Victory in Ghana

June 1995 Issue

By Ernest Angley

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen (Matthew 28:18-20).  All power was given unto Jesus, and He passed it on to His disciples, power to teach all nations.  We today are also His disciples, and the same power is ours.  In obedience to His great commission and with great anticipation, we left for Ghana, West Africa.  We were not disappointed.  In the ministers' meeting, the four crusade services and the two teaching seminars, God poured out His Spirit in an unbelievable way.  One pastor said that this was the first time the truth had come to Ghana in a great way.  God's power was with us to be used, and we saw thousands coming to God, thousands being delivered.

God has given me a great burden for the African nations, a burden I've carried for many, many years.  He has anointed me to deliver the Gospel to the African people in a very special way, and He has given me favor.

Brother Max Manning had been going to the different churches in the Accra area weeks before the tour group arrived.  He said the people were precious and wonderful wherever he went.  He knew my people would be blessed by the Ghanaian people and that the people of Ghana would be blessed by my people.  So it was no surprise that when we arrived things were in fine order.  The people were waiting, the ministers were there to greet us with warmth and excitement.  Everyone was so sweet, so kind.  Their love overwhelmed me, such precious love.

The crusade wasn't one that required us to stand guard against the devil and battle off demonic powers.  The greatness of the Word of God was already in so many hearts that we could evangelize with ease.  Although the majority of the people in Ghana had never seen miracles, it seemed to be easy for them to receive in the services because they were so familiar with the Word.  To see thousands of people giving their hearts to God with no great struggle was wonderful.  It makes one realize what it means for a nation to honor God, honor His Word.  This is what makes Ghana and her people and ministers so unusual.  The Word makes a difference in lives.

A lack of the Word allows the devil to take over.  That's the reason the devil doesn't want this Gospel to go forth, why so many evangelists are not preaching the truth to the people.  They have given over to the devil, teaching that no one can live free from sin, that people can speak in tongues at will.

The real Holy Ghost baptism is one of the things the devil has worked and worked against in an effort to destroy it.  Many have been disappointed in the charismatic movement; some received the real thing, but not everyone was sincere and really received from God.  God gave me insight to all of this years ago.  I tried to warn some people, but they didn't listen.  Wildfire got mixed in; those who did not uphold holy living got into all kinds of things.  Some did not come out of the world; they smoked, they drank.  One magazine reported that a certain evangelist who smoked and drank still claimed he had the baptism and spoke in other tongues.  Not of God he spoke.  It was not of God.

You will have to keep your eyes open in this last hour when you see what we are having to do on the mission field trying to clean up the deceit of the devil that has gone forth through these evangelists, these preachers in their books, teaching people to speak in so-called tongues at will, to prophesy.  The so-called prayer tongue and all that goes with it is a plague, saith the Lord.  The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit will speak through people, not that people will speak in tongues whenever they want.  The Holy Spirit is a person, and He speaks for Himself using man's vocal organs.  He prays through people Himself.  You cannot decide for the Holy Spirit when He should talk.  You cannot prophesy for the Holy Spirit.  He does His own prophesying through those who have received the real Holy Spirit and are yielded completely to Him.  Do not be gullible.

Some people don't like it because I preach the truth.  They want me to preach that everyone sins a little, that you can start in praying in tongues whenever you want.  I wouldn't be right with God if I preached those things.  God doesn't want false doctrine preached, only the true Gospel.  We cannot afford to let false doctrine or its ministers intimidate us in any way.  Stand on front-line duty for the Lord; stand for truth.  Live the truth so pure and clean that others can see what truth is.  We must carry the truth of His great love to all who will hear, demonstrating it for them in our lives.  Love will do many wonderful things as it shows the greatness of the Word.

The newspaper reported than an estimated 3,000 people attended the ministers' meeting prior to the crusade.  It was great to see so many ministers there ready to have a mighty crusade in the Lord, wonderful to be in an African nation that had so much of the Word and was reaping the results of the Word.  Even those who were not Christian at least had a respect for the Word of God.

WITH GREAT EXPECTANCY THE FIRST SERVICE OPENED

The opening service of the crusade came with great expectancy.  Many could hardly wait.  People stood close together, tight; they didn't seem concerned about comfort; they were watching, listening to every word.  I preached a message on salvation and the blood.  Then the Lord, through the Spirit of discerning, began pointing out the sick and afflicted and healing them.  The first service of a crusade doesn't usually start off like that.  One of the preachers said to me, "That is so wonderful, so great!  You just know what is wrong with them and they get healed.  They were right there."  It wasn't I who knew, it was the Lord who revealed their conditions to me.  The Word of God was in action, and by people yielding to the Word, the Lord could use His gifts of healing and His gift of miracles for them.  Even before anyone in the healing line had been prayed for, many miracles and healings had already taken place.

