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Spirit of Revival Sweeps Across Nigeria

       One of the most exciting letters received in the twenty-nine history of the prayer seminar ministry is one dated July 31, 1989, from Panya Baba, president of  the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA), reporting on what had been happening there since our November 1988 prayer seminars. Let’s let him speak for himself.

      Greetings from Nigeria in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus. Since you left, some good things have happened. There has been a great development and ECWA has begun to feel the experience of revival as a result of your prayer seminar ministry and the work of the Holy Spirit. The ECWA Plateau DCC Executives who attended the your seminar together with Rev. Onesimus Sule, the pastor of ECWA Seminary, Jos, arranged a Pastors’ Seminar for the DCC with prayer as the emphasis. Many pastors were blessed as the Holy Spirit touched their hearts. There were a lot of confessions about their shortcomings, wrong doings, ill feelings to each other, unfaithfulness, and the sin of prayerlessness with a lack of prayer for themselves and their ministries. All the pastors returned back to their local churches with a new zeal and vision. Some even apologized to the members of their churches their past unfaithfulness in the Lord’s work, especially lack of honest prayer.

 

      The Plateau DCC Revival proceeded to affect the ECWA Local Overseers consultation that took place in February, 1989. About 200 Local Overseers confessed their sins, shortcomings, unfaithfulness to the Lord’s work, even with tears. There was a great renewal and deeper commitment to serve the Lord. At the same time, ECWA found herself being challenged by the religious groups who are secret society and Muslims, who joined together against ECWA. Having seen the movement of the Holy Spirit in revival, the whole ECWA set up one week of prayer and fasting March 6-12. As a result there was a revival in many local churches as members joined their hearts to call upon the Lord. Many things were put right between each other and the Lord. Confessions were made about many kinds of sins with tears. The brother love of Christ returned between many members. Some stolen things were returned back. Even some who owed money or other things to their brothers felt so guilty that they had to sell some of their possessions to pay back their debt and make peace with their brethren and their Lord.

      We really thank God tor the taste of this kind of revival which we believe was based on prayers. And we would like this to continue in every local church in ECWA. It is time for us in this nation. We have received a similar report from three more Districts which had their prayer seminars last month.

      Now ECWA’s proposed strategy for church renewal or revival is as follows:

        1. To train and educate every ECWA local church to become a praying church;

        2. To motivate every ECWA local church to adopt the concept of full-time prayer job;

        3. To disciple members of ECWA into a prayer-life attitudes so that prayer becomes the centre and lifestyle of the members of ECWA.  

[Rev. Baba continued his letter by listing the steps that were being taken to carry out the strategy which included Onesimus Sule’s becoming the full-time prayer coordinator for the ECWA churches as we had reported in earlier Doorkeeper Reports. He will be provided an office in ECWA’s new headquarters building.]

 Conclusion

       Let us know if you will be available to come again sometime next year for further advance or the same prayer seminars. We shall be very much appreciative if you still come and help us because we believe the strength of the Church and the whole nation lies on prayers. … Keep praying for us that God’s will be done. We praise the Lord and thank Him for using you to contribute toward the revival in ECWA. We pray for the Lord’s more blessings upon your ministry, too.

Yours sincerely in His service,

Signed: Panya Baba

ECWA President

 

“Do it again, Lord!”

DECEMBER 3-22

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