I want to go historical with my teaching today. In Nigerian church history, there were two men who had a unique apostolic calling after the era of Apostle Babalola. Both of them were praying machines and operated in strange miraculous gift. The mandate upon their lives was apostolic in nature. They were to pioneer a movement. The first one came from Anglican background, later, he joined Cherubim&Seraphim. He observed the C&S has deviated from the bible in some areas, so he started a prayer fellowship. Later, he was kicked out of that fold.

He was influenced by Apostolic Faith and that helped to shape his doctrine. Later, the Lord gave him a name the church will bear in a revelation. The man could not write but he was able to write what the Lord showed him. Today, the church  he pioneered now have a global spread in over 100 countries  of the world. The Lord told him the church will be in existence till he returns. He saw multitudes shouting Halleluyah. That vision has come to pass today especially when the G.O. of that church says, "Let somebody shout halleluyah".

However, restitution was one of the price he paid for an enduring ministry. He was a polygamous man when he met the Lord and when he was called into the ministry. As he began to learn doctrine, he discovered it was unbiblical for him to keep more than one wife and still be in the ministry. He went through the process of restitution and put his house in order for him to have a lasting ministry. Today, that ministry is over 70 years and he has gone to be with the Lord but his protege, Pastor E.A.Adeboye,  is still carrying on. God has used him to grow the church- Redeemed Christian Church of God.

The second man I mentioned earlier was called into the ministry in the 60s, he was educated and wealthy. His private school was the first to run shift in Nigeria because he was heavily patronized.  He was one of the best If not the best in his era. He was the first man to bring foreign Evangelists to Nigeria from America. He invested heavily in Evangelism and missions.

Some of the topline pentecostal preachers and founders today in Nigeria had a stint with him either through invitation or by way of ministerial association. He was no push over in his time and era. As at the 70s/80s, his branches were almost in all regions of the country as far as the north. I was born into this apostolic movement. This is my boyhood church. It is the church where my dad got born again in 1972, where he met and married my mother. Both of them were discipled there.

This revered preacher  had a band of evangelists he equipped with buses and instruments for inter state and regional evangelistic work. He sent some as far as North East of Nigeria, some to the east , some to the south and others to the west. God used him to pioneer many churches. He was an apostle because he broke new grounds almost everywhere he went. His church was a church where all the nine gifts of the Spirit were in operation. Even lay men were spiritual giants.

Unfortunately, the church is no more. I am not sure his headquarter church still existed. What was the problem? He was a polygamous man who failed to restitute properly. When confronted with the subject of restitution, he'll become defensive. At best, what he did that was close was that he divorced some and remarried serially until he had about eight wives as I heard. He tried to maintain one wife per time but after a while, he would send her out and bring in another.

Before he died, his ministry labour of many years ruined in his eyes. His children sold churches he built, they fought to the point of incarceration. His family life messed up his ministry. Painfully, history has forgotten him yet his calling and work were genuine. Just a little disobedience to God's injunction of monogamy ruined all that. I know another church founder with 14 wives. He is long dead but his ministry is still in shambles till date. They always have a court case and have become Christopagan.

Dearest, the polygamous man called into the ministry either five fold or help ministry has no option than to restitute If he wants to have an enduring ministry. God who in his wisdom mandated monogamy for his servants knew what he was doing.