POINT OF CONTACT - Oral Roberts
Oral recognized that in the Bible, healings occurred after certain points of contact were made to release the faith of the individuals involved. In the Old Testament, for example, Naaman dipped himself in the Jordan River seven times as a point of contact to be healed of leprosy. (See 2 Kings 5:10–14.) In the New Testament, the woman with the “issue of blood” touched Jesus’ garment and was healed. (See Matthew 9:30–22; Luke 8:43–48.) Jesus Himself told the lepers to go show themselves to the priest as a point of contact for healing. (See Luke 17:12–14.)
In Oral’s ministry, the power that he felt in his right hand became a point of contact for the people in the crowd. It was also a point of contact for Oral’s own faith. He said that as he felt the warm presence of God moving through his hand, “my faith for healing seemed to leap out of my heart and up to God.”
Later, with television audiences, Oral would encourage them to lay hands on the TV itself to initiate a point of contact to release their faith.
In later years, Oral would admit that there were things about God’s healing power that he didn’t understand. While he expected everyone whom he touched with his right hand to be healed, some were not. He simply learned to follow the Lord in obedience and pray in faith for everyone who came to him for prayer. He came to understand that the power was God’s, the healing was God’s, and the ministry was God’s.
As Oral ministered in obedience to God’s Word, many were either healed at the point of contact or greatly encouraged to believe God for a gradual physical healing and a closer walk with Him.
- God’s General’s ( Healing Evangelists )