Only Believe: Eye Witness Account of the Great Healing Revivals [Paperback]

Don Stewart (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 156043340X | ISBN-13: 978-1560433408 | Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Who were John Alexander Dowie, Maria Woodworth-Etter, and Smith Wigglesworth? Who were Charles Price, William Branham, Aimee Semple McPherson, and A.A. Allen? Who were these people who carried the mantle of the healing evangelist in the twentieth century? The era of the great tent meetings and healing revivals was covered with both glory and controversy. Don Stewart experienced it first-hand - he was mentored by A.A. Allen in the 1960's. His eyewitness accounts, personal remembrances, and documented stories reveal the truth of the tragedies and the triumphs of many of these men and women of God. The day of huge tent meetings may be over, but the mighty power and presence of the Holy Spirit is still in the earth! God is still using human vessels to demonstrate His love and grace to hurting people. Discover how the timeless legacy of these ministers of God continues to affect our Christian culture today and into the next millennium.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Only Believe is an insider's view of the healing revival. Don Stewart gives a perspective that cannot be reached through research only. He was a part of it. You will be fascinated by the history of the movement." -- Bishop Don Meares, President and Founder of ICLU, Pastor of Evangel Church, Washington D.C.

"As we examine the miracles of the past, it encourages us to 'only believe' that all things are possible in these last days. Thank you, Don, for encouraging us to 'only believe' and trust in the Lord with all our hearts." -- Pastor Dennis Leonard, Heritage Christian Center, Denver, Colorado

Book Description

Who were John Alexander Dowie, Maria Woodworth-Etter, and Smith Wigglesworth? Who were Charles Price, William Branham, Aimee Semple McPherson, and A.A. Allen? Who were these people who carried the mantle of the healing evangelist in the twentieth century?

The era of the great tent meetings and healing revivals was covered with both glory and controversy. Don Stewart experienced it first-hand -- he was mentored by A.A. Allen in the 1960's. His eyewitness accounts, personal remembrances, and documented stories reveal the truth of the tragedies and the triumphs of many of these men and women of God.

The day of huge tent meetings may be over, but the mighty power and presence of the Holy Spirit is still in the earth! God is still using human vessels to demonstrate His love and grace to hurting people. Discover how the timeless legacy of these ministers of God continues to affect our Christian culture today and into the next millennium.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Treasure House (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156043340X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560433408
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Insight Into the Healing Reveval, September 23, 2003

By 

Jeff (Marietta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Only Believe: Eye Witness Account of the Great Healing Revivals (Paperback)

This is a wonderful companion book to "All Things are Possible" written by David E Harrell. Where Harrell draws the unbiased facts, Stewart as an insider fills in the background color. Together, they are a fairly complete picture of the Healing Revival, circa 1947-1969 and its colorful evangelists, yet separately, they both leave gaps.

To his credit, Stewart doesn't evade to tough questions on AA Allen (His drinking problem, his being prone to showmanship and theatrics, his death) or any of the evangelists, but handles them with the same kind of love that a parent has when they talk about their child's problem. You get the sense that Allen really was a "father figure" to this young minister. Stewart also takes us into the ministries of some of the "lesser known" evangelists of the movement, men such as Tommy Hicks and Velmer Gardner. These "lesser known" men had powerful ministries, yet were always in the shadow of the giants Branham, Roberts, Coe and Allen.

One thing I found odd about Stewart's book was the absence of the ministry of RW Schambach. He, as with Stewart, was an associate evangelist under Allen, and he had and still has a powerful and enduring ministry, yet the book is silent on him. The only mention of Schambach is one paragraph on page 156 calling him a "powerful preacher". Leroy Jenkins and Marjoe Gortner had more written on them. This is strange, maybe jealousy or a sense of betrayal when he left Allen's team? Only Stewart knows.

Another negative was Stewart's seeming self promotion. He titled his chapter "The Last of the Healing Evangelists", and went on to state that there is only "Benny Hinn, Reinhard Bonkke and myself" left as big healing evangelists. He also implies in the book that his ministry is the only one with Apostolic Succession from the Healing Revival. Again, he conveniently left out RW Schambach and even TL Osborne.

