Introduction: The Cry for Revival

Every generation of God’s people faces two urgent tasks: repairing the broken altar and defeating the looming giant. In the days of Elijah, twelve stones were gathered to rebuild the altar of covenant identity before the prophets of Baal. In the days of David, five smooth stones were chosen to confront and defeat Goliath. Today, CAC Nigeria and Overseas stands at a similar crossroads. We must rebuild our covenant foundations and confront the giants that threaten our apostolic destiny.

The Twelve Stones of Elijah: Rebuilding the Altar of Welfare

1 Kings 18:31–32 (NIV): “Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, ‘Your name shall be Israel.’ With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord…”

Elijah’s twelve stones were not mere objects of ritual; they were prophetic markers of covenant identity, each stone representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel and together proclaiming the unbroken unity of God’s people under Yahweh. In our time, these stones rise again as twelve pillars of revival for CAC Nigeria and Overseas. They summon us to faithfulness, a resolute return to God’s promises without compromise, and they demand unity, the healing of denominational fractures and the restoration of apostolic oneness.

They call us to rediscover our identity as a covenant people, to walk in obedience to the Word rather than the shifting trends of culture, and to embrace repentance, turning hearts back to God in humility. They ignite prayer, rekindling the fire of intercession that birthed this movement, and they insist on sacrifice, offering ourselves wholly to God’s mission. They shine with holiness, urging us to pursue purity in doctrine and lifestyle, and they embolden us with courage, standing boldly for truth in hostile contexts. They breathe hope, trusting God for rain after seasons of drought, and they empower witness, declaring to the nations with clarity and conviction that “The Lord, He is God.” Finally, they secure legacy, building altars that future generations can inherit as markers of covenant faithfulness.

These stones are not abstract ideals; they are the living foundations upon which revival must be built. They call CAC to repair the altar of welfare, to restore covenant life, spiritual health, and communal renewal. They demand that we rise beyond complacency and reclaim the fire of our apostolic heritage. In the spirit of Renewal Theology, they remind us that revival is not a nostalgic return to the past but a prophetic re-engagement with the covenant promises of God, enacted in the present and projected into the future. The twelve stones are here, waiting to be lifted again, waiting to be set in place by a people who will not settle for decline but will rebuild the altar until the fire of God falls once more.

The Five Stones of David: Confronting Giants in Warfare

1 Samuel 17:40 (ESV): “Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.”

David’s five stones were not random selections from a brook; they were chosen with precision, intentionality, and faith. Each stone carried prophetic weight, symbolising the readiness of a covenant man to confront and defeat the giant that threatened God’s people. For us today, these stones rise as weapons of spiritual warfare, equipping CAC Nigeria and Overseas to stand against the giants of compromise, secularisation, disunity, and spiritual lethargy. The first stone is faith, the unwavering confidence that God Himself fights for us and that no adversary, however towering, can withstand His power.

The second stone is wisdom, the Spirit-given discernment to choose the right strategies, to lead with clarity, and to navigate the complexities of our age without losing sight of divine purpose. The third stone is courage, the boldness to face giants without fear, to stand in hostile contexts with prophetic resilience, and to declare the victory of Christ even when the odds seem overwhelming. The fourth stone is skill, the excellence of using God-given gifts with precision, whether in preaching, teaching, administration, or mission, ensuring that the sling of ministry is not wielded carelessly but with Spirit-led mastery. The fifth stone is victory, the assurance that the outcome belongs to God, that the battle is the Lord’s, and that triumph is guaranteed when we fight in His name.

These stones’ history; they are present realities, waiting to be grasped by a church that refuses to cower before the giants of its generation. Renewal Theology reminds us that Pentecostal revival is both altar repair and giant-slaying. Elijah’s twelve stones rebuild the altar of welfare, while David’s five stones empower the warfare of faith. Together, they call CAC Nigeria and Overseas to rise in apostolic dynamism, to reclaim its covenant heritage, and to confront every giant with Spirit-filled confidence. When these stones are lifted in our hands, compromise will fall, secularisation will be silenced, disunity will be healed, and lethargy will be consumed by the fire of revival. The stones are here, the giants are before us, and the Spirit is urging us to act.

The Prophetic Complement: Welfare and Warfare

Elijah’s stones rebuild the altar of covenant welfare, reminding us that revival begins with the restoration of identity, unity, and holiness before God. David’s stones defeat the giants of spiritual warfare, showing us that revival is sustained by faith, courage, wisdom, skill, and victory in the Spirit. Together, they form a holistic framework for renewal: repairing the altar and defeating the giant. One without the other is incomplete. Welfare without warfare leaves the church vulnerable, exposed to the assaults of compromise and secularisation. Warfare without welfare leaves the church empty, fighting battles without covenant depth or spiritual health. Revival demands both—the rebuilding of the altar and the slaying of the giant.

This is the prophetic call to CAC Nigeria and Overseas: to rise in covenant welfare and spiritual warfare, to repair the broken altars of prayer, holiness, and unity, and to confront the giants of disunity, lethargy, and compromise with Spirit-filled weapons. When altar and battlefield converge, when stones of welfare and stones of warfare are lifted together, fire will fall, giants will fall, and the nations will declare again, “The Lord, He is God.”

