Revival Radio TV: Music, Faith, and Legacy

And of course, it was always a few people going along with him too. But a big storm arose and Jesus is sleeping. Yeah. And the boat and the disciples were afraid. And so they woke Jesus up and said, yes, they did not care if we should die. And Jesus said, where is your faith? Right. And he stood up, and he spoke to the winds and the waves. Peace. Be still. And immediately the storm subsided. And dad wrote that song. I can't go under for going over, though the winds dashed higher in storm.

You know, it it just a great song. And it goes with that sermon and then move with God. If God is moving, get into the water. Unless you I mean, if God is moving, just believe God for a miracle. This is the day of miracles. Move with God. Yeah. And so that's a great song. A prisoner of the Lord that he wrote, an Oral’s sermon about when Paul said, I'm going to praise him, but he said, I'm not a prisoner of Rome. I'm a prisoner of the Lord, and I bear the scars in my body.

And so they wrote the song A prisoner of the Lord, oh, blessed Holy Spirit. Yeah. Which one of the best songs on the Holy Spirit has ever been written? And, you know, Oral Roberts really emphasizes the baptism, the Holy Spirit. Yes he did. And every student that went to Oral Roberts University, I assume they I have to do this. Had to take Roberts class on Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit. And it's a great thing and it's a great song.

And then, ORU fight song which pretty well tells the mission statement. Yes. Of all of the Oral Roberts University. Right. And as it was on the founding board of Regents, and he wrote that song for the student, but he also wrote the, another song for them. But then he wrote wilt Thou Be made whole based on the four lepers? There were, that that, needed healing. And then when he came to the pool of Bethesda that day and there was a man lying on the couch, right.

And and he was waiting for the waters to be stirred. And I can hear Doctor Roberts speak preaching in that sermon. Waiting for the waters to be stirred. But before he could get into the water, somebody got in before him, and he had been there for 38 years, I guess. And Jesus said, do you want to be healed? Wilt thou be made whole? He said, Will that be made whole? And has he explained why? But then the Lord said, well, stand up. Pick up your mat and walk. And men walked away healed.

So wilt thou be made whole? And then why is it we're here until we die? I cannot assure here Oral Roberts preaching that sermon that's about the four lepers at the gate of Samaria. There was a famine in the land. Remember that? Yes. And, the king of Syria had that. They had built their armies were surrounding Samaria. They were going to starve them out. And there was a famine.

And and those four lepers were at the gate and, and, they said to one another, you know, we can go inside the walls, say they're going to kill us and eat us will go in there because they kind of cannibal isn't going going on inside of Samaria. Or they said, we can we can sit here. We're going to die because we're starving to death. Or we can go over to the camp of the Syrians. Who knows? They may spare us and let us see, and we may live. We don't know, but we'll take our chances that way.

So we say we're here until we die. Let's make a move. Let's do something. And they went over to the camp of the Syrians. And there wasn't a single soldier in the camp. God had called the Assyrians to here. The host of heaven and the chariots of fire and the hoofs of horses. And they said to themselves, I believe the king of Samaria has hired the Egyptians. And Hittites to come and kill us. And they took off in flight. And when these four lepers got over there, there was anybody there.

But the food was still there. The silver and the gold was there. All the clothes were there, and they took it and hid it. And they finally said, you know, this is a good day. This is a great day. We need to tell people inside the gate said, if we don't, they're going to find out anyway. Then they'll eat us. Yeah. So anyway, why I said we're here until we die. You know, Oral was a man of action. He was. I'm telling you, he had great vision and he acted on it. So why is it we're here until we die?

What did James say? Show me your faith without works. I'll show you my faith with my works. Get up and do something. Yeah! Come on, man. But anyway, these are the songs that dad wrote to go along with his sermons, and they're on that album that we're talking. Yeah. Yeah, there's this one right here that, know his crusade favorite Vep Ellis sings Oral Roberts crusade favorites and dad wrote. I think every one of those, but maybe two.

Well, you know, one thing that we kind of skipped over, I want to go back to. Let's talk about the connection with, with Demos Shakarian and, and and how did that happen? Well, the story started when we moved from Cleveland to Atlanta, Georgia. Dad. And the church there, which became known as Mount Perrin, it was called Hemphill Church of God. Our whole lives changed. What we moved to Atlanta. Was in high school. It was in the middle of my sophomore year in Atlanta. David.

