1 The Strange Archives of Benson Idahosa (The Apostle of Faith)

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“Put the question to our ancestors, study what they

learned from their ancestors. For we are new comers at
this, with a lot to learn, and not too long to learn it.”
Job 8:8-9, MSG

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THE STRANGE ARCHIVES OF BENSON IDAHOSA

The Apostle of Faith
Copyright © 2024 by: ISRAEL OGINNI
GodHead Publishing House
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be used without the written permission of the
publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts in magazines, articles,
reviews, etc. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for
personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be
granted upon request.
We choose to capitalize the pronouns in Scripture that indicates God the
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Take note that the name satan and other related names are not capitalized
or emphasized. We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of
violating grammatical rules.
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All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible. If
otherwise, appropriate indications will be made with corresponding
Scriptural references.
The use of ‘man’ also includes women in some instances in the book.
The use of Selah is a Hebrew word used to depict ‘pause and think’ on the
thought you just read.

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CONTENT
Epigraphs from Some Heroes of Faith
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Days of Little Beginnings
Chapter 2 Strange Leaps of Faith
Chapter 3 Creative Miracles
Chapter 4 Benson Idahosa University (BIU)
Chapter 5 His Secret
Chapter 6 How the Archbishop Died
Enough to Cause a Revival
(Some of His Written and Spoken
Words)

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EPIGRAPHS FROM SOME HEROES OF FAITH

People like Benson Idahosa are rare. Most of them are in
heaven now.

—Pastor Benny Hinn

I could see in my bible the miracles, but I only used my

imaginations. But the Archbishop had the pictures.

—Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

I told God, “I have seen the anointing you’ve placed upon

Nigerians. I have seen the anointing you placed upon
Idahosa. The anointing you placed upon Idahosa is too
much. Can you give me half and you will rejoice that you
anointed me? Give me half, Lord.”

—Apostle Arome Osayi

When I came to Bible School, I didn’t know how to read or

write, but God said, “This man, Benson, is your Bible
School. Watch him and learn!”

—Archbishop Nicolas Duncan Williams

My husband said before he left, “Where you are coming

from is your hind. Do not be perturbed by where you are
now because you know where you are going.”

—Archbishop Margaret Idahosa

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INTRODUCTION

T
his morning, the Holy Spirit brought the picture of
this great man, Archbishop Benson Idahosa, to my
spirit. He solemnly impressed the thought of
writing a book to detail some of the strange happenings
that took place through this man of God.
While growing up as a young child, I had heard some
strange acts that took place through mortal men like us in
church history. I found it so hard to reconcile the strange
stories I heard with the struggle stories I see in church today.
“What’s going on? Why is our Christianity different from
our fathers’? What went wrong over the past few years,
from their departure till now?” These questions and
burdens filled my mind. “You have to do something again
Lord. You have to restore the church in my generation
Lord. God please raise men and women – young
especially – who will restore the sight of the ancient
landmark to people’s hearts again and cause a
reawakening to the truths of the Word of God and the
reality of the Holy Spirit...” These were my cries to the
Lord, but what He said marveled me:
DOCUMENT MY STRANGE ACTS AND HOW I HAVE
MOVED IN THE DAYS OF YOUR FATHER(S) – BENSON
IDAHOSA THAT HE WHO READS IT MAY BE
REAWAKENED TO MY MIGHTY ACTS AND MAY

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RUN WITH IT AS YOU KNOW THAT THE SPIRIT

QUCIKENS. I WILL PLACE MY POWER UPON THIS
WRITING THAT ANYONE WHO READS IT AND
DESIRES TO SEE THE TRUTHS IN IT RESTORED TO MY
CHURCH AGAIN WILL SEE IT RESTORED.
Thus, this book is not in an attempt to worship the
patriarch on subject – Benson Idahosa, neither is it to
trigger human worship in the church, at all. It’s simply to
make you see what God has done in time past and can do
again if He finds willing and sincere vessels, even in our
generation.
God has been selflessly looking for an earthen vessel in
whom He can dwell, through whom He can be made
manifest to this generation.
This has been His cry for so long: “I sought for a man
among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in
the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy
it: but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30, KJV)
A man who makes Himself available to God, who’s
yielded and trained by the Holy Ghost, in partnership
with the Word of God is a man who will host the burning
flames of this coming revival. For the Scripture confirms it
that if a man purges himself from filthiness and weights
(not necessarily sin), he shall be sanctified and he shall be
a vessel unto honor and meet for the Master’s use, and

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prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:21, Hebrews

12:1).
It seems to me that across ages, God handpicks a few
individuals, men and women, young and old, trains them
and teaches them His ways, just as He did to the 12
pioneering apostles, and then places His flame upon them
and, like the foxes of Samson, He sends them out to their
worlds to represent Him.
There seems to be a few who are genuinely used by God
across territories, but I am here to declare it to the church
that the end time army of believers, God’s remnant, will
not be few. We shall be many as the Lord says in Romans
11:26 that “all Israel shall be saved.” There will be none
feeble among us. Souls will be saved in mass; mass
salvation will be seen again such that men would try to
count the numbers of souls who will come into God’s
kingdom daily but will not be able to.
God is doing “a new thing” and it starts from this
generation, from you. Men will no longer be handpicked
in territories but will be mass picked to enroll in this end-
time army of God, and to participate in God’s agenda on
the face of the earth by building His kingdom before the
second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Just like foot soldiers typically have departments and
segments within their organizational structure which

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range from the Command (Headquarters) to the

Operational Department to the Intelligence to the
Logistics, and to Communications and all members are
still soldiers, including their cooks and medics, so shall it
be seen in the church again.
The concept of the “body of Christ” will be clearly
redefined, as we all will, by the eyes of the Spirit of God,
see men and women walk in alignment with their
purposes and fulfil their unique and distinct callings in
Christ.
Some will be entrusted by the Lord with the ministry of
Psalms. Scribes who would literally download the heart of
the Father into writing will emerge again. Preachers and
Teachers of the Word of God will have their tools
sharpened again and will dish out correct and structured
truths to the body of Christ. Men and women called into
the prayer ministry will not be ashamed of their position
in the body but will intercede until nations are brought to
the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ; they will send prayer
bullets ahead of preachers and teachers to prepare the way
of the gospel; they will be called ‘prayer priests.’ Kingdom
Financiers will emerge again who will conveniently bear
the financial burdens of the gospel. Children ministries
will be revived again. Healing ministers, Prophetic
Mouthpieces, Sons and Daughters of Consolation, Media
Apostles, Welfare Revivalists, Spirit-filled Administrators,

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Creative Art Ministers... and many more will raise again

in our days. Christ will have soldiers everywhere, in all
the spheres of the world: In academia, business, family,
economy, industry, culture, politics, society, even in the
market. We shall be many to herald God’s good news to
the nations of the world, hence fulfilling the Words of
Jesus in Matthew 24:14.
In this, God’s heart will be greatly pleased. For the end
shall not come until men and women be sent as lights and
salts to their worlds (Matthew 5:13-14).
The effect of a light is really not in its numbers, but in its
strength and brightness. God is going to raise men who
are bright enough to reap the harvests of souls in their
thousands and millions into the kingdom. Men of strong
capacity who will lift up the banner of Christ, holding
public meetings, crusades and evangelistic campaigns all
over the world. Men who are bright enough to be sent into
the darkest regions of the world and will, for sure, come
back home with bountiful harvests of new soldiers.
One bright light is enough for a nation! That’s light for
you!
But the work of salts is quite different from lights’. Salts
are believers who are trained by God specifically to be
released into earthly systems and administrations. Just
like worms, they will penetrate hard grounds and release

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‘the presence’ and divine spiritual forces into the

atmosphere. They may not stand on the pulpits for men to
see but are going to have their pulpits where ever God
plants them. They may be faceless and nameless to history
but their effects will not be ignored just as salt dissolves in
soup – unseen, yet possessing great potency. This is what
the Lord is set to do in the church again: delivering
unique assignments to men and causing them to love
their callings and to fulfill them excellently.
Let not the light despise the salt. We are one in Christ!
I believe God raised men like Archbishop Benson Idahosa
to serve as a prototype of what’s coming. Friends reading
this – men and women, brothers and sisters, young and
old home and abroad – we thank God for what He’s used
the Archbishop and his contemporaries in time past to do,
but let’s all get ready for a greater outpouring, as the
Scripture clearly reveals it to us that “the glory of the latter
house shall be greater than the former.” (Haggai 2:9, KJV). We,
in this generation, are the latter house that the Scripture
spoke of!
Benson Idahosa’s words and works still speak today,
undeniably. Some of the men He raised in ministry before
his departure are today the major pillars in the body of
Christ in Nigeria. Great men like Pastor E.A Adeboye (the
renowned General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian

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Church of God), Bishop David Oyedepo (the President of

the Living Faith Church Intl), Bishop Francis Wale Oke
(President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria), Pastor
Adejumo (Founder, the Potter’s House), Pastor Chris
Oyakhilome (Founder, Christ Embassy) and so many
more who have also raised mighty sons and daughters in
the gospel, who are doing mighty things for God in
Nigeria and all over the world today.
I believe this book will ignite a burning flame in your heart
for God that won’t be quenched by the wind of the world,
to see His gospel preached across the world violently again
and to see revival among the saints.
I hope this book drives you to the place of prayer and a
deep passion for the Word of God. Perhaps it is one of the
resources heaven is relying on to come through to you, to
make you see the [human] similarity between you and this
man I write about, Benson Idahosa; how that he was a man
like you but gave himself wholly for God’s use and God,
in return, made him into a transgenerational sign and
wonder, an envy of his world.
This rare man moved in genuine, authentic power. He
caused the nations of the world to know the statement of
Paul experientially that “the gospel is not in words alone, but
in the demonstration of power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20, 2:4).

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This man, Benson Idahosa travelled around the world

seven times and went with the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ to over 145 nations of the world. He was called into
the healing ministry and the miraculous, and made an
effective use of his call, having healed men in their
thousands across the globe. He said this in one of his
ministerial outreaches, “God told me that I am to teach, preach
and heal,” and these he did with all his heart, passionately.
He pulled down the altars of witchcraft and occult in his
city, Benin, in his days. He singlehandedly cancelled the
international meeting of the council of witches which was
to hold in Benin City – his city, Nigeria.
He resurrected the possibility of the manifestations of
creative miracles in the body of Christ. In 1973, during one
of his evangelistic outreaches in Kamokunji, Kenya, there
was a young boy who was born with no eye. He had no
eye socket. The other body parts that should be present in
the human head were there expect the eyes. The eyes’
spaces were plain. But he received a brand new set of eyes
in that crusade. This and many more will be detailed later
on in this book.
Benson’s ministry was marked by incredible miracles,
including the raising of the dead. He claimed to have
raised up to 28 people from the dead in his life time.

