Joseph says, "I believe we are living in a moment in history where God has for some sovereign reason chosen Africa, Nigeria more specifically, to showcase to the world." Joseph’s belief forms the theme of his book "Out of Africa." He says, "The theme of this book is about the fact that the greatest move of God ever seen or recorded in human history, is happening at this juncture in history in Nigeria and among Nigerians of the Diaspora."
"People who have never been to Nigeria don’t understand until they witness, for instance, an all-night prayer meeting that attracts anywhere from 1 million to 2 million people once every month. The church is called, "The Redeemed Christian Church of God" pastored by Pastor Enoch Adeboye. This once a month all night prayer meeting has been going on for years now." What does Joseph think is responsible for this great move of God that is unfolding in Nigeria. He says, "I have talked to a lot of the people who are at the forefront of this move of God and all of them without exception indicate that prayer is the essential foundation."
"Until a few years ago, the largest church in the world was in South Korea, Paul Yonggi Cho’s church, but that is no longer the case. In Nigeria, the largest physical church building on earth is in Lagos, Nigeria; A single facility that seats 55,000 people. The pastor is Bishop David Oyedepo, a remarkable man and an architect by training. The largest church in London is pastored by a Nigerian, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo. The largest church in Kiev and the Ukraine and the whole of Europe is pastored by a Nigerian, Sunday Adelaja. The largest church in Jamaica, the largest church in Italy, in Ghana, are all pastored by Nigerians." Why does Joseph think Nigeria and Nigerians are playing such a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity around the world at this time? He says, "Nigerians, by nature, are extremely aggressive people. We are extremely aggressive for good or for bad and I think that for too long the world has seen Nigeria and Nigerians, as corrupt and undisciplined people. But, the Spirit of God has begun to transform our hearts, especially beginning with our generation. Now, we have aggressively turned inwards and given our lives to the fact that we are willing to die for what we believe in. It is our nature, it is our personality." Nigeria in recent times has had two very distinct reputations, first as one of the most corrupt nations in the world and the second one as a nation where the greatest revival in Christianity is taking place. Joseph says the reason is that, "Nigeria went from an incredibly oil-rich nation that didn’t really have an understanding of what it meant to manage her resources to a nation that was steeped in poverty and corruption, so that the self-fulfilling prophecy of eating out of dust bins or trash cans, actually came to pass."
"Nigerians who were used to living well found themselves in a place where they had to do anything to survive. Most of the honest Nigerians left the country on what came to be known as the brain train, because their college educations provided them better employment outside of Nigeria. Others who couldn’t afford to travel out turned to crime, corruption and any possible means by which they could generate income."
"I believe that the primary reason that Nigeria even exists as a nation today, why anarchy and genocide have not destroyed the country is because of the church, the prayers of the church and the commitment the church is making to changing the nation from the grassroots."
Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma Magazine a few years ago, wrote an article on Nigeria and the revival taking place in the country. One of the things he wrote was that the, "Revival in Nigeria is miles wide but inches deep." Joseph disagrees with Lee, saying, "Lee spoke without having a true knowledge of what is going on. In actual fact if it was not for the church, the transformations that have happened at the grassroots level in Nigeria would never have happened. Years ago when the missionaries first came to Nigeria they were the ones who established schools and hospitals and ever since they left, those things have become almost non-existent. But that is happening again in the country because of the church. Christian schools are the best schools in Nigeria today, such that Muslims send their kids to these schools because they know their kids will get the best education."
"Christians are also impacting the marketplace, such that corruption is no longer the order of the day as it used to be, because people realize that you can’t do business with Christians that way." Joseph says he is "so optimistic" about the future of Nigeria. "I watch people of our generation beginning to give themselves wholly and completely to the commitment to see the nation transformed. A nation is only changed if the people love that nation, and we do. I am convinced that we are about to see a supernatural transformation that will turn around Africa so that Africa indeed will be the nation that is sending missionaries to the rest of the world."
