“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8
As you probably know, the evangelist Billy Graham went to be with the Lord at the age of 99. For 60 years, he fulfilled his mission of spreading the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Graham preached everywhere he could. Starting out in America, he conducted tent revivals that eventually moved to stadiums because the crowds got so big.
He took the message of Jesus to the nations, preaching all over the world, including the Soviet Union and North Korea.
Graham’s attitude and conduct imitated those of the apostle Paul:
“I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” – Acts 20:24
Paul spoke those words after the completion of his third missionary journey. He’d proclaimed the gospel all over the Roman Empire and had established and nurtured churches in places we identify today as Syria, Cyprus, Turkey, Macedonia, and Greece.
But soon after this declaration of his lifelong mission, Paul was arrested by the Roman government and spent years either in jail or under confinement. His preaching ministry was over.
How would you feel if you were the apostle, accustomed to traveling, preaching, debating, planning, challenging and writing? To have all that taken away from you–how depressing!
But not everything was forbidden.
Paul had written churches before his arrest, and he continued afterwards.
During this time, he composed Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. When he was freed, Paul resumed his missionary work until he was arrested again. Unable to preach, he resumed writing, penning his final letter, 2 Timothy.
“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” – 2 Timothy 2:8-9
Paul promoted the gospel by whatever means he could.
So did Billy Graham. He preached all over the world, but he also broadcast the gospel through his radio program, Hour of Decision.
And like Paul, he wrote.
I’m so glad he did, because that’s how I met Jesus!
As a teenager, I had drifted from my Catholic roots and was exploring what we might call the New Age Movement. Immersing myself in Eastern religious beliefs, I was far from God, only I didn’t know it.
So when my brother shared the gospel with me, I was in no mood to accept what he had to say. But later, when conviction gripped my heart, I knew I needed help.
Where could I go?
I hopped on my bike and rode several miles to the public library hoping to find a book that could answer my questions. Without my awareness, God must have guided me, because I found a book by Billy Graham called, Peace With God.
It’s basically a 200 page gospel tract Covering all the aspects of the gospel, it described God’s love for us, our sinful condition, the sacrifice of Jesus, and how to receive Christ by faith. The end of the book had a prayer for salvation, which I prayed twice–just to be sure God heard me!
I’m grateful for Billy Graham because I was one of the millions who got saved from his ministry.
Who led you to Christ? Remember to thank God for that person or group!
And don’t stop there. Consider how you can contribute to the sharing of the good news. How has the Lord used you to spread the message of Jesus? Who needs to hear what you know? How can you encourage others to receive Christ?
I’m grateful for Billy Graham’s fierce and uncompromising dedication to Jesus. May we, too, live such Christ-centered lives that others will be grateful for us.
