“THE STORY OF MY LIFE”
……..Timeline……..
Bayai Victor Churchill
Dedication
Everything I am
and will ever be I owe it all to the love, grace and mercies of God, so I
return all Glory to you my Father!
Acknowledgement
My
beloved wife Laye Churchill, My Angel Jenice Sarah Onalenna Churchill, I Love
you.
My
late father you passed down the ministry opportunity to me since you could not
answer that call like Terah did Abraham; you prayed that God should take one of
your children and make him a pastor what an honor. You were always involved in
my programs; you even sponsored my Jesus victory camp (JVC) band by buying our first
equipment.
My
late mother you told me that from the very beginning you have known that I was
going to be a pastor and so you encouraged me to say yes to God’s call, you also
taught me the fear of the Lord from a very tender age. What will I say about
your guidance on the subject of sexual immorality so that even when everyone else
exploited their sexuality your teachings against it until the right time kept
me intact- thank you.
God
bless you David Kay, for opening your house and surrendering your computer and
your finances for typesetting and the production of this book.
Brother
Kenneth, until you featured me in your miracle time recording with the
Christian Missionary Cable Television (CMTV) Port Harcourt, I had never even
thought of nor consider putting together the materials for this book. But after
those back-to-back recordings, I received word from the lord to actually put
together this book. God will strategically place people on your way to help you
when you need them. I am looking forward to greater working with you! Don’t
stop what you are doing.
Thanks
to my so many friends with whom I shared special moments when some of these
miracles took place.
PREAMBLE
It is so fascinating to know
that every living organism started as a tiny seed biologically known as a cell.
This cell by the process of growth and proliferation; sometimes in the form of
division, addition or rapid multiplication will evolve into a big strong
dynamic organism. This is also true about organizations.
An organization starts up
with a single individual referred to as the visionary or the founder or with a
group of few individuals with the same objective and purpose; sometimes vision
and drive. Now in order for an organization to grow or proliferate into a big
strong dynamic organization that will stand the test of time, there must be a
clear definition of vision and purpose achievable.
To achieve the vision and
purpose for which the organization exists, goals and objectives tied to a
timetable within which these goals, dreams and objectives will be achieved must
be evolved. Also, ways of relating in the form of organizational framework,
structure and leadership stratification should be made available in the
simplest form for everyone to work with. A system of rules, regulation and laid
down procedure must be evolved for an organization to function and these will
form the constitution for the organization.
The
story of my life is broken down into chapters containing vital stages and experiences
that are necessary for instructions, and worthy of emulation.
These
timeline of events make up the vital startups, upstarts and processes that
molded my life and ministry through the years. You will see the step by step,
phase to phase movements in my life as it gradually culminated in to the kind
of prophet the Lord had ordained and predestined me to in Life
Other
details can be read in other books that I have written or published before this
volume. Books such as, “You can hear God Speak”, “Understanding Call and
Purpose” and “The School of the Prophet”. This book is complimentary and
supplementary to my book titled “From Sickness to a healing minister” available
at www.redleadbooks.com, www.dorrancebooks.com and www.amazon.com.
When you connect the pieces and the facts you will obtain the Timeline of my
life.
TABLE
OF CONTENT
·
Forward
·
Dedication
·
Acknowledgement
·
Preamble
·
Introduction
Chapter One: Childhood
·
Birth and early
childhood
·
Elementary (Primary)
School
·
My teacher followed me home
·
God spoke to me
·
Armed robbers escorted us to hospital
·
In High (Secondary)
School
Chapter Two: Identity
·
Born again Experience
·
How I Started Playing the Guitar and Music Career
·
The Benson Idahosah’s Gospel
Crusade
Chapter Three: Life in Advanced Level
(College)
·
My Encounter With Ogala Ali and Caleb Agosaah
·
The Fellowship in CAS Zaria
·
Excommunicated from EWCA
·
Gospel Ministries
International (GMI)
·
The Southern Kaduna
Student Conference At Kafanchan
·
My Encounter With Fred Addo
·
God’s Plans and Purposes for My Life
·
Further Experiences
In GMI
·
In Jail For The
Sake Of The Gospel
·
Delivered from bullion Van Trouble
Chapter Four: In the University
·
Reinhard Bonnke Gospel Crusade
·
Wale Oke Gospel Crusade
·
At the last Days
Gathering Jarawan Kogi 1989
·
How I was anointed with Power in
the University
·
Casting out Devils
Chapter Five: Life after School
·
About Jesus Victory Camp (JVC)
·
The Much Awaited Stir of God
Chapter Six: Life at Family Worship
Center
·
My
encounter with late Pastor Ina Omakwu
·
Visions And Dreams Encounters
·
In Togo for Conference and Ghana
for two weeks of prayer
Chapter Seven: Vision and Dream Encounters
Chapter Eight: Realization and Ministry
·
About the album-
Step by Step
·
How My
Ministry Started
·
About the
ministry
·
Music Ministry
·
Outreach Ministry
·
Leadership Development Ministry
·
YWAM Jos base City of Refuge
·
Outreach program in Langtang, Plateau State
·
Achievements
and Breakthroughs in Langtang
·
Challenges And
Boo traps
Testimony Time!
·
Ministry in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria
·
Ministry in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
Introduction
I was
born into a family that knew and serves the Lord and has experienced the saving
grace of Jesus. I am the fourth son out of four
sons and one daughter of my mother’s
children and the fifth child of
my father’s six. Although my father (28th December 1928 to 25thNovember 2007) was not a polygamist but had a son with another woman
before he surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus.
My father was the
first ever to embrace Christianity and the only one who enjoyed the privilege
of a western education in his family. That makes me a
second generation Christian.
On the day the elders of my church came to visit me at home, my father
told us about his desire to train as a pastor but fate played a trick on him,
he became an auditor instead. He prayed that God should select one from amongst
his children to be a pastor. God beat his expectation and imagination in
choosing me in spite of a lot of disabilities. He retired from active service
of the state government of Kaduna as an assistant director in the office of the
Auditor General of the state.
My father neither drank nor gave alcohol to anybody; he was an honest
employee at work and a strict father to us his children at home. He believed in
giving us good education to whatever level we aspired for and also to leave
behind a tangible inheritance, he had so few friends and was always a lone
ranger in life.
My father was the kind of man that believed in saving so as to provide
for his family adequately when he was no more- he believed in leaving behind a
good inheritance for his children a luxury he did not enjoy from his father,
and so he had a property in the name of every of his children written in his
will.
My father died on 25th November 2007 after a brief illness at
the Kakuri General Hospital, Kaduna south, Nigeria. He died while I was
celebrating annual thanksgiving service at the Family Worship center Abuja
after I saw him that morning before leaving Kaduna for Abuja. My Father is the
figure of hard work in my life.
On the other hand, my mum was an upright and virtues woman who
supplemented for all the inadequacies of her husband and was responsible for
the spiritual and moral upbringing of her children, and so every five o’clock
in the morning met us observing the compulsory one hour prayer as long as we
were under her control.
My mother was a very godly woman, who did not enjoy the best of material
comfort though, but she was always content - Her dying words were “Lord have
mercy on me, Lord have mercy on my family.
She loved God above everything, she loved, respected and honored my
father in spite of his lapses, always very prayerful and available for the
service of God, always distributing to the needs of the saints, faithful with
her tithes and offerings, never involved in gossips and kept no ungodly
company.
Yes she had her shortcomings, but I remain ever grateful to God for
having such a mother- It was the memory of her teachings I remembered when I
made up my mind to give my life to Christ on the morning of 14th
April, 1985. Being a nurse and midwife by profession, she taught us sex
education early in our lives so that when we all grew up we could be morally
upright and shun all sexual perversion. She also went to be with the Lord the 9th
of December 2011.
My mother is the figure of grace in my life. She was a prophetess in all
the sense of it because she was the one that first prophesied about my wedding.
Before then I had made up mind
not to marry
but she saw in her dream that I was getting married. That
morning she told me, “Ah ah, I saw one of you marrying, myself, your father
(who by then was already dead) and your siblings all were not there”. She spoke
prophetically and that was what happened.
Chapter
One
CHILDHOOD STAGE
Birth and Early Childhood
So much happened during my
childhood and growing days, like the great inventor Albert Einstein who for the
first three years of his life could not say a word, I was born a stammer and
could not talk for the first three years of my life. I could not even make a
sound with my mouth, I was mute. The only way my parents knew I was not deaf
was that I responded when they called me and never missed out on any of their
instructions.
Elementary (Primary) School
Because of my difficulty with
talking I could not be admitted
into school when I first attempted
but thank God I was not old enough for that class; I only followed my elder
ones to school since it was fun for me to be in school. This will not stop me trying
the next time, it was only a setback and so I came back the next year, but this
time around I came along with my elder sister to talk for me, and she was such a
good talker! I made it into primary one class.
My first term in school I took
the last position also because I couldn’t talk; I had to repeat the class. As
usual, the exams were oral and when the teacher asked me the exams questions I
could not answer him reason being I could not talk. Although I knew the answers
to the questions, I was eager and willing to answer but stuttering will not
allow me to respond.
By the time I
settled down and picked up in school, I was such a brilliant child and could
easily solve Arithmetic problems; I easily could memorize songs but had
difficulty in singing and so I will gather whatever looked like musical
instruments and produce music with them. I also had great potentials for fine
arts, communication arts and languages but stammering suppressed the best of me
and kept eating at me, and so most of the time I was quiet and will not fight
even in the face of the gravest provocation because I was a sickly child.
The Day My Teacher
Followed Me Home
Another incidence I can remember
vividly was the day my teacher followed me home just to verify if really I
stutter or was just another stubborn kid. My mum laughed herself off as that
meant fun to her until she started crying remembering what she passes through
with my condition. Of course I was not stubborn, I was just a chronic stammerer
and that was it.
The
usual thing to do with kids that stuttered was to throw sand and stuffs into
their mouth as they struggled to say words, my case was not an exception, I had
people do that to me quite often and so I became timid and withdrawn for most
of the time.
God Spoke To Me
In one
of those withdrawn states in 1974, at a tender age of seven (7) years, I heard
a voice speak to me from within my heart saying, “Victor you
will use your mouth to eat” I
replied the voice saying; every child knows that, I should use my mouth to eat.
“No! I mean you will be able to speak, sing and even preach. People will pay
you as you do that” God
obviously reached out to me in my hide out to show his concern about my
condition and how he intended to heal me.
Armed
robbers escorted us to hospital
A heart touching story my mum
told me was about the day she administered Phenegan, a drug that should not be
administered to people with genotype SS. She says, “Then, as a young student of
midwifery and nursing with the St Gerald’s Catholic Hospital Kakuri. I came
back and met you sick with I suppose Malaria fever and all I could think of was
to administer Phenegan injection to you. Unfortunately, you went into crises
and there was nothing left for me to do than to rush you to the hospital. Then
it would take about an hour or so to trek from Nassarawa to Kakuri since it was
in the night and in those days 1974, there were few taxis and they didn’t ply
their trade at that ungodly hour of the night. On the way we met with armed
robbers in the middle of their operation. But when they saw your condition,
they offered to escort us to the hospital gate so that other gangsters would
not harass us”.
On the average I
was an A student and had no problems at all with my studies despite the fact
that I was out of school most of the time owing to my poor health condition. I
even skipped my final year at the elementary school because I took and passed
my entrance examination into secondary school on my fifth grade (year)
therefore, I had no need to complete the normal six years.
In High (Secondary) School
I had
no problems with my studies in my first year in the secondary school as I still
topped the class as usual, but I was often off school on a weekly basis. But this was when God healed me.
Behind
the sickly person was a very capable and well-endowed personality. I was an
immensely talented and skillful soccer player, good at athletics; I easily
excelled in sporting activities and dancing.
Chapter
Two
IDENTITY
Apart
from my mother who played a vital role in my moral and spiritual upbringing, my
Sunday school teacher late Mr. Elisha said a lot that really left impressions
on my heart. I even gave my life to Christ at the age of nine in 1976 after one
of those Sunday school classes. I ran after those things that enticed me
strongly and meant a lot to me though, those impressions they left on me as a teenager
were to lead me to make a definite decision to change my lifestyle.
My
father had me transferred from Kufena College Zaria to Rimi College Kaduna to
again be under his watchful eyes, and so I went to school from home. At home I
was still that sweet innocent nice looking teenager, very calm but a terrible
young man away from home. My life style was that of parties, dancing and women.
Let’s say youthful delinquency.
As I recounted
in my book, “From Sickness to a healing minister”, On August 14, 1985 in a revival
program organized by the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) Ungwan
Mission Kakuri Kaduna, Nigeria, I became born again; I decided to put an end to
all sort of rebellion and reckless lifestyle and so I went to church with my
mind made up to make a change.
The message was
so simple and direct, so when the preacher (Brother Christian Paul), gave the
open invitation to all who needed Christ in their lives to step forward, I was
the first on the line yielding my life to Jesus and the leadership of the Holy
Spirit.
It became so obvious to me that all along
it was God’s voice I have been hearing, God didn’t hate me so much as to create
me with all the disabilities, deformations and all the conditions I had
suffered, but he allowed those things just to bring glory to his name.
He was
orchestrating my life towards the purpose He had for binging me to this world-
to preach to my generation; to show the world He wants to heal all kinds of
sicknesses and correct all impossible conditions or situations.
“Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works
of God should be made manifest to him.”
John 9: 3
Personally,
I see God throughout those times and conditions trying to get my attention in
other to teach me how to hear his voice, commune deeply with him and to depend
on him totally For Everything!
“What I tell you in darkness, that speak
ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the house tops.”
Matt.10: 27
I
guess those times of loneliness, those times I was withdrawn, those times I
experienced crises and intimidation, when I felt downcast and unwanted and as
useless as a spoilt vegetable, God was preparing me for a better time of
ministry.
Before
I became born again, I loved dancing, I also, had an opportunity to pursue a
professional soccer career in Brazil, but all of these coincided with my
General certificate of education (GCE) and school leaving examination. I left
all of these when I met with the Lord God I am so glad that I did!
The
short period I spent in my final year of secondary school after the born again
experience just before my final year exams were so exciting and different from
all the other years put together. It became so obvious to me that God
wanted me to carry out his will and so began to study the Bible, Christian
literatures and to pray more. Doing this brought peace the desire to preach
God’s word. It was at this
point that my speech perfected and God spoke to me expressly by the scripture
below.
“What I tell you in darkness,
that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the
house tops.”
Matt.10: 27
And so
I started witnessing to people around me what God had done for me. Out of zeal
for God and his saving grace over my life, I started attending church as if my
life depended on it. I severed every unfruitful ties that I thought will draw
me back or slow
me down and all my activities were
centered around church such that every evening then was spent in church. I
started attending choir practices, prayer meetings and Sunday school and won every
competition, quizzes and debates in our local church council (LCC).
Though,
my former friends and associates called me names and made mockery of my new
found faith just to dissuade me and draw me back but forever I was gone from
their company and lifestyle. Indeed the devil had forever lost me.
I Went Out On Evangelism
I hooked up with
a discipleship training class which was started by Brother Sam John (then a
graduate of Mechanical Engineering from ABU Zaria, who just passed out from his
one year service with the Nigerian National Youth Service Corp [NYSC] of that
year). He taught us the basic doctrines of Christ among which were the great
commission as found in the book of Mark 16: 18.
A member of that group Aaron who also
started attending Living Faith Church alias ‘Winners Chapel’ in Kaduna then, gave
me a book written by the Rev. Kenneth Hagin titled, “Seven steps to receiving
the Holy Ghost” for more understanding of baptism of the Holy Spirit and
speaking in tongues which my local church did not approve and was hostile to
those who were already practicing it, I was caught up in between opinions and
went ahead to search for answers.
Amazingly, it
was the author’s biography that hit me the most. In it, Kenneth Hagin had
outlined the story of his healing from an incurable heart condition. He
recounted how he was born with a deformed heart that led to total paralysis at
the age of seventeen (17).
Completely
bedfast, he came across a scripture in the book of the Gospel according to St.