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Idahosa was known for his bold faith and audacious

preaching which drew massive crowds to his meetings to
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, even in their
millions. He transformed so many lives around the world
and paid a close attention to preachers. Indeed, he was a
pastor to many pastors.
He established over 6,000 churches worldwide, with the
breakdown of 3,000 churches in Nigeria, over 2,000
churches in Africa (in countries like Ghana, South Africa
Kenya, etc.), and over 1,000 churches in countries like the
United States, United Kingdom, Canada, etc. His church’s
name is Church of God Mission International (CGMI)
which he found in 1968 and has grown to be one of the
largest Pentecostal denominations in Nigeria and Africa.
Archbishop Benson launched a highly successful TV
ministry program called Redemption Hour through which
he reached approximately 50 million people every week.
It was the first program of its kind in all of Africa. His zeal
and passion grew, inspiring millions across the globe.
He’s one of the most influential African Church leaders of
the 20th century who never believed in poverty. He
preached about the finished works of Christ on the cross
that he didn’t just die to take away our sins but also to
cancel poverty. His life emphasized that saints should not
be poor. He strongly believed poverty is one of the works

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of the devil which must be fiercely opposed by the church.

The Bible says, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that
ye though his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9, KJV).
He believed these words and walked in its reality. “You
should not be a pastor that depends on the sheep you’ve
been sent to feed!”
“The Archbishop preached to more blacks than any white
man and he preached to more whites than any black man.”
His passion was to see souls saved which drove him into
massive crusade meetings across nations. It was clear that
God’s hand was upon him.
He did so many more things for the gospel which I’ll
document in this writing, as many as the Holy Ghost will
permit me to. He indeed was a rare star in his days. But I
believe his kind won’t be rare among us anymore because
God is going to anoint men and women, calling them in
great numbers into deep fellowship and intimacy with the
Holy Ghost. These men God will call will allow the Holy
Ghost to flow through them like a moving river to the
world in unique and strange ways that the human race has
never seen before.
This book will serve as a reminder to the body of Christ
that God raised up a man in the 20th century who proved
the words written in the Bible to be true. This man served

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as a testament to the glory of God and he revealed the

power and mightiness of God among the heathens.
I believe this book will renew your mind more and make
you see how God wants His church to be. God’s desire is
not to build a powerless church! God’s desire is not to raise
a faithless congregation! His intention is to build a church
“that the gates of hell cannot prevail against.” (Matthew
16:18). He desires to see a flaming church founded upon
“the revelation of power.”
Sadly, many denominations out there have exalted
carnality above God’s desire – power. The church should
be a place of solution to all nations. Didn’t the Scripture
say that, “And in the last days, the mountain of the LORD’S
house shall be established above the hills; and all nations shall
flow into it?” (Isaiah 2:2, KJV).
Any church short of this reality in their experience
according to this Scripture above is devoid of power. It’s
only by power that most of humanity’s problems can be
solved.
The world is so spiritual that it takes divine spiritual forces
to solve people’s problems. If hospitals were to be the only
solution to “all sicknesses,” Jesus wouldn’t have given His
disciples “power to heal ALL MANNER OF SICKNESSES
and diseases.” (Matthew 10:1, Emphasis Added). Jesus
understood that some sicknesses are not just caused by

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unhealthy living; He knew that sicknesses could be

inflicted upon people by the devil and his cohorts. So, in
order to remedy that problem, power was the kingdom
tool He gave His disciples.
There are many more problems that plague the human
race that cannot be traced to physical phenomenon. How
do you explain issues like autism, mental condition,
divorce, poverty, spiritual attacks (oppressions,
molestations, derangement, etc.) and so on? The world
doesn’t have answers to all these conditions, but the
church has. You have!
The devil has tormented the souls of men for too long, and
only power – God’s power – can put an end to it. The Bible
says, “The oppressors will not stop their wickedness unless the
greatness of God’s power is unleashed.” (Psalm 66:3).
Bishop Benson Idahosa wasn’t a man who would admit
that powerlessness might be a test of faith, as many would
accept the inability to be healed to be God’s will for their
lives.
He was so particular about not just going around the
whole world 7 times, but going around with power! That’s
what makes the difference.
Here are his spoken words in a gospel conference in
Orlando, USA about how he stepped into genuine power
by the Holy Ghost through the words God spoke to him.

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“The gospel of Jesus Christ in the whole planet

earth has faced such a tribulation and trial. The
challenge has so come to ministers and ministries
that almost all the saints [are] to deny that Jesus
is [the] King of kings and Lord of lords.
But God spoke to me, ‘Now that you have found
Me as your Lord and Savior, I God am going to
use you to abolish, to exterminate, to vanquish
the power of bloodshed, witchcraft, wizardry,
sacrifice, idolatry, evil, darkness. I God will use
you to cancel it.’
God said, ‘Because I raised you, darkness will no
more, in your nation, prevail. Because I raised
you up, the power of evil shall no more increase
but righteousness shall increase in your lifetime.’
Then, the Lord woke me up one night and said
to me, ‘Thou art My battle axe and weapons of
war.’ God is a Fighter, a Warrior and a Destroyer
of evil.
God said to me, ‘Now, prepare for battle... battle
against sin, witchcraft, death, diseases, sickness,
blindness, ignorance... battle against things that
are wrong in the government, in society. Battle!
Battle! Battle! Fight. You have become My battle
axe.’

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The Lord told me, ‘Don’t be like any other

preacher. You must be willing to lay down your
life and I will pick it up for you. You must be
willing to believe that with me all things are
possible.’
The Lord told me that ‘No power shall be able to
stand against you all the days of your life.’
God said, ‘you must sharpen [yourself] – the
battle axe, and you [will] become My weapons of
war.’
Christians, the time of religion has passed. The
time of a playing church has passed. The time of
gambling has passed.
It’s time for people to know that God [has] put
you here [in Orlando]. If [the world] cannot tell
by your dancing, by your clapping, they [should
be able to] tell by your ‘fire.’ If they don’t know
who you are because you sing in the choir, they
[should be able to] know who you are [when you
raise] the dead. You’ve tolerated ‘nonsense’
enough; it’s time for you to rebel against sickness.
It’s time for you to say ‘no’ to poverty, cancer,
diseases, [and] shortages.
It’s time for the church to show the world that
there is power in Jesus’ name.

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Let’s get ready to fight with God, to be used by

God. Let’s get ready to rise up against sin.
God said, ‘You are My battle axe.’
This was the kind of man Benson Idahosa was. He was a
man of robust faith who never tolerated powerlessness,
referring to it as “nonsense.” Indeed, he was an “apostle
of faith.”
He was a man who believed that “Since God said it, I can
do it! I can cast out devils. I can heal the sick. I can raise
the dead. I can decimate demonic devices. I can put an end
to witchcraft powers. I can put the works of the devil
under my feet. I CAN DO ALL THINGS!”
You too can do all things through Christ that strengthens
you! (Philippians 4:13)

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Chapter 1
THE DAYS OF LITTLE BEGINNINGS

P
a John Idahosa emerged from behind the house, the
matchet with which he brushes the light bushes on
the tracks to his lumbering site in the forest, in his
hands as he moved towards his bicycle which rested
against the wall. He paused for a moment. His junior wife
had gone to the market, and none of his three children
were around. His fourth child? Well, yes; he had heard a
few days before that Benson, his sickly fourth child, who
had fled his compound with his mother (Sarah, Pa John’s
senior wife) was actually thriving. He had ordered that the
child be thrown away in order to rid the family of a sickly
son whose perennial spells of faintings had become a
source of embarrassment to his household.1
Benson came to this world on September 11, 1938 in Benin
City, Edo State, Nigeria. He was a child God had destined
for glory, even before the foundation of the world. For as
it written, “Moreover who he did predestinate, them he also
called: and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he
justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30, KJV). His
destiny was clearly predestinated by God.

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God had known him before he was formed in the belly

and had sanctified him before he came forth out of his
mother’s womb. God had His unique ordination over his
life and destiny that He led him by His hands all the way
from nothingness into the glory He had prepared for him
before the foundation of the world.
God healed him of the disease he had which earlier caused
him to faint and he grew up like any other child. Despite
all these, his early childhood days wasn’t a very happy
one. He faced rejection by his father, and he was being
overridden by his relatives, all in the name of discipline.
Still, God’s hand was
mighty upon young God had His unique ordination over his
life and destiny that He led him by His
Benson enabling him to hands all the way from nothingness into
overcome obstacles and the glory He had prepared for him before
complete his elementary the foundation of the world.
education at the Salvation
Army School, Benin City, and the Methodist School, Owo.
A Life Changing Encounter
In 1952, at the age of 19, Benson had a life changing
encounter with God through the ministry of Pastor Oko, a
British missionary and evangelist. He was saved under his
ministration at a crusade organized by the Assemblies of
God Church in Benin City, Nigeria. He often shared his
testimony, emphasizing how that Jesus transformed his

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life. These words were attributed to him: “I was a wild,

reckless young man, but Jesus saved me, changed me, and called
me to serve Him.” He turned to Christ and lived his life for
the Lord’s service ever since.
He Proceeded
He proceeded in his academic pursuit as he soon obtained
a Diploma in Business Administration, and a Higher
Diploma in Office Management. He secured a job in Bata
Shoe Company in the year 1959 as a sales representative,
and he worked there for 3 years.
Full Time Ministry
Since he was now saved with a definite knowledge of the
Lord, at 22, he heard God’s call unto him into the ministry.
God called him to dedicate his life to Him in a full-time
ministry. After receiving the call, Idahosa continued to
intensify his spiritual growth with prayer and fasting and
the study of the Word.
In addition to his spiritual armory, he also equipped
himself more by obtaining additional certificates:
Diplomas and associate degrees from several institutions
among which are Igbaja Bible College, Nigeria, which is
now known as ECWA Theological Seminary, Kwara State,
Nigeria, and Christ for the Nations Institute, Dallas Texas.
At the age of 21, before his call into the ministry at 22, he
began preaching and teaching the Word of God under

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Pastor Oko’s guidance. 8 years after his call, in 1968, he

founded his own ministry with the name ‘Church of God
Mission International’ at the age of 30.
These are his words: “As a young man, my greatest desire
was to carry out the command of the Lord and finish the
work He has assigned to me.”2
He Faced Some Challenges
After his launch into the ministry, Idahosa faced
numerous personal, ministerial and spiritual challenges.
That was a season of refining in his life as God took him
through fire. He
As a young man, my greatest desire was to encountered intense
carry out the command of the Lord and spiritual opposition,
finish the work He has assigned to me. including demonic
attacks, had financial
struggles and experienced rejection from some
communities in his city. He also had to go through
persecution from some Christian denominations and
traditional religious leaders.
Benin, then, had a reputation for being a hub of witchcraft
and idolatry. The city was once known as the “City of
Blood” due to its history of human sacrifices and occult
practices. Some even claimed that Benin was the “Land of