My older brothers had made Resurrection School, but, dad, we were living there, and that was evangelizing here, these tents and stuff like that. But I started working at the church. We had a lot of businessmen right at Hemphill Church, which it was called Mount Parent. And, dad started speaking with the Full Gospel businessmen and went to their fellowship. He went to Miami and went to there international meeting in Miami. And it changed his life.

He said he the power of God had fallen to that meeting and was so powerful. He said, I was sitting under the piano at the convention center where this convention was being held, and he said, I suddenly realized the kingdom of God is so much bigger than one denomination. Man, this. And it changed his life. His vision just exploded and we never changed. I mean, it it changed our lives. Sure. And and so he started working with the full gospel businessmen speaking.

And that, of course, made dementia care. And we eventually ended up moving to California and started speaking in those international meetings. I think the first meeting that I personally went to, not chapter, but the first meeting that I attended was the Denver International Committee, convention and for the full gospel business meeting meeting.

And dad was one of the speakers, and he also would sing and my brother and I, we were making records with dad, we were staying with my dad and back him up. We were just the hangers on, but we were we made his point. He was, you know, right. We were just supporting him. But we were. It was just a one. Those meetings were powerful. Then we went to the one in Seattle at the remember when the World's Fair was held in Seattle? I think that's what we saw. I mean, powerful move.

God, Billy Graham came and spoke at the international convention there in Seattle. The full Gospel businessmen were a great influence, starting well, Robert's university, and they were great supporters of the world. Sure. So let's talk about, you know, you mentioned Sheridan back then, Sheridan Assembly. But, let's talk about how that, now, this is your life, how did that all transition, with you? Let's talk about your connection with Brother Hagin.

Well, thank you. When Doctor Hagin came to Tulsa, two year, probably probably about two years after he had, had been has spoke at the to the the eight month revival and not a eight week revival.

He moved to Tulsa and bought the old TL Osborne building and, and are exactly sure on the date it might have been six, nine, six, eight, six and nine, but but it, he he would hold the seminars there at the old Osborne building and and Brother Miller, who the founder of the church would have him to come and speak on Sunday morning and Sunday night at the church. And of course, I had a music program there.

I was the minister of music and associate pastor, and I would lead the music for those meetings. And then they begin to develop for, you know, it developed in to a camp meeting. I can remember when Doctor Hagin announced on a Sunday, well, next year we're going to have an indoor camp meeting. Well, I thought that was interesting. I'd been in camp meetings, raised in camp meetings, met my wife and and camp meeting and Oklahoma.

And they had preached the camp meeting and my grandfather was a Bible state teacher in the morning. I was he used to camp me. Well, let's be real. You they had had to meet you in a camp meeting. That's where you were 90% of the time. That's exactly right. And so I'm in camp meetings. That's great. Okay, but indoor camp meeting. Okay. Yeah. Air condition. That first thing went in my mind because I had been in the Florida campmeet Oh, man. You sweltered. Oh, man.

So enjoy this and find me, but I can't these they were exciting. Yeah. All right, so we announced the camp. He announced that camp meetings were starting. I can remember sitting on the platform when it announced it. So the next year, the camp meeting started, and, not in 70, not 1972. I think that was the first camp meeting. And, oh my goodness gracious, people started coming in every year they get bigger.

And I can remember sitting on the platform when Fred Price came and stood right down there. I don't know if it's the first camp, be the second one, but he was standing right off the platform. He had a tumor in his chest and Brother Hagin prayed for him. And you sealed. Yeah. Yeah that's good. That's saw people heal. People say people delivered and it was a move of God. People would come and be parked in the parking lot and out or before the services.

We couldn't let them in early or they'd just be saved and etc.. Well, we had just control it, you know, but it just doubled every year. And I think it might have been in the second camp meeting, can't remember for sure, but I can remember when Doctor Hagin, Papa Hagin, as we all call him, announced, well, we're going to start a Bible college and we're going to start next year. Well, of course he needed someone to run it. So he called his son Ken junior to come from Garland. Right.

And so he came up in office there at the church. And so the teachers for the Bible school or Ken Junior, Doctor Hagin and I would teach. So I started teaching there at the at the first and second year, third year that already outgrown us. And they grew they bought property in Broken Arrow. Right.

