THE VISION THAT GUIDED THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF THE FGBMFI.
Demos Shakarian, the founder and first President of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) had a passion for regularly sharing the vision that God had given him for the establishment and development of the FGBMFI. This story is told in the book “The Happiest People on Earth” by John and Elisabeth Sherrill. This book is available for sale at the online bookstore https://fgba.org.au/bookstore/
On the 30th anniversary of the FGBMFI, the booklet “The Greatest Business in the World” highlights what extra revelations Jesus had revealed to Demos about the vision he had received in 1952.
Over the last few years of his life, Demos shared many of the revelations God had put on his heart by writing a series of ministry booklets relating to the vision.
His first booklet, “A New Wave Of Revival…the Vision intensified,” shared how God was going to have a special people, a PREPARED people ready to serve Him in POWER, and willing to participate in this final hour of endtime spiritual history. In that booklet, he declared that God clearly was not done with Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International – that He had a NEW WAVE of revival prepared for us, a revival that would sweep in miraculous waves of witnessing power all over the globe for God’s glory.
The second book Demos authored as part of his ministry to us was entitled “A New Wave of RevivaI…in Your Finances.” In that book he specifically addressed the lack of proper biblical balance in the myriad of popular prosperity teaching that seems to ignore the vital need for RELATlONSHlP with God before any of the biblical promises concerning finances would come into fruition.
He sincerely believed this book has helped, and is continuing to help, many businessmen and families to understand His principles for a balanced and proper walk in the challenging area of Christian finances.
Now, more than ever, with signs of recession hitting many parts of the world, this book is still a vital tool for anyone who wants to know what God says about the financial steps we need to take to receive all He has for our family and business – no matter how bad world circumstances might appear!
Then came the third book, “Behold the Glory of God“, declaring that a new wave of God’s glory would soon sweep the earth in this endtime hour, permeating our Fellowship meetings and conferences. When the Eastern Bloc countries, like East Germany, literally became free – in an instant – we were all reminded that nothing is too big for our God. He can overcome every situation, no matter how impossible it seems. In places where we once thought it was impossible for God’s glory to shine, He is now radiating His love.
Today, God is setting the stage for a new wave of His Shekinah Glory to literally sweep across the entire nations of the globe!
But know this – the greatest miracle wave of God’s glory is yet to come – and He can unleash it in an instant.
In his fourth booklet, “The Ultimate Dimension“, Demos shared with us as being God’s anointed people in this endtime generation, how we will be prepared, and how we will walk in awesome power to manifest God’s will in these final days before Jesus comes once again.
That walk seemed so magnificent, so staggering that Demos called it “The Ultimate Dimension.”
After continued and intensified prayer and fasting, Demos confessed that “The Ultimate Dimension” was just the beginning of a much deeper life that he now understand God has for us. “The Ultimate Dimension” set the scene and prepared the way for the fifth and final book of the series …”Divine Life“.
This book, more than any other he has ever written, tells how God gives us the incredible privilege of walking in a personal, intimate relationship with Him, a holy oneness with God that, once your spirit begins to comprehend it, will change the way we live, and revolutionizes the way we make our business and personal decisions.
“Divine Life” was birthed out of continual prayer, long-term fasting, adversity, and severe attacks on his life, particularly over the two or three years before this book was published. By seeking God with a renewed fervour, He gave Demos a new peacefulness…no matter how hectic outside circumstances had seemed around him.
When Demos had his stroke, he was searching God for many answers. When you are flat on your back, you search. It was a time when the world situation looked very bad, and frankly, it still does not look any better. He was very concerned and burdened because we were not winning souls and getting the job done for the Lord in the dimension and scope that he had hoped.
One day Demos was in his living room praying, crying out to God, “Lord, You promised that You will give us the power to do these things, to meet these challenges.”
In a way, you could say he was complaining to God.
“Lord, where is the power and anointing we need to do the work necessary to get the job done?”
His reply was quick, and the loving rebuke of a caring Father.
“Look, My Son, I’ve given you everything I can give you. I have given you HIS authority, and His anointing. There is nothing else you need to do the job. Take His authority and go forward.
“l have given you everything I can give you. I have given you My precious Son, and He’s given you His life. I have given you all I can.
“Go now, go ahead and fulfill the vision I have entrusted to you.“
From that moment of prayer and encounter with God, He began to birth in his heart the first steps of how to walk in His power and His authority, in His divine life.
And now, after a few more years of prayer and seeking God, this book, “Divine Life,” describes the awesome personal relationship the very God of the Universe desires with us. Through this book, we will realize that God has given us a miraculous heritage of HIS power and authority, and He intends for us to fully use His spiritual gifts in these final hours of spiritual history.
The “Divine Life” is the biblical plan that God Himself birthed to mould us and God into a single, holy unity!
What a sacred privilege!
Demos prayer, after writing this series of books, the last in 1991, was that “I sincerely pray the message in this book greatly blesses you. I further pray that He would, by whatever means, help those of you who are still living divided lives to see clearly how He claims you WHOLLY for Himself, and how the wholehearted surrender to abide in Him alone brings joy unspeakable.
But that was not the end of Demos’s passion for sharing the vision. Before He went home to be with His Lord, Demos wrote one last book in 1992, “Come Let Us Exalt Him”, encouraging us to always exalt Jesus in whatever we do.
In the meantime, Tommy Hicks, a friend of Demos, and who was staying with Demos in his house when Demos received that Vision, had some dreams in 1961 which he believed related to the FGBMFI.
But this is not the end of the story. A book, “The Awakening Giant“* by Val Fotherby tells the story of the miraculous growth of the FGBMFI over four decades to Year 2000.
(Note: The FGBA thanks the Revival Library (revival-library.org) for permission to publish “The Awakening Giant”. The FGBA takes this opportunity to recommend readers to view the excellent materials on historical revivals and principles of revival that can be found on their site.)