Two streams emerged from the revival; the faith tabernacle stream with Odubanjo as leader and the healing revival stream with Babalola as leader .both streams were connected by their faith in divine healing. Odubanjo was however the overall leader of the movement and provided crucial source of funds for many of the evangelists Babalola included. The movement was continually troubled by the authorities, hounded from place to place, the situation that later became overwhelming for everyone involved. This led to a quest for foreign partnership with British missions whose doctrines were in agreement with theirs. It was Odubanjo who eventually came across a publication from the apostolic church in Britain. After studying its contents he began corresponding with the leaders who sent to him loads of their literatures. Odubanjo was convinced that the apostolic church was the answer to the church’s partnership dilemma, being a British church. This was a huge blessing since Nigeria at the time was a British colony. Also the church believed in speaking in other tongues.
After reading and studying the apostolic church literatures on the subject of the baptism of the holy spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and after listening attentively to the inspired biblical teachings on the subject matter from the leadership of the British apostolic church, odubanjo and his team decided to hold revival tarrying meetings for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was the beginning of tarrying meetings for the purpose of being baptised in the Holy Spirit in Lagos in 1930. This led to odubanjo and the faith tabernacle leaders extending an invitation to the leadership of the apostolic church in Bradford England to visit Nigeria. Upon the arrival of the team of leaders from Bradford in Lagos the power of the Holy Spirit was tremendously felt such that men and women of the church were swept off their feet and baptised in the Holy Spirit. Some of them wept and flood of tears rolled down their checks rejoicing and praising God at the meetings held under the leadership of DP Williams the founding president of the apostolic church.
This meeting conducted by the leadership of the apostolic church from Bradford England became what birthed the modern day Pentecostal move in Nigeria. It was a meeting that brought together men and women from all works of life and from all the mainline denominations. People came from different part of the country to be part of this spiritual awakening. The meetings held with both morning and evening sessions filled to capacity. The team later visited Ijebu- Ode, Abeokuta and Ibadan with great testimonies with multitudes being filled with the Holy Spirit. The meeting was later taken to Ibadan with odubanjo, Babalola and Akinyele as well as other key leaders in attendance. It was at this meeting in Ibadan that the final decision was reached, by the Nigerian leaders to form a partnership with the apostolic church of Great Britain. In 1931 in Lagos, the apostolic church of Great Britain having been accepted as the governing authority of the emerging apostolic church of Nigeria ordained seven leaders of the erstwhile faith tabernacle into the pastoral office. The seven leaders were Babatope, Odubanjo, Mensah, Akinyele, (who later became the Olubadan of Ibadan), Esisinade, Adegboyega and McCauley. After deliberations, the faith tabernacle leaders decided to adopt the name the apostolic church Nigeria. The arrival of the apostolic church missionaries marked the beginning if Pentecostalism in Nigeria, their arrival activated in their Nigerian brethren the nine gifts of the Spirit, the power and gifts of the Spirit, their proper use, correct method of tarrying for the Holy Ghost baptism, liberty, prayers in divine worship, prayer meetings, divine guidance by the word of the Lord through prophetic ministry, singing of joyful choruses, clapping of hands scriptural dancing and jumping and shouting s of hallelujahs
The years between 1932 and 1940 saw a great outpourings of the Holy Spirit which laid the foundations for the decades that followed.
The movement was then in its infancy before institutionalization set in. According to historians and documents available what happened between 1932 and 1940 was indeed our own version of the famous Azusa street revival as the Holy Spirit manifested mightily in sweeping powers. The experience was comparable to what happened on the day of Pentecost as peoples from all works of life began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.
