THE MOVE OF GOD IN NIGERIA

Baptism Of New Converts At Ayogo-Agoinlin (BeninRepublic)

What we call "faith" or Christianity in Nigeria today is dated back to 1830. The first time the name of Jesus was mentioned on the land called Nigeria was in the year 1830, in the city of Benin, by a Portuguese slave trader. It was after this that white missionaries started coming in, starting from Calabar to Badagry and later to Abeokuta and other parts of the country. Each of these missionaries came with their denominational patterns of religion and this made people to see faith in Jesus (Christianity) as a foreign religion. But the move of God in Nigeria was with a predetermined purpose and with the revival in the 1930s, Pentecostalism was born. It was in this revival that God through our son, (our black man) late Joseph Ayo Babalola (an Apostle) and others demonstrated the power of God face-to-face and changed the mentality of people about Christianity from being a foreign religion to an assurance that God is for everyone who seeks Him irrespective of tribe or nation. The move of God at this time was a revelation of the great power of God, which is a testimony of His existence.

Likewise, God visited us with His revival in the 1970s, forty years after the first revival. The move of God at this time was purely of Gospel which clearly differentiated between Salvation and Religion. It was in the 1970s that what we call Salvation became clearly specified with the lifestyle that follows, which are: a consecrated lifestyle, a lifestyle of holiness, true love, and commitment. The gospel, salvation, regeneration and the lifestyle which accompanied it were heard everywhere in the Country (Nigeria). The move of God at this crucial time was called Evangelical. Towards the end of 1970s and at the beginning of 1980s, the reason for God’s Visitation and move in Nigeria became known. There were several prophesies that Nigeria will be a major Country that will take the gospel to the rest of Africa and the World at large.

The 1980s was the beginning of what we call Missionary Movement. It was at this crucial time that we have the emergence of Mission Agencies, both as Para-church and independent Mission Agencies. All these Mission agencies have done great exploits in taking the gospel to the rest of Africa and the World at large. Their exploits cannot be forgotten in the history of the church and gospel in Nigeria.