Some of you are right where he was.  And he put out a fleece before the Lord.  I don’t recommend this, unless the Lord impresses you.  He said, “I’m going to quit the ministry, Lord.  I’m going to get a job at the S&Q Men’s Clothiers.  I’m quitting, unless You answer three fleeces.” 

He said, “I’m going to rent the auditorium in Enid,” which seated a little more than a thousand.  He said, “I want one thousand people there when I announce there’s going to be a healing rally.”  Now you have to know what kind of miracles that was.  He was running 75 in his church.      

The second fleece was that the offering would be received without the use of a stomach pump and that the offering would be enough to take care of all the expenses.

And the third fleece was, somebody would get healed.  They’d know it, and he would know it.  And if God did not answer those three fleeces, on the Monday morning he was resigning from the church and taking a job as a clothing salesman at the S&Q Clothiers.  You notice all the ribbons have been red, white, and blue.  Hallelujah!

My father, as I grew up, told me this story.  He said, “That Sunday morning in church, it was like a funeral because everyone knew the three o’clock hour was coming.  And everyone knew there was no way that a thousand people could show up.

But when he walked into that Enid auditorium that afternoon, the janitor met him at the back door and said, “Brother Roberts, would you like to know how many people are here?”

 “Yes.”

“There are more than a thousand.”

And then when the offering was raised, in typical Oral Roberts’ fashion, he said, “Go back and count it right now.  I’m going to wait on you,” and found that the offering was three dollars more than the expenses. 

And then when he preached a message on healing, “If You Need Healing, Do These Things,” he laid his hands on a woman, a German woman, who could not open and close her hand for 38 years.  And all of a sudden when he touched her, her hand loosed and she screamed.  And everyone saw that she was healed.

Now Danielle Agnew, music critic.  Keep going, guys, you’re going to get to little Danielle, sweet lady, nice music critic.  This is what she wrote.  “Remember, the music industry is just looking for a chance to completely dismiss you and your music.  And once you cancel a gig with a promoter or club, trying to rebook it later, you might as well be trying as a lesbian trying to get into Oral Roberts University.”  Just reading what she wrote.

Art.  National endowment for the arts takes money out of your tax dollars.  In this painting, I won’t even read what it’s called.  You read it.  Blank on Christ.  And it is spread with a bucket of urine everywhere it goes.

In the national newspaper, “All you need to remember is?-this is a father giving advice to his son-?stay away from the beaches, national forests, airplanes, TV evangelists, Wall Street, savings and loan, raid on gas, and people who don’t wear condoms.”  In 2002, out of 28,810 votes registered on Am I Annoying.com, 78.71 percent of the voters thought Oral Roberts was annoying, and listed the following reasons why and why not.  Why he might be annoying.  He got  his son Richard and daughter-in-law Lindsay to be involved in his ministry.

He named Richard as the President of Oral Roberts University.  Well, there’s one for you.  What rocket scientist came up with that one?  He believes he has the power of healed. Why he might not be annoying.  He preaches to morons with simplistic  ”God is a good God, and satan is a bad satan.”  There you go.  That’s brilliant.

This is the Oral they know, but I want to show you the Oral I know.  And then I want to ask you a question.  Take a good hard look at his life, take a good hard look at your life, take a good hard look at television.  The choice is yours.  What in the “L? are you tolerating in your church?  Immorality or immortality?  Only one “T? in between.  What are you preaching, and what are you tolerating?  The choice is yours.  Do you want their father or do you want our Father?  Do you want pink, or do you want red?  Do you want their Madonna, do you want ours?  Do you want rules, or the one who reigns?  Do you want passion, or compassion?

How many of you have tolerated on television Will and Grace instead of Amazing Grace?  Most Christians can’t even get on those stations.  You know it, and I know it.  Do you want idol worship, and are you participating, do you watch it, do you thrive on it, or do you want intense worship?

Casper came into existence in 1945.  This is part of the Nintendo games that we’re going to talk about.  How many of you have seen Mario on Nintendo?  Doo, doo, and all that little stuff, remember that?  We all look at it, and it seems very innocent.  It’s called fun and games.  You begin to start out, and as you progress in your ability to do it, up comes Casper out of the audience.  He’s been “charming” the audience. Charming, careful what that word is.  You need to look that up.  It means bewitching.  It means a part of a controlling spirit.  He’s been charming audiences since 1945.

Casper has been in existence for all these years, so they put him in this video game.  It’s rated E for everyone.  And I want to tell you what video means.  To look upon with envy, to be jealous, and to take precaution.  Could they be any more specific?  Video, to look upon with envy, to be jealous, or to take precaution.  It comes from the Latin word amvideo(sp) which means envious.  Casper, charming his audiences since 1945.

