AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING:

Key Note Address Delivered By Apostle G. D. Numbere, The International Director, Greater Evangelism World Crusade (GEWC) On The Occasion Of The 40th Anniversary (Sept. 9, 1972 - Sept. 9, 2012) Celebration Of The Ministry September 1st - 9th , 2012

The theme of this anniversary is, "As it was in the beginning." This is also going to be the theme for Greater Evangelism World Crusade in the year 2013. On this occasion of our Ministry's fortieth (40th) Anniversary, I deem it necessary to send you greetings and to CONGRATULATE you on the twin attainment of Age forty (40) and the production of at the least forty generations of Christians. Like any family, there are those who began the family line (progenitors) and there are those who were born into the family, generation after generation. That has been the story of GEWC forty years down the road (Sept. 9, 1972 - Sept. 9, 2012). 

Though every year of these forty years has not been equally productive, no year has been barren of spiritual children. For this we are most grateful to God. Permit me in this address to eulogize (praise very highly) the original generations and therefrom to challenge the present generation. Over time, some of our brethren who were part of the original generation have gone home to be with the Lord, such as: Matilda Emmanuel, Sarah Darwin, Esther Alatoru, Victoria Lawson, Lolo George, Drucilla Kpabari, Matilda Edoo, Emmanuel Amabibi, Garrick Inomo, Rosamond Papanye, Settle Amachree, Millicent Loloo, Mama Hannah Emmanuel, Chief Paul Reuben Awo, Victoria Okonny, Alfred Cookey, the eleven brethren that drowned at the Degema hulk, Mammy Numbere (who produced me) to mention but a few. They have left indelible memorials in the annals of the history of this Ministry. They, like David, "- - - after they had served their generation by the will of God, fell asleep …” (Acts 13:36)

It is pertinent to state that what follows hereunder is by no means exhaustive of all the events and incidents that occurred. Time indeed will fail me to mention all the prices that generation paid - the persecutions they endured, the sacrifices they made, the humiliations and deprivations that were meted out to them and the privileges they forewent to sustain the Vision and Spirit of the Ministry. Some students were forcefully removed from their school, their parents denying them school fees. Some were thrown out of homes and jobs. Some young believers were chained and locked up in toilets and starved with the aim of breaking their spirit and thereby forcing them to decamp from the Ministry. Such parents were utterly disappointed. No sooner did they regain their freedom than they returned to Fellowship!

Wives suffered the indignity of being locked out of their homes together with their children. Others were divorced outright and their cars and businesses confiscated. Pregnant women were beaten, tortured and thrown out of their matrimonial homes naked together with their children, leading to their migration to other States where the brethren received them, clothed them, cared for them until they gave birth.

Parents came into Fellowships and forcefully pulled out their children, shouting, beating, kicking and stripping them naked at the same time. Some of them when they died, their corpses were forcefully seized by relations and given heathen burials which of course mattered nothing because "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints" (Psalms 116:15); and, 'The wicked is driven away in his wickedness but the righteous hath hope in his death" (Proverbs. 14:32). In the New Testament we read in Luke 16:22 "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; the rich man also died, and was buried." The souls of these saints are resting in the bosom of the Lord despite.

We were stoned, we were maligned, we were attacked with machetes, we were shot at with guns but God protected us. All sorts of juju and charms, and curses were thrown at us by medicine men, witches and wizards but such had no effect on us. These evil men and women were disappointed and frustrated together with their accomplices. Church and State accused us falsely as setters of confusion in society and slandered us greatly. We were rejected and abandoned by our fellow Christians. Some members of the Scripture Union (SU) of Nigeria in particular publicly denounced us and would have nothing to do with us. Other brethren had trials of cruel mocking and scourging, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment in Police cells. Yet others paid the supreme prize with their lives!

Once again I say, time will fail me to mention many more of the persecutions and indignities we suffered but endured. Suffice it to say that in all these things, the Lord saw us through without our faith shaking for one moment. We pressed on with the Truth in the midst of a perverse and crooked generation and we have continued to this day what we started forty years ago. The challenge to the present generation of Greater Evangelism World Crusade.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) in his immortal lines in his "Psalm of Life" wrote:

"A PSALM OF LIFE"

1.   Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal;

      "Dust thou art, to dust returnest," Was not spoken of the soul.

2.    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way;

       But to act, that each to-morrow, Find us further than to-day

3.   In the world's broad field of battle. In the bivouac of Life,

       Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!

4.   Lives of great men all remind us. We can make our lives sublime,

      And, departing, leave behind us. Footprints on the sands of time;

5.  Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate;

      Still achieving, still pursuing. Learn to labour and to wait,

 "Lives of great men (and permit me to add, and of women) all remind us. We can make our lives sublime, and departing, leave behind us footprints in the sands of time."!!! Those early generations did just that. They indeed left behind their footprints in the sands of time, footprints indeed that need to be followed and emulated.

In Psalm 22:30 God said, "A seed shall serve Him, it shall be accounted unto the Lord for a generation." A seed shall serve Him and it shall be accounted unto the Lord for a generation. That "seed" that shall serve Him is that line of Longfellow of "lives of great men all remind us - and departing, leave behind their footprints in the sands of time;" that "seed" was that generation in Greater Evangelism World Crusade that has gone by and has left behind its footprints in the sands of time!

"One generation passeth away and another generation cometh- "says the Scripture. (Ecclesiastes 1:4). Verse thirty one of (Psalm 22:31) says, "They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be borne that He hath done this." Longfellow urges and I urge you too, let this generation, your generation, "be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; still achieving, still pursuing learn to labour and to wait."

God promises us help: "And even to your old age I am He, and even to your hoar hairs will I carry you; I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you" (Isaiah 46:4) and in Malachi, "I am the Lord, I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Malachi 3:6)

I like the explanation given to Psalm 22:30-31 by Matthew Henry, [commentary on the whole Bible.] "That the Church of Christ, and with it the Kingdom of God among men should continue through all the ages of time is God's will. A seed shall serve Him; there shall be remnant, enough to preserve the Eternal Truth. They shall be accounted to Him for a generation. He will be the same to them that He was to those who went before them…” He has been so indeed to me from the beginning and up to this present day, for He promised me, "you are safe in all your journeys." God is a promise keeper!

