I've posted this before:
I guess we’ve all heard of Joel Osteen. He’s pretty popular right now. He’s pastor of a large church in Houston, he’s on television, he’s written books, and has inspired and blessed many across the United States and around the world. Joel’s father was named John Osteen. He was born April 5, 1921 and died January 23, 1999. He began preaching at the age of 17, was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister and pastored several Baptist churches until he left that denomination after a special encounter with the Holy Spirit in 1958. That encounter is known as the HGB or Holy Ghost Baptism. On Mother’s Day 1959, he started a church in a dusty, abandoned feed store in northwest Houston. He pastored that church, known as Lakewood Church, from its small beginnings in 1959 until it grew to a congregation of 8,000. After his death in 1999 his son Joel took over the pastorate and the church has grown to about 30,000 and meets in the former home of the Houston Rockets basketball team. I used to watch John Osteen on tv and have a few of his books. This is an article from the August 1964 issue of a magazine called The Voice of Deliverance. The first paragraph is introductory and was written by W.V. Grant who was born in 1913 and died in 1983. The rest of the article is John Osteen’s testimony.
Jim Ellis
How God Gave A Baptist Minister The Baptism of the Holy Ghost
Brother Grant has known this Baptist minister for a good number of years. They have had fellowship together in different cities. Brother Grant gave him a number of his full gospel faith books that have blessed and inspired thousands of people, and helped them to see the light on the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Brother Osteen is highly recommended as a man anointed by God. He has helped thousands receive the Holy Spirit Baptism.
I stand this morning representative of the professional ministry of our day. When I use this term, I do so in the highest sense and best of taste. I do not mean a ministry that feels no divine call. I stand as one of the group of pastors of our day who are desperately concerned and deeply disturbed and confused over the lack of power. I know God saved me at the age of seventeen. I gave my heart to Jesus. Old things passed away and behold all things became new.
In order to prepare myself to fulfill the call to preach, I went to college and then to seminary. I entered into my ministry. I was assistant pastor of the First Baptist Church of San Diego, California. I was for about three years pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hamlin, Texas. For six and one half years I pastored the Central Baptist Church of Baytown, Texas.
Lest anyone misunderstand, and if I can say it without being misunderstood, I tried to be a spiritual preacher. I loved Jesus. I sought to give all to God. I have wept, dedicated, separated and waited upon God. The Spirit of God has blessed me as I have preached and besought men to be reconciled to God. If any man has not the Spirit of God he is none of His. These things I know to be true. And yet, throughout my nineteen years of preaching there has been a growing concern in my heart, for I knew that something ought to be there, and could not be found. I preached about praying, but deep in my heart I didn’t really love to pray consistently. I preached about loving the Word of God, but my congregation would have been amazed to know how little I really loved it. I preached about the presence, power and blessing of God, but when I faced the facts, I enjoyed very little of it. Oh, how many preachers know and cry out in their heart about these things. We can pray, love the Word and feel the blessing for a short time, and then it’s “back in the valley.” My members have streamed down the aisles weeping and seeking more power or the good fight of faith, but what could I say? Oh, my soul cried out! A lost and dying, wicked, perverse world needs help and I needed more power to give it and help --I knew there was something lacking in our day. I remember reading the Bible about the early church and its supernatural power, and I so longed for such as that. I knew, according to my training it was not for us today, so I faced my pulpit and people weary and sick at heart.
Resigns His Church
Finally brethren, I resigned my church to enter business. I determined never to be a pastor again. Many preachers were lined up for the job. Oh, they are lined up one hundred deep to take these nice churches. I wanted them to have mine. I would be an insurance underwriter. I didn’t want to face people coming for help to meet this world and its problems. I say, I didn’t want to keep facing them, knowing that my own heart was crying out for the same thing. So I entered the business world.
Do you know the tragedy of this preacher’s heart and life? God was trying to lead me into the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and I didn’t know it. Tragedy of tragedies! It’s enough to make the angels weep! I was saved, called, educated in college and seminary, and still didn’t know and recognize the hand of God heavy upon me, seeking to lead me into the full Baptism of the holy Ghost and fire. It ought to make us weep. The preachers of our day have God’s hand upon them, but they do not recognize that it is the hand of God seeking to baptize them in power. How patient and concerned we ought to be. How we ought to pray that they may see and understand!
They Told Him His Daughter Would Be Spastic!
About this time our little girl was born. When she arrived, we were filled with joy, but it soon turned to great concern. She was so lifeless. She couldn’t move normally. The doctor was concerned and had her x-rayed before leaving the hospital. He could find no broken bones. After she was released we took her to a specialist. She looked at her and said, “Mrs. Osteen, I can tell you now your child is not normal. She may be a spastic or something else of that nature, but she is not normal.”
I had always been taught to shun the idea of praying for the sick. “Divine healers” and Divine healing services were things a professional preacher dare not touch because he might lose his prestige and good standing. but you know, when it is your child it is different! When it is your child, you want to know what God has promised. I was determined to find out. I was amazed to learn that God’s first promise to a redeemed people was, “I am Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord that healeth thee.” As I read, I heard David say “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, Who healeth all thy diseases.” I discovered that much of the ministry of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ was spent in healing the sick and casting out devils. i found to my amazement that
Matthew 8:17 said that Jesus not only died for our sins, but also for our sicknesses and pains. I heard the Lord say, “They shall lay hands upon the sick and they shall recover.” I found it was an ordinance of the church to call for the elders of the church and let them pray over the sick and anoint him with oil that he might be healed by the Lord. So we began to pray and ask God to heal our baby. We took her back to the doctor in a few weeks and she said, “Mrs. Osteen, you know I have not treated your baby. I have prayed for it along with you and your husband. God has healed her.”” Hallelujah! “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!”
to be continued in part 2
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