#BRParentsoffaith

Is there any Nigeria Christian that has not heard about CAC before? Or has not heard about “Ọlọ́run Babalola” before?

Apostle Joseph Ayodele Babalola was born on April 25th, 1904 in Odo-Owa, Oke-Ero local government area of Kwara state, Nigeria, to Pa David Lawani Rotimi and Madam Martha Talabi Rotimi. He was the first General Evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC).

Babalola is the founder of the Christ Apostolic Church, a major branch of the Aladura movement, the praying or prophetic (aladura) churches which begun to spread across the continent in the 1920s. This had a strong root among the Yoruba tribe, especially with the rise of the Cherubim and Seraphim Society. In the 1930s, Babalola, began traveling across Nigeria and into Ghana, attracting crowds and performing healing ceremonies. Unlike the Zionist churches, which appealed to the poor and marginalized of the colonial society, the Aladura movement appealed to urban workers.

In September 1930, Babalola was credited with raising a dead man to life. From then on, with bell and Yoruba Bible in hand, he toured Yoruba land and eastern Nigeria, preaching about repentance, and renunciation of idolatry
the importance of prayer and fasting, and the power of God to heal sickness.

Another fact about him is that, Apostle Babalola would pray for days unstop. According to some of his disciple, he sometimes stood for seven days praying to God nonstop. Another interesting scenario of his prayer style is that Babalola’s shortest and briefest prayer was about 3 to 4 hours. It was remarked by Elder Abraham Owoyemi of Odo-Owa that the prophet regularly saw angels who delivered divine messages to him. An angel appeared in one of his prayers and forbade him to wear caps.

As a prophet, Babalola did not desire to marry. However, the church counselled him on the basis of what people would be saying, if he did not marry. The elders of CAC considered it an embarrassment for their leader to marry a single mother. Hence, they led him to marry a bachelorette they picked, Dorcas.

On July 26th, 1959, Apostle Joseph Ayo died at Ede, Osun State, and was buried at the Grave Prayer House Mausoleum in Effon-Alaiye, Ekiti State.

He was one of the first and few prophets of God that had the grace to know when they would die, as he predicated his death in 1957 for his disciple at ikere Ekiti during his three days fasting and prayer with them. Before he started the ministry, there was prophecy that he was going to work for God for just 30 years before he would be called upon by God. He took the full ministry after his baptising in 1929 at the age of 25 ages and died at the age of 55 years in 1959, and that same year his ministry clock 30 years.

Though he died several decades ago many christians still pray with his name. Whenever they pray and add Olorun Joseph Ayo Babalola, Olorun 1930, they are referring God of Joseph Ayo Babalola and the God of 1930.