Matthew Henry continues, "They shall come (that seed, that generation), rise up in their day, not only to keep up the virtue of the generation that is passed, but to serve the welfare of the souls in the generation to come. They shall transmit to them the gospel of Christ". Matthew Henry is talking about your generation!

Press on then, beloved, press the Full Gospel through to your generation as David did to his generation and as I your father, Apostle Geoffrey Dabibi Numbere did and it shall be with you “As it was in the beginning”.

In conclusion, I would like to refer you to - (Hebrew 13:5)

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content, with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" - (King James version).

"Let your conduct be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have for He has said, I will not give you up nor desert you" - (Modern Language version).

"Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God, has said, "1 will never, never, fail you or forsake you" (The Living Bible version).

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have for He has said, I will never fail you nor forsake you". (RSV)

How shall I express my gratitude to God for all His faithfulness to me? How best shall I conclude this address? I shall do so in the words of Isaiah the Prophet, "For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." (Isaiah 25:4)

I went to no man to launch or sponsor Greater Evangelism World Crusade Ministry. God alone who gave the Vision in first place did and He has been sufficient for all her needs ever since and He shall continue to be. (Philippians 4:19) "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus." Yes so shall it be, in Jesus Name. Amen and Amen.

Apostle G. D. Numbere (International Director)

Culled from "Selected Sermons and Speeches of Apostle Numbere, Vol 1" compiled by Pastor Nonyem Numbere. For inquiries, visit our bookshop.

Editor's Note

Apostle Geoffrey Numbere passed on to glory, October 14th, 2014. Before his passing, he named Pastor Isaac Olori as his successor. This appointment was done on 14th December 2014, during the thanksgiving service for the burial of Apostle Numbere.

FOREIGN MISSIONS

In the vision that the Lord gave Apostle Numbere the work was to be in three phases – Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world. Deep in his heart, therefore, there had always been this burden for Africa. Although he had been a guest speaker in churches and conferences in Kenya, Ghana and Liberia, he knew that that was not just what his call was all about. He needed to get down to the grassroots, meeting the people at their level in order to give them the gospel. He needed God’s leading and instructions on where and how to start. He visited countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, prayerfully scouting for openings but it was not until February 1994 that the Lord opened the door to Africa.

UGANDA
The first door to be opened was that of Uganda, “the Pearl of Africa”, through one of our elders, Christine Wifa, a Ugandan by birth. Uganda, he found, is a very expensive country to live in. It was also not an easy place to penetrate with the gospel because of her very stringent laws for the operation of Churches. Moreover, the Nigerian ministers there had fallen into disrepute because of their materialistic tendencies and gospel.

He stayed a few weeks in Kampala and was able to establish a baby Church there. Thereafter he went back to Nigeria to return to Uganda in the December of that same year with Ministers Evangelist Yohanna Biliyock and Pastor Pakribo Warmate. These two Ministers worked selflessly and tirelessly to re-establish the Church and to get the Ministry registered. God rewarded their efforts and the Ministry got through the various stages of registration. Unfortunately Pastor Warmate’s wife died at home and he had to be recalled, leaving only Biliyock to carry on with the work. The work pattern in Uganda was to be the same as in Nigeria – going to the downtrodden with the gospel. Apart from Kampala, we now have Churches in Kyegegwa, Iringa, Karama, Bwerayangi, Kyarijumba, Kyemengo (“the Church in the forest”), and many other villages in the interior of Uganda. 

Uganda is a mountainous country and its villages lie hidden, tucked away up the rocks and mountains. There are no roads, only footpaths and the villages are far away from one another. Evangelist Biliyock was able to break through to the jungles of Uganda. Apostle Numbere went with them down to the villages to visit with the people; interacting with them, eating with them, sleeping with them, as well as teaching them the Word of God.

To get to the heartland of these villages they had to use motorcycles. They had to ride up the mountainside, down through the valleys, brushing through bushes with hanging branches and stems flogging them as they passed, leaving whip-marks all over their arms despite the long-sleeved shirts they were wearing. Some places were too high for the motorcycles to climb so they had to get off their bikes and trek up the mountainside, pushing the bikes along as they climbed. You can imagine how tedious and energy-sapping that was. The footpaths were muddy and slippery because of the rains and many times they fell off their motorcycles. Thus they travelled for miles and miles through no man’s land, but no matter how arduous the journey was, they did not turn back; they always reached their destination.

Moving from one village to the other took hours. By the time they got to a village they would arrive there very tired, very dirty and completely broken down, but the scene they would meet there would so challenge their hearts that they would forget about themselves and their condition. At every village they went to, they would find the people gathered in great numbers from their numerous hamlets, waiting patiently for them. Whole families– fathers, mothers and children, would be there. The Word of God was scarce in those villages and they were hungry for it. They would therefore stay there as many days as you wanted, ready to hear the Word of God, day and night. Therefore in each village they visited, they had fellowship throughout the day and all through the night every day of their stay there. They had no kerosene (paraffin) or gas lamps so the night fellowships were held in almost total darkness. All they had were small oil lamps similar to what Nigerians call “Biafra lamp”.

He found the people in abject poverty, living in mud and thatch huts, neglected by both the Church and the civilized world. They did not even have common white salt: what they had as salt was very brown. There were no hospitals, pharmacies, dispensaries or medical stores and so when they were sick they depended only on God; for even the smallest of injuries could easily turn into festering wounds. In one of the villages, Apostle Numbere was given a “Vono” spring bed. The people could not afford mattresses or pillows so he had to spread his wrapper (cloth) on it so he would not be injured by the bare springs. Even the bed was a borrowed one. For a carpet, they cut elephant grass and placed on the floor and then they placed an animal skin on it as a bedside rug. All this was because they regarded him as a very important person so he was given this special treatment. It was the same story in all the villages they went to. In some places, there was no vono bed for borrowing or rental and in some places there was no sleeping space in which case they had to sit on their chairs all through the night. 