So there was about two years there that I had, I didn't work with him, but the third year, they that happened and of course, had been at the Sheridan, assistant pastor and music director beam primary portfolio. But I'd been there for at that time, about 14 years, and I knew that God was stirring my heart. It was. I needed a change. I need I needed, I was going to be moving somewhere. I was going to do something. I told the Lord, okay.

Lord, I said, you know, I've been waiting for the right place, and two weeks I'm resigning in the church and I'm going to be out on the street. And if you don't provide a place, I'm going to tell everybody that you didn't provide it. Yeah, I, I said, I'm just throwing myself on the way out on the wind. And I said, so that's it. I'm I'm it. I had resolve it. Right. Sometimes you had to make a resolution. This is it. So I said, I'm leaving. I'm turning in my resignation in two weeks.

Wednesday of the second week I get a call, my wife calls me. She says, Doctor Hagin's been trying to get Ahold of you all day long. I've been playing golf. So I get home and I call him. He said, what's up, doc? That's one of the way he start things. I said, well, I hear you trying to get in touch with me. He said, I have. He said, well, how would you like to go to work for me? I said, what time you want me to start? Yeah. He said, in the morning, see in my office.

Yeah. Wednesday of the second week. How about that? It's God faithful. He is faithful. He's faithful. But you gotta gotta make a move. You gotta throw your bread on the what? Got to him? Something to work. Well, I say we're here until we die. It's time to make a move. Yeah. And God comes through praise Jesus. Hallelujah. So I worked there full time leading music. Led the music in the school taught the students something about praise and worship. Led it for the Crusades.

Traveled with Dr. Hagin across the United States and Canada. Help train arriving singers and band. It was it was. It was one of the most delightful times of my life. And then I went back to pastor shared in Christian Center as senior pastor and for all of 84. Wow. So talk about that. Going back to shared and what was that like? I had had the opportunity to go over there twice before.

In fact, the pastor that I was the church where I was going regularly was would like assembly there in Tulsa where my wife and I were attending. And once when the church needed a pastor, my pastor brother knew and said, way up and I'm still working on music for Brother Hagin. He said, well, you need to go pastor that church. I hadn't, I was still the Hagin. He said, you need to go over there. You're the only one that can do that. You need to go back over there. And you understand.

Sheridan Church was a historic church. It was pastor many, I mean, founded many churches here, here in Tulsa, there in Tulsa, and many churches on the mission field. Victory Christian Center came out a shared sure church. Of course, Rhema Church came out of that Grace fellowship, behind and came out of that church class. Billy in Victory came out of that church. Several others came out of that church. And now I'm going back as senior pastor. It was just back, this is where you're supposed to be.

Wow. But it was a learning experience. It was not all easy. And, you know, but I was there as senior pastor for 30, 34 years. I was on the staff total of 47 years. Well, your father had said before he died, don't let my music be forgotten. And you've mentioned that you guys have gotten together from time to time. What are what is the family doing to keep the music legacy alive? Well, back in 1999, my dad died. 1988, and then it was 19. It was it was 1989, I think.

Yeah. When we we decided we better do something and, we made an album called It's Not Over Till It's Over. There was my dad's last song. Right. We made that album. Two years later, we made another one. Get on a Happy Side of Life. Yeah. And, and everywhere we toured for several years. Right. And, and the last, you know, it's been quite a few years that we've, we've toured.

But as my neighbor told me once, we, I was walking through the neighborhood and my neighbor saw one of my neighbor, she said, when are you boys getting back together? I said, well, you know, we're getting older now. I don't know if that's going to happen. They're living in four corners of United States as we're all separated. She said, well, you better do it before you get to old, she said, I haven't missed one of your concerts yet as well.

I don't know if it's going to happen again, but I said, we have done, we have done that. So we made our concert. We sold out, we sold out of the record albums. We had to reproduce them. And Tim Hill, the general overseer of the church, we are, he's given as a gift to all the senior ministers. He's given a copy of of Ellis Brothers records to all of them, which we have all the dead songs on that. Not all of his songs, but a lot of the songs that are on there are written by my dad.

So that's what we have done to keep keep it alive. But I'll tell you, I must thank Bill Gaither for what he's done for Christian music and gospel music. He calls my dad a legend of the 20th century, and he's on an on a recording that he did the legends of the 20th century. And it has such an influence over all the composers and the singers of that period. Right. And, he has done a lot he has recorded dad’s songs on those home coming videos, and I'm very grateful for him doing that.