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Witches and Wizards,” yet in that chocked territory the

gospel still thrived in the hands of Benson Idahosa.
He had to fight so many battles – spiritual warfare, but
God stood by him all through.
The Archbishop wrote:
“The fulfilled ambition that has offered me the
deepest spiritual satisfaction in life is the power
to overcome temptation, because not many who
are insulted, accused and fought against as I have
been, have stood their ground, and not lost sight
of their vision.”3
“Many of those who see me today do not realize
that I was not born with a silver spoon in my
mouth. I passed through the ranks of hardship
like many are doing today. My friend, Mr.
Edward Ero, can bear testimony to my early life
of struggle. The present then did not offer much
to write home about.”4
Sweethearts in Christ
During this season, Benson took a visit to a hospital chapel
as a minister. There he met Margaret who was just 15 years

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From Zero to Surplus_archbishop_benson_idahosa page 14
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old at that time. Margaret was initially shy around Benson

but was drawn to his passion for God.
Over time, Benson grew close to Margaret and began to
mentor her in the ways of the Lord; and their relationship
blossomed.
He wrote:
“On February 16, 1962, having met each other in
late 1959, I received the second photograph from
Margaret with the following inscription written
in its reverse side: ‘From your sweetheart in
Christ.’ Can you imagine that!”5
Margaret, who had completed her course of study at a
Teacher Training College, came back home to the Iyaro
area of Benin City. On the other hand, Benson had been
praying to God concerning whom he should marry. He
needed a perfect woman for his assignment and he needed
to be sure of God’s choice for him. Convinced, he wrote
this down:
“One evening, I went to visit her, in a serious
mood. We sat in the court-yard behind the house
to talk. I went straight to the point. ‘Margaret,
I’ve been praying about a wife,’ I began. ‘I believe
the Lord has shown me that you are the one I am
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to get married to.’ Margaret was offended; she

broke down crying. She had known him as a
brother and wanted that status quo maintained.
She did not want to be a Pastor’s wife. I told her
mother my intention and she also began to cry,
but for a different reason, ‘I will be grateful to
have you for a son-in-law!’ she exclaimed. But
Margaret held strongly to her bias about
marrying a pastor. However, in the end, my
persuasion won the day. On April 6, 1969, we
were married in a little store-front building
where I had been teaching Bible Studies. My
wedding suit was loaned to me by Mr. Edward
Ero [his friend].”6
Indeed, those were days of little beginnings. There was
nothing to boast about. Benson did not have a car when he
got married to Margaret. What he had then was a motor
bike: Yamaha 200 to be precise. Their wedding car was
borrowed which was eventually reclaimed by the owner
before the wedding ceremony ended. As a result, the
newly wedded Idahosas had no choice but to walk home
on their wedding day.

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Their wedding took place on April 6, 1969, one year after

the establishment of Church of God Mission International.
What the young couple
Their wedding car was borrowed which
had then in marriage and
was eventually reclaimed by the owner
ministry was only God,
before the wedding ceremony ended. As a
result, the newly wedded Idahosas had no
and God gave them a
choice but to walk home on their wedding
vision to run with. Benson
day. The present then did not offer much to
write home about. received God’s mandate
for his life and was ready
to take actions of obedience to God towards it while
Margaret was ready to become his major support to
fulfilling “their” vision.
The God-Order
Didn’t God design marriage to be this way? Wasn’t it
“Adam” that was given the mandate and “Eve” the
commission to help in fulfilling it? Don’t change the order
now.
The reason why many ministers of God’s homes never
turn out to be peaceful and successful by God’s standard,
and at times unfortunately end in divorce, is that the
envisioned husbands are so focused on the mandate that
they forget to involve their wives along in the journey and
neglect their support. On the other hand, the women who
have been called to be helpmeets often turn out to be
unsubmissive. Some wives egotistically desire equality in

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the home structure, wanting to lead the vision and leave

their husbands to become subordinate to the mission.
This is very detrimental, as it breaks homes quickly and
you know, God hates divorce!
The Bible never teaches that husbands are to submit to
their wives but does teach that wives should submit to
their husbands as unto the Lord.
“Wives, submit yourself unto your own husbands as it is fit in
the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against
them.”(Colossians 3:18-19, KJV)
The Scripture above captures God’s standard for every
couple in Christ, including ministers of God’s homes:
You may ask, who then should the husbands submit to?
“To the Lord!” The Bible
What the young couple had then in
says that, “Christ is the marriage and ministry was only God, and
head (authority) of every God gave them a vision to run with.
man.” (1 Corinthians 11:3,
AMP)
And for the children; they are to “obey their parents in all
things” and sons (grown children) are to “honor their
parents and obey them IN THE LORD.” (Ephesians 6:1-2)
This is God’s principle for building a successful home,
irrespective of territorial biases.

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The Idahosas chose God’s order, engaged the God-

marriage-principle and enjoyed a blissful family governed
by the Holy Ghost.
The couple had four children, all of whom followed the
footsteps of their father in the desire to know more about
God, serve Him and demonstrate that Jesus is alive.
Sailing Together
Benson and Margaret Idahosa’s marriage was indeed an
outstanding one, despite the challenges that came with
their missionary work. They were a power couple in every
sense, supporting each other in their faith walk and
ministry.
Together, they faced numerous challenges, including
oppositions from traditional religious leaders and the
difficulties of evangelizing in rural areas. However, their
love for each other and their commitment to their faith
kept them moving.
Margaret was a strong rock for Benson, supporting him in
his ministry, even during their lowest moments in their
early days when things seemed rough.
They both continued in the Lord through the rough
beginning they had, but their path kept glowing ever
increasingly, for the Scripture says, “The path of the just is

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as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day.” (Proverbs 4:18, KJV)
That Strange Reality
Three years after their wedding, that strange reality every
couple hopes will never to happen struck the Idahosas.
Margaret wasn’t able to conceive a child. Benson puts it
this way:
“Her family anxiously awaited word that a baby
was on the way, but the word did not come. We
sought the help of a gynecologist who, after all
his tests, said that Margaret had an internal heat
condition that will never permit her to have
children. But having searched the Scriptures, and
seen God’s promises, I believed and assured
Margaret that we would have children. And on
December 22, 1972, we had a son and called his
name ‘Faith Emmanuel Benson.’”7
The couple eventually
That strange reality every couple hopes had three more children,
will never to happen struck the Idahosas.
Margaret wasn’t able to conceive a child.
who all are serving the
Lord in their various
capacities today. Their

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first born, Faith, is now the current president of Benson

Idahosa University.
Truly, Benson started very little, but the mighty hand of
God that had being upon his life from birth never left him.
The hand kept moving him to the place of his destiny.
I’m sure he had this
Benson started very little, but the mighty testimony that, “The Lord
hand of God that had being upon his life
from birth never left him. The hand kept alone did lead him.”
moving him to the place of his destiny. (Deuteronomy 32:12,
KJV).
Jesus didn’t miss His words when He said, “Follow me,
and I will make you…” (Matthew 4:19, KJV). Only God
knows your end. He created it already. And He alone
knows the road paths that leads there. And all He asks
from you is just “your followership.” Nothing more,
nothing less – “Follow Me.”
The awareness of your “bright future” will not
automatically land you there. You have to follow the One
who created that future. Benson simply followed the
Master, Jesus, and his life became a sign and a wonder,
even to us in this generation.
Awareness doesn’t earn you your future; yieldedness
does.

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When you, as the clay, are yielded to the Spirit of God, you
give God, the potter, an unlimited expression over your
life. It is then that Jeremiah 29:11 can be fulfilled over you:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.” (NIV)

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Chapter 2
STRANGE LEAPS OF FAITH

T
his chapter of the book will chronicle some of
Benson Idahosa’s strange moves, which resulted
into supernatural manifestations, and brought
great glory to the name of the Lord.
Please, go through them meditatively by the Spirit of God.
Jesus Said “You Can Raise the Dead!”
“At the age of 24, as a young preacher, I was at the church
being a young evangelist. My pastor stoop up one day and
said, ‘Jesus said, “cast out devils, heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead…”’ I went to my pastor and said
‘Pastor, did you say “Jesus said?” I can cast out devils? I
can raise the dead? Can I do it?’ He said ‘yes.’”
This would be the encounter that marked Benson’s
supernatural exploits in the kingdom.
“I took my bicycle,” he said. “Which was my Rolls-Royce,
and my Bible with me and I went from streets to streets
asking them, ‘Is anybody dead here? Do you have
anybody dead here?’ I was looking for the dead because
my pastor told me to raise the dead. I kept moving from
house to house in my own city asking, ‘Is anybody dead
here?’ Their reply was ‘No!’

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I kept searching from 11 O’ clock in the morning until

4:15pm, until I got to a house where somebody finally
died. I then asked my question again: ‘Do you have
anybody dead here?’ They said, ‘Here’s one. What do you
want to do with her?’ I replied them, ‘I have come to raise
the dead from the dead.’ ‘Here you are with one,’ they
replied. I said, ‘Glory to God.’ I took the child of 3 years
and carried her, and looked at her. I didn’t know left from
right, but my pastor said I can do it.
So I said, ‘baby, be healed!’ There was no answer. I said it
again, but she died the more. I cried and wept [in the room
where I was], but there was no answer. So, I turned to the
Bible and found [the passage] where Jesus raised the dead
[in Mark 5:37-42]. I found where it was written that Jesus
drove them all out. So I said to those around, ‘father,
mother, friends, all of you, out!’ They curiously asked me,
‘what do you want to do?’ I told them, ‘Jesus drove them
out, I should drive you out!’ so, they left the room.
I then called the name of the girl – Inuatha – having asked
[from her relative] and said, ‘in the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, Inuatha, I command you, rise up right now.’
In five seconds, the girl sneezed and rose up.”
This was his first spectacular encounter with the
miraculous. He simply went with a childlike faith until
what he saw from the pages of the Scriptures became real

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to him. He hadn’t done

I then called the name of the girl – Inuatha
– having asked [from her relative] and said, that before, hadn’t seen
‘in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, any preacher do it
Inuatha, I command you, rise up right
before. He only believed
now.’ In five seconds, the girl sneezed and
rose up. God and went to do it.
And you know, those
days, it wasn’t very easy to “believe” unlike now that
technology has made “brought faith to us.” They didn’t
have smart phones then to know if what they were
reading in the Bible had actually been practiced before by
any other Bible reader. They didn’t know what was
happening at the other side of the world, yet in the midst
of that, a man shattered unbelief like a deck of cards and
proved God’s Words to be true in his generation.
Idahosa had no reference, as a young preacher that he was.
He only had to “believe” the Word of God. His childlike
faith opened the door for him into the supernatural, and
today he’s is a reference of faith to millions of people out
there.
You too can rise to become God’s reference to your world
if only you can leap out in the force of faith.
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small
as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from
here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
(Matthew 17:20, NLT)

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Will you prove God’s Word true in your generation?

