Billy Graham: A Life Remembered | Billy Graham TV Special

[Music] all your life you've been searching for feet joy happiness and some of you are searching for purpose and meaning in your life and you haven't found it you can have the greatest hope and courage and joy and thrill that you've ever known if you just let Christ come in right now Jesus Christ identifies with you and he looks at you tonight and he loves you you start out with a little bit of faith it may be a shaky wobbly thing but if it's in the Lord Jesus Christ you don't have to have faith enough to hold onto him he'll hold you he gives you a joy and a peace and a security and assurance and a happiness and a sense of belonging and fulfillment God is love God so loves the world that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life whoever you are whatever you are whatever you've done God loves you but Christ is done for this farmboy Christ can do for you what began with Billy Graham's simple decision to follow Jesus Christ ultimately led to an exciting journey of faith with international impact all over the world people have a difference in the way they react and respond but not to the gospel when the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed I just cannot see any difference because man's heart is rid of the same the world over the word gospel means good news good news that God loves man God chose me I think to be an evangelist which really is a communicator of one simple message that God loves you and that Christ died for you and my job is to go and present price to those people whose hearts God has prepared I'm looking forward to that day when I'll see Christ face-to-face are you does he live in your heart now [Music] born in his parents home in 1918 William Franklin Graham was raised on the family dairy farm just outside Charlotte North Carolina as the son of devout Christians I remember that I didn't care anything about God or religion a hell of the devil or anything else I was just a carefree kid having a big time doing everything else that every other high school kid was doing one day I came in from playing baseball and my mother asked me if I would go to church with her that night she said well a powerful man is going to preach tonight and I went and I was looking out listening intently to what he had to say but all of a sudden he pointed back in my direction and he said young man you're a sinner when the invitation was given I just said more I'm going he says own Louisville says the Lord has saved me tonight's as I know it we knew then that the Lord had really gotten ahold of it changed the whole direction of my life and then about three or four years later I felt called to preach wanting to know more about God's Word Billy convinced his parents to let him leave the farm he grew up on and attend the Florida Bible Institute but in the years that followed Billy began to wrestle with the direction his life was taking not sure he wanted to be a preacher but not knowing which way to turn it is a full moonlight night that I'll never forget it seemed to me that the Spirit of God just came into my heart and a tremendous surge of power and I knelt down right there and I said Lord I'll be what you want me to be and I'll do what you want me to do and I'll never change this was a pivotal moment Billy would reaffirm in his heart for decades to come I believe that the Bible teaches that God has given some people the gift of a teaching some the gift of the past and some to get the van evangelist and I believe that God gave me the gift of an evangelist it was a calling to take the message of hope and Jesus Christ with boldness to anyone who would listen and it began in small churches and revival meetings I'd prepared for sermons I remember the first time I have preached in a church and I thought each one would last 45 minutes and I preached all four of them in 8 minutes but Billy worked hard and practiced - Oh Billy spiritual mentors at the Bible School recognized his emerging gift for preaching and after his graduation there encouraged him to pursue his studies at a larger College it was at Wheaton College outside of Chicago where God stirred the young man's heart with a whole new appreciation for the Bible honing his skills in Bible study and preaching disciplines that would serve Billy Graham for the rest of his ministry and it wasn't Wheaton where Billy was enlightened about the needs of people beyond the borders of America due in part to a young lady who was raised in China Ruth Bell was the charming daughter of dr. Nelson and Virginia Bell who had been medical missionaries in China it was there that Ruth was born and spent her for 17 years and where God ignited a flame of compassion in her heart for people all over the world she was a new student at Wheaton College when Billy arrived on campus well I remember when I first saw him and he was dashing down the steps of Blanchard two at a time and my impression was there goes a young man in a hurry this man that ran the furniture truck I began to tell me about this girl from China and then when I finally saw her I was frightened to death to ever ask her for a date but I finally worked up enough courage to ask her to go at Christmastime to the Messiah amande you I didn't even know the man but I just prayed and I said lord if you will let me share his life I will consider it the greatest honor possible fortunately I didn't know what lay ahead I wouldn't have had the nerve to pray a prayer like that Billy and Ruth married in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina on August 13th 1943 and formed a partnership in life and ministry that served as Billy's anchor for 63 years the first time I saw I fell in love with her and I knew she was the one I was going to marry and they were three in our marriage there was the Lord and there was Ruth and me it was a love relationship my mother loved my father and my father