BIRTHING REVIVAL

The famous Oke Oye revival in South West Nigeria was a product of intense prayer that started in 1918 at Ijebu Ode, South- west of Nigeria. In 1918, a group of believers in Ijebu Ode, South Western Nigeria started praying earnestly for revival. They devoted themselves to serious united prayer for one purpose- revival. In their time, churches were syncretic and what they had was cold formal religion. They were persecuted by their denomination because they were different from others as they manifested the gifts of the Spirit. The answer to their prayer came in 1930 when Apostle Ayo Babalola came on the scene. The popular Oke Oye revival was a notable revival in West Africa. Young Babalola had been praying intensely since 1928 for revival. The Spirit of prayer was upon this humble servant of God. He could pray down a storm. When revival broke out in his time, lukewarm Christians became flaming hot for Christ and the lost found their way to the cross. The revival swept communities and rid them of idols.

The labour that birth revival is a silent labour but the fruit is seen by all. When revival comes, you don't need to announce it, people will see it. Revival announces itself. A friend once told me we can't have such revival again. I told him we can. If individuals are revived, we can birth corporate revival if we pray. Though the pentecostal experience was promised but we were told that: "They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus." They could have sat doing nothing because of the promised outpouring of the Spirit. Yet, these devout men and women connected to heaven in prayers as a united entity. The Spirit of revival came upon everyone of them in that upper room like cloven tongues of fire and they all spoke with new tongues(Acts2:1-4). The impact of their prayers didn't stop there. We were told that on the same day, Peter preached and 3,000 were added to the church. It was not Peter that made altar call, it was the people that asked: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). They came under a deep conviction because the preaching of Peter was Spirit-inspired and baked in the oven of prayer. One vital secret of life transforming preaching is prayer.

United prayer was the key that the early church used to take territories. Acts4:31 says, "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." Hallelujah!!! If their united prayers shook the meeting place, it must have dismantled the kingdom of darkness in their locality. After that prayer meeting, they declared the word of God boldly. When revived men join hands in prayers, impossibility gives way. oh! we need revived men to be united in the place of prayer. The Church that is willing to see revival will never joke with United prayer. The Christian that want to experience revival must not be far from his prayer room. The generation that want to experience revival must have prayer altars erected in the hearts of men. No prayer, no revival. Revival is birthed through the prayer labour of holy men.