His Little Crusades
The young Benson attempted to show his biological father
the love of Christ, but his attempt wasn’t welcomed by
him. He was pained. In the midst of grief over his father’s
refusal to accept Christ, Idahosa received a vision from
God. In this vision, he saw himself helping people with
heavy loads on their heads. As the numbers of the people
increased, he called upon some men to help him relief the
multitudes. More men came to him to assist in dropping
off people’s heavy loads. In there was he told that he
would stand before thousands to declare the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
This vision marked the beginning of his crusade journey.
Benson’s crusades were characterized by outstanding
miracles, with people
raised from the dead, Idahosa had no reference, as a young
healed from diseases preacher that he was. He only had to
“believe” the Word of God.
and sicknesses and
delivered from all sorts
of demonic oppressions. His ministry made a
monumental impact in this nation, Nigeria, and beyond,
earning him a recognition as a rallying point for the
charismatic Pentecostal movement.

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Although he started his crusades by faith with only a few

people in little communities where he would use [water]
drums and planks as his pulpit desperately just to see the
gospel of the kingdom preached in all of his then
evangelistic campaigns, until his crusades became known
all around the world.
He had always believed in team work, and that has being
one of the secrets of his evangelistic success.
The Path of the Just
The Bible did not lie when it says, “The path of the just is as
the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect
day.” (Proverbs 4:18, NKJV)
His crusades journey began in Ajagbodudu near Sapele in
1961, Beni, even before he got married. He was just 23
then. This crusade was significant because it laid the
foundation for his future ministry which would spread
across Nigeria and beyond. Benson often used his cultural
advantage to gain access to villages to preach the gospel.
Being a Beni by tribe, he found it easy to gain access to the
surrounding Beni villages. He would usually take a team
to a village and begin by making a call on the chief of the
place to obtain due permission to preach the gospel to the
people.

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His crusades often kicked off with songs which pulled the
attention of the villagers to them. A crowd would then
gather and he would preach the Word of God and pray
the prayer of faith for the sick, and they recovered. This he
continued to do all his life, and the crowds in his crusades
grew from what we can call a handful to a torrent.
He Studied More
Benson was consumed by his zeal for the gospel of Christ.
His thirst for the knowledge of God grew and in his
attempts to grow in the ministry, he gave himself to more
theological study.
He became a
He would preach the Word of God and correspondent student of
pray the prayer of faith for the sick and a Bible College at Ilorin in
they recovered. This he continued to do all
his life, and the crowds in his crusades
1962, just a year after his
grew from what we can call a handful to a first faith-crusade. Still
torrent. being hungry for God,
that same year he
attended a minister’s conference at Abraka Delta State. He
was a man who believed in growth and excellence which
undeniably reflected in his life, family and crusades, so
much so that his ministry rapidly expanded beyond
Nigeria.
Just 10 Years…by Faith

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Just 10 years after his first crusade in 1971, he had

established over 6,000 churches throughout Nigeria and
Ghana.
He would hold crusades
In the whole city of Ibadan, on Friday, all in targeted areas,
the mosques were closed down and people
preaching the gospel and
gushed into the Lord’s presence on the
crusade ground to hear the truth of healing the sick in the
salvation. name of Jesus. The true
signs of an apostle was
indeed with him. He healed the sick in their numbers and
spectacular miracles took place by his hands which served
as a testament of God’s presence with him. He really
walked by faith and not by sight. As young as he was when
he started his crusades, faith made him big. And he never
stopped growing ‘bigger’ because his faith never
diminished. Indeed the ‘David with faith’ can pull down
‘the goliath with doubts!’
Imagine a leper, known by the whole community and
wouldn’t be cared for by men, going out one morning for
a particular crusade and returning home at night with skin
as smooth as a new born baby’s, completely healed. What
would be the reaction of the whole community? You sure
know that they’ll all flood out to ‘go and see’ where it
happened, peradventure they would also be healed if they
present themselves on the crusade ground.

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This was one of the ways God announced his servant,

Archbishop Benson Idahosa. His crusades attracted many
people from diverse backgrounds to the Lord.
Half a Million Attendees
Benson Idahosa was man filled with the Spirit of faith, and
it was clear to everyone that he moved and conducted his
crusades with the force of faith.
In 1985, after General Muhammadu Buhari’s military
regime was overthrown, the government of Nigeria
announced that all crusades should be banned across the
country. They banned the distribution of tracts and open
air meetings in Nigeria.
This governmental decision triggered Benson into the
place of prayer where he asked God a simple question:
“Father, what did you say?” God replied, “What did you
say son? What do you want?” “I want to hold crusades,”
he replied. God then said, “You can go ahead!” “I can go
ahead?” he asked. God replied, “Yes!”
That was how easy it was for him to walk in faith. HE
HEARD GOD, AND HE STEPPED OUT IN FAITH, as the
Scripture clearly declares that, “Faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17, NKJV)
Through this his encounter with the Voice of the Lord, he
stepped into a deeper fountain of faith. He sent for the

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popular German-African evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke,

the founder of Christ for All Nations (CFAN), to come
minister alongside him. Bonnke agreed and came.
Preparations for the great
Benson Idahosa was man filled with the gospel crusade started in
Spirit of faith, and it was clear to everyone
Ibadan, the largest city in
that he moved and conducted his crusades
with the force of faith. Nigeria, believed to be
the largest city in West
Africa. And on March 1985, the land witnessed what had
never happened in history. Five hundred thousand people
gathered every night for five days to listen to the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the whole city of Ibadan, on Friday, all the mosques
were closed down and people gushed into the Lord’s
presence on the crusade ground to hear the truth of
salvation. Souls were saved in their numbers and great
glory was brought to the name of the Lord in Ibadan City.
Remember, this was a season when the military
government of Nigeria banned crusades in the Nation. No
one was to hold public meetings, yet a man of faith stood
up against that “anti-Christ” law, and lifted up the banner
of Christ, undefeated.
Millions of souls were saved because of the intimacy of
one man with the Holy Ghost.

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The reason why you do not take your relationship with

God serious is because you don’t know the great damage
you can cause to the kingdom of hell. Your fellowship
with the Holy Ghost stirs up faith in you and releases the
power of God through you.
Friend, there are multitudes of souls connected to your
leap of faith. What if Benson hadn’t stepped out against
the governmental laws? What if he had entertained fear
and refused to obey the Lord in faith? Would there have
being such a mighty wave of the glory of God in Ibadan
land? Would there have being such a mighty salvation
experience in the land?
Faith for 5 Million Souls
Fear won’t take you anywhere friend, and your “fears”
might be delaying God’s move in your generation. You
have to tear off that chicken heart and start acting in faith.
Idahosa didn’t stop at Ibadan. He kept his faith flames
burning as God spoke to him and said, “Son, where do
you want to go next?” Benson replied, “The Washington
of Nigeria – Lagos.” “You can do it,” God said.
Reiterating this: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the Word of God.” (Hebrews 10:17, KJV)

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Benson heard God, faith

Fear won’t take you anywhere friend, and was stirred up within him
your “fears” might be delaying God’s
move in your generation.
and he obeyed God!
He printed one and half
million handbills and fifty thousand posters and hired two
thousand ushers to get them spread around the city of
Lagos. They went ahead and publicized the meeting by
the Spirit of faith, and God pulled many more souls to
Himself. He wrote it like this:
“In 1985, we held a crusade which many styled
the crusade of the century, in Lagos, the capital
city of Nigeria. Over one million people came
daily to hear the gospel of Christ preached, and
sixty percent of the number confessed Christ as
their Lord and Savior.”9
This is what Jesus Christ can do with a man of faith. Jesus
said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say
unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall
remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew
17:20, KJV)
The Bishop, Benson Idahosa was an anti-fear spiritual
man. Everything he did was against fear. This is how God
wants us, believers, to live our lives – in total faith, by His
Voice. Everything in the kingdom of God is faith-
dependent. Even God cannot be pleased without faith

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(Hebrews 11:6). The devil will consistently attack and

oppress anyone filled with the spirit of fear.
This will lead me to share with you how he brought his
wife back to life.
Margaret Came Back To Life
It was a strange night in the Idahosas family. Everyone
went to bed after they had had their family devotion.
Benson said goodnight to his children and they waved
back, entered their rooms, and shut their doors. The
peaceful atmosphere was sustained as always until the
next morning when suddenly the devil struck by
attempting to contaminate the peaceful atmosphere in the
home but thank God for a man of faith who was present.
It was time for the family to have her morning devotion.
Benson and his wife were awake with God’s joy in their
hearts, heading towards the family “altar.” As Margaret
walked a little distance ahead of Benson, he noticed what
seemed to be a slight miscalculation in her step. Before a
moment, Margaret missed one more step and slumped
onto the carpet with a thud.
Benson, being a man of faith, wouldn’t take that likely. He
knew it was an attack from the devil. So he knelt down at

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Margaret’s side; the children were around and were

confused about what was happening to their mother. 8
Benson, on his knees, took her drooping hand in his’ and
said slowly, “Margaret, what is the matter; how do you
feel?” There wasn’t a response from her; she was now
absentminded.
This was one of the hours he needed his faith the most.
This was his family!
In a moment, his wife’s hand went limp and cold. Benson
still had a strong determination not to take a “no” for an
answer, having built his faith on the Word of God. At that
moment, series of Scriptures flashed into his thoughts. He
knew it was time to demonstrate God’s power once and
again. At this moment, Margaret was lifeless on the floor.
She was dead, “stone dead.”
He then instructed the children to go back to their rooms
and pray. They went in with their faces in tears. He then
shouted Hebrews 4:16 aloud: “Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.” Nothing happened
still. Thirty minutes had passed… still dead. Suddenly a
Scripture oozed in to his spirit. It was what the Lord said
to the house of Judah at their battle against the foreign

8
Inspired from: Strangers to Failure by Benson Idahosa, Pages 14-17,
[continues below].
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nations in 2 Chronicles 20:17: “Be still and see the

salvation of the Lord.”9
He obeyed the Lord, didn’t allow his faith to wave and
became still. He then heard God say to him again,
“BREATHE INTO HER MOUTH, AND SHE WILL COME
BACK TO LIFE.”
Didn’t the Scripture say that we are made in God’s image,
and that God put life into man through His nose’s breathe?
Benson, without a doubt of his identity in Christ, did as
God instructed him.
He clasped his hands behind Margaret’s neck and drew
her up. He then breathed into her mouth. Immediately,
she opened her eyes. Margaret was back to life after
several minutes of firm faith “declarations.”10
The children ran into the room and kissed their mother.
That was their morning devotion that day. Till date, Dr.
Margaret Idahosa is alive and she prominently leads the
Church of God Mission International as the Archbishop
and President. She also serves as the Chancellor of Benson
Idahosa University (BIU).
How would she have been able to come into the fulfilment
of all these if her husband, a man of faith, had not insisted

9
Inspired from: Strangers to Failure by Benson Idahosa, Pages 14-17,
continues below
10
Inspired from: Strangers to Failure by Benson Idahosa, Pages 14-17.
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on her life that day? What if Benson had said, “It is God’s
will for her to go… perhaps it’s my cross…” and never
prayed her back to life?
That’s who Benson Idahosa was. He didn’t allow
familiarity cloud his faith. Instead, he found his family to
be the best platform to demonstrate God’s power. He
stood as a priest that he was over his family and cancelled
death by simply breathing life.
Breathe life!
He Killed Over 30 Wizards
After God called Benson Idahosa in Benin City, as a young
preacher, he was instructed by the Lord to stop witchcraft
and idolatry in the land.
Now, in those days, Benin was a hub for witches and
wizards and dark forces.
Human sacrifices and He didn’t allow familiarity cloud his faith.
violence was the order of Instead, he found his family to be the best
the day. Some even platform to demonstrate God’s power.
tagged it “City of Blood.”
But God said to him, “You are going to stop it!” God
further instructed him to go to the center of Benin City to
pray in tongues over the land from 12 am to 6am daily for
14 nights.