loved and adored her and it was a partnership of course she's a great student of the Bible and was a real good adviser she was perhaps his first advisor there wouldn't be a Billy Graham without Ruth Graham in the 1940s his Billy Graham began his evangelistic ministry he recruited several talented colleagues to help no one was more valued than Ruth who was rarely in public view but was an active advisor to Billy behind the scenes a team began forming one that proved to be inspired as these men served together for decades he had written me and asked me to become his gospel singer and I said to him you know the only gospel singer I've ever known about it was sing a verse or two and then stop and talk a while but I have to do that he's Huckle and he said I hope not George Beverly Shea a well-known musician and radio personality became the beloved soloist for the Crusades as the music and program director cliff barrows would also host each Billy Graham event and program throughout the years friends from high school and trusted colleagues Grady and TW Wilson worked behind the scenes to organize the meetings long before they enjoyed national prominence these men held a somewhat impromptu meeting in Modesto California it was 1949 just before one of their early crusade events bill mention to us he said you know we know that evangelists in the past have run into difficulties have gotten involved in things that have brought disrepute to the cause of Christ and he said let's ask God to guard us for making those mistakes the team decided to hold each other accountable to four virtues financial accountability moral integrity respect for the local church and their pastors and truth in publicity it became known as the Modesto manifesto and it was through this team that the mission of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association came into focus to proclaim the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ to all they could buy every effective means available to them it was the foundation of integrity that would serve the team well as the ministry expanded beyond their wildest expectations we were in Augusta Georgia Augusta Georgia and along with that time we heard were going to go to Los Angeles and it's gonna be a big tent the first two weeks drew disappointing crowds and the committee of leaders that had invited the crusade to Los Angeles considered ending the events then in the third week popular radio host Stewart Hamlin supported the crusade on his radio broadcast and more publicity was on the way one night I went and I saw several photographers and there were several reporters trying to interview me all at one time and I said what has happened why you here they said you've just been kissed by William Randolph iris the media until now had ignored these events but with interest from the head of the vast Hearst publishing Empire national coverage was almost instantaneous she son of God has an end to every burden that you carry the crusade was extended from the original plan of three weeks to eight with this singular event Billy Graham became a household name it was confirmation of his calling and God's faithfulness and we pray that in these days we might see an old-fashioned heaven-sent public Ghost revival that we found nation from coast to coast there's a little boy speaking to you now and even while I'm talking that little boys is safe that's what I need I need Christ I need God I'm going to ask you to surrender to that little voice because that little voice is the voice of the Spirit of God invitations for Crusades continue to pour infant church groups all across the nation the next few decades became a whirlwind of opportunity for Billy Graham from all over America in 1954 a committee of church leaders in England arranged for a series of crusade meetings in Great Britain at the time London was the largest city in the world but the event was threatened by vocal members in parliament who didn't want the American evangelist to hold a public event there after much prayer God opened the doors and just as the Los Angeles Crusade created a watershed in America the London Crusade marked a breakthrough in Billy's international prominence attendance was over two million culminating with the final meeting in Wembley Stadium soon the Billy Graham Evangelistic team made their way across Europe to places like Stockholm Amsterdam Berlin the message of this book is the message of God he bought choppiness bullet in Paris you must receive Christ and in 1956 into Asia including India [Music] Japan Oh God they love the world and eventually South Korea I want to talk about the greatest man that ever lived over a million people from all over Korea came to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ on almost every continent from Australia to Canada give your life to Christ in it to Latin America and beyond that God loved not even yet God opened the doors to take the good news in to all the world I think the millions of people around the world that maybe have never heard of Christ yet Christ has spoken to their hearts and they're prepared to listen and my job is to go and present Christ to those people whose hearts God has prepared his billy's ministry grew so did his family through the years the Grahams were blessed with five children we didn't realize that Daddy was well known or anything but I guess when when look magazine and Time magazine and Life magazine it would come to the house with daddy's pictures on the front we began to realize there's something special here national prominence brought increased demands on Billy's time and the call to preach around the world would often keep him on the road and away from his family for several months at a time sometimes I imagine you feel like a stranger to your own family okay well I really do the last time I was home I'd been away seven months I didn't understand the difficulties that my mother