These continued until mid 30S when strains began to appear in the relationship between the British Missionaries of the Apostolic church and the Nigerian leaders which led to the polarization of the leadership of the church. This eventually led to a major separation in which healing evangelist as well as their loyalist led by odubanjo babalola and others formed the Nigerian apostolic church. This was the first split in Nigerian Pentecostal history. The assemblies which chose to stay under the leadership of the British missionaries retained the name the apostolic church while the churches which rallied under the leadership of odubanjo, akinyele and Babalola was renamed Christ Apostolic Church (CAC). Unfortunately, the great movement that had started with a handful of saints who formed the nucleus the first precious stone group in Ijebu-Ode in 1918 which had gone through many changes and phases of partnership and which by 1940 had become a vibrant nationwide movement could not reconcile the differences that had begun to threaten its unity since the mid-1930s. Sides were taken, friendships broken, insults traded, blame passed and eventually the house did not stand. By April 1940 the center could no longer hold and the great split occurred.
The issues that played out in the breakup were not strictly based on the interpretation of the biblical doctrine of divine healing it was largely due to sectional loyalty. Then In 1936, 40 apostles met in a certain place in England to consider what to do about the great call of God and the revival in Nigeria, they wanted to resolve the issue surrounding the activities of the healing evangelist in Nigeria. Then a prophecy came “send Elton my servant to Nigeria”.
The arrival of SG Elton in Nigeria specifically Ilesha in 1936 kick started the next significant era in the development of body of Christ in Nigeria. Elton was sent by God to bridge the obvious gaps and lapses in the revival. He was sent to preserve the gains of the revival that broke out in 1930. He was sent to take over a revival that had happened, which had very little gospel in it by adding to the value chain of the said revival things pertaining to justification by faith, baptism by water, the second coming, baptism of the Holy Spirit with signs following and the manifestation of divine government in the church today.
Elton argued that the practice of blessing water encouraged many to place their faith in “holy water” rather than in the word of God, the revivalist countered saying that the practise had come by revelation and Elton was to face his business which was to teach new converts the basic doctrine of the bible. This infringement on what the revivalist considered a divine mandate was completely unacceptable to Babalola and other prophetic figures who became embittered towards Elton and his colleagues who were increasingly perceived as a hindrance rather than a help, to the move of God in their midst. “mefoyinbo” which means “we don’t want the whites” became their war cry. Pa SG Elton later between 1960 and mid-80S worked with and mentored the likes of Archbishop Benson Idahosa of the blessed memory. It was his relationship with the late Archbishop that led to the meeting between the late Archbishop, TL Osborn and Gordon Lindsay, who was later responsible for the training of the archbishop in his bible school in America.
Another individual greatly influenced by Pa Elton is the incumbent General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastor E.A Adeboye. Pastor Adeboye had this to say about Pa Elton.
“Papa SG Elton knew the word of God and taught it with simplicity; with candour ... he was a great instrument of God in the life of many people including myself. I visited him towards the end of his life every two weeks, I used to spend only one hour and you can be sure we were not talking politics; we were not talking business. We were discussing the Lord Jesus Christ. I remember he said once that he regretted that he didn’t me earlier in his life, I regretted I hadn’t met him earlier either , but I thank God that the last days were profitably used, and I think it’s on record that the last major meeting that he had in 1984 or 1985 was on this RCCG campground…. He slept in our little house and we had time for fellowship together, and I remember that his last sermon brought every one of us back to the altar – General overseer, Pastors, everyone. We all came back to the altar to cry before God and rededicate our lives before God. So nobody can truly write the history of either Pentecostalism or full gospel in Nigeria and leave PA SG Elton out of it. He was a tremendous influence not just on individuals, but on the church of God as a whole.
As I conclude this section of this write up I was stirred by the Holy Spirit to announce that another wave of revival and a major outpouring of the Spirit is around the corner…
I’m persuaded the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former.
What part will you play in this next major event in the body of Christ in Nigeria? PRAY IN TONGUES!
N.B FOR THESE AND MANY MORE I STRONGLY RECOMMEND A BOOK YOU NEED TO READ THIS YEAR TITLED ‘MESSENGER’
SYDNEY ELTON AND THE MAKING OF PENTECOSTALISM IN NIGERIA BY AYODEJI ABODUNDE
‘within our history lies our hope and future’
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