But the good news is, if you do well with Casper, you get to move on to Blood Omen 2, using the dark gifts of noble vampire named Cain.  And you can continue on with the game, and you can even learn how to accept satan as your Savior.  Nintendo never looked so good.  Did you buy one?

You got one?  Got one for your kids?  You need to rethink it. Let’s look at television.  Around the World in 30 Minutes.  Go to television, guys.  Let’s see if we can go to the next one.  Ted Turner, how many of you have CNN, Cable News Network on your television, and how many of you watch it?  In fact, how many of you get your thirty minutes worth of information from Ted Turner?  Ted Turner called the terrorists, not the act, the terrorists of 9-11 “brave at the least.”  He said, “The United States has some of the dumbest people in the world, and I want you to know that we know that.”

May I continue with my quote?  Ted Turner said, and I quote, when the 39 of Heaven’s Gate cult members committed suicide, he referred to it as “a good way to get rid of a few nuts.”  Ted Turner’s father committed suicide when Ted was 24.  This is where you’re getting your news.  Be very careful that you don’t go to Goliath for advice on David’s ministry.  Goliath won’t tell it to you straight.

You go over to another quote of his, and he said, “Christianity is a religion for losers.  The farther away I get from God, the better I feel.”  And yet this is where we are getting our information.  Hmm. On television we see a new program called Charmed.  Charmed is a supernatural one-hour drama from Spelling Television.  It chronicles the conflict of love among three vastly different sisters and their need to come together to fulfill an ancient witchcraft prophecy.  Now you want to see that and you’re done with that, you can go to Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.  It is a “bewitching” comedy.  The mention of the occult is in the promotion where it says one of the character is a mischievous witch doing penance as a black cat.

If you were to sign that … don’t touch it because it comes out up there.  Sign right on the bottom.  Your name.  What’s it worth to you?  Nothing, absolutely.  I would like to ask how cold was the bed in Oklahoma on a hot summer night, but I refuse to go into that the way he got into that last night.  That may be the closest red I have ever seen Evelyn Roberts.  I mean, I tell you, I thought he was going to see stars and stripes last night.  It was something to behold.

Every time I looked at my mother-in-law, she had her face in her hands and said, “Why did he say that?”  And I just said, “I do not know, Evelyn.”  But, boy, I tell you one thing, he was having a good time last night.

But now I want to ask you a question, why would Oral Roberts sign this picture?  Why?  How do you know that it’s him?  Because I took a picture of him with the camera.  Who wants this?  Who said I do?  The person that said I do, come get it.  Now I want to ask you why you think that’s Oral Roberts.  Would you hand that to the “I do” lady?  Thank you.

Why do you think that’s Oral Roberts?  Because I put the camera on him and took his picture, is that correct?  Well, actually, it goes a little deeper than that, because what you focus on will develop.  What are you focusing on?  Louis, come here a minute, would you?  Drew, come here a minute, would you? Let me get two other people.  Somebody on the front row, this lady in pink.  Honey, would you come here a minute.  Hand them each one of those.  I’ve only got three.  That’s good enough. Here, sweetheart, would you take that?  And, Louis, would you take one?

I want you to write your biggest problem right now, what it is.  You don’t have to tell anybody.  It’s okay.  You know, we’ll keep it private.  Ha, ha, ha.  No, we really will.  What is your biggest problem that you face?  Kay Newberry, come up here and help me a minute too, honey.  Just hold this for a minute right where you’re standing, would you?  Just hold that, okay.  Yes, yes, that’s fine.

Okay, did you write it down?  Yeah, go ahead and write.  You can write it in code if you don’t want us to know.  You can lie. Write anything you want.  You can cheat.  Okay.  Now whatever your biggest problem is, I want you to look at it, and then I want you to turn around, okay?

Now it’s a problem to you, right?  Okay, okay.  Can I read it out loud?  Do you mind?  It says “procrastination.”  How many of you in that back row can read it?  Is this a big thing to you, sweetheart?  It’s a pretty big thing, huh?  Yeah.  Is it a big thing to you guys back there?  It’s amazing what people’s perspective is.  You know, what’s big to one person might not be big to another person.  Put that right up.  Turn around this way, and look at your biggest problem, okay?  I want you to focus on that, sweetheart.

RR: Every once in a while.

LR: And the funny thing is, our phone number is not even close to that.  And then they’ll say, “Lindsay is this you?”