The people had been told by brother Manning that they would see miracles.  Many in that area receive The Power of The Holy Ghost magazine, and they were well prepared to see miracles like the ones they had read about.  Because we didn't have to fight doubt and unbelief from the very beginning, it was a bit of heaven to see how easily people received their miracles.

Children stood and watched the move of God, hung on every word.  People sang songs, waved hankies and showed much love.  God inhabits the praises of His people, and their praises sounded like the voice of many waters.

An unusually large number of young people were among the tour group, and they were quite excited with the way God was moving in the service and with the openness of the people.  On the beach or in the market place they were ready to testify and give literature—and people were ready to receive, ready to be saved, to be prayed for.  That's evangelism, such a wonderful opportunity for any real Child of God!  When you know you are on salvation ground, you know that others can be brought to that same ground, into that same living reality of Jesus Christ the Son of the living God.  "How am I ever going to describe this back home?" was the comment of one tour member.

GOD CALLED THE YOUNG

In the second service, people gave testimonies of miracles they had received—many from using the blest cloths we had mailed to them.  The sermon on the second night was "I See Four."  I told how angels join in the services.  Then through the Spirit of discerning, individuals were pointed out and healings and deliverances took place.  God gave many miracles.

There were multitudes of young people in the services.  It's hard to tell how many thousands and thousands of young people we reached.  Many were called to preach.  The Spirit of God came down in the second service, and the Lord spoke:

Yea, saith the Spirit of the Lord: I am in the midst of this people.  My power is here to work within.  No power is as great as mine, and I am moving with mighty power to deliver.  And I will do great and mighty things for this people.  I love you with an unending love.  My love is yours, saith the Lord.  My strength is yours, saith the Lord.  My greatness is yours, saith the Lord.  Reach and partake of my greatness.  I desire to feed you with manna from on High.  I desire to strengthen you so that you can do a greater work for me.  I have much work for you to do.  It is harvest time, and I need people to bring in my harvest.  I need workers, and I will call many of the young in this service that I have sent to you, and I will gift the young to proclaim my Gospel, to proclaim my Gospel, saith the Lord.

God was there in an overwhelming way.  I told the people: "I want every young person to lift your hands.  God is calling for you.  Lift your hands and give your life as a living sacrifice on the altar of God for Him to use in any way He wants.  He has work for us all."  This was the call of God to the young, the call to service.  I told them to give themselves completely to the will of God.  "Precious young, the Lord hath need of you!  Lord anoint the young for service."  This night will be marked by eternity, saith the Lord.  He had reached out for so many young to be workers for Him.  The Lord is marking lives in a definite way tonight, saith the Lord.

We are in the final hour.  It's harvest time, and the harvest must not go to waste.  We must get the harvest in before the awful storm of tribulation hits.  It's wonderful to yield to His will, and it's wonderful to be all His, to live in the Spirit daily.

I expect many preachers to go forth out of that one crusade service.  God marked them; God called them.  Some of them, I know, will make great teachers, great evangelists for the Lord because they are lovers of the Word, and they accepted the Word of the living God.

Young people, see how close to God you can get; that's what I did.  I didn't follow those around me; I sought God.  I sought His face.  I lived in His presence, and He wants you to live in His presence by prayer, fasting, and living in the Word of God, those three steps.  The Lord told me years ago those three steps would take anyone into His greatness.  Let the cry of your heart be: Have thine own way Lord.

The young people of Ghana would put the young people of America as a whole to shame the way they respect God.  Some young people were asked if they were married, and they answered, "No, we're waiting on the will of the Lord.  We want the will of the Lord for our mate."  Down through the years I have received many letters from the young people in Ghana wanting the will of God in their lives.  People came to the services carrying old worn letters that I had sent them.

It would be wonderful if we could have a Bible school in Ghana.  People are so eager to learn about God, to spread the Gospel.  That's the way to evangelize a country, to train the young.  Of course the ministers are already trained; the ones who love the Lord have had great influence over their young.  That's what happens when the Word of God is preached.

MIGHTY DELIVERANCES

It was wonderful to see God moving in such an unbelievable way for the alcoholics in the third service.  That Saturday night I preached about Lucifer and how he works, how he appears as a light at times, how he possesses people, and how God was uncovering deceit.  Then it was time for the alcoholics and drug addicts to be saved and delivered.

