From the archives of Oral Roberts – First of five parts
My co-evangelist for more than 30 years, Bob DeWeese, told me before he went to heaven in 1978 that the two most important things I would leave behind when I died would be ORU and my teachings on the miracle of Seed-Faith. And I rather believe he is right.
One never knows how many more sermons he has to preach. I believe I have many years left for the Lord, if He tarries, but if I knew this would be my last sermon, this is the sermon I would preach:
Philippians 4:19 lay in the Bible for thousands of years, and I had seen it hundreds of times. But I did not discover it until the Holy Spirit revealed it to me in 1947 when I began this ministry. But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
When I came on the scene in 1947, I saw a great poverty among God’s people, and so much sickness and despair! Our little churches were in out-of-the-way places. My father was a preacher who established 12 churches, mostly in storefront buildings. He would build a little church, find a pastor, and then we would move on to the next place.
I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, down by the cotton gin. Sometimes we had enough to eat, sometimes we didn’t. I went to school barefooted until Christmas ― not because I liked to go barefooted in cold weather, but because Papa didn’t have the money to buy shoes.
I started my ministry in that kind of an atmosphere. Some people were prospering, but they were in the minority. I didn’t have any money to start with, but I had faith in my heart, and God was dealing with me that something good was about to happen to His people.