Mark 11: 22- 24. He believed the word of God in these scriptures and applied
them to his condition by throwing himself down from on top of his hospital bed
to the ground and struggled to get up to his feet. Miraculously, God
strengthened his legs and spinal cord and that was the end of him being
bedfast.
I thought to myself if this
boy, just a teenager obtained this miracle how about me that was very much
older. So I prayed that God should not only fill me with the Holy Spirit but
should also take away stuttering and heal me from appendicitis. I had earlier
been given an appointment for surgery in the hospital and that I dreaded.
The
Lord answered my prayer to his glory, not
only that he filled
me with the Holy spirit (although, I did not speak with new tongues
immediately as the case may be, however, I found myself speaking with a new
tongues that very night) I did not undergo
that operation.
How I Started my Music Career
While
I was still a dancer, I was not so much attracted to playing musical instruments
although I had a big collection of all the great pop musicians and artistes
especially for dancing. Unknown to me I had a great talent for music which I
only discovered when I started going to church in 1985.
Brother
Paul Bonnet had an acoustic guitar around my neighborhood but I was not
particularly interested since my life then was lived outside of the church and
that vicinity. Shortly after I gave my life to Christ, I picked up interest and
with Joe Bako’s guitar and instructions,
it was just a matter of time and I became very skillful such that I could play
and sing along and what more? I was already playing with so many bands. At
first people made fun of my soprano voice until I perfected singing and
playing.
The Benson
Idahosah’s Gospel Crusade
In 1985, a weeklong Benson
Idahosa gospel crusade took place at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna. Archbishop
Benson Idahosah was one of the leading healing ministers of that time and with
his crusade I witnessed for the first time the power in the name of Jesus; I
saw a sea of people trooping into the arena to declare for Jesus and many
people got healed of various ailments; I saw people get out of wheel chairs,
blind eyes opened, several people got unclean spirits cast out of them and
there was the awesome story of a dead body coming back to life.
Despite witnessing awesome miracles, signs and
wonders during the evenings this crusade held, at nights I kept having this
mysterious terrifying dream. The most intriguing thing was that the dream
started with the proceedings of the crusade, in which archbishop comes to lay
hands on me then his face transforms into this horrible creature that
strangulates, trying to squeeze life out of me. I struggle to shout the name of
Jesus but no one hears me. When the archbishop shouts the name of Jesus, I wake
up from sleep and that ends the dream for that night. This continued until the
last night of the crusade when I responded the archbishop’s alter call about my
case.
He used the name of Jesus to
command the horrible creature to leave and terminated the dream. Against all
expectations that very night I had a repeat of that dream, only that this time
around the mysterious creature was the spirit of death and as soon as I saw it
coming, I shouted Jesus save me. A bright light without origin flashed, turned
into fire and consumed the creature and that was the end. These experiences
were to leave a lasting impression in my life that will define my ministry for
life.
Chapter Three
LIFE IN ADVANCED LEVEL (COLLEGE)
Around
August 1985, I gained admission into College of Advanced Studies (CAS) Zaria
where I hooked up with the fellowship of Christian students (FCS) and this was
my first time in such a fellowship, I continued with my evangelistic activities
enjoying every passing moment. There was this air of freedom, quite unlike the
secondary school where there was a form of regiment and strict rules and
disciplinary measures. On the contrary in CAS there was none whatsoever we were
free at last to run our own lives and the way we wanted it, a total change of
orientation in study and life. For instance there was no prep time, no more
ringing of bells to wake you up in the morning, you went to lectures because
you wanted to not because somebody was coercing you to, no more flogging,
punishments or routine cleaning.
There
were workers to clean our hostels, toilets, and classes. This was unthinkable
in secondary school. And so there was a general laxity and I got caught up with
it until the first test scores came, they came in so poor that you had to solve
your problems yourself. I began by drawing up a study plan for myself,
purchasing textbooks and eliminating unnecessary time wastage. Almost every
serious student adopted a healthy reading habit. This was the first time I was
organizing my own life style as an adult, I had to balance all my activities
around my academic activities and study time since this is what I was there
for.
At
that time most of the officials of the fellowship had one problem or the other
with their academics because they lost tract of what brought them to CAS as
they were relaxed about their studies and became more or less full time
ministers on campus skipping their lecture times. I made up my mind I was not
going to end up a failure and to achieve this I was going to balance out my
time very well. Some people looked on some of us as spiritual failures because
the slogan then was “why read like unbelievers since you are serving a living
God who could perform miracles for his beloved”.
While
some of us labored so hard studying, some faith giants as they called
themselves were whirling away their time on unnecessary activities, completely
overwhelmed by the newly found air of freedom and assurances that could only
end them in disaster. At the end of the
session the notice boards were displaying results. At the notice board, while
others were jumping and laughing so excitedly at their results, some could not
raise up their faces, they had them lowered in shame, they had series of
problems ranging from re-sits of one, two or three papers out of their lots, outright
repeat of the year and some were out rightly advised to withdraw from their
programs and the institution.
My
result sheet was perfect though the grades were not as expected; my roommate
Sunny Bonnet and I were among the very few people on the pass list. A few
others were, Yusuf Akilla, Masha Hassan, and Jehu Maibege all of which were my
course mates.
After
the first year, in addition to being a member of the editorial committee of the
Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NiFES) campus magazine, “Peace Be
Still”, I was elected to fill up the vacant Bible study leader’s position
created as a result of the withdrawal of its occupant from the institution. I
also joined the Gospel team and was saddled with the task of establishing and
taking care of secondary school fellowships of Christian students. God was
faithful and my academics only improved for the better until I became the most
famous student of Physics in the whole school. I maintained my focus and so was
successful on every side.
My Encounter with Ogala Ali and Caleb Agosaah
One day in my first year in CAS
Zaria, one brother Ogala Ali, well respected in the fellowship for his prayer
life and high level of discipline came to my room on his way to the forest (the
forest was a place set aside by the fellowship for prayers) and claimed that
God sent him to come and pray for me and that was what he did and left.
After
this encounter, my life began to yearn for God in prayer and I also began to
receive revelations and dreams. In my dreams I could solve very difficult
academic problems, I also started having prophetic utterances; generally, my
life took an ascending curve.
Another
notable person I met about the same time was Brother Caleb Agosaah. This
happened one day when I was on my way to attend lecture. suddenly I stumbled and my
shoes opened, although so many people passed
me by but as soon as I sighted
him the spirit of God in me spoke, “Ask this brother to give you money to repair your shoes”. From that moment
onwards we remained friends and prayer partners and God has achieved a lot of
things through our friendship in other people’s lives and ministries. Pastor
Caleb is not just a friend but sticks closer than a brother; he is the singular
person that has affected my life more than any other human being on earth.
The Fellowship in CAS Zaria
College
of Advanced Studies was not just famous because of the academics but
the spiritual meaning and
value it
added to the lives of the people
that pass through it by the agency of the fellowship.
The
fellowship in CAS, Zaria has produced so many great ministers of God in the
nation, Nigeria and they are all over the globe and places making great
contributions to the church in Nigeria and any other countries they find
themselves. Some of them are founders and presidents of fellowships, assemblies
and churches, CEO’s of NGOs, missionaries and great evangelists and pastors in
Nigeria and all over the world; some in America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean
Island. All of us have one testimony and that is passing through CAS made us
what we are today spiritually. We have one other thing to say about the forest,
it was a great training ground.
Though
the forest as the name implies was a place where you will expect to find wild
animals such as snakes and other reptiles but throughout its existence there
was no single incidence of attack or injury caused by the wild nature or
roughness of that forest. Everybody who as a student or attended that forest
testifies that it was a place of prayer, encounter and training with the Lord. I
can safely say that many students were in CAS because God wanted them to
discover him and their ministries and bearing in life by praying in that
forest.
Excommunicated from ECWA
You
might call this preposterous but I call it divine arrangement. One day while on
holiday in Kaduna, as it was our custom as part of our discipleship class (headed
by Sam John) in ECWA church Ungwan-mission, Kaduna, it was our usual prayer
meetings, unfortunately it was only me and another sister Maria at that time
praying, others were not yet around. It was a prayer of agreement and we needed
to hold hands unknown to us there was surveillance on the group by the elders’
board of that local church board (LCB).
Ironically,
it was the pastor at first that caught us in the act of praying and later when the
whole group of about twelve (12) was in another round of agreement prayers, we
were interrupted and summoned to face the whole elders’ board that evening
after which we were advised to stop or face excommunication. Of course not all
of us will take that with a pinch of salt; so we decided and replied the board that we were not
about to stop and to buttress our point, we went back in
right there and then to continue in our prayers not minding whose ass we will gore.
The
next Sunday which happened to be a Holy Communion Sunday, as expected our names
were announced for excommunication. This took place in 1986 during the summer
holidays just after my first year in CAS.
Gospel Ministries International (GMI)
I
came to know about GMI shortly after I got born again, and especially when I
joined up with the discipleship group of Brother Sam John in 1985. Although he
encouraged us all to attend the then prayerful Bible study fellowship then
headed by Rev Moses Omodanisi that held every Tuesday evening at #72 Zaria
Street Nassarawa Kaduna, I was still bound to ECWA. But after the
excommunication, all of us decided to take solace with GMI fully and so I
started attending the Bible studies fully with them.
There
was Gospel messengers too, a church that started as a missionary singing group
then in Ungwan-Television Kaduna under the leadership of Uncle Bosan. It was
while attending Gospel messengers for my Sunday services that I met with late
Tom Moses and Aaron Yako that I started playing the bass and acoustic guitar
very well. I also met Pastor Yakubu Umoru and a couple of friends at Gospel
Messengers.
GMI
was just too glad to have me as their main guitarist and not too long I also
conscripted Victor John (Javic) into the praise worship team of GMI after Rev
Moses Omodanisi had anointed me publicly. It was in GMI and while in CAS that I
saw practically, casting out of devils but only got involved with it much later
when I was in the University in 1991. The losses of ECWA became the gains of
GMI
The Southern Kaduna Student Conference at Kafanchan
In
the same summer of 1986, I attended the southern Kaduna student conference that
took place at the College of Education Kafanchan tagged ‘bringing back the
King’. It was the first of its kind I was attending. It was a great revival
fire that was started not only in the land but in my life. That was the first
time I ever saw some other person so much as taught from the same scriptures
that I have read over and over again only with a better revelation. I had
concluded that Francis K. Yusuf was about the best bible teacher I will ever
come across.
Gbile
Akanni was in a class of his own as he expertly brought out divine revelation
about the folly of us trying to bring back the king without first making
adequate preparation for him. He took his text from the book of 2 Samuel and
Acts where he spoke about how Israel was bringing back their King David but yet
not making preparation for him.
He
also spoke about King Solomon building a house or temple but that God do not
dwell in houses made by human hands; he only dwells in our hearts and so all
preparations must be done to receive him in our hearts and when he dwells in
our hearts and we in the land, that is how he can be brought back to the land. He
also spoke about “building him a home in
our lives” with emphasis about Solomon building him a temple when we should be
building him a home in our lives. It became obvious to me that what God wanted
me to first do was to build my own live and ministry by making Jesus Lord and
taking root in my life and not by doing what will bring
me honor before men only.
Brother
Gbile Akanni brought out the teaching potentials in me and set me on a path of
studies that will be bedrock of my ministry. I could see that God intended for
me to teach his word with clarity and revelation. After this conference I went
back to CAS with a renewed zeal and fire to make a difference in the fellowship
in school and the secondary schools under my care. My life never remained the
same again.
My Encounter with Fred AddoAlthough a
student of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Main Campus, Zaria, he was already an
established itinerant evangelist preaching and ministering in many prominent
meetings; camp fires, conferences, crusades etc. He was already towering among
so many heavy weight preachers all over Nigeria and abroad because of the grace
and gifts of God manifesting over his life and ministry.
Even as the Service Secretary of CAS, Zaria, Fred Addo was already known for his knack for evangelism and demonstration of the explosive power of the Holy Ghost. So, often he spent days in the forest seeking and in the presence of God and often spend his weekends out of the campus doing the work of evangelism.Sunday was the day, and the occasion was the dedication of the 1986 set of leaders of Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NiFES) CAS, Zaria. Every one of us was filled with great expectation as we have fully been briefed about the invited minister for the occasion. Personally I had not met him on that level or in that capacity before then, but because of paraphernalia that preceded his coming you will think you had met him already.Every protocols was observed and all service rights performed, it was time for the guest to bring the word of God and release the anointing of the Holy Spirit on us for service in the next one year as custodians of the fellowship.
The introduction was done by Francis K Yusuf the outgoing charismatic teacher of great pedigree and President of the fellowship. He ushered Fred Addo to the Podium. Before he even acknowledged the applause that greeted him, he strapped his Guitar into place and the first thing that came out of his mouth was a strong velvet voice of a country music crooner with his sweet melodious song; You are the only reason I sing this song, you are the one that gives me inspiration… One song after the order he kept singing and kept everyone glued to their seats and quiet, listening with rapt attention and enjoying every song ministration that he performed.
Before you knew it people stated falling off from their sitting and standing positions, all of them slain by the power of the Holy Spirit that saturated the atmosphere of the auditorium. Everywhere was jammed packed as people from all works of life; students and lecturers from surrounding campuses, preachers and church members, parents, guardians and relatives of all kinds and everywhere came to honor this annual occasion.Because of the great power in that song ministration that day, the service took a new dimension; people were delivered from all kinds of oppressions of the devil, people stepped forward to receive salvation, Holy Spirit baptism etc. When it was time for the main business of the day, the dedication of the new Executive members, we all came out and file up across the stage and he began to lay hands and prophesy to each one uniquely. Fred Addo ministered with such grace, prophetic preaching and power that I had never seen before, so I took notice of him. I desired to operate and be used in that manner. From that meeting something strange happened to me, I started with campus evangelism and spent long hours in the forest praying, interceding and demanding for Power from God.The next time I encountered Fred Addo again was in 1987, the venue was Congo Conference Hotel, Zaria, Rev. Dr Ben Oruma, (former lecturer, Chaplain of Chapel of Salvation ABU Congo Campus, Chaplain Chapel of Grace CAS Zaria and Patron of Nifes in Zaria), invited Fred Addo as the Guest speaker to His Ben Oruma Ministry (BON) crusade which held then in the International conference Hall of the Prestigious Congo Conference hotel.
During one of Fred Addo’s ministration a Word of Knowledge came, there is a footballer here that had his left knee twisted and dislocated, honey, God says you will be able to play football again, and you will be permanently healed. There was no mistaking, it was me! I was the only one that came up to him and when he hit me on the chest, I went rolling on the floor and after that, no more pains for a very, very long time.
Even as the Service Secretary of CAS, Zaria, Fred Addo was already known for his knack for evangelism and demonstration of the explosive power of the Holy Ghost. So, often he spent days in the forest seeking and in the presence of God and often spend his weekends out of the campus doing the work of evangelism.Sunday was the day, and the occasion was the dedication of the 1986 set of leaders of Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NiFES) CAS, Zaria. Every one of us was filled with great expectation as we have fully been briefed about the invited minister for the occasion. Personally I had not met him on that level or in that capacity before then, but because of paraphernalia that preceded his coming you will think you had met him already.Every protocols was observed and all service rights performed, it was time for the guest to bring the word of God and release the anointing of the Holy Spirit on us for service in the next one year as custodians of the fellowship.
The introduction was done by Francis K Yusuf the outgoing charismatic teacher of great pedigree and President of the fellowship. He ushered Fred Addo to the Podium. Before he even acknowledged the applause that greeted him, he strapped his Guitar into place and the first thing that came out of his mouth was a strong velvet voice of a country music crooner with his sweet melodious song; You are the only reason I sing this song, you are the one that gives me inspiration… One song after the order he kept singing and kept everyone glued to their seats and quiet, listening with rapt attention and enjoying every song ministration that he performed.
