The History of the church of God in Nigeria
The history of church of
God in any given locality can be traced to the very first day that a soul in
that vicinity was saved from sin and quickened to reign with the Lord Jesus
Christ in heavenly places; and this can hardly be adduced at this moment to the
inquirer. However, the glorious morning light of truth which touched planet earth at
the first advent of the Messiah was obscured from human view through apostasy
and divisions in the dark and cloudy ages. While the evening light of truth shone
brightly around the American shores in the late nineteenth centuries, its beam
was sighted about six decades later somewhere around the Nigerian town of
Tombia, located in the Niger Delta region; and the reflection of the evening
light in that part of the world was not by the physical effort of any human
emissary from America, but by the sole divine influence of the Holy Spirit.
In the early 1900’s, there was an ignorant fisherman in Nigeria who gave his heart to Jesus Christ. That made him a member of the Church of God although he had never heard of the church. This man, named Benson Taylor began to minister and God revealed the wonderful, pure truths of the Bible to him. A congregation, named “CHURCH OF GOD” was raised up which made them part of the visible body of Christ, as the Word and Spirit were operating in their full capacity. Subsequently, this brother came into contact with some of the pioneer brethren from the Church of God reformation in the United States. They were teaching the same thing and had the same spirit. Both groups of people then were the visible body in different locales. Once they made contact, there was a unity that spontaneously flowed between them.
In the early 1900’s, there was an ignorant fisherman in Nigeria who gave his heart to Jesus Christ. That made him a member of the Church of God although he had never heard of the church. This man, named Benson Taylor began to minister and God revealed the wonderful, pure truths of the Bible to him. A congregation, named “CHURCH OF GOD” was raised up which made them part of the visible body of Christ, as the Word and Spirit were operating in their full capacity. Subsequently, this brother came into contact with some of the pioneer brethren from the Church of God reformation in the United States. They were teaching the same thing and had the same spirit. Both groups of people then were the visible body in different locales. Once they made contact, there was a unity that spontaneously flowed between them.
Late Brother Benson Taylor
and a few associates of his in 1946 had separated themselves from the Faith
Tabernacle sect in Tombia in the present River State of Nigeria. The Faith
Tabernacle was then considered a safe haven for those seeking God’s help in the
town. But the Lord shook the foundation of the sect, and many of His children
came out of the ruins, happy and salvaged.
They began to preach the
light God had revealed to them within Tombia and its environs. Without any
previous knowledge or human direction, they were used of the Lord in
establishing the church of God fully in Tombia in 1948 with Brother Benson
Taylor as Pastor. They depended on the Lord for the name of the church and
found the name written in several verses of the Holy Bible (Ac 20:28, 1Co 1:2;
10:32; 11:22; 15:9, 2Co 1:1, Gal 1:13 and 1Ti 3:5). They made every effort to
stick to the Bible alone for doctrine with the help of the Holy Spirit. In due
course, the Lord brought them in contact with some missionaries from America
who labored in line with the vision given to Brother Daniel S Warner since
1880. It was a great joy for the Africans to know that the Church of God had
since returned from the wilderness of Babylonian captivity, and that many
saints had labored to restore the truths of the early morning church. This is
the same body of truths which came fully from heaven on the day of Pentecost,
but fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they
should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days (or prophetically
reckoning each day for a year, Nu 14:34). These 1260 years or prophetic days of
Papal dominion had spanned through the years 270 AD and 1530 AD. Immediately after
the popery heyday came “another beast… up out of the earth”, having “two horns
like a lamb”, and speaking “as a dragon” (Rev 13:11). This protestant power
held sway over the ecclesiastical heavens for three hundred and fifty years
till the evening light started shining in 1880 AD (Zechariah 14:7).
In the year of the Lord
1961, one Late Brother B U Etuk accepted God’s call and was instrumental to the
springing up of the church in Asana, his native home and its environs in the
present Akwa-Ibom State of Nigeria. Through God’s divine providence, they got
in contact with the saints in America. In response to Brother Etuk’s request,
they came in succession, which credited the Brethren in Asana with the honor of
hosting the first missionaries of the church of God to Nigeria in 1963. The
work flourished with subsequent visits of missionaries, but was limited to that
area. More of the mission work of the American brethren can be obtained from http://www.africamission.com/
Late Brother Titus Enu was
also said to have embraced the gospel in 1965 while in Benin City. He had the
privilege of meeting late Brother Cecil C Carver and his wife, May, who arrived
Benin from Asana fields for Gospel work in that memorable year. Bro Enu, being
converted, was baptized by Bro Carver before returning to America. God used Bro
Enu in establishing His church in Benin City. The church flourished before The Nigerian Civil War. The army of
darkness crept in unawares. Then came one Benson, a former member of the
Assemblies of God sect, who was said to be under discipline in his former
ministry; he was given a right hand of fellowship among the saints in Benin.
