Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
(John 5:8)
In 1950, I was preaching at a meeting in Oklahoma, and at the close of my sermon, the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Minister to those who have anything wrong with them from their hips down.” So I just spoke that out.
Well, twelve people came. The first man looked like he was sitting down, but he was scooting his feet along because his legs were drawn up. I asked him what was wrong, and he explained that he had been burned.
In fact, that was the first day he had been out of bed in a whole year. He had spent six months in the hospital and six months in the bed at home. His legs were burned so deeply that the muscles and ligaments had left his legs drawn up.
When the Lord said to minister to these people, I thought He meant to lay hands on them. But as the people were coming down to the front, the word of the Lord came to me again saying, “Don’t touch a single one of them. Don’t pray for them. Deal with each one of them individually, not as a group. Say to them, ‘The Lord told me to tell you to run down that aisle and back up this aisle, and you’ll be healed.'”
I said to the man who had been burned, “Can you run?” It so startled him that he just said, “No, I can’t walk, much less run.”
I said, “Well, the Lord told me to tell you to run down that aisle and back up this one, and you’ll be healed.” That man never doubted for a minute. He started scooting as fast as he could. He scooted down one aisle and back up the other one. And he was no better. Well, when God speaks to you, don’t give in to the devil.
I said, “Do it again.” He did it again. When he came by me, the Spirit of God came on me, and before I knew what I was doing, I leaped off the platform and took him by the arm and ran down that aisle with him. When we ran up the other aisle, he was running as well as I was! His legs were straight!
Confession:
I obey God. Whatever He tells me to do, I do. I act in faith, and I back up my faith with works, with corresponding actions. Then I see what I have believed was mine. I see the manifestation of my healing.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
Rev. Hagin was born on Aug. 20, 1917, in McKinney, Texas, a son of the late Lillie Viola Drake Hagin and Jess Hagin.
Rev. Hagin was sickly as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. He was not expected to live and became bedfast at age 15. In April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life.
In August of 1934, Rev. Hagin was miraculously healed, raised off a deathbed by the power of God and the revelation of faith in God's Word. Two years later, he preached his first sermon as pastor of a small community church in Roland, Texas.
In 1937, Rev. Hagin was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began ministering in Pentecostal churches. During the next 12 years he pastored five churches in Texas: in the cities of Tom Bean, Farmersville (twice), Talco, Greggton, and Van. In 1949, he began an itinerant ministry as a Bible teacher and evangelist.
During the next 14 years, Jesus appeared to Rev. Hagin eight times in visions that changed the course of his ministry. In 1966, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he opened a ministry office. That same year, he taught for the first time on radio—on KSKY in Dallas. In 1967, he began a regular radio broadcast that continues today as Faith Seminar of the Air. Teaching by his son, Rev. Kenneth W. Hagin, is also heard on the program.
In 1968, Rev. Hagin published the first issues of The Word of Faith magazine, which now has a monthly circulation of more than 250,000. The publishing outreach he founded, Faith Library Publications, has circulated more than 65 million copies of books by Rev. Hagin, Rev. Hagin Jr., and several other authors worldwide. Faith Library Publications also has produced more than 9 million audio teaching tapes and CDs.
Other outreaches of Kenneth Hagin Ministries include RHEMA Praise, a weekly television broadcast hosted by Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Hagin; RHEMA Correspondence Bible School; RHEMA Alumni Association; RHEMA Ministerial Association International; RHEMA Supportive Ministries Association; the RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center; and a prison ministry.
In 1974, Rev. Hagin founded RHEMA Bible Training Center USA and in 1976 moved the school and ministry offices to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where they remain. To date, RHEMA Bible Training Center USA has 23,000 alumni, and RHEMA Bible Training Centers have opened in 13 other nations: Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand. Together, the 14 schools have more than 28,000 graduates worldwide.
RHEMA Bible Church, pastored by Rev. Hagin Jr., began holding services in October of 1985 on the RHEMA campus in Broken Arrow and has since grown to become a thriving congregation with more than 8,000 members.
Rev. Hagin's daughter and son-in-law, Pat Harrison and the late Doyle "Buddy" Harrison, founded Harrison House Publishers in 1975 and Faith Christian Fellowship International Church in 1977. Both organizations are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Until shortly before his death in September 2003, Rev. Hagin continued to travel and teach throughout the United States and into Canada conducting All Faiths' Crusades and other special meetings.