But before I go into that, let me just share with you just briefly from this scripture, James 5, which we’ll use as our hallmark scripture tonight.  I don’t know about in the morning.  We’ll see what God wants in the morning.  But beginning at verse 13.  Notice that James, who may or may not have been a disciple.  We don’t know.

There are many who believe that he was one of the disciples, but there are others who do not.  We don’t know, but we know this, he was very close to Jesus.  “Is any among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is any merry?  Let him sing psalms.  Is any sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  May God bless the reading and hearing of His Word.

This was the hallmark of the early disciples.  Wherever they went, if it was on a street corner, it was in a home, it was in a cave or some hidden place, they asked this question, “Is there any among you afflicted?  Is any among you sick?  Let them pray.  Let them call on someone to pray the prayer of faith, and the prayer of faith,” not the prayer of doubt, “but the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise them up.”

They were just fresh from the resurrection of Jesus, where He had been nailed to a tree on Golgotha at Calvary.  He took the stripes on His back for your healing and mine.  The nails pierced His hands and His feet, the spear thrust into His side, as the blood was shed for the remission of sin.

The second thing He said write down is:  You must sow in quality soil.  Cornerstone is quality soil.  Why?  Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, broadcasting the gospel of Jesus Christ, with the saving, healing, delivering power of God.  There’s not a day that goes by without someone giving their life to Christ through this great Christian network.

You’ve got to sow in quality soil.  And anyone who sows in the natural understands that you want good soil.  No one wants to sow in rocky, thin soil.  You want to sow in good, good ground because it’s that quality soil that produces the mighty harvest.

I was talking to a farmer out in New Mexico who said, “I can take four pounds of chili pepper seed and reap 40,000 pounds of chili peppers.”  Now that’s a hot dinner right there, if you like chili peppers as much as I do.  But four pounds of chili pepper seed will produce 40,000 pounds of chili peppers.

It’s a divine principle.  God set it in order.  All we have to do is discard what we’re hearing and believe it and do it.

First of all, He said, “Sow and sow first.”  Second of all, “Sow in quality soil.”  And third, “You must sow with expectations.”

I was out at my dad’s—my dad lives in California, and I was out with him three weeks ago.  And when I got to his house, he had seven preachers at his house.  And that’s not unusual for him.  About every week he has pastors that come to his home.  He teaches them.  He preaches to them.  He hears their questions, what they’re going through in their ministries.  He counsels them.  He lays hands on them.  He prophesies over them.  He lets them take pictures with him, and he gives them autographed copies of his book.  They sow an offering into his life because he’s living by his preaching.

I’m up here to talk to you about a God tonight who snatched a boy up after five months of tuberculosis, bleeding to death, only with a little blood left in his body — you know you only have so much blood in your body — and I’d hemorrhaged so often and so much that the doctors said, “He hasn’t got enough blood to live but just a few hours more.”  I want to talk to you, that 63 years ago that God reached down with that thousand times more power and lifted this boy up and made something out of him. (Applause)  And if He can do it for me, He can do it for you. (Response)

The Lord gave me a poem, and I really think that Moses said it.  If he didn’t, he should have.  I think he said to those people, “You’re a book not yet written.  You’re a poem that not yet composed.  You’re a song not yet sung.  You’re a dream not o yet dreamed.  You’re a destiny not yet completed.  You’re a future not yet fulfilled.  You’re a miracle not yet happened.”

And I want to turn to you and have you look at me.  Look me square in the eyes, and I want to turn that poem around and say it to you.  You are a book that God is writing.  You are a poem that God is composing.  You are a song that God is singing.  You are a dream that God is dreaming.  You are a destiny that God is completing.  You’re a future that God is fulfilling.  And you’re a miracle about to explode.  (Response)

I said to God when I discovered this verse … first of all, I should back up and say I really didn’t discover it.  We had a couple over at our house, and the woman was a real woman of God. And while we were talking, after having dinner, she said, “Oral, have you ever seen this verse?”  She turned over to Deuteronomy 1:11 and read about God making a thousand times more.  I said, “Where … let me read that.”  And I read it.  I said, “Is that in the Bible?”  She said, “Yeah, it’s right there.”

And she said, “My husband and I accepted this dinner appointment for the reason that God told me to show you this scripture.”  And, I’m telling you, I’ve been running with it ever  since.  But I said to God, “What does this mean?  It really can’t mean what it says because Jesus promised us thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.  And that’s all we’ve ever claimed.  And here is a thousand times more.  What in the world does this mean, and can I afford to get up and preach about it?”  That was the real question.

The line of people waiting to see the doctors ran all the way down the street. The sun beat down on them, making them sweat in the 90-degree heat, but they didn’t care. They wanted help. One weary woman gripped the ticket numbered 394 that would allow her into the medical clinic when it was her turn. When she saw Dr. Jose Coto emerge from the medical tent, she flagged him down to ask, “How many people will you see today?”

