GREAT REVIVALS.... GREAT REVIVALIST
*His first encounter with God after
hearing his voice, was when the angel of the Lord told him to enter his
house the voice called to him again telling him to fast for six days and
pray 120 times which he faithfully did as he slept that night, an angel
entered into his room like lightning and began to talk to him. Then the
angel told him to put off the light inside the room which he
immediately did. Thereafter a brighter light completely different from
any other lighted the whole room. The angel told him not to taste any
manner of food for six days that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to send him
some important works
to various towns. The angel told him that he was the one who had been
talking to him on the road when he was driving and that he would have
died if he had refused to hearken to his instructions. That is how he
received the call and he went into series of fasting and prayer, all the while he was in Ipetu-Ijesha in Oriade local government area of Osun State .During this period of fasting and prayers , he received lots of revelations which formed the basis of the way he operated in his ministry.
* He later joined the Faith Tabernacle Church in November 1929 where he was baptized in Lagos lagoon in December the same year.
*Following the voice of the Lord that Apostle Babalola
heard in 1928, his first miracle was when the revival of his mission
began with the raising of a dead child in September 1930. What followed
this in three weeks was the healing of about 100 lepers, 60 blind people
and 50 lame persons. This also resulted in the desolation of Churches
in Ilesa because their members transferred their allegiance to the
revivalist and that all the patients in Wesley Hospital, Ilesa,
abandoned their beds to seek healing from Babalola. This divinely kicked
off The Great Revival of 1930, which saw people coming from most parts
of Africa and diaspora without posters and TV adverts.
*Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola ministries
were given Bell (Agogo), Omi (water), Staff and his Bible. According to
him the use of Bell (Agogo) is said to be used to call Angels of God
down during a prayer gathering. While the water is said to be used for
healing of all illness and disease and it opening the womb of any barren
women. He had toured Yoruba land and eastern Nigeria, preaching
about repentance, and renunciation of idolatry, the importance of
prayer and fasting, and the power of God to heal sickness. And although
his tour he have with him, his bell and Yoruba Bible
in hand. During this period he also visited many towns and villages
based on the Lords guidance where he preached the message of healing and
deliverance to the people. He was specifically instructed by God to
heal the sick through water which he prayed into. However for a period
of six months he still maintained a strict regime of prayer and fasting.
* In 1930 Faith Tabernacle affiliated
with the British Apostolic Church. Then following a schism in the
Apostolic Church about 1940, Babalola went with a new
independent church, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), where he continued
his healing and revivalist activities until his death. The CAC regards
Babalola as an apostle and his revival ministry as the beginning of the
church. A CAC retreat center was built at Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State
where Babalola was first called in 1928.
*The watershed in his early ministry came
when he was commanded by God to go to his hometown to warn his people
against Idolatry, fetish practices and evil works.
According to him The Spirit told me to go to my hometown, where I was
born. The Lord said I should rub my face with ashes and to carry palm
leaves in my hand and to buy a bell, which I was to be ringing the
moment I entered the town and I obeyed. The voice told me to tell my
people that unless they repented, evil beasts would enter the town to
destroy them. On that same day I entered the town with a bell in my
hand. The entire town was moved and there was great stir and
consternation as people fled as they saw him. The moment they set eyes
on me they fled. The Voice told me to ring the bell in my hand round the
town and I obeyed. His people however refused to repent or change their
ways they instead summarily beat him up and his family was subjected to
heavy persecution by the people of the town. In defense against the
prophesied invasion of the town by wild beasts the people of the town
armed themselves with Guns and Cutlasses. However God told His Servant
to tell them he would not bring beasts again but instead would bring
epidemics and it would start within forty- five days. At the expiration
of the prophesied forty-five days and epidemic of small pox broke out
and within 3 weeks about 300 persons had died. But those who repented
and those who came to the man of god after contracting the disease were
spared.
*Another fact about him is that, Apostle Babalola
will prayer for days unstop. According to some of his disciple that
said, on several occasion as the God Apostle prayer to God on broken
glass. He also sometime stand for 7 days praying to God unstop. Another
interesting scenario of his prayer style is that Babalola’s shortest and
brief prayer was that of 3 to 4 hours. It was remarked by Elder Abraham
Owoyemi of Odo-Owa that the prophet
regularly saw angels who delivered divine messages to him. An angel
appeared in one of his prayers and forbade him to wear caps.
