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Reverend Billy Graham Goes Home

Evangelist Billy Graham speaks to members of the media at a news conference in New York, U.S. June 21, 2005. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

By Kami Klein

Reverend Billy Graham, considered to be the world’s greatest evangelistic force, is now in the embrace of His Loving Father in Heaven. Throughout his life He was regarded by contemporaries as humorous, non-judgmental, sincere, innocent and accepting. This powerful voice advised twelve Presidents and his wisdom earnestly sought by influential world leaders and royalty throughout the world.  This champion was a lion who’s heart wished only to give God’s biblical word to all who sought salvation, and he roared God’s message for over seven decades leading millions to Christ.    

Born on November 7, 1918, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Billy Graham was preaching at an L.A. revival and was a guest on Stuart Hamblen’s radio show in 1949. The publicity made Graham a superstar and he began broadcasting his sermons globally by eventually incorporated the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Graham began broadcasting his sermons over the radio during a Christian show called Songs in the Night. Once a week he also hosted a program called The Hour of Decision, a program ABC initially transmitted to 150 stations before reaching its peak of 1,200 stations across America.

The Era of  television brought his ministry to new heights although it was Billy Graham’s live crusades that would bring hundreds of thousands of people to his meetings. To listen to Billy Graham “live” brought the Holy Spirit directly to your heart and it spoke to Millions. Billy Graham has preached the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories—through various meetings, including Mission World and Global Mission. Over 3 million accepted Christ!  Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film, and webcasts.  

In 1943, Billy married Ruth McCue Bell. Ruth was the daughter of a missionary, and lived with her family in China until she turned 17. After graduating with a bachelor’s in anthropology, Graham and Bell were married on August 13, 1943. They would eventually raise five children together, Franklin Graham, Anne Graham Lotz, Gigi Graham, Ned Graham and Ruth Graham.  

During his Ministry, Graham was awarded the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion, the Big Brother Award, the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, and the Speaker of the Year Award. Additionally Graham was recognized by the National Conference of Christians and Jews for promoting understanding between faiths, and bestowed with the Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empir

 In 1992, Graham announced that he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a disease similar to Parkinson’s Disease. His son William Franklin Graham III was chosen to take over BGEA upon his father’s retirement. Billy and his wife Ruth eventually retired to their home in Montreat, North Carolina, in 2005. In 2007, Ruth Graham passed away from pneumonia and degenerative osteoarthritis. Though filled with grief, Billy Graham was determined to continue his mission and it wasn’t until his 95th birthday that Reverend Billy Graham gave his last public sermon. In it, Graham spoke with the strength of his years, warning of a cultural slide in American Society saying that the nation is in great need of “a spiritual awakening.”

“There’ve been times I’ve wept as I’ve gone city to city and I’ve seen how far people have wandered from God,” he told viewers of the television tribute to his ministry called “The Cross”.

One of the most talked about Crusades of Billy’s life occurred in 1958. Billy Graham led an evangelistic campaign in his home town of Charlotte, North Carolina that lasted from September 21 to October 25. The meetings, which were held at the joint invitation of most of the churches in the city and the surrounding area, were held in city’s Coliseum, with overflow crowds watching the meetings on closed circuit television in the Ovens Auditorium next door. Total attendance for the five weeks was 423,387 people, of whom 17,653 came forward for salvation. Below is an excerpt from one of his sermons during that time which is as relevant today as it was then.  

Gazing down at the thousands of people gathered for Revival, Reverend Billy Graham spoke out with kind authority…

“God, looking down from heaven one day, saw this earth in its turmoil and strife and sinfulness, saw us in our lost condition, saw us in our sins. And the Bible says that God said, “I love you. I love you. I love you. I want to save you.”

But how could God? He fills all of space. He is the mighty God of creation that flung those billions of stars out into space. So God did something that astounded the universe. God became a man. That’s who Jesus Christ was. He was God. And when I see Jesus making the blind to see, I see God. When I see Jesus feeding the five thousand, I see God interested in the hunger and the desires of men. When I see Jesus dying on the cross,

I see God in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. I see the nails in His hands. I see the spike in His feet. I see the crown of thorns on His brow. I hear Him say, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” [see Matthew 27:46]. In that terrible moment, Jesus was separated from God in a mysterious way that none of us understood. And now God said, “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased. Believe in Him. Receive Him. And I will save you.” [See Matthew 17:5.]

But Jesus didn’t stay on the cross. They put Him in the tomb, and on the third day He rose again. And I do not offer you this afternoon a dead Christ. I offer you a risen Christ, a Christ that is at the right hand of God the Father, and who is someday going to come to judge the quick and the dead [see Acts 10:41,42]. I offer you a triumphant Christ who is going to win.

