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This is the first of a three-part edited blog repost in which the fruitful outcome of the nationally televised Billy Graham broadcast and the man are celebrated. Too, I joyfully pivot to celebrate the Lord’s perfect program plainly laid out in the New Testament that makes a Billy Graham and all of His servants gifted and called to ministries possible--if churches would be obedient. This leads finally to the blog title and content of parts two and three that tragically acknowledges prophets as servants of God being among those historically persecuted in sin by professed Christian church authorities. It is only in repentance from all biblically defined sin that revival will come to those seeking it.
Originally Posted November 10, 2013
I want to follow up my blog, Billy Graham’s “My Hope America,” (reposted November 6, 2016 under the category, Glory To God!) first by commending the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for a job well done in a broadcast concept that faithfully retains the centrality of the cross in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as did Rev. Graham throughout all of his ministry. For Rev. Graham’s part, in his nineties with an age weakened body, the Gospel message and fire in his belly to preach it is still powerfully seen as every authentic preacher called of God could see and appreciate.
Second, I want to publically commend our Portland area Fox Channel, KPTV 12 for being among those of that secular network to air Graham’s broadcast. I continue to pray that a great harvest will come from this and await the reports in weeks to come.1 Finally, as the Holy Spirit has led, I also want to expand on comments I made in the aforementioned blog about the relationship of the churches with men whose gifts, calling and ministries are clearly intended for them to serve God’s purposes beyond, but with the support of the local church.
Let me begin by making it clear that I fully accept the New Testament instruction that as a genuine manifestation of Christ’s Church, every local church and its governing authorities are to be respected, submitted to and obeyed as they respect, submit to and obey Christ as Head (Matthew 16:18; John 21:15-17; Acts 2:38-42; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 13:7-8, 17). This instruction presumes that the local churches and their leaders are in fact, honoring Jesus as Lord and faithfully obeying His will recorded in Scripture as the final authority, not the manmade rules and traditions of religion.
For this reason, with Christ’s leadership, every born again believer is to seek out and become part of a Bible teaching local church. Also, in accord with Christ’s will in those churches, every believer is to be taught His Word, encouraged and given the opportunity to serve Him out of the spiritual gifts and calling He has given them recognizing not all such persons are intended exclusively for service in or to be controlled--even if supported financially--by those assemblies (John 20:19-23; Acts 1:8, 2:1-21, 8:4-8, 26-40, 11:19-26; 2 Corinthians 11:7-9; Philippians 4:10-20; Ephesians 4:7-12).
Now, if any so-called church does not fully recognize the essential biblical doctrine of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit to include all of the spiritual gifts He imparts to believers, then it cannot possibly think legitimately of itself as a church of Jesus Christ (John 3:1-8, 14:15-17; Romans 8:6-9; 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 1 Peter 4:7-11). And those that refuse to recognize, deploy into or support the service of a gifted and called servant of Christ assembled with them are in willful sin (1 Corinthians 12:12-26; 3 John 5-11).
Biblically, the spiritual understanding and sensitivity of the local church is to be like that of first century Antioch when the Holy Spirit commissioned “Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them,” (Acts 13:1-2, NKJV). The prophets, teachers and all others present in that local church who were fasting and ministering to the Lord concluded their consecrated devotions with the physical laying of their hands on Barnabas and Saul in a tangible expression of submission to and ratification of the Spirit’s directive (no doubt, spoken through one or more of the prophets present--1 Corinthians 14:29-33) to send them forth (Acts 13:3).
Please note that the men in their work as apostles (sent ones, missionaries; Scripture does not say Barnabas was an eye witness of Christ risen like Saul--Acts 4:32-37, 9:26-30) were not under the control of that local church, but the Holy Spirit! Righteously, however, the Lord gave the church the responsibility to joyfully cooperate with Him in authenticating and sanctioning His calling of the men. For their part and also righteously, Barnabas and Saul not only reported back the results of their work in a voluntary accountability of their service to Antioch, but also the mother of all other churches at Jerusalem and the original eye witness apostles (Acts 14:26-15:35; Galatians 2:1-10).
Thank God there were enough godly pastors remaining in the days He raised up Billy Graham as a gifted evangelist that he was supported by his local church and many thousands around the world that came together for the cause of bringing souls to Christ! No one was successful in re-directing him from the work God called him to; no one was successful in controlling him, his biblical message and ministry under the guise of mortal accountability, though godly men surrounded and encouraged him.
Like the apostle Paul, Rev. Graham voluntarily and transparently reported the results of his work. In this media age, his doctrine was examined by all--what person professing to be a Christian could really argue with the simple and pure biblical message of the cross though today, there are many? Rev. Graham’s honor by God and men is well deserved. However, as the Lord Jesus taught, there is a group of His servants that should not expect to be honored at all by those they serve.
1 Visit https://myhopewithbillygraham.org/about/ for campaign results to date.
Thank God that churches where Jesus is Lord do not pick men and women to serve as they see fit, but rely on God who has established spiritual gifts as the way He calls and equips His servants to serve! Globally known evangelist, Billy Graham is among those from the 1st century God has called and equipped by spiritual gifting to serve Him through the Body of Christ. I wrote the following blog as the Lord led to be of some support during the launch of what turned out to be yet another fruitful evangelistic campaign to our nation from the Graham team that continues. After repentance and revival, pastors and churches would do well to engage with them in this effort.
