MUSINGS ON A COLOSSUS: ARCHBISHOP BENSON IDAHOSA.

What a life!

Benson Andrew Idahosa was born to non-Christian parents on 11^th September, 1938 in Benin city, Nigeria. He constantly had fainting spells as a baby. His father rejected him after his birth thinking he would die soon. On one of such occasions, his father instructed his mother to dump him at a rubbish heap thinking he was dead already.

After many hours, he revived and he started wailing. This attracted his mother to rescue him and accept him once again. The incident occurred when he was eighteen months. Growing up, he had a very humble background. This so affected his educational pursuit that he could not start his formal education until he was fourteen years old.

From this messy and rough start, his life went against all odds to become an international phenomenon. He broke all limits on his way and became one of the finest ministers the Church ever produced in Nigeria. He is a living epistle indeed!

As a youth, he surrendered to Jesus under the ministry of Pastor Okpo of the Assemblies of God church, Nigeria. As a young Christian, he brought a young girl who died back to life in Benin city. This happened after he heard a stirring message from his Pastor about how God can do all things.

Funny right? We must always remember that as lights in this world we should run to the darkness to give them light. We don’t run from darkness, we run to darkness!

HIS MINISTRY

God called Archbishop Benson Idahosa into the ministry after a supernatural encounter. After this, he proceeded to gain further knowledge in theology in America. He also founded the Church of God Mission International Incorporated with its headquarters in Benin City, Nigeria.

Later, Idahosa met one of the Apostolic Church missionaries, S.G. Elton and they became good friends. Elton became Idahosa’s mentor and it was him that introduced Idahosa to Gordon and Freda Lindsey (one of the healing evangelist of the Latter Rain Movement). Both Elton and Lindsey ordained Idahosa into ministry in 1971. Idahosa was granted scholarship to study at Gordon Lindsey’s Bible College, Christ for the Nations Institute in Texas United States.

As a young minister in training, he earned a diploma in divinity from Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, which he attended in 1971, a Doctorate of Divinity in 1981 from the Word of Faith College, New Orleans and a Doctor of Laws degree from Oral Roberts University in March 1984. also received other degrees from the International University in Brussels, Belgium. Having gained much exposure outside Nigeria, he went ahead to establish the Benson Idahosa University in Benin, Nigeria.

HIS IMPACT

His ministry impacted and raised a lot of upcoming ministers in Nigeria who needed a father to look to. There is hardly no great minister of God in Nigeria today who did not connect to him physically or from a distance. They include: Pastor E.A Adeboye, Bishop Oyedepo, Bishop Wale Oke, Pastor Poju Oyemade, Reverend Chris Oyakhilome, Apostle Johnson Suleman to mention a few.

He not only influenced Nigeria, he became highly sought-after outside Nigeria too. He had strong ties with international gospel ministers like Billy Graham, T.L Osborn, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Reinhard Bonnke, Morris Cerullo, Oral Roberts among others and he took the gospel to 145 nations in his lifetime. At the time of his death in 1998, he had preached to more whites than any black man, and to more blacks than any white man.

It is no surprising that he was the father of many firsts in the Nigerian Church. He was the first Nigerian minister to use a Mercedes Benz car which was an alien thing for a minister at that time. He was the first Nigerian minister to preach on radio and television. Furthermore, he was the first Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) President. He was the first Pentecostal Archbishop in Nigeria. Therefore, he is regarded as the father of Pentecostalism in Nigeria. By him, God opened several dimensions that had not been known in the church in Nigeria.

Archbishop Idahosa’s ministry was characterized by several mouthwatering miracles, signs and wonders which God performed by his hand. He was used by God to perform many miracles including healing the blind and raising up to twenty-eight dead people in his ministry.

HIS MESSAGE

The great Archbishop consistently taught messages on salvation, faith, miracles and prosperity. Idahosa operated in faith and he had a robust faith. He believed and trusted God with a childlike faith.

His constant mantra was that living a daily life of absolute faith in God is the only secret to great success. He believed God for everything. He always preached and exemplified that no matter who you are and what limitations you have had, you can rise to be very great and reach the world with your influence.

His profound depth and utterance when preaching gave rise to many quotes which he is known for till date.

“If your faith says yes and what you are believing for is in God’s will for your life, God cannot say no.”

ARCHBISHOP BENSON IDAHOSA

WHAT MORE SHALL I SAY!

Of men like the great Archbishop Idahosa who through faith rose through the fiercest storms and hindrances to become a minister never to be forgotten in Nigeria and all over the world. His name is permanently written in the book of the exploits of faith in Nigeria. By faith, he turned the fiery and grossly dark Benin city which was known as the headquarters of witchcraft to the headquarters of the gospel in Nigeria in the 70’s and 80’s. He was a colossus!

Papa Idahosa achieved all this giant strides when Pastoring was considered to be a menial, poverty-stricken thing to do in Nigeria. With God’s help, he broke that barrier and made a way for other ministers coming behind him to become all God wanted them to be. He literarily changed the narrative in the ministry of the gospel in Nigeria.

If you will take anything away from this post, always let this ring in your mind: No matter the odds presented against you, no matter how rough your background was, by faith, you can turn the world around. You can and you will break out of the highest odds and become a wonder to your generation. The affliction around or behind you is not worthy to compared to the glory ahead of you.

Its my prayer for every reader of this post that you will become an hero of faith in your generation, a divine spectacle and God’s own trophy. It all begins when you say yes to Jesus. What are you waiting for, SAY YES NOW!

Thank you for reading this post through. I believe you have been blessed? You can also click here to get messages preached by Archbishop Benson Idahosa for your spiritual growth. I also recommend a video on the life of Archbishop Idahosa that will stir you up and propel your faith. Click here to watch it.

What lessons have you learnt from the life of this great general? Comment below, we will like to hear from you.

Many Blessings!