THE FIRE!!
Today is my birthday. I thank God for making me live to see this great day.
I dedicate this memorable day of my life, to the life and ministry of a great but unassuming man of God from whom I caught the fire to become a Preacher at an Area Easter Convention at Toase near Kumasi, Ashanti Region of Ghana in 1992.

Being my first time of attending a church Convention, I was very eager to literally swallow everything to come from the great men of God who were billed to minister so I made sure I sat and slept on one of the first benches facing the platform throughout the Convention.

My greatest moment of surprise came on Sunday evening when the Preacher was called. I saw a young guy of my age coming in front of the microphone but I thought he was going to set the microphone for the preacher. But he just stood there, thanked the leaders for giving him the opportunity and started preaching. I was very surprised. How can this ‘boy’ be allowed to preach while there were so many big men around of which some had been ministering powerfully? How should they allow this guy to preach the last but one message since the session seams to be climax of the Convention? So can this boy preach effectively facing such a big crowd, and with such great men of God sitting behind him on the platform without shaking and fumbling? I didn’t know much about the church by then so I just kept everything to myself.

This Preacher guy had some confidence and authority I couldn’t understand. He just called people to repent from their sinful ways and accept Jesus as their saviour and also asked those of us who were Christians to live godly lives. My greatest surprise was that before he could finish preaching, people were coming towards the platform to accept Christ and the greatest number of souls won during the Convention, were won on that fateful evening.

That night I couldn’t sleep but contemplated on the ‘punch’, simplicity and humility this young Preacher displayed as well as the response of his ministration. Then I prayed that God should help me to be like this young Preacher. Though I enjoyed all  the ministrations, I didn’t desire to be like any of the big men around because they were Pastors. But that boy was just like me so I was very optimistic God will listen to my prayer request.

I went home after the convention with a firm determination to become a Preacher with a powerful punch. So I started preaching: First to classroom chairs after night studies. Then to church benches after personal all night prayers. Then at home. Then dawn broadcasts in my neighbourhood. Then during youth ministry (PENTYEM) meetings, campus PENSA meetings, in buses, in trains during vacations...until I was given the green light to preach to church congregations.
Eight years later, the Lord repeated what I saw in that Preacher with me! I was also given the opportunity to preach at an Area Convention in Juaso (Konongo Area) but before I realised, people were rushing to accept Jesus so I had to stop preaching.... That same year, I received my calling into ministry. All these years I couldn’t get connected to my young Preacher until I got to Bible College and realised he had been called into ministry the previous year.

Five years ago, I met him in Suhum Area when he was transferred from Tamale. I told him my story and he was surprised I did not desire to be like any of the big men! We worked together with joy untill I was transferred to Great Ningo last year.
And the greatest part of the story is that the two of us share the same birthday and the same year of birth!
Today is our Golden Jubilee Day. On this day, I salute you, Pastor Evans Annaba Mensah of Suhum Ayebronmu District. I prayed to God to let me become a Preacher like you and the Lord granted my prayer request. I caught the fire from you... and the fire is still burning in my soul. I owe a greater part of my ministry to what Ps Annaba allowed the Holy Spirit to use him to do. If I can now preach in churches, seminars, on radio, information centers and the social media platforms with fruitful results, it all boils up to the fact that I caught the fire from him. And his fire was from the right source!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to Pastor Evans Annaba Mensah. Our lives after 50 years on this earth shall be glorious.
Amen.

Ps Boachie-Ansah
14/4/2018