Breaking the impossibility barrier: the African Hero of 9/11
On 9/11 1938, an African hero was born. His name was Benson Idahosa, and he forever changed the face of Christianity in Africa. He was a man that was different from the beginning, and history will remember him for placing Africa, Nigeria, and Benin City on the world map, and in the process, becoming a true African hero for doing what was previously thought impossible.
History is full of people who did the impossible.
It was said that man couldn't fly; but the Wright brothers broke that barrier and showed that beyond flying, man could soar above the clouds.
It was said that you couldn't put a man on the moon; it took a whole nation, but the USA broke that barrier.
They said racial segregation was normal and that blacks and whites could not live together. Martin Luther King broke that barrier as he spearheaded the Civil Rights movement.
Most people that we celebrate as great today broke barriers that were indeed said to be impossible; but these people did it once in their lifetimes. Archbishop Idahosa didn't just break one barrier, he broke many, and he made a career of doing impossible things. Over, and over, and over again.
He believed everything was possible with God. He joked that while people struggled to be parliamentarians, he did not have to struggle to be a "possibilitarian." He would say, "Decree a thing today, it shall be done, the Lord shall honor it..."
He based his faith on the following scriptures:
Mark 9:23
To him who believes, ALL things are possible.
Mark 11:22-24
22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
He gave us phrases and book titles such as:
If your faith says yes, God will not say no.
You are God's battle axe.
From zero to surplus.
Faith can change the world
The faith that changed his life helped him break the impossibility barrier over and over again.
He was born poor. He didn't wear his first pair of shoes until he was 18. To make money as a young boy, he delivered newspapers early in the morning and worked as a 'barrow boy,' in the afternoons, helping people carry their purchases from the market. However, he was able to rise through faith, to become one of the most prominent Nigerians of the century. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He heard from his pastor that Christians could raise the dead, so he did. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He was Africa's first pentecostal Archbishop. He broke that barrier.
He wanted to build a "stadium church" with the capacity to seat 20,000 people, while having only $10 in his account. But by faith he built it and it still stands today.
When it was time to roof the building, they told him it would be impossible to roof a round building of that size. By faith and with the wisdom of God, his team of architects got the freestanding roof to up and it has stood for 30 years now. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He wanted to conduct a Gospel crusade in Lagos and fill Tafawa Balewa square. They said it had never been done before. He filled it with one million people and they called it "The Crusade of the Century." He broke that impossibility barrier.
He wanted to have children, but his physicians said he and his wife were not physically capable. Today 4 biological children (born before the era of in-vitro fertilization) live as proof that he broke that impossibility barrier.
In 1977, God spoke to him to him to start Nigeria's first private University, and the next day, he bought the land for it. Private universities were illegal in Nigeria at the time. But he persisted and lobbied and talked and prayed. Today, Benson Idahosa University is one of Nigeria's top 3 private universities. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He broke other barriers in the educational sector with All Nations For Christ Bible Institute, by the year 2000, All Nations had trained and graduated over 10,000 pastors. Along with his wife, they started Word of Faith Group of Schools. Word of Faith remains a premier education brand in Nigeria with over 100 branch schools (franchises) around the country.
Today, because of the barriers he broke, we ALL can stand on his shoulders as sons.
Today, we have a president of Nigeria who says he had no shoes as a child, but that he was able to rise through adversity to occupy the highest public office in the nation.
Today we have Africa's first female Archbishop in Archbishop M.E. Benson-Idahosa.
Today men of God like Reinhard Bonke come to Africa to hold large crusades and see God raise the dead.
Today, Archbishop Idahosa's sons like Bishop David Oyedipo build churches that hold 50 thousand people, and build private universities to educate the populace.
Today, his sons like Pastor Chris Oyakhilomen fill stadiums for Gospel campaigns on a regular basis.
Because of the barriers he broke in education, Nigeria now has 50 private universities, and almost every church has a group of schools and a Bible school.
He was a true African hero indeed, and one worthy of emulating.
But in the midst of the celebration of this hero, the real legacy of his life will be left by you...
Which impossibility barrier are you facing? How many of them do you plan to break?
Let your life expand the legacy, let your living promote it.
Fear or faith, which will you choose? Fear will make you cower. Faith will make you rise above. You can break impossibility barriers and become the next real hero, not just of 9/11, but a hero for eternity.
