Brief History

Brief History

An inspired man of God once said, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” These days I see the body of our Lord Jesus Christ in Nigeria and elsewhere, grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground, having neither form nor carnal attraction for the worldly ones that they may desire her. But, in truth and in spirit, Mount Zion, the Church of the living God is beautiful for situation, and is the joy of the whole earth. The church in Nigeria, the virgin daughter of Zion has put on her beautiful garments, adorned herself with her jewels, as a bride adorned for her husband.

According to Brother Fraide Naths-Igbanibo (who currently serves in Port Harcourt congregation) to the best of his knowledge, the church sprang up in Nigeria in three different locations. Late Brother BensonTaylor and a few associates of his in 1946 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. They made every effort to stick to the Bible alone for doctrine with the help of the Holy Ghost. In due season, the Lord brought them in contact 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 years). These 1260 years or prophetic days of Papal dominion had spanned through the years 270 AD and 1530 AD. Immediately after 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 (Zechariah 14:7).

Bro Michael Smith of the Guthrie congregation in the US has this to say about Brother Benson Taylor: “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 began to minister and God revealed the wonderful, pure truths of the Bible to him. A congregation 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.”

It is on record that late Brother B U Etuk also 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, in 1961. 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.

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 war. One Benson, a former member of the Assemblies of God sect joined the congregation in Benin. He was given a right hand of fellowship among the saints. 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 Ibos that were seceding from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, had 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 amiable Brother Benson (who is now late) had taken over the church, introducing the Pentecostal sectarian doctrines, and changing the name of the church. His fame took over the land in few years. He climbed the ladder of world reckoning, dining and wining with the high and mighty in the land. He specialized in the so-called prosperity gospel, which is no gospel at all, but is inspired of and centered on the world, and therefore the world received them.  We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God does not hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error (1John4:5, 6). The late Benson, loving to have the preeminence among mortals, took on titles like “Reverend”, “Arch Bishop”, etc (such titles are especially reserved for the only One whose name is Holy and Reverend, according to Psalms 111:9. Also 1Peter 5:4 shows that there is one already addressed as Arch Bishop, which convey the same meaning as the word Chief Shepherd, and He has said that we are all brothers, and should not be called masters or any such exalted titles, according to Matt 23:8. But Mystery Babylon the great is full of blasphemous titles and names, according to Revelation 17:3). Till this day, the sect is a household name in Nigeria. However, the Mountain of the Lord’s house is established in the top of the mountains of sectionalism and is exalted above the entire denominational hills put together, and all nations of them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, flow into it (Isaiah 2:2). The work of God in Benin City was set to continue years later under the labors of Brother Isaiah Onyetube and others.

After the war, late Bro Titus Enu was posted to his native area of Kwale in the present Delta State of Nigeria by the Nigerian Post Office Authority. He resumed the work of God there.

Through Divine providence the three brothers of the various congregations in Nigeria met themselves in due course. Brother Taylor and Brother Etuk met on one hand while Brother Enu and Etuk met on the other hand. Fortunately again all the three corresponded with the Faith Publishing House, though Taylor and Enu never met until 1976. Their correspondence with the FaithPublishing House was very significant. This is because, as the “servant of the church” and the custodian of the works of the pioneers and pillars of the evening light reformation, the establishment has stood firm for the publishing of the gospel truth. Undoubtedly, the truth is considered a very vital instrument in the proper rooting of the church. It is therefore observed a great privilege indeed for these fathers of ours to have come in contact with this publishing outfit early, as their work of publishing cherished truths of the gospel on which Christ church is founded, has never been equaled till date. However, nothing was known of their coming together for the promotion of oneness of the believers and to carry the church to national limelight in Nigeria.

Brother Tom Melot, an American Evangelist of the church after many years of recess, came to Asana in 1975. He traveled through Asana to Tombia (the first missionary to visit the Tombian church) and then to kwale. His visit offered the opportunity of renewal of communication among the brethren in these three localities.

Brother Titus Enu was invited to the US in 1976, where he attended a number of camp meetings. According to him, while in the US, he read about the works of Brother Benson Taylor in Tom Melot’s report which was publicized in the Faith Publishing Office. He was touched; and based on advice, he made a prompt visit to Tombia with a number of people on his return from the US. He was impressed with the church’s firm stand for the truth on a number of doctrinal issues that were discussed.

It was a happy meeting indeed. For Brother Taylor, this union was God’s answer to one of his long-standing prayers. He had desired God’s children working together as one entity in Nigeria. Bro Titus Enu returned to his station but not long before he had proposed a ministers’ meeting aimed at maintaining a common understanding of the gospel of Christ in which the Church could lunch out. He was ordained to oversee the work of God in that meeting in Tombia. This was the beginning of national activities of the church in Nigeria.

The first National Camp Meeting was held in Abbi, Brother Enu’s home town. More came to the light and embraced it. The second camp meeting was in Tombia and was attended by many more from different congregations in the country. Both meetings ended fruitfully with the heavenly spirit of love working refreshingly and marvelously in their midst. However, Asana congregation was conspicuously absent in all these activities.

Sadly, this new found oneness and love was to undergo a recess until a much later time. Works of different kinds of spirits through affiliation with sects were noticed in some quarters. People newly converted from sects who were yet to be grounded in the doctrines of the church were made pastors. The spirit of pride came in with the promotion of men. Bro. Taylor, before passing on to his glorious reward, warned against affiliating with people from sects in our meetings. But unfortunately, his timely warning was not heeded by some who regarded wise counseling as confrontation. The enemy came in privily to spy out our liberty and sow tares. Some periodical publications from doubtful and divisive groups in the U.S. also made an in-road amongst the brethren in Nigeria. The steadfastness of some dear ones in the gospel preached by the pillars of the evening light reformation began to wane. In fact, some denied the light they had gladly received. In its place they embraced works that cast shadows on their light. Some began to teach their own opinions in lieu of the gospel of Christ. They could applaud the works of Bro. D. S. Warner and his associates, but would not imbibe the Spirit of God with which they had labored to keep the light of God on. Some read about their works through the Faith Publishing House publications and momentarily rejoiced over the revelation of the glorious light but soon abandoned it for more attractive presentations. There were others who presented their personalities rather than the image of the first born of God – Christ Jesus the Savior, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who alone loved us and gave His life for our salvation. Some became disciples of men rather than Christ’s through the perversion of the gospel. There was confusion and the sheepfold got scattered. Some ran into the midst of grievous wolves that were ready to devour them.

The last camp in Kwale, the third at the national level, which some had hoped would be the ground for solving of some problems, was conducted under dictatorship, not under the unction of the Holy Spirit. So we lost the blessing of God and the spirit of oneness. Different groups emerged on divergent bases; some were even on tribal basis.