It’s really an odd thing: Billy Graham was world famous for talking about someone else.
Think about it.
Billy Graham: The Messenger
Billy Graham believed God knew no borders or nationalities. Throughout his career Graham preached Jesus to some 215 million people in 400 missions in more than 185 countries. He reached millions more for Jesus through TV, video, film, the Internet and 34 books.
His ministry spanned nearly eight decades with NO scandal yet his lasting legacy was his ability to preach a timeless message of Jesus in a timely way, through biblically-based and socially relevant sermons.
His bedrock conviction was that Jesus Christ was God’s salvation for a lost world.
Billy Graham: The Man
Humble.
His favorite food? A McDonald’s hamburger.
Winsome.
Transparent.
Empathetic.
Approachable.
He was “Billy Frank” to those closest to him.
There may have been better preaching than Billy’s but no better preacher.
Billy Graham: The Light
When Billy Graham passed on February 21st, I was asked if his death would usher in the End Times.
No.
However, his death created a shift in the balance of power in the spiritual realm. There is an invisible war between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.
Billy Graham was a luminous light. His passing leaves the world, a darker place.
It is for us to compensate. We must light the night by following Billy Graham’s example.
Go As You Are
At North Pointe we invite people to “come as they are.”
Our wording is a nuance of “Just As I Am,” a reflection of Billy Graham’s humble spirit. The hymn was sung most often when he invited people to come forward at his missions and ask “Jesus into their heart.” And for millions, his humility before the Almighty encouraged them to approach with that same spirit.
Now, that humility will light our way in a world bereft of Billy Graham’s light.
Rest in peace, Billy Frank.
When Billy Graham came to Edmonton
Tributes to Billy Graham
“Everyone who met Billy Graham testifies to his humility, transparency, and empathy. The source of his strength was not an overweening self-confidence, but rather the posture of a supplicant at prayer. Graham humbly organized and followed through with his crusades. He always emphasized the Billy Graham “team” and worked closely with local pastors and lay leaders to make his crusade more than a flash in the pan.”
Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School
“To do what he did would have been impossible without that incredible strength of selecting the right people with whom to build for the future. First and foremost was the choice of his life partner in Ruth Bell Graham. She was tough and needed to be strong to withstand the headwinds of being married to an itinerant.
His choice to work alongside George Wilson, Bev Shea, Cliff Barrows, T.W. Wilson, and many others speaks of the thoughtfulness in his leadership. They were all extraordinarily committed to Billy Graham and totally committed to his calling. The sacrifice for them had to be huge. It was a team of superb people with a high calling.
Billy would never have reached the heights without them. No one is a self-made man. God is the ultimate Potter. In shaping Billy, God did not just shape a speaker; He shaped a man with the wisdom of choosing the right people around him. Billy Graham would be the first to say, “Without them, I would not have made it.”
Ravi Zacharias, Christian apologist and evangelist
More tributes to the legacy of Billy Graham.
APPLICATION: Do you have a Billy Graham memory? Please share it below. Thank you.
When I first was asked to serve on the board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1999, Mr. Graham asked to meet me.
As I headed out on a plane a few days later I was in awe that I was flying to meet my “hero of the faith” for even as a youngster I was captivated by his messages.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable with this planned one on one with the greatest evangelist in the world, I opened a devotional that I brought with me.
Shockingly, the title was “There are no big shots with God”. To summarize the article, it said “wether you are the most famous evangelist speaking to thousands in the greatest stadiums in the world, or the janitor in the church, you are just as important in God’s eyes.”
Having spent one on one time with Mr Graham in 1999 and then being with him several times since, I can say that he was a humble, down to earth man of God. He had a great sense of humour and often cracked a joke in private. He always expressed interest in those he spoke with, never coming across as the famous man he was.
My heart aches not for his death as he often told us he wanted to go to heaven but for our loss.
Will there ever be another Billy Graham. I doubt it, but each of us are called to share the good news of Christ and his saving power. We all should share our faith daily as God opens doors and remember the words of Mr. Graham that echo in my mind, “The Bible says”, and “God loves you.”