Today I will be writing a short story about one of the founding fathers of CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHIRCH in person of Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola.

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IWO TO FE WA LA O MA SIN

Iwo to fe wa la o ma sin titi
Oluwa Olore wa
Iwo to n so wa n’nu idanwo aye
Mimo, logo ola re

Baba, iwo l’a o ma sin
Baba, iwo l’a o ma bo
Iwo to fe wa l’a o ma sin titi
Mimo l’ogo ola re.

Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola was born April 25th, 1904 in Odo Owa, Kwara State, Nigeria.

He was born into an Anglican family of which his father was the baba ijo of the church in odo owa, kwara state.

When he was around 10 years old, his brother M.O. Rotimi who was a Sunday school teacher with the Anglican church took him to osogbo where he was enrolled as a pupil with All saints school, Osogbo. When he got to standard 5, he quit school so as to learn motor mechanic while still an apprentice, he left to work with the Public Works Department (PWD). He was among the staff that constructed the road from igbara oke to ilesha. He worked with the PWD as a steam roller driver.

One account of how his ministry started stated that Babalola’s strange experience started on the night of September 25th, 1928 when he suddenly became restless and could not sleep. This went on for a week and he had no inkling of the causes of such a strange experience. The climax came one day when he was, as usual, working on the Ilesa-Igbara-Oke road. Suddenly the steam roller’s engine stopped to his utter amazement. There was no visible mechanical problem, and Joseph Ayo Babalola became confused and perplexed. He was in this state of confusion when a great voice “like the sound of many waters” called him three times. The voice was loud and clear and it told him that he would die if he refused to heed the divine call to go into the world and preach the gospel. Babalola did not want to listen to this voice but eventually He gave in only after he had received the assurance of divine guidance.
To go on the mission, he had to resign his appointment with the Public Works Department. Mr. Fergusson, the head of his unit, tried to dissuade him from resigning but the young man was bent on going on the Lord’s mission.
The same voice came to Joseph a second time asking him to fast for seven days. He obeyed and at the end of the period he saw a great figure of a man who, according to Pastor Alokan, resembled Jesus. The man in a dazzling robe spoke at length about the mission he was to embark upon. The man also told him of the persecutions he would face and at the same time assured him of God’s protection and victory. A hand prayer bell was given to Babalola as a symbol. He was told that the sound of the bell would always drive away evil spirits. He was also given a bottle of “life-giving water” (omi iye) to heal all manners of sickness. Consequently, wherever and whenever he prayed into water for therapeutic purposes, effective healing was procured for those who drank the water. Thus, Babalola became a prophet and a man with extraordinary powers. Enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit he could spend several weeks in prayer. Elder Abraham Owoyemi of Odo-Owa, said that the prophet regularly saw angels who delivered divine messages to him, an angel appeared in one of his prayers and forbade him to wear caps.

In October 1928, he entered the town in the manner described and was taken for a mad man. Babalola immediately started preaching and prophesying. He told the inhabitants of Odo-Owa about an impending danger if they did not repent. He was arrested and taken to the district officer at Ilorin for allegedly disturbing the peace. The district officer later released him when the allegations could not be proven. However, it was said that a few days later, there was an outbreak of smallpox in the town. The man whose prophecies and messages were once rejected was quickly sought for. He went around praying for the victims and they were all healed.

Pa David Rotimi, Babalola’s father, had been instrumental in the establishment of a Anglican Church in Odo-Owa. Babalola organized regular prayer meetings in this church which many people attended because of the miracles God performed through him. Among the regulars was Isaiah Oluyemi. Information had reached the bishop of the church that almost all members of the Anglican Church in Ilofa were seeing visions, speaking in tongues and praying vigorously, Babalola and the visionaries were allegedly ordered by Bishop Smith to leave the church but Babalola did not leave the town until June 1930.