Before you knew it people stated falling off from their sitting and standing positions, all of them slain by the power of the Holy Spirit that saturated the atmosphere of the auditorium. Everywhere was jammed packed as people from all works of life; students and lecturers from surrounding campuses, preachers and church members, parents, guardians and relatives of all kinds and everywhere came to honor this annual occasion.Because of the great power in that song ministration that day, the service took a new dimension; people were delivered from all kinds of oppressions of the devil, people stepped forward to receive salvation, Holy Spirit baptism etc. When it was time for the main business of the day, the dedication of the new Executive members, we all came out and file up across the stage and he began to lay hands and prophesy to each one uniquely. Fred Addo ministered with such grace, prophetic preaching and power that I had never seen before, so I took notice of him. I desired to operate and be used in that manner. From that meeting something strange happened to me, I started with campus evangelism and spent long hours in the forest praying, interceding and demanding for Power from God.The next time I encountered Fred Addo again was in 1987, the venue was Congo Conference Hotel, Zaria, Rev. Dr Ben Oruma, (former lecturer, Chaplain of Chapel of Salvation ABU Congo Campus, Chaplain Chapel of Grace CAS Zaria and Patron of Nifes in Zaria), invited Fred Addo as the Guest speaker to His Ben Oruma Ministry (BON) crusade which held then in the International conference Hall of the Prestigious Congo Conference hotel.
During one of Fred Addo’s ministration a Word of Knowledge came, there is a footballer here that had his left knee twisted and dislocated, honey, God says you will be able to play football again, and you will be permanently healed. There was no mistaking, it was me! I was the only one that came up to him and when he hit me on the chest, I went rolling on the floor and after that, no more pains for a very, very long time.
God’s Plans and Purposes for My Life
As a fall out of
the events of the 11th, of march, 1987, as outlined in my book titled “From
Sickness to a healing minister”, Out of fear, haven just escaped death the
previous day in Zaria; at about 11.00pm the night of March 12th, in Kaduna I
knelt down on my bedside and prayed thus: Lord, am, I going to die by the hands of the Muslim zealots in
Zaria, or what will become of my life? God clearly said to me, “sleep”
and so I did.
At exactly
5.00am the next day, the spirit of God woke me up; set me on the edge of my bed
with a vision. In the vision, I saw myself standing at the Southern coast of
Africa and another man from across the other coast beckoned on me to come over.
As I stood looking at the raging waves, wondering how I could go across without
a vessel, all of a sudden I saw myself over at the other side with the man in
his house. He queried me, “Why did you delay coming? I have been waiting for
you to come”. His wife was busy cooking and preparing all kinds of delicacies.
I also noticed that she was pregnant and did not say a word all through my
conversation with her husband.
Although we
communicated in a very strange language but I know we fully understood each
other. After cooking, the woman served
us the dishes and after the meal the man took me to a place that looked like a
market or town square (the only dry portion, every where else was swampy and
most houses were build on suspended structures), he pointed to the place, and
said “that is the place on which you will hold your crusades”.
The vision ended.
I asked the Lord, when would this be? He replied, “This will take place in
the future but when the time comes I will begin to stir your heart up”. I also said, Lord what will I be doing
till that time, and God said, “You will go to ATBU
Bauchi, to read Electrical/Electronic Engineering. Go and teach my people to
worship me in truth and in spirit lifting up their lives in praise and
worship.”
Further Experiences in GMI
I joined Gospel Ministries
international (GMI) with headquarters in the city of Kaduna. There I saw
practically, the power in the name of Jesus in manifestation. After preaching
the word, the then senior lecturer with the Kaduna Polytechnic, Rev. Moses K.
Omodanisi will make alter calls to those that wanted to receive Jesus as their
lord and savior, through the word of knowledge and wisdom and by the power of
the Spirit of God within him describe the condition of some people. And like
magic people will respond to the call as he stood there describing and urging
people to step forward.
As soon as he laid his hands on some of them,
there was drama; some will scream, some will start vomiting and some will crawl
and move like snakes on the ground. While some are crying, jumping and falling
down some will be laughing heavily.
One common thing was that
after such ministration, they all became calm and sober and changed from that
day on. Some with terrible sicknesses ranging from palsy, mental cases, cancer
and all kind of sicknesses will testify of their healing. These cases were
referred from the psychiatric hospital in Kaduna, and many other hospitals,
therefore their genuineness was never in doubt.
Gradually, I began to
understand that it was faith in the name of Jesus that made available that kind
of power. We were taught that faith in the name of Jesus, being filled with the
Holy Spirit were vital prerequisites to manifesting such power and ability.
We were encouraged to live a
holy life of prayer, fasting, study and meditation on the word of God.
Gradually, my faith and strong believe in the name of Jesus and the efficacy of
the power of prayer began to wax strong. In fact I started experiencing
healings for malaria, headaches and some minor diseases.
By 1987, when I went back to school to
complete my studies in college of advanced studies (CAS) Zaria, I had tested
and proved the demonstration of God’s power. And so, many cases were always
brought to me to attend to. I also discovered that as I went out to evangelize
and preach I became more confident in the power of the name of Jesus so that
even when physical assaults were aimed at me, I saw people bow literally to
that name Jesus.
In Jail For The Sake Of the Gospel
On the day I was to leave
CAS Zaria after packing my things together I went to bit farewell to the
incumbent president of the fellowship Nigerian fellowship of evangelical
student (Nifes) in the company of my bosom friend and roommate Yakubu Yerima.
While we were with the
president, our room was burgled and all our belongings were done away with.
There was nothing we could do than just to pray. After which we reported the
case to both the security department of CAS and the divisional police
headquarters in Zaria and left for Kaduna, it was terrible. Some days after, we
went back to Zaria for our examination results with Yerima Yakubu only to
discover that the law enforcement officers had apprehended the thieves and
recovered some stolen properties from them.
On hearing this, we headed
for the police station only for our Joy to turn into a sorrow, the thieves have
implicated us in their statements and before we could say Jack Robinson we
found ourselves behind bars in the police cell for 2 days. We were arraigned
before an Islamic kangaroo court with different names; me they called Yerima
Yero and my friend they called Yakubu Yero, the devil wanted to totally slow us
down.
While in the police cell, I
asked the culprit, you stole our properties and further implicated us in your
case of robberies, what do you have against us? To this
he confessed, “I don’t know why I did that but I guess you will always
forgive me and because of you keep preaching in Zaria city and got my friend
converted I had no choice than to rope you guys
in since that is the only way to
stop you.
Preaching of the gospel is
prohibited within Zaria city up till this day until the Lord intervenes because
Zaria city is the seat of the Emirate which is predominantly Moslem. The way to
penetrate Zaria city then was having underground fellowships within the city
walls. At this confession, I felt like Paul and Silas in jail. God worked out
his miracle and we were completely set free and acquitted. But for the gospel
and name of Jesus we felt honored to suffer, it is delightful after all to
suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
Delivered
from Bullion Van Trouble
The same week after we were released
from the snare of the Islamic kangaroo court case in Zaria, we nearly got into
another trouble that would have caused us our lives.
While I was still a student at
Rimi College Kaduna, the bush path that use to be one of our short cuts on our
way home back then, unknown to me led to
the strong room of the First bank at Yakubu Gowon way Kaduna. To make matters
worse, the bullion van was offloading money into the bank’s strong room. So
when the escorts sighted us, they mistook us for armed robbers and immediately
arrested us and hand cuffed us waiting for further action against us.
Fortunately for us, when they
discovered that we actually just strayed in there at the wrong time as all the
evidence found on us only pointed to the fact that we were indeed on our way to
the Kaduna state students scholarship board to attend our interview for
scholarship award for sponsorship for the next academic year. That was how God
saved us that day.
Chapter Four
LIVE IN THE UNIVERSITY
I got admitted to read Electrical/Electronic Engineering in
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi in the year 1988, although I
applied for another course- Nuclear physics in a different department. There again I was involved in campus
student fellowship leadership, in my first year I was elected the music
director of the fellowship’s Crusaders Band.
And
shortly after my first semester I was again elected in a by-election to replace
the program and publicity secretary in the year 1989. At this point in time my
academics began to suffer and reporting late to school did not help matters, I
was just stabilizing when in the 1990/91 session, I was again elected the Bible
study secretary / Vice president of the Nigerian fellowship of evangelical
students (NIFES) and also, I was the university Chapel’s band Music director.
These were the platforms God provided for me to fulfill his plan for my life
while on campus according to his word.
With the discovery that I could
not attain my goal for academic excellence, I decided that after graduation I
was going to commit ten (10) years of my life in the service of God until I got
to know exactly where he was leading me.
At the last Days
Gathering Jarawan Kogi 1989
One of the most memorable
Calvary ministries (CAPRO) conferences I ever attended was at Government
Secondary School (GSS) Jarawan Kogi. Gbile Akanni was the main speaker; Uncle Bayo
Famunure was the leader, while the footsteps foundations and late Tom Abba were
the guest music ministers at this CAPRO conference which normally took place
between 26th of December to January 31st of the yuletide
season of every year.
At first I never realized that
will be the last I will see Uncle Bayo, Tom Abbah and Panam Percy Paul and that
on the other hand, I was about to meet Lawrence Ige that will save me from
making the worst mistake of my life down
the road just a year later.
First and foremost it was Tom
Abbah of blessed memories that ministered to me deeply with his when he sang
the song “Hear my Cry Oh Lord”,
Hear my cry oh Lord, attend unto
my prayer
From the ends of the earth, will
I cry unto you?
And when my heart is over
whelmed,
Please lead me to the rock,
That is higher than I, that is
higher than I
For thou hast been, a shelter
unto me
A strong tower, from my enemies
As late Tom Abbah kept crooning
his songs (with his one man band) one after the other, he kept tearing my heart
apart and as I kept drinking from the fountain of life getting ready for the
final dish from Gbile Akanni it seems like he
should not stop. After him that
morning came the others with their field report; people like Lawrence Ige, Peter
Ozodo, Colonel Ooni, and brother Tor Ujah and co all came and added fuel to the
fire that was already burning in me. It
was like I should just leap up and take to the fields, I was wasting precious
time schooling. At that moment nothing meant so much to me than to leap frog my
time.
Lawrence Ige talked about how he
had left school just before his final exams for his bachelor of Pharmacy at the
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, and went on tour of over fifty (50) countries
around the world on the Ship Anastasia, a ship owned by Youth with a Mission
Ywam. He continued to speak of how he
was disowned by his father
because of his decision and how subsequently he met with several Presidents, world rulers,
and business owners and how he married
his white wife and how he went back to study for bachelors,
masters and his doctorate (PhD).
Finally, he said his father
accepted him back and confessed to how proud he was about the greatness Lawrence
had achieved and that rescinded and regretted his earlier stance, all of these
fascinated me and so when brother Lawrence made the alter call for people to
come out and submit their names for full time service, I was the first on the
line giving out my name and life to be a missionary. After all, there was nothing
to lose, my father wasn’t sponsoring me well and I had lost the chance of
making first class in my degree honors, this was a good way out of my frustration.
In fact, I stood to gain this is all I had been yearning for, being a
missionary.
But to my greatest surprise, it
was like Lawrence did not approve
of my decision to leave school
and go right away into the
mission field when he interviewed me
and got to know that I was actually going into my
fourth year studying Electrical/Electronic Engineering. What could this mean?
Does it mean that the Holy Spirit revealed something to him about me? Anyway,
he told me to wait for a while and that we will get to discuss properly when he
comes to my school as he was scheduled to speak in our mission awareness week
program the next year.
When Uncle Bayo Famunure came up
with his report of how he had toured the African nations as the chairperson of Nigerian
Evangelical missionary Association (NEMA), this
further unsettled me as everything in me was
crying out to go on the
field. One after the other, all the field based missionaries shared
their experiences with us.
The final stroke that broke the
camel’s back was when brother Tor Ujah came up with facts and figures about the
percentages of the people in the world that were reached people, unreached
people which he further classified as only heard the gospel once, or never at
all it became very frightening. He again analyzed the percentage of Christians
against that of non-Christians in the world; which he further classified into evangelicals,
Pentecostals, Orthodox and Catholics, it was like that was the
right way to go- missions.
When Brother Gbile Akanni came
up with his teachings about Carrying the Before then most of the
missionaries that spoke were
economical with the truth about their experiences and
made every other person look like redundant and that they were the only super stars of the
kingdom. It was not so clear that
there were bickering in the echelon of the leadership of CAPRO that will later
lead to a splitting of the house.
Finally brother Lawrence Ige
came to ATBU and when we got to talk he advised me to complete my studies as
this will not affect my plans or vision for missions. He seemed to be sure that
God had other plans for me and I am so grateful that he stopped me from dumping
my studies and dropping out of school. It was also then that he confided to me that
he actually regretted not completing his Pharmacy education all though God in
spite of his mistakes still gave him a
second chance to make the right choices after all.
He also told me not
to swallow what I heard at the
CAPRO conference hook line and sinker because so many of the missionaries were
economical with the truth and some figures
and facts were not so accurate as
for me
to base my decision
on them but rather that I
should base it on
what God had told me before
and check it with the word
of God. I mean
how could God
tell me that I was to read
electrical/electronic engineering , made sure I got the admission just for
me to dump it? It didn’t make sense.
He insisted that God will always
complete his projects and not abandon them half way because he is a perfect
God. It was later that I learned that it was those inconsistencies that Uncle
Bayo was trying to correct when he was
vehemently opposed and forced to leave the CAPRO he founded and labored for a very long time without pay or any form financial benefits. A big lesson I learned was that God’s words always should
be our guide not our emotions or logic.
Reinhard Bonnke’s Gospel Crusade
In the
year 1989, as an undergraduate, I came home for the summer holidays of that
year just in time to meet up with preparations and rehearsals for the great
Gospel crusade that for the first time was going to unite Christians of several
believes that have been at variance and sometime at logger head with each other
divided by walls of denomination, opinions and doctrinal differences.
Every church contributed in
one way or the other their members to function in this crusade. Many Churches contributed
their members to function as counselors, ushers and Protocols officers. Others
functioned as translators, musicians and security personnel.
Many churches also
contributed musical instruments, vehicles and their places of worship as venues
for ministers’ conferences and other meetings in the course of preparation for and
during the crusade. So also my church contributed the Music band known as the
Dunamis band. I was at the head of training for the band.
An advanced delegation of
the Christ For All Nations (CFAN) made up of prayer, Training and technical
teams was in place several months all for preparation, orientation and training
of manpower for that one week long Crusade.
Great expectations saturated
the atmosphere in the city of Kaduna. Many people from all works of life,
villages and towns, all over the country were in town for the crusade. Disabled
people, all kinds of sickness from hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, Moslems,
pagans and Christians alike all gathered in the venue of the great Gospel
Crusade. The city of Kaduna had never seen or experience such unity and
gathering of people.
The first port of call for Reinhard Bonnke in the
city of Kaduna was the Governor’s office in the Government House as is the case
and tradition with him to pray for the Governor and the entire state, also as a
mark of acceptance of his ministry. Then later he met with ministers of the
Gospel from all churches represented in the state and capital city of Kaduna especially in the planning committee.
The Crusade kicked off that
evening at exactly 5:00PM, (GMT+1) with opening prayers and praise worship songs.
Before individual songs ministration Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke made his way to
the Podium and great applause greeted his arrival and an atmosphere of urgency
and focus took over the whole Arena.
After observance of
protocols it, was finally time for Reinhard Bonnke to mount the Pulpit and
deliver his message and proceed with the ministration of that day.
The first thing he said was,
“People of Kaduna Praise the Lord!” And a thunderous “Halleluyah” was the
response of the multitude of people. Standing on that Platform, the sea of
heads of people I saw while playing that Bass guitar that day was unimaginable.
It only reminded me of the
promise made to Abraham that his descendants shall be as sand of the seashores
or the multitude of stars in the sky. How could anybody ever count these people
in this gathering? “People of Kaduna shout Halleluyah,” he said again, by this
time everywhere went awry. And off he started his message with Rev. David John
Kanda as the translator for that night into the Hausa language that majority of
people understood and spoke in northern Nigeria.
The message got a wonderful response as
hundreds of thousands of the people that night made a decision for Jesus and
twice that number received deliverances of their bondages, sicknesses and
diseases. I saw the cripple strengthened and wheel chairs abandoned, the blind
received their sights, and many leapers were healed right under my very nose.