*In 1930 Faith Tabernacle affiliated with
the British Apostolic Church. Then following a schism in the Apostolic
Church about 1940, Babalola went with a new
independent church, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), where he continued
his healing and revivalist activities until his death. The CAC regards
Babalola as an apostle and his revival ministry as the beginning of the
church. A CAC retreat center was built at Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State
where Babalola was first called in 1928.
*Another noticeable feature of his work
was the usage of water for healing which prompt the popular C.A.C song
then: “Babalola Olomi Iye re o. Omi Iye, Iye, Iye, re o. Omi Iye…”
* He became a prophet
and a man with extraordinary powers. Enabled by the power of the Holy
Spirit he could spend several weeks in prayer. Ayo Babalola was sent out
of the Anglican Church of his village by his Bishop because most
members of the Church see visions; speak in tongues and pray vigorously.
* Babalola was a spiritually gifted
individual who was genuinely dissatisfied with the increasing
materialistic and sinful existence into which he believed, the Yoruba in
particular and Nigeria in general were being plunged as western civilization influence on society grew.
* The C.A.C believes that the spiritiual
power bestowed on Babalola placed him on an equal level with Biblical
apostles like Peter, Paul and others who were sent out with the
authority and in the name of Jesus. Joseph Ayo Babalola slept in the
Lord in 1959.
* He predicted the changes that will occur in C.A.C ( Chirst Apostolic Church) doctrines after his death in 1959.
* He was one of the first and few prophet
of God that have the grace to know when they will die, as he predicated
his death in 1957 for his disciple at ikere Ekiti during his 3 days fasting and prayer with them.
*Another fact was that, before he even
took the ministry, there was prophecy that he was going to work for God
for just 30 years before he will be call upon by God. He took the full
ministry after his baptizing in 1929 at the age of 25 ages and deid at
the age of 55 years in 1959 and that same year his ministry clock 30
years.
*Babalola’s evangelistic success in
Efon-Alaaye was a remarkable one. Archdeacon H. Dallimore from Ado-Ekiti
and some white pastors from Ogbomoso Baptist Seminary were believed to
have come to see for themselves the “wonder-working prophet” at Efon.
The success of the revival was accelerated by the conversion of both the
Oba of Efon and the Oba of Aramoko. They were both baptized with the
names, Solomon Aladejare Agunsoye and Hezekiah Adeoye respectively.
After this event, news of the revival at Efon spread to other parts of
Ekitiland .
*The missionaries also visited other
towns in the present Ondo State. Among them were Owo, Ikare and Oka.
Babalola retreated to his home town in Odo-Owa for a personal prayer
retreat. While he was at Odo-Owa, a warrant for his arrest was issued
from Ilorin. He was arrested for preaching
against witches, a practice which had caused some trouble in Otuo in
present Edo State. He was sentenced to jail for six months in Benin City
in March 1932. He was the first prophet of God that was send to prison as at then,
* In 1935 he married Dorcas. The
following year Babalola, accompanied by Evangelist Timothy Baba Busuyi,
went to the Gold Coast. On arrival at Accra, he was recognized by some
people who had seen him at the Great Revival in Ilesa. After a
successful campaign in the Gold Coast he returned to Nigeria.
Babalola was genuinely dissatisfied with the increasing materialistic
and sinful existence of his time because of the western civilization
influence on society grew.Joseph Ayo Babalola slept in the Lord in 1959.
Glory be to God almighty in the highest for the life of his servant,
his works speaks on till today and as given birth to so many revivalists in our days now.
*He was the first General Evangelist of
the Christ Apostolic Church, a church that metamorphosed from a prayer
group popularly called Egbe Aladura in Nigeria.
*In a vision he had, Jesus appeared to him in a white robe along with a very tall man who revealed that it was this Jesus who asked me to speak with you. The man in a dazzling robe spoke at length about the mission he was to embark upon. The man also told him of the persecutions he would face and at the same time assured him of God’s protection and victory. A hand prayer bell was given to Babalola as a symbol. He was told that the sound of the bell would always drive away evil spirits. He was also given a bottle of “life- giving water” to heal all manners of sickness. Consequently, wherever and whenever he prayed into water for therapeutic purposes, effective healing was procured for those who drank the water. Thus, Babalola became a prophet and a man with extraordinary powers.
*After the great revival of Oke-Oye, the prophet
was directed by the Holy Spirit to go out on further missionary
journeys, but even before this, people from other parts of the country
had been spreading the glad tidings of Oke-Oye, Ilesa’s great revival,
to other parts of the country. Accompanied by some followers, Joseph
Babalola went to Offa, in present Kwara State. Characteristically,
people turned out to hear his preaching and see miracles. The Muslims in Offa became jealous and for that reason incited the members of the community against him.
