Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 0:36:25 GMT
6. A LEGEND IN HIS LIFETIME Billy Graham 1918 - 2014 and continuing
William Franklin Graham Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina USA on November 7th 1918 just 4 days before the Armistice ending the Great War during which 37 million died.
Clearly this birth had a purpose associated with the development of Peace and the progress of the development of Christ's Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
He is the oldest child of William Franklin Graham Senior and Morrow Coffey Graham who lived on Park Road in an area that eventually becomes a part of the city of Charlotte.
First public speech Billy made was in 1930 when Billy played Uncle Sam in a school play. The youngster vowed never to become a public speaker, but the principal told his mother that he had a knack for it.
Makes a commitment to Christ
Early in the year 1934 , at a Christian businessmen’s prayer meeting, Vernon Patterson had asked God to raise up from Charlotte someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Within months, Billy Graham attends evangelist Mordecai Ham’s meetings and, along with friend Grady Wilson, makes a commitment to Jesus Christ.
The world already knows that Dr. Graham was converted during a meeting conducted by Dr. Mordecai Ham in Charlotte, N.C., in 1934, but some people do not know that a group of laymen, including W.F. Graham, Billy’s father, and T.W. Wilson, Sr., father of Graham’s associate evangelist, Grady, promoted the campaign.
Billy Graham has told the story of his conversion in numerous publications. Dr. Ham’s version, as confirmed by Billy’s father and by Grady Wilson, adds a few interesting details.
Dr. Ham relates: “Two young high school boys attended our meeting. They thought that everything I said was directed their way; so they decided to take seats in the choir, where I couldn’t point my finger at them. They didn’t pretend to be singers, but they wanted to be behind me.”
Grady Wilson agreed, “Neither of us could sing.”
Dr. Ham continues, “One night a man spoke to them during the invitation and said, ‘Come on; let’s go up front.’ Billy and Grady both went to the altar. Billy was saved, and Grady dedicated his life to Christian service.”
In telling of his experience later, Billy recalls how, on first attending the services of our meeting, he was impressed with the crowd. He had never seen such a crowd, nor such a big preacher … and fighter … and soon had all he wanted. Billy didn’t like being told that he was lost and going to hell. He got out as soon as he could and said, “I am through,” but he was miserable all night and all the next day and admits, “I couldn’t get there soon enough the next night!”
In Billy Graham’s thinking, at that time, his hero was Babe Ruth. So far as he was concerned, nobody ever attended revivals like ours except a lot of old, effeminate men and crazy women and children. Our meeting changed his hero from Babe Ruth to Jesus Christ.
I recall I told Billy and Grady, after they came forward, to sit in the preachers’ section. Billy sat there for two months. The Lord seemed to be directing in everything, and what took place during the meeting didn’t seem to have an earthly explanation!
Billy Transfered to Florida Bible Institute in Temple Terrace, FL
In 1937 While recovering from a severe case of the flu, Billy joined his family on a December trip to Florida. They visited Florida Bible Institute, where Billy is impressed with the faculty and the diversity of viewpoints. He soon transfers to the non-denominational Bible school.
Ordained at Peniel Baptist Church, near Palatka, Florida 1939 Pastor Cecil Underwood, a lay pastor and one of Billy’s mentors, calls a meeting of the Southern Baptist ministers of St. John’s River Association to approve Mr. Graham for ordination as a Southern Baptist minister.
Graduated from Florida Bible Institute May 1940 At a pre-commencement ceremony, fellow student Vera Resue, her mind on World War II and the spiritual darkness engulfing the world, uttered words that now sound prophetic. At each critical era, she said, “God had a chosen human instrument to shine forth His light in the darkness. Men like Luther, John and Charles Wesley, Moody, and others were ordinary men, but men who heard the voice of God. … The time is ripe for another Luther, Wesley, Moody, _____. There is room for another name in this list.”
He enrolled at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois September 1940 Mr. Graham studied anthropology to give him a broad liberal arts education and a better understanding of other cultures and peoples.
First date with Ruth McCue Bell December 1940 Ruth, a fellow Wheaton student and daughter of medical missionaries in China, struck Mr. Graham as “a slender, hazel-eyed movie starlet.” Smitten, it takes him a month to gather enough courage to ask her for a date—to a production of Handel’s “Messiah.” She says yes, and it seems that she has had her eye on him as well. Afterward, Ruth returns to her room, kneels by her bed and prays, “God, if You let me serve You with that man, I’d consider it the greatest privilege of my life.”
He gave Ruth Bell an engagement ring in September 1941 Ruth is wrestling with the choice of marrying Billy or of becoming a missionary to Tibet. Finally, during Wheaton College’s summer break, she decides that God brought them together for a purpose. “I’ll marry you,” she wrote in a letter postmarked July 6, 1941. Billy eagerly spends nearly every cent of a $165 offering he was paid from his home church in Charlotte to buy an engagement ring. He later writes that the ring featured “a diamond so big you could almost see it with a magnifying glass!”
Billy Graham preached his first radio program airing on WCFL in Chicago December 1943 With too much on his plate, Chicago-area pastor Torrey Johnson asks Mr. Graham to take over his Sunday-evening evangelistic radio program Songs in the Night. Mr. Graham says he’ll pray about it and talk to his church board. Initially, the deacons are concerned about the cost, but deacon Bob Van Kampen agrees to provide start-up money. Mr. Graham takes the program over in December but wants to find a marquee name to draw attention to the broadcast. The first live program airs in January 1944 from Western Springs Church.
Forming a family and then a dynasty.
Virginia Leftwich Graham was born 21 September 1945 “Bill, the pains have already begun,” Ruth says as Mr. Graham prepares to leave for a speaking engagement in Mobile, Ala. But Billy naively believes the baby won’t arrive for another week or two. He is wrong, and Virginia (called Gigi) is born that evening. Over the years, the Grahams have a total of five children: Virginia, Anne Morrow, Ruth Bell (called Bunny), William Franklin III (called Franklin), and Nelson Edman (called Ned).
Billy Graham’s first international trip In 1946 Mr. Graham travelled with Youth for Christ for a preaching tour of Europe. Not long afterward, he returned to Europe for a six-month tour, bringing new friend Cliff Barrows and wife, Billie, to lead singing and play the piano. Ruth also joins them for two months, leaving one-year-old Gigi with extended family in Montreat.
Billy Graham becomes the youngest college president in the United States 1947 Aged 29, Billy Graham reluctantly heeds the plea of the Northwestern Schools’ dying founder to become that institution’s next president. The Minneapolis, Minn., college grows under his leadership. However, he continues traveling with Youth for Christ and begins holding his own evangelistic campaigns, often leaving the day-to-day operations to others, like longtime friend T.W. Wilson, Northwestern vice president, and school business manager George Wilson (no relation to T.W.). It gives him valuable experience but also convinces him that he has one primary calling: evangelism.
