Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

Insights from Modern Church History (A.D. 1830-1980)

groups in the late 1940s had a great hunger to see God revive His peo ple, and Sharon was one of the places where leaders and people alike were deeply serious about a divine visitation and the restoration of spiritual gifts.The pastors and teachers associated with the work at Sharon included two brothers, George and Ern Hawtin, along with P. G.Hunt, Herrick Holt and George Hawtin's brother-in-law, Milford Kirkpatrick. The arrival on the American religious scene of a hitherto-unknown healing evangelist by the name of William Branham brought a new surge of hope and life to the stalemated Pentecostal movement.Claiming angelic visitations (the first on May 7, 1946), miraculous healings and the power to discern people's illnesses and thoughts, Branham was soon filling the biggest auditoriums in the United States.Outstanding healings and con versions were reported.Branham's method of laying hands on the sick for healing was innovative and criticized by some.David Harrell makes this comment: "The power of a Branham service ...remains a legend unpar alleled in the history of the charismatic movement." 6 Finally Branham came to Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of the leaders at Sharon were so impressed by the reports of Branham's meetings that they decided to make the long trip and see for themselves.Richard M. Riss, quoting from several sources, describes the Vancouver meetings: During the first of a series of meetings in Vancouver, B. C., in the fall of 1947, W. J. Em Baxter began ministering with Branham, continuing from four to eight months during every year for a period of six years. According to historian David Edwin Harrell, Jr., Branham's campaign in the Pacific Northwest, beginning in Vancouver that fall, "was a stirring success." According to Gordon Lindsay, "In 14 days of services in 4 cities, with only a modest amount of advertising, some 70,000 people attended." During that time, Em Baxter said that he never saw Branham's discernment miss once. According to James Watt, "They would turn in to brother Baxter the card that was filled out, of the medical history of the person (brother Bran ham never saw the thing), and he could tell that person what was wrong with him every time. Brother Baxter said he never saw him miss once in six years. Ern Baxter was the preacher-teacher and brother Branham was the evangelist and healer." A historian of Pentecostalism, Walter J. Hollen weger, has made reference to ". . . Branham's ability to name with aston ishing accuracy the sickness, and often also the hidden sins, of people whom he had never seen. The author, who knew Branham personally and inter preted for him in Zurich, is not aware of any case in which he was mis taken in the often detailed statements he made." 7 The leaders from Sharon were sufficiently impressed with Branham's ministry in Vancouver that they returned to North Battleford and initi ated prayer and fasting. 8 Three months passed."On February 12, 1948, • 290