On February 21, 2018, the Church lost a HUGE spiritual giant: Billy Graham. I remember when I heard the news… I felt this incredible sadness. A sadness for the Church, the world, and for us… but a joy for him. Imagine that reunion? A couple days ago, Lou and I toured the Billy Graham Library in North Carolina. Going from room to room and listening to him preach, hearing some of his interviews, and reading about his life and mission, inspired me. One interview I watched, he said that in his younger days, he was invited by Hollywood to become an actor, and he was also offered the opportunity to hold a political office. He said, “I said NO to all of it because I’m called to preach the GOSPEL and I will do it until I have no more breath left in me.” And he did just that.
Since coming home, I’ve watched many of his sermons. One of the things that truly amazes me is that every sermon always ended at the Gospel, the cross. Whether he was talking about Old Testament heroes like Abraham, Moses, and David, or whether he was talking about the Old Testament sacrificial system or the history of the Israelites, he always ended up at the cross. Whether he was preaching from Leviticus or Deuteronomy or Proverbs or Acts, his message always ended with “Jesus took our place and you need Him.” Billy Graham was FULL of the Holy Spirit’s power… he was one of a kind.
One thing that became very clear to me is that he saw every person on this earth – whether black, white, Asian, European, rich, poor, famous, or ordinary – with one intrinsic need – the need for Christ. He taught that the cross was the ending… the end of running, striving, and wandering. The end of trying to fill up the emptiness with everything the world has to offer. But the cross is also the beginning… the beginning of new life, fulfillment, and purpose. Billy Graham brought everyone to the place where their greatest needs are met… the cross.
The apostle Paul lived with the same mission as he writes to the church at Rome: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jew first and also the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). I’m thinking that Billy Graham embraced Paul’s heart, vision, and mission. Like Paul, he stayed on mission with Jesus from the time he stepped into his calling. And neither one of them left, strayed, or abandoned what God has shown them… every person has a GREAT need and it cannot be filled up except by Christ.
This inspired me as I keep running this race. I’m praying that God will help me also show everyone their need for Christ. I want every conversation to end at the cross. Whether the person is a believer and struggling with something… I want to point to Jesus as the only source who can help them. Or whether I’m speaking to an unbeliever, I want to show them their need for Jesus. Billy Graham said, “People don’t come to hear what I have to say. They come to hear what God has to say.” Let’s pray that we see every person’s one intrinsic need… their need for Christ and that we use every opportunity to point people to the cross. Let’s pray that God will restore that passion we once had for the gospel or make it stronger than it is right now. Let’s live with resolve, determination, and a great boldness to show people their need.