THE MAN OSHOFFA - 41 YEARS ON

Author: International Youth Council (IYC) - @ccciyc

BEFORE THE CHURCH, THERE WAS A MAN.

Samuel Bilehou Joseph Oshoffa. Born in 1909 in Porto Novo, to a Nigerian mother from Imeko, his father made a vow to God that if he was given a son, the boy would be dedicated to God's service.

Oshoffa's life was marked for service long before the Celestial Church of Christ existed.

He was not born into the story of the Church. He became the man through whom the story would begin.

THE CALL CAME BEFORE THE CHURCH.

On 23 May 1947, while praying in the forest during an eclipse of the sun, Oshoffa experienced a profound spiritual encounter. He heard a voice explain the meaning of what he had experienced and direct his attention to the Grace of Jesus Christ.

Months later, on 29 September 1947, during prayer, came the Divine Order that would change everything: He was sent on an errand to preach to the world.

The Church had not yet been named. The structure did not yet exist.

29 SEPTEMBER 1947 - This is where the story changes.

According to the Constitution, the Celestial Church of Christ came into the world by Divine Order on 29 September 1947 in Porto Novo, then Dahomey, through Samuel Bilehou Joseph Oshoffa.

The instruction was clear: Preach. And through his ministry, miraculous healing would testify to the message that God had sent him.

The Church's name itself was later revealed through Alexander Yanga, who, while in a seven-day trance at Oshoffa's residence, wrote: "EGLISE DU CHRISTIANISME CELESTE" - Celestial Church of Christ.

A name. An assignment. A Church.

*HE DIDN'T HAVE A CHURCH. SO GOD STARTED WITH HIS HOUSE.*

In the first week of October 1947, only days after the Divine Order, Oshoffa received the instruction to found a new Church and begin it right there in his house. And that is exactly where it began.

Not with a cathedral. Not with a massive crowd. Not with an elaborate institution.

A house. A calling. A willing man. From that beginning came the worship, songs, practices and spiritual order that would define Celestial Church of Christ.

Never despise the size of your beginning.

*FROM PORTO NOVO TO NIGERIA.*

The Church grew. It spread through communities in Dahomey and eventually reached Lagos through fishermen from Gbaji, around 1951.

Oshoffa initially hesitated to come to Nigeria. But during Passion Week in 1951, he finally travelled to Lagos with Moses Ajovi. What followed became a turning point.

The Church began to grow rapidly in Nigeria, and Makoko became one of its defining centres. By 24 November 1958, the Church was officially registered in Nigeria.

What began in one man's house had become a recognized Church.

*THE MAN DIED. THE ASSIGNMENT DIDN'T.*

Oshoffa's story is bigger than the man himself. He gave his life to an assignment he believed came from God. He preached Christ. He established a distinct order of worship. He raised leaders. He built a Church.

And what began in Porto Novo in 1947 became a worldwide spiritual community.

So the question for us is no longer: "Who was Oshoffa?"

The greater question is: *"What will we do with what he handed to us?"*

*THE MAN, OSHOFFA. THE ASSIGNMENT CONTINUES.*

Pastor Samuel Bilewu Joseph Oshoffa

1909 - 1985

The Man OSHOFFA (Author: International Youth Council (IYC) - @ccciyc)