By 'Gbenga Bankole
Handbell is one of the major spiritual instruments of so many Pentecostal churches this day. Even churches that are not Pentecostal have embraced the use of the instrument for spiritual activities.
However, it must be stated clearly that it started in Christ Apostolic Church. As the number one Pentecostal church in Africa, CAC has been using handbell since the days of the founding fathers of the church.
At the just concluded 2018 edition of the annual All Nations' Holy Pilgrimage to Odo Owa, the Assembly Pastor of CAC Mount Olivet, Oke-Odu, Ondo state who is also the Director of Academic Planning Office at Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Pastor (Dr.) D.O Alabi said that God gave prayer handbell to the first General Evangelist of the church, Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola as a symbol of assemblage of people for prayers.
According to him, it is a spiritual tool to invoke the angels to attend to the prayers of the saints and by its ringing demons will flee away.
It was gathered that the great Apostle through the ringing of the handbell, God used him to bring back to life a dead being.
Pastor Alabi explained:" The scheduled meeting of 9th and 10th July, 1930 at the Faith Tabernacle Oke-Ooye assembly was humanly planned for doctrinal and liturgical settlements. God on the other hand had chosen the very venue for His manifestation of power over the dead and hades. The occasion He would use was a boy, the only son and the last born of three children of the family of Mr. and Mrs Ogundipe at Iwara dynasty at Iwara Ijesa under Ijesa province then. The name of the boy was John Obi Ogundipe, born on 20th July, 1920, died on 9th July, 1930 but was raised back to life on 10th July, 1930.
"Babalola called the name of Jesus Christ over the boy three times, poured water inside his prayer bell and poured it on him. Having rung the bell over him, Obi sneezed three times and was brought to life."