The preachers didn't know what to expect, and I didn't know so many alcoholics would want prayer.  Some who needed prayer but were hesitant to come were encouraged when they saw the power of God manifested so powerfully on their friends.  Seeing their friends slain in the Spirit, they knew heaven had come down in a great way, and they wanted to get in on it.  We started with two lines across the platform, but so many came for prayer that we had to make three lines over and over again.  It was a mighty time of deliverance.  God dealt in a great way.  After prayer the change was evident instantly in their eyes.  To see them with the light of God on their faces was wonderful to behold.  Looking clean, pure, delivered, many of them came to the light of Calvary even before I had them say the sinners' prayer.  Most held back nothing at all.  They just surrendered to the power of God.

The mothers, the daddies brought deaf children to be healed; their miracles electrified the place.  God gifted some of them with much speech.  It reminded me of the Garden of Eden when God gave man the full gift of speech and could work in perfection; He knows how to work, what to do.  The more we witness God's power, the better witnesses we are and the more we expect God to do greater and greater things.

THE TOUR GROUP MINISTERED

The tour group was split into small groups and each group visited one of seventeen different churches Sunday morning before the evening crusade service.  All the taxis and cars lined up ready to take the people to the different churches were quite a sight.  Finally, everyone was on his way to preach, teach, testify, pray for the sick—and sing.  Some of the people were called on to do things they never thought they would be called on to do.  One group was asked to lay hands on a young man who was sick.  They formed a small circle, and all five touched him as they prayed.  He started to fall in the Spirit, and the boys in the circle caught him.  The minister got excited and went to get a small boy who was sick.  The group prayed for him.  Then the minister called up everyone else who wanted prayer.  The group had not gone into that church intending to pray for individuals, but when they were asked to pray, they couldn't refuse.  Other groups as well prayed for individual church members.  In one group two of the girls were asked to sing a duet.  "But we don't sing," they said.  It didn't matter, they sang a duet.  They chose the chorus "Heaven" thinking to get the audiences' minds onto singing with them about heaven and off how they sounded.  It reminds me of the beginning of the Church.

Some time ago the Lord gave a prophecy saying He was going to use the laymen, that the ministry as a whole had failed Him.  In Acts we find great examples of the Lord using laypeople.  Stephen, the first martyr, was a young layman picked by the Lord.  What a witness!  Another young man that was brought in to carry on the work, Paul, was affected by Stephen's sacrifice.

You who support the ministry help make it possible for us to take with us Bibles and different kinds of literature.  Each of those seventeen churches received Bibles and literature.  The tour people were scattered over Accra, a city of almost one million; they were there representing all who support this Jesus ministry.

THE HOLY GHOST IS COME UPON YOU

If you were leaving for heaven, your last words would be the most important ones you could think of.  Jesus said just before He ascended to heaven: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight (Acts 1:8,9).  Jesus' last instructions were that the disciples should receive the power of the Holy Ghost and be Spirit-filled witnesses.  We, too, must be Spirit-filled witnesses in this final hour, nothing less.

It was estimated that over 200,000 were in the final service Sunday.  Thousands and thousands fulfilled that command of Jesus as they went through to the baptism in the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit gave utterance.  It was marvelous to witness people receiving the real baptism in the Holy Ghost—such a unity of power!  Almost 100,000 miracles and healings numbered by the Lord Himself took place.  It's hard to tell how many of them were healed of diseases the doctors had no help for, of AIDS and other diseases.  They were ready.  The Lord told them what their signs would be: as a gentle breeze the miracle would come.

Everywhere people were filled and healed, reaching to God with great faith.  God was doing the impossibilities.  People knew they could not get to me, and they didn't have their minds set on my touching them.  Reaching up to heaven, they received from the Lord; they reached up with the faith of grace.

There were many mass miracles in that service; it could have been the greatest day ever in the history of that nation, a day that began, remember, with witnesses spreading out, going to seventeen different churches, and it closed that evening in a service of total victory.

Joel foresaw this outpouring of the Holy Spirit: But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:16,17).

You who supported the services were a part of that great pouring out.  Prayer for others is a part of your work.  The Lord anointed His people for it.  He had readied rockets of miracle power before we left Akron, and then He used that miracle power in Ghana.  You who prayed and fasted helped pull down more and more of it.  It is great what we can do in this last and final hour.