A Call to CAC Nigeria and Overseas

CAC was birthed in fire, prayer, and apostolic dynamism, forged in the crucible of intercession and prophetic obedience. Our fathers repaired altars in their day, laying down stones of covenant faithfulness, and they defeated giants with the weapons of faith and courage. That mantle now rests upon us, not as a nostalgic memory but as a living responsibility. The twelve stones call us to rebuild our covenant identity, to restore the altar of welfare where faithfulness, unity, holiness, and prayer converge into a renewed witness before God and humanity. The five stones call us to confront the giants of our age, to rise in warfare against compromise, secularisation, disunity, and spiritual lethargy with faith, wisdom, courage, skill, and victory.

Revival is not optional—it is destiny. It is the prophetic necessity of a church that was born in fire and must live in fire. CAC Nigeria and Overseas must rise again as a prophetic movement, realigning with its apostolic roots and prophetic destiny. This is not a call to mere reform but to renewal, not to cosmetic change but to covenant restoration. The world is watching, longing for a church that burns with apostolic dynamism. Heaven is waiting, ready to release the fire upon altars rebuilt and giants confronted. When altar and battlefield converge, when stones of welfare and stones of warfare are lifted together, revival will break forth, and the cry of our generation will echo the cry of Israel on Mount Carmel: “The Lord, He is God.”

Renewal Theology Pentecostal Perspective

Welfare, as symbolised by Elijah’s twelve stones, calls CAC Nigeria and Overseas to repair the altar of covenant identity, prayer, and holiness. It is the rebuilding of our foundations, the restoration of our covenant life, and the renewal of our communal witness before God. Without this altar repair, our welfare is fractured, our identity diluted, and our testimony weakened.

Warfare, as embodied in David’s five stones, summons CAC to confront the giants of secularisation, disunity, and spiritual lethargy with Spirit-filled weapons. It is the active engagement of faith, wisdom, courage, skill, and victory against the adversaries of our age. Without this warfare, our welfare remains vulnerable, exposed to compromise and defeat.

Pentecostal renewal insists that revival is both altar repair and giant-slaying. Welfare without warfare leaves us vulnerable, unable to defend the covenant we profess. Warfare without welfare leaves us empty, fighting battles without covenant depth or spiritual health. Together, they form the full Pentecostal vision of renewal—a vision that demands CAC Nigeria and Overseas rise again as a prophetic movement, realigning with its apostolic roots and prophetic destiny. When altar and battlefield converge, when stones of welfare and stones of warfare are lifted together, revival will break forth, fire will fall, giants will fall, and the cry of our generation will echo the cry of Israel: “The Lord, He is God.”

Prophetic Call

Where are the stones? They are not lost, nor are they hidden beyond our reach. They are in our heritage—the prayers of our fathers, the tears they shed in revival meetings, the sacrifices they made to establish a church birthed in fire, prayer, and apostolic dynamism. They are in our hands—the gifts of the Spirit entrusted to us, the prophetic mantle resting upon this generation, the power of Pentecost that has never ceased to flow. They are in our future—the legacy we must build for generations yet unborn, the altars we must raise that will testify to covenant faithfulness long after we are gone.

CAC Nigeria and Overseas must rise again as a movement of stones—twelve for covenant welfare, five for spiritual warfare. The twelve stones call us to rebuild the altar of covenant identity, prayer, and holiness, restoring the welfare of God’s people in purity and unity. The five stones call us to confront the giants of secularisation, disunity, and spiritual lethargy, wielding Spirit-filled weapons of faith, wisdom, courage, skill, and victory. Welfare without warfare leaves us vulnerable; warfare without welfare leaves us empty. Together, they form the full Pentecostal vision of renewal.

When we gather the stones, when we repair the altar, when we confront the giants, fire will fall, victory will come, and revival will break forth. The cry of our generation will echo the cry of Israel on Mount Carmel: “The Lord, He is God!” This is not a distant hope—it is our covenant destiny. The mantle rests upon us, the Spirit empowers us, and heaven is waiting for CAC Nigeria and Overseas to rise again in apostolic fire.

Conclusion: The Lord, He is God

When Elijah rebuilt the altar, fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, vindicating the covenant and silencing the prophets of Baal. When David faced Goliath, victory came through faith and courage, proving that the battle belongs to the Lord and not to human strength. These are not distant stories; they are prophetic templates for our time. If Christ Apostolic Church Nigeria and Overseas will rise to rebuild the altar of covenant welfare with Elijah’s twelve stones, and if we will confront the giants of compromise, secularisation, disunity, and spiritual lethargy with David’s five stones of warfare, revival will break forth with unstoppable force.

This is the hour of destiny. The mantle of our fathers rests upon us, and the cry of our generation must echo the cry of Israel on Mount Carmel: “The Lord, He is God!” Heaven is waiting for altars to be repaired and giants to be defeated. The world is watching for a church that burns again with apostolic fire. Revival is not a possibility—it is a necessity, a divine summons, a covenant destiny. CAC Nigeria and Overseas must rise as a prophetic movement, realigning with its apostolic roots and prophetic destiny, until the fire falls and victory resounds across nations.