THE PROPHECY

In 1970, when Geoffrey was in his third academic year, the University of Ife moved from Ibadan to the main Campus at Ile-Ife. By then he had gotten the Rivers State Government Scholarship so that paying school fees was no longer a headache. He now had more than he needed to fuel his academic ambitions. Everything was moving just fine.

Then one day, Pastor S.G. Elton came to minister in the Campus Fellowship. Pastor Elton was an elderly British missionary residing with his family in Ilesha in the then Western Region of Nigeria. Elton had been an engineer, a broadcaster and a royal confidant, living in a sixteen-bedroom mansion. In the eyes of the world he had everything going on for him but before God he was just a sinner lost without Christ. Then one day one young lady came and preached the gospel to him. He was convicted of his sins and received Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, he became born-again. That young lady was to later become his wife. He once jokingly said that he compensated her for leading him to the Lord Jesus Christ by marrying her.

In 1934 through prophecy he was called by God to Africa with emphasis on Nigeria. He did not disobey the heavenly calling; he gave up all things (his social status and worldly possessions) for the sake of the gospel. In 1937 he left his native England for Nigeria where he settled in Ilesha which at that time could be described as a village. At first his home church ruled that the dark continent of Africa was not where a man should take his family and so he should go alone. But after much prayer he and his wife were convinced that God wanted the family together in Africa and so she came down with their only child, baby Ruth. They settled down in Ilesha for the rest of their lives, leading very simple lives as they served God and laboured for His kingdom. Ruth was to grow up to become a missionary too but her call was to the northern part of Nigeria, where she laboured, reaching the unreached in those Northern villages with the gospel.

Pastor Elton had many encounters with the powers of darkness in Yorubaland but God gave him victory over them and he was an instrument in the conversion of thousands of people including native-doctors (witchdoctors). After serving his Mission for seventeen years he was led to start an independent ministry in 1954 through which he could reach out to a wider field. Pastor Elton was a prophet of God and was well known in Christian circles for his prophetic utterances. He was a father and mentor to virtually all the pioneer Pentecostal and evangelical Ministers whom God raised up in Nigeria in the early 1970‟s. He could rightly be called the father of Pentecostalism and Evangelism in Nigeria. He was fondly called “Pa Elton” by most Christians in Nigeria in deference to his position as a Church father.

The spiritual burden of this nation was so much on Pa Elton that he did not cease to call on God day and night for Him to raise up Nigerians that would carry the gospel to their own people. He seemed to have had a special burden for the old Rivers State (now Rivers and Bayelsa States). Talking about that burden several years later in the 1980‟s, he said, “Each time I thought of Rivers State, the immorality there, the powers of darkness gripping the State and holding the people in bondage, there would be such a great burden on my heart. I cried and cried to the Lord to raise up a man for that land (Rivers State)”. And smiling, he continued, “So when I met this young man (referring to Geoffrey Numbere) and I got to know that he is from the Rivers State, I got interested (excited).”

That night, at the University of Ife Campus Fellowship, as Pa Elton was ministering, he suddenly paused and started pointing to somebody in the auditorium saying, “You there! You there!” Everybody started turning towards the direction of his finger to find out who it was. He kept on pointing and saying “That boy! That boy there!” Everybody sitting along that direction, Geoffrey inclusive, started eliminating himself, each hoping he would not be the one. It was like when the Apostles were asking Jesus at the last Supper, “Is it I? Is it I?” Geoffrey never knew he was pointing at him or least expected that he could be the one, so he was very much relaxed.

Finally, Pa Elton got at him where he was sitting, again this time, (as on 11th May 1969) at the very back of the auditorium. “Youuuu!!” Geoffrey almost jumped out of his chair with fright, “What sin have I committed?” he wondered.

Pa Elton was such a prophet of God that he could see through people and tell them exactly what was in their minds. For somebody to be pointed out from the crowd by him could be quite a frightening experience for the person involved. As Geoffrey came out, Pa Elton began to prophesy, ―”Yes, you are a young man from the Rivers State. You, the Hand of the Lord is upon you. God is going to call you and send you to your people. His anointing is upon you, and you shall be a mighty instrument in His Hand.” He then told Geoffrey he would like to see him after the fellowship ended.

After the fellowship, Geoffrey stayed back to see Pa Elton. He repeated God’s message to the young man and told him to come over to Ilesha to see him for further discussions and prayers. Geoffrey however did not take the prophecy seriously for he was an ambitious young man who wanted to have degrees in many fields of life. All he wanted at that time was to get his degrees in Geology or Petroleum engineering, not to be a preacher. He was only a brand-new Christian and knew next to nothing about God calling people to serve Him, so Pa Elton’s prophecy meant absolutely nothing to him. He was too engrossed in his academics to bother himself about anything else. He therefore made no attempts to go to Ilesha to see the man of God.

On his own side, Pa Elton was not the kind of person that would cajole, threaten or pressurize anyone into believing his prophetic utterances, for time and events would prove God’s servant right. He knew Geoffrey did not believe him but he left him with God for the Lord Himself would have to reveal His plans to Geoffrey at His own time and in His own way.

Life continued as usual until in 1970, mid-way in his third academic year in the University, something happened to him which entirely revolutionized his life, and the man Elton and his prophecy now took on a new meaning to him - he received the call to serve God full-time – HE SAW A VISION THAT HE WOULD NEVER EVER FORGET.

 Culled from “A Man and A Vision” by Nonyem Numbere. For inquiries visit Crusaders’ bookshop