Pioneers of the Full Gospel

PART 1 - WHAT IS THE “FULL GOSPEL?”

The great commission is for us to make disciples of Jesus throughout the world, not just Christians.

A Christian tries to be obedient to the Word/Jesus. When Jesus recognizes this He asks His Father to give us His Father’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Once God the Father gives us His Spirit, we are saved. At this point the devil can’t just pluck us out of God’s hand of salvation. Arguably, we can still rebel against God and jump out of His hand though!

When a Christian receives the Holy Spirit he is now part of the team. He’s like a white belt that just joined a martial arts school. He’s now part of the school, but his learning has just begun. Through vigilant training the student should strive to become a black belt. A Christian who is content at staying at the lower ranks never fully develops the skills of the higher ranks. This is what happens to most Christians. A disciple on the other hand is more vigilant than other Christians. A disciple doesn’t quit until he receives his black belt. Vigilance is what turns a Christian into a disciple.

Jesus made disciples by teaching them the Word and giving them spiritual power and authority. This power and authority had to be practiced and developed so he sent them out to cast out demons and heal the sick. When they became mature disciples, Jesus told his disciples to go into the world and make more disciples. Jesus said do this by teaching others all the things they had been taught. This is Jesus’ “great commission” to us.

There are many reasons to perform such miracles. Here are a few...

Jesus told us to.
They are inherently good.
It’s spiritual exercise that deepens our relationship with the Holy Spirit and Jesus. It makes us listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance more carefully.
It draws people to the Word by proving the Word is true. It saves souls and makes disciples.

The typical American church saves souls by making more Christians. This is not the complete great commission. We aren’t supposed to only save souls. This keeps Christians at a white belt level. Rather, we’re supposed to make these powerless, white belt Christians, into powerful, black belt disciples! This is the complete great commission.

The “full gospel” simply means fulfilling the complete great commission. This can only be accomplished by a disciple, not the typical Christian. It takes a disciple to show someone else how to become one. A disciple spreads the Word (knowledge) and casts out demons, heals the sick, raises the dead, etc. (demonstrates the power and truth of the Word).

Just prior to ascending to heaven, Jesus told the disciples his final command, the great commission. The great commission is also stated in Matthew 28. Mathew 10 completes Matthew 28.

Mark 16:15-20

And He said to them, Going into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation. The one believing and being baptized will be saved; but the one not believing will be condemned. And miraculous signs will follow to those believing these things; they will cast out demons in My name; they will speak new languages; they will take up snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them, not any; they will lay hands on ones being infirm, and they will be well. Then indeed, after speaking to them, the Lord was taken up into Heaven, and sat at the right of God. And going out, they preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the miraculous signs following after. Amen

Below Paul says he first established the church in Corinth by not speaking with persuasive words or trying to act wise. Rather, he drew people to the Word through the power of the full gospel.

1 Corinthians 2:1-10

And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with excellency of word or wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and Him being crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my word and my preaching was not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in proof of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. But we speak wisdom among the mature ones, but not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, the ones being caused to cease. But we speak the wisdom of God having been hidden in a mystery, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age has known. For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; but even as it is written, “The things which an eye did not see, and an ear did not hear,” and did not come up on the heart of man, “the things which God has prepared for the ones loving Him.” But God revealed them to us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

The above scripture shows that the deeper things of God are revealed by the Holy Spirit. Miracles are unusual. They are some of the deeper things of God that are learned only through revelation by the Holy Spirit. A typical Christian won’t cast out demons, heal the sick, or raise the dead. This is because Christianity is more of an intellectual pursuit for them. They may know the Word, but they don’t have a close enough relationship with the Holy Spirit for Him to reveal such things. On the other hand, if they allowed the Holy Spirit to closely guide them, He would reveal these deeper things to them. They would then be able to fulfil the full gospel. If there could be a measurement that showed the difference between a typical Christian and a disciple, it would be the degree one’s submitted to and guided by the Holy Spirit.