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Do you know what that means in Africa? It’s like a suicide

mission, but he did it by faith, knowing that the Holy
Ghost was with him.
The first day passed. The second day passed, and on the
third day, something strange came into the atmosphere at
about 2am. He started shivering. His head became swollen
with goose bumps. The devil came with his lies and spoke
to him, “This is the last night you will march around this
city!” but Benson tore his words off and said, “God, you
didn’t tell me you are going to kill me here. You told me
to march around my city and that the wall will fall.” As he
said those words, the devil and his demons began to leave
the environment until none of them was left. His health
was restored to him and he completed his task that day.
The next day, he summoned courage and went back the
spot. On his way, he bumped into several sacrifices of
goats and dogs that were cut into pieces. His name was
written on the plates of the sacrifices.
At this moment, he remembered the Scripture that says
“the devil is under our feet” (Romans 16:12, Psalm 110:1). So,
by faith, he marched on the sacrifices and spoke in tongues
over them. He continued his prayers and on the last day,
he announced loud that, “Benin city, Bendel state is
taken over for the Lord.”

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That statement shook the demonic administration in the

land. Then, strange
reactions began to In those days, Benin was a hub for witches
happen. First, the head of and wizards and dark forces. Human
sacrifices and violence was the order of the
witchcraft in the town day. Some even tagged it “City of Blood.”
died. The chief of occult But God said to him, “You are going to
was also killed by the stop it!”
Holy Ghost. And in nine
days, thirty warlocks of darkness in Benin died. And by
faith, the city was taken over by the Lord Jesus Christ.
God killed over 30 wizards in 9 days. What can He not do, if
we obey Him?
The Holy Ghost invaded the territory and witchcraft
powers vanished from Benin City. It’s true when the
scripture says, “The kingdoms of this world are become
the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall
reign forever and ever.” (Revelations 11:15, KJV)
Beloved, it’s time for you to turn your territory over to the
Lord! It’s time for you to take faith-actions against the
demons that have held down your city for so long. Why
should darkness prevail over light? Why should satan still
have a say over people’s destinies when you are around?
Didn’t Jesus call us “the light of the world?” We’ve sat
down for too long. It’s time to stand. Stand for
righteousness for your family, territory, and nation.

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Submit yourself to the Holy Spirit and resist the devil and
he shall flee! It’s time for faith.
It’s faith O’ clock!

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Chapter 3
CREATIVE MIRACLES

A
rchbishop Benson Idahosa was a man I would call
the father of miracles in Nigeria, especially the
creative kind.
He so much submitted his entirety to God until God gave
him a token of grace that world will ever live to remember
– the grace for the miraculous. He was profoundly
anointed by the Holy Spirit to accomplish spectacular
feats that defied human reasoning.
If you were a man of logic, you wouldn’t be able to walk
with Idahosa. He was never logical. All he did was by the
faith of the Son of the living God. And his faith produced
incredible miracles, including the creative kind.
The meaning of a creative miracle is locked up in the
words: It simply means “a miracle that was created” or
“something unexplainable that was brought into
manifestation by creation.”
This is beyond healings. It’s beyond repair. It’s creation.
That a man can speak a word, and that word will go into
action to create what was not there before – that’s what it
means.
In this chapter, I will highlight some of the works of
creation God did through the Archbishop, along with

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other notable and

If you were a man of logic, you wouldn’t spectacular things He
be able to walk with Idahosa. He was never
logical. All he did was by the faith of the wrought through him, so
Son of the living God. as to make you see how
God can move through a
frail vessel, like you. “If He did it before, He can do it again!”
Broken Skull Gummed
Benson Idahosa was in Ghana for a ministerial task where
he saw a painter painting a seven story bank building.
Suddenly, the ladder on which he was standing slipped
and he fell from that height to the ground. You know how
devastating that can be. His head was split into two…
dead on the floor. As that happened, Benson Idahosa was
watching when God whispered into his ears: “That’s the
work of the devil. Call him back [from the dead].”
He moved towards him and asked for his name from those
around. He then packed his head together and called his
name three times. And at the fourth time, the dead painter
answered and came back to life.
His head was gummed and he was healed.
The then Ghanaian Head of State, General Ignatius
Acheampong, gave Benson a national honor for this
miraculous act of God.
It can happen again, to the glory of God.

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The Faith of Flora

Flora was a mother with a young, beautiful daughter. Her
daughter went up to a 17 story building [in Benin].
Satan, the manipulator, did his wicked work again. The
young girl fell from that tall building and broke her skull.
She died immediately. She was taken to the central hospital
and a report was filed about her that her skull was broken
and she was dead.
The mother, Flora, went crazy in faith and ran to the
Archbishop’s office. She compelled him to run after her.
Benson then asked her, “What is the matter? Where are we
going?” “It’s the hospital! The doctors have lied. The devil
has lied... satan cannot take my child away,” she replied
with motherly passion. Benson agreed to follow her.
When they got to the hospital, they met a reverend father
at the bed of Flora’s daughter who was praying his final
prayer over the body of the diseased: “May your soul rest
in peace…” Flora furiously opposed the Reverend father
and said, “It’s your soul that will rest in peace, not my
child’s.” The Reverend father then left the room.
After a while, the doctors called the Archbishop in, lifted
the cloth from the girl’s body. “Her head,” according to
Benson, “was like a basket of [mashed] tomatoes,” and
they said to him, “We know you believe in miracles, but
not this one!”

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Benson turned to Flora and wanted to persuade her to

leave the room, hoping that he would find a window of
escape out of the hospital. It was as though Flora knew
that he wanted to escape, so she replied him loudly with
an unwavering faith insisting that her daughter must rise
up from the dead. Benson didn’t want to pray for that girl,
but Flora’s faith won’t let him have his way.
Suddenly, Flora held the
Archbishop’s hand Immediately, the Spirit of faith came upon
Benson just as the Holy Ghost came upon
firmly and placed it upon the old time prophets, and he spoke under
her dead child with a the influence of the Holy Spirit and
scattered head. commanded her to get up.
Immediately, the Spirit of
faith came upon Benson heavily just as the Holy Ghost
came upon the old time prophets, and he spoke under the
influence of the Holy Spirit and commanded her to get up.
Miraculously, the young girl came back to life, healed and
transformed by the power of the Holy Ghost.
This same girl that was confirmed dead by medical
experts lived long after her resurrection. She furthered her
education in a higher institution and even secured a job
after.
The faith of a mother saved the daughter!
A Child Born with No Eye Socket Healed

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These are his words when he was preaching at Pastor

Benny Hinn’s church in Orlando during ‘Mighty Warriors
Believers’ Conference’:
“God has done so many miracles through my
ministry and I have always smiled, but one of the
three miracles in my lifetime that made me cry is
when a boy who was born without eyeballs
received new eyeballs and saw for the first time
in my crusade on Kumukunji Ground in Nairobi,
Kenya. The mother of the boy had pleaded with
my wife that I pray for the boy and had brought
the child to the altar in all the four days of the
crusade but the boy was not healed despite many
miracles happening to other people in the
crusade. On the fifth and last day of the crusade
when I was about to preach, I saw the same
woman again with her child at the crusade
platform. I asked my wife how to leave the
crusade platform if the boy was not healed. She
advised me to ask all the people to close their
eyes in prayer, and while they are still praying, I
leave the platform quietly. But God did a miracle
for the child just when I was about to run away.
That is the reason I don’t take credits for miracles.

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Only God can do miracles. I was about to run

away but God came and did the miracle.”11
The miracle happened when the Bishop was praying for
the sick, and the woman put her two fingers on the face of
his child where she thought the eyes should be. Suddenly,
the Kenyan boy’s face started bleeding and he began to
cry. Two eyes appeared on his face. God did a creative
miracle for that boy that day. This miracle was
documented in the Kenyan newspapers, and noised
abroad.
Glory to God.
Two Hundred Electrocuted Men Raised
“The police want to control the crowd in one of
our local crusades where more than two hundred
people were electrocuted. A heavy-duty live
cable which was laid on the ground to electric
tubs had some insulation off. And when
somebody stepped on the naked live cable, all
those standing shoulder to shoulder with the
fellow were electrocuted and fell to the ground.
There was pandemonium. Finally, I got to where
these people were laid out and commanded them
all to rise in the name of Jesus. Guess what? They

11
Facebook, Lydone Agesa, 2 Jan 2020

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all did rise! Need I say that after that the crusade
took a new dimension?”12
Twisted Face Healed
It was in a Benny Hinn’s crusade years ago. Archbishop
Benson Idahosa was there and other ministers of God, and
it was time for healings and miracles.
Pastor Benny Hinn was still charging the atmosphere
when they started receiving patches of rain in that open
air crusade. Everything was about to be messed up. There
were many sick people and none had been ministered to.
Benson Idahosa who was there rushed up to the podium,
collected the microphone from Pastor Benny.
As though Benson Idahosa almost didn’t need any
stirring, he just demanded that they placed their hands
anywhere the sicknesses were. In that crusade, they even
brought a boy that was born having a ‘monkey face.’ That
is, the face of this boy was almost like the face of a monkey
from birth [his face was twisted]. Some others were blind,
deaf and dumb, crippled and had many afflictions.
Benson Idahosa lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed a
prayer in few seconds. He said, “LORD JESUS, THEY ARE
IN YOUR IMAGE. IF THIS IS THE WAY YOU LOOK,
LEAVE THEM LIKE THAT.”

