On February 21, 2018, at the age of 99, Billy Graham, one of the most famous evangelical preachers, went home to the Father. He has been the spiritual adviser to many US presidents. He has preached to over 215 million people in over 185 countries. He has been named one of the “Ten Most Significant People in the World” by the Gallup Research Group over 50 times.
“November 7 is a big event for my father, he turns 99 years old. As a family, we are very grateful to him that he is still with us. He thinks sensibly, although now he has become calmer, he cannot see and hear well, but his health is stable, ”said the son of the great evangelist Franklin Graham.
Congratulations you have a boy
Billy Graham’s childhood passed during the Great Depression. He was born on the eve of the end of the war on November 7, 1918 on a farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. Parents – Morrow Coffey and William Franklin Graham Sr. – raised their son in the teachings of the Association of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. His family was sincerely Christian and God helped to cope with everyday difficulties. One of the testimonies of God’s power was the recovery of Billy Graham’s father after a severe accident that resulted in a broken jaw and severely damaged face. Through the prayers of his relatives, Billy’s father’s condition improved.
Who is Mordecai Ham and why is it important
An important role in the life of Billy Graham was played by Mordecai Ham, who conducted evangelism nearby. Billy was then 15 years old, and he certainly did not intend to listen to sermons. But history turned out differently. The high school students wanted to go to the evangelic meeting to make a fuss and they invited Graham to go with them. The words of the sermon came to life and touched the depths of his heart. Here Billy came to the realization that hell is real and all people need a Savior, because they are sinners and self-righteousness and morality do not save. Each service was then valuable to him. Only God’s love enlivened and attracted to the Person of the Savior. It wasn’t a sign from above, it was a response from the heart.
“Salvation is the work of God. It was designed by God, it is forged by God, and it is supported by God too” (Billy Graham).
Teaching is not easy
After graduating from Sharon High School in May 1936, Billy Graham began attending Bob Jones College (now Bob Jones University) in Cleveland, Tennessee. He attended for one semester but found the College to be too “legalistic” in terms of theology and requirements.
In 1937, Graham transferred to the Bible Institute of Florida, which had less strict rules, but even there his education did not last long. He eventually graduated from Wheaton College Seminary in Illinois in 1943.
Beauty Ruth
Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, can be safely called the first lady of evangelical Protestantism. Behind the scenes, she has always been her husband’s closest friend throughout his exciting career.
Ruth Graham grew up in a mission in China and spent three years of high school there. Her father, Nelson Bell, headed the Presbyterian Hospital in China, which was founded by the father of writer Pearl Buck. As a teenager, she dreamed of becoming a missionary in some secluded place in Tibet. However, God gave her a more significant role in this life.
Ruth and Billy met in their senior year of college. A few months of meetings and Billy made her a marriage proposal. They got married two months after graduating from college and lived together all their lives until the Lord took Ruth to him in 2007.
They had five children – Virginia (b. 1945), Anna Graham Lotz (b. 1948), Ruth Belle (b. 1950), William Franklin Graham (b. 1952, head of Samaritan’s Purse international organization) and Nelson Edman Graham (b. 1958, leads an organization that distributes Christian literature in China). Today, Billy Graham has 19 great-grandchildren and a lot of great-great-grandchildren.
Evangelist is for life
While studying at Wheaton College Seminary, Billy Graham was ordained as a minister of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1939 and served a short time as the pastor of a village church in Western Springs, Illinois.
Graham planned a series of evangelistic meetings in Los Angeles in 1949. To do this, he set up a large tent in the park. These meetings were such a success that they lasted eight weeks instead of the three originally planned. This marked a turning point in Billy Graham’s ministry. All of America knew about it. In 1954, the same story repeated itself at Harringay Stadium in London. Meetings with his participation lasted three months. This is how evangelist Billy Graham gained worldwide fame.
Billy Graham served as President of Northwestern College in Minnesota from 1948 to 1952. He founded the Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGBG) in 1950, headquartered in Minneapolis, which later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe. It was the one who sent Jesus to the cross. The only power that surpasses it is the love of God.” (Billy Graham).
There are countries where open large-scale preaching of the Gospel is impossible, but even there God opens doors. So, in 1989, Billy Graham visited China. In April 1992, Billy Graham visited North Korea for the first time. In both countries, Billy Graham preached in local churches.
In recent years, thanks to the development of satellite communications, EGBG has been able to reach even more people with the preaching of Christ. Television makes it possible to conduct evangelistic meetings with Billy Graham around the world: millions of people have visited them in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.
Billy Graham initiated numerous training programs such as the School of Evangelism, which is usually held on the eve of an evangelistic mission in different countries of the world. He was also the inspiration for the First Lausanne World Evangelism Convention, which took place in 1974. This congress gave new strength to Christians all over the world. With Graham’s support, international conferences of evangelists were held in Amsterdam in 1983 and 1986.
Advisor to the heads of the nation
Billy Graham is still the President’s spiritual adviser. Beginning in 1951, he prayed for Truman, he served from Eisenhower to George W. Bush (eleven presidents in all). He was a close friend of the Presidents, he prayed, served and supported them in different periods. He spent time talking to Hillary Clinton as early as the 1980s. He really became the “pastor of America” as he was called. He was the first to hear about personal incidents and was a loyal friend in the White House.
No more crusades
Billy Graham finished with the crusades in 2005. At that time he was 87 years old. About 1424 church volunteers of various denominations were attracted through invitations. When asked about his size as a servant of Billy, Graham smiles modestly and replies that God will certainly raise up new and better ministers.
And although Billy Graham did not host crusades, he was involved in every possible way in support with his wisdom and advice, prayer, preparation of projects and writing books. This is a great minister of God’s love to people. Only a person with an open heart can give life to others, saving souls and lives.
“I read the last page of the Bible. Everything will be fine in the end.” (Billy Graham)
Billy Graham said that:
“Being a Christian is not a one-time repentance, it is a daily process in which you become more and more like Christ.”
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“There is nothing wrong with people having wealth. The problem begins when wealth begins to possess people.”
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“Courage is contagious. When a daredevil strikes a pose, the people around become stronger.”
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“The tops of the hills are given to us for views and inspiration, but the fruits grow in the valleys.”
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“Comfort and wealth could never enrich the world the way disasters did.”
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“Parishioners of the church are like coal in a fire. If they are all together, the fire continues to burn. And one by one, everything slowly fades away.”
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“The duty of the Holy Spirit is to convict, God is to judge and mine is to love.”
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“Do not hesitate, bring to God everything that is on your heart. After all, He already knows about it, but He does not want you to bear your pain yourself or rejoice alone.”
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“Many people don’t mind having Jesus in their lives. The main thing is that you don’t have to pay anything for it. Such people may even proclaim their faith in Jesus and go to church. But Jesus for them is just an insurance policy, which they have purchased in advance and will not remember Him until their death. What prevents you from becoming His disciple?”
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“Regular reading [of the Bible] has a cleansing effect on your mind and heart; don’t let anything else take the place of this exercise.”
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“The greatest form of praise is the sound of holy feet seeking the lost and helpless.”
Source: История Билли Грэма или Как исполнить Великое Поручение | Статьи на inVictory