PART 2 - GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit’s guidance is a lost art in the typical church. The Holy Spirit was given to Jesus without measure, but only in measure to us. This means we have to develop the ability to hear Him and be led by Him. For every step we take towards Him, he’ll take a step towards us. The more vigilant we are, the more He’ll move in our lives. Pretty soon we’ll be Holy Spirit led full gospel living disciples, moving in the power and authority that Jesus gave us. Again, vigilance is the key to wringing a disciple out of a Christian.

There are many ways the Holy Spirit leads us. To just name a few…

He’ll give us a clear mind and a desire to learn the Word.
He’ll give us an understanding of scripture that we didn’t have before.
He’ll give us “conviction,” which means He’ll give us a bad feeling if it’s against His will.
He’ll also direct us to other people we can learn from. This is where the pioneers of the full gospel come into play.

PART 3 - THE DEVIL'S ROADBLOCKS

A typical Christian is spiritually weak until the Holy Spirit power is developed. The devil will do two things. First, he will work to prevent us from receiving the Holy Spirit. Second, if we do receive the Holy Spirit he’ll do whatever he can to prevent us from utilizing our power and authority. The devil wants to keep spiritually weak Christians just that...weak. He wants to keep us white belts. After all, casting out his demons, binding them, releasing spirits from God’s army, healing the sick, raising the dead, and generally walking fearless and in power means we are fighting back. That’s bad news for him.

There are many ways the devil prevents us from utilizing our Holy Spirit power and authority. Here are a couple...

The devil made us ignorant of our Holy Spirit power. If practicing and developing our Holy Spirit power is part of the great commission, how can we possibly just ignore it? The devil accomplished this in large part by removing it from the seminaries and bible colleges. How many people who graduate from these institutions are routinely casting out demons and healing the sick? Most Christians don’t know the bible very well. As a result, instead of learning what Christianity is through the Word, they learn it according to what the world (customs/family/friends/church/denomination/minister) says it is. The world will try to make us feel foolish for striving to live a full gospel lifestyle. See how the devil systematically makes us ignorant of our power over him! He’s a wily dude.
Once a Christian starts becoming a disciple and utilizing their God given power and authority over the devil, the devil switches tactics. He now focuses his attacks directly on the disciple. He may do this through sickness, injuries, poor sleep, specific temptations that were a source of sin in the past, rejection and self-pity, loneliness and depression, pride and arrogance, greed and love of money, fame and favor, power and control, etc.

The devil is smart and persistent. He knows what sins we are prone to committing and attacks us in those areas. If we have a wandering eye, he’ll put a beautiful person in our life to tempt us with adultery. If we are prone to the love of money, he’ll give us boat loads of money and watch it consume us. We need to guard over ourselves vigilantly, especially in areas we’ve struggled with in the past. We need to protect the ones we love too.

Some of the full gospel pioneers who're going to be mentioned had their ministries or lives end in controversy and suspicion. These folks got blind-sided by demons in an area of their lives they hadn’t submitted to God. God seldom, if ever, revokes giftings He’s given us. This is why preachers who have developed a love of money and power can still walk in Holy Spirit power. The average person sees these folks as being charlatans - someone who uses trickery to make money. This puts a bad taste in the average person’s mouth about the workings of the Holy Spirit. This is one of ways the devil hinders the development of our spiritual power. Disciples are obedient to the full gospel and shrug off the devil’s influences.

PART 4 - PIONEERS THAT HAVE PASSED AWAY

These full gospel pioneers have died, but they still continue to encourage disciples around the world to walk with the Holy Spirit in power and authority. These men and women picked up, blew the dust off, and applied the old truths of casting out demons, healing the sick, speaking in tongues, and raising the dead. They walked like Jesus, the apostles, and the first disciples did...using miracles to draw people to the Word and to prove the Word is true. They showed that Jesus’ great commission to the first believers is still in effect for the believers of today. Their books, audio recordings, and videos are priceless for a learning disciple.

