Do Not Waste This Pandemic
& This Too Shall Pass

Do Not Waste This Pandemic | Eld. Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong The first speaker for the day was Eld. Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyapong, the presiding elder of PIWC Graceland. He spoke on a message titled “Do not waste this pandemic”.
Elder Agyapong started by reminding the congregation that all things work (not some things) well for the good of them that have been called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28). Likening this to Joseph’s experiences, he mentioned that many questions could not be necessarily answered, such as why he had to be sold by his brothers, why he had to be tempted and framed by Potiphar’s wife, among others. Nonetheless, these experiences were used by God for his good.
Speaking on the current pandemic and how it has affected lives, he charged the congregation to adopt a positive mindset and not “waste the pandemic”. He mentioned that one could decide to focus wholly on the negatives the pandemic has caused, but that would bring no benefit.
Still speaking on adopting a positive mindset, Elder Agyepong mentioned that there was a time when Israel had been besieged by the Syrians and was plagued with a famine that was so severe that mothers conspired and killed a child to eat (2 Kings 6). This circumstance worried the king so much, however, the word of the Lord that came through Elisha stated that relief was going to come the next day which was contrary to all logical possiblities.
The Lord however made this happen through four lepers who lived outside the city. These four concluded that staying outside the city will eventually kill them and going into the city was no better as the famine awaited them. They then decided to go to the camp of the Syrians as there was food in that camp. Although they could be killed just for being Israelites in the enemy's camp, they considered it the more advantageous alternative.
They made the advancements and God made the Syrians hear noises of chariots and horses as though a great army was upon them and they fled. They ate to their fill and informed the Israelites in the city and that was the end of the famine. Drawing lessons from this, Eld. Dr. Agyepong highlighted the fact that they took a step of faith and God increased it.
Concluding, Eld. Dr. Agyepong stated that God is not so limited that the global pandemic took him by surprise, instead, He has a purpose for us even in these times. He charged the congregation to take advantage of technology and learn a lot in these times. He challenged individuals whose businesses had been affected to also learn and take advantage of businesses that are viable even in these times and asked those who had lost their jobs to spend time praying and studying so they come up with viable businesses that can sustain them in these times.
No matter what you have lost or have had to endure during this pandemic, make sure your spirit is not dampened. Instead do well to learn from the pandemic, spend time with God, and take action where needed. Whatever happens, “do not waste this pandemic!”.

This Too Shall Pass | Eld. Joseph Tawiah Ahinde
Elder Joseph Tawiah Ahinde was the speaker for the second service this past Sunday. The message he delivered was titled, “This too shall pass”. Elder used the life of Job as a reference for teaching on the subject.
The elder explained that Job was a successful man who had everything going well for him in all areas such as family and business. This, however, came to an abrupt and unexpected end. As if that was not enough, he was left ill and did not readily receive help from friends or family. The situation was so bad that his wife at one point even asked him to curse God and die.
According to Eld. Ahinde, Jobs's experience can be described as captivity considering all the challenges and issues it brought him. He went ahead to even state that this situation can be likened to an ongoing crisis. The world changed drastically in a few weeks due to the onset of the ongoing Global Pandemic (the coronavirus disease). Many lost loved ones and millions have lost their jobs and source of income as well. This is similar to Job’s experience.
Quoting from Psalm 126, Elder Ahinde stated that God can easily change and turn captive situations around just as He did with the Israelites; according to the Psalmist, when God did this for them, it was like a dream. Job was challenged, but the Lord was there for him and in the end, God did restore his fortunes. The only thing he received in equal quantity was his children, everything else was increased.
He stated that there is the tendency to be overwhelmed by the current challenge and start making pronouncements like “why me God?”; he asked the congregation to avoid such a mindset. He challenged everyone to rely on God no matter the nature of the challenge. He further stated that God is able to help us come up with ideas that will serve as solutions to the problems we might be facing as well as develop viable business ideas If we have been left unemployed.
Concluding, he encouraged the church to not have their spirits dampened by the ongoing pandemic. He challenged everyone to seek God and be in a place of prayer. He also stated that Job had his fortunes restored when had prayed for his friends which emphasizes the need for intercession for our friends and colleagues. Just as God was able to change the captivity of the Israelites, he is able to do the same with us. Be encouraged and know that, this too shall pass!