“Bathroom” was merely an enclosed space over bare ground but because he was an important guest they cut plantain leaves and placed on the “bathroom” floor for him. In one of the places when he saw the water they gave him to bath with, he shrunk back, “Jesus!” he exclaimed. As dirty as he was from the mud and the dust that got on him as he travelled, his body was cleaner than the water! For a moment he was like Peter in the vision of the animals when he said, “Lord, I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” Then the Holy Spirit spoke to him, “But this is what these people have been living on”. That was enough chiding for him. He said, “Lord, thank You”. He then had a full bath, pouring the water all over him, from his head down to his very toes. The soap could not foam but he did not mind any longer. As he toured the churches in those remote villages his spirit was lifted up with gratitude to God. “Thank you, Lord” he prayed. “This is the vision of the Ministry, a forgotten people, a neglected people are now having the gospel. Blessed be your Name.”

The Ugandan mission has taken giant strides. God has brought in trusted nationals such as Pastor Nansikombi to join us and carry on with the mission. Together with Evang. Biliyock they have laboured tirelessly and we now have thirty eight Churches in Uganda, most of them located in the villages.

RWANDA
In 1998 Evangelist Biliyock moved to formally establish a Greater Evangelism Church there. The year 2000 came and Apostle Numbere visited Rwanda from Kampala. What he saw there broke his heart, particularly after he visited Nyamata, one of the largest pogrom centres. The pogrom in Rwanda was such a terrible one; what they have as war relics are museums all over the country, containing nothing but the skulls and bones of those who were murdered, each centre containing skulls and bones of about thirty to one hundred thousand victims. 

Apart from being sad that so many lives were wasted, Apostle Numbere could not help wondering as he saw those bones, “How many of these people knew the Lord Jesus before they were murdered?” The thought of the hundreds of thousands that the devil had hurtled into a Christless eternity added to his grief. He also found so much bitterness and hatred in the hearts of the Rwandans–the Hutus against the Tutsis and vice versa. So much was the bitterness that nobody ever preached about forgiveness. God so brought Apostle Numbere’s preaching on forgiveness to bear on the hearts of the people that at a point they started weeping. They wept as they struggled within their hearts to forgive those who had wronged them so much.

One night after he had ministered, a lady came to see him. She told him of the great struggle she had had in heart after hearing his sermon on forgiveness. She said, “Please, I need you to tell me what to do, I want to forgive but I can’t. For you to understand my situation, please let me tell you my story first”. She said that during that ethnic war, her husband and all her children were killed in her presence after which the men went on to rape her violently. She had no idea how many raped her for they were so many. They raped her until her waist broke and she died, and even after she had died they continued raping her corpse. She did not know how she came back to life but she had contacted AIDS as a result of this. She went on with her story, “Inside of me I appreciate what you preached, but how do I go about it? I do not know what forgiveness is because every day that I wake up and find myself alive, I have things in my body telling me, “Somebody did this to you!” I do not even know those men; but I hate everybody!”,  he sobbed. “I hate everybody; I do not want to hear the names of tribes. I just hate everybody!”

Apostle Numbere could not hold back his own tears. He wept along with her as she poured out her heart. She had been broken in her body and broken in her soul and spirit by her fellow human beings. God gave Apostle Numbere the wisdom to minister to this broken woman. He said to her, “Sister I understand your state of mind. I understand, but look, the Lord said, „Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” Even if all those men that did this to you were around, you are but a weak young lady, can you fight any of them? They have destroyed everything that mattered in your life. They have given you a sickness that is incurable. Yes, on this side of life, they have damaged you irreparably. Human beings have made you lose out on this side of life. 

Would you also allow human beings to make you lose out on heaven? The Lord said if you do not forgive them that you would not be forgiven. It means you will also lose heaven. Would you like to lose on both sides? Why should you lose here and also lose heaven? Do not allow man to make you lose heaven. I know you are a human being. I feel for you, I feel like you do. Who would not feel the way you feel? But this is the very thing you must not allow to make you lose heaven. Since the Lord said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay”, leave the vengeance to Him. If only you can say, “Lord, I leave everything in your Hands; I forgive all those people,” God’s grace will heal these festering wounds in your heart. And after the days you have to live here on earth you will go into the presence of Jesus Christ where you will know no more pain. All these things will not be there in heaven. You will not have AIDS in heaven; you will not be without your uterus in heaven; you will not have a broken waist in heaven. There will be no damage to your life and to your body. Jesus will take care of all that. You will be free!”

She started crying again and he started crying with her. As he ministered, the Holy Spirit came in and removed her burden. She heaved a sigh of relief, brightened up as a small smile broke out on her lips and crept across her face. “Thank you”, she told him. “This is what I needed to hear. I will obey. Now I forgive them – whoever they are”.

To the glory of God, Greater Evangelism World Crusade has spread to other countries like Benin Republic, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Cameroon, lifting the faces of people to Jesus.

Culled from "A Man and A Vision" by Nonyem E. Numbere and "I Forgive, For My Sake" by Ap. G. D. Numbere. For inquiries, visit our bookshop.

KULA - A SATANIC KING BOWS TO JESUS

The island of Kula was much farther down the Atlantic Coast than the other places they had been to. Though Kula was distant and remote, Apostle Numbere was determined to get the gospel across to them. Numbere had to make contingency plans for the pythons too, for this was python land, so he co-opted into his field team a brother nick-named “Apatti” (pronounced ah-pa-tee) who used to claim he was adept at eating snakes, especially pythons!

Narrating this incident, Apostle Numbere said,

“The interesting thing about the incident at Kula was that God decided to match the enemy, action for action. I often dramatized my sermons to impact on the people that idols were powerless. In Kula, it was like I knew what the king was doing, for I was led to dramatise my sermons more than ever before. Using the juju items the people had given up as they got saved, I dressed myself up in the full regalia of a juju-priest and exposed the powers of darkness. It was like a mockery, a daring on Satan and his agents, especially the king, to do their worst. God swept aside all the powers and made them into nothingness.