Stewart gives glowing and much deserved credit to the ministries of Oral Roberts and William Branham. Both were bridge builders, Branham brought Oneness and Trinitarian believers under one campaign roof, and Roberts brought Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement together. He also convincingly spoke of the battles Jack Coe, Allen and eventually the rest of the evangelists had with the Assemblies of God (AofG). He made a good argument on why the evangelists felt threatened by the AofG, and why they left.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and it has a place on my bookshelf next to Harrell's "All Things", Liardon's "God's Generals" and the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements". Stewart's candid answers to the unpleasant questions and the compassion he had when he spoke of their weaknesses had me to re-think my own beliefs about these men and their character. If I brought one thing away from the book, it is that God pours His gifts into earthen vessels, and in the end, looking at the vessel discarded is in no way a indication of what it was filled with at one time

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars HOW WILL GOD RATE US? THAT IS THE QUESTION!, August 24, 2002

By 

BUFORD DOWELL (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Only Believe: Eye Witness Account of the Great Healing Revivals (Paperback)

What to do when God places His Treasure... In Earthen Vessels??
_______________________________________________________________

In recent years, there's been much said, preached about, and written in books about the personal lives and ministries of
"The Mighty Men of God...In Our Generation!"

Especially, the powerful healing ministries..of Katheran Kulhman,Amie Mc Pherson,William Branham, A.A.Allen,Jack Coe,Morris Cerrullo,R.W. Shambach,Benny Hinn,Leroy Jenkins,
Don Stewart and others!

I personally have been approched by 3 publishers, asking me to write about my 60years of "walking by the side ... of many of Gods Giants of Faith, yet God has never released me to do so as of yet!

I have hesitated to open up the past, as, often what is really wanted, is to expose the humanity side of God's men...and not the Divine Calling and Anointing of God!

While it's wonderful to read about the powerful accounts of these people of God and how the effected their world.. we need to leave there personal lives and their personal relationship with God... to the Lord! Let me explain.

You see, some people like to play God.. and expose other ministers faults and failures.. just to exalt themselves,
by putting down someone else! Pentecostisim especially, has been
bound with this problem for years and driven many away from god!
God is a God of Love and Restoration..even to fallen ministers!
Say Amen Bro. Swaggart! (by the way, God is using him around the world to win multitueds to Christ! Pray for his ministry!)

There's two problems with that attitude! One is the question; " Who made us God?" secondly; " As we deal forth judgement to others.. so shall we drink from that same cup!

" Trust me! It's a bitter cup! I've been guilty, in years past and I've had to ask forgiveness. We allllll... need God! Amen?

Let me stop here an say, that "Whatever is committed to God..
and is under the blood of Christ, is a Holy Thing! The Devil...

You Nor I ... have a right to touch it or bring it out from undet the precous blood coveing of Jesus!

If God has forgiven sin..He also has forgotten the sin and we must forgive and forget also!

Flesh is Flesh! Spirit is Spirit! All flesh stinks(yours or mine).. and we must learn to know, respect and revere one another, .. by God's Spirit! Especially in the ministy!

Yes all preachers are human and have to deal with the flesh
and the spirit, just like you do. We all make mistakes! I've made many.. but by the grace and mercy of God Almighty, I've been forgiven and learned from the experience and moved forward to be a greater man of God then before!

I did agree to a 2 hr. interview with Don Stewarts co-editor, concerning a few of my accounts with the late Rev. A. A. Allen. I appreciate the credit given to myself and my late friend, Rev. Seven Bloomburg, in the front ot Don's book "Only Believe."

While the book is wonderful and full of history of the healing movement, if I may ... I would like to address an important issue that it brings up to the body of Christ.

Bro. Stewart and I have had a great relationship in the ministy, in many crusades, spanning about 40 years! He's a special man of God, who has both carried a heavy cross.. of inheriting another mans foundation... and the responsibilities of producing fruit in many International Missionary Crusades!

It's been my priviledge to know and work with Evangelist Don Stewart since the late 1950's, when he was first healed of a crippled leg... in the A. A. Allen Miracle Healing Crusade, in Phoenix, Az.