Billy Graham is assailed with doubt about the trustworthiness of the Bible 1948 By summer the crisis is resolved at a Forest Home, a retreat centre east of Los Angeles. He recalls later: “I thought of Christ’s own attitude toward the Scriptures, and how he never once intimated they might be false. Then one night I got my Bible, and I went out in the moonlight and put it on a stump … and knelt down. I said, ‘Oh God, I cannot prove everything. I cannot answer all the questions. But by faith I accept this Book as the Word of God.‘ From that moment on, I have never doubted God’s Word. When I quote the Bible, I believe I am quoting the very Word of God and there is an extra power in it.”
Los Angeles Crusade 1949 in Los Angeles, California The Crusade’s momentum has been building, but the media has ignored it. Yet just before the Crusade is about to end, media giant William Randolph Hearst inexplicably orders his newspapers to cover the meetings, thrusting Mr. Graham’s ministry into the national spotlight. The attention draws overflow crowds, and the local committee extends the Crusade for six weeks. Mr. Graham later calls it “God’s doing,” noting that he was physically and spiritually exhausted at the end. Some 350,000 people attended the meetings, and 3,000 made commitments to Christ.
He met with President Harry S. Truman 14 July 1950 Mr. Graham did not understand presidential protocol and relates the conversation to the press corps waiting on the White House lawn after the meeting. Later, he discovers that the president was offended that he was quoted without authorization. Mr. Truman never invites him back. Embarrassed, Mr. Graham vows to prevent further incidents related to meeting with a person of rank or influence. Years later, he has an opportunity to apologize to Mr. Truman, who graciously acknowledges that Mr. Graham had not been properly briefed.
Billy Graham resigned as president of Northwestern Schools 25 February 1952 Throughout the years, Mr. Graham turns down movie contracts, television shows, requests to lead colleges and opportunities to run for political offices as high as president of the United States—all to pursue his calling as an evangelist. His wife, Ruth, frequently reminds him, “When God calls you to be an evangelist, you don’t stoop to being president.”
Visits U.S. troops fighting in the Korean War December 1952 Mr. Graham speaks to service members and visits wounded troops in military hospitals, in addition to preaching in churches in towns and villages across the country.
Ends segregated seating in all Crusades March 1953
At Chattanooga, Tennessee Mr. Graham, who believed that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, reaches a breaking point in Chattanooga. When the head usher insists on segregated seating, Mr. Graham tears down the dividing ropes. This Crusade is fully integrated, as are all future Crusades. Mr. Graham comes under fire from all sides. Some say he has gone too far. Others say he hasn’t gone far enough. Privately, Martin Luther King Jr. encourages him to keep preaching the Gospel and leading by example. “If a leader gets too far out in front of his people,” King says, “they will lose sight of him and not follow him any longer.” Mr. Graham follows this advice.
The Greater London Crusade March 1954 in London, United Kingdom After 12 weeks at Harringay Arena, the final Crusade meeting is held at Wembley Stadium. In spite of cold weather and sleet, all 100,000 seats are filled, and 22,000 people sit on the playing field. Some 2,000 make decisions for Christ at this last meeting alone. Final Crusade numbers indicate that more than 2,047,000 people attended the event, and 38,447 make decisions for Christ. Mr. Graham writes later, “News of what had happened at Harringay travelled like lightning around the world, challenging Christians to believe that the particular place where God had put them was not beyond hope, but that He was still at work.”
Queen Elizabeth II extended an invitation to preach 1955 In the midst of another Crusade in The British Isles, Mr. Graham accepts an invitation to preach to Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in the private chapel at their Royal Lodge.
Founds the magazine Christianity Today 1956 At about 2 o’clock one morning in 1953, Mr. Graham rolls out of bed with an idea. As he describes it: “My idea that night was for a magazine, aimed primarily at ministers, that would restore intellectual respectability and spiritual impact to evangelical Christianity; it would reaffirm the power of the Word of God to redeem and transform men and women.”
The magazine became a reality when Christianity Today’s first issue was published in November 1956. “I believe a force was released that has helped change the profile of the American church. It was to become another example of the power of the press.
Privately meets with President Eisenhower about working to end segregation in the South
March 1956 Mr. Graham agrees to meet with church and civic leaders in the South, encouraging them to a decisive stand advocating desegregation. He pleads with both blacks and whites for patience and charity instead of violence.
New York City Crusade 1957 in Capacity crowds fill Madison Square Garden nightly. On July 20, some 100,000 people pack the stands and outfield of Yankee Stadium for what is meant to be the closing service. Another 20,000 people are turned away. The local committee decides to extend the Crusade for as long as Madison Square Garden is available—until Labor Day weekend. Total attendance exceeds 2.3 million, and more than 61,000 people make commitments to Christ
New York City Crusade 1957 Capacity crowds fill Madison Square Garden nightly. On July 20, some 100,000 people pack the stands and outfield of Yankee Stadium for what is meant to be the closing service. Another 20,000 people are turned away. The local committee decides to extend the Crusade for as long as Madison Square Garden is available — until Labour Day weekend. Total attendance exceeds 2.3 million, and more than 61,000 people make commitments to Christ.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a platform guest at the New York City Crusade 1957 in New York, New York Despite criticism, Mr. Graham asks Martin Luther King Jr. to pray at the opening of a meeting. He also invites Howard Jones, a black evangelist, to join his Team
Billy Graham Crusade - Fort Jackson 1958 Billy Graham Crusade at Fort Jackson, SC, is the first integrated mass meeting in South Carolina’s history.
Meets with President-elect John F. Kennedy January 1961 President Kennedy invites Mr. Graham to the White House from time to time. While he is in office, the president attends three National Prayer Breakfasts, at which Mr. Graham is the primary speaker. He also asks Mr. Graham for advice on giving speeches through an interpreter. When President Kennedy is assassinated in 1963, Mr. Graham is seated among the friends of the Kennedy family during the funeral.
State Senator Jimmy Carter chairs a BGEA evangelistic film project in Americus, GA
1966 in Americus, Georgia Although segregation is still the custom in this part of rural Georgia at the time, BGEA insists that the showings be integrated. No Christian leader in Americus is willing to lead the outreach. At the last minute, Jimmy Carter, a successful farmer and state senator from a nearby community, volunteers. After each showing of the film, the future president of the United States stands before the audiences, calling forward those who are searching for spiritual answers to life’s problems. He later gives the Holy Spirit credit for 137 people who indicate that they accepted Christ as Savior in what he described as “the first interracial religious effort in the history of our county.” Carter later serves as honorary chairman of the 1973 and 1994 Atlanta Crusades.
