“Real reason Ayo Babalola used faith objects… what he told American evangelists who disagreed with him’

Adelaja gave the insight in a recent YouTube broadcast quoting significantly from some research materials.

He pointed out that Babalola’s decision was basically because of his desire to draw people to the church and not because the objects had any significance.

He also explained that Babalola’s lack of proper understanding of symbolic objects he was shown when he encountered God made him also use those objects.

Adelaja based his position on series of encounters Babalola had with two Americans: Dalimoore and Pa Sydney Elton who were close to Babalola when he was alive.

According to him, Pa Elton had told Babalola that the symbolic objects he saw in his encounters with God were merely illustrative and symbolic of what God wanted to do in his life rather than for him to be carrying them about. 

“The use of rod does not carry weight in the new testament. That is what what Elton was trying to say. All these mediums are paganistic practices. Those who use physical elements are babalawos. All the use of handkerchief, oil are paganistic. Pa Elton knew that.’ Adelaja said.

He noted further that ‘if you kick against that today people will raise issues but they can’t tell that to Pa Elton because he was the one who trained them. Pa Elton warned Babalola. 

‘Babalola said he had been shown in a vision the faith objects. But God can’t give a revelation that is against His word. To ring bell means cry out not to use the physical bell. The rod is a symbol of authority. The water is an indication of his anointing.

‘You don’t have to carry rod along like Moses did. But Babalola argued with Pa Elton that he had been shown these things in a vision. That is still the argument today. The Nigerian church is derailed because of this craze for power. When you are addicted to power you are more prone to errors.”

Giving further explanation Adelaja said, ‘we are used to a culture where people wear amulets and carry some physical things to demonstrate power. 

‘That is how paganism works. But that is not in Christianity because for the Christian, God is spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.’ 

Still quoting from books and publications, Adelaja said, ‘Pa Elton had a great disagreement with Babalola because he interpreted the vision he saw literally. 

‘He carried a rod throughout his ministry. The bottle of water signifies the level of his anointing and not that he should be carrying water about. When you carry inanimate objects like that it means you are submitting your authority to things that cannot talk.’

Quoting Dalimoore an American evangelist who lived with Elton in Nigeria and who was also close to Babalola during his lifetime, Adelaja said, “Dalimoore wrote that Babalola’s method was to call people to repentance and he asked them to bring water with them and the people went with the impression that they will be cured. 

‘Many cures were reported and since there were results the water was regarded as holy water. Babalola told Dalimoore that as far as he was concerned the water had no significance but because they have been teaching it, he could not stop it.’

He then noted that many have started using water because of what they met on ground.

 ‘He simply allowed the people to bring the water and hold the belief. Babalola had to die young because God needed to stop this syncretic practice.  God will tolerate a lot of these things for some time because of the people that are being helped. But when the thing is becoming excessive he takes the promoters away.

‘He said it with his own mouth that he used the faith objects because he wanted the people to come and receive blessings.

‘He had good intention but he was using unbliblical method. Inorder that he might get the people to throw away their idols and accept the gospel. He believed the water could do them no harm.’ 

But according to Adelaja the use of faith objects right now is doing so much harm to the Church. ‘Some of the water they were using were not sterilized water. Even though God had mercy and he was healing the people but in the minds of the people the water was significant. You teach the people and they were believing in water than the God they were serving.’

Adelaja said it got to a point that Pa Elton was no longer at ease. ‘His heart was breaking. He had the premonition that evil things would happen to the Church. He considered it a bad omen for the future of the church in Nigeria. Before the 1980s he often expressed fear for the church in Nigeria.

‘What we practice in the church in Nigeria is no more in line with the church world wide. That is why when you go to the UK and the US the whites look at the church as African church. Even unbelievers in Europe know what paganism is.’

Elton in Adelaja’s words ‘had warned time and time again about the need for the church to be careful. He never lost his confidence but he was grieving. His disappointment over Archbishop Benson Idahosa too was there.

‘He also had to rebuke Idahosa. He was rebuking Idahosa for his emphasis on prosperity and warning him against hero worship. Now it has become horrible. Elton was convinced that there was a major erosion of the movement of Pentecostalism.’

Adelaja posited that pastors don’t preach relationship with God today in the Church in Nigeria. ‘God is not in the promotion business.’ he quipped.