Acts of the Witness

Chapter 6

                                            On the Move

I have been constantly on the move… (2Cor.11:26, NIV).
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh from, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (Jn.3:8).
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith (Hab.2:4).

All through our time in Kano, we did a lot of travelling. Not only did we travel frequently, we were usually gone for long periods. On the average, each journey took us to a number of towns and villages, located in different parts of Nigeria. For instance, within the first three-and-a-half years, we travelled more than twenty times, covering more than twenty-four Nigerian towns (some of which we visited several times), with more than seventy-four stops. If we take into consideration the individual trips we had during the period, we cannot but conclude that it was really a busy period!
 

In the beginning, we usually travelled together. However, at some point, the Lord began to prepare us for some form of division of labour. He told us that the time would come when one would go and the other would remain. This began to manifest as from 1990, and assumed a greater dimension as from 1993. Despite this, the joint journeys have remained an enduring feature of our walk with God.

In reviewing the first six years of Ministry, we discovered that the wisdom for our journeys was revealed in phases. Yes, the phases did overlap, but we identified, in each case, a pattern of dealings that will help us classify the journeys. In all, we identified three of such phases:

· The prophetic journeys.

· Ministering on God’s (exclusive) invitation.

· Ministering on man’s (concurrent) invitation.

The Prophetic Journeys

In the beginning, we had more of the “prophetic journeys.” For the avoidance of doubt, we are using the word “prophetic” in a general sense, to describe the overall emphasis of our ministry on those trips. The work we did in the course of those journeys was an extension of the work we had started in Kano. As noted above, in the run up to the Kano Ministers’ Meeting, the Lord gave us messages concerning Nigeria, the Church and His ministers.

Shortly after the Kano Ministers’ meeting, we had to go to Kaduna for the same purpose. Even though we did not go as far as holding a Kaduna Ministers’ Meeting, we read out some of the messages to some Church leaders and officials of the Kaduna Branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria, and subsequently sent the rest by post. We believe that the half-hearted commitment of the leadership of the churches in Kano and the total lack of commitment of the leadership of the churches in Kaduna robbed us of the wisdom needed to avert (or temper the effects of) the religious and sectarian crises that subsequently broke out in Kano, Kaduna and Plateau states.

In December 1989, we travelled to Lagos to deliver a message of the Lord to the military leaders of the land. We eventually had to send it by post. In mid-1990, we sent a series of messages from the Lord to a few individuals in authority. In particular, we sent a second message to the military leaders of the land. The tone of the message incurred the wrath of the security agencies and attempts were made to arrest us. Even though we were ignorant, at the time, of the repeated attempts to take us in, we were always a step ahead of them. The Coordinator of the Corpers’ fellowship was detained briefly, in the mistaken impression that we were still members of that fellowship. By the time we knew of the attempts to arrest us, they had apparently given up the search. Interestingly, the Lord had told us, after our failed attempt to personally deliver the first message: “This time, you went looking for them. Next time, they will come looking for you.” At the time, we thought we were going to receive an official invitation to visit the seat of power. In retrospect, we do appreciate the Lord’s sense of humour!

Still in 1990, we visited Abuja, now the nation’s capital city, with a message for the people of God. We read it out to some individuals and groups of brethren, highlighting them in the course of preaching to some others. That was only one of several journeys, during which we had a similar focus.

On other occasions, we simply travelled as led of the Spirit. Whether or not we preached in the respective fellowships, we usually received grace to do the bidding of the Lord. On many of such occasions, Pius ministered under the prophetic unction, while Daniel played a supporting role. On some occasions, Daniel had the opportunity to interpret some visual impressions, throw light on some of the prophetic utterances and even teach.

Ministering on God’s Exclusive Invitation

One basic thing about our operations is that, till this moment, we do not travel out of our location without clearance from above. Once we get the go-ahead, we move without reservations. When we arrive in a village, town, city or country, we seek the face of the Lord for the next step.
On many occasions, especially in those first few years, the Lord supplied independent confirmation of our presence and mission. In some cases, He gave the brethren and ministers advance notice of our visits. For instance, Rev. Bola Arowolo (then of the Green Pastures Church, Kaduna) had occasion to tell us that he had been expecting us, even though we did not give him advance notice of that particular visit. He told us that, earlier in the day, while he was at the church office, he had received an understanding that visitors were on the way. On the strength of that understanding, he had told one of the associate pastors of his church that he was expecting visitors from outside Kaduna. When he saw us, he said: “I’ve been waiting for you.”

In the course of those journeys, we ministered as the Spirit led us. It did not matter whether we were ministering to an individual, a family or a fellowship group; faithfulness to the revealed will of God was of primary consideration. Sometimes the emphasis was prophetic, while at other times, we had the opportunity to teach. In the course of time, we had opportunity to combine both and, consequently, did a more effective work.

