Billy Graham closeness to many US presidents over the decades must've given him the confidence of deserving to be in the presence of the Lord, as well as his great wealth similar to Paul and other "wealthy apostles" before him estimated at $25 million...
"Graham endorsed Nixon for the presidency but went on to criticise him over the Watergate scandal.
Mr Obama became the 12th president to meet Graham when he visited the preacher at his hilltop home in North Carolina in 2010.
Graham later acknowledged that his closeness to power risked compromising his message.
"If I had to do it over again, I would also avoid any semblance of involvement in partisan politics.
"An evangelist is called to do one thing, and one thing only: to proclaim the Gospel."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43142263
Too bad that the last 2 sentences never seen to have materialized in Graham's life... He seemed to have known what to do but couldn't bring himself to do it...
And knowing what to do and following through seem to be the difference between claiming to be a Christian and actually being a Christian...
As Jesus once said: "Wisdom is vindicated by its results" and clearly not by what those results could have been... J-Mac
J-Mac,
while UD is not a theology forum, sometimes it seems some basic Bible and Theology education for the objector is in order.
Let me lay out a few key texts:
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[d] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Eph 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[d] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,[e] to the praise of his glory.
1 Jn 5:9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.
10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. [ESV]
Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.
KF kairosfocus
@14,
What makes you think that Billy Graham was like Apostle Paul? I have seen many over the years to claim to be his successors...
How do you determine, out of so many, to be the right one (s)?
Couldn't I make the same claim? J-Mac
“I have no doubt that Billy Graham affected many people but how could he know that he was going to be in the presence of the Lord?”
The Apostle Paul was also someone who believed that when he died he would be with God. In Second Corinthians he writes:
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on[a] we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
(II Cor. 5: 1-10, ESV)
The people who question and doubt this are people who lack faith. Why do they lack faith? Paul tells us beginning in v. 5 above:
“He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
Also in Romans he says,
“16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
And earlier in II Corinthians 2 he wrote:
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
In other words, if you have a morally and spiritually bankrupt worldview (like atheistic materialism or naturalism) you are not going to see it. In his gospel the Apostle John (see chapter 9) compares spiritual blindness with physical blindness. Have you ever tried to describe the colors of a rainbow to someone born blind? john_a_designer
"“Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”
I have no doubt that Billy Graham affected many people but how could he know that he was going to be in the presence of the Lord? Was it his decision? Or rather, the Lord's? J-Mac
john_a_designer @ 10
Thank you very much. ayearningforpublius
I'm Catholic. Billy Graham struck me as what we Catholics would consider a canonized saint. He lived for Christ alone.
What a great impression he made on so many.
Many of the canonized saints were not exceptional preachers, but their words were full of power, unction. The power of the Lord could be felt in them. So were the words of Billy Graham. May he now enjoy the reward of his great efforts! PaV
DATCG,
#8 John, thanks for sharing that particular story. Secular news covered it and other life stories with negative headlines as attention grabbers. But I think grace came through…
Grace does break through for those who are honestly seeking the truth. And there really is truth out there for those who are willing to seek it (Matthew 7:7-8.)
There are four basic reasons why I believe basic theism is true. And, there is a fifth reason why Christian theism is uniquely true.
Basic theism provides:
1. An ultimate explanation for existence. Why does anything at all exist? Why do we exist?2. An explanation for the nature of existence. Why does the universe appear to exhibit teleology, or design and purpose? Why are humans “hardwired” to seek not only purpose and meaning but an ultimate purpose and meaning?3. A sufficient foundation for truth and knowledge.4. A sufficient foundation for interpersonal moral obligations and universal human rights.
Christian theism uniquely provides:
5. An ultimate solution for mankind’s moral and spiritual crisis.
That solution can be summarized in on word: Forgiveness: God forgiving man. Man forgiving man.
Atheists can reject, doubt and try to rationalize away all the reasons I have stated above but what they can’t say is that they don’t understand them. Why is that? Because every one of these reasons is rooted in self-evident truth. That is why the atheist (if he is honest) understands what we are talking about. Furthermore, if you begin an argument with a premise which is self-evidently true you at least have a strong argument. The atheist/ secularist faces a dilemma: Skepticism, personal incredulity or cynicism are not arguments. So even though they claim they are using reason they do not make arguments that are grounded in reason. So their arguments prove nothing. They are little more than smug pretension and posturing. john_a_designer
Interesting stories shared.