We were both blessed to work and travel with Rev. Allen.(Don..in later years, as his assoc. evangelist, then as VP. and later Pres. of Miracle Revivals Inc., after Bro. Allens went to be with the Lord.)

I first worked with Bro. Allen at age 17, as a radio editor for his national broadcast and attending to the emergency section of
people who were the more serious cases, coming for prayer.

In later years, I worked again .. some 8 or 9 times, as crusade organist, singer, minister and promotional projects. Those were wonderful days.. of having a "Front Row Seat"..to witness multitudes coming to Christ, astounding miracle healings as well as God used him to birth a revival of Joy and Liberty...around the world! The fruits of his labor is still producing souls, in many nations today.(over 30 yrs. after his coronation.)

Don Stewart also has recieved much mentoring and inspiration from Bro. Allen, as has thousands of ministers around the world, including myself.

I also, have been greatly inspired and schooled, by many other men I've worked with over 60 yrs, and some 3,000,000 miles on the gospel trail, in 58 nations.(William Branham,Leroy Jenkins,
Jack Coe,Morris Cerrullo,Dr. Thomas Whyatt, R.W. Shambach,John H. Osteen,my own father and many others.

I could write volumes about my experiences and what I've witnessed, but While I shared some of my accounts of Bro. Allens life with Don and his Co-author, I'd like to address a specific point on the review of Bro. Stewarts book and his information about Rev. Allen.

First of all, the bible commands us (it's not an option)..to "Judge and to Know..no man, after the flesh!"

This is the missing plum line, in most churches and ministries today! We tend to judge men of God by the size of their crowds, success,the way they dress, look, ..the "Outer packaging!"

Even the miracles, anointing, and operation of the gifts of the spirit..are not always signs of their character or integrity!

Excuse me! Take a good look at most of the men of God in the bible and you'll see that "THEY ALL HAD FLESH PROBLEMS, YET GOD CHOSE THEM, KNEW THEM, AND USED THEM FOR HIS GLORY!"

He often uses " Bad Boys.. To Do Good Things!" Not the religious, pastors of the first church of the fridgidare!

In the end, we all (A.A.ALLEN, BENNY HINN, DON STEWART..BUFORD DOWELL...AND YOU).. STAND BEFORE "A LOVING, HEAVENLY FATHER.. WHO DEALS IN RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT" .. and we have to give account for our personal Relationship (Like David of old, our Heart after God)... and the real fruit we have produced for "His True Kingdom..Not Ours or some Denomination!"

Remember... It's about Relationship! Not Religion, Good works or even Ministry!

We must know every man (and woman) by the Spirit..by their Heart, the way God sees them and as the "Finished Product..
of His Handy Work!"

I walked by the side of the good..the bad... and the ugly.. over the years and it does'nt matter who it is, their color, or their past failures, if their faces are washed in the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.. THEY'RE PART OF THE GLORIOUS REDEEMED OF THE LORD!

If they're not, pray for them! Love them and Restore them! Pour in the oil and and wine! Don't expose their sin..or God will expose yours!

In closing, some of the greatest men and women of God on planet earth, ..who will never have a book written about them, be seen on TBN, or preach to a hundred people, are also really true Generals in Gods Mighty End Time Army! Why? Because they've been faithful! They've fought a good fight! Ran a good race!
Been obedient vessels!

Be encouraged! The Best is yet to come!

-Watch for the Wind...

Evangelist Buford Dowell

________________________

"In Him... is life!"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Glimps Into the Past, February 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Only Believe: Eye Witness Account of the Great Healing Revivals (Paperback)

As we look to our past, it prepares us for our future. I was impressed with the author's views and insights on these various Generals of the Faith, who have gone on before us. I was inspired and encouraged by the author's facts of the late Rev. A.A. Allen's accounts. I gleaned a lot from the author's willingness to be open and candid in his writings. My hat is off to you, Rev. Don Stewart for sharing these sometimes very painfull accounts of our beloved, Rev. A.A. Allen. What a helpful insight into our past, it will help with our future. If you have not purchased a copy of the book, get one. It is much needed in your libary today. I've recommended it to a friend, and I highly recommended it to those in search of facts from our past of Great Men and Woman of God. You won't be disappointed.