Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola
God used Apostle Babaloloa for being the key catalyst for the great spiritual revival of 1930 in Oke Oye in llesha, Nigeria. He was popularly known as the Apostle of Africa. The church which he founded, Christ Apostolic Church has branches all over the world and has a membership of over 10 million worshippers of Jesus Christ across the globe. Some say it is possibly the largest Pentecostal Mission along the West African coast. Like the apostle Paul he received a heavenly call directly from the Lord to be His spokesman. The heavenly vision that he received was later confirmed by Prophet Fapounda in Ipetu-Ijesa. His ministry was filled with mighty signs and wonders. At the inception of his ministry the Lord Jesus Christ instructed him to buy a hand bell with which to terrify forces of darkness who when they hear the sound of the bell was scared with the light of heaven that will always shine every time the bell sounds . Also the Lord instructed him to always bless water for people to drink as a means of healing and deliverance. His said his apostolic ministry did not begin to expand through out the wide geography of Nigeria until the Lord granted the expansion. It was in accordance to the Lord's timing. This expansion begin to take place in 1930. During the early years of breakthrough he injured his leg on a broken bottle. In order to heal properly he decided to go on a forty day fast during Lent. It was during this Lenton period that satan brought his host to battle with this man of God. In the spiritual realm witches came to battle against him but in the name of Jesus he defeated them. The bushes around him were taken over by demons and they rose in battle against him but in the name of the Lord he destroyed them. Then arose the forces of darkness in the firmament and in the ground to battle with him, but by the blood of the Lamb he over powered them. Rev. 12:10-11; Psalms 118:9-17. After this battle through the power of the Holy Spirit he brought his crusades to Oka, Aromoko, Calabar, Ghana , Lagos, Ifira, Epinmi, Ishua, Ipesi, Idoani , Idogun, Ekpe, Igarra, Otuo. When the Lord called him to minister, He told him it would last 30 years. As the time dawn him, you could hear him in the midnight hours praying in a vibrated voice the shook the building ,which indicated that he was praying regarding an issue that touched his heart.
In 1959 during these times of protracted intercession God revealed to him that a time was coming in Nigeria when it will appear as if a spiritual revival had never taken place before. He said the spirit of the 1930 revival will be absolutely diminished. However, he revealed to him that after 30 years , God was going to start another revival but the person that God was going to use was still a very small boy and that satan was planing to kill him but the Lord Jesus Christ was not going to allow this to happen.
According to one of his assistants, on the eve of his home-going, He was heard praying for the entire nations of the world for spiritual revival and peace. He prayed for all existing churches and ministers of the gospel that the work of the gospel should progress. At that point he breathed his last breath with three distant breathes that shook the building.
I wanted to honor this man of God on Black History Month because his passion was for the entire Body of Christ. I've done research on apostolic ministries for the last 15 years. From my research, I make these conclusions about about authentic apostolic gifts :
1. They love God's church. They see the Christ Church through His eyes and heart. They are willing to lay down their lives for the maturation of Christ Church in the earth. They exist for building Christ Jesus Church.
2. They possess a passion to reproduce and develop men and women who are greater in stature than themselves so that the perpetuity of the gospel is perpetuated and it on going progress is assured. Once their eyes sees ministerial potential in an individual, with their submission they can build them from the ground
3. The posture of their hearts is to see the knowledge of God's glory spread across the earth.
4. Great restorers of fallen and broken leaders
5. Everything they do emanates from an ongoing revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are many other qualities. In fact, what I just mention is quite simplistic. However what was mentioned about Apostle Babalola can be founded in the book, " A Call To Honor, A Biography of Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola" by Rev. Babatunde Ezekiel Ajibola.
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