History of RHEMA
The history of RHEMA is inextricably linked with the life and ministry of a special man of faith who went to be with the Lord in September 2003, but whose ministry is far from finished. Kenneth Hagin rose as a 17-year-old young man from his deathbed, where he had been lying for 1.5 years, paralyzed, with a heart defect and an incurable blood disease. He stood up in faith on the promises of God in His Word. In particular, from the texts of Mark 11:23 and 24, he had received certainty of faith that if he would get up from his bed, he would also be miraculously healed and that happened. Since then, he has served the Lord full-time. And the Lord gave him an important commission, which is still the mandate that RHEMA carries out: “Teach my people faith!
In late 1949, after more than 12 years pastoring a number of Full Gospel churches in Texas, God called him to become a full-time itinerant preacher and he did it, mile after mile, year after year. Until he cried out to God, "Lord, this task is too great for one man!" Whereupon God told him to start a Bible school. And that happened in 1974, when RHEMA Bible Training Center started in a small hall of a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His son, Kenneth Hagin Jr. – who now (more than 80 years old) is still the head of RHEMA worldwide and pastor of Rhema Bible Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma – wrote the curriculum. That first year, 58 students graduated, most of whom are still in large ministry today. But it didn't stop at more than 50 students a year, because decades later, almost 90,000 students have graduated from the more than 270 RHEMA Bible schools worldwide, and there are currently more than 16,000 students who are being trained!
Start of the Bible School
Rhema
Rhema is a Greek word and means 'the spoken word', as opposed to Logos: 'the written word'. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, and you might have experienced that when you read the Bible, a text seems to jump out: a 'rhema word!' The Holy Spirit then speaks to you. Or you may find that a certain text from the Bible is repeated over and over in many ways: you read it, you hear a song about it, someone sends you a card with that text… 'rhema': God speaks His Word to you , and that Word awakens faith in your heart… That is the faith that moves mountains and that is the faith you learn at RHEMA!
Kenneth Hagin passed away after nearly 70 years of full-time ministry, but where the man [...], the mandate to teach faith to God's people is alive and well. The many RHEMA Bible Schools operating in more than 50 countries around the world each year bring in new workers who are active in many churches, congregations and organizations around the world to add action to their faith and contribute to the return of our Lord!
For according to Luke 18:8, what does the Lord want to find when He returns? “But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” We say YES, LORD! If it's up to RHEMA, yes. For RHEMA lays a tremendously solid foundation of faith in your life, not only in knowledge, but also in experience, for the Bible speaks of the "Spirit of Faith." And if there's one place you can pick up that Spirit of faith, it's RHEMA! The training you receive with us is an investment for life. And an investment that pays off in many ways!