12
From Zero To Surplus_archbishop_benson_idahosa, page 37

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He dropped the mic and went and sat down.

Immediately, there were massive miracles in seconds all
over the crowd. The boy with a twisted face was healed.
All of these were not up to 2 minutes.13
Indeed, what God cannot do [through a yielded man] does
not exists.
56 Cripples Got Up
In 1983, Benson Idahosa was holding a crusade when
suddenly the clouds gathered darkly, ready to rain. Before
then, he had never permitted rain to fall in any of his open
air meetings. When the clouds threatened, he roars back at
them and they withhold their downpour until he finishes
his crusades.
Thus, it happened this day. Rain started threatening. And
according to his custom,
he rebuked the rain from He never permitted rain to fall in any of
his open air meetings. When the clouds
falling but God said to threatened, he roars back at them and they
him “No!” He rebuked it withhold their downpour until he finishes
again and still heard God his crusades.
say to him, “No!” So this
time, he permitted the rain to fall.
The first night of the crusade, 9 cripples got up from their
chairs and started walking; the other sick folks were
13
Obagaiye J. Victor – Acts of Archbishop Benson Idahosa Fb.

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healed, even in the hospitals. But this night when the

clouds gathered, he continued declaring “No rain! No
rain!” but God had already spoken to him that there was
going to be rain.
After God’s voice to him, the wind became violent. The
ushers came to the podium to take his Bible, and it started
raining.
Benson was soaked in rain, as the congregation was too.
But this night, there were 56 cripples lined up, waiting to
be healed by the power of the Holy Ghost. So, Benson,
knowing it was God’s will for the outpouring to happen,
said “shall we pray!” The moment he said that, all the 56
cripples left their wheel chairs and started running in the
rain. Not one person took his chair back home. They all
left the place rejoicing.
Indeed, God is multidimensional! He can’t be boxed. He
moved through his servant that night in a unique way.
This is why you can’t learn miracles; we flow with it,
because the way you think they should happen may not
necessarily be the way God wants them to.
Truly, no man can take credits for miracles! God chooses
to do it the way He pleases, only through yielded vessels.
The rain brought healings to the land that day!
My Mother Can’t Die

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Archbishop Benson Idahosa

Truly, no man can take credits for raised the dead like he was
miracles! God chooses to do it the way He
pleases, only through yielded vessels.
drinking coke. He was in
America when a
messenger was sent to
him to tell him that his mother had died.
He said, “My mother can’t die because God did not tell me
that. The last time I checked in my spirit, my mother was
well. If God must take her, He has to tell me. Put her on
my bed. When I return [to Nigeria], I will wake her,” he
said. Possibly, they were now communicating on the phone.
He was asked when he was going to come back. He said,
“In 10 days’ time.” They told him she would smell by then.
He insisted that they should put her on his bed. “If she
smells, it’s my room. Put here there!” he declared.
The first miracle is that for 10 days, the body didn’t smell.
The color of the mother had changed from black to ash,
totally dead for ten days.
The Archbishop had said he wasn’t coming back until he
finishes his crusade over there. When he finished his
meetings, he landed at Benin airport and demanded to be
taken home.
They took him home. When he entered his room, he said,
“Mama, I’m back, stand up and give me water to drink.”

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Mama who had been dead for ten days came back to life
and said, “My son, welcome.”14
He Jumped the Fence and His Bones Received Strength
This testimony was shared by the Archbishop himself.
During one of the Archbishop’s great gospel crusades he
held, the stadium had been packed. Police officers were
stationed at the stadium entrance to prevent more people
from entering. The remaining crowd was to stay outside
the stadium.
In the midst of this, a young woman came with her
husband on her back. She carried him because he could
not walk, she desired to go into the stadium for the healing
of her husband but she was denied entry by the police
men. That wasn’t too nice for her. Only God knows the far
distance she had to walk to reach the stadium. So she
devised a plan which ended up putting smiles to the
couple’s faces.
She called some young men and implored them to help
her with some iron drums. They listened to her and got
her the drums she demanded for. She then told her
husband, “Here’s the plan: I’m going to climb these drums
and I’m going to throw you into the stadium. Then, I’ll
quickly run to the entrance to meet the police men and say

14
Edo Citizens Forum, 16 Jun 2021, Fb

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to them, ‘the cripple that just fell into the stadium is my

husband.’ So they’ll let me in. and I’ll come join you.” The
husband agreed and was thrown into the stadium.
Something beyond imagination took place.
As the police men considered the woman’s pleas and
allowed her in, she searched around but could not find her
husband. He couldn’t have gone anywhere since a cripple
man cannot run. She searched and searched but could not
find him. Suddenly, she sighted her husband running all
over the stadium joyfully. What a marvelous God we
serve!
How did the miracle happen? The moment the crippled
husband was thrown into the stadium, his bones received
strength and he could stand. He could walk. He could run.
And joyful as he was, he started running across the
stadium.
What a mighty God we serve!
He Had Forgotten He Was Crippled
Here’s another awesome manifestation of God’s power.
Bishop Benson Idahosa just arrived at the airport and God
led him to one of his spiritual son’s church. He obeyed
God and went straight to his church.
Prior to his arrival, there has been a man born crippled
whose regular spot was the entrance of this his son’s

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church just like the lame man at the Beautiful gate (Acts
3:2).
This man’s disability was a terrible one. He wasn’t just
crippled; he had twisted legs. He would always come to
beg for money at the church’s gates.
When God’s servant got to where the cripple was, he
spoke with God’s authority and said to him, “Follow me
to my car.” The ‘once’ lame man jumped up and started
following him. It seems to me that he had forgotten that
he was crippled.
He was switched into his true identity in Christ. My God!
Even Dead Flies Came Back to Life
This great man of God went to minister in a crusade in
Harare in Zimbabwe. When he mounted the podium. He
declared boldly, “I have not come for the blind or the
cripple, I have come for the dead.” Then he asked his old
time question again: “Who has anyone who is dead?”
Fortunately, a corpse was
brought to the crusade When he mounted the podium. He declared
ground. When he came boldly, “I have not come for the blind or the
closer to the corpse, flies cripple, I have come for the dead.” “Who
has anyone who is dead?”
had already perched on it
and had died on the
body. It was a disgusting thing to look upon. But
suddenly, the Archbishop lifted up his hands and started

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sing in the popular hymn: “Oh Lord my God, When I in

awesome wonder...” and after, he prayed in tongues.
The next thing that was heard was a whirrrrrrr sound from
the flies. The flies had come back to life! Then, the corpse
followed and was revived. He came back to life too.
There is nothing God cannot do.
Her Brain Was Pouring Out Like Milk
This testimony was delivered by one of the Archbishop’s
spiritual sons, Apostle Johnson Suleman, the President of
Omega Fire Ministries, who was an eye witness to this
strange happening.
“We were in church one day. And the building
was a story building. There was a young girl in
the church that day named Joy who was very
zealous. She was on the second floor and she
wanted to look down. Suddenly she fell to the
first floor. It was a devastating fall. She hit her
head on the floor and her skull broke. Everybody
shouted, “Jesus!’ and was crying. I wanted to see
the incidence, so I fixed my gaze on the
Archbishop. “What would he do now?”
Surprisingly Benson Idahosa ignored that
occurrence and was making some
announcements.

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The ushers quickly attempted to take the dead

girl out. He spoke to them, “Where are you
taking her? Drop here there!” After a while, he
said, “Bring her!”
Now, [as a young man] I was watching to see
how the miracle would take place. This was the
first time I saw the color of the human brain. It
was white! It was like milk almost pouring out.
The Archbishop Benson Idahosa moved towards
the young girl and lifted up his hands. He spoke
in other tongues. And I saw the brain go back
into the skull. The head was instantly healed and
covered. Joy got instantly okay. And the
Archbishop went back into his announcements.
The Archbishop walked in the supernatural naturally.
God indeed used the man to declare His glory on the face
of the earth.
Skeptics Believed in the Lord
On one occasion in the midst of a crusade where he was
preaching, some skeptics brought a dead woman to the
platform and set her down. Idahosa was not intimidated.
He prayed for the dead woman but nothing happened. He
returned to his sermon but suddenly stopped in mid-
sentence and asked, “Does anyone have water here?”

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What a strange question! Did God talk to him? What

would he do with water?
Well, he was given a bottle of water (swan water). He
opened the bottle and poured its entire content on the
woman and can you guess what happened? She jumped
right out of that stretcher! She was as thin as skeleton but
she was alive!
The men that brought her wept like babies and every one
of them became Christians from that night.15
The Angry Young Evangelist Caused It to Rain
There was a time in the land of Benin when there was no
rain. I mean rain refused to fall.
So, the traditional king as of that time called all the pastors
in the land to try their God since other gods had failed
them.
Among these men of God was Archbishop Benson
Idahosa. He was just a young evangelist then and he was
the least among them.
The king said: “We have tried our best to see that rain falls
but to no avail. We have summoned all the gods we know,
but they have failed us. This time around, you people are
our final hope. We want to try your own God.” And one

15
NDEPO – Facebook posts – Jesus Saves TV

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of the pastors replied the king: “Your highness, give us

some time. We will get back to you. Let us go and pray
and fast about this issue. We will certainly give you a
feedback.”
At hearing this, the young Benson was very angry and
displeased. To him, that was one of the greatest insults to
the name of God, a true living God for that matter. He said
to all of them: “The rain must fall and it must be now.”
There were all stunned. “What is this small boy trying to
say?,” they pondered within them.
But before you knew it, he prayed and the sky became
cloudy and suddenly, rain began to fall mercilessly.16
***
All these, along with many other great things, were
accomplished by Jesus Christ through the hands of
Archbishop Benson Idahosa. The miraculous dimension
he walked in in his days is one to be holily desired.
The church must desire to walk in God’s power again! The
rising generation is a people who demand proof before
receiving the message of Christ, and since Scripture
supports this, the validation of our message should be
through the demonstration of God’s power, not just mere
words (1 Corinthians 2:4).

16
The Cave of Adullam – 22 July 2023 – Fb

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Without power, it’s impossible for many in the world to

consider the church, let alone believe in Jesus, the Christ
of God. The church must be determined and ready to
display the power of God against the enemies of God. The
world is so rigid that it takes the Spirit’s force to compel
men unto salvation.
The Bible says, “Through the greatness of thy power shall thine
enemies submit themselves unto you.” (Psalm 66:3, KJV)
Submission to Christ and His saving grace can only be
achieved through “the greatness of God’s power.”
Ministers of God, let us not laugh in fun when the world
out there is dying in scorn.
It’s time to wake up. It’s The rising generation is a people who
time to set our alarms demand proof before receiving the message
of Christ, and since Scripture supports
again to the early hours of this, the validation of our message should
the day so as to hear the be through the demonstration of God’s
precious Voice of the Most power, not just mere words
High God. Since we all
know that the life giving factor in all these spectacular
happenings is the Voice of God.
Concerning the raising of the dead, Benson Idahosa
warned:
“Raising the dead is scriptural. But don’t do it
unless God tells you.”