The campaign to Kula proved to be one of the most hazardous, yet most exciting trips we had in all of our Sea Campaigns. It was a battle royal in which the Lord Jesus showed His Supremacy and Satan was subdued. On 4th December 1976, we left Ke by 5:00 p.m. for Kula. Our only means of transportation was a dugout canoe to which we had attached a small engine. The engine was not in a good condition so our movement was quite slow. It turned out to be a windy day. The first channel was quite rough and we wondered what the open sea would look like. We knew it was definitely going to be much rougher out there in the San Bartholomew River.

As we were about to burst out from this channel we could see the sea stretched out there before us. It was so terribly rough and windy. The waves were high and frightening as they rolled and billowed. The scene therefore was a terrible one. I was at the tail end of the boat and I could read fear, anxiety and concern on the faces of my Ministers who were mostly young boys and girls.

I could understand their fears. Nobody ever dared to attempt to cross those seas whenever they were that rough. Faced with imminent danger, the best thing would have been for us to turn back, but how could I? The boat we were using was a rented one and if we did not travel to Kula that day we would lose the money we had paid and we did not have money for a second charter. Besides, I was prepared to die for the gospel, even if it was for just one soul out there in that far away island. So we had to go on. We moved into the first sea into the full brunt of the storm and the raging sea. As we were being tossed up and down, to and fro, the seawater was fast entering into the boat and sooner or later we were going to sink and perish in the sea. However, I was not afraid: I was calm in my spirit. Led by the Spirit, I picked up my Bible and carefully found my way to the front of the boat by walking along the edge of the boat. I stood in front of the boat, raised my Bible to the sky and over the sea, and I began to pray, “Lord Jesus, I know that you died for the whole world, and there are souls out there in Kula and I know that you died for them too. I have never been to Kula, but I heard that they are idol worshippers; they worship snakes and they do not know you. And here am I, Lord, I’m taking the gospel of salvation to them but here I have this obstacle of the wind and the sea. Lord I know that you did rebuke the wind and the sea and they obeyed you. I have read in your Word and I know You have not changed so please, Lord, quench this raging tempest for me”.

At this point I began to rebuke the wind and the sea, “Lord, in the Name of Thy Dear Son Jesus Christ, I rebuke this wind and I rebuke this sea!” I had hardly finished speaking when the wind and the waves “died”. The entire sea became calm, cool, and as placid as glass! Indeed God does not change, has not changed and will never ever change. I turned to look at the faces of my Ministers. I could see smiles and confidence on their faces. Peace and calm had returned to their spirits and to their hearts. I put my Bible under my right arm and found my way back to my seat. Thus we were able to cross that first sea without any further incidence. It was a wonderful experience.

We thought that was the end of hitches in our journey. We did not know that that was only the first obstacle. By this time it was dusk and darkness had started creeping in. We entered into the second channel but because we did not know the sea-lane, mid-sea our boat ran aground on a rock. We had to roll up our trousers and the sleeves of our shirts, jump into the water to heave and push our boat off the reef. Now the danger in that was that the sharp surface of the reef could have cut our legs giving us serious injuries and we did not even have a first-aid box with us, or there could be some sharks lurking around in the water. Blood from any injury on any of our legs would have been a perfect trail for them to have had us for their meal. Worse still, our boat could have been badly damaged and we would have been stranded in that sea that night. Who knows what would have been our fate if that had happened? But that same God Whom we serve protected us and delivered us. We succeeded in pulling our boat back into the water and moved on again.

Finally, we arrived at the waterfront of Kula in the night. Here again was a third obstacle. This time it was not inclement weather or hostile natives, it was an attack by mosquitoes! Generally the villages were infested by them, so we were used to being bitten by mosquitoes.  The mosquitoes at Kula waterfront were something different. They came upon us like an invasion army, very much like the plague of flies in Egypt. They were so many that they flew into our eyes, into our nostrils, when we opened our mouths they flew right in; and they bit us right through our clothes. We had to slap our faces, ears, and the rest of our bodies as we tried to kill them but the more we slapped our bodies, the more the mosquitoes that swarmed on us and the more terrible their bites. The attack on us was so vicious that though it was night already, we almost turned back. Again the desire to preach the gospel pushed us on. The Lord gave us the grace to endure and we finally got all our things out of the boat and moved down to our lodge (a school hall with half walls) which was nearby. Eventually, we settled down and after our evening devotion we all went to sleep totally exhausted from the long journey and from the day’s experiences.

We found Kula to be such a citadel of idolatry that it was a place of “pilgrimage” for most juju worshippers in Rivers State. They went often to revive or appease their gods especially the python-god which was called, Adum. The entire island was full of idols and juju shrines so much so that the people built bigger and better houses for their idols than their personal homes. They built cement-block houses for their idols while they lived in mud-and-thatch huts.

The Amanyanabo (King) of Kula, King Sara II, gave us his courtyard for our Crusades. For the next three days, December 5th to 7th, we stormed Kula with the gospel. Each night the Lord moved mightily in our midst. Many were saved, many healed, many were delivered of evil spirits, and many gave up their idols. The whole island was turned upside down for the Lord Jesus Christ. King Sara himself was not on the Crusade ground with the others, rather every night he sat on the balcony of his palace, which was directly over me, and watched keenly while I ministered to his people. I did not consider this strange, for being the king no one would expect him to sit among his subjects.

On the morning of 8th December, being our fourth day on the island, I was in the lodge when my men ran in to tell me that the king had come to the lodge and wanted to see me. When he came he introduced himself, “I am the king of this place”. I rose up and respectfully greeted him, “Your Royal Highness, Sir!” After he sat down on a school desk, he began to talk, “Like I said, I am the king of Kula. I am a very powerful man and no man or woman dares to cross my path. If a pregnant woman offends me, I can destroy the child in her womb. If any man offends me I easily destroy him. My subjects know my powers and they all fear me”.

That was definitely strange boastful talk and from a king! The scepticism on my face must have been too obvious, for at this point he paused, “You seem not to believe me,” he said, “I want to ask you a few questions so you can have a little idea of who I am”. “When you were coming here did you run into a storm?” he asked. That definitely was not a guess for we did not tell our experiences to anyone there. I was puzzled but all the same I replied, “Yes,” but somewhat whimsically. “I raised that storm”, he told me. Then came his second question, “When you got into the second channel, did your boat run aground?” At this point, I sat up for I realized that there was truly something uncanny about him. Again, my reply, “Yes!” and his comment, “I caused it”. Yet a third question, “When you arrived at the waterfront, did mosquitoes attack you?” By this time I did not need any further evidence of his mystical powers. It was the same “Yes” and “I caused it”.