*To avoid bloodshed he was compelled to
leave. He next stopped was in Usi in present Ekiti State for his
evangelical mission and he performed many works
of healing. From Usi he and his men moved to Efon-Alaaye, also in
Ekiti, where they received a warm reception from the Oba Alaaye of Efon.
An entire building was provided for their comfort. Babalola requested
an open space for prayer from the Oba who willingly and cheerfully gave
him the privilege to choose a site. Consequently, the prophet
and his men chose a large area at the outskirts of town. Traditionally
the place was a forbidden forest because of the evil spirits that were
believed to inhabit it. The Oba tried to dissuade Babalola and his men
from entering the forbidden forest, but Babalola insisted on
establishing his prayer ground there. The missionaries entered the bush,
cleared it and consecrated it as a prayer ground. When no harm came
upon them, the inhabitants of Efon were inspired to accept the new faith in large numbers.
*During one of his prayer sessions an
angel appeared to him and gave him a big yam which he ordered him to
eat. The angel told him that the yam was the tuber with which God fed
the whole world. He further revealed that God had granted unto him the
power to deliver those who were possessed of evil spirits in the world.
He was directed to go first to Odo-Owa and start preaching. He was to arrive in the town on a market day, cover his body with palm fronds and disfigure himself with charcoal paints.
*The parable of the 3 Palm tree leaves that God gave to Apostle Babalola
on the believers and the church of God. One of the palm tree was dry
(Ogbe), the other palm tree was rusted ( Oro) while the last one was
fresh (O tutu), the dry palm tree are for those who refuse to accepted
him as there God will dry of fat the end. While those who deceitful
accept him as there savior with rust away. Why those who accepted him
God as there personal savior shall be fresh forever and ever. It was
said that the palm tree leafs which God use as a parable for him, was
the leafs he use to protect his steamroller when it breakdown. After
some weeks that apostle went back to the truck, of the three leafs was
Dry, the second was rust while the third one was very fresh.
*Babalola during his life time, was the
one that prophecy and save the life of Lady/ Evang. (Dr.) Bola Are, who
is today known all over the world. The water Babalola use to bath Mama
Bola Are then was taking from Ile-Oluji, the present place where they
cited Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, DCC headquarters.
*Another fact is the power in the Ikeji
Arakeji water in Osun state, the water over the years have heal many
people. Finders reveal that the water has no end or begin and it has
never gone since 1928.
He is one prophet that believes in power of prayer, it was said that, he made African to believe that they can pray directly to God and get answers without any sacrifice or worshipping idols. Prayer is one of his hobbies and in any town he found himself, he look for a wildness or mountain to prayer. This was how he moved to the mountain which he named Ori Oke Anu (Mountain of Mercy), after a while, he established a CAC church on it and his building is still their till date.
He is one prophet that believes in power of prayer, it was said that, he made African to believe that they can pray directly to God and get answers without any sacrifice or worshipping idols. Prayer is one of his hobbies and in any town he found himself, he look for a wildness or mountain to prayer. This was how he moved to the mountain which he named Ori Oke Anu (Mountain of Mercy), after a while, he established a CAC church on it and his building is still their till date.
*The Mysterious Tree of Usi Ekiti: This was a tree in a Forest believed to be inhabited by evil spirits and it was in this forest a land was given to him for his revival campaign. This tree had been cut many times but it stood again as if nothing had been done to it, however the Apostle went to the tree rang his bell and prayed on the tree and it was cut down forever.
*Another mysteries encounter of late Apostle Babalola was the one he had with gods of Ifira, this god called “egule” worshipped in the Isowo Quarters of the town. This god was so ruthless that no man dares point a finger at it to call attention to it as such acts led to forfeiture offenders or death. It is said that a big python coiled around the pot on which the god was placed. This god was situated on a bushy hill and no one dares goes there for fear of being harmed by the god or the python guarding it. When the Apostle got to this town he requested to visit the hill of this god. People were concerned for his safety but he insisted, then people from neighboring towns and villages came to see what was going to happen. All he took was his bell and his staff and he went to the hill with people watching him. Immediately he cited this god and its python he started ringing his bell as he moved towards it. And immediately the pot on which the god stood broke into pieces and the god hen the snake fled, when people saw this they started singing and rejoicing and the people beheld the Python and trampled it till it died and the people abandoned the Idols for God.
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