The Beginning of the Revival
Shortly after the end of the Biafran war in January 1970, three young Igbo men turned our world upside down – they preached that Jesus is Lord, that He died on the cross for our sins and that we could know salvation through His blood. They preached a gospel of repentance and salvation through faith in Jesus. ‘The hour of freedom has come!’ they cried,” one participant in the revival recalled years later. A revival was sparked off by three members of one of the prayer houses that saturated the Igboland: Stephen Okafor, Raphael Okafor and Arthur Oriuzu. Stephen and Raphael were young men in their twenties, but Arthur was much older. The three of them were committed members of a prayer house at Ufuma and had become leaders there.
Conflict with the Prayer House Leadership
They were ignorant of the fact that some of the practices of the prayer house were wrong and were also unaware of other practices that they would have easily recognized as erroneous. In their innocence, they continued preaching the truths of the scriptures at the Ufuma prayer house until their eyes were opened to their error, and from then on they began denouncing the practices. At first, they hoped that the prayer house could be reformed. They embarked on preaching the true gospel, which resulted in a clash between them and the leader of the prayer house. When their preaching persistently exposed the deception that was going on there, they were forced to leave.
The Public Statement and Misunderstanding
When they left the prayer house, they released a public statement to defend their position. But they were castigated by many as enemies of the truth for opposing what was widely regarded as beneficial. So they set forth to present the truth. The public statement generated a lot of controversy. They were misunderstood, but they made up their minds to continue to preach the “gospel of freedom.” They left Ufuma for Awka-Etiti, Raphael Okafor’s hometown, and agreed in prayer to abandon themselves to the preaching of the gospel. Desperate to experience the power of the Holy Spirit, they declared – “we were not interested in mere religion, we wanted something that would transform people’s lives and meet their needs.’
Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Early Crusades
They read tracts from the Apostolic Faith Church about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and other publications by T. L. Osborn and Gordon Lindsay, which they got from Sydney Elton. This was followed by periods of fasting and prayer, and one day, while they were worshipping at home, the Spirit of God fell on them. The first series of evangelistic crusades were held in Awka-Etiti. From there, they moved to other nearby towns and villages. They printed handbills and invited people to the meetings. As a result of these evangelistic outreaches, small fellowship groups began in Ojoto, Nnewi, Amichi, Oko and other towns and villages.
J. M. J. S. Emesim’s Visit and the Fire of Revival
In August 1970, Stephen Okafor invited J. M. J. 5. Emesim, who has been referred to as the “Apostle of Pentecostalism” in north-western Igboland, to speak at one of the campaigns in Awka-Etiti. He ‘set the whole area ablaze’ and scores of people caught the fire of revival at the meeting. In 1970, the trio felt a need to visit their brethren in Umuahia where the fire of revival had first been lit. The immediate post-war period was a period of great hardship with little money and food available. The three had to trek from Awka-Etiti to Umuahia-a distance of about 150 kilometres.
The Historic Walk to Umuahia
It is referred to as the “historic walk” and considered to be one of the high points of their ministry. As they marched to Umuahia, they sang along the way, preached in market places, streets and everywhere. They “accosted anyone who would stop to listen. “Where will you spend eternity?” They asked. “Do you know Jesus?” they questioned. Many responded to their message. They were received in some towns and chased out of others. After leaving Umuahia, they moved to Onitsha, and indeed it turned out to be a historic journey.
Date: 16th August 2022
Title: The Igbo land Revival
Source: A Heritage of Faith: A History of Christianity in Nigeria
Author: Ayodeji Abodunde