HOLY SPIRIT, THE UNIVERSALISED TRANSFORMATION POWER OF GOD – PRIMATE OKOH.

( BY FOLUSO TAIWO)

The primate of all Nigeria Anglican Communion Most Rev. Nicholas D. Okoh has described the Holy Spirit as the universalized power and presence of God continuing the work of Jesus Christ in the church and on earth.

He gave this description at the cathedral church of the advent Life camp Abuja in his sermon on the Pentecost day, commemorating the special day, fifty days (50 days) after resurrection of Jesus, when the third person in Trinity arrived.

According to the head of the Anglican church in Nigeria, God is using the Holy Spirit as a bridge to bring all God’s people male, female, men women, boys and girls together thus the bridge will cancel all discrimination of those days as it will affect the Jews and the Gentiles and the segregation between man and woman will be got rid off.  Also he said disregard for youths and things of God will be a thing of the past as the coming of the Holy Spirit unites everybody together for a great excitement about the things of God because the Spirit will be poured out on everyone.

 He stressed further that the gift of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for believers to live holy life; because the ministry of the Holy Spirit is sanctification getting better by the day in the service of God.

The primate says it is the Holy Spirit that gives grace to turn and follow the right way on a daily basis and being transformed to one degree of glory to a higher degree having been made in the likeness of man.

He tried to correct a lot of ignorance in the church about the power of the Holy Spirit and the activity of it, saying that some people think the issue of the preoccupation of the Holy Spirit is that of the Pentecostal so called. He made it clear that before those people came the Anglican Church has been preaching the Holy Spirit and his powers.

He opined that the Holy Spirit gives gifts of the spirit to govern the church according to Romans 8 and 1 Corinthians chapter 12, putting these gifts together, for the building and service of the church.

   Archbishop Okoh said it is unfortunate that some people are using the gift for selfish gains by breaking away from their churches resulting in proliferation of churches redirecting this gift for the purpose of personal gains which eventually leads to natural death of their church because the gift from God, the Holy Spirit, is meant for the improvement and blessing of the people of God and not for commercial enterprises by anybody.

He said the greatest above all the gifts that the Holy Spirit bring is the foundational gift of love which makes all other gifts to flourish adding that without love one cannot serve the people over who  one is appointed.

He added that it is important to know that the Holy Spirit can be quenched hence one must make conscious effort not to resist the Holy Spirit or else it will abandon the owner and he will become an empty shell.

He called on all disciple of Christ to use the gift of the Holy Spirit to witness for Jesus because he has the empowering power to stand for the truth that will bring glory to God.