At the end of the Crusade,
the people that gave their lives or were affected by it as far away as twenty
(20), Kilometer radius from the venue of the crusades, in their hotel rooms and
den of iniquity by far outnumbered those that were counted physically at the
venue of the crusades. Many churches kept harvesting souls even several years
after that gathering. The gains of the Crusade alone in the city of Kaduna were
awesome. We heard of some armed robbers aborted their plans for robbery after
they heard the simple massages of this man of God.
His sound reinforcement
equipment was so powerful to deliver clean and clear sound as far as twenty
(20) kilometers and further of radius from the point of radiation on the
crusade ground.
The ministers and fire conferences were
something else, the teachings were mainly on how to carry out the assignment off
God the way he prescribed it rather than copying other people’s mandate. To carry the presence of the Lord according
to how he says you should was far
better than imagining and imitating others.
The city of Kaduna was
remembered by God himself not just the efforts of Bonnke or the team. Sister
Susanne the leader of the Advance team to any Crusade venue or City is a
prayerful woman of God as she leads her team of intercessors months ahead of
any crusade meetings to prepare the ground for such.
To me particularly, that
Crusade was to prepare me for the future and so I follow the ministry of
Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke with close interest so as I can learn how to move in
my own ministry and do what God wants me to do. I imbibed those principles that
give him and CFAN success and believe God for the Resources to carry out
Crusades and my assignments in the
ministry without scarcity. Reinhard Bonnke is a rare gift to Africa.
Bishop Wale Oke Crusade
My first time with the
ministry of this great Nigerian evangelist was in the town of Bauchi during my
Undergraduate studies in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi. Being
the Chapel Band Leader as well as Vice-President/Bible Study secretary of the
Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical students (NIFES) popularly known as Chapel
of Victory Youth Wing.
I was invited to
coordinate the Musical and Mass Choir Rehearsals by Pastor Ben Momoh who later
relocated to USA and had since started off his Ministry. Our chapel of Victory
under the Chaplain ship of Rev (Canon) Professor Sam A. A Ale a Vulnerable in
the Anglican Communion of Bauchi that was under The bishopric of Bishop
Chukwuma also the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Bauchi
branch, had to produce myself and other students to play at this Crusade since
we were considered one of the best choirs in Bauchi then. The crusade just like
the Kaduna Crusade of Reinhard Bonnke was organized under the auspices of CAN
to Unite the Bauchi Christians.
How I Got Anointed With Power in the University
While in the University I
held many responsibilities among which was, the post of the bible study
secretary of the University chapel of victory youth wing. With this
responsibility, I had to prepare study outlines and take care of all the
scriptural needs of the fellowship I was a standby speaker for any guest
speaker that could not honor our invitation to speak in the fellowship. And so
I was under pressure and expected to fit squarely to the occasion at all times.
This coupled with the fact
that there was a general lack of interest in the attendance of the chapel youth
wing because of the advent of a fellowship group who calls themselves the
trinity word chapel (TWC) this group of individuals were a loose group that
encourage promiscuity and fornication. They preached that whatever act that is
done by the body (flesh) does not affect your spirit; it was only the sin of
the flesh, this doctrine they referred to as, the mystery of iniquity.
With this happenings, I had
to exhibit the manifestation of the Holy Spirit as outlined in (1 Corinthians
12) I took out long periods to fast and pray, I dedicated the night hours after
studies for that.
Shortly afterwards, I began
to have some strange experiences which scared me at first but I soon got over
the shock. During those prayer sessions, I often felt a burning sensation in my
left hand and sometimes I fell down on the floor for long periods. But God
explained to me that it was a sign of his anointing for healing and miracles on
me. He said that as soon as I began to feel such a sensation I should start
laying my right hand on people, because his power was present to heal and to
deliver completely.
I experienced mighty signs
and wonders and this experience has stayed with me for more than fifteen years
now. The power in the name of Jesus obviously doesn’t get old or outdated. It
is new every time you obey God’s instructions and act in faith. Suffice me to
say, our fellowship then started growing fast and became overpopulated while,
TLC became depleted and went completely extinct. God was only looking out for
obedience, readiness and availability, with faith in the name of Jesus great
power was exuded from us to the hearers.
Chapter Five
LIFE AFTER SCHOOL
After Graduation I decided to
keep to my promise by devoting my time to work in the Vineyard of God and
serving in any capacity, as the Lord will have me do. And so I got absorbed
into the church system.
I declined all to work for
government and instead gave my father my proposals for a music studio instead. My
father was not supportive of my ministry of music though, but he gave me money to
buy my first musical equipment which turned out to be the best and one of its
kind in town.
I served as the National
Director of training for the Gospel Ministries International (GMI) music
department, Kaduna from 1992 to1996. At the recommendation of my General
Overseer Rev Moses Omodanisi, I attended the School of the Word in Gospel
Ministries International Headquarters Kaduna from 1994 to1995.
And since I was doing more music
than preaching at this point in time, I stated a Gospel music outfit known as
Jesus Victory Camp (JVC) in Kaduna and served as the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO).
About Jesus Victory
Camp (JVC)
Jesus Victory Camp started off
as a group of four; Caleb Anthony Agosaah, Yerima Yakubu, Victor John, and me
in the year 1992as the founding members. Since
I did not go for my NYSC program in 1992, I stayed back to coordinate the group
and the vision with the active involvement of Victor John Akai. When later we
started getting invitations to sing, we had to accommodate more singers and
musicians such as Sani Husseini, Bimbo Thompson and Ebenezer Eriemi and we
became a group of five (5) and changed the name of the band to Jesus Victory Camp
(JVC).
At this point too, the Lord had
blessed us with both live and studio musical equipment and
because I was a music producer, I started the studio to both support me, the
band and the music ministry. With the
change in operations and name to JVC Band achieved, we accommodated countless others
such as Pastor Paul Yamah, Moses Bako, Abraham Moses Durotoye, Monday Edward
and a couple of others who we conscripted
according to the need or program. I was overseeing the JVC Band and JVC studios
from 1995 to1999.
JVC became the hottest band in town until we
had about two (2) to three (3) programs in a week which we referred terminated
on Saturdays so that I could be church on Sundays.
Itinerary Ministry
For the whole period 1991 to
1996, I only concentrated myself with ministration through music only. Most of
the time, I was either with the GMI music band or in music Studios involved with
music production. The first Artist I produced was Nathaniel Shola Ogun.
I remember sometime in 1994 when
my Pastor Rev Moses Omodanisi summoned me to his office, he told me it was time
for me to attend the school of the word as a minister in training, I served for
about ten (10) years in Gospel ministries international (GMI). I was all over
branches leading praise worship sessions since we did not share the same
service times but operated an independent or open system of services. I had so
much in my hands.
Sometimes I was required to go
out with the general overseer Rev Moses Omodanisi any time he travelled out to
Lagos or other branches in Nigeria. Especially when he started the Omodanisi World
Outreach Ministry (OWOM), I was required to head the praise team as well. This
almost pitted me against the Music director of the ministry since I was the
director of training and at this time operated the JVC band.
Dr Uma Ukpai’s
ministry at the Assemblies of God Kaduna
In
the year 1996, as a young Gospel musician in the city of Kaduna, I was invited
by two pastor friends from the regional headquarters of the Assemblies of God
Church located on Nassarawa Road, right in the heart of the city of Kaduna to
come help set up the sound system for and minister in a crusade that turned out
to be an Uma Ukpai weeklong crusade.
Before this time I had not
even heard that there existed somebody like that until I came face to face with
his ministrations. Because he sang mostly in the Igbo language, I was almost
put off but when I saw the effect of
such songs on the congregation, I had no choice than to connect with the
mighty flow of the Holy Spirit, He is a prophetic preacher and words of
knowledge, prophecies, miracles, signs and wonders followed his ministration
each day of that weeklong program. I was completely overwhelmed with the
testimonies that came each night of notable miracles of healings, deliverances
and salvation that took place.
He had a unique technique of
ministration, he never laid his hands on anybody but as he sang and prayed,
mighty manifestations were on display, people kept hitting the floor and I was
like who is this man? And where did this
Igbo man contact such great power? Before then, I had thought the place if an
Igbo person was strictly with business, obviously this Igbo man is different.
Peter speaking in the book of Acts 10: 34-35 says,
“Then
Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is not a
respecter of persons:
But
in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted
with him.”
From that week and
thereafter, I started to follow Uma Ukpai’s ministry with keen interest. He self
sponsors his Crusades all over the world, Dr Uma Ukpai is one of the great men
of God I hold in high esteem and desire to learn from his life and ministry
especially in the area of prophetic preaching, the healing ministry and world
evangelism.
The Much Awaited Stir of God
In my vision of 1988, God said
to me, “…When
the time comes, I will stir up your heart up…”. In 1996 also, Gospel
ministries international split into two ministries, devastated at this
happening I shopped around for a church where I could find fulfillment because
there was a void within me that needed attention, an emptiness that needed to
be filled. In my search for a church I ended with Compassion and Wisdom
Ministries International and with Rev Uzzah Wado, I was there for the next two (2)
years.
I was restlessness in my spirit
man and Rev Uzzah Wado counseled me to take some time off, pray, seek for the
will of God concerning starting a full time ministry as a Pastor because he
sensed I had a call of God upon my life. He offered to supply me with tapes,
books, and all the materials I needed for study during my period of waiting
upon the lord, he completely opened up his library for me and I tell you, Rev
Uzzah had a library had an awesome massive Library. This was a very rewarding
exercise, I came to the conclusion that, this is the stir God was referring to
in my vision of 1987, and this must be God himself speaking to my heart to
attend Bible school.
But which Bible school should I
attend? I went back to Rev Uzzah Wado; he confirmed that he had always known
that the time was right for me to go for a thorough training in preparation for
ministry. He suggested three options of schools he thought would be suitable
for the type of ministration I exhibited. The first option was Spirit filled
Bible school, at Laguna Hills, California, USA, where Roberts Liardon was the
founder, the second was Oral Roberts University (ORU), Tulsa Oklahoma and the
third was Rhema Bible School, Tulsa Oklahoma, by Kenneth Hagin.
I did all the enquiries I needed
to and applied for the first and the last options according to my priorities
and what I thought my needs to be. The real challenge came when my Father who
had earlier promised to provide the funds for any school I got admission for
now declined when I was desperately in need of sponsorship. As I waited in vain
for his answer, frustration started setting in and so I left for Lagos,
Nigeria.
During this waiting period, as I
was watching Morris Cerrullo’s video tapes of world Evangelism, I expressed a
wish that I wanted to attend the school of ministry which he was holding in
several countries, but how can he of all places hold such a school in Nigeria.
I said to myself, I will go to
Lagos with the mind of leaving home for good, perhaps I will find somebody
willing to help me get to the USA or I can even go to Ghana and some how even
if it means in a ship squeeze my way through to my destination. All kinds of
weird thoughts infiltrated my mind, I was so desperate and because as they say,
“desperate times call for desperate measures”; I was determined to get to the
USA by all means.
First, I took off to Port
Harcourt in search of the Good Samaritan who will be sympathetic to my course.
Unfortunately, I found none and so I headed for Lagos.
In Lagos I heard the good news
that Morris Cerrulo was coming to town to hold school of ministry in The
Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) where my friend Pastor Harry Maxwell was
serving as music minister, this meant free access and registration for me. You
see God was making things fall in pleasant places for me.
God had admitted me in the first
school of ministry and I did not know- the school of experience called the
“desert experience”. I was able to pray, fast and read books. I slept in slums,
changed sleeping places several times. There was a time while fast asleep my
friend woke me up and told me we had to hurry out because our host was drunk
and wanted us out of his place. We moved to Victoria Island in Lagos where we
met with more deplorable conditions; we could not use the toilets, took turns
sleeping some time had to hide indoors for days without food. I had to move
from one place to another trying to locate friends to come to my rescue. When I
look back today the only purpose God had for my being in Lagos, was to contact with
Morris Cerrulo though I had my own reasons for being there.
One night, after I had read a
book by Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty particular talking of how God brought him in
contact with Oral Roberts, how after enrolling in ORU events led to his being
selected to preach in a men’s meeting where Oral Roberts was in attendance. He
also spoke about how Oral Roberts took interest in him and selected him to be
in his crusade team to Russia, how he represented Oral Roberts at the crusade
preparation in Russia. As a result of him obeying God’s biddings he was
actually paving way for the assignment God had shown him in a vision some years
back. God used this book to speak to me to rise up and pack my things and go
back to Kaduna where He had made provision for me.
When I got to Kaduna, I saw a
note that my cousin had slipped under my bed, telling me that my father agreed
to make available the five thousand dollars I needed to make up the ten
thousand dollars school fees for Rhema Bible School. I was so impressed but
things had changed while I was in Lagos, after reading that book, the idea of
going to Oral Roberts University was paramount in my heart. I was in dear need
of counseling. And so I went to see a man of God not for counseling but to
deliver to him a message a friend Pastor Caleb Agosaah had given me in Lagos.
As soon as I was through delivering the message, God said to me, “Why not share with Rev David Kanda what you are
passing through?”
Reverend David John Kanda is the
General Overseer of Harvesters for Christ Ministries International, Kaduna.
Harvesters for Christ ministries are involved in missionary activities, a man
of proven integrity whom I had met as a student so many years back. He listened
to me carefully and gave me a fatherly advice that set me on the right path.
He gave me an introduction
letter to his friend- Late Pastor Ina Omakwu, the Regional Director (Anglophone
West Africa) Christian broadcasting Network international as well as Senior
Pastor Family Worship Center, Abuja.
Chapter Six
LIVE
IN FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER
The first time I ever heard of Family Worship Center was
some times in 1996 from my late cousin Thompson Dogonyaro of blessed memory. It
was him that invited me to attend their church service which at that time held
in the Ladi Kwali hall of Sheraton and towers hotel in Abuja. However, since I
was just visiting and for a short while, I didn’t get to attend “the church
founded by the Bajjyu man who just came back from the USA,” in my cousin’s
words.
But sometimes-in 1998, coming in
from Port Harcourt, I attended a music concert featuring Panam Percy Paul and
The first love band at the congress hall of Nicon Hilton Hotel (Now Hilton
Hotel). That was my first time ever at that hotel. Panam Percy Paul is one of
the leading and oldest gospel artistes and worship ministers in Nigeria. He is
the very person that pioneered the revolution of Gospel music with contemporary
musical touch in Nigeria. So I was just too glad to attend his live
worship-recording concert tagged “Return”.
Unknown to me, this concert was
jointly organized in conjunction with Family Worship Center that hires the
congress hall of the Hilton Hotel as their worship venue on Sundays. And since
the concert took place on a Saturday, naturally they announced about Sunday
service after the concert. And so I made up my mind to attend one of the three
services the next day. I finally made it to the third service and lo and behold
there was the famous Pastor Ina giving the sermon. Nothing so much fascinated
me about him accept the striking resemblance he shared with Pastor Chris
Okotie, A former pop music icon turned preacher. Pastor Ina was just unassuming
and there was no much ado or paraphernalia about him, but the one thing that
caught my attention was the atmosphere of excellence with which the service was
conducted, it was the epitome of perfection I had ever seen in a church
service. Everything was just precise and effective.
Starting with the praise and
worship session, although I expected to see Panam, but instead the spotlight
was on another person and that was Helen Demas, she was not just the usual
average praise and worship leader I had ever met. She had perfected her arts
and made the praise worship excitingly participatory. The atmosphere was
electric, and no matter how cold you were you could not just help but be
involved. The lyrics of the contemporary worship songs were projected on a
screen to help first timers catch up with the worship, thou the
instrumentalists were not too skillful but effective, the whole worship team
was together and complementary and so they carried all the worshippers along.
From the balcony where I sat, I
could not actually catch a clear view of the sound equipment and so I kept
wondering what kind of expensive or sophisticated equipment were radiating such
near perfect sound. Immediately after the praise worship session, update was on
and this also was projected on screen. The update is family worship center’s
way of summing announcements, sequence of events and disseminating information
among the faithfuls, a very excellent way to use multimedia in a church
service. When the update was over and lights came on and the service
coordinator or anchor took over moderations from there.