Dr. Coto smiled, and with compassion answered her with “todo”—the Spanish word for all.Just as Jesus never turned anyone away who came to Him for a miracle, this medical clinic wouldn’t turn anyone away, either. The woman sighed in relief. And a little bit of Jesus came alive to her in that moment. This past April, Richard Roberts, his daughter Jordan, associate evangelist Adrian Compton, and a team of doctors, nurses, and others visited Nicaragua to share the message that God still saves, heals, and delivers people today, just as He did in Bible days. Their mis­sion: to bring the living Jesus to people of all ages, social positions, and economic conditions.

One of 40 nations that God has called Richard Rob­erts to reach, Nicaragua is the largest Central Ameri­can country, roughly the size of New York. With coastal beaches, tropical lowlands, mountainous high­lands, and volcanic regions, Nicaragua is a country of great beauty. But it is also a country of great need. Over 46 percent of Nicaragua’s nearly 5.9 million people are underemployed. They have jobs, but often cannot work enough hours or earn enough pay to sup­port themselves. Approximately 32 percent cannot read or write. The country is subject to earthquakes, one of which destroyed the center of Managua, the capital city, in 1972. Many Nicaraguans also face serious in­fectious diseases, such as typhoid fever, HIV, dengue fever, hepatitis, malaria, and parasitic infections.

The needs of Nicaragua are great, but the Bible says God is a great God, and He’s more than able to meet any need! And that’s exactly what the Oral Roberts Ministries shared with the people of Nicaragua—God’s transform­ing, healing power…for their spirits, souls, and bodies.

The Greatest Miracle of All…Salvation!

After Boaco, Richard traveled back to Managua for a two-day healing rally. Both nights, thousands of people gathered in the Plaza de la Revolución to enjoy worship from local Christian musicians, recording art­ist Ruth Mixter, and the ORM worship team, led by Jordan Roberts and Adrian Compton.

The Plaza the site of the Sandinista revolution of thirty years ago now became the site of miracles…and of a new kind of revolution, one that’s born of God in people’s hearts. As Richard aptly described it, “I have changed the name of this plaza to the Plaza of Faith!”

Richard explained to the crowd that faith is simply believing God. “Great faith is something that comes from the inside,” he told them. “You already have faith, because the Bible says God gave it to you. The question is: What will you do with your faith? Will you believe God for your miracle tonight?”

Many people testified of exactly that saying they had believed God and received miracles. One man, who makes his living as a vendor during Plaza events, came up to the platform carrying his supply of cotton candy. He had come to the rally to work that night, but God had more in store for him. Jumping for joy, he said that while he was selling food, he was healed of a tumor on his back. The testimonies continued to pour out! A baby girl’s foot straightened out…A blind woman had her sight restored…A young deaf boy could suddenly hear…A woman felt depression lift off her when Richard prayed…And there were many others who experi­enced God’s healing power.

But as Richard himself pointed out to the crowd, “The greatest miracle of all is salvation!” When he in­vited people to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, many streamed down front to pray. By the end of the heal­ing rallies in Boaco and Managua, thousands of people had committed to live for Christ, and since that time, reports have come in that many churches have been filled with hundreds of new members.

It was a glorious sight to see so many hands raised in response to God’s love—the high point of a wonder­ful time spent ministering to the people of Nicaragua. “Tonight this is a plaza of faith—a place of victory!” Richard declared.

By the end of the week, God’s power was made evident as thousands of people were saved, healed, delivered, and encouraged. One million meals were distributed to hun­gry Nicaraguans through ORM’s outreach, made possible by the support of our Partners. The people of Nicaragua met the living Jesus the One who is good, faithful, and true—and as a result, they will never be the same!

Around 3 million people live in Nairobi, Kenya. And at least one half of them—1.5 million people—live in the city’s slums, their one-room homes precariously built on mounds of garbage. The residents are regularly exposed to lung-damaging soot, dangerous pollutants, and raw sewage. They suffer illnesses resulting from poor nutri­tion, the lack of sanitation, and exposure to HIV/AIDS.

Most of these people have no means of escape from their poverty. And due to the worst drought in Kenya in many years, crops have been ruined, and countless individuals are literally wondering where their next meal will come from. The people of Nairobi need help desperately.

We’re Answering the Call!

In January, the Oral Roberts Ministries and Hunger Needs a Voice will hold healing rallies, medical clinics, and food distributions for the people of Kenya. We are believing God for hundreds of thousands of people to be impacted, and a mighty explosion of supernatural miracles to take place—and we encourage you to part­ner with us to bring the life and light of God to the precious people of Nairobi!