“Forbidden to Bring Sick People to the Osborn Meetings”
During their early years of ministry, Tommy and Daisy Osborn faced strong criticism for preaching the gospel with miracles as evidence. In Costa Rica, the crowds became so large that they rented the massive Bull Arena. This attracted national attention and even larger crowds, but it also stirred intense opposition.
Media reports described the Osborns as deceivers and warned the public not to attend their meetings or bring sick people, claiming they would be tricked or manipulated. When Tommy arrived at the venue, the police had already locked the gates. At least ten thousand people had entered before the closure.
The chief of the National Guard sent a message declaring the meeting forbidden. Thirty official agents were present to stop more people from entering. However, the crowd outside became so restless that the officers were forced to open the gates. People rushed into the stadium like a human river, filling every available seat.
Despite continued opposition, the main newspaper boldly headlined, “Forbidden to Bring Sick People to the Osborn Meetings.” Yet the stadium was filled to capacity at every service. Over two thousand people accepted Christ at each meeting. Today, mass healing evangelism has become common around the world.
Reaching the World Through Gospel Literature
The Osborns realised that their message could reach far beyond their physical presence. They began writing down the sermons they preached so they could be printed and distributed worldwide. Large printing presses reproduced these messages by the millions in many languages, reaching people who would never hear their voices in person.
For years, they published over one ton of gospel tracts every working day, not counting additional tons of books and teaching materials. Their literature has been printed in 132 languages, reaching hundreds of millions of people. Many became literate through this effort, opening doors for the gospel to reach every reading person.
Reaching the Illiterate Through Media
To reach those who could not read, the Osborns embraced audio and video cassette technology, as well as cinematography. These tools created new opportunities for personal evangelism, radio ministry, television outreach, and mass distribution of the gospel message.
Pioneering the DocuMiracle Film Ministry
The DocuMiracle film ministry was created to capture both the message and the miracles of historic evangelism crusades. Thousands of films and videos have since been distributed internationally in seventy major languages. Gospel workers across many nations use these films to draw large crowds.
Before this, productions that combined missionary preaching with visible miracles among non-Christian nations did not exist. Once people saw the power of Christ demonstrated, they stayed to listen because they wanted to know Him personally.
As Tommy explained, their DocuMiracle films became a powerful solution. Millions were reached through films, while many more encountered the gospel through recorded audio, video messages, and large quantities of free literature distributed worldwide.
In one province, a pastor showed a DocuMiracle film twenty times, reaching over fifty thousand people and recording more than eight thousand decisions for Christ. Another minister reported two thousand new decisions in just eight days.
National Missionary Vision
The Osborns were deeply burdened for millions of tribal people living beyond the reach of traditional missionaries. Over two thousand tribes did not understand the languages used in mass media, making them difficult to reach.
Their National Missionary Evangelism programme encouraged Christians in wealthier nations to sponsor national preachers as full-time missionaries. Through this vision, more than 30,000 national preachers were supported in thousands of unreached towns and villages across over one hundred nations.
For many years, an average of more than one new church was established every day, nearly four hundred churches each year. Today, more than 150,000 self-supporting churches exist worldwide as a result of this work. Many present-day national church leaders began their ministry as young preachers sponsored by T. L. and Daisy Osborn.
To be continued…
Tale Tuesday 160
Date: 9th December, 2025
Title: : The Osborns (The Pioneers of Mass Miracle Evangelism) part 7
Source: Africa God’s Generals The Soul Winners
Author: Eddie Sempala
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