“My name is Sarah Omakwu and I am
the pastor’s wife,” the atmosphere became saturated with excitement and
applause and she had to wait for a moment for everything to calm down. This was the most exciting service I had
attended in a very long while. Then continued Pastor Sarah, “east, west, north
or south Family worship center is the best, we are the people who care,” with
this the people went wild again, if you were a first timer like me you could
not help but fall in love with this Pastor Sarah. By the time she went down
from the podium, the atmosphere was charged.
Another person came to collect
the offering and it was time for the sermon and Pastor Ina Omakwu came up. Pastor Ina’s message was very simple but the
exegeses and homiletics were impeccable, Pastor Ina spoke a very clear and
simple American English that you could not place any ascent to it. He was
schooled in America but unlike so many others, his tongue was not too
influenced nor his speech accentuated by the American way of speaking. In no
time the message was over, the facts well articulated and the truths exhausted,
you couldn’t have a more balanced and complete message than that. It was not
too flamboyant or emotionalized but you are surely carried along. The effects
was marvelous, you just needed to see how people responded to his alter call. The
whole alter space was filled up and the allays so populated that I counted not
less than one hundred and fifty (150) people making a decision for Jesus and to
change their lives in one service. I kept wondering was this how all the
services go? Well time will tell. And in no time the one and a half service was
over and we were all out of the service venue.
My Experience with Pastor Ina
Omakwu
Before I met Pastor Ina, I had made up my mind to attend
Rhema Bible Institute Tulsa, Oklahoma USA. But the trouble was that my father
refused to provide sponsorship since he was not comfortable with my idea of
attending Rhema Bible School. Somehow, in rebellion I left and began to look for alternative source
of sponsorship. It was this search that took me from Kaduna to Port Harcourt
and to Abuja when I attended the Panam Percy Paul’s music concert and the
Sunday service of Family worship center at the Hilton Hotel after which I left
for Lagos.
While in Lagos, God spoke to me about Oral Roberts
University through a book one Pastor Caleb gave me to make delivery to one Rev
David Kanda whenever I got to Kaduna. After sharing with Rev David Kanda, he
counseled with me and introduced me to one Pastor Ina Omakwu his friend and an
alumnus of Oral Roberts University, by way of a letter. - What a circuit of
coincidences. That was to be my first personal contact with that great man of
God
After Rev David Kanda gave me that introductory letter, I took
off for Abuja. On arrival I went straight to the then Church office at #14
Usuma Street in Maitama district armed with the letter from Rev David Kanda. In
their front office, I met Habiba and asked to see Rev Ina, trying to add to his
title just like Rev David Kanda had addressed the letter. “First and foremost
the letter is not properly addressed,” she said, “and he is not Rev Ina but
Pastor Ina. Furthermore, Pastor Ina is in a high profile meeting right now I’m
afraid you can’t see him, however, I will deliver your letter to him, and you
might like to leave now.” “I’m Sorry I can’t leave now” I agued; “I might just
be required to bring back the reply!”
Actually I requested that Rev David Kanda give me the
letter so that Pastor Ina will grant me audience since I have earlier thought I
might not be allowed to see him just like that, and the. Letter was supposed to
introduce me to him.
Sister Habiba insisted there was no need to hang around
since the reply could as well be sent to Rev David Kanda with or without my
agency. I was determined not to give up
and so I rather insisted on waiting to see him. After four solid hours of
waiting, finally Pastor Ina appeared in the front office and as soon as he
sported me he asked Habiba for my Identity I guess she told him I was there to
see him and had insisted on seeing him despite her telling me of the slime
chances of doing so.
Pastor Ina didn’t match my expectation, I had a totally
different picture of Pastor Ina, he was very simple and approachable, I mean
how can such a CEO come to the front office and make such a cheap appearance not
after what Habiba had said about seeing him.
No sooner than I thought than he went back in he didn’t
even speak to me. “You see I told you Pastor won’t see you, he is a very busy
man he can’t see you, not today it is almost closing time come back tomorrow,”
Habiba said rhetorically, and yet I could see that she didn’t deliver the
letter and what was the guaranty that tomorrow won’t be the same? I would have protested but God said to me, “Keep quiet don’t talk, go outside and
wait, he will see you.” As soon as I got outside not
later than two minutes Pastor Ina with his entourage were out of the office and
made towards their waiting car. I was
still standing facing the fence waiting to see God’s intervention. Zoooom I
heard the engine of Pastor Ina’s car came alive and in a split second it went
dead, wondering what next Pastor Ina called out to me, “Are you the one that
brought this letter from Rev Kanda?” Yes! I said, with so much excitement.
“Please can you help me? Come back tomorrow, you see I am already late for
church, please come by 1:00 O’clock pm,” he said. “Okay I will,” I replied.
Next Day: “Sorry Mr. Churchill you can’t see Pastor, he
called earlier on and cancelled all his appointments, he has a high-powered
delegation from the US and has been in a meeting for about two hours now,”
Habiba was at it again. Anyway, I just sat down and didn’t say a word. And just
like the other day, after three solid hours of waiting, God said to me, “Son,
go outside again and stand in the same place.” Not later than two minutes again
Pastor Ina came out and when he sighted me he came towards me and said, “What
happened? I have been waiting for you!” Oh no sir, “I have been here since
12.00 noon, I was told you had cancelled all your appointments for today,” I replied,
“who said that, no not yours, please wait for me.” And he went into the front office and finally
came out after a couple of minutes and headed straight for his car in the
company of his wife.
“Please sir, though I am already late but can you tell me
in two sentences what brings you here?” He said. When I looked at the expensive
American designer suits on him, the silver plated American shoes he wore and
the weight of his disposition or personality, tears started streaming down my
cheeks, I couldn’t just understand why he should ever address me as sir, I
guess I was just too embarrassed to hear that, anyway I answered him, “I want
to go to Oral Roberts University and I heard you were there?” “How much money
do you have?” “Sir, I have about ten thousand (10,000) US dollars.” “Well you
might need about forty-eight thousand for the four years, but you have to
deposit about eighteen thousand for your first year and for a start, you have
to also show evidence of enough funds to cover your study. You might have some
forms of funding in aids, scholarship or grants and you can also work on campus
to supplement your funding. But first, we need to have you apply.”
He handed out to me the address, paused for a while and
looked compassionately into my eyes and said, “God says I should help you; can
you leave your contact address with Mr. Felix? Felix Osaimuje is the General
Manger of CBN International and we will get back to you. By the way what did
you read for your first degree?” “Electrical/Electronic Engineering,” I
replied, “oh! No wonder, then you need to meet Mike” he said, he took me to the
studio, introduced me to Mike and left mike to take me to Mr. Osaimuje’s
office.
Late Pastor Ina Omakwu
sponsored me for this training program and after the training he offered me a
chance to take up a job as a studio operator with the CBN International. But
before considering taking up his offer I then proceeded in the same year to
participate in the school of Ministry, Morris Cerrulo word Evangelism, Lagos in
1999.
My Ordination and
Morris Cerrullo School of Ministry
Before I went to Lagos in
1998, God stired my heart to get ordained as a pastor and prepare for a
fulltime service and ministry. While I was expecting to go to the USA for such
an ordination, God told me that he will send his servants to Nigeria to ordain
me. And so first of all I got the anointing for that office and proceeded to
Lagos where I participated in the ordination and later my ordination license
was sent to me form the USA.
The first time I ever heard the name Morris
Cerullo was in 1997. Rev Uzzah Wado then whose church I was attending
temporarily until I got a direction for where to go next. I had told Rev Uzzah Wado that I wanted to
attend Bible school and so he decided to let me have some couple of tapes of
those American ministers who operated Bible schools or school of ministry as an
arm of their ministry. I was very delighted when Morris Cerullo mentioned in
one of the tapes how God had instructed him to take his school of ministry to
the nations of the earth and Nigeria was one of such Countries. Precisely the
school of ministry was to hold in Lagos Nigeria in October! 1999. I saw and
heard Morris Cerullo live in TREM Lagos. It was an awesome experience for me.
Morris Cerullo laid his
hands on me and I was commissioned into
ministry with the authority of Morris Cerullo World Evangelism. Since
then I began to experience God manifesting in my life, and ministry in an
awesome way and in a new dimension.
Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor
Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor was one of the Guest speakers of the Morris Cerullo’s World
Evangelism School of ministry that took place at the Redeemed Evangelical
Mission (TREM) Auditorium in Obanikoro, Lagos that year. When the time came for
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor to minister, I was hardly on my seat as I kept up pacing
back and forth grasping and gulping down e very single words he had to say. He
spoke about letting the fire burn and literally I felt such power.
In his usual
style, he started jumping up and down the stage and doing his Davidic black
inspiration tap dance to the rhythm of the black gospel inspiration and the
Harmon organ oozing out heart renting and anointing releasing scales and tunes
to suit the moment and the occasion and the response in the crowd?
Electrifying. People started falling down to the floor all over the auditorium
and truly this was Ayo at his best.
One thing
that attracted my attention and commanded my respect for him is his careless
attitude to the craze for titles and unnecessary attention demanding of many
ministers, he had remained a Pastor ever since I knew him, others in his
capacity would have gone for more appealing and in their own words “more
appropriate titles” such as Bishop, Reverend Doctor, or even Archbishop.
God told me to go and submit
to Pastor Ina
At first I was not too much excited about
Pastor Ina’s offer because my mind was set on going to the USA and more
especially to Oral Roberts University, I was rather disappointed due to the
high expectations I had formed after he said God told him to help me. To me help
meant he was going to sponsor me to the USA, I totally misunderstood him and by
extension God’s plans for my life. I desperately wanted to get that training in
the bible school at Oral Roberts to prepare for full time ministry. But by the
time I got on board, I realized staying under Late Pastor Ina was more
sufficient training I needed for ministry.
So after my ordination in Lagos, although
I came back to Abuja, I was not attending Family Worship Center (FWC) but
rather preferred to continue attending Living Faith Bible Church which at first
was pastored by Pastor George Ajamang from Ghana, after him Pastor Simi Afolabi
and subsequently Pastor Dele Gbangboye until the day God spoke to me after a
series of vision. He said, “Go and learn under my servant pastor Ina, whatsoever he
says for you to do it”. I
immediately changed allegiance to Family Worship Center (FWC), I wrote to
Pastor Ina notifying him first of what God had said to me and pledging my
allegiance to him as long as God wanted me to and he still needed me.
So I enrolled in the Discipleship Training
Class (DTS) and almost immediately auditioned for the Worship Team before I
completed my membership class and procedures. I was admitted to serve as the sound
engineer until I became the head of the technical unit while I was still
volunteering as a studio attendant with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)
International.
Things happened so fast, one day an
opening came for me to come on board. I applied and was interviewed for the
post of the audio man in the studio. At the interview though I scored the
highest points and was obviously was the preferred man for the job but the
interview panel soon discovered that I did not undergo the mandatory one year
National Youth Service corps (NYSC) program.
That was my undoing and the chance had to
go to Rev John Kalma who by the way had more experience with Radio Production
and had worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). This will not
discourage Pastor Ina who still wanted me to come on board one way or the order.
He along with Pastor Sarah counseled me and insisted that I enrolled in the
service year of 2000/2001 second batch a task that had to take the divine intervention
of the Almighty God.
NYSC at Last
Because of the vow I had made to God while I
was still an undergraduate- to dedicate the next ten (10) years of my life
after graduation to the service of God in his vineyard, I also decided not to
undergo the mandatory one year NYSC program even though I got posted twice
and for all those times, I absconded.
Absconding was a serious offence to both NYSC Board and the Student affairs department of my school and the punishment was that I could never be
posted again for the program since I had forfeited my opportunity
to serve.
Pastor Ina prophesied that God will
remove the officer responsible for my posting for a week to afford me the
opportunity to be remobilized and exactly that was what happened for me to be
posted. And so I served exactly ten (10) years after graduation with the CBN
international just what I had promised God I will do and he honored me with the
grace to do just that and I kept my promise to his glory.
The Man Pastor Ina
Pastor
Ina in my words was very simple but meticulous man, he was well dressed,
carried an aura of authority and exuded a high level of confidence because of
his intelligence and as well his high level of faith and trust in God. That was
the first impression I had of him when I met him for the very first time. Under
the leadership and mentorship of Late Pastor Ina Omakwu, I learned how to run a
ministry with excellence, integrity and faith. His life was a living epistle
and a point of reference. I am ever grateful to God that I came into contact
with a man like Pastor Ina Omakwu. It was while working with Family Ministries
International and CBN International that I attended the Redeemed Christian
Bible College Abuja Center and graduated with a Post Graduate Diploma in
Theology.
Pastor Ina had a way of connecting with you that you were
left to wonder whether to treat him as a boss, Pastor, mentor, friend or
brother? He was such an influence that people so loved him and to carry out his
instructions were just too easy. Because he loved people with such a great
passion and sincerity, if he dared to tell us to dance naked, everyone would
have gladly done so. With him there was something new to learn, personally I
looked forward every day to grasp something from him while he was still around.
Pastor Ina had the ability to relive his anger; by this I,
when you did something that Pastor Ina, he will not burst on you but will first
check out if you were really alright when you committed the wrong, was it in
error, a mistake or deliberate, were you given all the necessary resources as
not to commit that wrong? What really happened, he will ask, “are you really
all right? Is everything fine with you? Is everything fine at home or are you
under pressure?” Your honest answers as well as his assessment determine his
reaction and he could suspend these reactions until such a time that you were
very convinced of your wrong. Pastor Ina was the closest example of the
personality Jesus. He hated sin with a passion and will not condone it, but his
love for people was genuine and he never pretended but overlooked so many
wrongs.
My Tribute to Pastor Ina
Late Pastor Ina Omakwu, you impacted my life in a
short while you thought me that integrity and excellence in ministry is the
cutting edge I needed. You prophesied to me that I was one of the end time
ministers to carry the gospel to the whole world. I cannot forget your last
words to me, “Churchill you are the kind of staff that need no supervision God
bless you”. Are you learning, you said to me, “It is very important that a man
of God should be faithful till the very end” - thank you till we see beyond the
blues!
In Togo for Conference and Ghana for two weeks of prayer
On Dec. 26th,
2002, I was in Togo along with Pastor Caleb Agosaah, the senior pastor of
Goldstreet Chapel Abuja. Before this journey I had made arrangements with my
friend Sunday Bonnet Maidodo that I will be coming over to Ghana to spend two
weeks with him, although I did not let him know what those two weeks were all
about. Unknown to me Pastor Caleb Agosaah had also been invited to be guest
speaker at a Missionary conference in Togo, what a coincidence.
Anyway since we
were friends and staying together then, I decided to go make our journeys
together. And so in the midst of the Christmas festivities of that yea, we left
Abuja on Night of Christmas day for Lagos on transit to Togo the next morning.
Since it was the first time both of us were leaving the borders of Nigeria, the
journey was a little adventurous for us. First of all we met with a fraudulent
woman at the Seme Border of Nigeria and Benin Republic. Since none of us spoke
or understand French, she craftily put our journeys together with her and in
the process extorted some money from us. Without our knowing, we even paid her
fares all the way till we got to the border of Benin Republic and the Federal
Republic of Togo at Aneho our final destination for the day. God helped us
although all along we put our lives on harms way by taking the risk of
traveling that way in that period of the year when all hell is let loose.
Anyway we
arrived just in time for that nights meeting and after lightening up and
refreshing we were off to the venue a of the conference and the meeting was
already on the way with praise worship all in the local language of that
locality and French which neither Pastor Caleb or I understood.
Unbelievably I
was billed to minister that first night, anyway it was a privilege for me to do
so and so was it, I was ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit and that
night, there were a lot of Salvation, deliverance and baptism of the Holy
Spirit ministration, it turned out to be the tone setter for the rest of the
week we had to stay there and minister. The meetings were for morning,
afternoon and night sessions, and it did not matter who minister, all the same
there were great manifestations of the Holy Spirit as God honored us with his
presence and confirmed his words with Miracles, signs and wonders following.