On an invitation from Daniel Ajibola, Babalola went to Lagos. Elder Daniel Ajibola at that time was working in Ibadan where he was a member of the Faith Tabernacle Congregation. He introduced Prophet Babalola to Pastor D. 0. Odubanjo, one of the leaders of the Faith Tabemacle in Lagos. Senior Pastor Esinsinade who was then the president of the Faith Tabernacle was invited to see Babalola. After listening to the details of his call and his ministry, the Faith Tabernacle leaders warmly received the young prophet into their midst.
Babalola had not yet been baptized by immersion and Senior Pastor Esinsinade emphasized that he needed to go through that rite. Pastor Esinsinade then baptized him in the lagoon at the back of the Faith Tabernacle Church building at 51, Moloney Bridge Street, Lagos. Babalola returned to Odo-Owa a few days after.

A revelation was given to Ayo Babalola to burn down a big tree in front of the Owa's Palace. The big tree was traditionally believed to be the rendez-vous of witches and wizards. The juju tree was therefore greatly feared and sacrifices were usually made to the spirits believed to reside in it. There was apprehension that this bold act would result in the instantaneous death of Babalola since it was expected to arouse the anger of the gods. But to the great amazement of the people, the prophet did not die but rather continued to wax stronger in the Lord's work. That single event was said to have made even the Owa of Ilesa and important people in the town to fear and respect the prophet.

His revival in Ekiti accelerated by the conversion of both the Oba of Efon and the Oba of Aramoko. They were both baptized with the names, Solomon Aladejare Agunsoye and Hezekiah Adeoye respectively. After this event, news of the revival at Efon spread to other parts of Ekitiland.

God used Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola to trigger a spiritual awakening in his time that ushered people into a season of strange signs, wonders and occurrences. Babalola was a man who had strange passion for prayer and through the help of the Holy Spirit, he spent a large part of his life fasting and praying. He is said to have fasted for 40 days and nights more than twice in his life.
“Once, while he was in a prayer retreat at Ido-Ajinare in Ekiti State, after hours of prayer, he heard a sound of a moving object in which the Lord instructed him not to open his eyes. As he continued in prayer, a large python crawled over him. Later God instructed him to open his eyes and he readily obeyed. Just a little distance from where he was lying down, the Lord pointed to the python who had been roasted as if an electric current had shocked it. With this evidence, God told him that he had turned him to coal of fire and that he had now become untouchable for evil powers.

Baba was a man of prayers. He spent several days on mountains praying.
There is a mountain called “ori oke Aanu” (Mountain of mercy) in Erio-Ekiti in Ekiti state, Nigeria.
This mountain of prayer was founded by Baba. There is a spot on top of the mountain where he Kneeled to pray and his knee mysteriously pierced through from long hours of kneeling to pray leaving a giant hole in the rock. The hole remains there till date.

Another powerful fact about Baba was his indisputable healing power.
He was known to use water for healing which prompted the popular C.A.C song then: “Babalola Olomi Iye re o. Omi Iye, Iye, Iye, re o. Omi Iye…” which means “Babalola with the water of life”.
People with all sorts of illnesses and diseases that came in contact with the water were immediately completely healed.

Due to the mighty hand of God on Apostle Babalola, he was persecuted by the missionary church he belonged to (faith tabernacle) one thing led to another and the differences could not be resolved, this led to the birth of CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH in May, 1943. The church has strong faith in divine healing. They have over 5,000 parishes.

Joseph Ayo Babalola, a General of God died in 1959.

Source: wikipedia, www.cacfrance.org, ....

Greatest African man of God that ever lived

Gods Africa General.
The candles Apostle Ayo Babalola lit are still burning and shinning brightly. Sleep on Daddy, till we meet at that beautiful river where the feet of angel thread which flows by the throne of God.

Some of these things didn’t happen joor

[quote author=Amotolongbo post=89131694]Some of these things didn’t happen joor[/quo

Olorun Babalola Baba olomi iye!!