Demos Shakarian – Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI)
Around 1900, in a small Armenian village near the Russian border, the Holy Spirit was already moving. A group of Spirit-filled Russian Pentecostals, known as Molokans, believed in dreams, visions, tongues, and healings. Demos Shakarian’s grandfather lived among them, but he wasn’t fully convinced. He respected their zeal but didn’t walk in the supernatural like they did, until the day a prophet arrived.
The prophet’s name was Efim Klubnikin, a quiet man full of the Spirit. He carried a heavy message from God. Demos’s grandfather, eager to show hospitality, offered to host a feast, but the only animal he had was a cow blind in one eye. Hoping no one would notice, he butchered it and served the meat anyway.
As the guests gathered, the prophet bowed his head, then looked up and said calmly, “The cow that was used for this meal was blind in one eye.” No one had told him. Conviction fell like lightning. Demos’s grandfather began to shake under the weight of the Holy Spirit. He confessed, repented, and after prayer, was filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues for the first time in his life.
Then the prophet shared his vision. He said that devastation was coming to Armenia. He saw bloodshed, famine, and genocide. God had shown him a new land across the sea, America, and told him His people must flee. Many ignored the warning, but the Shakarian family obeyed. They sold everything and moved to Los Angeles, arriving just before the Azusa Street Revival erupted in 1906, where the same Holy Spirit poured out in power.
Tragically, the prophecy came true. In 1914, persecution began. By 1915, the Armenian Genocide was in full force, and over 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire. Many who had rejected the prophet’s word perished. But those who fled, like the Shakarians, were spared. They continued to host Spirit-filled meetings on their California dairy farm, where people were healed, saved, and filled with the Holy Ghost.
As the farm became one of the largest in the western United States, Demos felt God speak to his heart. “It’s time to let the ordinary working men speak.” In 1951, he founded the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI), a global Spirit-filled movement specifically for businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and professionals. It wasn’t created for preachers, but for laymen who were filled with the Holy Ghost and had a testimony to share. The fellowship helped launch or support leaders like Oral Roberts, T.L. Osborn, Kenneth Copeland, Benson Idahosa, Reinhard Bonnke, and Kathryn Kuhlman.
FGBMFI spread to more than 100 nations, filling hotel ballrooms and banquet halls with salvations, miracles, and revival fire. Businessmen testified, the Spirit moved, and lives were changed. All of it started with one blind cow, one prophet, and one obedient family. Never underestimate what God can do through a Spirit-filled life.
Credit: Revival Press