Billy Graham Crusade - Seoul, South Korea May 1973 in Seoul, Korea Record-breaking crowds encourage the rapidly growing Korean Church’s efforts to reach its nation for Christ. In five days, more than 3.2 million people attend the meetings at Yoido Plaza, and counsellors collect some 72,000 decision cards — more than at any previous Billy Graham Crusade. At the closing service, Mr. Graham preaches to more than 1.1 million people — the largest live crowd ever for an evangelistic message. The crowd is so large that it is impossible for inquirers to come forward during the invitation. Instead, they stand to signify a decision, and counsellors move through the crowd to speak with them
Preaches at a rally in Nairobi, Kenya 13 December 1976 Some 50,000 people gather in Uhuru Park to hear Billy Graham preach the Gospel at an evangelistic rally sponsored by the Pan-African Christian Leadership Assembly. The assembly gathers 800 Christian leaders in Nairobi December 9–19, 1976, to build a network of Christian relationships that promote the preaching of the Gospel in every corner of Africa. A 16-year-old boy hitchhikes about 100 miles from Mt. Kenya to Uhuru Park and joins more than 900 people who make decisions for Christ at the rally.
A tidal wave devastates India 19 November 1977 A tidal wave 18 feet high and 50 miles wide roars 30 miles inland, killing 100,000 people and sweeping away villages in southern India. Mr. Graham is already in India preparing for evangelistic meetings called Good News Festivals. Deeply moved by the disaster, he pledges to help the survivors. He preaches in Calcutta, Kottayam, Madras, and the twin cities of Secunderabad and Hyderabad from November 29- December 11. Some 676,000 people attend the events. More than 13,000 people make decisions for Christ; many of them know that following Jesus might cost them everything. While Billy visits the disaster area, a man grabs him and pleads, “Kill us or help us rebuild.” Billy takes the request to heart and asks donors to help rebuild the villages through BGEA’s World Emergency Fund.
Billy Graham Crusade - Toronto, Ontario June 1978 Only 7 percent of Toronto’s population attended church, but thousands pack into Maple Leaf Gardens and overflow onto the streets for the Metro Toronto Billy Graham Crusade’s first day. The meeting is larger than any previous event at the arena, causing Mr. Graham to hold an impromptu street rally before the meeting begins. The diverse audience reflects Toronto’s population — half of which is foreign-born — and counsellors are trained to speak with inquirers in 28 languages. In all, some 209,000 people hear Mr. Graham preach the Gospel, and 9,300 inquirers respond to the invitation to receive Christ.
New England university campus tour April 1981 Billy Graham visits eight prestigious campuses during an evangelistic tour of New England. On April 20, he speaks to students at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, which was established to train future government leaders for public service. Students typically critical of speakers pack into an open forum and ask Mr. Graham questions. The next evening, Mr. Graham addresses 1,100 Harvard students at Memorial Church. More than 100 people make decisions for Jesus Christ. During his campus visits, Mr. Graham speaks to more than 14,000 students, and some 1,500 respond to the Gospel.
Awarded Templeton Prize 1982 In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, presented Mr. Graham with the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion.
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Wilson Reagan 23 February 1983 The medal is the highest civilian honour the government gives to an American for service to the nation.
In 1984 a Billy Graham Crusade was held in - Liverpool, England and another at Sheffield in the 1080's He Visited China, the birthplace of Ruth Graham, and was permitted to preach on several occasions
In April 1988, Billy and Ruth Graham travelled to China after waiting their entire married life to visit Mrs. Graham’s birthplace. In 17 days, they travel 2,000 miles and visit five cities. Mr. Graham has more speaking and preaching engagements, interviews and social events than any other trip he can remember. At several churches, congregations of thousands gather to hear him speak.
He received an urgent request to have dinner with President George Herbert Walker Bush
16 January 1991 Mr. Graham, a friend to the Bush family for years, agrees to fly to Washington, D.C., although he does not know the reason for the request. It becomes evident later that evening when CNN commentators report anti-aircraft fire in Baghdad, Iraq. It was the start of the first Persian Gulf War. Mr. Graham prays with the Bushes about what is happening in Iraq and Kuwait, asking that the war would be short, that there would be few casualties and that the Lord would have His way. At the president’s request, Mr. Graham to addresses the cabinet, some congressional leaders and several hundred Marines at Fort Meyer the following morning.
He met with North Korean President Kim Il Sung on 31 March 1992 Mr. Graham becomes the first foreign-born evangelist to preach in the communist nation of North Korea.
Speaks at memorial service for victims of the Oklahoma City bombing 23 April 1995 Offering God's love and peace, and words of comfort from the Scriptures, Billy Graham and President Bill Clinton visit with families who lost lost children or other loved ones in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. They, along with Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and others, also speak at the memorial service. Mr. Graham says, “I pray that each one of you will experience God’s comfort during these days as you turn to Him—for God loves you, and He shares in your suffering. My prayer for you today is that you will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around you, and that you will know in your heart that He will never forsake you.
Billy and Ruth Graham receive the Congressional Gold Medal at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. 2 May 1996 in Washington, District of Columbia Afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Graham are honoured at a dinner attended by President Clinton. The Grahams — receiving only the 114th Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honour presented by Congress — are the third couple to receive this award.
Gives the invocation at the second inauguration of President William Jefferson Clinton
20 January 1997 The ceremony, which takes place at the U.S. Capitol, is as part of the 53rd Presidential Inauguration — the eighth presidential inauguration in which Mr. Graham has participated over four decades. He spoke at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance
14 September 2001 After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, President George W. Bush declares September 14, 2001, a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance and asks Billy Graham to deliver the message at a special service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. “This event reminds us of the brevity and uncertainty of life,” Mr. Graham says during his message. “We never know when we too will be called into eternity. … That’s why we each must face our own spiritual need and commit ourselves to God and His will.”
Awarded an honorary knighthood 6 December 2001 At the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., British Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer presents Billy Graham with an honorary knighthood, in recognition of his services to civic and religious life. During the ceremony, Sir Christopher notes that Mr. Graham has conducted more missions in the United Kingdom than in any other country outside of the United States. He adds that hundreds of clergy in the Church of England trace their call to Christian discipleship to Mr. Graham.
Billy Graham returns to New York City for his final major Crusade June 2005 Almost a half-century after he first spoke in New York City, Billy Graham returns in June 2005 to preach again the unchanging message of Jesus Christ. Because many observers predict that this will be Mr. Graham’s final major Crusade, the meetings attract extensive news coverage around the world.
Celebration of Hope in New Orleans March 2006 Six months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still inundated with economic and political uncertainties — but Billy Graham and Franklin Graham bring messages of spiritual hope and renewal at the New Orleans Arena. The Celebration of Hope, supported by 215 metro-area churches, is one of the first major public events held in New Orleans since Katrina devastated the city in August 2005. More than 30,000 people flock to the arena, next door to the badly damaged Superdome, to listen to the evangelists proclaim the love of Jesus Christ in the midst of life’s storms. More than 1,360 people make decisions for Christ during the event.