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, for how could he possibly have known all these things without being told? Was he as powerful as he claimed to be? I was soon to find out. He continued to speak while I listened attentively: - “Through my magic mirror I saw you and your team as you were coming. I did not want you to come here and preach the gospel. I used my magical powers and raised the storm, caused your boat to run aground and had to cause mosquitoes to invade you at the waterfront so you would turn back, but you endured the mosquito bites and came ashore.

Do you know why I gave you my courtyard for your Crusades? It was because I wanted to use my magical powers to paralyze and kill you. On the first and second nights of the crusade I stood over you and while you were preaching I was making incantations and invoking my juju and occultic powers on you, for you to collapse and die, but nothing happened to you. Instead of getting weaker you were getting stronger as you preached. The third night I went further into my innermost occultic chambers and brought into play all the juju powers I had ever known. But this third night I found you to be strongest. Instead of you getting weak, you got stronger with each passing hour and night after night, I saw my people getting saved, healed and delivered. I saw the lame walking, the blind seeing, and the deaf hearing. I saw the joy on their faces as they received Jesus. Each night I looked around you to see the source of your strength and power but I saw no charms or talisman around you. All I saw was an open Bible. I have come, I too I’m sick. I want to know that Jesus whom you preach and I want to be healed”.

Wow! How do you think I felt? I saw God’s power in action! He told me what his sickness was. He was suffering from cancer of the prostrate, which was at an advanced stage. He was bleeding from that cancer. I led him to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour and I laid hands on him and cursed the cancer. He was healed instantly. He checked himself out; there was no trace of any blood anymore! He was so overwhelmed that he started crying, he cried and cried and could not stop. They were tears of joy. With excitement he invited me to come to his palace to remove all his idols, occultic and magical items. He had been a member of several cults including the Egyptology cult, which he had been in for almost three decades. I took along my team members who took with them knives, shovels and diggers. We spent almost the entire day – from his doorstep, to the ceiling into every room, to every corner of his palace, including his courtyard, we were digging or pulling down one juju or the other, one talisman or the other, one occultic item or the other. He gave everything up for the Lord Jesus Christ. Afterwards the king gave us the town hall for Fellowship. News of his conversion spread far and wide. The island was agog with joy.

And the pythons? My python eater was disappointed. They seemed to have had a premonition because all through our stay in Kula they kept to their holes.”

 Culled from "A Man and A Vision" by Nonyem E. Numbere. For inquiries, visit our bookshop.

RUMUKWURUSHI – THE MIRACLE OF THE RAIN, AND DELIVERANCE FROM SOLDIER ANTS:

Fieldwork was very, very stressful spiritually and physically and equally dangerous. It required great courage, strength and sacrifice, a price only very few were and are prepared to pay. God’s over-riding presence was with him and his Ministry and He confirmed His presence with them through salvation, miracles and deliverances of thousands of people. He was moving at such a pace that within five months they had covered seventeen village groups outside Port Harcourt and its suburbs, and in less than one year they had recorded over ten thousand converts purely from village evangelism. These figures they published in their August newsletter that year. But there was no excitement in his heart. His aim was to evangelize the land within three years which in itself was a lofty aim when one considered the difficult terrain in which he was to labour. There were hundreds of islands and villages in the State with millions of people that needed to be saved. To him ten thousand was a paltry figure when compared to the millions of his people who had not even heard the gospel not to talk of being saved. The number even paled the more when placed beside the crowds that the Lord had shown him in the vision of his call on 3rd March 1970. The burden of fulfilling the vision was heavy on his heart and he did not want that vision to be diverted by man’s figurative calculations. He wanted to go on preaching until he could preach no more.

He therefore had to discourage the gathering and publications of numbers and statistics lest they began to believe they had achieved much for God and become proud and self-conceited. When God gave him the vision, His last words to him were, “I have chosen you but be humble”, words which he has always said he would never, never forget. The desire of Apostle Paul, ―…I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus‖ (Philippians 3:13 – 14) was his desire. And so he pressed on his team and they continued to pursue their goals with great zeal and favour, and the work moved on.

RUMUKWURUSHI CRUSADE

Two spectacular things that God did for them in Rumuokwurushi were, withholding the rain on their behalf, and protecting them from being bitten by soldier ants. That period was rainy season and in Rivers State it does not just rain, it pours. When they arrived in Rumuokwurushi it rained during the first three days of their campaigns. It did not stop them from holding their Crusades but many of the people could not attend the Crusades because of the rains. Also, it was farming season and they had to be away in their farms all day. Their farms were far away from their homes and they had to trek long distances daily. This meant that by the time they came back home it was either they were too tired or it would be too late for them to leave their homes.

When Numbere discovered the reasons for the poor turn-out to the Crusades, he publicly made a decree that there would be no rain on the Crusade grounds. And as the servant of God decreed so it was. God held back the rains from the Crusade ground while heavy rain fell in the rest of Rumuokwurushi and its environs. The people would come back from their farms soaked and drenched with rain only to come within the vicinity of the Crusade ground and find it completely dry. This miracle brought crowds to the Crusade ground, many gave their lives to the Lord, and many were healed and delivered from occultic bondage.

On one of the days it did not just rain, there was a storm. The only accommodation they could get in Rumuokwurushi had been a market shed right in the middle of the market square. They had had to use the Ministry cloth banners to drape round the stakes of the shed to form a wall. The storm came with a heavy wind, heavy rain and terrible thunder and lightning strikes. The cloth walls were torn away by the wind, the Crusaders and everything they had were all soaked with rain, and the ground, which had been their bed was flooded. They stood in the middle of the shed huddled together as the rain pounded away on every one of them. It was in the midst of this storm that the cause of this breach in the wall of their divine protection was discovered. Unknown to the men, there had been a disagreement among three of the girls over food. As a result the girls had had a terrible row. All along, Numbere had never ceased to warn them of the need for all of them to be in one accord so that Satan would not have a point of entry through which he would come in to attack them. When Numbere heard about the row he was so angry with those three girls that they became frightened and ran out right into the rain in the night.