Our job was usually easier in those places where our ministry was known and appreciated. But we also visited towns we had not previously visited, met people that were previously unknown to us and ministered in fellowships whose members and ministers were previously unknown to us. For instance, when we visited Katsina (located in the North Western part of the country), we had to spend our first night in a hotel, parting with a huge chunk of the precious resources at our disposal. But by the time we returned to Kano, we had ministered twice in a church shepherded by a man we met that same weekend.

Some of the ministers we met on our journeys were initially cautious, but the Lord usually convinced them that He sent us. On our part, we were unassuming. When the need arose, we were quick to share our vision and our understanding of God’s purpose for a particular round of journeys. At that point, the sensitivity to the Spirit of the host minister was a crucial factor. For instance, when we visited Uromi (in Edo State of Nigeria), we met with Rev. Edwin Ikhisemoje of the Reap Souls Gospel Ministries. After listening to us, he said he had discerned that we were genuine men of God. He invited us to minister in his church on a Sunday morning and gave us the option of having a three-day revival programme with them. Interestingly, we were the cautious ones, not him. Before then, we did not anticipate that we would preach in a major programme, nor did we know for sure that the Lord wanted us to spend that much time in Uromi. When we sought the face of the Lord, we confirmed that the offer was of the Lord; and we went on to have a wonderful revival programme. By the time we returned to Kano, we had been gone for thirty-three days.
In this way, we visited a good number of towns, ministering to individuals, families and fellowship groups. Apart from the prophetic work, we also had multiple teaching sessions in many fellowship groups, sometimes at short notice!

Ministering on Man’s Concurrent Invitation

From the onset, we received periodic invitations to minister. However, from 1992, the number of invitations increased considerably. By the second part of 1991, the Lord had begun to prepare our minds for that development. He told us that things were going to be more definite, and that we would have to honour a number of invitations. Subsequently, He told us that we should honour only those invitations that we confirmed to be prompted by His Spirit.

Before 1992, we honoured only a few invitations to minister, choosing to go only as the Lord led us. And when we did, it was usually after a period of careful consideration, resulting in a ‘GA’ (go ahead). That was particularly difficult for ministers who wanted us to feature in major programmes, and needed advance notice of our availability. Some of them gave up and turned to others ministers, who needed only to consult their diaries to confirm their availability. The difference between the pre-1992 and post-1992 positions is that, from 1992, the Lord began to give us general indications of the nature of work to be accomplished within a given year. Armed with that information, we began to subject the details contained in the invitation letters (such as nature of programme and theme) to the test of conformity with the stated objectives for that period. Whenever we did this, the job of obtaining ‘GA’ (or otherwise) became quite easy.

This remains an enduring feature of our work. We still do honour invitations, but only such as are prompted by the Spirit of God. This does not mean that the individuals that invite us always know that they are being prompted. In any case, it is the Lord we ask, not them. When we receive ‘GA’, then we know that the Lord prompted them to invite us. In such cases, they have only agreed or concurred with Him. In other words, the Lord first invites us, but because He is using man to coordinate His work, He channels the invitation through man who, in turn, makes a demand on us. Whenever that happens, man’s invitation is only concurrent. We are free to respond to God’s exclusive invitation, given independently of the man in authority, for we know that the heart of a king is in the hands of the Lord, but are not free to respond to man’s exclusive invitation, given independently of the Lord, for we know that “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Pro.21:1, Rom.8:14).

Overlapping Phases

Even as we moved from one phase of dealings to another, the Lord always retained elements of the former. For instance, in April 1992, we had a thirty-eight-day stretch of journeys, during which the basic features that characterise the above phases were all represented. We had invitations to minister in programmes in Benin and Kaduna (located in the South-South and North-West respectively), but first went to Jos (North-Central) to minister in a programme we were not invited for. We were backed by the Lord’s ‘GA’ and the authorisation of the originally invited minister, who needed to attend to some urgent matters. Interestingly, he eventually turned up, and we ended up ministering together! We proceeded to Benin on schedule, after which we left for Kaduna. While ministering in Kaduna, we were invited for another programme, scheduled to hold in May. Then we left for Yola and Jalingo (both located in the North Eastern part of the country), after which we proceeded to Nsukka and Aba (South-East of Nigeria), Port-Harcourt (South-South) and Umuahia (South East). Then we returned, through Jos, to Kaduna to minister in the programme we had scheduled during the course of the same trip!