These men and women were flawed like every person. Some of them had bumpy lives and sad endings. Regardless, they chose to let the Holy Spirit lead them during much of their lives. When the Holy Spirit is allowed to lead, amazing and wonderful things happen.

Below are just a few of the full gospel pioneers who have passed away. There are many more who are unnamed or unknown. The ones I’ve learned the most from are Derek Prince, Frank Hammond, and Win Worley.

Smith Wigglesworth

Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) lived in England. He grew up poor and became a plumber. His wife taught him how to read by reading the bible. Later he said the bible was the only thing he read, not allowing newspapers in his home.

Wigglesworth started preaching. After he got busy preaching, he quit being a plumber. Wigglesworth went to a revival once and after someone laid hands on him and prayed over him, he started speaking in tongues. Afterwards he started casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead.

Click here to go to a website dedicated to Wigglesworth. His materials can be purchased there. Click here if you want to hear the first of a series of many of his sermons. These sermons aren’t actually spoken by Wigglesworth.

John G. Lake

John G. Lake (1870-1935) was a leader in the Pentecostal movement that began in the early 20th century. He evangelized for 20 years, primarily along the west coast of the United States. He was very successful in miraculously healing sick people using the power of God. He set up healing rooms and established churches. His main vision was to train others to walk in the power of God. He did this, in part, by establishing the Divine Healing Technicians training program.

Presently, Curry Blake runs John G. Lake Ministries. Click here to go to the John G. Lake Ministries website where more information can be obtained from John G. Lake, Curry Blake, and the Divine Healing Technicians program.

Katheryn Kuhlman

Katheryn Kuhlman (1907-1976) had a ministry that had untold number of healings. It reached its peak in about the late 1960’s. Click here to see Kuhlman’s books and click here to see some of her videos.

William Branham

William Branham (1909-1965) showed that the Word/Jesus is alive by amazing demonstrations of spiritual power and authority through the moving of the Holy Spirit. Click here to hear Branham speak.

A.A. Allen

A. A. Allen (1911-1970) became a Christian at 23. Later, he learned of the baptism of the Holy Spirit from a Pentecostal preacher who was conducting meetings at his home. Allen soon felt the call to preach. He got ordained through the Assemblies of God and started pastoring churches.

In 1949 Allen attended a tent revival hosted by Oral Roberts. Allen said that as he left that meeting he hoped to form a divine healing ministry. Soon he started holding healing revival meetings. This led to his fame with many healings and demons being casted out. Click here to go to the A. A. Allen Ministries website where his materials can be obtained. Click here if you want to watch an old school tent revival.

Derek Prince

Derek Prince (1915–2003) learned Greek and Latin at Eton College and Cambridge University in England. He held a Fellowship in Ancient and Modern Philosophy at King’s College. He also studied several modern languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic, at Cambridge University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

While serving with the British army in World War II, he began to study the Bible and experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Out of this encounter he formed two conclusions: first, that Jesus Christ is alive; second, that the Bible is a true, relevant, up-to-date book. These conclusions altered the whole course of his life, which he then devoted to studying and teaching the Bible.

He is the author of over 80 books, 600 audio, and 110 video teachings. Click here to buy any of Prince’s materials. Click here to go to the Derek Prince Ministries website.

NOTE: Prince was a pleasant, soft-spoken man. His books and videos are excellent in helping develop a full gospel base. Click here to hear him give a talk about deliverance and at the end you can see part of a mass deliverance. While watching this video If you pretend you are in the crowd and do what he says, you may experience deliverance yourself even though this was recorded many years ago.

Frank Hammond

Frank Hammond (1921-2005) grew up in Texas. He was a Baptist minister with a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Hammond’s ministry took on new depths and direction after experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad, ministering with a major emphasis in the area of deliverance. He wrote many books. His most popular is probably Pigs in the Parlor, which is a good book to start out with to learn about demons. He was a pioneer in the field of deliverance and demonology.