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But how shall it be done again when ministers are deaf to

their Lord’s Voice? Selah
God will judge ministers who are not determined to live
up to their heavenly mandates. “His judgment,” the Bible
declares, “shall begin from His house” (1 Peter 4:17). And I
suppose it’s going to start with “unserious ministers.”
The world needs us. They need the true representation of
God, and God is committed to present Himself to the
world through men, through you. Even, when He wanted
to present His love to us all, He sent “the man” Jesus,
though He was God.
Stop playing away your
Stop playing away your ordination. Stop
ordination. Stop playing playing around with those you’ve been
around with those you’ve sent to. You are not called to play with
been sent to. You are not the sheep; you are called to feed them.
called to play with the
sheep; you are called to feed them (John 21:16, Jeremiah
3:15).
You’ve got to be willing and determined to partner with
the Holy Spirit to say to God, “Maranatha. Come Lord.”
God won’t come until men invite him. Benson Idahosa
invited God, and the results His presence commanded in
his life was unfathomable and undeniable.

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Pastors! Enough of many sermons without the iota of life

– power! God never designed His church to be a powerless
church. Kings and presidents should come to the
brightness of our rising. But it seems it’s going the other
way round now. Something must change, and you must
be one of the instigators of that change.
Elijah, don’t go around calling down fire when the wood
hasn’t been put together yet and the altar hasn’t been
prepared. The fire will only drop on prepared altars.
Prepare yourself friend. Don’t just be a man or a woman
with outward dignity but filled with inward decadence.
God wants to visit us again in this generation, but He
desires to come through you.
You must understand that His love cannot be fully
revealed or communicated to the dying world without
power. We must be able give credence to what we preach.
This is why God is so obsessed with the empowerment of
the saints! It takes the demonstration of the power of God
to show love to the cripple man at the Beautiful gate (Acts
3:2-11) and so on.
How will the world know
Elijah, don’t go around calling down fire
when the wood hasn’t been put together
that Jesus truly loves
yet and the altar hasn’t been prepared. them? ‘Majorly by
The fire will only drop on prepared Power!’
altars.

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I believe you’ll yield yourself for the Master’s use today.

Once you yield, you become a perfect conduit for His
anointing to flow through to the nations of the world.
Prepare your altar, and expect His fire. Sharpen yourself
as His battle axe and expect Him to make you His choice
weapon. Purge yourself clean and watch Him take
residence in you.
“If a man therefore purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel
unto honor.” (2 Timothy 2:21, KJV)
You have a responsibility in seeing God revealed in your
world. Remember, the fire will not come when the altar is
still faulty. You’ve got to repair your altar in the place of
prayer, the study of the Word, even fasting and
obedience to the Holy Spirit.
We all as the church must be willing, yielded and
prepared by God for Him to flow through us to our
generation.

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Chapter 4
BENSON IDAHOSA UNIVERSITY (BIU)

“
Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a
restorer of homes.” (Isaiah 58:12, NLT)
It is amazing to know that God can use a man’s hands to
build His kingdom here on earth. When God finds a
willing and yielded vessel, there is no limit to what He can
accomplish through him. He can even build cities through
him.
In time past, God has used men of old to build “cities” for
Himself. Men like John Alexander Dowie (founded the
city of Zion, Illinois), Aimee Semple McPherson (founded
the Angelus Temple, Los Angelus, USA), Kathrine
Kuhlman (built the Denver Revival Tabernacle), Sharon
Daugherty (co-founded the Victory Christian Center),
Oral Roberts (built Oral Roberts University and the City of
Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
USA), and many more were used mightily by God to build
cities. They were like Solomon who built God an abode on
earth as a physical monument of the God of heaven.
As God used many before, so He’s using many men today
to establish mighty structures which many men would tag
as “impossible” in their entire lifetime.

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God does this for three major reasons: So that His

kingdom can be established and enhanced on earth; for
the comforts of the saints and for the benefits and
transformation of the society.
One of the men whom God used in the 20th century to
establish His kingdom here on earth by building Him a
University was this man we speak of – Archbishop Benson
Idahosa. Here are his words:
“In the course of my travels around the world, I
have seen some of the most magnificent
buildings ever designed and constructed by man.
Sometimes I look at the grandeur, finesse, and
elegance of these fabulous works of architecture
and say to myself, “Lord, give me a vision of
these great edifices for the expansion of Your
kingdom in Africa.”17
On another occasion he said these:
“In pursuance of the realization of God’s
commission to me, we have led countless souls to
Christ. The desire for the consolidation and
edification of the souls won has led to continued
establishment of new churches and now to the

17
Benson Idahosa-STRANGERS TO FAILURES, Chapter 11: From Hindsight
to Foresight, page 142
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establishment of an effective and dynamic

Christian school system.”18

It is expedient to note that Idahosa wasn’t just a pastor, but

a prominent educationist. He was a professor of
Evangelical Philosophy at the International University in
Brussels, Belgium.

By the instructions of God, Benson Idahosa started

building a university which was eventually renamed
Benson Idahosa University in honor to his legacy.
While they were building it, something strange happened.
The engineers and builders exhausted the building
materials for the construction. Benson, who had been
away for the preaching of
the gospel for several In 1978, God told me I was going to build
weeks, came back, and a University to the glory of His majesty...
was told that the building only God could have done that, as building
a University in Nigeria then was the
materials had finished at preserve of Federal and State Governments
the construction site. You in Nigeria.
know what? He
commanded the building materials to multiply and it was
so, such that they became enough.
This miracle happened just before the Archbishop went to
be with the Lord in 1998.

18
From Zero To Surplus_archbishop_benson_idahosa, page 51

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The University was previously named Christian Faith

University (CFU) but was later on renamed to Benson
Idahosa University in honor of the Archbishop in 1998.
Today, by God’s sustaining hand, the School continues to
stand strong with new recruits every year and prestigious
graduates making impacts internationally.
The Benson Idahosa University (BIU) is today known for
several notable achievements. Its spiritual heritage is
outstanding. The University continues to emphasize
spiritual growth and development to students and even
visitors, building upon the godly legacy of its founder, the
Archbishop.
When you walk into the school today, and you go in
straight up, you’ll sight the Archbishop’s magnificent
statue erected on top of a square shaped cemented
podium to signify a remembrance of his good works.
BIU is also recognized for its commitment to academic
excellence, with a strong focus on research, innovation,
and entrepreneurship, and many more other good
qualities has the school, which have all contributed to its
reputation as a leading private University in Nigeria.
Archbishop Benson Idahosa was the first president of the
University. His first son, Rt. Rev. (Dr) Faith Emmanuel

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Benson Idahosa is now the current president of the

University.19
At the dedication of the multi-purpose main auditorium,
the founder, Archbishop Benson Andrew Idahosa, said,
“In 1978, God told me I was going to build a
University to the glory of His majesty... only God
could have done that, as building a University in
Nigeria then was the preserve of Federal and
State Governments in Nigeria.”20
That’s is what faith did! A man built a ‘Universe City’ and
other prestigious institutions like the Faith Medical
Centre, Word of Faith Group of Schools [and] All Nations
for Christ Bible Institute (ANFCBI) for God. He believed
God and God performed His words.
Friend, it’s time for you and me to start believing God for
cities and nations. Don’t think you are too small to be used
by God for it. “Do not let anyone look down on you
because you are young….” (1 Timothy 4:12, NIV)
You’ve got to step out in crazy faith to do what God has
told you to do, regardless of what others may say in
opposition. If you do it, men will speak, and if you don’t

19
Wikipedia, Benson Idahosa University, Article, History
20
wikiwand, Benson Idahosa University, History
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do it, men will speak too. So, do it, let men speak and let
God take the glory!
Men may do the talking but God’s will shall prevail all the
way.

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Chapter 5
HIS SECRET

M
en ought always to pray and not to faint.
(Luke 18:1, KJV)
Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa was a man of
prayer!
Many people only focus on the great works God did
through this patriarch of faith and they do not desire to
find out what sponsored the mighty works. Well, behind
every glory, there’s a story. Behind every throne, there is
the cross. And behind the manifestations of supernatural,
there is blood dripping at the altar.
God’s expects us all, especially ministers of the gospel to
become the vessels through which He can display His
grace and glory in the earth. He wants us all to become the
sacrifice that would be laid on the altar, He wants us to be
bound by His Spirit to the horns of the altar perpetually
for him to find expression in our worlds (Psalm 118:27).
Only those who submit to this protocol will see His glory
revealed and manifested in and through their lives.
Benson Idahosa was one out of the few in his generation
who yielded to the demands of “sacrificial prayers.” God’s
methods hasn’t changed. Early morning coffee and

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breakfast won’t bring the revival we desire. God cannot be

mocked!
Concerning the early
apostles of the gospel, the Behind every glory, there’s a story. Behind
every throne, there is the cross. And
Bible recorded their behind the manifestations of the
commitment to this supernatural, there is blood dripping at the
kingdom requirement altar.
called “prayer.” They
vowed: “We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to
the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4, KJV) because they knew
the pattern Jesus, their Master laid before His departure.
They knew God could not be displayed without the
making of prayers.
This has being the protocol of God to mar our flesh so that
His awesome nature can be revealed to the dying world
through us. This is a choice that has to be made. God won’t
choose it for you! Many across ages chose that pathway
and commanded great levels of glory and power, while
some, even pastors (ministers of the gospel) neglected it
and they ended up becoming the sorry versions of
themselves. They may be seen as sanctimonious or pious
before church members, but they lack the life giving force of
the Spirit that prayer supplies.
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
(James 5:16, KJV)

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The Amplified Classic puts it this way: “The earnest

(heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes
tremendous power available (dynamic in its working).”
This then means that God’s power cannot be produced in
the church without the presence of an earnest, heartfelt
and continued prayer of the saints… of you.
It’s time for the church of God to restore the art of prayer
back into our systems. “My house,” God declares, “shall be
called the house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7), not the house of
“drama.” We are not a drama church; we are a praying
church.
Prayers should always be “made” by ministers of the
gospel consistently, so they don’t go around ministering
“death” to God’s people. Unfortunately, we have many
Pastors in the body of Christ today who depend only on
congregational prayers – this won’t do us a lot of benefits
in the body, it will only cripple our potency in the world
we have been sent to function as light.
Territories will remain locked until prayers are made by
the saints.
As a minister of the gospel, there must be an aura of prayer
that emanates from you. Ministers of God must pray again
to see God’s life back to the church, else we’ll be operating
a dead-church, and we will keep covering it up with

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religiosity, and you know, the problem will never be from

