Faith Beyond Borders (Part One): How I Became a Gospel Preacher in Nigeria

This is Part One of a moving interview with two TBC graduate students from Nigeria who share the story of their conversion and how they became gospel preachers. Tom Ekpot and Joseph Azembah are seasoned ministers who reflect on lessons they have learned through the years. By the grace of God, their work continues to influence many souls throughout this great nation, where opportunities to spread the gospel abound.

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My God and My Neighbor is a “Bible talk show” that looks at religious issues, Christian living and world events in light of the Word of God to give hope. This podcast is a ministry of Tennessee Bible College. TBC offers a bachelor's in Bible studies, a master of theology, and a doctorate of theology in apologetics and Christian evidences. TBC also provides Christian books, audio recordings on the Bible, and free Bible courses in English and Spanish. Tune in to My God and My Neighbor to experience the educational content that TBC has been delivering for nearly five decades!

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Hi, I'm Kerry Duke, host of My God and My Neighbor podcast from Tennessee Bible College, where we see the Bible as not just another book, but the book. Join us in a study of the inspired word to strengthen your faith and to share what you've learned with others.

We're doing something different today on My God and My Neighbor. I have two guests, two friends and gospel preachers in the nation of Nigeria who are with us today, and we're going to be talking about some of the opportunities and the blessings of preaching the gospel in the nation of Nigeria. Also, some of the cultural differences between, let's say, the United States and that central African culture or western African culture.

And so today I'm very glad to have with me Brother Tom Ekpot and also Brother Joseph Azembah.

Gentlemen, welcome.

Thank you, sir. Thank you. Good morning, sir.

Great to have you. We appreciate the work that, that you do so much, and so I'm going to start with brother Joseph. Could you tell us a little bit about your background, how you grew up, how you became a Christian, and when you decided to be a gospel preacher? Could you tell us about your life?

I grew up in a Catholic family, and, um, with this I was so committed to serving my God as I thought that was the right way. And so after my secondary education, I left and was staying with my late senior brother, uh, to, uh, continue my studies. An opportunity came, I will say, when I started reading some newspapers and I saw an advertisement concerning the World Bible School, uh, enrollment.

So I used that opportunity, enrolled myself as a student of the World Bible School.

How old were you at that point, Brother Joseph?

Oh, good. Uh, by then I was 20 years old.

20 years old, okay.

Yes. Yes. Uh, from the family of, uh, six, and I'm the last born- Okay ... in that family. Yes. So at that age, I continued taking studies from the World Bible School lessons, not with the hope that I wanted to actually change my, uh, quote, "church"- until a particular tract was sent to me, and that tract was titled, “It Was Not So.” My World Bible School teacher, I don't think he's alive now. one H.M. Anderson, uh, from Texas. So he, Johnson Street Church of Christ, he sent that tracts to me, and I studied it, I studied it, I studied it, and a lot of things came to my mind concerning instrumental music, worship, the Lord’s Supper, the church, and many other teachings which I've never come across before as a Catholic.

Okay. That was the turning point- Okay ... in my life.

Did you have a Bible when you were in the Catholic church, and did you read the Bible very much growing up?

No. These, these were just prayer books that we were given when we were in the Catholic Church. The Bible was not actually used.

I see.

Yes. It was when I started taking the World Bible School lessons that my teacher would send me a copy of the Bible to study and read the lessons which he sent to me.

So that was a copy of the, the English Bible?

Yes, the Revised Standard Version. And sometimes he did not give me just one. Revised Standard Version, American Standard Version, these were the versions he sends to me. Okay. And I started reading them continuously because of the lessons that I was, uh, studying.

So that was when it actually touched my life, and now I asked him, "Where can I get baptized?" He directed me to a World Bible School fellow of teacher. He's late now. One J.T. Akpa. So I started tracing him until I was able to meet him, and I was baptized.

Wonderful. That is great. Let me ask you something about your, your conversion out of Catholicism. Was there one thing that was hard to give up in Catholicism?

Actually, there were certain things. Like for instance, we were used to praying to Mary. And, uh, when we came they said you should just pray direct to Jesus Christ. I was wondering whether that is actually the right way or not. And not only that, there were certain, like the sacraments, the seven sacraments. We were told that if you actually practice the second, uh, the seven sacraments, that is what will take you to heaven. But when I became a Christian, such things were not there again, and I started feeling, am I really doing the right thing? These were challenges I was having, and I started questioning myself.

