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Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!
When we come to the edge of the light we know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, of this we can be sure ... either God will provide something solid to stand on or ... .. we will be taught to fly.
He That Dwelleth in the Secrit Place of the Most High, Shall Abide Under the the Shadow of the Almighty; I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress: my God, in Him (Alone) I Trust
The twentieth century has brought us several of these God chosen
people, but none perhaps has sprung from a more dramatic background
than my hero Benson Idahosa.
Benson Idahosa was born in 1939 in a village called Ewasso Edo, in the
state of Nigeria. It was small compound of mud houses like thousands
of other Nigerian houses. He was rejected by his father (Joseph) and dumped into the rubbish bin by his mother (Sarah) because he was assumed dead; his physical appearance showed that he was not healthy and he was always fainting. This time around, Benson fainted and the mother threw him away about a hundred yards from the compound. Two or three hours had passed and then, suddenly, flashes of lightning streaked across the blackness and thunder rumbled in the distance, sheets of water poured from the sky falling noisily on the roof of the Idahosa’s family compound. The bundled baby in the rubbish heap began to wriggle, and the cry of a baby became more shrill and insistent. The mother went back and picked up the baby and said, “Benson my son, you are alive again oh! Thank God, you are alive”.
At age fourteen, Benson attended a local government school; he never had the opportunity to attend school from his childhood. He later had a Diploma of Divinity from Christ for the Nations institute in Dallas, Texas which he attended in 1971. He received a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1981 from the Word of Faith College in New Orleans, a Doctor of law degree from Oral Roberts University in March, 1984 and held varying degrees from the University of Brussels, Belgium. He got married to Margaret Idahosa with whom he had four children. Through his care and passion for the lost souls and the less privileged, and his detestation of idol worshipping, he founded a church named Church of God Mission International Inc. in Benin Edo state of Nigeria. Here, he was the Arch Bishop for forty two years.
The headquarters auditorium in Edo state has over ten thousand (10,000) worshippers capacity. Benson also founded other organizations such as Faith Me duplex Hospitals, Benson Idahosa University, International Bible School and Word of Faith Group of Schools. All the organizations were aimed at making the world a better place and at freedom from sin, sickness and ignorance. His church has spread to other villages and states in Nigeria with over a thousand churches since 1971. He also established churches in other parts of the world such as USA, Ghana, South Africa and many others. His Bible school attracts people from eighteen African nations and other continents, some of them come from Europe, Maurice, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Middle East etc.
My Hero was a dynamic preacher and an evangelist of faith to the world through the power of God. He led a delegation to put a stop to bloodshed in his state because his state was known for bloodshed. His community became a better place to live, without fear of being made as sacrifice. Through his messages, millions of people became born again Christians; my family is one example of such. My life today is a reflection of Benson Idahosa's life style; living to please God. I have chosen him as my hero because if I was not a good Christian, I would have been living a wayward life. My Principal spotted me out among my classmates while I was busy doing something worthwhile and others were making noise. This made her to have interest in me and the school sponsored the launching of “Rugged Writer Club” which I initiated in the school; this club has since been extended to other neighbouring schools.
Benson reached out to fifty millions souls every day and changed their lives through his Media Programmes. He had over seven Broadcasting stations having their head office in Washington
The first African preacher to have traveled to over one hundred and thirty countries before he died was no other person than Benson Idahosa. He was able to reach out to empowered people spiritually, financially and in giving out scholarships to the less privileged in the world. A title was conferred on him as the “Africa’s Greatest Ambassador of Faith to the World” and T.L. Osborn Tulsa, Oklahoma also conferred on him “Africa’s Greatest Ambassador of Apostolic Christian Faith to the World”. He was a member of the College of Bishops of the International Communion of Christian churches and he was once the President of All Nations for Christ Bible Institute. He died at the age of sixty eight. Benson Idahosa was not born with a silver spoon, but he strived by the grace of God to attain the position God destined for him as an ambassador of faith to nations.
BILLY GRAHAM
No preacher before him had used the mass media to such advantage. No
preacher before or after him has delivered the message of the gospel of
Jesus Christ to so many. Billy Graham, who has preached in person in more
than eighty nations to more than 110 million people, has reached hundreds of millions more through radio and television. Yet since his first outdoor meeting in 1949, the focus of this extraordinary North Carolina-born evangelist has remained the same: to proclaim the Christian faith to nonbelievers. Unquestionably regarded as one of the leading Christian figures of his generation, Billy Graham has become a friend to presidents, but more importantly, a messenger of hope to the lost.
PASTOR W. F. KUMUYI
A Math Professor is Called to Preach!
In 1973, while serving as Math Lecturer at The
University of Lagos, Pastor Dr. W.F. Kumuyi Founder and
General Superintendent, Deeper Life Bible Church and
Deeper Christian Life MinistryW.F. Kumuyi started a
Bible study group with 15 university students who had come to him requesting training in the Scriptures. By the early 1980’s that small group had grown to several thousand, at which time Deeper Life Bible Church was formally established.