On the last day
of the meeting while we were anointing missionaries through some prophetic
declaration, the Spirit of God spoke to me expressly: “I have prepared a woman in Ghana to sponsor
the ministries and you will come in contact with he, get her born again and
filled with the Holy Spirit.” I saw myself and Pastor Caleb Agosaah
riding in a black Jeep with white leather seats and I repeated what I saw to
Pastor Caleb and Pastor Isaiah our host minister and we all prayed, rejoiced,
God for the revelation and soon after our meals, we were off to Ghana that
morning December the 31st, 2002.
At exactly 15:00 hrs GMT we were in Accra,
Ghana, the journey was longer the roads were rougher than we expected, our
experiences at the border was even more nasty than what we had anticipated at
least not in Ghana of all places that we had all along held in high esteem.
Money was extorted at will from us, they
almost stripped us naked trying to extort our last traveling allowance and if
not for the spirit of discernment and prompt intervention of God, we would have
out of fear gave up all our Nigerian Naira at the request of the fraudulent
immigration and border officials at Aflao border on the Ghanaian side of the
border.
As soon as we
got to Ghana, We tried to contact Sunday Bonnet our host but all his lines were
non-operational; at first we almost panicked but God spoke to us and lead us to
a shop where after enquiries we were directed to Rawlings’ Square where we
could make further enquiries about our host. In the midst of the questions
bombarding my mind was what if Sunday decided to spend the Christmas in Nigeria
or any other place outside of Accra or even Ghana? What if he deliberately
ignored our earlier arrangements?
Despite all
of those discouraging thoughts
bombarding our minds a miracle happened, of all the shops that sold the same
kinds of textiles, God lead us to one, the very one that turned out to be that
of the woman the lord spoke to me about. As soon as we got to her shop, the
lord said to me stop here and ask about Sunday and so we headed straight into
the shop and asked the woman who obviously was the owner of the shop.
“I am Pastor
Victor Churchill and this is Pastor Caleb, we are both pastors from Nigeria and
we are looking for one Sunday Bonnet who is a marketing Executive for African
Print (Afprint) Nigerian Textiles stationed here in Accra to take care of their
west African regional business concerns, we are not too sure of how to locate
their office, company or factory, but here are some telephone numbers he gave
to us and his complimentary card. We have tried all of them but non-seems to be
connecting, we were about passing on but saw some textile (Cloth) materials in
your shop and we just hope you might have some useful information for us?” I
said to her. “Can I have it?” She motioned to receive it. I handed it over to
her and she looked at it and asked, “You said you have tried all of these numbers?”
(In her Ghanaian Ascent) yes we have, we answered in the affirmative. “Let me
try them again” she said smiling.
After trying the
whole of them, she seemed to have confirmed them on her mobile phone, she
turned to us and said, “Sunday is a Christian, and he is different from all the
men around. He was here yesterday in the evening, but let me try his boss’
number and see if I can connect," as if she said that to allay all our
fears, at last the Lord had led us to a safe hand.
After a trial
once more, she connected with Sunday’s Indian boss who in turn connected her
with Sunday, in a short while we were speaking with Sunday who was elated to
have us in Accra. After all Sunday was in town and was happy to receive us.
They arranged on how she would move us to a place in the vicinity of Sunday
where he would receive us to his home.
As we sat down
in her shop getting along with each order after she had served us some chilled
drinks, I turned and behold standing parked right in front of me was the same black
jeep clad with white leather seats, I had seen in my vision back in Togo that
very morning. Having set sight on it, I motioned to Pastor Caleb to see what I
was seeing and all we could do was smile enjoying the favor God had shown us
thus far. When she was through with her
transaction and since the vehicle she was waiting for had just arrived she was
about to leave, “Em just before we leave can you both pray for us and bless my
business- the shop?” “Why not it is our singular honor to that” replied Pastor
Caleb.
Even if she
didn’t ask for it we would have done just that as our tradition demands. And so
we took turns praying, and after we were through praying, her tone changed she
was even the more respectful and courteous as if she just discovered that we
were indeed men of God.
We mounted on
the back seat of the Jeep and in a short time; we were at her Husband’s place
of business. She went into the restaurant ad brought some plates of food as
well as drinks and served us even though the waiters were very much willing to
do so. When we sat down to dine, she then released her discoveries with us. She
began, “when you people came into my shop at first I was skeptical about you
and especially that you were strangers, but when you mentioned Sunday’s name and
gave me his business card, and after I confirmed his numbers on my cell phone,
I was all the same sure that you knew Sunday.
But after both of you prayed, you prayed
exactly to the point and said exactly what was going on in my home and
business. Pastor Victor you prayed that my son that was lying ill in the house
afflicted with boils should be healed and that God should give me peace with my
husband and save my family and Pastor Caleb Prayed about all the debts that I
have with my customers and blessed my business, thank you. You said you are
here in Accra to pray? Please before you leave let me see you and pray for me
and tell me what the lord tells you.” “Sunday please bring them to my place
before they leave.” And so we departed
that day.
That night we
attended Logos-Rhema Church Cantonment’s Watch night service, which held in the
Independence Center under the ministration of the Senior Pastor, Rev. Abu Bako.
Before then that evening we had gone to the cantonment base Church site and met
with one of his assistant pastor who let him know of our visit in advance of
that night program. He received us warmly and gave the opportunity to say some
few words of greetings to the brethren. After the service we scheduled to meet
with Rev Abu Bako in his Residence the next day in the morning by 11.00 AM
being Wednesday.
The next day in
the morning before we headed for East Lagon, where Rev Abu Bako’s residence was
situated, we went to a few places trying to explore the town and when the
appointed time came, we were with Abu Bako who did not so much recognize us or
recollected us from memory.
Sure he could
not because, we’d never been that close to him when he was smuggled out of in
Nigeria in 19987 to an undisclosed destination to escape the death sentence
(fatwa) passed on him by the Islamic community in Nigeria for preaching from
the Koran which led to the first Muslim- Christian uprising in northern Nigeria
of March that year following a show down with Miss Amina Ibrahim or Binta
Mohamed at the College of Education (COE) Kafanchan Campus, Kaduna State,
Nigeria, during the annual Christian Campus Crusade at which Abubakar Bako was a guest
Speaker. Before that Crusade Abubakar
Bako himself a Muslim converted to Christianity, and his wife Sarah, have for
several times been guest speaker to our Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical
Students (NIFES) at College of Advanced Studies (CAS) Zaria. Furthermore he was
another major influence on my playing bass guitar. He glad also ministered
instant healing to Pastor Caleb in CAS Zaria as well. When we refreshed his memory he was so glad
to reconnect with us. I told him about my mission in Ghana and he is expecting
me to come back.
After the time
of prayer the day drew near for us to depart Accra back to Togo and we went
back to Mrs. Joy Ansah to say good-bye. She was so delighted that we came and
that was where I met with her younger sister after she had given us the
testament as a result of our pray I discovered that the word of the Lord was
confirmed just as he had said it.
That same day we
got to Togo that night only to meet other cases for deliverance and prayer,
which included insanity and various cases of demonic possession and oppression,
God helped us greatly and we ministered to every case and God alone took the
glory. And at the end of the week we
were back to Nigeria and Abuja.
When I came back
to Abuja and to office hell broke loose, while we were ministering in Togo and
Ghana, the devil was busy complicating things for me back in the office, it was a case of misinformation
and set up and although I became a victim of a malicious blackmail but God took
control and now all its all history.
The Redeemed Christian
Bible College (RCBC)
My first contact with The Redeemed Christian Church
of God (RCCG) was in the year 1996 in the city of Kaduna when I attended their
Service at the Kawo branch of the church on an invitation for a Song
ministration. Before then I have not even heard that name and never knew that
such a church ever existed. The worship was neither very inspiring even though
I cannot remember who the Parish Pastor was, nor the message he preached that
fateful day.
The next contact was in Abuja the capital city of
Nigeria in the year 2002 to 2003 when I enrolled onto the Christ the Redeemers
Bible School for a Post Graduate Diploma in Theology. After successfully
graduating, the ceremony and anointing service was to hold at the Kilometer 44
to 46, Lagos Ibadan expressway Redemption Camp. That was when I was face to
face with Pastor E.A. Adeboye for the very first time and the effect was
greater than what I can really describe. And from that time I have ministered
several times in the RCCG Parishes in several places in Nigeria.
Chapter seven
VISION AND DREAM ENCOUNTERS
A vision about Pastor Ina in Port Harcourt
In October 1999, I went to Port
Harcourt for a program, and early morning, as is the case with me at about
4.00am, I was up praying, at about 5:00 AM in a vision I saw late Pastor Ina Omakwu
the founding president/senior pastor family worship center Abuja, being
attacked by three armed men, they were aiming at his head.
When I called
his house to tell him about the vision, he was rather unavailable and so, it
was his wife Pastor Sarah that picked up the phone. She asked me what the
matter was I described what I saw and told her the sign God gave: healings were
going to take place in his services in answer to his prayer. I never knew he
had been praying to experience the miraculous power of God until I became a
member Family Worship Center and started working with the Christian
Broadcasting Network (CBN) International to which he also gave oversight as the
Regional Director (Anglophone West Africa) in the National Headquarters Abuja
Nigeria. He will later confirm this vision with a testimony about how four
strong spirits kept appearing at his bedside tormenting him with a brain tumor.
Vineyard
Christian Center Wuse Zone 3, Abuja
Sometime in 1999, while I was
still contemplating whether or not to accept Pastor Ina’s offer of employment
with the CBN International, one Pastor Bode Lawrence invited me to come and
join up with him take care of a fellowship he had just started since he was an
inexperienced Pastor coming out of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program.
After some time of prayer I
accepted and the fellowship started in the parlor of Sani Gandu one of my
Cousins in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.
This fellowship will later
metamorphose into a branch church of Bishop Osa Oni’s Vineyard Christian Center
that has it’s headquarter in Ilasamaja, Lagos, Nigeria.
God helped us to establish and
pull a little more than a one hundred (100) people in membership.
Then one Wednesday during bible
studies, while worshipping at the Vineyard Christian Center Wuse Zone 3, this
was before I became a member of Family worship center I was contemplating
whether or not to take or refuse the offer. I heard a voice instruct, “Look at the east”, And I beheld
great lights emanating from the State House at Aso Rock and environs, I could
actually see from an open window. “Do
you like what you are seeing?” Yes - yes I do. I answered. “You are going to build me a city. In that city there won’t be: pains,
sickness, poverty or hate. I am going to take you to a place where you’ll buy a
piece of land for penury but you’ll discover gold in it”.
Wow! This left me expressionless since I was not
even thinking about something like that, not in that direction. You know
sometimes I feel oh my God, you are too much you move in mysterious ways, while
I was thinking about my future with Family Pastor Ina, you are thinking of my
future beyond Pastor Ina.
The next day
being Thursday, I was scheduled to be in Keffi on a visit. Patrick Noah is a
friend was lecturer in the Mathematics Department of the College of Arts and
science (CAS) Keffi, the Patron of their fellowship of Christian Students (FCS)
and was as well as the Chaplain of the school’s interdenominational chapel.
After we were
through with the business of the day and we both went to sleep, suddenly I saw
in a vision, people running from what looked like a religious riot, with
fanatics chasing after them. ‘What is happening, why are people running, people
are being killed, properties are being destroyed and looted, why should this happen?’ I asked, And the
spirit of God replied. “I have set you up as a deliverer, a watchman and a shepherd to this
people, they are my people. I will begin
to give you messages, visions and dreams to nations and individuals about
events. Buy the book of a prophet and record what
only I will tell you to write. I will
instruct you for you are my weapon of destruction and war. I have set
you up, a prophet to the Nations. Don’t
be afraid and don’t look at their faces because they won’t be able to withstand
you nor harm you because great will be my spirit upon you and I will cause you
to do my will and to deliver my messages.”
After much
consultation I decided to take up the offer of late pastor Ina Omakwu and also
doubled up as the sound engineer for family Ministries International. At first, I was not too much excited but by
the time I got on board, I realized staying under late Pastor Ina was more
sufficient training I needed for ministry. Under the leadership and mentorship
of Late Pastor Ina Omakwu, I learned how to run a ministry with excellence,
integrity and faith. His life was a living epistle and a point of reference. I
am ever grateful to God that I came into contact with a man like Late Pastor
Ina Omakwu. It was while working with Family Ministries International and CBN
International that I attended the Redeemed Christian Bible College Abuja Center
and graduated with a Post Graduate Diploma in Theology.
About Pastor Ina’s Death
In
2001, while I was praying all through the night for the healing of late Pastor
Ina Omakwu. I was taken up in the spirit to his house, where I saw his
relatives trying to take him to the hospital but he refused. While his
relatives were making a lot of trouble about the issue, on the other side of
the divide, his In-laws were busy praying and crying- God heal Pastor Ina.
Indeed
the whole church (Family worship Center) was praying and believing God for
supernaturally healing. In my vision, his wife was away attending a meeting in
the church office. Suddenly, I was taken up to heaven in the same vision, where
I saw someone that looked like God sitting on a throne. I also saw Pastor Ina’s
grandfather and father, calling on him to come over, because the pains were
becoming unbearable, and moreover, they insisted he has finished his work on
earth. The hosts of heaven were divided over the issue, while some wanted him
to come home, others wanted him to stay on earth. I saw three witnesses come in
a bodily form and stood.
The first was: “I
shall not die but live to declare the works of the Lord.” The second was: “I do
not walk by sight but by the spirit of the Lord”. The third was: “The just
shall live by his faith. I am the righteousness of God”.
These
three witnesses originated from Pastor Ina’s imagination and actively from the
meditation of his heart. Until now, God did not move. Suddenly, he moves and
pointed towards Late Pastor Ina, and said, “This man is
righteous, and he is justified. Wherever he chooses let him live there”. That was the end
of the vision. Pastor Ina Omakwu died on
25th February 2003. But before this time
the thought of pursuing God’s call and purpose for my life were so strong, God
had been talking to me via visions, dreams and sometime expressly by the Holy
Spirit’s Audible voice.
The last
series of summons I received to answer the full time call was when God said to
me in a vision, “Go liberate my people,” I
beheld the windows of heavens open and I saw people running into bondage by
men, I wanted to liberate them but I heard a voice say to me, “You cannot liberate them until you are liberated”, I
sat down and cried in prayer. I could not understand how I am not yet
liberated, I was referred to 2 Cor. 10:3-6; and that was my liberation. To liberate them, I needed the understanding
of 2 Corinthians 4:1-18. I would give them the understanding of it I said.
In the same
year 2003, God said to me, “I am
about to take you to your journey. You will go to the USA, but have you asked
me where you will be taking off? You will leave for the USA from South Africa
from which coast you were standing in your vision of 1987. You will build me a
people and your congregation will be large.
I will cause you to have speed in your work because the time is so
short.”
In another
trance, I saw Pastor Sarah Omakwu (the widow and successor of Pastor Ina
Omakwu) give me the map of the world and a parcel and said, “Go and preach”
with this very last one I had to answer the call. I consulted with other
ministers and after much counseling and prayer I decided to say yes, to the
divine summons and so, I put in my resignation letter on the 10th
February, 2004 and finally, disengage from Family Ministries International’s
employment on the 10th of march, 2004.
Like a wild
fire, that very night the 10th of March 2004, the Holy Spirit said to me, “I am going to triple your anointing I
am going to announce you to the world because your time of showing has come
Family Worship Center will acknowledge you. I am going to open doors for you to
minister, when I send people to invite you, don’t reject and don’t look down on
any invitation go for it for I will be with you. Don’t look at the size prepare
earnestly before you go be it for one person or ten thousand people. I will be
with you to confirm my word with signs and wonders, people will be delivered
from satanic bondage, ears will be opened, the blind will see, women will
receive their children, the dead will be raised, impossible cases will be made
possible. You will open your mouth and I will fill it. Say whatever, I will
cause you to say don’t doubt a word I will say to you. I will greatly be with you and upon you. Don’t be afraid or anxious; go I will be with
you!”