But the work of God in Benin suffered some set back as a result of the Nigerian
civil war, which erupted in 1966. Bro Enu, being from the Kwale stock, which was considered kin of the Ibo Tribe that was seceding from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was
forced to flee to his home town in Ndokwa Local Government Area. Coming back to
Benin after the war, he was dismayed to find out that the beloved Brother
Benson (who is now also late) had taken over the church, and had introduced the
Pentecostal and Word of Faith doctrines, centered on material prosperity. His fame
took over the land in few years, registering the church with the government and
establishing branches within and outside the country. The heart-broken Brother
Titus Enu soon returned to his hometown to continue the ministry work, leaving
the church in Benin for brother who had been accepted as head among the congregants.
The name of the church was
revived in Benin City in the early eighties when some zealous brothers, who had
heard about the travails of Brother Enu, went round the old saints in
restoration efforts. This effort was undermined by poor knowledge of truth on the part of proponents of the
restoration movement, who may be regarded as unskillful in dividing the word of
truth rightly, being in need of teachers and guides. The experienced leaders of the church were limited by a
number of factors such as want of resources to cover a vast portion of mission
outside their locales and lack of acceptance of their ministry by the new
comers who came in with an underdeveloped perspective of the sublime elements
of the visible body of Christ. The major leaders of this new move are men who
hold a contrived understanding of leadership in the church, such like was condemned of Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 20:26, Mark 10:43 and Luke 22:26. Thankfully the Lord
is now raising few souls among them who dare to stand for the right to look not to men but commit the keeping
of their soul to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. These redeemed ones have been wonderfully helped by the Lord to understand that the
As a result of doctrinal differences
several groups that answer the name “church of God” in Nigeria could not remain
united but parted through the years.
This lack of cohesion among the groups is heavily sustained by the unwillingness of many to fully consecrate their hearts to the desire of Christ for His church on earth,but allowing satan to multiply sects in the name of God's church;
as well as the activities of several bodies in the United States who lay claim the same name but do not adorn the wholesome doctrines of the Holy Bible, as well as the conniving deeds of some Nigerian ministers, whose hearts have been exercised with covetous practices, having forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. Another party includes groups who may not have deviated due to financial inducement from overseas, but have been led captive by the devil through ignorance and pride; they are ignorant because they have not been patient enough to learn of the Lord and His faithful servants, and proud because they think themselves somewhat, having a special position in the body that would not condescend to be taught. These groups are content with the name of the church but deny the right of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to operate among them in their full capacity, having exalted and magnified the rule of men in the place of the government of Christ Jesus who is the true head of the body (Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:18). There are some who even operate in a way that could be described as cultic, because of the undue control and influence they have on their congregants. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (2Timothy 2:19).
This lack of cohesion among the groups is heavily sustained by the unwillingness of many to fully consecrate their hearts to the desire of Christ for His church on earth,but allowing satan to multiply sects in the name of God's church;
as well as the activities of several bodies in the United States who lay claim the same name but do not adorn the wholesome doctrines of the Holy Bible, as well as the conniving deeds of some Nigerian ministers, whose hearts have been exercised with covetous practices, having forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. Another party includes groups who may not have deviated due to financial inducement from overseas, but have been led captive by the devil through ignorance and pride; they are ignorant because they have not been patient enough to learn of the Lord and His faithful servants, and proud because they think themselves somewhat, having a special position in the body that would not condescend to be taught. These groups are content with the name of the church but deny the right of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to operate among them in their full capacity, having exalted and magnified the rule of men in the place of the government of Christ Jesus who is the true head of the body (Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:18). There are some who even operate in a way that could be described as cultic, because of the undue control and influence they have on their congregants. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (2Timothy 2:19).
The Word of God is still
growing mightily and prevailing, as sincere souls are being saved and kept by
the power of God from spiritual Babylon, pledging their allegiance to the Lamb
of God, and rejecting every human creed wherever they are found. There are now
several congregations in Akwa-Ibom, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Imo, Lagos State and a handful
of others in the South-Western and Northern parts of Nigeria. Camp meetings are
held every year, with members from various parts of the country and beyond,
congregating in venues which are changed from year to year. God’s children keep
themselves occupied daily in the work of the ministry and in earthly labor, to
minister unto their necessities, and unto needs of others, looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen!
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