But worthy of note also is the man Benson Idahosa
whom God began to raise in the late 60s into 80s
a young man Member of Assemblies of God church
There was a revival that came into the country through the assemblies of God
and blew around eastern Nigeria in the 50s and 60s
Now he was a Benin Man and there was an Assembly of God church
He got born again and was a member of that church
working with "BATA" company in Benin city and God's hands began to show on him in a
remarkable way because he was such a man of prayer
He was an unconventional man He wasn't a very religious kind of person
He was a man that loved to increase and prosper so one day he got a motorbike
His pastor excommunicated him for being worldy
every church member was to ride a bicycle The same pastor that excommunicated him from
an Assemblies of God church The wife was pregnant, about to deliver
and there was nobody to take her to the hospital so he came to borrow the motor-bike
HOW DOES GOD VINDICATE THE RIGHTEOUS that's how he got reconciled
then one day the pastor was preaching a message and preaching
all things are possible to him that believe
with God all things are possible all the faith scriptures
screaming and screaming and at the end the young man walked up to
his pastor and said,
this thing that you are saying if it is true, that means
it is even possible to raise the dead The pastor said
yes I have never done it
but if the bible said it then It is true
He said okay I am going to look for one
and from when church ended in the afternoon that day
till about 4 4:30 am he rode his motor bike
all over Benin city from street to street
looking for a dead person from street to street somewhere around 4:30
he saw a crowd of people and they said
one girl has just died He said "Praise God"
He asked to pray for her They didn't want to agree at first
after some time, they allowed him to enter the room
He prayed and this girl came back to life that was the beginning of one of the mightiest
ministries this nation has ever seen He started a fellowship that grew to about
500 after some years and God sent him to meet with
missionary in Ilesha, Pa Elton and It was Elton that agreed for him to be
trained Elton told him, the grace of God is upon your
life young man but you need training so
that you can have the word that lasts Elton arranged for him to go to Gordon Linsay's
Bible School in the United States Of America
He traveled to Christ for the Nations at it's very inception
First generation of students but he never graduated the bible school
because he just kept fasting and praying
because he had such passion His passion was for Africa
The bible school was to last for two years After one year he came to Gordon Lindsey
why should I sitting in a classroom when African's are dying
Release me, let me go So he had a private consecration service for
him and he was the only student
that actually saw Gordon Lindsey release them because before the
others graduated Gordon Lindsey had died
He came back to Benin City with multiplied anointing
It is reported that those who came to welcome him at the airport couldn't touch him
everyone that stepped with 20 yards of him collapsed and it was wild fire from that time
on His way of spreading ministry and doing crusades
at that time was very raw and to the point He is another very forceful personality
You know God uses all types of people Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa
was an unconventional man In those days with the
miracle working power of God He will go into little villages and towns
all the present south south of Nigeria sometimes without any publicity
he would go into the market square and look for the blind or a cripple
He would put two drums and a plank Hold you like he is trying to give you something
and drag you to where the plank and the two drums are
that is his platform and will heal you instantly open your blind eyes or
get the crippled walking a crowd would gather, he would climb the drum
and preach the gospel
people will give their life to Christ A church will start
but he was a man that believed in prosperity and
God increased him lavishly he was first in many things in Nigeria
He was the first Assemblies of God young man to ride a
motor bike in Benin city and got excommunicated for it
he was the first Nigerian minister to use a Mercedes Benz car
for which he was criticized and called a thief and called many names
he took, the fire now a pastor can get an airplane
and everybody is happy in those days you were called devil
for attempting to prosper He made it popular to preach in
Babariga In his days every evangelist in Nigeria wanted
to wear babariga to preach
and some people didn't like that
but that was just Benson Idahosa He was the first Nigerian minister
to preach on radio the first to preach on television
The first to own mass crusade equipment and move from city to city in Africa
and even abroad doing meetings During his lifetime, he ministered
in over a 130 countries Many of those meetings were not Invitational
He went into nations with his own money and arrested nations
with the power of God When it comes to signs and wonders
Pentecostal Signs and Wonders particularly the gift of the working
of miracles but the gift of the working of miracles
can produce healing results It can also make signs to multiply
One of the last miracles that happened in Benin city before
he died, they came to the building site of Benson Idahosa University
He had traveled for several weeks and when he came back they said
materials had finished he commanded the materials to multiply
and they did Archbishop's story sometimes
will make you wonder whether somebody is not exaggerating
A boy fell from a three story building and broke his skull
on the concrete floor His skull was cracked
his brain was pouring out and
they called for him he gathered the
skull and began to pray in tounges
and his skull joined back together, The boy didn't
need the hospitals I remember one famous story
that happened the world council of witches
had their headquarters in Benin City
at that time, and there was a very
vocal witch, who was always boasting he was a witch
he was the head of all witches and then he announced that
they were going to have their conference in Benin City
by then, Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa was already on Television so he went on his
own T.V Programme and said you
have heard that witches are coming to do their
meeting in Benin City He said they will not come
I cancel that meeting so this other man
they went to him to interview him they said this is what
Benson Idahosa said what do you have to say
the man laughed and said even if Jesus Christ comes down
He cannot stop us, so Benson Idahosa went
back on air and said Jesus does not need to
come down stop this meeting "That is why I am here"
They now put them on set together NTA Benin city
invited the two of them panel discussion
he said the meeting will hold He said the meeting will not hold
that is why I am here and I saw Benson Idahosa turn
and said to be honest with you
there are no witches in Benin city
the ones that are witches have already run away
even this man is not a witch and he looked at the
man and said the bible said thou shall not
suffer a Witch to live If you are a witch confess
it right now and I will kill you, right here
The man said he is not a witch That was the caliber of man
Benson Idahosa was I remember he had
a guest one time many years ago
in the 80s and the aircraft was about to take off
from Benin city he ran to the tarmac
because his guest had no ticket and
waved the aircraft to stop they had to open the door
he came, I have two guests three guests
I want some of you passengers to get down
and some people offered their seat
that was the kind of person he was He was a very unusual man
he brought, glory,honor and attention to that city
People used to travel from all over the world to Benin City
Benin was the headquarters of the gospel in Africa
in the days of Benson Idahosa Lagos was larger
but more people came to Benin because of a man's grace
why must you walk in low voltage when you can have high voltage
Pay the price Loose the fun you need to loose now
Consecrate Sell out
God will use you I want you to say Amen