We have already highlighted the aspects of the journey that were undertaken at man’s (concurrent) invitation. In addition to these, we visited quite a few places at God’s (exclusive) invitation, and we ministered in most of them. Finally, we had elements of the prophetic journeys represented. For instance, we visited The Rockword Church, Port-Harcourt, on our way to a speaking engagement in Royal Evangel Church (now The Carpenters Church) and did a brief prophetic work. This consisted of prophetic utterances, words of knowledge, ministering to those called out, and so on. Afterwards, we exchanged pleasantries with the pastor and left for the point of substantive work.
The wisdom may have changed again and again, but the elements represented in the dealings above have become a regular feature of our work. For this reason, we consider the Kano years to be the foundational years. True, the Lord continued to train us after we left Kano (and has continued to do so till this day) yet we can safely classify our time in Kano as the formative years.

Receiving Guidance

During the first few years, we always received definite instructions ahead of any journey. However, in many instances, the issue of the specific places to visit was decided based on the moment’s leading. Sometimes we had an idea of the possibilities that lay ahead of us. As from 1992, there were times when, ahead of a journey, we accepted invitations to minister in programmes billed to hold during the course of the journey. Even at such times, we still needed the moment’s leading to determine or confirm each stop. There were times when we confirmed our first stop while headed for (or at) the taxi park

There were no hard and fast rules. Either of us could suggest the name of a town, while the other confirmed or failed to confirm it. In the event of non-confirmation, the other person was at liberty to suggest an alternative place. At all times, we subjected every prompting to the test of agreement. One thing we had going for us was a joint commitment to seeing God’s will done. We believe the Lord has used that as a point of contact to keep us from going off track. We usually struggled whenever we were on the verge of agreeing to something that was contrary to His will, maybe because we had made a joint commitment to doing His will. Even when we started on the wrong footing, He always found a way of jolting us back to reality. In addition to being committed to His will, we learnt to take things one step at a time. We also had this confidence that, no matter how hazy the way forward was, His will would ultimately be done. Finally, choosing to walk in love was a major safeguard against error.

The Faith Walk

As stated before now, the Lord taught us to depend on Him for everything. We knew that the Lord was under no obligation to bless the presumption of man. In stepping out, our confidence lay in the fact that the Lord had sent us. As a result, we were ready to move, even in the face of daunting odds. In many instances, the Lord supplied the needed provisions at the last moment.
On one occasion, we were already at the taxi park when the money needed to complete our fare was provided. The time was 8 pm, and we were headed for Kaduna, armed with a fraction of our fare. We had just confirmed that the money we had was insufficient to pay the fare. We moved towards the highway, contemplating the next course of action. At that moment, a brother stopped his car very close to where we were standing, to drop someone. The blazing headlamps of the car focused on us, making it difficult for us to see. But he saw us and called out to us, and wanted to know where we were going at that hour of the day. He ended up giving us more than enough to travel to Kaduna.

On the most part, we have been obedient to the injunction not to beg. In a few instances (in particular within the first few months) we did ask men for help, but the results were always unpalatable. We learnt to adhere strictly to that which the Lord had revealed. The Lord, on His part, was (and has been) faithful. He has provided through men who knew we were travelling, as well as those who did not. He has manifested His provision way ahead of time, as well as at the last moment. Also, he has provided through the likely vessels or channels, as well as through the unlikely ones.
At every point, His help has been available. Sometimes, we have operated on a tight budget, while at other times, the provisions have been abundantly available. Sometimes, the journeys were relatively smooth, while at other times, we encountered some difficulties (varying from journey to journey). At this point, we want to capture the entire experience, from the start of a journey to the conclusion thereof, to give you a feel of how things were at the time.
 

A Sample of Journeys

As stated above, we travelled several times during the period in consideration. While it is not possible to capture the manifold dealings of God, over a period of time, in a single journey, we still consider it necessary to share with you the excitement, uncertainties, surprises and fulfilment that characterised one of several journeys. We have chosen for consideration a journey that took place between August and September 1991.

The Commission

On Monday the 19th of August, 1991, the Lord said to us: “Three days hence, you shall proceed. You will be travelling.” He told us it was going to be a novel experience, and that we were going to visit some new places. He then gave us a four-point wisdom, to help us unravel the details of the journey. We were to ponder on the considerations we had, compare notes, decide and act.
We spent the next three days putting our affairs in order, ahead of the journey. We intimated friends, associates and close brethren of our travel plans, took care of pending mails and appointments and cleared up our backlogs in all areas.

By Thursday the 22nd, we were ready to travel. First, we confirmed that Naibawa Motor Park, located within Kano, was our takeoff point, and we headed for Naibawa. Then we resumed an earlier discussion, which bordered on the issue of destination. After considering possible destinations, we confirmed that Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State (North-East of Nigeria) was to be our first port of call. By the time we got the confirmation, it was already 7 pm, which was rather late, considering the fact that neither of us had previously travelled to Maiduguri. All the same, there was no going back. We boarded a Maiduguri-bound taxi and journeyed with others, arriving by 2 am. All the passengers had to wait in the park till the break of day.

