MEET APOSTLE JOSEPH AYO BABALOLA - THE
MAN THAT STARTED THE FIRST CHRISTIAN
REVIVALS IN NIGERIA!
Joseph Ayo Babalola lived from 1904 to1959. He
was the first prophet God used to lead a great
revival in Nigeria after the raising of a 10 years
old boy in 1930. He was the first General
Evangelist of the ChristApostolic Church, a
church that metamorphosed from a prayer group
popularly called Egbe Aladura in Nigeria. The
Aladura Movement nucleated at Ijebu-Ode in
1918. Babalola was endowed with healing
powers.
Family Background:
Joseph Ayodele Babalola was born of Yoruba
parents, David Rotimi and Madam Marta Talabi
on April 25, 1904 who belonged to the Anglican
Church. The family lived at Odo-Owa in Ilofa, a
small town about ninety kilometres from Ilorin in
Kwara State, Nigeria. His father was the Baba Ijo
("churchfather") of the C.M.S. Church at Odo-
Owa. Pastor Medayese wrote in his book "Itan
Igbedide Woli Ayo Babalola" that mysterious
circumstances surrounded the birth of Babalola.
On that day, it was believed that a strange and
mighty object exploded and shook the clouds. On
January 18, 1914, young Babalola was taken by
his brother M. 0. Rotimi, a Sunday school
teacher in the C.M.S. Church at Ilofa, who later
took him to Osogbo. Babalola started school at
Ilofa and got as far as standard five at All Saints'
School, Osogbo. However, he quit school when
he decided to learn a trade and became a motor
mechanic apprentice. Again, he did not continue
long in this vocation before joining the Public
Works Department (PWD). He was among the
road workers who constructed the road from
Igbara-Oke to Ilesa, working as a steamroller
driver.
Ministerial Call:
Babalola's was a specific and personal call.
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'sengine stopped to his utter amazement.
There was no visible mechanical problem, and
Joseph 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.
Babalola did not want to listen to this voice and
he responded like many of the Biblical prophets,
who, when they were called out by Yahweh as
prophets, did not normally yield to the first call.
So, Babalola gave in only after he had received
the assurance of divine guidance.To answer the
call, 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 theLord's mission. The same voice came to
Joseph a second time asking him to fast for
seven days. The experience led him to a
personal retreat in the home of Joseph
Fapounda a Christian leader in Christ Missionary
Society in Ipetu Ijesa in Ogun State Nigeria. In a
vision he had, Jesus appeared to him in a white
robe along with a very tall man who revealed
that it was this Jesus who asked me to speak
with you. 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 assuredhim 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" 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. It was remarked
by Elder Abraham Owoyemi of Odo-Owa 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.
After a successful first crusade at Yagba, he
later joined Faith Tabernacle in Lagos, which was
affiliated to an American Divine Healing Church.
Acts of Prophet Babalola:
During one of his prayer sessions an angel
appeared to him and gave him a big yam which
he ordered him to eat. The angel told him that
the yam was the tuber with which God fed the
whole world. He further revealed that God had
granted unto him the power to deliver those who
were possessed of evil spirits in the world. He
was directed to go first to Odo-Owa and start
preaching. He was to arrive in the town on a
market day, cover his body with palm fronds and
disfigure himself with charcoal paints. 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 C.M.S.
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 who later saw the wrath of
Bishop Smith of Ilorin diocese. Information had
reached the bishop that almost all members of
the C.M.S. 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. O.
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 that and Elder
(later Pastor) J. A. Medayese, paid him a visit.
The news of the conversion of the new prophet
reached Pastor K. P. Titus at Araromi in Yagba,
present Kwara State. Pastor Titus was a teacher
and preacher at the Sudan Interior Mission which
was then thriving at Yagba. He invited Prophet
Babalola for a revival service. Joseph Ayodele
Babalola while in Yagba, performed mighty works
of healing. Many Muslims and Christians from
other denominations and some traditional
religionists were converted to the new faith
during the revival. The fact that Babalola did not
use the opportunity to establish a separate
Christian organization despite his marvelous
evangelical success, must be puzzling to
historians, but his intention was not to start a
new church. He declared to his followers that he
had registered his membership with the Faith
Tabernacle, the society which had him baptized
in Lagos. He thus persuaded them to become
members of the Faith Tabernacle. To facilitate
this, he went to Lagos to confer with the leaders,
especially as he was not yet well acquainted
with the doctrines, tenets, and administration of
the church.In 1931, Faith Tabernacle of Nigeria
affiliated with the British Apostolic Church to
protect itself from colonial persecution. Then
following a schism in the Apostolic Church about
1940, Babalola went with a new independent
church, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), where he
continued his healing and revivalistic activities
until his death. The CAC regards Babalola as an
apostle and his revival ministry as the beginning
of the church. A CAC retreat center was built
where Babalola was first called in 1928.
