Today at age 99 Billy Graham passed into the presence of his Savior.
According to biographer Terry Whalin Graham preached the gospel to more people in person than anyone else in the history of Christianity. Over 210 million people in 185 countries heard Graham preach in person! Some estimate that around 2.5 billion have heard Graham preaching on T.V. or radio.
His impact on the USA and on the world is probably greater than we know and it can be easy to just focus on the numbers but what is it about Graham’s life that allowed him to be used so greatly by God? Let’s take a look at a few of the foundational factors that made Graham one of the greatest Gospel preachers of our time.
Faithfulness
Graham himself did not seem over concerned with the numbers, when asked by Larry King in an interview how he would like to be remembered, he responded by saying:
“I want to be known as someone who was faithful. When I reach heaven, the Lord will respond, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my rest.’”
Truly Graham was faithful and maybe this is one of the greatest lessons we should take from his life. He was ordained by ministers in the Southern Baptist Church in 1939 and gave his final sermon on his 99 birthday on November 7th 2017. That’s 78 years of faithfulness, a record very few people can ever achieve.
In his final message this past November he told of his desire for a spiritual awakening and gave 3 exhortations to believers.
- Follow in the steps of Jesus.
- Read God’s Word every day.
- Pray until you and God become intimate friends.
Graham exemplified faithfulness in ministry and gospel preaching, an example that we need to follow.
Infallibility of God’s Word
Graham stood strong on God’s Word. If it weren’t for his firm belief in the infallibility of the Bible it’s doubtful that he would have so powerfully preached the message of Jesus.
Graham’s parents built this foundation into his life from a child, biographer Terry Whalin noted:
“In the Graham home, the family Bible was read daily not as a ritual but as a practice established the day Billy’s parents were married. The Bible was a cherished book, the very Word of God, and they sought God’s help to keep the family united.”
Early on in his ministry Billy wrestled with whether he could really trust the Bible. One night thinking about this question he couldn’t sleep and cried out to God in prayer.
“There are many things in this book that I don’t understand… There are many problems with it for which I have no solution. There are many seeming contradictions, and many areas that do not correlate with modern science… Father, I am going to accept this as your Word—by faith. I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be your inspired Word.”
Graham never again doubted the trustworthiness of God’s Word and it came out in his preaching and in his life. When asked about whether you could trust the Bible he later wrote the following:
Gospel Focused
No one can doubt that Billy Graham’s life was about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This laser focus helped him pursue God’s calling without getting caught up in many lesser matters. In 1957 he turned down a 5 year $1 million contract with NBC in order to continue his crusades. It seems that the Gospel to him was more important that fame, security, or money.
His Gospel preaching didn’t play soft with issues of sin and repentance but he always pointed to Jesus Christ and His work on the cross as the answer.
“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.”
Graham was clear all men are sinners, hell was real, and Jesus was the only way to salvation.
And didn’t lose his Gospel focus as he aged.
“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 proclaimed it in many languages to many parts of the world.”
How we need pastors and preachers with a passion for the Gospel like Billy Graham!
For a good biography of Billy Graham check out “Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist”