But thank God, since the Bible was given to me and the encouragement was, anything you are questioning, read from the Scripture. Yes.

Read from the Bible. Yes. That is what really kept me moving.

That is a wonderful example. That, that's very encouraging to all of us to hear that because you just took the Bible and read it, you believed it, and you did what the Bible said to do.

Exactly.

And that was your, that was your anchor. That, that was your foundation.

Yes, sir. And so from there I was now asked by the preacher who got me baptized that he can see some sign of, uh, seriousness in me. Will I go to a Bible college? I told him, "Well, I would like to go, but I don't know if my family will really, um, abide by that."

He said there is no problem. If I want to, that the Lord would be with me. And so it was another challenging step in my life. I took the decision of going to the Bible college, but my elder brother will not allow that to happen. He was not happy. He will not approve of it. He wanted me to go to a secular institution.

He said…

Now, that was your, that was who that didn't want you to go to the Bible college? That was your brother-in-law?

My elder brother that I stayed with.

Your older brother did not want you to go to the Bible college at all in Nigeria?

Yes. He himself, he was still a Catholic.

Oh.

And so when I became a Christian, it was not so convincing to him that I am doing the right thing. Yes. So he wanted me to go to a secular institution. I told him, yes, let me go to the Bible College. It was as if it was, was kind of a war. He was-- He said no.

It was, it was a battle, huh?

Exactly. A battle. I wanted to go. He said no. So one Ralph Perry, who was the World Bible School, uh, uh, coordinator in Nigeria, came and the lead preacher who baptized me gave my name to him to go down.

In fact, my brother turned it down the day I wanted to go and so Perry left with other, uh, young men from the north. So I was left behind. How will I continue? I don't have the transportation. Fortunately for me, when I visited on a particular Sunday to worship, because I was staying far away in the village.

So I went and met the preacher and he told me that Perry left some transport money for me. If I'm staying- Oh, wonderful ... in place, he will give the money to me. Yeah.

God provided a way for you.

Exactly. I say that-God made a way ... yeah.

That's great.

So I told him I'm going to go. He said, okay, go and get ready. The following Sunday, that is the upper Sunday, come and travel. I came back, told my elder brother that I will be, uh, going to the Bible College. He said, "Which Bible college?" That, "Am I stubborn? Do I know those people? After graduation, what will become of me?" Uh, that was not so convincing to me because it was a kind of a fire burning up in my spirit.

I wanted to go, so- Yes ... uh, the following Sunday he packed all his clothes and gave to me to wash and that was the Sunday I'm supposed to travel down to Akwa Ibom where the Bible college is. Right. Well, I washed everything, finished and kept it. I went still and told him that I will be traveling. He said, "Who will iron the clothes?"

I say, "Sorry, I'm going to travel." I left that day with a single trouser and a shirt. That's it.

Just a pair of pants and a shirt.

Exactly. He was not ready for me to go, so I left and I was even late. I don't know the way, but I thank the providence of God in my life. Yes. Amen. I traveled down. I have not been to Calabar before.

I arrived Calabar very late, and then from Calabar there was heavy rain going to Akwa Ibom. Another challenge. Another challenge. Yeah. So it was rain. Yeah. And when I asked people, they say going to Akwa Ibom is another distance. I said, "Oh, and I don't know anybody, but I will go." So I left and when we arrived Abak, it was late in the night Yes 9:00 already- Oh my here in Nigeria. So, and I don't know the direction where the Bible College is. So I asked one man, a cyclist, a motorcycle, a rider, "Can you take me to the Bible College?" He took me to a different village. Oh my. Wonderful. I, I, I became so scared I'm going to be lost. Well, when we got there, he now asked another person, "Where is the Nigerian Christian Bible College?"

And then that man now redirected him. I was just moving under darkness. I don't know where they were taking me to. Well, are they going to kill me? No. God is in control. That's right. So I was taken down to the Bible College 12 midnight, and then I met Brother Perry. Yes. Introduced myself to him that I'm from Benue State, and the man was very happy.

That is great. Could you tell us a little bit about your first experience in preaching the gospel and, and where your life has taken you, where God has taken you since that time?

