The Other General Conference in Houston 9.13-15

[Scott Hutchinson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWMmVIAtHAU

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Sam

You can see them on TBN if you want and you don't have to pay that $200 fee.

I'll still be asked for the $200

[Scott Hutchinson]

This bothers me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPeYUXuuRUM

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

This bothers me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPeYUXuuRUM

Exactly, that was one of the clips I had in mind when I made my critical statement. On you tube compare Joel Osteens statements on Lary King with those of John MacArthur. I dig some John MacArthur.

[Sherri]

Originally Posted by Jason Badejo

Exactly, that was one of the clips I had in mind when I made my critical statement. On you tube compare Joel Osteens statements on Lary King with those of John MacArthur. I dig some John MacArthur.

Yes, but John MacArthur is HARD against tongues, so there are things about everyone that you'll disagree with.

John Osteen (the dad) would have taken a much stronger stance on issues on national TV than his son did. At least I think he would have. He was a true man of God with integrity and power. I'm not saying Joel isn't - I have no way to judge him, but I was disappointed in the things he said on Larry King.

[Jason B]

True, but at least MacArthur stands for something

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Sherri

...
John Osteen (the dad) would have taken a much stronger stance on issues on national TV than his son did. At least I think he would have. He was a true man of God with integrity and power. I'm not saying Joel isn't - I have no way to judge him, but I was disappointed in the things he said on Larry King.

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.


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

[Sam]

continued from part 1

Called to Hibbard Memorial Baptist Church.

God was moving things out of the way. How good and how patient He is! About this time Hibbard Memorial Baptist Church here in Houston extended a call to me to be their pastor. I decided to accept. I also decided to set my face toward God to find the power. I said to myself, and to God,”The hour is too late. Hell is too horrible, sins are too black, heaven is too real, eternity too long, and time too short for me to fail you.” I preached to the church on the text, “I baptize you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and Fire.” My subject was in the form of a question: When did Jesus baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire? If we know when we are baptized in water, we would certainly know when and if we had been baptized in FIRE. I confessed to them that I had not had this experience, but was setting my heart and soul toward God to have it.

I was alone in my office in downtown Houston. I read and studied day and night. Suddenly it came to me. I read of Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, the early church and disciples. I read carefully the commands and desires of our Lord Jesus Christ. I began to see that we are sent to help to face and help a darkened, hell bound, demon ridden world, but we were not to do it in our own power. It was God’s plan that HIs people have a supernatural ministry. It was and is His plan that the Power of God be for our day in this twentieth century. The supernatural was God’s plan to destroy the devil and set men free. Oh, I remember when it came to me and I knew it was true. I wept. I got in my car and drove 16 miles to my home. I shouted and cried all the way home. My God, it’s true! No wonder I have been confused and defeated. Praise the Lord! God has the best way.

God’s Power Comes Upon Him in His Office

I had never heard of a man by the name of William Branham. I had faintly heard of Oral Roberts and his work. I was ignorant of all this. I just simply tell you what God did to me. I was there in my office waiting and praying into the night. I never knew what a touch from God was. As I waited before God, I had my hands up --I wasn’t excited. I was just waiting and yearning. Directly there came into my hands a strange feeling, and it came down to the middle of my arms and began to surge! Like electricity, it was like a thousand --like ten thousand --then a million volts of electricity. It began to shake my hand, to pull my hands. I could hear, as it were, a zooming sound of the power. It pulled my hands over and held them there as though God took them in His. There came a voice in my soul that said, “Lay these hands on the sick and I will heal them.”

But I didn’t have the Baptism. I was scared even for God to touch me again. I went to a revival meeting at the First Baptist Church of Blytheville, Arkansas. While on the train, I sought God, and as I fasted and waited upon Him, this same power came into my hands. God would touch me, but I couldn’t get baptized in the Holy Ghost.

One morning I got up, and I said, “Well, goodbye.” My wife asked me, “Where are you going?” I said, “I don’t know, but I’m not coming back until I hear from heaven.” I didn’t expect to see her for a month. I went to downtown Houston and rented a hotel room where I shut myself up. I shut God in with me. I said, “Oh, God, Thou who didst save me and call me and Thou whose call is upon my soul, Thou knowest my heart. I want to be used. I want to serve you. You’ve been so good to me.” God showed me two things. He showed me an old school debt that I had somehow overlooked and didn’t feel like I ought to pay. I got up and wrote a check for $600.00 to pay it. I said, “Lord, that's settled.” Then the Lord showed me the spiritual pride.

He said, “Are you willing to be numbered among the despised? Those who are ostracized? Are you willing to lose the prestige of your denominational standing? Are you willing to be fired from your church and have your salary cut off? Are you willing to have every door shut against you and never be invited to preach in their churches? Are you willing to accept the ridicule and embarrassment?” To all these and many more questions, I said, “Lord, I am! I am! I am!”

He Receives The Baptism of The Holy Ghost

In an air-conditioned room, with my hands lifted up t heaven and my heart reaching up for my God, there came the molten lava of His love. It poured in like a stream from heaven and I was lifted up out of myself. I spoke in a language I could not understand for about two hours. My body poured out perspiration as though I was in a steam bath. The Baptism of Fire! Glory to God! The surge of His power and glory of His presence defies the mind of man to explain! but Hallelujah, He filled the temple!

[geekette]

$200? Wait...it's $100 for singles up until tomorrow...but I'd have to go to Houston. I did my time in Houston.

Nope, think I'll spend my pennies on another painting class...

[Light]

Originally Posted by Sherri

I'm going to hear Chris Hodges! His church is just about the fastest growing church in the U.S., and is strong and straight preaching - no compromise with him!

Yea no compromising at all ????? What a joke!!!Just attending this farce is compromising for someone who claims to have truth!!