A lot of people say, “Do you think communism is going to win the world?” They might win it temporarily, but it will only be temporarily. Because the Bible says that Jesus Christ is going to establish His kingdom, and the church shall someday triumph. Someday those of us who know Christ shall reign.

Reverend Graham passed away at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, on February 21, 2018, at the age of 99. Although his health had been in decline in recent years, he reportedly died of natural causes.

At the end of the broadcast for “The Cross”, Graham invited viewers to become followers of Jesus as he know doubt would do the very same today, on his day of entering heaven….

“Today, I’m asking you to put your trust in Christ,”

He would pray this prayer for all of us, would you please take a moment to pray together with us now?

Dear God, I’m a sinner. I’m sorry for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe He died for my sin and that You raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Jesus, I put my trust in You and I surrender my life to You. Please come into my life and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Today, Heaven did indeed receive one of Christ’s greatest warriors!

 

Anne Graham Lotz to be upcoming guest on The Jim Bakker Show!

Morningside is thrilled and honored to announce that Anne Graham Lotz, author, evangelist and daughter of Billy Graham will be our special guest on The Jim Bakker show, Tuesday, June 14th.

The New York Times has named Anne as one of the five most influential evangelists of her generation. She speaks around the globe with the wisdom given from studying God’s Word and has been profiled on 60 Minutes. Anne has appeared on TV programs such as Larry King Live, The Today Show, and Hannity Live.

Called “the best preacher in the family” by her father, Anne’s message has remained steady, encouraging people into a personal relationship with a loving God through HIS Word.

Anne Graham Lotz, recently spoke at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and said that she believes God is keeping her father Billy Graham alive so that he will still be able to reach out to the lost and guide people through the end of times.

In a speech for Family Research Council’s 2016 Watchmen on the Wall conference in Washington, D.C the Christian Post reported Lotz spoke about faith and the reason why she thought her Dad was still alive on this earth.

“I thought it had to do with the Return of Jesus and I won’t go there right now, but I wonder also if [my father] is here … to be an encouragement to you — that there is a man that is still faithful, still has a heart for the Gospel, heart for God, heart for the lost and still prays,” she continued. “In fact, he prays in his preaching voice. He is still kicking. Maybe that will encourage you to be faithful through persevering in the ministry to which God has called you.”

Anne strongly believes that the second coming of Jesus Christ will happen during her lifetime. She has repeatedly said that the warning signs indicated in the Book of Revelations have started to unfold, what with major natural disasters and the Islamic State continuing to pose threats to the world.

Anne Graham Lotz is a best-selling and award-winning author. Her most recent release is called The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Nations. In her speech for the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Anne posed a question, “What can one person do when we’re faced with a mess or a disaster?”

Lotz outlines a pattern of prayer exemplified in the life of Daniel, specifically in chapter nine when Daniel pled to the Lord to deliver his people. She encouraged listeners to be like Daniel who was centered in prayer, clear in his asking and persistent in his petitions.

“My challenge to you is, what difference does the prayer of one person make?” she encourages readers.“You’re not going to know until you choose to be that one person. Would you pray until God delivers his people and takes them home?”

 

Anne is a natural, gifted teacher of truth. She also has a lifetime of experience from which she humbly yet boldly proclaims God’s Word and wisdom. Now she does it once again in The Daniel Prayer. And once again she encourages us that we can move mountains too! -Kathie Lee Gifford

Taping begins Tuesday, June 14th at 12pm CT on Grace Street at Morningside! Admission is free and we would love to see you there in our studio audience! This show will not be available on our live feed, however, you can view it before it airs on TV on Roku, Apple TV and the Video On Demand section of our website.

Anne Graham Lotz Makes Urgent Call To Prayer

Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, has called for America to an urgent call for prayer.

“One of the things He has impressed on me is that we are living at the end of human history as we know it,” Lotz wrote in a letter to CBN’s Pat Robertson.  She said that America needs to desperately turn away from their ways and turn to God.

Lotz says the purpose is three fold:

  • For God the Father to restrain, protect, and deliver His people from the evil that has come into our world.
  • For God the Son to be exalted, magnified, and glorified in His church, in our nation, and in our lives.
  • For God the Holy Spirit to fall on us in a fresh way, compelling the church to repent of sin and our nation to return to faith in the living God, resulting in a great national spiritual awakening.

The week of prayer will end with a seven hour fast on July 7th.

Joel 2:1, 13 Blow the trumpet…sound the alarm…for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand– Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God.

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