The Word of God is holy and sacred to me.  I have hidden it in my heart; it was easy to put there—God saw to it.  As a child, I had a love for the Bible.  Now I go forth with the pure truth and nothing but the truth, no compromise.  I am willing to live for the Word or die for it.  My life—and yours as well—must measure up to the Word to please God.

ONLY SOULS WERE IMPORTANT

Some of us fought against the heat; some were affected more than others.  It was just through the mercy of God that we came out victoriously the way we did.  You can't imagine how the heat can affect a person; it's hard to understand without being there.  I noticed before we opened that the people came out on the streets in the evenings when the heat is not so intense.  The larger crowds came as a whole later in the evening.

It didn't matter what we had to go through in Ghana, the sleepless hours.  Nothing was important but souls, souls, souls.  We knew we were on a divine mission.  In 1954 the divine mission began in Akron, Ohio.  I can hear the voice of the Lord again and again, "I'm sending you on a divine mission."  The foundation would be laid to evangelize the whole world.  Man looked upon it; many jeered.  Ministers called it false doctrine, but I had lived the life before them, so the only way they could think of to discredit me before the people was to tell them that my mind had gone bad from staying away with the Lord so much and from fasting.  But when you're God-called, you don't let anything stop you.  When you're God-called to do something, you do it.  We have had to leave friends and loved ones behind again and again, but it must be done.  There is a big price to pay.  We can't count our own lives dear for anything other than what He can use them for.

To see on the mission fields the waiting hearts, to know that you have the answers for them, the message direct from God is a wonderful feeling.  You know they will not be disappointed, that the Word is going to increase in the services, multiply and prevail just like it did in Acts.  So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed (Acts 19:20).  And the word of God increased (Acts 6:7).  We saw the Word increase, grow and prevail in Ghana over every spirit.  The devil was backed off even before the services started.  The Word backs the devil off.  Where the Word, the seed is planted, a harvest comes forth.

TWO SEMINARS ON THE BLOOD

When the four crusade services were over, we still had two seminars with the ministers to look forward to.  On our way to a seminar in a taxi, I saw that the driver had a Bible beside him that looked as though it had been used every day for a hundred years; it was very, very worn.  I decided to give him one of the special Bibles that had been given to me to hand out.  He was thrilled to receive it.  I know it went into the hands of a man who loves the Word.  He had carried that old Bible with him in the taxi, laid it on the seat where people could see it.  Imagine his pride and joy to receive a lovely new Bible.

To close the crusade in Ghana with the seminars was the plan of God.  I had told the people in the crusade services to bring plenty of paper; I was going to give them a lot of information.  The Lord wanted me to teach on the blood.  The people were ready.  Those young people who were called to preach heard the wonderful blood message.

The temperature in the first seminar was so hot that I had to fight not to let the heat overcome me.  Many were crowded in and around the building in that tremendous morning heat.  It wasn't a short session.  I was determined to finish my lesson on the blood.  The people were excited to hear about the blood.  The crusade services were over, and now it's the blood.  They delighted in it.  I would not be defeated.  I finished at the place God wanted me to finish, and I stepped down just in time to keep from fainting from the heat—it was that hot.

The next day, Rocky and I got together and planned for him to bring ice and keep washcloths soaked in ice water to give me every once in a while.  I had water to drink, too, and although I wore just a sport shirt rather than a suit, my clothes didn't matter to them.  They are an unusual people; they looked into my face and did not seem to be conscious of what I had on.  That's innocence.  I have never met a people quite like them.  They were carried away with the message, not the way I was dressed.

In the second session the Holy Ghost gave a message to let the people know how He would go with them if they would follow Him all the way.  It was a message of love and instruction.  The place went wild.

"BLESS ME, TOO!"

The hotel personnel we met were sweet, concerned about the things of God.  One maid testified about a miracle she received for her neck.

All smiles, the woman who cleaned my suite seemed thrilled to meet me.  She had been waiting for the opportunity to come in for a few days.  While she was cleaning, one of her supervisors, dressed in suit and tie, noticed the open door and stepped in.  "I want you to bless me," he said.  I was sitting down, and just reached over and prayed for him.  I didn't know God was going to slay him in the Spirit, and I wasn't prepared.  I struggled trying to keep his head from hitting a table, but I didn't need to worry a bit.  The Lord was looking out for him.  The Lord knew before He slayed him how much room he had, and he received a great blessing.

The woman who was cleaning could see all that was going on.  We just smiled at each other, and she said, "Now after I finish I want you to bless me."  When she was ready to be prayed for, she took off her apron and used it to cover her head before God.  It was a beautiful act done through a wonderful spirit of humility as she bowed herself before the Lord to be blessed.

