Chapter IV: Why Archbishop Idahosa left us

The title of this chapter sounds rather presumptuous. It is deliberately so. How else can one interpret the passing on of a spiritual juggernaut. The Archbishop was an Institution who compressed the work of a century into a little below six decades. If several speculations are abroad about how and why he had to go to heaven now, no one should be surprised. What follows, however, is neither a speculation nor a guess.

The Archbishop has gone to heaven so that like Father Abraham, we his freeborn children in the Lord may accept the baton he has passed to us. He has gone so that Jacobs will rise up to be counted. Jacobs who will present the pure Gospel to produce a pure race of believers.

Yes, Papa has gone to rest in the presence of the Lord so that many sons and daughters, nay, a nation of believers will enroll in the pilgrims' band. Our Archbishop B. A. Idahosa has departed to make Josephs of us - Josephs who will fulfill the terms of the new covenant in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Archbishop has gone to heaven so that God's strength will come on the Moses' to match boldly to Lucifer's domain and release all the souls held in captivity and bondage by Satan and his cohorts. Papa has gone to rest so that Joshuas will arise: Joshuas who will lead weary pilgrims through the barriers of the Jordan and the warfare of the saint on to the Promised Land.

Papa left us in order for listening elders and seeing ministers to heed the words of the Lord unto His servant. The word of the Lord says win souls, plant Churches and disciple them. Archbishop B. A. Idahosa has gone that Davids might rise up in us. Those giant killers may rise up; that those with hearts for God may rise up; and that those with noble desires may fill the Church.

He has gone that there will be many Solomons who will build God's house. Papa has gone so that men and women who will see the Glory of the Lord like Isaiah might stand out. Our Daddy has gone so that more Christ filled lives might be made and commissioned; that the Church militant might match on from Victory to Victory until all enemies are conquered.

Your name may not be Abraham or Isaac or even Jacob. You may not be Joseph or Moses by name. You might not even have known or seen a Joshua or a David. You may not be an elder or a minister. You are probably not familiar with the name Isaiah. But you can identify with one or more of them today. Dare to be any of them and you will be fulfilling why the Archbishop died.

An Open Challenge:
Jesus said, "Except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abidetl1 alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24).

Our Lord Jesus Christ has made far more disciples after His death than He made in His lifetime. The challenge lies here.

God took His servant home to engender much fruit. Each one of us must now redouble our efforts to make this a reality. Whatever we did before must now be done with more fervency and seriousness. "Much fruit" should now be our aim. If while he was here we produced one fruit, then now that he has gone we should aim for much more fruits...

The Archbishop, in his lifetime, was many things to many people. Here, a few of his attributes are highlighted:

1.
He never despised the days of small beginnings. He was never ashamed to tell of his humble past in life and Ministry. The challenge here speaks out loud. Acknowledge your present status, though lowly, for "from little beginnings the greatest often grow" as we understand from that popular nursery rhyme. Who knows but that where you are now is a stepping stone to great heights.

2.
He was a giving and accessible leader. These aspects of him were common knowledge. It behoves on us to carry this through in our ministries. Papa never hurried out of a service. He lent his ears to all.

3.
He was an evangelist and a pastor of pastors. God requires us to do what He has entrusted to us with the utmost sense of responsibility. We are hereby challenged to do it with all of our strength and commitment.

4.
He was a teacher and a doer of the Word. The Archbishop never regarded the Word of God theoretically. He acted on the Word. If the Bible says his prayer of faith will heal the sick, he prayed it and the sick got healed. Who will desire to do less among those of us left behind? The challenge is for us to act on every given word of God for there to be fruits in our Ministries.

5.
The Archbishop was. an author and educationist. As at the time of his home call, he had written several books. Several evangelistic, tapes have been produced in the TV department. The REDEMPTION FAITH magazine is growing stronger and going far and wide. The Educational Institutions under his ministry have been listed earlier. Tens of indigent students were under his scholarship in many tertiary Institutions in Nigeria .

The challenge here is daunting. Who are those ready to use their God given gifts in these twin areas of writing and education? The coast is clear, for a colossus has left the way, even he who had led the way.

6.
He was a man who could not be intimidated. The Archbishop knew how to walk through the valley of difficulties and emerge on top of the mountain using the difficulties as scaffoldings. Be they court cases; be they external threats on him personally or on the mission in general, he stood his ground and waded through. He had calmed our frayed nerves once when the Irri episode happened:

"I am not moved by what I hear. I am only moved by the Word of God". Those words were what we needed and we relaxed in the Lord.

His residence, "GOD'S OWN PALACE" is situated in the part of town classified as "forbidden". And indeed several weird stories were told about the bush. It was a dreaded part of town. No one ventured near the bush. But not the Archbishop. As fearless as ever, and empowered by the boldness from on High, he sent bulldozers and caterpillars into the bush and took possession of it.