Billy Graham's final public speaking event was 7 July 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland Billy Graham made his final public speaking appearance at the Franklin Graham Metro Maryland Festival in Baltimore, Maryland, preaching in Camden Yards .He went on to establish the Billy Graham Library, In 2007 Billy's wife Ruth died aged 87 and in 2008 Billy Graham Joined Facebook on 23 March 2008
In Dec 2009 Billy declared Oral Roberts was a man of God, and a great friend in Ministry... Just three weeks ago, I was privileged to talk to Oral over the telephone. During the short conversation, he said to me that he was near the end of his life's journey. I look forward to the day that I will see Oral and Evelyn Roberts again in Heaven--our eternal home.
In 2010 Billy's grandson Will was following in his grandfather's footsteps, preaching and sharing the Gospel. He led a Celebration that weekend 2010 in Auburn, Alabama where 19,700 people attended and hundreds were saved
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In 2013 Billy Graham launches a new initiative to reach the Families of North America
2014, eighty years after becoming a Christian, Billy Graham a legend in his time, continues to Chair the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of which he has been President since 1950 and that association is into evangelism by Radio, TV, Books, Films, DVD's, The Internet, The Samaritan's Purse Aid organisation and the Project for Operation Christmas Child Ministry that has already distributed over 100,000,000 shoe boxes of toys to children around the world.
Not only has Billy led many Crusades, and passed the baton to his eldest son Franklin and his eldest grandson Will he has organised and spoken at many conferences of evangelists and of pastors around the world so making an enormous contribution to the evangelising of Planet Earth
And yet there are over 2 billion who have not yet heard of Jesus, and there are 4515 languages in which there is as yet no part of the Bible published. If the King's return to reign on Earth still requires that first this Gospel must be preached to every nation on Earth there is still a lot to do. Out of 7.3 billion people on the planet there are said to be 2.3 billion Christians, 1.2 billion of whom are Roman Catholics and the other denominations covered by the rest, so 5 billion people are not Christians, maybe many more so we have a huge task still to do. And that requires every Christian being involved in sharing the truth and love of Jesus with other people in word and in action.
The universal priesthood or the priesthood of all believers is a Christian teaching stating that ordinary Christians share a common priesthood. The exact meaning of this belief and its implications varies from denomination to denomination A priest is supposed to be a bridge between humans and God. Telling God's message to humans and presenting their prayers to God. Evangelism and interceeding. Witnessing and praying, That includes me doing it and you doing it too.
It is a foundational concept of Protestantism. While Martin Luther did not use the exact phrase "priesthood of all believers", he adduces a general priesthood in Christendom in his 1520 To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation in order to dismiss the medieval view that Christians in the present life were to be divided into two classes: "spiritual" and "secular". He put forward the doctrine that all baptized Christians are "priests" and "spiritual" in the sight of God:
That the pope or bishop anoints, makes tonsures, ordains, consecrates, or dresses differently from the laity, may make a hypocrite or an idolatrous oil-painted icon, but it in no way makes a Christian or spiritual human being. In fact, we are all consecrated priests through Baptism, as St. Peter in 1 Peter 2[:9] says, "You are a royal priesthood and a priestly kingdom," and Revelation [5:10], "Through your blood you have made us into priests and kings."
Two months later Luther would write in his On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520):
How then if they are forced to admit that we are all equally priests, as many of us as are baptized, and by this way we truly are; while to them is committed only the Ministry (ministerium Predigtamt) and consented to by us (nostro consensu)? If they recognize this they would know that they have
no right to exercise power over us (ius imperii, in what has not been committed to them) except insofar as we may have granted it to them, for thus it says in 1 Peter 2, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a priestly kingdom." In this way we are all priests, as many of us as are Christians. There are indeed priests whom we call ministers.
They are chosen from among us, and who do everything in our name. That is a priesthood which is nothing else than the Ministry. Thus 1 Corinthians 4:1: "No one should regard us as anything else than ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God."
The Bible passage considered to be the basis of this belief is the First Epistle of Peter, 2:9:
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
(This New Living Translation version reflects the Protestant view, as the universal "royal priesthood" from the Bible Luther cites above has been changed to individual "royal priests".)
Scripture...sets before us Christ alone as mediator, atoning sacrifice, high priest, and intercessor."—Augsburg Confession Art. XXI.
In ancient Israel, priests acted as mediators between God and people. They ministered according to God's instruction and they offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Once a year, the high priest would enter the holiest part of the temple and offer a sacrifice for the sins of all the people, including all the priests.
Although many religions use priests, most Protestant faiths reject the idea of a priesthood as a group that is spiritually distinct from lay people. They typically employ professional clergy who perform many of the same functions as priests such as clarifying doctrine, administering communion, performing baptisms, marriages, etc. In many instances, Protestants see professional clergy as servants acting on behalf of the local believers. This is in contrast to the priest, whom some Protestants see as having a distinct authority and spiritual role different from that of ordinary believers.
Most Protestants today recognize only Christ as a mediator between themselves and God (1 Timothy 2:5). The Epistle to the Hebrews calls Jesus the supreme "high priest," who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 7:23–28). Protestants believe that through Christ they have been given direct access to God, just like a priest; thus the doctrine is called thepriesthood of all believers. God is equally accessible to all the faithful, and every Christian has equal potential to minister for God. This doctrine stands in opposition to the concept of a spiritual aristocracy or hierarchy within Christianity.
The origins of the doctrine within Protestantism are somewhat obscure. The idea was found in a radical form inLollard thought. Martin Luther adduced it in his writings for the purpose of reforming the Christian Church, and it became a central tenet of Protestantism.
The doctrine is strongly asserted within Methodism and the Plymouth Brethren movement. Within Methodism it can plausibly be linked to the strong emphasis on social action and political involvement within that denomination. Within the Plymouth Brethren, the concept is most usually evidenced in the lack of distinction between "clergy" and "laity," the refusal to adopt formal titles such as Reverend or Bishop, the denial of formal ordination, and in some cases the refusal to hire any "professional staff" or paid Christian workers at all. Baptist movements, which generally operate on a form of congregational polity, also lean heavily on this concept. The Laestadian pietistmovement has a specific interpretation of the doctrine as one of its solemn rites concerning forgiveness of sins.
The vast majority of Protestants nonetheless draw some distinction between their own ordained ministers and lay people. Pastors and ordained ministers are usually regarded as congregational leaders and theologians who are well versed with Christian liturgy, scripture, church teachings and are qualified to lead worship and preach sermons.