WE MUST REACH THE LOST

Pray that the government will open a way for us to be on television in Ghana.  The manager of the television station told one of my men that in five years the government hasn't opened up anything the way it has for Reverend Angley.  That's a start.  Spot announcements of the crusade were broadcast.  God can open that door and give us favor.  We are not politicians; we don't bother with other countries' politics.  We go to the mission fields to tell the story of Jesus, of the old rugged cross.  I don't believe in becoming involved in politics from the pulpit even in America.  Politics is not my message; my message is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  People who love and serve God can look at the presented facts and then seek Him for wisdom how to vote and who to vote for.  Look to God.  I was not called to use the pulpit for politicking.  I am called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and take His Gospel to the whole world.

BE A WITNESS IN PERFECTION

We must be witnesses of the Word of God in this last hour, witnesses in perfection, witnesses of God's love, faith and grace.  Do not compromise in anything concerning the Word of God.  Step forward; don't look around to see who is or is not agreeing with you.  You are a witness; tell what you have heard, what you have seen.  It matters not what people are saying or doing around you.  If you are not careful, people will intimidate you—even your own kin.  You will let them have their say and let God's say be left out.  You can't afford it in this last hour.  People need to know your testimony, what you have heard and seen in the Lord.  A live Jesus, a heart-felt salvation must be reality to them.  They know when they get it; they know that they have it.

Many have never experienced a true salvation.  They call all kinds of things salvation that are not real salvation at all.  If we don't stand up, how are they going to know?

Many lives have been changed since the crusade.  New converts are in different churches.  Think of the stories of deliverance that have been repeated again and again.  It's a great and wonderful hour of unbelievable love.  We must live right in that love so that we can reach to others, for the greatest and longest reach is the love reach.

What kind of witnesses were the Early Church disciples and apostles?  They were witnesses of great love, great strength, great power, witnesses of fastings and prayers and living in the Word, witnesses that even died for the sake of Christ.  What could be more important to God than His true witnesses?  You are a witness: Realize how valuable you are to God.  Protect yourself as a witness.

In a crime case, a witness can make or break the case.  The life of that witness may be in danger, and he is guarded.  The Lord guards His witnesses today, His true witnesses.  Do everything you can to be in shape to be the witness the Lord needs at any time.  Let nothing take your mind off the fact you are a witness.  Only the Lord can make you the witness He wants you to be for this final hour.

Our God is on His throne, and we have the greatness of Him to serve.  Our path isn't going to be easy, but rough and tough and hard.  Whatever price, God has always helped His people, always stood by them.  We can't back away; we can't shirk our duties.  We must be witnesses whenever and wherever He wants in this last hour.  He is depending on us.  Jesus told people to be witnesses, to go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached (Luke 7:22).

A MESSAGE FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT

Yea, saith the Spirit of the Lord: I am moving with great power.  I have done a work through you that is unbelievable in Ghana.  It is an unbelievable work that I have performed because you yielded.  And because you yielded and honored my truth, I have established something mighty and great for my Kingdom in Ghana.  And I will do mighty things through what has been done, great and wonderful things.  I have called many to do my work, and will call many more.  I will keep moving and moving, and I will move for you in great and wonderful ways as you obey me in everything.  I must have your total obedience.  I must have your total love.  I must have you one hundred percent in every way.  You must not hinder me in anything that I seek to do.  You must not be a stumbling block in anything to hinder.  You must be yielded to my Spirit so that I can use you.  Be yielded to me, not part time, but you must be yielded to me all the time.  You must not fail or souls will go to hell.  You must do my holy will.  You must not be careless with your life in any way.  Your life must be on my altar, a holy life to be used, to be used by your Lord in this great plan of redemption.  Be all that I want you to be, and you will be glad for all eternity that you gave yourself completely to your Lord and did not fail Him in the final hour, saith the Lord.

It's the call of God upon us, and with that calling comes many great blessings that we would have never received otherwise.  It's time for us to look up and yield to Him, time to know that He is God, that the miracles and healings we need He is ready to give.  He is ready to do wonderful things for us.  God is calling every one of you to a service of consecration and dedication like never before, to a service of great vision, to know Him and the power of His greatness, to be ready to suffer for His name's sake at any time.  Are you ready in this last hour to spend and be spent for Jesus, to be ready as Paul was ready?  I close my eyes and the multitudes, multitudes are before me.  We can't fail them.  It's the call of God upon us, and we must not fail.  Let the words of Jesus burn in your heart and mind in this last hour: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen.

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