Another important reason I originally wrote this blog and present it as an edited repost now is to highlight again how willful pastor and church ignorance about spiritual gifts get in God’s way; hindering the work He wants to do through His servants like Billy Graham. No one delights more in hindering the work of God than Satan! Imagine his glee at having churches do his dirty work for him by overstepping the Holy Spirit in casting aside spiritual gifts and attempting to deploy members into invented religious service after fleshy wisdom and preference. In great joy I thank God that Billy Graham did not listen to flesh driven men in his service, but to Him as I have also done!
Originally Posted November 3, 2013
The memory of words spoken to me by one of the now departed mothers of the church I formerly served as pastor, Cleolia Wilder, came to mind as the Holy Spirit led me to consider this blog on Billy Graham: “Give me my flowers now,” she said. “I won’t be around to hear what you have to say about me after I’m gone.” Her playful, but real words echo wise as I reflect on a lifetime of having heard in some setting or another the name, Billy Graham; the name rising to the forefront once again as his national evangelistic broadcast event, My Hope America, is set to begin on the occasion of his 95th birthday November seventh.1
If there were anyone that qualified to be our nation’s spiritually wise grandfather with the right and clout to speak to us at such a time as this, it is certainly Billy Graham. Without question, Rev. Graham is a God gifted and called evangelist (Acts 8:4-5, 26-40, 21:8; Ephesians 4:11) and the greatest of post 1st century history in terms of reach and impact around the earth. Men like me “do the work of an evangelist” along with other ministry responsibilities (2 Timothy 4:5, NKJV). However, Billy Graham is a full-time, all the time preacher and witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the burning passion from Him to win souls!
Born in North Carolina on a dairy farm, Rev. Graham was himself won to Christ in a revival meeting as a youth. He answered God’s call to preach and evangelism and by 1949 had assembled a team that conducted a history making evangelistic Crusade in Los Angeles, CA. It lasted eight weeks and saw many hundreds come to Christ. In those days the secular media took note of the young evangelist and before long word spread around the nation about his fiery delivery of the simple Gospel message. He drew crowds in the tens of thousands in crusades on every continent and in many major cities at the height of his labor.
Noteworthy too is the favor God gave to Rev. Graham among the churches across denominational lines, though his lifelong affiliation is with Southern Baptists. He rallied the churches in the cities of his crusades to pray for, financially support and participate in them. I was privileged to participate as a decision counselor in a Billy Graham Crusade that came to San Jose, CA in the early eighties through the Emmanuel Baptist Church where I was a member at the time. During his nearly half a century of service Rev. Graham became known as “God’s ambassador to the world” and was spiritual advisor to American Presidents from Harry S. Truman to George W. Bush.
Billy Graham also broke racial harmony building ground in publically urging white Christians to repent from racism.2 He endorsed the non-violent work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As a man of God, he stood tall as a role model in setting standards of humility, integrity and propriety with women that I as one of his admirers continue to emulate. For all of the fruitful labor and good God has used Rev. Graham to bring forth as a full-time evangelist, I stagger at the thought of what might have happened if he had listened to those early on in his young career that would keep him close to the local church to prove his loyalty to its program.
Similarly, other voices among the churches and in denominational circles would also attempt to pigeon hole him as a pastor; confining him to their unbiblical view of what “a call to preach” really means as has happened to me in my own Scriptural calling as a watchman/prophet. Billy Graham--as do all His gifted and called servants--served at the pleasure of God, not mortal flesh and as a result, stands as a towering Christian figure; an excellent example of an aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ in our times who has earned the right to be heard nationally one last time in these latter days!
Therefore, whether you are participating in Billy Graham’s My Hope America through your local church or not (many churches have chosen not to be involved), I urge you to join me in praying for it.3 Pray that many souls will be won to the Lord through Rev. Graham and this broadcast as the Gospel is presented simply and clearly one more time by the devoted heart of a truly God called evangelist on a national platform. Otherwise, there is no one of his stature to command the cooperating media involvement he is getting now in the future. Indeed, most of the secular networks and cable systems are not participating in this broadcast event.4
Given the times, perhaps the next voices to command even global audiences for the authentic proclamation of the Gospel are God’s two witnesses who are prophets and finally, a holy angel (Revelation 11:1-14, 14:6-7). For this cause, pray also that God will be able to light a spark of revival among Christians as we understand with this broadcast how extraordinary it and the hour are. Thank you for your faithful service, Rev. Graham, and happy birthday!
1 For more information about My Hope America visit https://myhopewithbillygraham.org/.
2 Current events have clearly nullified the hostile conservative white evangelical put down of bringing up the charge of continuing racism among them and their churches
as playing “the race card.” Once again, the silence during an opportune time to proclaim and display a biblical worldview that black and all lives matter to God is
deafening. Billy Graham's call to repentance from racism then, is still appropriate now and required by God to be in the mix of all the sinful ways of the guilty to be
repented of before revival comes to them.
3 Oregon Regional Coordinator for the campaign, Ken Ramey is quoted in the November issue of Christian News Northwest as saying that “only one in every 12 churches
nationally knows about it.” He goes on to say the Graham team had met their goal to have 25,000 churches participate. For the entire article, Billy Graham My Hope
America Campaign enlists hundreds of Northwest churches, go to http://cnnw.com/2013/11/.
4 Three years later, if this year’s wicked race for President is any indicator of where our nation is at and going spiritually, then, in this reality taken seriously as it should be,
I humbly submit the Graham national evangelistic effort to all Americans using secular media in the mix is--barring divine intervention--truly the last of its kind as the Lord
led me to warn.
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