Hammond’s wife, Ida Mae, was also involved with the ministry.

Click here to hear Hammond speak. Click here to see his books. He’s easy to listen to.

Win Worley

Win Worley was a Southern Baptist Minister. He has a bachelor’s degree from East Texas Baptist University and a master’s degree from Northeastern Illinois State University. He attended Dallas Theological Seminary from 1951-1953. He led Hegewisch Baptist Church located in Highland, IN. He is known in large part for his knowledge and experience with deliverance. Click here to hear him.

Worley was a fun pastor to listen to. He had quite a personality and moved deliverance from a scary, heavy topic to a fun and interesting endeavor. Click here to go to Hegewisch’s website. Led by Pastor Michael Thierer, Hegewisch Baptist Church currently holds deliverance conferences several times a year and a men’s leadership conference once a year. You can find these dates at the website.

T.B. Joshua

T.B. Joshua headed The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos, Nigeria. People come from all around the world to attend this full gospel church. To say the deliverances and healings that occur are interesting would be a gross understatement. Click here to visit the SCOAN’s website. Click here to go to Emmanuel TV, which is the name of SCOAN”s Youtube channel. Click here to watch one of Joshua’s healings.

PART 5 - CURRENT FULL GOSPEL MINISTERS

DON DICKERMAN

Don Dickerman, a Southern Baptist minister, has pastored churches, worked as an evangelist, and led a prison ministry. In 1995, he received a powerful anointing for healing and deliverance and that is now his focus. He runs a ministry called Liberated Living. Click here to go to the Liberated Living website. His books can be bought off the website. He has some good videos to watch too. Click here to watch one.

NOTE: Dickerman taught me that deliverance is somewhat of a legal issue. If the demons have no legal right to stay in someone, they WILL leave when ordered out in Jesus’ name. Dickerman helped turn serial killer David Burkowitz (“Son of Sam”) into a Holy Spirit led disciple.

Mark Hemans

Mark Hemans attended Wheaton College in Illinois and Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He has pastored churches and worked for the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International. He currently leads Encounter Ministries in which he travels the world spreading the full gospel. Click here to go to Encounter Ministries’ website. Click here to go to the Encounter Ministries Youtube channel.

NOTE: I went to one of Heman’s meetings several years ago. I had tore something in my shoulder and it felt like it would dislocate if I moved my arm a certain way. At the meeting he prayed for my shoulder and then told me to move my arm the certain way that would have led to dislocation. I moved it reluctantly and slowly. He told me to do it harder. I did, but was still reluctant. He then had one of his helpers push against my arm when I moved it so I had to move it with force. When I did I realized my shoulder was healed. I’ve not had a problem with it since.

Chris LaSala

LaSala heads the Breakthrough Deliverance Sanctuary (BDS) in Corsicana, Texas. Click here to go to the BDS/Chris LaSala Youtube channel.

NOTE: I learned a lot about demons from LaSala’s earlier videos. He’s to the point, which I appreciate.

Michael Smith

Michael Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree in rehabilitation and a Master’s Degree in counseling. He worked as a counselor for over twenty years before entering the ministry in 2005. He also studied Greek at Western Bible College in Gilbert, AZ. His ministry specializes in soul healing, counseling, physical healing, teaching & deliverance. He developed Hardcore Christianity, which promotes the full gospel. Click here to go to the Hardcore Christianity website. Click here to go to the Hardcore Christianity Youtube channel.

Smith put together an eighteen course deliverance training that does a great job shedding light on how demons influence us and how to get rid of them. Click here if you are interested in buying this deliverance training.

NOTE: I learned more from Smith than anyone else as to the nuts-and-bolts of how demons operate. Smith‘s teachings are interesting, fun, and real. I enjoy listening to him.