Chapter eight
REALISATION
After I resigned from
family worship center, invitations for me to go and minister started coming
from left, right and center. First was for a two days series in Alheri Baptist
Church Chika, after the two days series, the next day in the evening, another
minister came for me to come and minister in his church.
Before I knew
it, from all around town invitations were flowing like wild fire for me to come
and minister until I was fully booked for the whole six months I was waiting
for the next instructions for ministry. Many testimonies of miracles, signs and
wonders were following my ministration, as many of the churches I had visited
recorded unprecedented explosion of growth. Some reported so many financial
miracles such as doubling of their tithes and offerings and their weekly
revenues as members were responding to the word they had received of the Lord
through my ministration. At the turn of the year many families received the
blessing of children, those who had experience long delay were honored. Some
more experienced a lifting up one way or the other. God was confirming his
words in my ministry with signs following. This greatly encouraged me.
At first
neighbors and friends thought I was crazy, some even went all the way
criticizing and making fun of me, how can he resign and stay indoors writing?
Is he Shakespeare? And even if he writes who will buy his Books? I heard all kinds
of comments that could have easily discouraged me but I kept my focus and since
even I did not fully understand what I was doing, how can another personal that
was not hearing the same voice or instructions understand with me? At the end
of those waiting period was when God stored my heart to put some of my lyrics
into tapes and CDs so that I can find a reason for launching myself into the
full time ministry. I obeyed and recorded two Albums, one in Hausa
language-titled, Ubanmu da ke Sama (Our father who art in heaven) and the other
in English language- titled, Step by step.
About the album- Step by
Step
A praise and worship project
recorded both in Audio and Video into Compact Disc (CDs) and Tapes. Has a
target audience of English speaking Nations of Africa and worldwide. Translation
into other world languages will be done with time. The album formed the basis
or the starting point of the music ministry of Steps Africa.
How
My Ministry Started
The Lord told me to inaugurate a ministry
that will be comprised of, Music, Outreach, Leadership Development and later on
Church ministry.
On October 10, 2004 on the
dedication date of my musical albums, I reviewed the visions and formally
declared my intention to start off my ministry at Goldstreet Church Abuja. After
dedication the next day while praying in the morning the Lord said to me; ‘The name of the ministry will be, Steps of Destiny
International’.
I was supposed to be in south Africa In January of
2005, but the South African High Commission in Lagos Nigeria, at the point when
I was denied visa reason being late application, wondering what next to do, I
heard God say to me go back to Abuja and I will tell you what to do.
And so as usual I obeyed left for Abuja-the capital
city of Nigeria my base. On reaching Abuja God told me to begin writing. What
will I write on? He said write books. Start with The topic- “You can hear God
speak”.
As I was ministering in
churches and at personal level I was writing, one title to the other until I
had compiled the blueprint for the commission and I finished writing the first
four volumes of books on the topics the Lord himself laid on my heart to write.
Steps of Destiny International inaugural meeting
took place on the 18th, February 2005, at Goldstreet
Chapel, Chika off airport rd. Abuja By 11:00 PM. Inaugural Members Present; Pastor Victor Churchill,
Dayo, Sunday Gwani, Pastor Moses and Blessing Gabriel.
Steps of Destiny
International, is incorporated in Nigeria as steps of Destiny International
(Africa) otherwise known as Steps Africa. It is a mobile ministry with
headquarters in Abuja the capital city of Nigeria. The second phase commenced
with the start of the church known as Jesus Victory Center (JVC) in 2007 at
delft South Cape Town, South Africa. The Final Phase will be the Harmonized
church based ministry which will have missions in every continent of the world
with international headquarters in Abuja Nigeria.
Music Ministry
The music
ministry involve in activities such as: Recording of Albums, Live praise worships
and performances.
Outreach Ministry
The outreach
ministry involve in activities such as: crusades, itinerary preaching,
evangelism, counseling, spiritual help and media. Media activities included
Tape ministry, television ministry, publication, publicity and promotional
services.
Leadership Development
Ministry
Leadership
development activities are motivational talks, workshops, seminars, career
counseling and guidance. The Leadership Development Ministry is responsible for
administrational functions such as, policy making, coordinating of planning and
reporting, monitoring and assessment of organization goals, achievements,
fulfillment of vision and tasks, calendar harmonization etc. Also responsible
for organization and accepting invitation to program such as motivational
talks/workshop/seminars, career counseling/guidance and corporate training
program for Steps Africa. Provides the human resource management activities
such as capacity building, leadership training, staff selection hiring and
firing, development monitoring, reward systems, skills acquisition,
organizational style and finally the financial management of Steps Africa.
YWAM Jos base City of Refuge
When I
arrived at WYAM Jos base, for the first three days I could not stay on the base
still contemplating with the thought of leaving but God convinced me to stay.
The living
conditions were not desirable as people live in a semi human existence. I
wished that it were declared a rehabilitation ground for reconvicts,
alcoholics, drug abusers, ex-Muslim converts to Christianity and insane people
not just the mixtures that I found in that community, which was supposed to be
a training ground for mission minded Christians as the name Discipleship
Training School.
In other
places outside of Nigeria you could never have these kinds of combinations. I
actually appreciate the fact that you might want to rehabilitate these people
but not risking the lives of everybody in the process. I kept wondering how on
earth would you keep insane people, drug addicts, alcoholics, and all kinds of
characters with sane people in the same facilities and expect a positive
result? Everybody seems to be living a false self imposed impoverished and
hypocritical live. To the drug addicts, ex-convicts and alcoholics, this was a
way of escaping the hard life outside, they were just too glad to put up with
any conditions after all, it was much better than living outside with the
unexpected.
From my interaction with
them, their parents or guardians against standard psychiatric practice brought them
there after all kinds of deals were entered into with the base leader. Some occasionally
question why the base leader seemed to use students as slave labor all in the
guise of preparing them for the harsh life of self-denial, which supposedly
they will meet during outreach. While others were genuinely serving God whole heartedly,
some were living at the expense of others.
First and
foremost, the base was regimental in nature, with Andrew Ekebe as the base
leader, Ansel Pronk as the assistant base leader, Chad Zimmermann as the
Administrator; Friday Tarfa functioned as the April DTS leader. Odey, Manasseh
Bulamah, and Musa Adamas were the basic Dts leaders.
The base
leader would rather have students sleep hungry than having his pigs and
chickens miss a meal all in the guise of training and all I kept wondering why.
By the way who really owned those pigs and chickens? Was it the base or his
personal business venture? Anyway I was there for DTS and so I channeled all my
energies and resources to helping the base and students in the best possible
way I could.
From the
first day I stepped into that base I realized something was grossly wrong and
will take the intervention of God and great wisdom to effect positive changes,
I could only do what was within my power and reach; other things were left for
another day. Often one Moses Ogoola was co-opted to help in enforcing the
wishes of the base leader on the students, while people like Danjuma Waziri one
of the leaders of the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) introduced by Ansel
Pronk also was handy to help in the running of the DTS. The DTS program
outlasted the normal fourteen (14) weeks it was scheduled for, I found many of
the lectures to be very fantastic, resourceful and informative.
About Ansel Pronk
Ansel
Pronk Landscape Architect originally is
from the Netherlands but left behind his lucrative jobs, projects, comfort,
family, friends and loved ones in Europe choosing to serve God and humanity in
the YWAM base (know known as UoN Campus) in the northern Nigerian city of Jos,
on the Plateau State. Contrary to the impression I had always held about
Europeans particular about their racism towards Africans, this one seemed to be
different and an exception.
From the day
first day I set my eyes on him, I noticed a great deal of compassion,
selflessness and sincerity in his service to God and the YWAM community. When I
came to YWAM Jos base Ansel was not yet married, every morning Ansel leaves his
room as early as 7:00AM and heads for the site where he is putting up structure
for the University of the Nations (UoN) campus, DTS residential hall,
classrooms for the ACE as well as lecture halls for UoN. On the same land, he
also was putting up residences for Staff of YWAM.
Ansel Pronk
was not only responsible for the construction site as its architect, he doubles
up as the assistant base leader of YWAM Jos base, a position he accepts in
humility despite the fact that he has to submit to a half educated brash and
proud base leader from Egede tribe in Benue state Nigeria. He also had the
responsibility for saucing of finance this he does every August to September
when he returns to Europe for his annual holidays when he will crisscross
Europe preaching in churches, soliciting with friends and doing menial jobs
just to raise enough money for the projects on site, personal use and for the
base needs of medicine etc.
Through
Ansel many of the DTS students, staff and even the base leader’s children could
go to school on his scholarship, and I always wondered why can’t the others
also work or support in similar ventures and activities of fund raising instead
of depending on one man? Why were most of the people on that base so
promiscuous to the point that immorality, stealing and many vices were
constantly practice? Could it be bad leadership? Or is it the case of evil
communication or what? Sincerely all through my stay on that base I could not
just explain or unlock the entire mystery, but what I could readily see was a
combination of all sorts.
Chad Zimmermann
He was
rather a reserved fellow from Pennsylvania USA; he only interacted effectively
with a select few and would only interfere with things only when they were
really necessary. As the base administrator, so many things were under his
care, I understand that he comes from a reach family and left behind a rich
inheritance and heritage and chose to serve in the YWAM base in Jos, Nigeria.
A further
interaction with him will give you a feeling that you were dealing with a case
of mistrust and carefulness. It looks like he had been hit so badly before or
he had observed inconsistencies with majority of people and so won’t let
himself out so freely and he rather won’t just say anything.
In his own
words, “I don’t make the decisions around here”; you won’t blame him would you?
Chad also often makes the holy pilgrimage to the USA every June to August of
the year as if it was an arrangement with Ansel never to leave the base at the
same time or within the same period. If there was any arrangement like that,
Andrew Ekebe was able to break it because just like Priscilla who came with a
life long pledge to work at the Jos base suddenly heard God to leave but not
after she had some brushes with Andrew over some inconsistencies with financial
records which she vehemently would not alter even when he vehemently wanted her
to, it seems Chad too fell out of favor but since he said he heard God say to
leave you won’t be able to say for sure that he left out of frustration would
you?
I can only
say this because of some of the discussions I held with Andrew and I can
remember him saying vividly how he is frustrated with the “little bature”
obviously referring to age and size of the younger white man in the base.
Anyway it is now history, Chad is back to the USA. My only concern is what
could happen if Ansel….
The DTS
program that outlasted the normal fourteen (14) weeks it was scheduled for, I
must be frank to say that I found many of the lectures to be very fantastic,
resourceful and informative. Majority of the lecturers were quite resourceful, I
met with good people like Kayode Bolaji-the Abuja base leader Nigeria, Phillip
Anthony from Switzerland, Jackson from Cameroon and Portharcourt base Nigeria,
Hassan John, Chad Zimmermann form USA, Ansel Pronk Netherlands, later I met
with Priscilla from India, Pastor Augustine Onyema, Yusuf Dumbin and a host of others.
While at Jos base, I received a lot of prophecies and messages concerning
things to take place in my life, lives of others in Jos base, in Nigeria, and
in the world as a whole a few of which I will write in this book.
April 10, 2007. 07:00-
08:00AM
My son,
don’t look at the situation and circumstances, look up to me because I have
settled you and your future is insured in Christ the hope of glory. Keep giving
me praise and I will bring my purpose to pass. A new heart concerning you I am
giving to her, completely broken up her pride. As you sit here today I am
speaking to her heart too. She is restless and seeks you now. You will leave
this mountain fresher than you came you will be glowing with my power. I will
heal all your diseases both skin and heart lobe problem. I will shut every hole
on you and make you what I desire for you to Dominate.
I am raising
a workforce for you and I will put people of hope and integrity around you.
People you can smile at and people you can rely on because I will prepare them
for you to work with in great wisdom and prosperity. Don’t misuse them and
don’t abuse them because they will submit to my will and purpose. You are
contagious and highly favored to move in this times, abide by me and don’t be
in a haste. I am elevating you beyond the reach of any mortal.
You will
have grace and operate higher anointing that is rare and limited. Don’t allow
corruption to smear you, you cannot be resisted because I will enlarge your
horizon. I am expanding your operation zone, I am enlarging your territory, and
the ancient stones will be moved beyond their station. You are to enter into
the next level of anointing where your mortality will be put to question.
You will be
ejecting from your body into the future to cause and prevent occurrences. Great
is your reach and capacity. You will operate in the dimension of love, vision
and hope. You will accomplish great and wonderfully mighty things that flesh
will wonder. Stay in my presence and see into the future.
Steps of Destiny will
move to the international stage and you will operate within Africa for the next
stage. I will give you a representative in every region, country and province and
you will cause people open their territories for you. I will soon reveal your
vice president and your four anchors of the ministry and will them with purpose
and vision and passion and love. Compassion will be multiplied and
personalized, personified and idealized.
Do not look
at man for support because I will open the brooks, I will break the hedges and
I will transform the wells that have been dry but dug just for you and for your
supplies. You will not be overrun or out paced only if you will depend and wait
on me. Don’t be in a hurry and don’t be anxious but stay with me and I will be
your exceeding reward. I will bring new friends to you and the old people will
wonder and wish for fellowship. Offer them but don’t commit to them because
they seek to destroy you. “Beware of the Old prophet.”
April 12, 2007. 07:00-
08:00AM
My son, I
will lift you up in Jos base, you will affect the meals and standard of life on
the base. You are the pastor assigned by the heavens over the DTS and so; I
will greatly increase your sphere of influence. Many will encounter you in so
many ways and bow to the wisdom and authority I rest on you. Some will plot to
rebel but I will crush their rebellion and put an end to their plot. I will
highly increase your anointing and put you in charge of the atmosphere. Don’t
be anxious and don’t fear but declare my counsel to my people, I will redirect
the whole base for your sake and for my glory. I will pour out my Spirit
without measure upon all that will seek me with their whole hearts. I will
enlarge your territories only if you will let me do it.
I am about
to cause a shaking in the nations of the earth, Earth quakes and tremors will
characterize next year and the next. Fire and balls of fire shall fall from the
heavens to destroy the wickedness of the heathen. I will a mighty shaken in the
nations of Nigeria. No longer will you be called corrupt and you will no longer
be in the league of the wicked anymore. I will raise pastors for myself that
will not ravage the flock anymore. They will truly be under shepherd with the
right attitudes. Watch and you will see it come to pass.
Tell my
people not to relax and be at ease for the enemy is at work to cause confusion.
Ask me and I will disintegrate the rebellious; I will eject the hold and cunningness of the evil one. Don’t be afraid
to go to outreach because I will do valiantly with the seemingly weak links of
the base. I will endue them with power to pick up te equipment of warfare. I
will make them strong and wise. I will break down the influence of evil
pastors; the spell of iniquity will be drastically reduced.
May 24, 2007. 07:00- 08:00AM
I will
restore to you your wife, thou she be taken away from you wrongly by her
choice, but yet, I shall afflict her heart until she shall say, I let go and I come back. My son,
I am establishing my judgment upon the earth once more, I am gathering the
wicked for destruction, Do not marvel when I shall draw the nations into battle
against Israel. I will send you to those dry portions of the earth and
establish my covenant of prosperity with you. I am the God of Jacob who gave
him riches from the riches of Laban.
Your family
shall be fruitful again; you shall gather much riches and fame. Many people
will be confounded at the way I shall bless you. You are a commander of
influence, I bring men to serve you, I bring kings to serve you. I can trust
you with Authority. You shall walk in my ways with my integrity of heart. I
will send the destitute, the orphans, and the rehabilitates to you because I
will trust you with many riches. After this place you will go to a foreign land
where I have arranged a widow to take care of you. Relax, be in my hand and
don’t be anxious.
May 25 2007, 07:00-
08:00
I am with
you alway; I am pleased with you, Keep working for me in the lives of these
little ones. You have a great influence; you are my plumbline in this base for
the now. I am correcting people’s lives with your standard, so, don’t offend these
little ones. I am releasing more grace to you, I am revealing my sufficiency,
my grace and anointing in you.