This now brought a new dimension to the whole episode. The entire surrounding was thick bush except for the AMORC (Rosicrucian) Lodge that was nearby. Like the father that he was, Apostle Numbere’s anger now turned to anxiety about their safety. He had to run after them in the dark stormy night, calling after them. It was now Evangelists Tamunoigbani and Ibama’s turn to be angry. They could not see why their leader had to run after the girls; certainly not after the untold suffering and embarrassment their misbehavior had caused the team. Eventually, he found them and brought them back and they all prayed together. The crisis now over, they spread their wet mats on the wet and muddy ground and they all went to sleep, as usual lying across the mats to create more space for one another.

Fancy sleeping under such conditions! The Lord gave His children sleep and protected them while they slept even as it is written in His word that, "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet...I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety… for so he giveth his beloved sleep” (Proverbs 3:24, Psalms 4:8, Ps 127:2b)

That fateful day had been a market day so the rain had washed foodstuffs such as garri, leafy vegetables and pepper into their shed “apartment”. That night, while they slept on their wet mats on the cold muddy market ground, soldier ants came and invaded the whole market including their shed. The ants built long columns all over the floor, but when they came to the mats on which they were sleeping, they burrowed under the mats and continued their columns after the mats. Not one ant climbed the mats!! What a divine protection that was! They woke up in the morning to find out that they were not only surrounded by those terrible ants, but that they had actually slept on top of them. Evang. Tamunoigbani decided to step out of the mat. He was immediately stung by some of them so he quickly stepped back to his mat. It was a sure sign that that was no ordinary situation but God’s divine protection.

There they were in the cold and mud, the shed littered with the foodstuff that had been washed in by the rain with the accompanying odour, and now soldier ants whose stings could be fatal. And there they were, sleeping in such a terrible environment, just to take the gospel to their people. God in His infinite love and mercy did not allow those ants to attack them and make an already bad situation worse. This sure was a case study of what disunity could cause among brethren.

They temporarily lost their divine protection as a result of discord. You can imagine what would have happened to them with the ant invasion. They would all have been stung to death but God in His mercy intervened and restored them after their repentance, confession and forgiving of one another. After this incident the campaign continued and ended successfully. They established a Fellowship in an uncompleted two-storey building in the village. The converts were so hungry for the Word of God that they did not mind the environment. During fellowships some would sit on blocks, some would stand outside leaning on their bicycles for support, and many more would stand without anything to lean on, yet they all were happy to be in the presence of the Lord.

Culled from "A Man and A Vision" by Nonyem E. Numbere. For inquiries, visit our bookshop.

OUT TO THE FIELD

Having inundated Port Harcourt with the gospel and established a bubbling fellowship there, it was now time to launch out to the deep, what Evang. Numbere termed “Field work”. The “Field” consisted of first, Port Harcourt suburbs and then the rest of the old Rivers State. But how was he to do it? Such a work required a leadership that would be definitive and constructive in its planning.Majority of the population were in the rural areas where the people lived below poverty line. They were so remote from civilization that they had no radios or televisions. The only way to preach to them was to get to them physically. He was determined to take the gospel to them no matter what it would cost him. But he was not going to be a spiritual armchair general; sitting back at home and sending others to go where he could not go himself. He was going to lead his team to places where others dared not go. He therefore decided to assemble a “Field Team” for his evangelical outreaches to the rural areas. 

He also set up an Administrative team, which was to remain in Port Harcourt to man the home-front and back up the field team spiritually and financially. Not that there was much by way of finance though, for his financial supporters were mainly teenage students and the unemployed. He believed that the Church should be involved in the personal lives of people especially, the poor. His ministry was therefore not going to be based on evangelism alone. He desired to fulfill the Scriptures in every aspect of his service to God. He set up a Welfare Committee as a special unit of the Administration to enable people channel their resources to the field team and to the destitute. He then asked each and every one of his workers to pray to know which of the two groups the Lord wanted them to serve in: the field team or the home front, which he called “Base”. That name has stuck with us so that till today every Headquarters of the Ministry is called the “Base”, be it at the zonal or national level. This was in January 1973.

FULFILLING THE VISION: RURAL EVANGELISM

He got a map of the old Rivers State (now Rivers and Bayelsa States), and on 9th March, 1973, with his team of dedicated young men, women, boys and girls; he set out for a systematic evangelization of the whole area. The field team consisted of a few volunteers who were convinced that God had called them into the Field. There were only two male volunteers namely, Fubara Ibama and Nelson Orugbani (now Mpakaboari Tamunoigbani). The rest were ladies namely, Lolo George (late), Kate Bamson, Alberta Abbey, Iloye Major, and Patience Ikula. As time went on, more people joined them in obedience to the call of God. Amidst much persecution, opposition and difficulties these brave young men and women moved to every nook and cranny, to the downtrodden, underprivileged and forgotten people of the numerous islands and villages of Rivers and Bayelsa States. 

It is difficult for one who does not know the topography of the Rivers and Bayelsa States to appreciate the hazards involved in those journeys. These two states are situated in the Eastern Delta of River Niger. The northern part often referred to as the upland region is made up of small towns and villages most of which are inter-spaced between thick equatorial forests. There were hardly any roads so that many of the villages were virtually inaccessible. The south, which is the Delta proper, consists of several hundred islands, with creeks running in between mangrove swamps and rivers and seas emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. 

When Apostle Numbere started his missionary efforts, Nigeria was still in the immediate post-war era. Generally, the few roads that had been there had all broken down and were mere dirt tracks, which were usually muddy and impassable during the rainy season. The suburbs of Port Harcourt namely, Nkpogu, Elekahia, Rumuomasi, Rumubiakani, Rainbow Town, Rumuokwurushi and others, were not the towns they are today. They were villages and were hardly accessible. Even in Port Harcourt, the State capital, most of the roads were in a terrible state. You can imagine what it was like to travel in the State. 