Where Are We Going?

When it was morning, we had to consider the options open to us. We had with us the ‘addresses’ of two people that we had met separately, at different times. We decided to seek out one of them, a woman whose name we did not remember. When we began to make inquiries, we discovered that the office address we had was either vague or incorrect. Somehow, we met somebody, who knew another person who, in turn, knew her. Eventually, we got to know that the name on our lips, which we understood to be husband’s surname (as recalled from memory) had been completely inaccurate. We located Mr. and Mrs. Nkado, and they hosted us throughout the duration of our stay.

The Work in Maiduguri - Northern Nigeria

By the evening of the same day, we ministered in a meeting of The Good News Bearers, an interdenominational fellowship to which the Nkados belonged. Daniel taught briefly, while Pius did a prophetic work. People were called out, by words of knowledge, and ministered to. On our return, we took part in an all-night fellowship holding at the Nkados’ residence, and had opportunity to minister to the brethren.
During the remaining part of our stay, we counselled several brethren, ministered to some staffers of the University of Maiduguri and prayed for many. There were testimonies of healing and divine intervention.

The Diversion

When it was time to leave (on Tuesday the 27th), we considered three places: Minna, Bauchi and Yola, and eventually settled for Yola. Armed with the funds the Lord had provided through some brethren, we left for the park. On getting there, we discovered that there were no direct taxis to Yola, perhaps because it was already 3 pm. We boarded a taxi headed for Mubi, which was in the same direction as Yola. When we got there, we could not find Yola-bound commercial vehicles. Everyone seemed to be listening to the news, be it on radio or television. General Ibrahim Babangida, then Nigeria’s military President, was making a broadcast, announcing the creation of nine additional states and a mayoralty, thus bringing the total number of states to thirty. This has since been increased to thirty-six. In any case, the commercial drivers were more interested in the unfolding news than the prospect of travelling that night. We spent the night in a hotel and got some rest.

Yola (Northern Nigeria) and Umuahia (South-Eastern Nigeria)

The next morning, we left for Yola, having received further guidance from the Spirit. We had no problem finding our way round Yola town, as that was our second visit. As in our first visit, we put up with a Christian couple, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Elisha. Eventually, we preached in the Yola Chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International and did a prophetic work in Praise Chapel.

On Monday the 2nd of September, we left for Nkwoegwu, in Umuahia (South-eastern part of Nigeria), where we had another opportunity to rest. As always, the Lord made sufficient provision available for our move.

The Work in Nsukka (South-Eastern Nigeria)

On leaving Nkwoegwu, we visited Nsukka, still within the south eastern part of the country. There, the Lord led us to minister to a woman who was oppressed in her body and mind. In particular, she was healed of an unidentified ailment that caused dizziness, bouts of pain in most parts of the body and periodic breakdowns. On Sunday the 8th of September, we ministered in Chapel of Faith, then pastored by our host, Rev. Sunday Williams. It turned out to be a wonderful time of blessing.

Irrua, Edenu and Uromi (South-South Nigeria)

On Tuesday the 10th of September, the compass point shifted to Irrua in Edo State (located within the South-South geo-political zone). Irrua served as a temporary base, from where we reached out to Edenu and Uromi. Our visit to Edenu was brief (we did not spend the night) but fruitful. We succeeded in sharing the good news with an impromptu gathering of natives, and the response was tremendous.

In Uromi, as noted before, we ministered in a three-day revival programme. The theme was “Walking in the Supernatural,” The Lord confirmed His Word, with signs following. In particular, we remember the healing of an old woman. She came to the front of the congregation, in response to a word of knowledge. She had terrible waist pain, and that was evident from the way she walked. After being prayed for, Pius asked her to jump. As she did, the power of God appeared to run through her body, and she was healed. Before that point, she did not look healed. Afterwards, she did a variety of strenuous exercises, to confirm that she was indeed healed.

Sapele, Benin and the Diversion

When we were through, we left (on September 18) for Sapele in Delta State (still within the South-south zone). We had a three-day programme in Divine Love Ministries, pastored by Rev. & Mrs. Obiomah, who also hosted us during the period. The theme was “The House of God”. In all, it was a blessed time.
By the time we left Sapele, we had been on the road for thirty-two days. We worked towards returning to Kano, but ended up in Benin, Edo State. For the second time, on that journey, we stopped short of our intended destination. Like the first time, when we spent the night in Mubi, we had to wait till the next day for a Kano-bound bus. We spent the night with Pius’ relatives, and had the opportunity of ministering to them. That was the first of several visits to that house.

By the next day, Pius’ cousin dropped us at the park, where we boarded a Kano-bound vehicle. We returned home, having fulfilled (to the best of our understanding) the vision for that journey.

Chapter 7
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