It is marvelous. After graduation from the Bible College, we were not actually sure of what will become of us when after training. So after we received the training, we went and told Brother Perry, "Please, can you give us money to go back and continue with preaching?" He sat all of us down and asked us a simple question. He said, "What was my agreement with you people?" Well, our spokesman told him that we were told to come and receive training, and he said, "Have we trained you?"

We said, "Yes." He said, "Okay, then go. It is now your responsibility to go and preach." And all of us became annoyed. We said, "Why will he deceive us?"

So, so you thought that you just had automatic, uh, an automatic job that, that you were-

Yes ... getting paid money, and he said, "No, I just trained you. That's what we agreed to, and so it is your responsibility to go back and preach. Yes. And so we were wondering, I said, imagine my brother told me to go to a secular institution. I say I'm coming to the Bible College, and after Bible College, when I get back home now, how am I going to earn a living? I came back home, and I was the only Church of Christ member in that community.

Nobody. Nobody. And they knew me as a Catholic. Now, when I went back, my friends were telling me, "Come back. What is wrong with you? If you come back here, you will be received." I said, "No." Jehovah Witnesses came, met me. We, in our studies, they appreciated my knowledge and said, "When you become our member, we are going to take care of you."

I said no. So sometimes I would preach in the morning, come back, and I would lie down and be thinking, "What has become of me?" I even remember…

And you had… Now, now during, during that time, Joseph- Yes ... during that time, y- you didn't have any source of income? You had no job? No job yet?

Nothing. So I was just on my own. I would come back, and my favorite song was Be Not Be Dismayed. Whatsoever be tide, Yes, God will take care of you. Amen. I would go out, preach, and come back. I sing that song, pray, and I lie down. Yeah. One day, I went out to the post office, picked some World Bible School lessons, and on my way coming back, I crossed the main road, and then some, a vehicle just dashed through, and then they went and stopped, reversed back, and that was when Brother Jerry Canfield. He came back and said, "Is this Joseph?" I said, "Yes." He said, well, that Brother Perry sent him to me, and he was wondering how he's going to trace me. The only thing is I left the address in the school there because there was a teachers', uh, college opposite our compound. So I told them, "If you come to that point and ask of my father's compound, you'll be directed."

So that was how I came in contact with, uh, Jerry Canfield. So he removed an envelope and gave to me, that Brother Ralph Perry sent this money to me. That was by the grace of God. By the grace of God. Amen. I was, I was shocked. I was shocked. That is such a wonderful story I'm telling you, sir. I was amazed that day as if I would start dancing, because when I opened an envelope, in those days money had value. It was 50, 50, 50 into three. 50, 50, uh, naira into three, 150 naira.

So I became a very big man A very happy man.

Could you, could you spend just a minute or two telling us about what your life as a preacher has meant to you?

I am very, very grateful to God because I never expected that I will live a life of influencing other people to God as I am doing today. When I became a Christian, I never thought I will get people converted to know the will of God and then bring out that message that would touch people's lives and then congregations will be established.

There was none, as I'm telling you, it is today, and those that I-- God led me to convert them, they have been of great, great, great value to the community. So I am very happy that God is using me, passing through me- Yes ... with a message to many people that should have not known the word of God. I'm very, very appreciative of that.

Well, you've influenced a lot of people in Nigeria, but you, without doubt ... have said you've been a great example to us and to anybody who's listening today, I know this is very, very motivational. Brother Tom Ekpot, could you tell us a little bit about how you grew up and how you became a Christian and how you became a gospel preacher?

Thank you very much, sir. I had a very nice background because my father was a preacher. He was a servant to the man who was the first Christian in Nigeria, uh, so he was working for that man. Uh, so he learned by the gospel and he became a Christian. Then he went to Bible college and he became a preacher.

So when I finished my elementary school... Uh, no, during my elementary school, he normally takes me for evangelism. So we go out for evangelism. He was, uh, kind of a preacher. Uh, he goes into rural areas where there are no congregations. He will establish a congregation and mature them, then he moves.

And that was, uh, what he was doing. He will always go to where there are no congregations. He will work there. Then when a church is established, then he, he will also, um, get some young people who want to be trained and, uh, send them, um, direct them to go to Bible college. When they come back, then he will leave the place and go to another area. So he always carry me along and we go for evangelism.