He also defiled several "forbidden" events in Bini Kingdom . Sometimes, they had cursed him with their most feared deities, expecting him to die in days but not the Archbishop. He rather grew fatter and more robust.

Will there be another Archbishop? Time will tell. But the challenge is there for any of us to face up to. He has departed and left us to face up to difficult occasions whenever they arise in our lives and Ministries. It is a great challenge.

7.
He was a man who subdued and dominated his environment by faith. He did this in several instances. He asked us out of a morning service at the Miracle Centre once. "March to the adjourning parcel of land" he had instructed us. We obeyed. Right inside the grass ridden ground, with idols dotting everywhere, he announced. "Henceforth this land has become ours for the soles of our feet have touched it. Away with idols". The owners of the parcel of land were hearing all this. That is where the Faith Medical Centre stands today.

He has gone and left us with a challenge to go and do likewise. The shoe is large but we must ask for God's enlargement of our feet. We cannot afford to reduce the shoe's size.

8.
He was a builder of men and structures. Papa believed in building the total man. Through the educational Institutions he established, he fed the souls of men and women and prepared children for a better tomorrow. He enjoyed this aspect of his ministry evidently. His teachings in his now famous " School of Wisdom " have done so much for so many. A sobbing woman told me between tears. "Tell me who will now be my adviser. Whom do I run to when I have a problem?" She was echoing the feelings of so many people whose lives Papa had touched. He had helped several struggling and staggering feet to stand firm.

He was a builder of men and structures. Papa believed in building the total man.

His passion for buildings has become legendary. He built and built even to that last moment. He played the Engineer, the quantity surveyor; the architect and the supervising engineer. His stamina was certainly from above. It was not the type one could obtain from vitamin tablets.

Who will take up such a challenge? It has now fallen on our shoulders and we must face up to it squarely. By his departure several builders of men and structures should spring forth.

9. He was a full Gospeller. He preached, taught and healed, as it was with our Lord Jesus Christ. To him, the Gospel was a total package; it contained the totality of God's best for His children (3 John 2). And he never diminished it.

"Come out, Come out, you foul spirit" were expressions Papa used effectively. At those words of command, demons took to flight. Be they infinities, oppressive spirits or whatever they were, they obeyed and ran away.

Now that he has gone, he leaves us to go a step further than he went. The signs of the full Gospel must manifest in our Ministries. We need to seek the Lord for the actualization of these.

10.
He had more than a fair share of charisma. His mere presence doused raging conflagrations. You may say what you wished in his absence but once he appeared you swallowed your words. On his part he cared little what you said of him positive or negative.

"You only see your backbiters when you look back" he often said. "So go forward and never look back"

Combined with his charisma was the uncanny manner in which he affected lives. His was an infectious personality. His presence could not be ignored or go unnoticed. He had a charm about him that endeared him to friends and foes alike.

Papa was a man with a vision for the things of God. He never failed to dream dreams. And his dreams were tall ones. What interested him most was when there was a new project to execute. With him "impossible" was not in the dictionary. Whatever it took, the Archbishop went all out to fulfill his dream. He succeeded because his vision was with a mission.

His vision rode on the crests of his mission on earth. God Himself pointed the way to Benson Andrew Idahosa's uniqueness when He allowed him to live, rather than die in a rubbish heap. Since that day, he never looked back. Through the vicissitudes of life, he clung to the Bible and went round the globe with it, fulfilling his mission. He knew his mission and never deviated from it. He saw souls as precious fruits for harvest.

He held his sickle and pitched his tent in the harvest field for them. In the day he saw souls and reached out for them. At night he dreamed about them. He lived evangelism, and he ate evangelism. Indeed, evangelism flowed in his veins. The motto, "evangelism our supreme task" was not a mere slogan, when he coined it for Church of God Mission WorId wide. It exemplified his mission on earth. And Heavens bear record that he lived for his mission and died in it.

The challenge here is enormous. Who will move his base into souls' field? Who will live his life daily for the sole purpose of reaching out to souls? Dreamers, visionaries and goal achievers are wanted. Who will step out to be counted? The vacuum Papa has left is wide. A call is out for "Idahosas". A call is out for men and women who will catch the vision. It is ringing in urgency, for there is no more time for aimless believers.

Papa has shown the way. Men with Missions arise. Women arise with your Missions. Pursue them and perfect them. Like the Archbishop, work for the Master today as if it were your last day on this side of eternity. Do not hide your endowments under the table. Let your light burn brightly and let it shine forth for all to see. Papa has gone that we might pursue the cause of evangelism. It must henceforth remain our supreme task.

A grain of wheat has fallen down in our midst. This grain has died so that it did not have to abide alone. As of necessity, many fruits must now come up. Out of the fruits should emerge many grains. This challenge must be met.
Even so, help us Lord Jesus.