#8 John, thanks for sharing that particular story. Secular news covered it and other life stories with negative headlines as attention grabbers. But I think grace came through, as it's good to see how as parents they loved their children despite all the problems. Like we all encounter in this world. As Ruth stated, it's how Christ accepts us. If we were all perfect, there would be no need of Yeshua. Salvation.
Love is what matters in the end for prodigal son or daughter. For all of us. Here's another glimpse of grace...
Ned, the youngest sibling, manifested his rebellion by turning to more than a casual use of drugs, including cocaine. “While I was embroiled in all that,” he recalled, “my parents were just very patient. They expressed concern and displeasure over the behavior, but never once did they make me feel they rejected me as a person. Their love for me was always unconditional. Their home was always open, no matter what condition I was in. They gave themselves to me, and I never felt their love was conditioned on meeting some requirement. Eventually, their grace and love were just irresistible.”
DATCG
One of the best known stories told by Jesus (and my personal favorite) is the story of the prodigal son. Briefly, even though most people know, the story is about a son who demands his inheritance from his father, leaves homes but ends up squandering his inheritance living a hedonistic life. (Prodigal literally means wasteful.)
The son decides to returns home but is unsure his father will accept him. Much to his surprise the Father receives him with open arms.
There is a very similar Buddhist story (it may even predate Christ’s story.) But the Buddhist story doesn’t end the same. In the Buddhist version son has to spend years earning his way back into his father’s “good graces.”
But the story is not just a story, it is something which has happened in real life to real people. However, sometimes the prodigal is a daughter not a son.
For example, a few years ago I read a story about a woman who grew up in a religiously conservative home but ended up having two failed marriages. After the failure of her second marriage she had no place to go. So she decided to return home to her parents. However, she very apprehensive because her family had counseled her against her second marriage because it was something they saw she was doing on the rebound. They wanted her to wait, to give it some time. It turns out that they were right.
She was still apprehensive as she turned onto the driveway of her family’s home. “I thought,” she told an interviewer, “What are they going to say to me? [However,] As I rounded the last bend in my father’s driveway, Daddy was waiting for me. He wrapped his arms around me and said, ‘Welcome home.’”
http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/news/2012/03/billy-grahams-daughter-ruth-has-been-through-the-fire-says-its-time-for-honesty.php
Her father was Rev. William F. Graham-- “Billy” Graham.
If nothing else her story shows that Billy Graham practiced what he preached.
Today his daughter wrote, “We will miss him. Most of us have never known a world without him. In a world bereft of courageous, true, honorable men– he was one. I was blessed to call him, ‘Daddy’.”
Read more at: http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/safeplacewithruthgraham/#yZ7tRDxmKkjiMlsK.99 john_a_designer
The great Billy Graham is now present with the Lord. He touched so many lives... including mine.
Also, thank you Florabama @ 6. Classic Billy Graham... simple and powerful. Truth Will Set You Free
"If you went for a walk in the woods, but then decided to wander off the path, and found yourself surrounded by a thicket of thorns and poison ivy, who would you blame? Would you blame the person who built the path? No, of course not. Instead, you’d blame yourself if you were honest, because you alone were responsible for wandering from the path," he wrote.
In a far deeper way, this is what happens when we decide to leave God out of our lives. For a time, it may seem like wandering away from Him doesn’t make any difference; it may even seem easier and freer. But eventually, it catches up with us—just as wandering off that path and into the thicket caught up with you." Graham's last social media post. Florabama
No Other Way - Billy Graham - Salvation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2myYKDitzuk
Turin Shroud Hologram Reveals The Words "The Lamb"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tmka1l8GAQ
The Most Comprehensive Presentation on the Shroud on YouTube 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0wsbxJGuus
3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-FWBCQJ7GY
4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ka7In1SWF0
bornagain77
Thank God for Billy Graham, his humble dedication, and his simple, clear preaching out of the Bible that touched so many lives!
-Q Querius
My favorite Billy Graham story:
I heard this story from Professor Michael Tigar when I was in law school over 30 years ago. Tigar had been a partner of the legendary Edward Bennett Williams, and he related a story Williams told him about his famous 1975 defense of John Connolly in the milk-price bribery case.
Williams called Graham as a character witness for Connolly, and at the beginning of his examination he asked him to state his occupation. Graham replied: “I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the world.”
Tigar said Williams told him he knew he was going to win the case when one of the jurors audibly said “A-men!” Barry Arrington
“Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/billy-graham-1918/
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.