Were you quite young then when you, when you started doing that?

Yes. Um, in fact, that's right when I... Right from eight years old, he started taking me out. O- on the- Right ... on these evangelistic campaigns.

So you, you were with him…

Yeah. Yes

... as he was going around preaching from that age?

Yes. Yeah, we go out for, uh, knocking doors. Uh, knocking doors, especially during holidays on Saturdays too, then- Yeah ... we go out knocking doors. Um, he had a motorcycle. He will put me on my, on the back of motorcycle. Small motorcycle then. Yeah. Uh, we'll go to villages. So when I, I entered high school, I became a...

Since I've been listening to him preaching the gospel, I, I also was learning, listening. Knowing what it means to be a Christian. When I entered high school at for, uh, 13 years, I became a Christian. And then, um, finish, when I finished the, the high school, he, he told me, You, I, I, uh, you wouldn't recommend me or you wouldn't send me to a secular school.

That I have to go to Bible college, that any job I do in life is just additional. My only job and my first job should be preaching the gospel. So he took me to the same Bible college he went where also, Joseph Azembah he, he joined us there. So, um, I finish, when I finish the Bible college, he now asked me, um, well, he's ready to send me to any school again I want.

That's when I got enrolled in a university. And so the, um, going through Bible college, it really helped me too because, um, when we got to university, there was no church, there was no congregation in the university. Uh, so we started a congregation there in the university. Today, that congregation is, uh, over 500, uh, membership.

My.

At a time it was…

What a blessing. And there was no plan to do that. That's just something that you saw as an opportunity.

No, there was no plan. Yeah, in fact, the ch- the school was against it. The school said the only Catholic church is allowed to worship there. Oh. We said, "We are not Catholics. Uh, we can't worship."

He said, "No. Well, you, uh, can't worship, uh, with the Catholics, then you cannot... The, the school does not give permission." But then we, we found a way out. God blessed us with an instructor, a lecturer who also became a Christian, and then he worked with us, and then we started a congregation. What a blessing.

If, if you didn't accomplish anything else in your life, what a blessing that is, and now that's a congregation of over 500 people. That is a large congregation. Yes ... even compared to American standards. What would you say are the highlights of, of your preaching life? What, what you've seen and what you've experienced? What, what things stand out to you as great moments?

The greatest thing is, um, helping me to shape my life, uh, too, because if you must, uh, preach to others, I must, I must, uh, make sure I shape my life. Um, so but I have, um, helped many people who wouldn't have known the gospel. You know, because of the background I had, my father was a, a country evangelist, I will say.

And so when I left the south, right now I stay in the north. I, I mostly go to the rural areas, uh, to help, uh, congregations in rural areas. I didn't, uh, like being in the city. I always... Because people like to go to the city and stay. The congregations are suffering in the rural areas, and many people are not hearing the gospel in the rural areas.

It was really in me because that's the background I had. Yes. Helping congregations in the rural areas.

Could you tell us a little bit about the, the nation of Nigeria, the culture? Could you talk to us about the, the system of government…

Well, the...

…the, the, the families, the, the customs, uh, schools? Uh, could you just take a few minutes and talk to us about...And talk to us as, as people in the West who most of us have never been to Nigeria. Some that, that are listening have. But could you just give us a survey, a, a brief introduction to what it's like in Nigeria?

Well, Nigeria is a large country, a country with over 200 million, uh, people, and we have diverse, uh, uh, cultures. We have over 250 languages, too, in Nigeria. Over 250 languages. Then we have, uh, three, uh, geopolitical, uh, zones. We have the northwest, the northeast, the north central. We have the southeast, the south central, and the southwest. And every of this region has its own peculiarity. They, the most of the north, whether northeast, north, uh, west, are predominantly Islam. Okay. The north central, uh, you have, uh, maybe about 50, uh, maybe 70%, uh, Christians, then 30%, uh, Islam. Uh, but then Islam is pushing so hard to want to make sure they take over the whole north, the, so that the- Right ... there shouldn't be, uh, Christianity in the northern part of the country.

Yeah, we do want to talk about Islam in the, the next episode. Yes. Uh, so I'm glad, I'm glad you're giving us some, some information about that. So what about other religions?