God but from “men”– us!
May we all be revived back into the place of prayer!
His Prayer Life
Archbishop Benson Idahosa was indeed a man of prayer.
He was a man whose prayer life terrified satan, demons
and demonic agents. He wasn’t just a man of robust faith
but a man who believed in the efficacy of prayers to stir
up faith, shift mountains, open seasons and decimate
demonic devices.
At that time in Church of God Missions, there was a daily
early Morning Prayer session at 5 a.m., which Benson
Idahosa participated in whenever he was at home.
Before God announced him globally, He was
commissioned by God to eradicate witchcraft in his city.
He said,
“In my city, Benin, human beings were used for
sacrifices. When God raised me, He said, “The
government will not stop it but you!”
After his encounter with
Benson wasn’t just a man of robust faith
the Voice of the Lord, he
but a man who believed in the efficacy of
started fasting and prayers to stir up faith, shift mountains,
praying intensely in the open seasons and decimate demonic
devices.
middle of the night at the

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center of the city from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., pulling down

demonic strongholds that has ravaged the whole city for
decades. He carried on with this exercise for 14 days and
on the 14th day, he declared the city to be taken over by
God.
Just imagine that for a moment! A man gave himself
consistently to prayers for 14 nights at odd hours, in
Africa, when men slept. It’s a lot of sacrifice.
After he prayed, a new government came into the city –
the government of the Most High. Benin became the
Lord’s after that effective prayer activity.
And you can be sure that he didn’t just eradicate
witchcraft powers in Benin just so that he would go and
sleep thereafter. Whatever is created through prayers
must be sustained through prayers!
In October 1972, at 3am, some robbers came to the
Archbishop’s house to steal, as you know that “the thief
comes not but TO STEAL, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10,
Emphasis Added)
Before their arrival, there were some British missionaries
from Liverpool who came to visit the Idahosa’s family.
These missionaries were in their room when they noticed
a group of strangers moving around—they were thieves.
Suddenly, they broke into the building and went straight
to the missionaries. One of the thieves said to one of them,

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“Bring out your money!” “I’m not the owner of the

house,” the missionary terrifyingly responded. “But I’ll go
call the landlord.” The thieves allowed him.
Benson Idahosa was in his room praying in tongues; when
the British missionary got to his room, he called out to the
Archbishop’s wife, “Mrs. Idahosa! Mrs. Idahosa!” She got
up and came out of the room, and he told her that there
were some robbers – seven to be precise – in the sitting room
waiting to see the Archbishop. When Margaret heard that,
she started speaking in tongues.
The pastors who were in Benson’s house at that time and
the missionaries started praying in tongues too, but the
thieves shut them up.
Finally, the Archbishop came out when he got to know
what was happening. The missionaries told him to let
them pray. “I have prayed before they came!” was his
response to them. What a response!
He marched forward and spoke out loud to the thieves,
“Who do you say you are?” “We are men of the night,”
they responded. Benson then said audaciously, “Are you
ready for me?” They, being struck by the Holy Ghost,
exclaimed, “No sir!” and they all fled away... before a man
of prayer.
You see that? When you are a man of prayer, boldness is
automatically formed in you. You can’t be afraid and

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expect the devil to be

afraid of you! You have “I have prayed before they came!” was his
response to them. What a response!
to be bold for him to be
afraid of you!
The Scripture says, “The righteous are as bold as a lion.”
(Proverbs 28:1, KJV)
But the truth is, even the righteous can become “fearful”
when they neglect prayers.
The early apostles and believers understood this principle
such that when the house of the high priest and the elders
of Israel instructed them to keep their mouths shut and
never to preach in the name of Jesus, they didn’t argue
with them. Instead, they resorted into the secret place until
the whole place where they were standing shook. And
after they had prayed, they were filled with the Spirit of
boldness.
The Bible puts it this way, “And when they had prayed, the
place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they
were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word of God
with boldness.” (Acts 4:31, KJV)
Prayer forges that bold nature in you and turns you into a
terror against darkness, and then makes you into a sign
and a wonder to your generation.
Also, after the apostles prayed, the Bible says, “They
witnessed the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power

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and with great grace” (4:33). This is how it works in this

kingdom. No prayer, no power! No prayer, no activation
of grace!
Men of God, you must be willing to spend your life at the
altar to see Christ revealed in your church. Emotionalism
will not replace prayer. God’s standards have not
changed. His standards stands sure!
If He will find expression here on earth, you have to
consciously invite Him through your prayers.
Your desire to see God
Men of God, you must be willing to spend
move through you will your life at the altar to see Christ revealed
never come to fruition if in your church. Emotionalism will not
you do not vocalize your replace prayer. God’s standards have never
changed. His standards stands sure!
desires on the altar of
prayer. Believe it! The
earlier, the better. Start praying now, for “men ought always
to pray and not to faint.” (Luke 18:1, KJV), and start seeing
His awesome glory revealed in and through your life.
Men of Like Passions
“Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he
prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the
earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed
again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her
fruit.” (James 5:17-18, KJV)

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You might have wondered, ‘Maybe these men were not

totally humans.’ Well, your wonderings are not accurate.
The Bible already equalized us all to be “humans” subject
to like passions. ESV puts it clearer:
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours...
He wasn’t a sort of ghost or alien. He was as human as you
are. Benson Idahosa too was a human being, bred in the
womb of her mother for 9 months as you were; ate as you
do; was brought up like you were; but what’s the
difference? Prayer!
God made every one similarly but some men have chosen
the wisdom of the Spirit to pray, and they’ve deliberately
separated themselves from the ordinary crowd. Beloved,
it is wisdom to pray!
When you pray, you’re knocking on the door of your
Father, God; and it’s impossible for the loving Father to
reject the knocks of His persistent child. He’ll definitely
open. You, just knock.
Benson prayed until God’s signature was placed upon
him. I hope you know that you have to be approved by
God to walk in the miraculous, and prayer prepares you
for that approval. The Scripture says, “Ye men of Israel, hear
these words; Jesus of Nazareth, A MAN APPROVED OF GOD
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did
by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.” (Acts

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2:22, KJV). You don’t just go around to ‘do good’ without

God’s approval. Otherwise, the devil and his demons will
make a mess of you in the public as they did to the sons of
Sceva. Wait in prayers until your approval comes.
The reason why you are
yet to see God’s power at
You don’t just go around to ‘do good’
work in your ministry without God’s approval. Otherwise, the
might be because you’ve devil and his demons will make a mess of
neglected this simple key you in the public as they did to the sons of
Sceva. Wait in prayers until your
that the men of old, approval comes.
including Pa Benson
Idahosa, embraced faithfully and sacrificially. The truth is
there is no “easy” prayer. Prayer has not always been
soothing for the flesh. It has always been “fervent” in
nature. You just have to make it “easy” for you by your
consistent actions towards engaging it.
Prayer is inescapable for accessing the rod of power! And
prayer is not designed for only ‘men of God.’ You are also
a man of God in your field. You may not have a collar on,
but God sent you there! You have to wake up to this reality
and pray until your co-workers, business partners, church
members, co-leaders, family see Christ’s manifestations in
and through your life.
When Pastor Yonggi Cho, a friend to the Archbishop, was
asked what the secrets behind his ministerial exploits

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were, he gave out three secrets which we all should re-

adopt in the body of Christ. They are:
1. Prayer
2. Prayer
3. Prayer
That’s it friend; pray on the Word. Pray with your
understanding. Pray in the Spirit. Pray while on the street.
Pray in your car. Pray in your workplace. Pray
everywhere you go. Pray always! For “Men ought always to
pray and not to faint.” (Luke 18:1, KJV).
The major secret behind the Archbishop’s exploits was
nothing but prayer.

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Chapter 6
HOW THE ARCHBISHOP DIED.

I
don’t always like to refer to believers in Christ who
are in heaven as being dead. They’re not dead. They’re
very much alive. They are called “Cloud of Witnesses”
and they surround us, cheering us up, as the writer of
Hebrews clearly wrote by the Spirit of God.

When saints in the Lord dies, they did not actually die; they
only left their mortal bodies and transitioned into their rest
– heaven. The second death only belongs to those who
reject Jesus’s position as the Son of God and Lord of all
(Revelation 21:8).
Archbishop Benson Idahosa served God faithfully in his
generation and went to be with the Lord on March 12, 1998
at the age of 59. Despite “young” as men, especially
Africans, would say, he had accomplished a great deal in
his life for the kingdom of God.
The story of his departure is a dramatic one. When it was
time for his departure, he was on sit with his guests at the
dining table. He opened a bottle of juice called “Pure
Heaven,” and said, before the people around, “Who wants
to go to heaven?” Everybody kept quiet and withdrew
their glass cups. He spoke again, “I want to go to heaven
now!” When he said that, his guests started laughing.

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Then he called the Bible School Director and gave him

some instructions, and called some whites ministers to
him and spoke to them.
He then entered his room, bent his head, and after a while
he stood up and shouted, “My Father!” and he sat down
again, and his spirit left his body. After about 30 minutes
of quietness on that chair, his personal assistance went
close to him and discovered that he had gone to be with
the Lord.
Meanwhile, the week of his departure, he had called
Margaret, his beloved wife, who was in America and said,
“I’ve done everything God told me to do.”

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ENOUGH TO CAUSE A REVIVAL

(Some of His Written and Spoken Words)
1. Those who have no faith think that God does not
answer prayer, but as a man of faith I know He does.
2. By the grace of God, I have seen faith work more
miracles than most Christians will ever be privileged
to witness in their entire lives on this earth. I have
seen faith in God work in my family, in the church,
and in many other areas of life. Faith has no limits.
Faith does not recognize any hindrance. Faith in God
based upon the Word overcomes all stumbling
blocks. Faith can change your destiny, if you will let
it. Will you?
3. No matter how the world changes. We must believe
that we are what God says we are. We are the head
and not the tail. We are the healers and not the sick.
We are the losers and not the bound. We are God says
we are.
4. How do we become the doers of the impossible? This
is the answer: You have to conceive God’s vision in
your belly, and birth it by the Spirit of God, and let
God take the glory.
5. God is looking for a voice everywhere we find
ourselves. I pray that you will be the voice of God in
a rotten, sick and suffering world.

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6. When you ask me, “Where are you from?” My reply

will be: “Made in heaven, assembled in Africa and
dispatched to my generation.”
7. When men lose faith they lose their great ideals and
their sense of purpose.
8. All power has a source, and a born-again Christian
should be absolutely certain of where his power
comes from. The knowledge that God’s power is fully
available to you will, in one way or another, calm the
waves in your life when stormy days arrive.
9. A foolish preacher believes only in prayer and
despises medicine; and a foolish medical doctor
believes only in medicine and despises prayer. We
believe in prayers and medicine. All healings,
whether they be by prayer or by medicine, come from
God.
10. Everywhere you find yourself, be the voice of
righteousness that cries against iniquity.

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