The word of the Lord came to me expressly on the 16th July 2000 saying:
"Except the church in Yoruba land returns back to its first love of Missions and Evangelism, the fate of Liberia and Sierra Leone will befall Yoruba land, beginning from Abeokuta".
As I pondered and prayed over this word, a number of facts became evident:-
1. Just as the Gospel came to the West Coast of Africa through Liberia and
Sierra Leone, the gospel (protestant) came to Nigeria through Yoruba land
(Badagry/Abeokuta) by the ministry of Ajayi Crowther and Co.
- 2. Both Liberia and Sierra Leone, which hitherto had a history of
political stability, have been engulfed in highly satanic civil wars.
Despite and in spite of their Christian heritage and foundations, highly
cultic practices, gross wickedness and inhumanity prevailed during these
wars. There was a revival of ancient idolatry as well as fetish practices
in both countries because of these wars. At the same time strong
Islamic influence infiltrated these countries through links by principal
warriors in both countries to Libya. Today, Islam has definite influence
and hold in these pioneer Christian countries, which were founded by
Christianized ex-slaves. This could have been inconceivable two decades
ago.
There is a palpable and present hell - induced plan and programme to stir
up civil war in Yoruba land, and this is not the first time the Lord is
blowing the trumpet. In THE PREACHER No 180, August 1995, is an article
titled "The Siege on the West" in which the author wrote of "a satanic
orchestration ... a sinister plot to deliberately provoke that section of
the country... incite it into some violent reaction". His was a call for
"a man among them" (i.e. among ethnic Yoruba) to stand in the gap before
the Lord (Ezekiel 22:52). This call remains more necessary and more
urgent than ever even now.
Then in the prophetic publication THE ALARM Vol. 2, No. 2 April to June
1999, is an article titled "Beware Yoruba Nation". It states inter alia.
'The spirit expressly calls for the church in Yoruba land to take a
lamentation against the spirit of violence emanating from ancestral
worship in the land. If the satanic plan materializes, the church in
Yoruba land will suffer. The (Yoruba) nation will have as national
religion, voodoos in place of Christianity and the church in the land
will suffer terrible persecution. The church should raise and take a
lamentation against the spirit and save the nation and the entire nation
of Yoruba from calamity.'
An historical and spiritual perspective to this issue was discussed in the article "Eliakim and the Yemoja Spirit" (Lampstand Letters No 12 July 1999). Likewise, a biblical and documentary analysis was highlighted in the article "Egbesu, Oro and Ancestral Thrones" (Lampstand Letters No. 16, November 1999).
History is replete with lands and nations, which pioneered evangelism and
first encountered the gospel becoming completely over run by Islam or traditional religion. The Niger Delta of Nigeria through which the first (catholic) percentage population in Africa was completely over run by civil strife and is yet to recover, while the church looked on helpless. The case of Liberia and Sierra Leone, the first port of Christianity in West Africa has been referred to earlier. The civil strife and military rule in Cote D'Ivoire, where the world's largest catholic Basilica was built, is
because a Muslim is being actively supported by Libya and Burkina Faso to
be the next president of this predominately Catholic Nation. Has Christ not stated that "the first shall be the last...?"
Let no one think that Abeokuta and Yoruba land cannot be overran by Ifa, Ogun, Oro or Islamic spirits. Let no one think these persistent prophecies cannot come to pass. All our cacophony of Christian radio and TV programmes cannot stop this satanic onslaught. Our prosperity talks, our TV. faith messages, our miracle break-through sermons are no solution.
Where is Radio ELWA, Monrovia Liberia today? What has happened to the famous Fourah Bay College in Freetown?
The weapons that are effective against the gates of hell are strategic intercessions/spiritual warfare and evangelism/missions. Jer. 1:10 gives us the commission to first "root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down" every antichrist spirit in strategic intercessions and spiritual warfare. Then it also given us the added responsibility "to build and to plant" the word of God in the lives of men in nations and kingdoms, through evangelism to individuals and missions to tribes.
Our main calling as Christians is to actively and continually take the gospel of the kingdom to all and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:5, Luke 24:47, Matt. 24:14) - see the article "The Gospel of the Kingdom", Lampstand Letters No 18 January 2000.The West (Yoruba land) definitely needs missions and re-evangelization.
The twin forces of Islam and traditional occultism hold sway over large
Yoruba populations. Nominal and orthodox Christianity is rife among a
large proportion of those who call themselves Christians. The foundation
of Christian influence through the secondary schools and tertiary institutions has been eroded through the political influence of Muslims.
Christian Youth activities in tertiary institutions are characterized by lack of depth, factionalism, immaturity and frivolities. Even among the vibrant evangelical Christian circle, empire building, and crowd-pleasing activities have all but replaced a holistic, un-reached people targeting priority. Efforts and activities are concentrated in large towns and cities, to the neglect of the un-reached, mainly rural dwelling people, where witchcraft and allied forms of wickedness is still very strongly prevalent.
Yoruba land is in dire need of strategic intercessions, spiritual warfare, missions and evangelism targeted not just at our over-saturated towns and village, but majorly the untouched rural strongholds. Otherwise, even the cities will be overrun by satanic powers.
May the Lord stir up the church to its responsibilities. May be fate of Liberia and Sierra Leone not be our portion in Jesus name. Amen.
By the Lampstand,
Ibadan, July 2000.