May Billy Grahsm and Franklin and Will be our examples to follow where God has placed us, and where He will lead us and send us.
William Franklin Graham Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina USA on November 7th 1918 just 4 days before the Armistice ending the Great War during which 37 million died.
Clearly this birth had a purpose associated with the development of Peace and the progress of the development of Christ's Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
He is the oldest child of William Franklin Graham Senior and Morrow Coffey Graham who lived on Park Road in an area that eventually becomes a part of the city of Charlotte.
First public speech Billy made was in 1930 when Billy played Uncle Sam in a school play. The youngster vowed never to become a public speaker, but the principal told his mother that he had a knack for it.
Makes a commitment to Christ
Early in the year 1934 , at a Christian businessmen’s prayer meeting, Vernon Patterson had asked God to raise up from Charlotte someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Within months, Billy Graham attends evangelist Mordecai Ham’s meetings and, along with friend Grady Wilson, makes a commitment to Jesus Christ.
The world already knows that Dr. Graham was converted during a meeting conducted by Dr. Mordecai Ham in Charlotte, N.C., in 1934, but some people do not know that a group of laymen, including W.F. Graham, Billy’s father, and T.W. Wilson, Sr., father of Graham’s associate evangelist, Grady, promoted the campaign.
Billy Graham has told the story of his conversion in numerous publications. Dr. Ham’s version, as confirmed by Billy’s father and by Grady Wilson, adds a few interesting details.
Dr. Ham relates: “Two young high school boys attended our meeting. They thought that everything I said was directed their way; so they decided to take seats in the choir, where I couldn’t point my finger at them. They didn’t pretend to be singers, but they wanted to be behind me.”
Grady Wilson agreed, “Neither of us could sing.”
Dr. Ham continues, “One night a man spoke to them during the invitation and said, ‘Come on; let’s go up front.’ Billy and Grady both went to the altar. Billy was saved, and Grady dedicated his life to Christian service.”
In telling of his experience later, Billy recalls how, on first attending the services of our meeting, he was impressed with the crowd. He had never seen such a crowd, nor such a big preacher … and fighter … and soon had all he wanted. Billy didn’t like being told that he was lost and going to hell. He got out as soon as he could and said, “I am through,” but he was miserable all night and all the next day and admits, “I couldn’t get there soon enough the next night!”
In Billy Graham’s thinking, at that time, his hero was Babe Ruth. So far as he was concerned, nobody ever attended revivals like ours except a lot of old, effeminate men and crazy women and children. Our meeting changed his hero from Babe Ruth to Jesus Christ.
I recall I told Billy and Grady, after they came forward, to sit in the preachers’ section. Billy sat there for two months. The Lord seemed to be directing in everything, and what took place during the meeting didn’t seem to have an earthly explanation!
Billy Transfered to Florida Bible Institute in Temple Terrace, FL
In 1937 While recovering from a severe case of the flu, Billy joined his family on a December trip to Florida. They visited Florida Bible Institute, where Billy is impressed with the faculty and the diversity of viewpoints. He soon transfers to the non-denominational Bible school.
Ordained at Peniel Baptist Church, near Palatka, Florida 1939 Pastor Cecil Underwood, a lay pastor and one of Billy’s mentors, calls a meeting of the Southern Baptist ministers of St. John’s River Association to approve Mr. Graham for ordination as a Southern Baptist minister.
Graduated from Florida Bible Institute May 1940 At a pre-commencement ceremony, fellow student Vera Resue, her mind on World War II and the spiritual darkness engulfing the world, uttered words that now sound prophetic. At each critical era, she said, “God had a chosen human instrument to shine forth His light in the darkness. Men like Luther, John and Charles Wesley, Moody, and others were ordinary men, but men who heard the voice of God. … The time is ripe for another Luther, Wesley, Moody, _____. There is room for another name in this list.”
He enrolled at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois September 1940 Mr. Graham studied anthropology to give him a broad liberal arts education and a better understanding of other cultures and peoples.
First date with Ruth McCue Bell December 1940 Ruth, a fellow Wheaton student and daughter of medical missionaries in China, struck Mr. Graham as “a slender, hazel-eyed movie starlet.” Smitten, it takes him a month to gather enough courage to ask her for a date—to a production of Handel’s “Messiah.” She says yes, and it seems that she has had her eye on him as well. Afterward, Ruth returns to her room, kneels by her bed and prays, “God, if You let me serve You with that man, I’d consider it the greatest privilege of my life.”
He gave Ruth Bell an engagement ring in September 1941 Ruth is wrestling with the choice of marrying Billy or of becoming a missionary to Tibet. Finally, during Wheaton College’s summer break, she decides that God brought them together for a purpose. “I’ll marry you,” she wrote in a letter postmarked July 6, 1941. Billy eagerly spends nearly every cent of a $165 offering he was paid from his home church in Charlotte to buy an engagement ring. He later writes that the ring featured “a diamond so big you could almost see it with a magnifying glass!”
Billy Graham preached his first radio program airing on WCFL in Chicago December 1943 With too much on his plate, Chicago-area pastor Torrey Johnson asks Mr. Graham to take over his Sunday-evening evangelistic radio program Songs in the Night. Mr. Graham says he’ll pray about it and talk to his church board. Initially, the deacons are concerned about the cost, but deacon Bob Van Kampen agrees to provide start-up money. Mr. Graham takes the program over in December but wants to find a marquee name to draw attention to the broadcast. The first live program airs in January 1944 from Western Springs Church.
Forming a family and then a dynasty.
Virginia Leftwich Graham was born 21 September 1945 “Bill, the pains have already begun,” Ruth says as Mr. Graham prepares to leave for a speaking engagement in Mobile, Ala. But Billy naively believes the baby won’t arrive for another week or two. He is wrong, and Virginia (called Gigi) is born that evening. Over the years, the Grahams have a total of five children: Virginia, Anne Morrow, Ruth Bell (called Bunny), William Franklin III (called Franklin), and Nelson Edman (called Ned).
Billy Graham’s first international trip In 1946 Mr. Graham travelled with Youth for Christ for a preaching tour of Europe. Not long afterward, he returned to Europe for a six-month tour, bringing new friend Cliff Barrows and wife, Billie, to lead singing and play the piano. Ruth also joins them for two months, leaving one-year-old Gigi with extended family in Montreat.
Billy Graham becomes the youngest college president in the United States 1947 Aged 29, Billy Graham reluctantly heeds the plea of the Northwestern Schools’ dying founder to become that institution’s next president. The Minneapolis, Minn., college grows under his leadership. However, he continues traveling with Youth for Christ and begins holding his own evangelistic campaigns, often leaving the day-to-day operations to others, like longtime friend T.W. Wilson, Northwestern vice president, and school business manager George Wilson (no relation to T.W.). It gives him valuable experience but also convinces him that he has one primary calling: evangelism.