By 1988 the congregation had grown to 50,000, and now numbers 120,000 members, making it the third largest Christian church in the world. Dr. Johan Combrinck reports that the Deeper Life Church not only has an attendance of 120,000 every Sunday, but has planted 500 churches in Lagos, 5,000 in the rest of Nigeria (with an independent estimate of more than 800,000 members in Nigeria alone), and 3,000 elsewhere (with missionaries to 40 countries of Africa) as the movement missionary contribution.
Dr. C. Peter Wagner, in an article titled 'Those Amazing Post-Denominational Churches' wrote: "By far, the most rapidly growing segment of Christianity on all six continents is a type of church that does not fit traditional categories or classifications. Missiologists have recognized its presence for some time, but it is such a recent phenomenon that they have not yet agreed on a name for it. Perhaps one title that would fit is the term 'post-denominational."
"Go to almost any metropolitan area and ask to visit the largest Christian Church. Chances are it will be one of these new post-denominational churches'. In Lagos, Nigeria, it would be the Deeper Life Bible Church, pastored by William Kumuyi. On a recent Sunday I saw 74,000 adults worshipping together, with 40,000 children meeting in a separate building across the street."
How Did It Happen?
Journalist Alan Isaacson provides a helpful study of this phenomenal ministry in his book Deeper Life, talking with many members of the church who told him how Christ has miraculously intervened and changed lives in response to prayer and the proclamation of the Gospel. In Pastor Kumuyi's own words: "God, in the growth of Deeper Life Bible Church, has strategically and prudently used miracles to ‘make all men come to Him' (John 3:26). We take Christian living and holiness seriously."
According to Isaacson, “The history of Deeper Life is very much the personal story of W.F. Kumuyi. He is a gifted man, clear-thinking and humble. He is a dedicated Christian and deserves the title ‘the man of God,' which his followers have given him. Since he was a young man, Kumuyi has devoted his time to reading and studying the Bible. He knows the Scriptures inside out, and has struggled to understand and apply them. As he shares that struggle and his love for the word of God, so people have been drawn to him for advice, or simply to listen. When he preaches, his message is clear, simple, and profound. Poor street traders who can barely read sit next to university professors, all equally captivated by the way Scripture becomes suddenly relevant to them.
Pastor Kumuyi's own Christian life developed because he took the Bible so seriously, and so the Deeper Christian Life Ministry has developed in the same way. In Alan Isaacson's own words, he "preached Deeper Life into existence." His sermons were captivating, wrote Isaacson, "I would classify him as one of the greatest living preachers, giving a straightforward Bible-based message, his sermons thorough, and always personally challenging. He always gave a wide range of cross-references which were read in their context, supporting, clarifying and expanding his main points. He spoke clearly and authoritatively to the Nigerian situation. He dealt sensitively with African culture, but also made a firm stand in highlighting the points where local culture was incompatible with the will of God. While stressing the high moral tone which is one of the virtues of most African cultures at their best, he was at pains to specify those aspects of local culture which were unchristian and even evil. In this way he was not only concerned with some kind of personal holiness, but also genuinely seeking the wholeness and harmony of the community at large, where truth, honesty, and justice should be the predominant characteristics.
A Man With a Great Heart For God!
He is not tall, and does not have a larger-than-life character. He does not dominate, nor has he accrued power to himself. He walks slowly, is relaxed, and has a gentle sense of humour with a warm smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He dresses simply, eats simply... and... could have assumed titles to himself. As the Deeper Life Ministry developed - most people enjoy the trappings and regalia of status which followers gladly give. But he calls his followers brothers and sisters, and treats them as colleagues.
W.F. Kumuyi was born in 1941 into an Anglican home. It was a very strict Christian home, he told Isaacson, "We would get up in the morning, read the Bible, sing hymns, and go to church regularly. When I went to secondary school I lost interest in the church because our principal taught us atheism. But after a while I thought again and started going to various churches in town. Eventually, in 1963, a group of singers and preachers from a Gospel church got permission to come to the school. I understood the Gospel message, and was born again on April 5th, 1964. I read John Wesley, Charles Finney, Spurgeon, and lots of other books. I got involved with the Scripture Union, and I grew."
From Professor to Preacher!
He gained a first-class degree in Mathematics at the University of Ibadan; then went back to Mayflower School to teach. After five years he went to the University of Lagos to do a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and became a lecturer there in 1973; and that was when he started a small Deeper Life Bible Study group.
In speaking to a group of Pastors under his leadership as General Superintendent, W. F. Kumuyi said: "Our emphasis should be on the practical side of going out. If the Lord comes, let him meet us working for him. Now every time I preach I try to mention evangelism. I have told all the Lagos District Coordinators and Zonal Leaders to spend half their time on evangelism and only half their time on their members. There will always be problems in the church: don't let them take up all your time".
Concluding his book, Isaacson writes, "And, of course, Deeper Life are self-governing. Kumuyi is the founder & General Superintendent, and he carries a tremendous weight in pastoring the Gbagada (Lagos) church alone, quite apart from the (now thousands) of other congregations across Nigeria and the rest of the world. He is a remarkable leader, one of God's people for this generation. Kumuyi has received a great deal from God, but he is adept at passing along what he receives. My feeling is that what God has given his people through Kumuyi will be kept and developed long after Kumuyi is gone. This has been God's work, and to Him be the glory."
