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 Yorubaland (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.
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, voodooism 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 Fasso 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.
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
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No 24: July to September 2000
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www.lampstandletters.net
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