was going through saying goodbye to my father knowing that he's going to be going not just for a week but for four months six months incredible lady mother I never in my lifetime ever heard her complain never heard her say a negative word about my daddy a lot of times I would go down this driveway here with tears in my eyes I didn't want to go because I needed to be several weeks or months before I had Sarah by the way what I asked you one question did you go to church last Sunday could you make it last month you have a winner now early in his ministry Billy understood the power of the media to reach more people for Christ greetings ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another a love decision even hosting a long-running television program and a weekly radio broadcast have you received him by a definite act of faith Billy was a natural television personality I think Billy went on all those shows because he always was spreading the message he answered the questions but it always came back to Christ as your Savior price luxury have you've been reading the Bible I see a few valiant Commandments yes I know in Commandments can be broken in your heart by thought and intent so in that sense we're all guilty and that's the reason the Bible says that everybody's a sinner even it is a sinner [Music] it comes as quite a surprise though we never sought fame he saw that his growing recognition gave him an unparalleled opportunity to spread the gospel what is your purpose my purpose is to win as many people to him now and I'm doing it because he ordered us to he said go into the whole world and proclaim this message that God loves people that he's interested in people he wants to help them in their present situation and he wants to save their souls people often refer to my grandfather's America's pastor and I think it would be a term like that my grandfather would blush at because he never set out to be that Reverend William Billy Graham's untiring evangelism spread the word of God to every corner of the globe and made him one of the most inspirational spiritual leaders of the 20th century the international attention would also bring in before American presidents and world leaders beginning with President Truman Billy spiritual counsel was welcomed by every subsequent president in the nation's highest office I think it's through him that I found myself praying even more than a daily basis he would be consulted by men and women of power in many countries on matters of faith a trusted confidant behind the closed doors of leaders his reputation is above reproach all suspicion and he's been a christ-like figure people see him as the great evangelist but there's a warm personal side chain that we bushes have been privileged to see he was a highly intelligent highly articulate highly charismatic man of profound faith who was nevertheless a man he's set for himself the highest possible standards he has a Pitta Myers absolute integrity from the public ministry you made in the image of God you were made to glorify God he's one of the great evangelists of our nation's history his Crusades are legendary the size of his crowds were magnificent throughout the years because of the message and without God there's an empty place in your life that could be filled tonight right tonight by a simple surrender to Jesus Christ I consider the call to the ministry the highest and most marvelous calling in the world because it's an eternal calling and I wouldn't trade places with any president or any King God was calling me and I said Lord I'll go where you want me to go and I'll be what you want me to be I'm Yours our job is to call out a people for his name confronting the world with the claims of Christ and that's what we've been doing in our organization and that's what you've been doing in your churches scattering seed and these seeds the seeds of the gospel and they fall upon good ground and bring forth good fruit internet evangelism is one of the most successful evangelistic programs that this organization has ever done when people have questions about spiritual matters or religion they go online so it's important to be there with the gospel the rapid response team chaplains go at a moment's notice into some of the toughest areas of the world to Minister the gospel the Lord Jesus Christ the peace that Jesus brings just who washes over the person we pray with it's been exciting to see what God has done at the Billy Graham library everyday lives are changed it's about the gospel we're going to continue to our Crusades tonight you can surrender your life to Jesus Christ and he will forgive you he'll he'll make you into a new creation we must prepare the ground and sow the seed of God's Word and water it what is our message Christ alone as the savior of men go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature there is no excuse ever for hatred there is no excuse ever for bigotry and intolerance and Prejudice we're to love that God loved up crossing into uncharted territory Billy refused to allow intense criticism to keep him from sharing the good news with everyone regardless of race his decision to confront racism and injustice in America and other parts of the world raised the respect of many to the ire of others this is the way the truth and the life Billy had perceived invitations to preach in South Africa but refused to do so until he can preach to a non-segregated audience openly challenging apartheid religion and don't let anybody ever tell you that it's quite a black balloon he belongs to the whole world and he said to the thousands their apartheid is sin it's it's wrong it's not right with God and the papers Karen I know that God has sent me out as a warrior to preach the gospel and I must continue until he gives the signal that I'm to stop in the height of the Cold War he and his ministry boldly took their message to the Communist Soviet Union where