T. L. (Tommy Lee) Osborne

Grant Lea

Tommy Lee Osborne was born in 1923 one of a family of thirteen. He was converted at the age of 12. God called him to preach at age 14. He was young but he had faith in God. At 15 he started to preach, often fasting two or three days at a time, because he wanted God to work through his life. He assisted E.M. Dillard with revivals in Arkansas, Oklahoma and California. Here he met Daisy and married her in 1941. He was 18, and became a father at age 19.

They became evangelist in the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma in 1941, then returned to California where they itinerated for two years before pioneering Montaville Tabernacle in Portland Oregon.

At age 21 he was a missionary in India. He tried to be effective but was challenged to show the power of his God by Moslems. He could not. They returned after one year. He had contracted typhoid fever and their son suffered cholera and amoebic dysentery.

In 1947, he heard Hattie Hammond speak on "Seeing Jesus". The following morning he had a vision of Jesus that changed his life. In September 1947 they returned to the pastorate of Montaville Tabernacle.

After that, William Branham held a healing campaign where Osborne was challenged firstly by what Branham said and then by the demonstration of the healing of the sick. He then fasted and prayed for the ministry of a healing evangelist. Soon he was travelling in evangelism.

Healing Evangelist

In February 1949 he reported from Jamaica, "The people are so hungry .. they eat the Word like starving birds". Hundreds of conversions and healings were reported.

They returned to the U.S. and had campaigns Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas with Pentecostal leaders including William Branham, F.F. Bosworth and Gordon Lindsay.

In 1950 he reported over 18,000 conversion in twelve days in Peurto Rico and in January 1951, 50,000 in Camaguey, Cuba. In 1952 he was arrested in Punto Fijo, Venezuela for witchcraft. This had happened as so many people had reported to doctors and Roman Catholic Priests that they were healed. Another 50,000 were saved in Guatemala City during February and March of 1953. He was effective not just in third world countries. In Holland more than 100,000 people attended nightly.

In 1953 He founded the Association for Native Evangelism. By 1964 the program was running in 80 countries with over 8,000 native missionaries being assisted in ministering the Gospel to their own people in their separate countries. Since its starting the Association has commenced about four hundred new self- supporting churches each year.

His ministry has been characterised for its flexibility. From the mid 1960s his focus was to reach youth. He changed his image, grew a beard, and modified his wardrobe and vocabulary to be more acceptable to the younger generation. His book Young in Faith was targeted at the youth to mobilise them to Christian service.

Some of his books are Healing the Sick, Healing from Christ, Impact, The Purpose of Pentecost, Frontier Evangelism. He published Faith Digest an ongoing magazine.

He last visited Brisbane in 1985, preaching at Festival Hall. He spoke on the call that God had placed on this city of Brisbane and that it would soon be released. We can learn much from his example of faith in action.

______________________________________________

Internet: http://www.renewaljournal.com/

Reproduction is allowed as long as the copyright remains intact with the text.