For had they known, I mean, those who are called to be priests and shepherds of God’s people, they would have effectively resisted the great and overwhelming darkness surging into the church today.

Many years ago, before the advent of Christianity, Satan, demons and various deities were worshipped by people all over the world. Although ignorant people speculate that Christianity is an American religion, the truth, however, is that apart from the Jews who worshipped Jehovah, America and the entire world were in idolatry before the coming of Christianity in their lands.

Because of extreme and firmly rooted idolatry, planting the gospel and building churches was not an easy task for early missionary churches and movements. They had many battles and opposition to their work. They battled demons, demonic customs, opposing men and kingdoms. They proved without a doubt that Jesus is the Lord over the local deities before anyone listened to them.

Pioneer Pentecostal churches are those apostolic and grassroots churches that break the dark hold upon communities using evangelism, preaching, teaching, prayer and a display of the raw power of God. When communities entangled by idolatry and worship of demons get liberated, delivered and shown light, they embraced them and gave them lands to plant churches.

Many churches of today are harvesting the labour of pioneer churches. They sow on already broken and flourishing grounds without much opposition, battles and trials.

For instance, with good funding, anyone can go to Lagos, Nigeria and establish a church. And with good preaching and solid state equipment, gather men. They may not require heavy-duty power outing, the kind that was used to break the dominion of demons when Pentecostal pioneer churches first arrived to till the ground of ancient Lagos.

The real demons and strong men have been ousted; even charlatans can plant and grow churches today.

But without the presence of God and provable Spirit manifestation, pioneer churches would have failed, especially those that came to destroy the dark hold.

Not all pioneer missionary churches came to liberate communities from darkness.

Some used money, welfare packages, compromised standards and deceitful syncretism to buy off opposition so they could stay. Some were genuine but without power. And because they couldn’t do anything against the dark forces, nobody troubled them. So the lands remained in darkness even though there were churches in them.

When Apostle Paul arrived in Ephesus for missionary work and church planting, he moved to salvage the nation from the worship of Diana and demons. Pentecostal gospel insists that light must shine into all the systems of a people. Jesus is the Lord of the earth, not just the Lord of the Church.

In Nigeria, the mother pioneer Pentecostal church that broke many grounds for what we enjoy today is the Assemblies of God Church. On their labour, many modern churches prosper today. There are other pioneer Pentecostal churches in the nation as well, like the Precious Stone Church (Christ Army) in the South-West, Nigeria.

Planting a church in a dark, remote world where demons, marine spirits, and witches are revered is indeed a commendable task. However, even more commendable is the effort to keep the church. Planning on how we will endure till the end is better than planting a church that will eventually die.

Go to many Western nations and see that churches die. Eventually, they become the dust of years and the ghost of memory.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Like 14:28-30

Jesus speaks not only as a teacher but as one appointed to carry out God’s plan on Earth. God does not begin a work that He is not certain to complete. While we are eager to spread the gospel and to establish churches in godless and dark places, we must ensure we can endure while also keeping those conquered areas alight and burning.

We have heard stories about how churches were planted and established in places that people feared to enter because of the spirits that resided there. Many early churches, like those planted by the Assemblies of God Nigeria, were established in former shrines and altars of demons.

The planting of these churches was done by men who carried an enduring Pentecostal fervour. But they not only planted those churches, but they also built a structure that kept the defeated forces far away from the church, allowing the church to thrive spiritually and physically.

So that in the former days were times when occult forces feared the signboard of Assemblies of God churches in Nigeria. It was reported that occult forces do not attempt to use the streets Assemblies of God Church was planted.

We heard stories that during some services, people would be seen jumping out through the window of the church. Those who tried to infiltrate the church experienced firsthand what they had been told.

In their services, all kinds of sinners were exposed by the members who had the gift of prophecy. There was an unusual aura associated with the Assemblies of God. As a result, the church thrived in every aspect.

Note: This post is not written to speak good or bad about the Assemblies of God. But because they have made a name as pioneers of Pentecostalism in Nigeria and Africa. Because they are the most eloquent groundbreakers in church planting, they are the perfect example to address the topic of this discourse.

Yes! Satan’s forces had in the past tried to infiltrate Assemblies of God churches, but the structure they had could endure against the pokers of the enemy.

In a later post, if the Lord permits, I will write concerning the Angel of Assemblies of God, Nigeria, whom I have been with in a trance and what he told me. He is the Angel of the great move of God upon that very Church.

I call him the Angel of God’s presence. He was there when it all started. He was there to strengthen the church, to help them and to show them signs. But he was not there because of men, but because there was a spiritual structure that supported him.

This structure was implemented by my father, who pastored for many years in the Assemblies of God Nigeria, and I did witness strange things under his pastorship. Under him, Pentecost Sundays were a thing unlike today.

There was a day an occult man visited our church – AGC Ohabiam 1, Aba. He just returned from Lagos, and it was during our regular Tuesday Bible class.

Just as we were about to make prayers for closure, he suddenly took off and ran straight into the wall, hitting it hard. He later admitted that he didn’t see the door even though he ran towards it. That day, he surrendered his life to Jesus.

My father is a revered man of God, powerful in word, missions and church administration. He is not so blessed with the miraculous, but he knew a structure, the one he learned from those who were before him, and that which his God put in his heart to do. He implemented it, and I saw God in every Church he pastored. He never pastored a church that did not grow so much.

In a later post, we will talk about this structure and the mighty things that came out of it.

So why are witches and demonic forces after pioneer churches like the Assemblies of God? It is because we have a history with them. The early pioneers took their lands, took their territories, converted their members, freed their captives, destroyed their properties, burnt their shrines.

Unlike humans that die and forget, demons and spirits do not forget nor do they die. They don’t let go, nor suffer amnesia. Jesus, in his teachings (Matthew 12:43-45), reminded us that spirits do not forget their former dwellings. They tend to return to see if any structure or system has been put up where they used to occupy.

Blessed is that church that maintains the very spiritual structure which aided her to take down demonic strongholds.

Now the Lord of the Church shows us that many of these spirits, forces, kingdoms, and dominions are making their return to their former territories. They have come with improved weapons to and strategies to infiltrate, dominate and conquer their once arch enemies who once dealt ruthlessly with them.

Why does it seem like the Kingdom of darkness is finally dealing the pioneers a great blow? Why is darkness growing strong in many churches, even amongst the once impeccable pioneers all over the world? Why is the occult in many churches today? Why have many pioneer missionary churches closed down across the world? The answer could be found in Judges 2:10.

When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. Judges 2:10, NKJV

Another generation, the author of Judges called them. Another generation with another ideology. Another motto, another flag, another lifestyle, another religion, another belief, another structure.

Another generation that knows not the God of their fathers and the structure approved by Him. For had they known, I mean, those who are called to be priests and shepherds of God’s people, they would have effectively resisted the great and overwhelming darkness surging into the church today.