Billy Graham is assailed with doubt about the trustworthiness of the Bible 1948 By summer the crisis is resolved at a Forest Home, a retreat centre east of Los Angeles. He recalls later: “I thought of Christ’s own attitude toward the Scriptures, and how he never once intimated they might be false. Then one night I got my Bible, and I went out in the moonlight and put it on a stump … and knelt down. I said, ‘Oh God, I cannot prove everything. I cannot answer all the questions. But by faith I accept this Book as the Word of God.‘ From that moment on, I have never doubted God’s Word. When I quote the Bible, I believe I am quoting the very Word of God and there is an extra power in it.”
Los Angeles Crusade 1949 in Los Angeles, California The Crusade’s momentum has been building, but the media has ignored it. Yet just before the Crusade is about to end, media giant William Randolph Hearst inexplicably orders his newspapers to cover the meetings, thrusting Mr. Graham’s ministry into the national spotlight. The attention draws overflow crowds, and the local committee extends the Crusade for six weeks. Mr. Graham later calls it “God’s doing,” noting that he was physically and spiritually exhausted at the end. Some 350,000 people attended the meetings, and 3,000 made commitments to Christ.
He met with President Harry S. Truman 14 July 1950 Mr. Graham did not understand presidential protocol and relates the conversation to the press corps waiting on the White House lawn after the meeting. Later, he discovers that the president was offended that he was quoted without authorization. Mr. Truman never invites him back. Embarrassed, Mr. Graham vows to prevent further incidents related to meeting with a person of rank or influence. Years later, he has an opportunity to apologize to Mr. Truman, who graciously acknowledges that Mr. Graham had not been properly briefed.
Billy Graham resigned as president of Northwestern Schools 25 February 1952 Throughout the years, Mr. Graham turns down movie contracts, television shows, requests to lead colleges and opportunities to run for political offices as high as president of the United States—all to pursue his calling as an evangelist. His wife, Ruth, frequently reminds him, “When God calls you to be an evangelist, you don’t stoop to being president.”
Visits U.S. troops fighting in the Korean War December 1952 Mr. Graham speaks to service members and visits wounded troops in military hospitals, in addition to preaching in churches in towns and villages across the country.
Ends segregated seating in all Crusades March 1953
At Chattanooga, Tennessee Mr. Graham, who believed that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, reaches a breaking point in Chattanooga. When the head usher insists on segregated seating, Mr. Graham tears down the dividing ropes. This Crusade is fully integrated, as are all future Crusades. Mr. Graham comes under fire from all sides. Some say he has gone too far. Others say he hasn’t gone far enough. Privately, Martin Luther King Jr. encourages him to keep preaching the Gospel and leading by example. “If a leader gets too far out in front of his people,” King says, “they will lose sight of him and not follow him any longer.” Mr. Graham follows this advice.
The Greater London Crusade March 1954 in London, United Kingdom After 12 weeks at Harringay Arena, the final Crusade meeting is held at Wembley Stadium. In spite of cold weather and sleet, all 100,000 seats are filled, and 22,000 people sit on the playing field. Some 2,000 make decisions for Christ at this last meeting alone. Final Crusade numbers indicate that more than 2,047,000 people attended the event, and 38,447 make decisions for Christ. Mr. Graham writes later, “News of what had happened at Harringay travelled like lightning around the world, challenging Christians to believe that the particular place where God had put them was not beyond hope, but that He was still at work.”
Queen Elizabeth II extended an invitation to preach 1955 In the midst of another Crusade in The British Isles, Mr. Graham accepts an invitation to preach to Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in the private chapel at their Royal Lodge.
Founds the magazine Christianity Today 1956 At about 2 o’clock one morning in 1953, Mr. Graham rolls out of bed with an idea. As he describes it: “My idea that night was for a magazine, aimed primarily at ministers, that would restore intellectual respectability and spiritual impact to evangelical Christianity; it would reaffirm the power of the Word of God to redeem and transform men and women.”
The magazine became a reality when Christianity Today’s first issue was published in November 1956. “I believe a force was released that has helped change the profile of the American church. It was to become another example of the power of the press.
Privately meets with President Eisenhower about working to end segregation in the South
March 1956 Mr. Graham agrees to meet with church and civic leaders in the South, encouraging them to a decisive stand advocating desegregation. He pleads with both blacks and whites for patience and charity instead of violence.
New York City Crusade 1957 in Capacity crowds fill Madison Square Garden nightly. On July 20, some 100,000 people pack the stands and outfield of Yankee Stadium for what is meant to be the closing service. Another 20,000 people are turned away. The local committee decides to extend the Crusade for as long as Madison Square Garden is available—until Labor Day weekend. Total attendance exceeds 2.3 million, and more than 61,000 people make commitments to Christ
New York City Crusade 1957 Capacity crowds fill Madison Square Garden nightly. On July 20, some 100,000 people pack the stands and outfield of Yankee Stadium for what is meant to be the closing service. Another 20,000 people are turned away. The local committee decides to extend the Crusade for as long as Madison Square Garden is available — until Labour Day weekend. Total attendance exceeds 2.3 million, and more than 61,000 people make commitments to Christ.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a platform guest at the New York City Crusade 1957 in New York, New York Despite criticism, Mr. Graham asks Martin Luther King Jr. to pray at the opening of a meeting. He also invites Howard Jones, a black evangelist, to join his Team
Billy Graham Crusade - Fort Jackson 1958 Billy Graham Crusade at Fort Jackson, SC, is the first integrated mass meeting in South Carolina’s history.
Meets with President-elect John F. Kennedy January 1961 President Kennedy invites Mr. Graham to the White House from time to time. While he is in office, the president attends three National Prayer Breakfasts, at which Mr. Graham is the primary speaker. He also asks Mr. Graham for advice on giving speeches through an interpreter. When President Kennedy is assassinated in 1963, Mr. Graham is seated among the friends of the Kennedy family during the funeral.
State Senator Jimmy Carter chairs a BGEA evangelistic film project in Americus, GA
1966 in Americus, Georgia Although segregation is still the custom in this part of rural Georgia at the time, BGEA insists that the showings be integrated. No Christian leader in Americus is willing to lead the outreach. At the last minute, Jimmy Carter, a successful farmer and state senator from a nearby community, volunteers. After each showing of the film, the future president of the United States stands before the audiences, calling forward those who are searching for spiritual answers to life’s problems. He later gives the Holy Spirit credit for 137 people who indicate that they accepted Christ as Savior in what he described as “the first interracial religious effort in the history of our county.” Carter later serves as honorary chairman of the 1973 and 1994 Atlanta Crusades.