Christianity had been repressed the hope lies at the foot of the cross it helped to undermine the communist system I think he was one of the forces that kept a window open to the human spirit I've traveled over this world a great deal now and I feel that I'm a part of a great mosaic of the human race that God has created each made in His image each needing the gospel of Christ each having the same basic problems and desires and longings and I'm a part of that there are many things about God that I don't understand or comprehend I accept his revelation of himself by faith when natural disasters caused devastation the Billy Graham team reached out to those in need offering physical and spiritual assistance living the word of the gospel in prayer and action they brought hope during seemingly hopeless times while we preach the cross with one we also give a cup of cold water with the other he has often been a healing voice and a calming Shepherd bringing comfort and solace to a troubled nation during seasons of crisis this event reminds us of the brevity and the uncertainty of life we never know when we too will be called into eternity my prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us and will know in our hearts they will never forsake us as we trust in Him I think one of my ministries as I get older Stu Hale p-- advised and counseled younger evangelists and put it their disposal whatever we have learned as a result of his international experiences Billy Graham's vision for reaching the world began to broaden after much prayer the team began an immense effort to train evangelists and provide resources for them to reach the remote parts of the globe and I see those hundred thirty millions and I say Oh God you have said go into all the world and declare this message that's our job as evangelists in 1983 1986 and again in 2000 the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association invited thousands of evangelists to gather in Amsterdam worship and intense training that brought worldwide impact Amsterdam 2000 was a funder and this is one of the things that's come out of dr. Graham's ministry it isn't just that millions of people have been one to have faith in Jesus Christ also thousands upon thousands of new evangelists have been born out of his ministry sometimes I get so sick of seeing the name Billy Graham as though I'm the whole thing and I know that it's a work of many people being used of the Lord and offering their special gifts to us I've heard people say who's gonna replace you but I granted over the years we've had evangelists that have come from around the world for training and my father has said each time they are the ones who are going to replace me it's a privilege for me to be able to present to you my father dr. Billy Graham daddy in the late 1980s Franklin Graham joined his father's ministry as festivals have traveled the world carrying on Billy's mission of proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ tonight and come by faith to His Son Jesus Christ God will put his arms around you it'll say welcome home in the years that followed Billy spent less time in the public eye and more time writing until his last crusade in New York in 2005 drawing almost 200 thousand people I go to prepare a place for you said Jesus and where I am there you can be also throughout his ministry Ruth's had been Billy's constant companion even when they were far apart they shared their later years together in love and prayer in the home she had built for them until her passing in June of 2007 I love her very much and I thank God for such a wonderful Christian wife who stood by me all these years as I've traveled all over the world proclaiming the gospel so it hasn't been all that hard sticking beside him it's been nothing but pure joy most of the time it's from pure joy as they met at 98% of the time there's 2% she's not sure about I'll try to find out what that is 2% make it interesting there's hope there's joy this purpose this meaning because he lives I can face tomorrow I've become an old man now and I've preached all over the world and the older I get the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago and I have confidence as I stand before God at this moment that there's nothing between me and the Savior because Christ has forgiven my sins and it brings a great joy and a great peace to me because I know where I've come from I know why I'm here I know where I'm going and I don't have any doubts about wherever you are whoever you are rich poor black white whatever your color razor cream you can say yes to Jesus Christ you and you alone in the quiet arena of your heart will have to make that decision I'm looking forward to going to heaven that's going to be a great occasion and I'm looking forward to seeing Christ face to face and seeing old friends again and living the life that the Bible describes so beautifully God loves you I'm asking you tonight to commit your life to Jesus Christ you can have joy and peace and happiness in your life such as you've never known I would like to be considered a person who had integrity and he was faithful to his calling and who loved God with all his heart mind and soul beginning with a simple expression of faith at age 15 speaking around the world with clarity and conviction Billy Graham's ministry has delivered the message of hope and Jesus Christ throughout the world for over 80 years now through the millions whose lives were changed by Christ that ministry lives on [Music] [Laughter] now I'm going to live a billion years and I'll only have begun you

Channel: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Views: 720,246

Rating: 4.9117112 out of 5

Keywords: Billy Graham, North Carolina, evangelism, evangelist, Crusade, preach, preacher, RIP, memorial, Franklin Graham

Id: iwJ-sT9OwA0

Length: 28min 36sec (1716 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 23 2018