Yeah, we w- you know, we have the African traditional religions. We call them traditional religions because, uh, there's no uniformity. Uh, many Africans, uh, believe in those things. And so even those who are Christians or b- whether Muslims, they still have a connection. They still believe in the African traditional religion.

When things become so hard, they don't have answers to some, uh, questions, uh, many time, or especially health issues, they still go back to African traditional religion. It may not be, you may not see their sign board, but then they're having convert every day.

Could you explain how that happens? Are, are there rituals that they go back to? Because you're, you're talking about superstitions. Could you just paint a picture for us about what that would be like?

Yeah, they, they have a lot of rituals there. In some places, uh, they will have shrines. You know, when I grew up, I, in fact, I believed the whole southern Nigeria was, uh, precisely my state where I thought everybody's a Christian, uh, in the...in quotes. Uh, but then when I was in Bible college, we went out for evangelism one, uh, weekend. We saw a shrine in a house, a compound, where we knock the door and the person came out and we told him we wanted to talk to him about the gospel. He asked us what kind of gospel. We told him we are Christians.

Uh, he said, well, he doesn't know anything, uh, uh, anything God, apart from the god he serves. Uh, so he... That was my first time of somebody, uh, telling me that he does not know any God apart from the idol god that he serves. Wow. So they have shrines, they have, uh, uh, different sh- sacrifices for different problems of lives.

So Tom, when you go into an area like that where you have that kind of superstition and even idolatry, how do you approach those people when you evangelize?

Well, I think that what Paul did in Mar’s Hill is very helpful. He took them from where they are. Right. Yeah. Most how you pick them from, uh, where, what they believe and begin to take them to where what they do not know.

Yeah. And he started with nature.

Yes, yes. He, he, he started with the creation.

Yeah, from the creation, that's right. Start from the, the creation. Basically, even though they say they do not believe in, in the God of the Bible, but in African context, they have a lot of proverbs, uh, uh, that, uh, suggest the existence of the Almighty God.

I always tell them, if African traditional religion is correct or, or right, why are they different from one community to another? Well, sometimes they say, "Well, if you get to Christianity, you have different, uh, versions of Christianity." Yeah. You have the denominations. Sure. But it's clear that, uh, denominationalism actually makes it very difficult to convince many of such people.

But, um, a typical African man, a typical African man has belief in African traditional religion. And, and you have converted people out of that kind of superstition. Oh, of course. When people come to the church, even when they, they are converted, they come with those beliefs. So it takes time before those things are knocked out of their heads.

That reminds me so much of the Book of 1 Corinthians and, and also a little bit of the, the Book of 1 Thessalonians, because y- you see traces, you see remainders of some of those beliefs or at least the influence of some of those pre-Christian beliefs in the Book of 1 Corinthians, especially when you get to chapter eight. Uh, Joseph, have you experienced the same kind of, of dynamic in talking to people who have those, those indigenous... Uh, ha- have you seen those same kind of indigenous beliefs in people, and you... maybe you've studied with them and, and helped them to see what the truth is?

Actually, sir, it is very common among our cultures, uh, various cultures in Nigeria. Like, uh, when you speak to these people, uh, most time they will tell you that, yes, there is one God, but you still have his ministers. Just like in government, you may have a, a president, but you have, uh, ministers, you have other-- And so God too, uh, he's having some, actually some arms of, uh, uh, dealing with him.

You send messages through them, uh, to get to God. So sometimes maybe either in areas of, uh, somebody may be sick, and then you say the person is taken to the hospital, he cannot walk, but you have a traditionalist who specializes in treating people in that regard. They go there, and when they receive the traditional medicine and receive, uh, healing, they will tell you, "Okay, we believe that there is God, but God cannot also...These other arms that we are dealing with, we cannot overrule them because they are still very, very effective." So when you are talking- Right ... for you to convince most of these people 100% to do away with the cultures of life, it becomes a challenge, especially when you convert the person. He may listen to you, become a Christian, but when you bring them, when they come to the church, you have another task of dealing seriously with such people because they will not give away completely some of these, their, uh, beliefs.

We've come to the end of, of our time here. Let me just say thank you so much for your life, for your work, and especially for your faith in God and your perseverance, and God bless you to continue to preach the gospel all the days of your life, Joseph and Tom.

Amen...

Thank you so much for being with us today.

Thank you. Thank you very much, sir.

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