Benson Idahosa

Benson Andrew Idahosa ( born September 11, 1938 in Benin City; † 12 March 1998) was a Nigerian evangelist and the first Pentecostal archbishop in Nigeria.

Life

Born into a poor family, the father had the always sickly child aged 18 months to throw in the trash. However, the mother took pity on the child, because she could not bear his cries. Banished by her father Idahosa had to hire themselves out as agricultural laborers. A regular education he could not obtain.

The parents used animistic ideas, Idahosa but was converted to Christianity as a teenager after he was approached one Sunday afternoon during a football game with friends by a pastor. He soon became one of the most committed Christians of the small community in Benin City and a night vision following he soon made it on to preach the gospel to preach from village to village. After he discovered the heal generic effect of his prayers, he received enormous popularity. Until 1971 Idahosa founded over 6000 communities in Nigeria and Ghana. His mission took him to 143 countries and at the end of his life was told by him that he had preached to more whites than any other black preachers and more blacks than any white man. With its focus of evangelism, he organized mass meetings called Crusades. A Barred in Lagos in April 1985 Crusade reached an attendance of nearly one million.

In his later years Idahosa took the opportunity to bring his education, he gained various theological diplomas in the U.S. and received his PhD in 1984 in the Jura Mountains at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma (USA). After founding a church of the Church of God Mission International with headquarters in Benin City, built this several foundations, including a university, the Benson Idahosa University, and a TV station with a party of up to 50 million in Nigeria. The Bible School of the Church of God Mission in Benin City attracts seminarians from all over Africa, many Asian countries and Europe. Idahosa was founding president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria ( PFN), the umbrella organization of the Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. He maintained close contacts with international evangelists, including Billy Graham.

Teaching

The theological message Idahosas was simple and effective mass. They can be summarized in the phrase, "Everything is possible to those who believe". He assumed that the thorough study of the Bible can change in conjunction with an unwavering faith of every life. One of his most famous sayings is: If your faith says yes, then God can not say no. Like most Pentecostals proclaimed Idahosa also the material success as a blessing from God: My God is not a poor God, he used to justify this message. The belief in the supernatural activity of God was also the subject of his preaching. Nothing seemed impossible that for Idahosa principle is illustrated by the fact that it is claimed that he had awakened during the years of his evangelism 28 dead back to life.

Works

  • Faith Can Change Your Destiny, Highland books, 1986. ISBN 978-0-946616-26-8
  • Faith for all of Life Storms, New Leaf Press, 1992. ISBN 0-89221-222-5
  • Strangers to Failure, Harrison House, 1994. ISBN 0-89274-761-7
  • Faith to change the World, Destiny Image Pub, 1994. ISBN 1-56043-760- X
Animism
115908
de