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Hierarchy of Spiritual Authority in Nigerian Christianity over the years
Wow! Glory to God, i eventually found time to write on a pressing topic, i have really been wanting to write about, Christianity as a religion as been overwhelming with such a massive impact all over the nations of the earth, which as proven that indeed the Gospel of Christ is a good news to the world, and the death and Resurrection of Christa as brought Good will, goodness, breakthrough and liberation for humanity.
America for example, as been a great Nation over the years, as a result of the move of God that was orchestrated by the Good-news of the Gospel in that Nation, and so also, since God is not a racist and he is not a respecter of persons, anywhere the gospel is been preached and people are been saved, transformation is continually bound to occur, lives and destinies of people are been transformed, the glory of God descends and Nation’s destiny are been exalted, the good fortune of the land are been made manifest because the spirit of God has been allowed to have his way.
Nigeria is the nation with the largest population in Africa continent, and the Gospel as been greatly embraced in Nigeria, many Foreign Missionaries, and American Evangelists as been a major player to the smooth running of the churches in Nigeria, the body of Christ and the lives of the Christians in the nation.
But then, there are so many great men of God that has also emerged from Nigeria and make such a massive impact globally to the body of Christ, today in this article i want to focus a little more on the Spiritual Hierarchy of the Churches in Nigeria and most especially, the entire Body of Christ in this Great Nation.
The visitation of God more often than not are always communicated via human vessels, God sends certain men on Divine course and assignment to overseer the true liberation that is most presently needed at a particular point in time; this as really been the experience of Nigeria over the years.
Now i know, there are whole lot of Ministers of the Gospel in Nigeria, so i will just made my points in this article to focus on those who are making a landmark impact to the end that it is obvious God sends them for a liberation mission in one way or the other for their generation, and we can not deny the signs and wonders that as accompany their assignment on earth.
Long time ago, Nigeria was stormed with Foreign Missionaries who brought in the Gospel of Christ, started preaching and making discipleship, in the bid to enhance effective communication, Education was brought in alongside with the system, which as contributed to majorly t the development of the nation, but along the way, good natural resources were discovered in Nigeria (Since Nigerians then, were illiterates and wouldn’t know what is available to them), these same foreign missionaries who brought the gospel to Nigeria began to enslave Nigerians, and that was the beginning of the Colonial Master, they colonized the nation and the oppression was much, basically a suffering of Ignorance.
In 1960 Nigeria gained her independence after some great men stood for their right, having been schooled in foreign countries and now have the understanding.
But in 1930 there was a massive out break of Revival in Nigeria, what seems like the first of it’s kind; people are given to God and the cause of his kingdom, and spiritually exercise like prayer and faster and so on, but the mighty manifestations of the spirit in terms of miracles, signs and wonders were not part of the package that was common in those days.
But a great revivalist emerged, in person of Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, who we believe stands in the height of spiritual authority and leadership in the Christian-doom with such a massive impact and mind blowing revival outbreak in his days.
Babalola’s strange experience started on the night of September 25th, 1928 when he suddenly became restless and could not sleep.
This went on for a week and he had no inkling of the causes of such a strange experience.
The climax came one day when he was, as usual, working on the Ilesa-Igbara-Oke road.
Suddenly the steam roller’s engine stopped to his utter amazement.
There was no visible mechanical problem, and Joseph became confused and perplexed.
He was in this state of confusion when a great voice “like the sound of many waters” called him three times. The voice was loud and clear and it told him that he would die if he refused to heed the divine call to go into the world and preach.
Babalola did not want to listen to this voice and he responded like many of the Biblical prophets, who, when they were called out by Yahweh as prophets, did not normally yield to the first call. So, Babalola gave in only after he had received the assurance of divine guidance.
To answer the call, he had to resign his appointment with the Public Works Department. Mr. Fergusson, the head of his unit, tried to dissuade him from resigning but the young man was bent on going on the Lord’s mission. The same voice came to Joseph a second time asking him to fast for seven days.
The experience led him to a personal retreat in the home of Joseph Fapounda a Christian leader in Christ Missionary Society in Ipetu Ijesa in Ogun State Nigeria.
In a vision he had, Jesus appeared to him in a white robe along with a very tall man who revealed that it was this Jesus who asked me to speak with you.
The man in a dazzling robe spoke at length about the mission he was to embark upon.
The man also told him of the persecutions he would face and at the same time assured him of God’s protection and victory.
A hand prayer bell was given to Babalola as a symbol.
He was told that the sound of the bell would always drive away evil spirits.
He was also given a bottle of “life-giving water” to heal all manners of sickness.
Consequently, wherever and whenever he prayed into water for therapeutic purposes, effective healing was procured for those who drank the water.
Thus, Babalola became a prophet and a man with extraordinary powers.
Enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit he could spend several weeks in prayer.
However, his miracles and mighty revival started in 1930, during a meeting when the holy spirit instructed him to go out with bell in his hand and he should fill the bell with water and stop the first call by the road, fortunately it was a car carrying the corpse of a man, babalola stopped the car and ordered them to open the casket, of the dead man which they were actually going to bury, he pour the water inside the bell into the mouth of this dead man, and the corpse jacked back to Life! This was the first time, a miracle of dead coming back o Life happened, the following week, Babalola healed by the power of the holy spirit upon him, not less than 150 leapers, it is obviously seen that the rate at which people were oppressed at that time was much and God had to raise a revivalist to put the enemy back.
There was a time in Osun state, when chicken Pox was rampant, Babalola, sanctify a moving river and asked people to take out of the water for their healing and it was recorded that people were healed and they eventually fetched all that water till there no more water there.
The power of God upon the life of Apostle Babalola was strong, it was this prayer, revival and prophetic move that gave birth to the church “CAC” today in Nigeria as they were formerly refer to as Pater Group “Aladura”. and that is why till today CAC is a strong praying church, it is what the foundation laid down by Apostle Babalola.
Babalola was indeed a Prophetic of God with amazing and supernatural Power and abilities, so many were breaking through, so many souls were been won for Christ.
There is so much to write about the mighty workings of God’s power in his ministry.
Today we have phones and so on, they have all been prophecy by Apostle Babalola.
So, he is the revivalist and Spiritual Authority in Nigeria in his time, it was said in his word, that the prayers he has prayed is sufficient to keep true ministers of God with mighty power emerging in Nigeria to make mighty revival happen.
There is a lot that God did for Nigeria and the body of Christ through Babalola, even though he faced so many Critics and there were confrontations, despite, God was with him and there were proves to show that God called him.
Culled from Dunamis Blog
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