Ebenezer Obey: How God used Idahosa to call me into ministry after 11 years of reluctance.

Ebenezer Obey: How God used Idahosa to call me into ministry after 11 years of reluctance.

Ebenezer Obey, the ace Nigerian singer, has opened up about his 11-year reluctance to transition from his music career into full-time ministry.

In an interview with Tales of Our Legends, the 84-year-old music icon, who spent over three decades in the secular music industry, disclosed that he received divine calls to enter ministry but repeatedly ignored them for more than a decade.

Obey revealed that God eventually intervened through the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, who was instructed to guide him toward his spiritual calling.

The singer explained that Idahosa invited him to Benin City and took a patient approach, urging prayer and even sending him to the United States to observe how ministry operations were conducted.

Obey said he was eventually ordained as an evangelist by Idahosa on his 50th birthday.

He added that he spent the next years fully committed to ministry, using his music as a vehicle for evangelism.

“After successful music career that spanned over 30 years, the Lord called me into the ministry. That was not an easy task. I did not want to do that because I enjoyed what I was doing,” he said.

“But when God wants you to do something, He has His own way of bringing you to do what He want you to do, that you cannot go outside His will. After 11 years of saying no, I finally I said yes.

“Late Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa was the one who sent for me to Benin and I went to see him. He said when he was in the United States at a crusade, the Lord spoke to him that when he goes back to Nigeria, he should call His son Ebenezer Obey to work for him in the ministry.

“And he said I am not rushing you, let us continue to pray about it from now and many other people too. He said I will send you to the US to go and observe how a ministry is being run. That he did.

“I thank God that on my 50th birthday, he ordained me as an evangelist. I thank God I started my ministry. And 17 years I was fully into the ministry, using my music as a vehicle to win souls.”