On 9/11 1938, an African hero was born. His name was Benson Idahosa, and he forever changed the face of Christianity in Africa. He was a man that was different from the beginning, and history will remember him for placing Africa, Nigeria, and Benin City on the world map, and in the process, becoming a true African hero for doing what was previously thought impossible.
History is full of people who did the impossible.
It was said that man couldn't fly; but the Wright brothers broke that barrier and showed that beyond flying, man could soar above the clouds.
It was said that you couldn't put a man on the moon; it took a whole nation, but the USA broke that barrier.
They said racial segregation was normal and that blacks and whites could not live together. Martin Luther King broke that barrier as he spearheaded the Civil Rights movement.
Most people that we celebrate as great today broke barriers that were indeed said to be impossible; but these people did it once in their lifetimes. Archbishop Idahosa didn't just break one barrier, he broke many, and he made a career of doing impossible things. Over, and over, and over again.
He believed everything was possible with God. He joked that while people struggled to be parliamentarians, he did not have to struggle to be a "possibilitarian." He would say, "Decree a thing today, it shall be done, the Lord shall honor it..."
He based his faith on the following scriptures:
Mark 9:23
To him who believes, ALL things are possible.
Mark 11:22-24
22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
He gave us phrases and book titles such as:
If your faith says yes, God will not say no.
You are God's battle axe.
From zero to surplus.
Faith can change the world
The faith that changed his life helped him break the impossibility barrier over and over again.
He was born poor. He didn't wear his first pair of shoes until he was 18. To make money as a young boy, he delivered newspapers early in the morning and worked as a 'barrow boy,' in the afternoons, helping people carry their purchases from the market. However, he was able to rise through faith, to become one of the most prominent Nigerians of the century. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He heard from his pastor that Christians could raise the dead, so he did. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He was Africa's first pentecostal Archbishop. He broke that barrier.
He wanted to build a "stadium church" with the capacity to seat 20,000 people, while having only $10 in his account. But by faith he built it and it still stands today.
When it was time to roof the building, they told him it would be impossible to roof a round building of that size. By faith and with the wisdom of God, his team of architects got the freestanding roof to up and it has stood for 30 years now. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He wanted to conduct a Gospel crusade in Lagos and fill Tafawa Balewa square. They said it had never been done before. He filled it with one million people and they called it "The Crusade of the Century." He broke that impossibility barrier.
He wanted to have children, but his physicians said he and his wife were not physically capable. Today 4 biological children (born before the era of in-vitro fertilization) live as proof that he broke that impossibility barrier.
In 1977, God spoke to him to him to start Nigeria's first private University, and the next day, he bought the land for it. Private universities were illegal in Nigeria at the time. But he persisted and lobbied and talked and prayed. Today, Benson Idahosa University is one of Nigeria's top 3 private universities. He broke that impossibility barrier.
He broke other barriers in the educational sector with All Nations For Christ Bible Institute, by the year 2000, All Nations had trained and graduated over 10,000 pastors. Along with his wife, they started Word of Faith Group of Schools. Word of Faith remains a premier education brand in Nigeria with over 100 branch schools (franchises) around the country.
Today, because of the barriers he broke, we ALL can stand on his shoulders as sons.
Today, we have a president of Nigeria who says he had no shoes as a child, but that he was able to rise through adversity to occupy the highest public office in the nation.
Today we have Africa's first female Archbishop in Archbishop M.E. Benson-Idahosa.
Today men of God like Reinhard Bonke come to Africa to hold large crusades and see God raise the dead.
Today, Archbishop Idahosa's sons like Bishop David Oyedipo build churches that hold 50 thousand people, and build private universities to educate the populace.
Today, his sons like Pastor Chris Oyakhilomen fill stadiums for Gospel campaigns on a regular basis.
Because of the barriers he broke in education, Nigeria now has 50 private universities, and almost every church has a group of schools and a Bible school.
He was a true African hero indeed, and one worthy of emulating.
But in the midst of the celebration of this hero, the real legacy of his life will be left by you...
Which impossibility barrier are you facing? How many of them do you plan to break?
Let your life expand the legacy, let your living promote it.
Fear or faith, which will you choose? Fear will make you cower. Faith will make you rise above. You can break impossibility barriers and become the next real hero, not just of 9/11, but a hero for eternity.
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