 ”Yes.”  “Are you with the Abundant Life Prayer Group?”

 ”Well, not exactly, but sort of.”  And they’ll tell us what to pray for, and we’ll have a Holy Ghost meeting in the middle of the night because God wants it to happen that way.

God can crisscross telephone wires.  God can do whatever He wants.  And if He wants to use liquid Draino in the Spirit realm to flush out something that doesn’t belong there and make me get up in the morning and pray about it, then He’ll do that, if we’ll trust Him.  Never limit the Lord.

RR: Our good friend, Bill Swad, pastor of the Christian Center in Gahanna, Ohio, there in the Columbus, Ohio area, will be with us in a few minute’s time.  He has a special word for you.

RR: Something is happening, Lindsay.

LR: Something is happening all over, I believe.  You know, it feels like you can feel the tide swelling.  You can just feel it building.  I lived in Florida and we lived on the beach, and you could always watch the tide begin to swell. And you could see, “This is going to be a good one.”  And I just have a feeling the tide is beginning to swell, and I believe this is going to be a good time in the Lord.  I’m ready.

RR: Just the other day, Kenneth Copeland, who is a regent of ORU, came on our program, and Kenneth brought a profound word to people about ORU, which has been in his blood since he was a student here many years ago.  And just before Bill Swad comes on to say a good to you from the Bible, I want to take you back a few nights when Brother Kenneth Copeland came on and talked about his alma mater, Oral Roberts University.  Just watch.

RR: Well, I’ll tell you, Kenneth Copeland was on fire for the Lord that night.  And speaking of another man who’s always on fire for the Lord, I want you to join me in welcoming our good friend, Pastor Bill Swad, from Columbus, Ohio. Pastor and businessman.    

Bill, the first time I met you, you came on this campus.  Lindsay and I were hosting a morning program at that time, Richard Roberts Live.  You walked on the set, and you handed me a check for $100,000 for Oral Roberts University.  Two of your kids have been here at ORU.

BS: Sally wrote the check on the set.

RR: Sally wrote the check on the set.

BS: Hi, Sally.

RR: She’s watching tonight.  And two of your kids have been here at ORU, and you began to tell me how much ORU had meant to you and how much ORU had meant to your family.

He said, “Well, I’m going to hold them. What’s your name?”

I said, “Well, my name is Jerry Savelle.”

He said, “I’m going to put the name Jerry Savelle on these suits?

LR: He had more faith than you did at that point.

JS: Yeah, he did. And he said, “I’m just going to hold them. How long are you going to be in town?”

I said, “A couple of days.”

He said, “I’m going to hold them. If you get the money, come back.”

Well, he built me up. I said, “I’ll tell you what. I believe God is going to give me the money for those suits.”

So I went back to my hotel. Now I don’t have a suit to wear that night. I had a pair of slacks and a shirt, you know, and a tie but no suit. And so when I got to my hotel, Brother Copeland’s father, A. W. Copeland we all called him Granddad he knocks on my door and he says, “Jerry, where have you been?”

I said, “I’ve been out in the streets, and I gave my suit away.”

And he said, “Well, I’ve been looking for you all day.”

I said, “Why?”

He said, “Well, last night in the offering there was an envelope and it said?

Now you have to understand, I looked like I was about 14 when I went to work for Brother Copeland, and I was 23 years old but I looked 14. And on this envelope it said, “Please give this to the little boy who works for Brother Copeland.”  And the envelope contained exactly what those 2 suits cost.

Now I ran back over there. I couldn’t even talk in English. I ran into the store I’m talking in tongues, and the guy in there says, “What is it?”

I said, “I’ve got the money for those suits.”

He said, “You don’t!”

I said, “I do!”

And I gave him the money, and he said, “Now, son, do you have a topcoat?”  I didn’t even know what a topcoat was.

I said, “What’s a topcoat?”

LR: Fill it up, spill it out.  Fill it up, spill it out. You know, so many times you sit there and go, “I’m hungry, I’m hungry, I’m hungry,” and the cupboard is full. Then eat! You know, you just want to say, “Hello!  Get a revelation!”  Quit whining, griping, and complaining when the glory is being poured out to fill up the cupboard. Go partake. Let’s have a party, a spiritual party, a physical party, a financial party, a release party.  Let’s party, in Jesus’ name.  And I believe it’s time for us to do it.

You know, if Kay can tell this, we’re not going to get too much of the names, dates, and details on this because we’ve not been released to tell all that, but I want you to tell the essence of the story you were telling me while I was coming into the program tonight.