It keeps the music alive and it blesses so many people. It does. Well, let's talk about today. You know, there's today's a it's a different world. You know, one of the programs we were talking about, JB telling, your grandfather, your father about it, it's a different world. You're going to deal with a lot of different, a lot of different things. Now, who would have ever thought we would be dealing with in society and in our culture, what we're dealing with now, it's it's mind boggling.

But with all of that said about how do we what's what's the one message that you would give to the people today? Not, not I'm not looking for JB Ellis or Vep senior. I'm looking for for your message. What is it you would tell the people today that we need to. We need to concentrate on the Christian world. We're already believers. What is it we need to spend our time on? We need to remember what's written in the book of Hebrews. He's the same. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

And remember what Jesus said the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. Amen. Amen. It may look dark. What's it? What's going on in society? I look back at what JB Ellis went through. They were putting him in jail for preaching the gospel. Preaching, preaching the truth. Yeah. That's right. Now we have sports, spiritual warfare. Today, just like you referred to. It's comes in a different form. It's the ideology, but it's is just as devilish as it can be. Yeah. Demonic.

Who would have thought that in this country that, people would be continually being imprisoned even today for the gospel? Yeah. And look at the across the world, Christians are being killed everywhere, not just persecuted, but they're being killed for the the cause of Christianity. And we must remember, no matter how dark it is, God has always had a people and the enemy will not win. I know we say this a lot. We've read the end of the book and we win.

But I don't believe Jesus is coming back for a week and anemic and anemic church. Amen. Well, I agree with you. He's not coming back for defeated church. And I know we're in spiritual warfare, and I have one word I would say to the church, get involved. You're a believer. This is the day to speak out. You've got to speak your faith. We talked about speaking faith. My wife is healed today because she spoke her faith. She believed she was going to live and not die.

We believe the Word of God has the answer for every problem. We've got to speak our faith. We've got to testify. We've got to witness. We cannot hold back and we've got to get engaged. The enemy is trying to destroy this country. And it was. It was founded on a compact, on a contract, on on God's word. Amen. And we need to stay there. And we need to be bold about it because God won't let us down. That's right, that's right, that's good. Let me ask you one more question.

Why? Why has music always been a part of Pentecost? Well, let's go back to Deuteronomy. What God tell Moses? God said, Moses, I want you to write a song and put it in the mouths of my people. Israel said on the day that they will turn their backs on me there you be a witness against them and bring them back. Yeah, that was God's idea. That's true. That's good. You come over to the New Testament, Galatians, Ephesians saying Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs giving praise to God.

You put the song in their hearts, and it is, Deuteronomy says, and it will just in the time, how many times in the time of need to the song come from inside of you? It burst out. And I have one other word that I would like to say most musicians in churches, because Matthew 13:52 Jesus said, A good teacher takes out of his treasure. Both things are old and new. Sure, sing new songs, new courses. But don't forget, a teacher, Jesus said, takes out of his treasure things both old and new.

Some of these old hymns have a lot of doctrine in them. Oh yeah, you can mix and merge them right along with the new courses and things that are being written. But don't neglect. A good teacher takes out of his treasure both things old and new, for the glory of God. Hallelujah! As you look at, look at this camera right here and pray for the people before we go. Father God, I thank you for Your Holy Spirit.

I thank you for Your word, which is alive and powerful, and we cannot take the word into our being and then not bring forth life. May everyone, under the sound of our voices today be saturated with a desire to know your word, to get saturated with the word and not hide it in their heart, but to speak it out with the words of their mouth. Because it is. Proverbs 18:20-21 says, the power of life and death is in the tongue. Choose life.

Father, I pray for everyone under the sound of my voice that their heart might be open and their mind might be open in their spiritual eyes. To be open that you might see that he who is with us is greater than he who is against us. Father, we pray for them that their faith will rise. They will be stronger than ever before. And Lord, if there's anyone under the sound of my voices who's in need of the healing, may the healing power of God be released into their life.

May the Word of God it says, whosoever says to this mountain, be thou would be removed, and be cast into the sea, and believes in what he says. It will be done for him. In Jesus name we pray. Amen, Amen. But thank you. Thanks for coming. Thank you, brother Gene. It has been an honor to the Lord. To the glory of God. Amen. You would like to, to be a part. And with your financial donation. It's very, very simple. If you want to mail a check, just simply make it out to revival Radio.

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