Billy Graham Crusade - Seoul, South Korea May 1973 in Seoul, Korea Record-breaking crowds encourage the rapidly growing Korean Church’s efforts to reach its nation for Christ. In five days, more than 3.2 million people attend the meetings at Yoido Plaza, and counsellors collect some 72,000 decision cards — more than at any previous Billy Graham Crusade. At the closing service, Mr. Graham preaches to more than 1.1 million people — the largest live crowd ever for an evangelistic message. The crowd is so large that it is impossible for inquirers to come forward during the invitation. Instead, they stand to signify a decision, and counsellors move through the crowd to speak with them
Preaches at a rally in Nairobi, Kenya 13 December 1976 Some 50,000 people gather in Uhuru Park to hear Billy Graham preach the Gospel at an evangelistic rally sponsored by the Pan-African Christian Leadership Assembly. The assembly gathers 800 Christian leaders in Nairobi December 9–19, 1976, to build a network of Christian relationships that promote the preaching of the Gospel in every corner of Africa. A 16-year-old boy hitchhikes about 100 miles from Mt. Kenya to Uhuru Park and joins more than 900 people who make decisions for Christ at the rally.
A tidal wave devastates India 19 November 1977 A tidal wave 18 feet high and 50 miles wide roars 30 miles inland, killing 100,000 people and sweeping away villages in southern India. Mr. Graham is already in India preparing for evangelistic meetings called Good News Festivals. Deeply moved by the disaster, he pledges to help the survivors. He preaches in Calcutta, Kottayam, Madras, and the twin cities of Secunderabad and Hyderabad from November 29- December 11. Some 676,000 people attend the events. More than 13,000 people make decisions for Christ; many of them know that following Jesus might cost them everything. While Billy visits the disaster area, a man grabs him and pleads, “Kill us or help us rebuild.” Billy takes the request to heart and asks donors to help rebuild the villages through BGEA’s World Emergency Fund.
Billy Graham Crusade - Toronto, Ontario June 1978 Only 7 percent of Toronto’s population attended church, but thousands pack into Maple Leaf Gardens and overflow onto the streets for the Metro Toronto Billy Graham Crusade’s first day. The meeting is larger than any previous event at the arena, causing Mr. Graham to hold an impromptu street rally before the meeting begins. The diverse audience reflects Toronto’s population — half of which is foreign-born — and counsellors are trained to speak with inquirers in 28 languages. In all, some 209,000 people hear Mr. Graham preach the Gospel, and 9,300 inquirers respond to the invitation to receive Christ.
New England university campus tour April 1981 Billy Graham visits eight prestigious campuses during an evangelistic tour of New England. On April 20, he speaks to students at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, which was established to train future government leaders for public service. Students typically critical of speakers pack into an open forum and ask Mr. Graham questions. The next evening, Mr. Graham addresses 1,100 Harvard students at Memorial Church. More than 100 people make decisions for Jesus Christ. During his campus visits, Mr. Graham speaks to more than 14,000 students, and some 1,500 respond to the Gospel.
Awarded Templeton Prize 1982 In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, presented Mr. Graham with the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion.
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Wilson Reagan 23 February 1983 The medal is the highest civilian honour the government gives to an American for service to the nation.
In 1984 a Billy Graham Crusade was held in - Liverpool, England and another at Sheffield in the 1080's He Visited China, the birthplace of Ruth Graham, and was permitted to preach on several occasions
In April 1988, Billy and Ruth Graham travelled to China after waiting their entire married life to visit Mrs. Graham’s birthplace. In 17 days, they travel 2,000 miles and visit five cities. Mr. Graham has more speaking and preaching engagements, interviews and social events than any other trip he can remember. At several churches, congregations of thousands gather to hear him speak.
He received an urgent request to have dinner with President George Herbert Walker Bush
16 January 1991 Mr. Graham, a friend to the Bush family for years, agrees to fly to Washington, D.C., although he does not know the reason for the request. It becomes evident later that evening when CNN commentators report anti-aircraft fire in Baghdad, Iraq. It was the start of the first Persian Gulf War. Mr. Graham prays with the Bushes about what is happening in Iraq and Kuwait, asking that the war would be short, that there would be few casualties and that the Lord would have His way. At the president’s request, Mr. Graham to addresses the cabinet, some congressional leaders and several hundred Marines at Fort Meyer the following morning.
He met with North Korean President Kim Il Sung on 31 March 1992 Mr. Graham becomes the first foreign-born evangelist to preach in the communist nation of North Korea.
Speaks at memorial service for victims of the Oklahoma City bombing 23 April 1995 Offering God's love and peace, and words of comfort from the Scriptures, Billy Graham and President Bill Clinton visit with families who lost lost children or other loved ones in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. They, along with Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and others, also speak at the memorial service. Mr. Graham says, “I pray that each one of you will experience God’s comfort during these days as you turn to Him—for God loves you, and He shares in your suffering. My prayer for you today is that you will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around you, and that you will know in your heart that He will never forsake you.
Billy and Ruth Graham receive the Congressional Gold Medal at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. 2 May 1996 in Washington, District of Columbia Afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Graham are honoured at a dinner attended by President Clinton. The Grahams — receiving only the 114th Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honour presented by Congress — are the third couple to receive this award.
Gives the invocation at the second inauguration of President William Jefferson Clinton
20 January 1997 The ceremony, which takes place at the U.S. Capitol, is as part of the 53rd Presidential Inauguration — the eighth presidential inauguration in which Mr. Graham has participated over four decades. He spoke at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance
14 September 2001 After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, President George W. Bush declares September 14, 2001, a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance and asks Billy Graham to deliver the message at a special service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. “This event reminds us of the brevity and uncertainty of life,” Mr. Graham says during his message. “We never know when we too will be called into eternity. … That’s why we each must face our own spiritual need and commit ourselves to God and His will.”
Awarded an honorary knighthood 6 December 2001 At the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., British Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer presents Billy Graham with an honorary knighthood, in recognition of his services to civic and religious life. During the ceremony, Sir Christopher notes that Mr. Graham has conducted more missions in the United Kingdom than in any other country outside of the United States. He adds that hundreds of clergy in the Church of England trace their call to Christian discipleship to Mr. Graham.
Billy Graham returns to New York City for his final major Crusade June 2005 Almost a half-century after he first spoke in New York City, Billy Graham returns in June 2005 to preach again the unchanging message of Jesus Christ. Because many observers predict that this will be Mr. Graham’s final major Crusade, the meetings attract extensive news coverage around the world.
Celebration of Hope in New Orleans March 2006 Six months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still inundated with economic and political uncertainties — but Billy Graham and Franklin Graham bring messages of spiritual hope and renewal at the New Orleans Arena. The Celebration of Hope, supported by 215 metro-area churches, is one of the first major public events held in New Orleans since Katrina devastated the city in August 2005. More than 30,000 people flock to the arena, next door to the badly damaged Superdome, to listen to the evangelists proclaim the love of Jesus Christ in the midst of life’s storms. More than 1,360 people make decisions for Christ during the event.
