Prophet Abasi Timothy Arabambi started his ministry, the Christ Apostolic Chruch (CAC) Reformation (Ileatunse) with five persons in 1986. Today, the church has grown in strength and membership. With its headquarter at Adesiyan Bus Stop, Jegede, Olunloyo area, Ibadan, the church now has branches in Lagos, Ogun State and other palces across Nigeria. In this interview with Tajudeen Adigun, City People Chief Sub-Editor, Abasi, who was born a Muslim, narrated his sojourn into Christianity. Excerpts
Who is Prophet Arabambi?
Timothy Abasi Arabambi is the General Overseer of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Reformationland (Ileatunse), Jegede, Olunloyo area of Ibadan. Besides, I am also the Assistant General Evangelist and member of the Supreme Council CAC worldwide.
How did the ministry start for you?
I was born into a Muslim family and named Abasi on the 8th day, according to Islamic rites. I later went to an Arabic School for a year before going to conventional primary school. In my secondary school days at Gbolagan-Odeomu Anglican Grammar School in Osun State, which started in 1970 and ended in 1975, I was a free thinker. I admired people like the late Tai Solarin.
In those days, a myth was being bandied among pupils in my school. Christians among us claimed that if, for any reason, a person threw Bible with force on ground seven times, the person would immediately develop headache which, would eventually kill him/her. As a free thinker and a nominal Muslim, I dared their claim and threw a Bible with force on ground for more than 21 times. Behold, nothing unbecoming happened to me.
I left Gbongan after completion of my secondary school education and came to Ibadan. I was squatting with a friend and later got a supervisor’s job at Olaogun Enterprise at SawMill in Ibadan. The firm, however, made me a manager. I was 20 years old then. My companions and co-workers use to discuss efficacy of prayer, but I was never moved or induced to join or believe them.
Occasionally, I used to have a strange feeling as if somebody, whom I could not see but felt His presence was saying follow me.” I cannot say if those callings were in a trance. They were not in dreams either. The strange experience started while I was working at Olaogun Enterprise. I had a bus and I used to drive it to the Premier Hotel and Green Springs for pleasure and relaxation especially at weekends when I was off duty.
Usually, Christians who were going for service at Agbala Itura in Ibadan used to hike a ride on my bus as the church is close to the road that I used to drive past. Mostly, in demonstration of their piousness, they sang, praise God and Jesus Christ once the bus was on motion. Their singing and clapping used to irritate me, but I restrained myself stopping them. Despite my reservation about their singing in my bus, I did not stop giving them free ride. One day, one of them invited me to their service. I didn’t reject or promise coming.
About the same time, I was driving to office one day, when a herbalist, on a radio programme claimed he had power to reveal God’s potency, image and power to people. He solicited patronage. I was in the bus with my wife, Joyce. As the bus was moving closer to Agbala Itura, we could hear echoes of singing and clapping. That was in August 1980. My wife suggested that we should go to where people were singing and clapping to seek the face of God and not at a herbalist place boasting of his power on radio.
That was how we went to Agbala Itura, to attend service one Friday. All of a sudden, without being prompted, I started clapping and singing along with the congregation. I didn’t know what overtook me. Baba Abiara, Prophet Dr. S.K. Abiara, was on the pulpit ministering, delivering powerful, ground-shaking sermon on God and the belief in His only son, Jesus and salvation that awaited those who walk His path. Baba Abiara, however, invited those who needed deliverance and counseling to come on Saturday. There and then, I decided to see the powerful prophet, whose sermon was not only sweeping, but equally enthralling.
On that Saturday, queue of those who wanted to see the prophet was very long. When it was about three persons to be my turn, Evangelist Omosewa, who was the usher, said only one person after the person, who was already being attended to by the prophet would be opportune to see the prophet. How could that be, I soliloquized. That was unacceptable to me. I must see the prophet. As the man, who was being attended to by Baba Abiara came out of the office, I ran towards the door and crawled inside under Evangelist Omosewa’s legs. The user, however, held my legs to stop me. Baba Abiara had already seen me and told the evangelist to allow me to come inside. Till today, that was why I love Baba Abiara.
Meanwhile, the mysterious calling to come and serve in my vineyard persisted. One day, I just observed that my right had become stiff. The stiffness could not be attributed to paralysis, but I could not use the hand for anything. It was just stiff and heavy. A friend, Mr. Fizer, a whiteman, took me to the Catholic Hospital, Oluyoro in Ibadan. Xray was conducted, but nothing was revealed as the cause of the stiffness. My wife counseled that we should go to Agbala Itura. We did. And on the fifth day of prayer for salvation, relief came to my hand. During a service I just started singing, exalting power of Jesus and clapping. What I could not do before. I also took the opportunity to prayed for financial capability.
It was on that fifth day that Jesus Christ came more forcefully and told me: “Don’t you see that you could now use your hand, give your life to me.” Despite the salvation, I was still reluctant to totally commit myself to Christ. In 1981, I was engaged in wheat flour distribution. At a point, I bought flour at N18 per bag, but unexpectedly price of flour fell by more than 70 percent and I incurred a huge losses as there was a glut of the commodity in the market. I lost tens of thousands of naira.
As if that financial loss was not enough, more than 3,000 cockrels in my poultry just suddenly died, compounding the loss I earlier incurred. After what I could call double loss, I heard the call again, telling me: “You’ve not answered my call. Nothing would work for you, until you drop your recalcitrance.”
At that point, I succumbed and fully plunged myself into His service. Later in 1986, there was a twist. The voice came again saying: Don’t come to Agbala Itura again. You’ve not answered your call. Go for the assignment for you. Elder Adesiyan had all along been an avuncular was also at Agbala Itura and he was the person I told about what I regarded as a torment in my life. I told him that God said I should not come to Agbala Itura again, that I should go and start my mission.
On that day, my pocket was lean. Together we went to Olunloyo, Jegede area, a thick bush with a few houses here and there. Elder Adesiyan paid the N20 rent for a room and a parlour for me as I could not afford to pay. On that spur, I later started house-to-house evangelism. On the 15th of June, 1986, God instructed I should start a revival and I wondered with whom? The voice said I should start with Him, the Trinity God and those who would be directed to attend. That was how I started with four persons, myself, my wife, Joyce Arabambi, Mrs. Olatubosun and one Mama Ibeji
You know, members of the armed forces don’t go to war with their husbands. Men of God, however, go into the ministry with their wives. Behind every successful man, there is a woman. From the day I left Agbala Itura in 1986, I didn’t go there till Jesus Christ permitted to go there in 1993. Ever since I’ve been going there, you know as I told you earlier, Baba Abiara is my father in the Lord.
What challenges have you faced since the inception of your ministry?
They are numerous, but with Jesus Christ’s power and support, I have overcome and God has used me for deliverance of many people who found themselves in the shackles of the devil and satanic people. People with different afflictions such as madness, strange diseases, that defied Western orthodox medicine have received deliverance as they were healed and became whole again.
How did you meet your wife?
I met my wife at Olaogun Enterprise. She was a store keeper there, while I was a manager. I was in charge of production of fowls, eggs and procurement of materials, which we used such as chemicals, and other items which were usually kept in the store. Our paths crossed and the rest is history. We’re blessed with children of good virtue.
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