K: Okay, well about good ground, ORU being good ground, to plant your seed in to get a mighty harvest. A friend of mine was at one of your conferences recently, and she was hearing about seedtime and harvest and she knew about seedtime and harvest, and she planted a seed of $10,000 into ORU, handed you the check because she was sitting behind you.

So you wrote her a note, “I believe for a hundredfold return on this harvest.”  Within thirty days, she had an increase of one million dollars.

LR: Hundredfold, within thirty days.

RR: That’s a hundredfold.

LR: They have that documented.

RR: A hundredfold on ten thousand dollars is one million bucks.

LR: It came to pass.

RR: Wow!

LR: Now there’s a point here. First of all, I think God is going to get seed to the sower. He said He would supply seed to the sower. If you have no desire to sow, if your heart is not right, if you’re only in it for some sick o gimmick, God not going to get seed to the sower.

RR: It’s not a sick o gimmick.  It’s the Bible.

LR: And if you want to take it as the Bible and God can trust you with the harvest, then He will trust you with the seed. He will never trust you with the seed if He cannot trust you with the harvest.

RR: Something has broken loose in the Spirit. Now those of you who watched us, we’ve been on the air now I was talking to our guests, Lynn and Dawn Braco and Kay Newberry earlier we’ve been on the air with this program, Something Good Tonight the Hour of Healing almost three years now. And every night we focused on healing, healing, healing, healing, nothing but healing.  We’ve had more than 20,000 miracle healing testimonies that come through the Abundant Life Prayer Group just through this program.

And in the last five months, almost 300 cancer related healings. And the Lord said, “You need to tell the people about ORU.”  I said, “Well, Lord, You told me to talk about healing.”  He said, “I understand that.  Don’t stop talking about healing.” But He said, “I want the spirit of debt broken off of people’s lives. And as I get it broken off of people’s lives, as they begin to sow, then ORU is going to have the spirit of debt broken off of them.”

People have been calling, making pledges of $100, $50, $20, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000.  We’ve already had one million dollar pledge. God is up to something. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Oh, come on, give the Lord praise. I want to thank you. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I want to say to you that you have a Bible right now to expect God to open you the windows of heaven and to pour you out a blessing where there shall not be room enough to receive it, and then to rebuke the devil, the devourer, for your sake.

Now that’s the Bible. You were talking about the truth, Lindsay, that’s the Bible. It comes true when you sow seed. And so many of them, Lindsay, have been saying, “I’m sowing it against my own need, my own debt.”  And I believe you’re going to get the answer that you need. And thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We thank you.

LR: One of the things that came up in while I was studying this and going through I have been studying this, you know, on Matthew 6.  And I’ve been going over that as the Lord gave it to me, but I particularly went through just the Scriptures of the people that were on these programs were saying.

And I felt a very strong leading of the Lord tonight to put anointing oil on my hands and ask you to walk over to your television and lay your hands on my hands as I prayed tonight.  And I believe that as I pray that miracles are going to begin to break loose in people’s lives.

Sue, what do you have?  What’s happening in the midst of the Abundant Life Prayer Group?

SUE: We have Jackie in Abilene, Texas tonight.  She’s a grandmother and was watching the program several weeks ago, a couple of weeks ago, and is going to tell you what happened to her granddaughter, who’s had a miracle.

RR: Okay.  Hello, Jackie.  How are you tonight?

J: I’m just praising the Lord, Richard.

RR: Well, that’s what we’ve been doing tonight.  Tell me what’s happened, Jackie.

J: I have a granddaughter that’s 12 years old, and for the last couple of years they’ve been watching her because they found scoliosis.  And she had an appointment about two weeks ago for a checkup, and she had gone from a 9 to a 12 in just a few months.

RR: Now what does that mean, a 9 to a 12?

J: I’m really not sure, Richard.  It’s a scale they go by.  And so they told my daughter they wanted her to take her to an orthopedic doctor.  And the soonest they could get in was this past Monday.

Last week when Kathy was there, I heard that you were going to pray for the children.  Do you remember that night?

RR: Yes, ma’am.

J: Well, Brittany’s mother was out of town on business for the state, and so she was staying with me.  And we get out of Midland at ten o’clock at night.  Now I think we get you at nine.  But Brittany was wiped out.  She was tired from school, and so I told her, “Honey, just lay down on the couch.”  So she came in and she lay down on the couch, and I went to the phone and I called the Prayer Tower.  And the young man I prayed with, he knows how to get a hold of God. When he prayed, I knew we’d touched the throne.  I asked him to agree in prayer that it would be done that night.  And I’m telling you, the power of God was just all over me.