People who would naturally wake up to view pornography are staying awake to pray; testimonies are being shared, people are getting healed, spiritual destinies are being restored, those owing monies will pay; debts will be cancelled and God will make a way for debtors to pay what they owe”, Nathaniel Bassey said on Monday night, the first time I joined the #HallelujahChallenge hosted on his Instagram live.
The #HallelujahChallenge is a one hour long, live Instagram vigil that is attracting tens of thousands of Instagram users at midnight to pray, sing songs of praise and shout “Hallelujah!” to the name of God. Monday night, convener, Nathaniel Bassey the RCCG pastor and gospel music minister made a live announcement where he enjoined more of his almost 140k Instagram followers to join the midnight prayers and invite their friends too. He also shared the vision of the challenge; why it was midnight and why “Hallelujah”. “Things happen suddenly at midnight; things you have waited for long to happen will happen suddenly – at midnight- foundational issues will be sorted out; we are only enforcing and declaring the victory of Jesus through our praise. It is Hurricane hallelujah and praise!” He further encouraged viewers to partake of the challenge not just because they have needs, but moreso in the midst of these needs and challenges. “Tell your problems your God is Jehovah Rapha; a mighty Warrior”, he said.
Very many Instagram users have caught the vision of the challenge and the resultant effect of that is gist of the one hour online worship exercise going viral via hashtags, individual posts, WhatsApp broadcast messages and even the participation of celebrities in the challenge like singers, Benita Okojie-Adeyina, Waje, Weird MC, event mogul, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, actor/tv host Dolapo Oni-Sijuwade, etc
As per the future of the #HallelujahChallenge, he revealed that between the 27th & 28th of June, there will be a Hallelujah Festival in Lekki where people will gather physically to give God “boisterous praise for 4-5hours”. Plans are sketchy for now, but Bassey hinted that attendees got colorful tee-shirts ready with inscriptions on them like, #Suddenly, #AndGodDidIt, #SoundOfAbundanceOfRain and perhaps the most recent, #Olowogbogboro (Yoruba term of admiration to God meaning, The One with outstretched hands). On Monday, the day I joined, were about 2thousand viewers on @nathanielblow‘s Instagram. The following day, there were over 7thousand. Yesterday we were over 13thousand people watching; singing, dancing and making supplications known at the same time!
Bassey had also expressed his love for testimonies and the plethora of testimonies shared on his handle point very well to that. “I love testimonies and am so passionate to hear people testify. I don’t believe in a gospel without signs and wonders so I enjoin you to invite your friends; have a hallelujah slumber party. Once again, between 27th and 28th June; there will be a Hallelujah festival in Lekki… more details soon.”
Last month of May, Bassey kicked off the (now) monthly spiritual exercise with #TheOneHourTongueChallenge where he enjoined followers to pray by way of speaking in tongues; a form of worship that is traditionally pentecostal.