Outreach program in
Langtang, Plateau State
I got to
Langtang town on August the 2nd, 2007 at about 22:00hrs (GMT+1), that was my
first time in that town, although I have heard of the name Langtang. I heard of the Langtang mafia of the armed
Forces of Nigeria made up of Generals, Joshua Nimiyel Dogonyaro, Domkat Bali,
John Shagaiya, Jeremiah. T. Useni etc and have even gone to school with people
from that town but had never even as thought that it was not the name of a
tribe but the town where the Taroh people of Plateau state come from.
The journey
was long and rough from Jos town and full of uphill, downhill, twist and turns
such that the heavy laden delivery Van turned passenger bus had to move at a
snail’s speed to prevent an accidental loss of control that could see us plunge
into eternity because of the deep trenches bordered by the high cold plateaus
of Pankshin local government are of Plateau state. Finally we reached the long
hoped for destination and at last I was in the town called Langtang.
The base
turned out to be a rickety compound made of two rooms and parlor, one for me
and Golden and the other for Miss Mosunmade our female companion. The compound
was shared with other tenants, one of whom was a family of seven; another
family of six, a family of a pregnant woman and her husband while the others
were two young men.
The
situation we found was a far cry from what we were told, we were spared the
truth of the situation we will meet with, we saw a more deplorable condition of
life than we expected. First and foremost, the town is famous for it’s (Dodo)
Masquerade worship, scarce water supply that is also bad and salty, afternoons
are extremely hot and very uncomfortable, the inhabitant of the towns are also
very proud and hostile, most of them illiterate, immoral and alcoholic. The
culture somehow weird in the sense that it discriminates against gender
equality and peculiar in so many ways to that locality, so much missionary work
to be done.
The next
morning I took a walk just to have a feel of the environment, taking the main
federal (trunk A) road that pass through the middle of the town, I made an
amazing discovery; that fateful morning I saw more than ten young girls
pregnant and all of them at secondary (high) school age. That morning, I saw
many people already drunk and with this my team and me sat down to map out
strategies on how to tackle those problems and contribute our own positive
quota on how to move the town forward. One of our planned line of action was to
carry out a summer school where we would coach pupils and students at all
levels preschool, primary school, junior and senior secondary levels, both in
the sciences and arts especially the essential English and mathemathetics.
The other is
infiltrate their churches to preach, teach, give seminars on business methods
and just anything the spirit of God would enable us to achieve, by so doing we
will harvest souls for the Kingdom of God and also bring about a revolution in
their social, entertainment, education, health business, religious and if
possible government. Basically, try to influence the society positively.
We planned to
visit the Langtang North prison, share fellowship with the inmates, mobilize
Bibles and other kinds of support we could for them. We also planned to carry
out crusades, rural evangelism, hospital visitations, and one-on-one counseling
even to the interior villages. Last but not the least, we planned to meet with
the traditional rulers, prominent sons, daughters, elders and movers of the communities
that make up Langtang and the entire Taroh land so that we could rub minds on
how to start YWAM schools, Christian faith based schools, and how to improve
upon existing government schools and structures.
We drew out
a timetable on how to carry out those activities and kick started action. God
helped us out, week in and week out we carried out those activities, strictly
abiding by the timetable and in a short while, we started achieving our aims
and objective and before you knew it, the proscribed time for our stay was up
but I volunteered to stay back and continue since the work was still far from
climax.
Achievements and Breakthroughs In Langtang
Bala Ibrahim
and his family which comprise of his
wife, two (2) sons ( Peter and Mustapha) and a daughter- Nanji, themselves
strangers to Langtang town but because they had been in Langtang for some time
(since their younger son and daughter
were born there), they were no strangers
to the people and culture and they coordinated the base in Langtang.
Even though
they were not adequately mobilized or quite ready to actually affect the people
positively as they were not only illiterates and unwilling but they engaged in
petty quarrels and dubious activities with the locals. Living like that I
doubted their ability to show forth the gospel light since they were not too
familiar with it as they came out of Islam and from Kano. I started off by
attending services in all the churches in Langtang creating awareness. In fact,
on some Sundays, I attended and preached in upward of three (3) churches and as
the lord will enable me while my other team members attended other churches, in
just about three (3) weeks of our arrival and stay, we became so popular that
many team leaders and pastors were already lining up to have us attend their
churches the next weeks.
They power of
God was made available to us as we went preaching, teaching and praying for the people and so many of
them were being healed, saved and
delivered from demonic oppression. Most of the week days by the time I woke
up from sleep I discovered that so many people have been waiting for me
as early as 5: 00 AM and queuing up for
their turn to be prayed for and ministered to.
So many
people with strange sicknesses, ailments and attacks from remote villages, the
surrounding towns and sometimes from other local government areas and
neighboring Bauchi and Taraba states found their way to the base in Langtang
town just to be prayed for and God was faithfully proving himself as he
promised in his word.
God was
healing them and delivering them and many of them who were brought in on their
sick, death and afflicted beds left with a smile on their faces. There was this
one case of one Mrs. Lucy who apparently was suffering from HIV and already
weakened with some opportunistic infections, after prayer on the previous
Tuesday she made it to church the next Sunday and testified about the healing
power of God.
Her
testimony further made our days more laborious as many more people came in
believing in the power of God to heal through me. Another case was one retired
ECWA Pastor Paul, who was afflicted with a cancerous wound and a bleeding
unforgiving heart, laden with long years of bitterness against his children.
God helped us and we were able to reconcile them, and even prayed for his
daughter that was also afflicted with HIV.
I can
remember a woman brought in afflicted with a rather strange disease that had
eaten her up without remedy, when they brought her in my faith was really
tested when I sighted her, I thought to myself in quietness of my heart, “Lord
are you going to and how will you heal this woman?” her case was completely
helpless and if anything seemed impossible but in the next three days after the prayer of that day,
she brought food which cooked by herself for me
and within three weeks she had completely recovered. Some came in insane
but left in their right mind sober under the deliverance and control of the
Holy Spirit.
On my first day
preaching in the Langtang prison,
I singled out about five (5) inmates
that God told me were to be set
free in a few days, and to their amazement all of those five came out just as the lord said they would. In
just a matter of time as testimonies made their rounds, many more ministers of
the gospel enrolled to start prison visitation and many of them continued where
I stopped. If anything most of the
things God was able to help establish, so many others conscripted and are still
doing them.
Our efforts
also included reuniting the once members of the Ywam community with Bala his wife
and the Ywam course visitation to converts
from Islam and others from the Pagan ( Dodo) masquerade worship. Not too
long our motor bike that was dilapidated got repaired and back on road as it became
our vehicle for operations. God was meeting our needs of feeding, payments of
rents, vows, obligations and supplies of clothing for the destitute, orphans,
prisoners and those we were ministering to.
We adhered
strickly to our schedules and programming and before we realized, we had met
with people like the paramount ruler (the Ponzi Taroh) of the Taroh people who
resided in Langtang town, Generals Jerry T. Husseini, John Shagaiya, Timlong,
Joshua Dogonyaro, Chief Solomon Lar, honorable Beni Lar and other prominent sons
and daughters of Langtang all in our
bids to sensitize and mobilize them to support or plans and activities.
The next thing
we achieved is to mobilize the
Ministers of the gospel in and around Langtang as we hosted them to a dinner where we sold our vision and also intimated them
with the goals and vision of Ywam and solicited for their
support in kind, presence and cash whenever we called on them.
We
infiltrated all the ranks of the youth and fiber of the society as we organized
and ran the summer school with a resounding success enjoying the support of the
youth, churches, both the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and
Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Langtang branch.
At the end
of these we held a musical concert from the 20th to 22nd of December
2007 and they are still clamoring for more of that till this day. How did we
achieve this? I regular attended their youth meetings, their fellowship
meetings, conventions and gatherings as they kept inviting me to speak in.
I did not
just busied myself with only the
churches, deliverances, prayers, regular night devotions with members of
the base, the summer classes, the prison or outreaches to villages and
surrounding towns or so but I was there for
their choir practices and band rehearsals teaching them how to play the keyboard, the guitar and the
drums. I also taught them cotemporary stuff, how to sing, how to arrange vocals
and when it was necessary I led the songs as I sang along with them. They found
themselves always needing me for one thing or the other.
For some few
adults, I organized their special classes separately where I personally taught them
how to read the bible both in the Hausa and English languages. I was really
amazed with the kind of wisdom, favor, energy, health, focus and organizing
ability God gave as to
follow that kind of regiment still operating within twenty
four (24) hours and yet no breaking down.
Challenges and Boo traps
Langtang town is
known for it’s in habitants adherence to their pagan Dodo worship which
has been accepted alongside Christianity,
so that the first thing I noticed or rather came to know
was that some elders in the church were
actually dodo worshipers and acted as informants against those pastors especially those of Langtang extraction.
The first thing
I sighted as I went through Langtang town that fateful first morning in town is
the existence of Forested Dodo Shrines (Kurmi) and was to discover much later that
they had priest who administered the sacraments
and directed the worship sessions and services in those Kurmis.
One day one of those Priests introduced himself as the
Reverend in charge of that “Church” and when I looked back to see the church he
was referring to, then I realized he was actually pointing to one of those
Kurmis. Dodo worship is seen as a component of their culture and thus, many
nominal Christians see nothing wrong with it. So merely reasoning against it is
an offence to an average Taroh man.
The rituals are in stages and in phases, first of all,
male children- the future dodos have
to be initiated at
childhood; they are taken
to the mountain top Kurmis where
they are taught so many diabolic
tricks and when they
are ready they are unleashed on
the society in an annual graduation
ceremony. Dodos come out to cleanse they society from time
to time monthly and
whenever they come out, women
are not allowed
to see them
and so have to
avoid the preannounced route
of the dodo,
and when it so high powered , they
have to keep in doors throughout the period of the
activities or rites of the dodos.
It seems dodos don’t like light and so everyone is instructed not to light any
form of light at night when the dodos go out to meet out punishment to
offenders as they deem fit to.
Women or generally the female gender seems to be at
the receiving ends of such punishments and retributions and so you are left with
no other option than to think that the dodo system is a perfect way of
dominating and subduing women, by terrorizing them they will definitely submit
even when they are right and so they won’t be able to their uphold rights. It
also seems to be an avenue of vengeance against rivals, adversaries, enemies as
you many use the system
to their advantage to settle scores, after all, it is all about the
highest bidder.
The dodo’s justice system was so faulty that when you expect
that their jurisdiction should only stay with adherents, but on the contrary,
it includes visitors, passersby and strangers. I became one
of their numerous victims when one of those nights, unknown to me when I had my light on reading in the
depth of the night, dodo passed by my window and noticed my light on and so I
was marked for retribution.
By some divine protection or act they could not carry
out their verdict on me, God protected me, and so they directed their attacks
towards my work with the youth of the town. I noticed it only when at one of my
meetings in one of the churches in Langtang town some couple of youths antagonized
me when I made comments about the dodo system but they came in so late and God
gave me wisdom how to handle them.
They later
became my friends and informants about the threats on
my life and the
boo traps to avoid. I was not the
only minister with such experiences as we kept solving and resolving such cases
against pastors in the PFN and CAN. Since both the chairman of CAN and
President of PFN were indigenous ministers
and prominent men in the town, God helped us to win every case as we united ,solidly in our fight against dodo
worship and the excesses of its adherents.
Another major
challenge I had to content with were fraudulent ministers who in the guise of
deliverance made a merchandise of their victims and since I felt laden with the
responsibility to expose and correct such frauds, I confronted them headlong
since I enjoyed the support of the people and most important of all that of God
and since I gave them freely that which I also received freely.
Bala Ibrahim was to constitute the most difficult but
most subtle of all challenges; first of all, he was diverting funds and when I
got a wind of it, I confronted him too and since I caught him red handed, he
could not deny them but since I decided not to expose him, he took advantage of
my silence and started instigating rebellion amongst our assistants and
associates all without my notice.
Secondly, Bala became insecure of the attention I was
receiving he realized that the spotlight was on me and not on him it was
obvious to everyone that almost all the miracles were done by my hands- God
using me, and I preached almost all of the time; well it is obvious you cannot
give what you don’t have also since he knew that I had fallen in love with one
Byenchit Maikano, he finally got an excuse to nail my coffin, he stired up
rivalry with Sam Kaiwa my interpreter and brought out my vulnerability to the
open, although and absolutely no sin was involved in my relating with Byenchit.
This happened at the zenith of our success and this
was the climax we could not climb beyond and since it was such a cliff,
everything crashed at this point. 27th of January2008 marked the
very end of my activities in Langtang North. At the end of my stay in Langtang town, all I
can truly say is, God was glorified and the people were greatly impacted in the
short while we were active in ministry there. Our mission there was a huge
success! And eventually I left.
After Langtang, doors opened for me to minister in
cities across Nigeria and so I kept jet trotting the entire west coast, central
and southern of Africa. God was everywhere with me confirming his words with
signs and wonders following. In spite of my tight schedule, God keeps me
healthy and strong, though the devil will want contrary, and keep sending one
attack or the order, he can not keep me on check.
Testimony Time!
“And they overcame
him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony…”
Revelation 13: 11
Testimony is
the force that makes your miracle permanent.
At
any time Jesus healed, delivered or saved someone, He instructed him or her to
go tell the testimony or what God had done for him or her. Testimony is a kind
of confession that brings possession and makes permanent whatsoever you believe
God for.
The
blood of the lamb brought the honor and power in the name of Jesus (Philippians
2: 8-10). For without the death and the shading of blood, the price of our sin
would not have been paid.
By
his word and by his blood he cleanses us form all unrighteousness and his
wounds healed us. The blood actually gave audacity to name.
Ministry in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State Nigeria
Sensing that
God wanted me to affect the south- south region of Nigeria, I left Abuja in
August 2005 and relocated to Port Harcourt pending on when I will be able to
leave the country. But these were not to be as God still had plans for me over
there.
Sometime in
August 2004, I received an invitation from my nephew Pastor Garba Musa Bayai to
come and minister in his All–Denominations Church (ADC) for Mobile Police
Formations in Nigeria, Mobile Police (Mopol) 19 Port Harcourt, which started my
ministry in Port Harcourt. The service that day ended up being an all day
service because people kept on coming and the prayer line, unending until we
eventually had to postpone and continue for the next three days what would have
been two hours service. God moved greatly that day. Because that ministration
yielded much fruits that day, they wanted me to comeback with my tapes and
minister, which also coincided with my launching for Port Harcourt of my
albums.
That
launching enjoyed a poor publicity as it was never announced until that morning
and hence suffered a poor turn out. Because of that, I decided to stay back in
Portharcourt and organize a more elaborate launching. I was back and forth
Lagos trying to obtain a temporary residence study permit in South Africa for a
Six-month discipleship program with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in their
Muizenberg base. I experienced some unusual delays; if it was not the problem
of finance then it was that the admission letter came so late for the usual
three weeks processing period of visas and so I had to wait. This continued
until the year 2007 when I successfully went.
While I was
waiting, I re-launched my album and ministry properly at the New Life Baptist
Church, Agip quarters and attended a back to back three session interview with
the Cable Missionary television (CMTV) along with Asu Ekiye, Pastor Franc
Opunye and Pastor Barry Tikili anchored by the preacher man, Pastor Richie,
produced by Brother Ken. As a result of those recordings, I put together two
manuscripts for the books, “From Sickness to a healing Minister”, and “The
story of my life/your church can grow”. RedleadPress book publishers in
Pittsburgh have published “From Sickness to a healing Minister”, Pennsylvania
USA, “The story of my life” is what you are reading now.
Ministry in Awka, Anambra
State, Nigeria
Pastor Garba
and his family were transferred ADC Mobile Base 29, Awka and after sometimes,
they invited me to come minister to the congregation, there also great
successes were recorded. With the youth especially, I became their adopted
father and God used my ministry there to draw, reform, stabilize and groom a
lot of them for service in the household of God. I also coached them on musical
instruments and singing.
Many great
miracles and deliverances were recorded there, as God used us to raise the
dead, deliver many from possession of demons, fornication, marital infidelity,
many barren women with written off cases received children.
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