Quote:
Originally Posted by Drake
I am opening this thread for tribute to this gift to the Body and our brother Billy Graham who passed away today.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ied/858017001/
Let us, in this thread, set aside all all rancor and argument and pay an honorable tribute either from personal experience from his crusades, his books, sermons, or your realization and knowledge of his effect in your life or the lives of others. Almost every christian has been touched or affected by Billy Graham and his ministry in some way or another.
Brother Lee shared this about this faithful servant:
"God gives faith and enlarges our heart. When our heart is large, it is easy to have living faith. Living faith enables us to receive God’s commission, God’s burden. This has everything to do with our function and our usefulness. Billy Graham was raised up by the Lord less than ten years ago and is not yet forty years old. The reason he is able to carry out his work is that he has a large heart. He is young, competent, and steady, not proud or arrogant. His large heart gives him a living faith that enables him to receive the burden of the gospel. The burden he received is from God.
Some orthodox Christians in America are unreasonable in opposing Billy Graham. Without the proper view from God, a doctrine may be dead. God asked the prophets to do things that seemed unreasonable. For example, He asked the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute (Hosea 1:2). Hosea could only follow this command, even though he would be criticized. Some believers are opposed to Billy Graham and his crusades because even people from heretical groups attend the crusades. Billy Graham, however, cares only that people hear the gospel. He does not care who hears the gospel. He would preach the gospel even if the devil attended a crusade.
This shows that Billy Graham has an enlarged heart. He stands with God and preaches the word to whoever attends. He does not try to please people. He has living faith and receives his burden from God. The Spirit affirms his labor with a strong result and supplies him. This does not mean, however, that we should imitate him. In principle, we should receive help from others, but we are accountable to God for our work."
The Perfecting of the Saints and Building up of the House of God, Witness Lee. |
Billy Graham owned John 3:16 as his own, and took delight and diligence to share it with as many as he could. Thank God for such a faithful servant.
I do find it strange, but maybe not when I think about it, that Drake quotes WL concerning Billy Graham.
This is a recollection that I have of the time Billy Graham came to San Diego for a crusade, and I think he also had others in So. California. The speaking in the church in SD at that time was that BG was a nice preacher, but short of the revelation of the church, so that his ministry produced Christians but did not have a container for them, which should be the LC. I don't say this talk came straight from WL, but it was spoken, and we were, by proximity "in fellowship" with Anaheim, so my recollection was that that was proper view to hold of Mr. Graham's ministry- that it was old and out of date with God's up to date move on the earth. I went to the crusade-If I remember right, I skipped a meeting to go, and was awestruck at the amount of Christians who were there. It was held at the Jack Murphy stadium, where the Chargers played, and it was packed, so at least 45,000 attended. Message was simple, yet touched the hearts of thousands who came forward.
I didn't feel it was a good idea to talk to the other LC saints at the time about my attending; I'm sure those who have walked away from the LC can understand why, but in retrospect, I would say the church in SD was gathering at the stadium that night.