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