In the early 1970’s when Apostle Numbere set out with his team to the field, there were very few engine boats and speedboats and they could not afford to rent any since they had no money. They had no money, they had no sponsor, they hardly had any clothes, no vehicles, not even a bicycle, and he knew nobody in those villages. They moved out by faith, travelling for three months at a stretch, spending at least one week in every village. They carried no beds with them. All he could afford were two mats, one for the men and one for the ladies. The two mats were insufficient for them and to create sleeping space for all they had to lie not lengthwise but across the mat with their heads and trunks on the mat while their legs stuck out on the bare ground or floor.

At that time spiritually, Rivers State was a region where the powers of darkness reigned supreme, so they were in for a stiff battle. Apostle Numbere and his team had no manuals on spiritual warfare, they had nothing by way of physical comfort but they had one thing–they had a Vision and they had faith in the One that gave them the Vision. Willing to die for the gospel, Numbere and his team faced many hazards working night and day, under rain and sun, trekking through forests and mangrove swamps with their loads on their heads, travelling in hand-pulled dug-out canoes and open-boats, daring the winds and waves of the sea, and fearing neither man nor beast. Sometimes they had to trek through dried up creeks to reach a village, only to return to a swelling creek from an inflowing tide. That meant they had to wade or swim across depending on the water level. They never cared about whether the weather was conducive or inclement for their travels or crusades. Sometimes the devil tried to use elements of the weather such as lightning to attack but God always delivered them. They had power and authority over the elements of the weather, such that if rain or storm or wind or waves came up against them during their Crusades or in their journeys, they would stand and face that weather, and rebuke it. Those elements would obey them and stop and then they would continue with their crusade or journey. Their exercising such authority with resultant effects led to the conversion of many.

The situation was worse in the riverine areas. Transportation was still very much clumsy and expensive like it was in Numbere’s childhood days. There were no bridges linking one island to the other so that the only means of transportation was by water using hand pulled canoes. A few years later came the era of speedboats which are still available till date. But these speedboats are nowhere near the boats used in technologically advanced countries. The Nigerian speedboats are open boats and whenever it rains, passengers are covered with a big tarpaulin (canvass) sheet while the driver puts on a raincoat and stands in the rain to manoeuvre the boat. Those sitting at the sides of the boat would then hold the sheet down while the rest of the passengers would push it up with their hands so that they would not suffocate. They would then travel covered up like cargo and at the mercy of the driver, the only one seeing where they are going.

They often had to trek for miles to streams or water holes, which served as sources of water supply for both human beings and wild animals. The people would go to fetch water in the early hours of the morning or in the afternoon while wild animals would come at night to drink the water. Sometimes as in Nonwa, there were only shallow wells of muddy or slimy water. In some places there was no water except the salty sea water in which case they would pray over it, then drink it, use it to cook, bathe and wash their clothes. To enable them drink it, they would add a little orange squash to the sea water. They drank from these sources without fear believing that God would protect them from water borne diseases, and He did.

They had little or no victuals to sustain their lives. They only had meals when the Lord provided. Many a time they had to go without food and such periods they converted into fasting and prayer time. God did not allow them to die of starvation.

Numbere had to go through all these difficulties to take the gospel to his people.

Culled from "A Man and A Vision" by Nonyem E. Numbere. For inquiries, visit our bookshop.

GREATER EVANGELISM CRUSADE! GREATER EVANGELISM CRUSADE!!

As mentioned before, after Geoffrey obeyed the call, the Lord led him not to Rivers State, but to Northern Nigeria where he sojourned for three years living in Birnin Kudu, Kano, Gumel and Wudil. His stay there could be likened to Paul‟s stay in the Arabian Desert.

GUMEL - LIFE AS A TEACHER

While he was in Kano, Geoffrey obtained a teaching job in the Government Teachers Training College now Advanced Teachers Training College), Gumel. A Muslim enclave in the far desert North of Nigeria, Gumel (now in Jigawa State) was next to Maigateri, a border town between Nigeria and Niger Republic. It was to this Northern wilderness that the Lord sent His servant. The Northern wilderness turned out to be a training ground for him just like Pa Elton had said. There the Lord appeared to him several times, teaching and preparing him for the great task ahead. He was a pioneer staff of the College, teaching English Language and Mathematics, the only Southerner and the only Christian there.

CONVERSIONS, MIRACLES, PERSECUTION
The presence of the Lord was mighty with him. He led many souls to the Lord especially Muslims, and God confirmed His word through signs and wonders. Anyone who came in contact with him was sure to be touched by God one way or the other. With his Muslim converts he started a home Church in his living room. Their first service was held on 28th February 1971, with seven converts in attendance. Founding the fellowship was not easy or smooth sailing. It required great faith and commitment. Eventually his persistence yielded fruit and he was able to have a stable fellowship, which grew steadily. As they grew in number, they decided to move into Gumel town itself. So on 20th June 1971, they held their maiden service in the Gumel Township. Some months later Geoffrey was transferred to Wudil (another wilderness town). But the Lord would never allow His Church to die. Not long after that, Bro. Ogundeji was transferred to Gumel T. T. C.! He now took charge of the young Fellowship. Eventually, Geoffrey handed over this Church to ECWA and it became their Gumel Branch. Many years later it became the Headquarters of ECWA in Jigawa State. The nucleus of this big Church was that home fellowship which Apostle Numbere started and handed over to them thirty-six years ago.

Geoffrey was busy serving the Lord and teaching his students when one day in July 1972, the Lord told him to leave the North for Rivers State, his home State, within the next two days. The day of departure was a sad day for all of them. Christian brethren, especially his converts, were there to see him off at the train station in Kano. It was like St. Paul’s final parting with the Ephesian brethren (Acts 20:36-38). They hugged and hugged him and wept and wept. And as the train moved, they waved and waved and sobbed and sobbed, many of them running alongside the platform until the train finally moved out of sight.