Revival at Oke-Oye:
There was a controversy among the leaders of
the Faith Tabernacle in Nigeria over some
doctrines. In the midst of it were, in particular,
the Ilesa and Oyan branches of the tabernacle.
The Oyan branch was under the supervision of
Pastor J. A. Babatope, a notable Anglican
teacher, before his conversion and later, one of
the outstanding leaders of the Faith Tabernacle
in Nigeria. Issues like the use of western and
traditional drugs versus divine healing, polygamy
and whether polygamous husbands should be
allowed to partake of the Lord's Super, were
among those doctrines that needed to be agreed
on. These issues had caused dissension at the
IIesa Tabernacle and in order to avoid a split, a
delegation of peacemakers made up of all
leading Faith Tabernacle pastors, was sent to
Ilesa. It was headed by Pastor J. B. Esinsinade
of Ijebu-Ode, president of the General
Headquarters of the movement and D. O.
Odubanjo of the Lagos Missionary Headquarters.
The Ilesa meeting was scheduled for the 9th and
l0th of July, 1930. The Apostolic Council of
Jerusalem in A.D. 48 and other important church
councils are precedents in seeking ecclesiastical
direction on matters affecting the life and peace
of the church.
His Missionary Journeys:
After the great revival of Oke-Oye, the prophet
was directed by the Holy Spirit to go out on
further missionary journeys, but even before this,
people from other parts of the country had been
spreading the glad tidings of Oke-Oye, Ilesa's
great revival, to other parts of the country.
Accompanied by some followers, Joseph
Babalola went to Offa, in present Kwara State.
Characteristically, people turned out to hear his
preaching and see miracles. The Muslims in Offa
became jealous and for that reason incited the
members of the community against him. To
avoid bloodshed he was compelled to leave.He
next stopped in Usi in Edition land for his
evangelical mission and he performed many
works of healing. From Usi he and his men
moved to Efon-Alaaye, also in Edition land, where
they received a warm reception from the Oba
Alaaye of Efon. An entire building was provided
for their comfort. Babalola requested an open
space for prayer from the Oba who willingly and
cheerfully gave him the privilege to choose a
site. Consequently, the prophet and his men
chose a large area at the outskirts of town.
Traditionally the place was a forbidden forest
because of the evil spirits that were believed to
inhabit it. The Oba tried to dissuade Babalola
and his men from entering the forbidden forest,
but Babalola insisted on establishing his prayer
ground there. The missionaries entered the bush,
cleared it and consecrated it as a prayer ground.
When no harm came upon them, the inhabitants
of Efon were inspired to accept the new faith in
large numbers. Babalola's evangelistic success
in Efon-Alaaye was a remarkable one.
Archdeacon H. Dallimore from Ado-Ekiti and
some white pastors from Ogbomoso Baptist
Seminary were believed to have come to see for
themselves the "wonder-working prophet" at
Efon. Both Dallimure and the Baptist pastors
reportedly asked some men from St. Andrew's
College, Oyo and Baptist Seminary, Ogbomoso to
assist in the work. The success of the revival
was 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 . The
missionaries also visited other towns in the
present Ondo State. Among them were Owo,
Ikare and Oka. Babalola retreated to his home
town in Odo-Owa to fortify himself spiritually.
While he was at Odo-Owa, a warrant for his
arrest was issued from Ilorin. He was arrested
for preaching against witches, a practice which
had caused some trouble in Otuo in present
Bendel State. He was sentenced to jail for six
months in Benin City in March 1932. After
serving the jail term, he went back to Efon
Alaaye. One Mr. Cyprian E. Ufon came from
Creek Town in Calabar to entreat Babalola to
"come over to Macedonia and help." Ufon had
heard about Babalola and his works and wanted
him to preach in Creek Town. After seeking
God's direction, the prophet followed Ufon to
Creek Town. His campaign there was very
successful. From Creek Town, Babalola visited
Duke town and a plantation where a national
church existed at the time. Certain members of
this church received the gift of the Holy Spirit as
Babalola was preaching to them and were
baptized. When the prophet returned from the
Calabar area, he settled down for a while. In
1935 he married Dorcas. The following year
Babalola, accompanied by Evangelist Timothy
Bababusuyi, went to the Gold Coast. On arrival at
Accra, he was recognized by some people who
had seen him at the Great Revival in Ilesa. After
a successful campaign in the Gold Coast he
returned to Nigeria. Babalola was genuinely
dissatisfied with the increasing materialistic and
sinful existence of his time because of the
western civilization influence on society grew.
Joseph Ayo Babalola slept in the Lord in 1959.