Billy Graham's final public speaking event was 7 July 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland Billy Graham made his final public speaking appearance at the Franklin Graham Metro Maryland Festival in Baltimore, Maryland, preaching in Camden Yards .He went on to establish the Billy Graham Library, In 2007 Billy's wife Ruth died aged 87 and in 2008 Billy Graham Joined Facebook on 23 March 2008
In Dec 2009 Billy declared Oral Roberts was a man of God, and a great friend in Ministry... Just three weeks ago, I was privileged to talk to Oral over the telephone. During the short conversation, he said to me that he was near the end of his life's journey. I look forward to the day that I will see Oral and Evelyn Roberts again in Heaven--our eternal home.
In 2010 Billy's grandson Will was following in his grandfather's footsteps, preaching and sharing the Gospel. He led a Celebration that weekend 2010 in Auburn, Alabama where 19,700 people attended and hundreds were saved
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In 2013 Billy Graham launches a new initiative to reach the Families of North America
2014, eighty years after becoming a Christian, Billy Graham a legend in his time, continues to Chair the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of which he has been President since 1950 and that association is into evangelism by Radio, TV, Books, Films, DVD's, The Internet, The Samaritan's Purse Aid organisation and the Project for Operation Christmas Child Ministry that has already distributed over 100,000,000 shoe boxes of toys to children around the world.
Not only has Billy led many Crusades, and passed the baton to his eldest son Franklin and his eldest grandson Will he has organised and spoken at many conferences of evangelists and of pastors around the world so making an enormous contribution to the evangelising of Planet Earth
And yet there are over 2 billion who have not yet heard of Jesus, and there are 4515 languages in which there is as yet no part of the Bible published. If the King's return to reign on Earth still requires that first this Gospel must be preached to every nation on Earth there is still a lot to do. Out of 7.3 billion people on the planet there are said to be 2.3 billion Christians, 1.2 billion of whom are Roman Catholics and the other denominations covered by the rest, so 5 billion people are not Christians, maybe many more so we have a huge task still to do. And that requires every Christian being involved in sharing the truth and love of Jesus with other people in word and in action.
The universal priesthood or the priesthood of all believers is a Christian teaching stating that ordinary Christians share a common priesthood. The exact meaning of this belief and its implications varies from denomination to denomination A priest is supposed to be a bridge between humans and God. Telling God's message to humans and presenting their prayers to God. Evangelism and interceeding. Witnessing and praying, That includes me doing it and you doing it too.
It is a foundational concept of Protestantism. While Martin Luther did not use the exact phrase "priesthood of all believers", he adduces a general priesthood in Christendom in his 1520 To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation in order to dismiss the medieval view that Christians in the present life were to be divided into two classes: "spiritual" and "secular". He put forward the doctrine that all baptized Christians are "priests" and "spiritual" in the sight of God:
That the pope or bishop anoints, makes tonsures, ordains, consecrates, or dresses differently from the laity, may make a hypocrite or an idolatrous oil-painted icon, but it in no way makes a Christian or spiritual human being. In fact, we are all consecrated priests through Baptism, as St. Peter in 1 Peter 2[:9] says, "You are a royal priesthood and a priestly kingdom," and Revelation [5:10], "Through your blood you have made us into priests and kings."
Two months later Luther would write in his On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520):
How then if they are forced to admit that we are all equally priests, as many of us as are baptized, and by this way we truly are; while to them is committed only the Ministry (ministerium Predigtamt) and consented to by us (nostro consensu)? If they recognize this they would know that they have
no right to exercise power over us (ius imperii, in what has not been committed to them) except insofar as we may have granted it to them, for thus it says in 1 Peter 2, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a priestly kingdom." In this way we are all priests, as many of us as are Christians. There are indeed priests whom we call ministers.
They are chosen from among us, and who do everything in our name. That is a priesthood which is nothing else than the Ministry. Thus 1 Corinthians 4:1: "No one should regard us as anything else than ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God."
The Bible passage considered to be the basis of this belief is the First Epistle of Peter, 2:9:
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
(This New Living Translation version reflects the Protestant view, as the universal "royal priesthood" from the Bible Luther cites above has been changed to individual "royal priests".)
Scripture...sets before us Christ alone as mediator, atoning sacrifice, high priest, and intercessor."—Augsburg Confession Art. XXI.
In ancient Israel, priests acted as mediators between God and people. They ministered according to God's instruction and they offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Once a year, the high priest would enter the holiest part of the temple and offer a sacrifice for the sins of all the people, including all the priests.
Although many religions use priests, most Protestant faiths reject the idea of a priesthood as a group that is spiritually distinct from lay people. They typically employ professional clergy who perform many of the same functions as priests such as clarifying doctrine, administering communion, performing baptisms, marriages, etc. In many instances, Protestants see professional clergy as servants acting on behalf of the local believers. This is in contrast to the priest, whom some Protestants see as having a distinct authority and spiritual role different from that of ordinary believers.
Most Protestants today recognize only Christ as a mediator between themselves and God (1 Timothy 2:5). The Epistle to the Hebrews calls Jesus the supreme "high priest," who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 7:23–28). Protestants believe that through Christ they have been given direct access to God, just like a priest; thus the doctrine is called thepriesthood of all believers. God is equally accessible to all the faithful, and every Christian has equal potential to minister for God. This doctrine stands in opposition to the concept of a spiritual aristocracy or hierarchy within Christianity.
The origins of the doctrine within Protestantism are somewhat obscure. The idea was found in a radical form inLollard thought. Martin Luther adduced it in his writings for the purpose of reforming the Christian Church, and it became a central tenet of Protestantism.
The doctrine is strongly asserted within Methodism and the Plymouth Brethren movement. Within Methodism it can plausibly be linked to the strong emphasis on social action and political involvement within that denomination. Within the Plymouth Brethren, the concept is most usually evidenced in the lack of distinction between "clergy" and "laity," the refusal to adopt formal titles such as Reverend or Bishop, the denial of formal ordination, and in some cases the refusal to hire any "professional staff" or paid Christian workers at all. Baptist movements, which generally operate on a form of congregational polity, also lean heavily on this concept. The Laestadian pietistmovement has a specific interpretation of the doctrine as one of its solemn rites concerning forgiveness of sins.
The vast majority of Protestants nonetheless draw some distinction between their own ordained ministers and lay people. Pastors and ordained ministers are usually regarded as congregational leaders and theologians who are well versed with Christian liturgy, scripture, church teachings and are qualified to lead worship and preach sermons.
May Billy Grahsm and Franklin and Will be our examples to follow where God has placed us, and where He will lead us and send us.