THE STREET PREACHER

Apostle Numbere does not and has never used orthodox methods in his approach to the things of God. Always depending on the Holy Spirit, he has many a time used unorthodox ways to reach out to souls. This in the early days of his Christian life and ministry used to bring a lot of condemnation from the Christians of those days who lacked understanding as to the move of the Holy Spirit. That was Geoffrey Numbere, the soul-winner. He has always placed a premium on the salvation of the souls of men, for the value of a soul is the Blood of the Son of God.

It was in that same manner that he started his Mission, when in 1972 he came down to Rivers State. He did not seek for any known conventional system in order to spread the gospel. Initially most of his preaching engagements were on invitations by a few Christians here and there to minister in Secondary Schools and sometimes in the Scripture Union where he used to attend fellowship.

But his fiery zeal could not be contained by mere preaching engagements. He decided to strike out to the field. He did not seek for any rich man to sponsor his Ministry. Since his people had kicked him out to the streets, the streets became his first mission field. He cared not for earthly possessions or achievements. The only possessions he had in this world were a T-shirt, a pair of trousers, a pair of slippers or shoes and a raffia bag containing his Bible and tracts and they were all on him! He did not have any source of income, nor did he know where his next meal would come from. But these things did not bother him. He had the call, he had the vision, but he believed that “Having a vision is not enough; there must be a commitment to act on the vision - A MISSION.” He had therefore come to Rivers State with a Mission, the Mission to raise up the faces of men and women in Rivers State to look up to Jesus to receive eternal life like he had been told in the vision.

He was so consumed with zeal and so committed to his Mission that he wanted everything in him including his very clothes to preach the gospel. He therefore got an artist to inscribe the words, “JESUS IS LOVE” and “REPENT” on the front and back of his T-shirt respectively. In his scanty outfit and with his raffia bag slung over a shoulder, he struck out to the streets of Port Harcourt preaching the gospel with great passion. He would stand at street corners, or in car parks, bus stops (stations), market places, or by public buildings such as civil service secretariats and banks, and compassion would grip his heart at the sight of multitudes of people moving about in those places. He would begin to cry as he realized that many of those people were going to a Christ-less eternity. He would, with tears in his eyes, tell them about Jesus Christ, His love for mankind and their need to be saved.

You can imagine what a spectacle he must have been with his poor dressing, his tearful face and his “strange message” of being “born-again.” As should be expected, many rebuffed him or simply ignored him, for whoever saw a man, an African man for that matter, weeping publicly? “Men do not weep” is a common saying and belief here. And for what purpose was he weeping? Not that he was weeping because he had lost one dear to him but he was weeping because he wanted people to repent. Wherever had it been preached before that salvation was through Jesus Christ and Him alone? And what kind of young man was this, that instead of going to school or finding himself some gainful employment, he was spending his time weeping and preaching to people to repent from their sins?. “He must be mad”, many conjectured. Some looked at the “mad” young man with pity, thinking that his enemies must have bewitched him “What a pity” they said, “Such a handsome young man! Who must have done this to him?” They queried.

In spite of all these reactions, a few, mostly teenagers believed his “strange” message and joined him, for there was a sincerity and intensity in his eyes, which could not be easily ignored. Also a few Scripture Union members left the Scripture Union (SU) and joined him. They testified that it was his sincerity coupled with the leadership quality they had noticed in him even at that early stage that had attracted them. Naturally, a number of SU members were angry with him over this development, but some later came to understand and accept his call.

On Saturday, 9th of September 1972, in the course of an all-night prayer meeting, in Port Harcourt with these young believers, the Ministry of Greater Evangelism Crusade was born. Apostle Numbere heard the name; “Greater Evangelism Crusade” repeated a number of times by the Lord in his ears. In excitement he shouted “Greater Evangelism Crusade!!! Greater Evangelism Crusade!! I’ve got the name – Greater Evangelism Crusade!!! Greater Evangelism Crusade!!!” He then shared the message with his prayer partners who were bewildered as to the meaning of his sudden outburst. Thereafter the group adopted this “Greater Evangelism Crusade” to be the name of the Ministry. Some of those who were present in that prayer meeting were Elder Eluan E. Akpana, Evangelist Fubara Ibama, Bro. Ben Iloh, (who later became the first deputy leader of the Ministry) and Sister Iloye Major. Some days later the Lord gave the motto, “TO KNOW JESUS AND TO MAKE JESUS KNOWN” to Apostle Numbere.

And precisely on the 6th of December 1972, he was on his knees praying when the Lord gave him the emblem of the Ministry. – THE GLOBE (THE WORLD) WITH THE CROSS SPANNING IT AND DROPPING ON AFRICA WITH NIGERIA IN THE CENTRE. The Vision of the Ministry was clear - Greater Evangelism was to have three main phases in her Mission. The Ministry was to span over Nigeria, Africa, and the rest of the world. Since the work of the Ministry was to start in Nigeria, Apostle Numbere decided to add the name, “Nigeria” in parenthesis to the name God had given to him and so the Ministry began as Greater Evangelism (Nigeria) Crusade. His plan was that whenever the Ministry got into any country, the name of that country would be inserted in parenthesis into the name of the ministry. For example, if they got to Ghana, the name would be Greater Evangelism (Ghana) Crusade. The name Greater Evangelism (Nigeria) Crusade thus became the name of his Ministry for many years.

During the 1975 Conference, the Holy Spirit revealed independently to Bishop Reeves and Apostle Kayo that the Lord had given Greater Evangelism a world-wide scope and that the Ministry should not be confined to Nigeria alone. On Sunday 15th of April, 1975 (the last day of the Conference) during a joint meeting of the Board of Directors and Council of Elders, these two men of God still led by the Holy Ghost, moved a motion that there be a change of name to reflect the world-wide scope of this ministry. It was like the Council in Jerusalem of the first Century Church replayed. The joint council, having confirmed that indeed this motion was of God passed the resolution. By this resolution, the name, “Greater Evangelism (Nigeria) Crusade was changed to “Greater Evangelism World Crusade” and the Director of the Ministry became officially recognized as the International Director of the Ministry of Greater Evangelism World Crusade.

Culled from "A Man and A Vision" by Nonyem E. Numbere. For inquiries, visit our bookshop.