Billy Graham, and a new crusade

[Ronald David Bruno]

If Billy Graham's message didn't and doesn't save souls, it bears no fruit and gives false hope to the unknowing, gullible people that believe such nonsense. And it's not a matter of judging others, it's rightly dividing the word to discern falsehoods from truth and good from bad. We must make judgements all the time and do so out of necessity.

You are barking up the wrong tree! Billy Graham was a blessed, gifted and frutiful preacher if the WORD. If he wasn't, none of us are. He was one of the greatest evangelist of all time and certainly the greatest in the 20th century.
Who would you pick?
I would say tens of millions came to faith through His work.
That said, no one is saved by man. God converts the soul and uses us to accomplish His purpose. It is the Word of God that His workers use. It is the Holy Spirit that prepares the work and gifts and guides the individual to speak and spread the news each in a unique way.
BILLY GRAHAM dedicated his life to God, received a Phd in theology. The love and peace that came out of his mouth and actions demonstrated his fruit.
Who are you, and what have you done through your ministry and how many people have been saved through it?

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

Billy Graham's Life & Ministry By the Numbers - Lifeway Research
Wow, what a ministry ... to billions.

 

[DJT_47]

Billy Graham has saved no one. False messages don't save souls. As I said previously, your soul can't be and isn't saved by reciting a prayer and inviting the Lord into your heart. You won't find this in the bible nor anything even close to this. Find it and post the scriptures and instances recorded where people were told to do this as the method of saving their soul. You won't find it because it's not there! And it's not there because that's not how souls are saved. If you want a decent example of how a soul was saved, read the account of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. He was preached Jesus by Philip, he inquired about being baptized because theyvwere near a body of water, so part of Philip's preaching must have included the need for baptism, Philip told him he could be baptized if he believed, he confessed his belief in the Lord and was immediately baptized. Pretty simple and pretty clear.
1. Belief and faith
2. Confession of belief as did the eunuch and in accordance with Romans 10:9
3. Repentance as did the jews on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:38
4. Baptism (immersion in water) in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins also per Acts 2:38

THAT'S how you are saved according to the scriptures, which is not what Billy Graham and company tell you. Do you want to believe Billy Graham or the inspired word of God? Your choice.

 

[atpollard]

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
-1 Corinthians 1

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
-1 Corinthians 3​

 

[DJT_47]

Great scripture; also provides an answer to those that claim baptism isn't necessary because Paul said he was sent not to baptize but to preach.

 

[atpollard]

As a Particular (5-point Calvinist) Baptist, I think that BAPTISM (CREDOBAPTISM - Immersion of confessing adults) is a pretty big deal, too. However I never forget that it is God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) that do the saving and the water just gets you wet. However immersion is an Ebenezer (standing stone erected to mark the time and place where God did something that should not be forgotten - 1 Samuel 7:12) of the TRANSFORMATION wrought inside us ... God removed our heart of stone and gave us a heart of flesh, we died to our old self and were reborn IN CHRIST, and THE HOLY SPIRIT has forever made a home within us to transform us and ultimately guide us home. That is a Spiritual Reality worth marking with a God commanded "Ebenezer" of our own ... baptism (immersion) into His death in the water and resurrection into a new life in Him when we emerge.

 

[rockytopva]

I like both Billy and Franklin Graham. My question would be who will fill their shoes now Franklin is in his seventies… Is there a third or fourth generation?

 

[DJT_47]

I look at it in very simple, basic terms. It's stated many times that it's required as part of salvation, and that's what I believe and follow. God did not intend salvation to be complicated, but on the contrary, simple, so the simplest of people can understand and comply. It's man that complicates it. If you know nothing else about the bible and only how to save your soul, then that's all that's necessary and important. Everything else is secondary.

Mark 16:15-16

15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Belief + baptism = salvation

Ir can't get any simpler than that.

Acts 22:16

16And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

1 Peter 3:21

21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Acts 2:38
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

[DJT_47]

I like both Billy and Franklin Graham. My question would be who will fill their shoes now Franklin is in his seventies… Is there a third or fourth generation?

Hopefully, no one. The world would be much better off if no one continued propagating their false message.

 

[quietthinker]

Billy Graham, and a new cruise ade
more money?

 

[DJT_47]

Yes, it's about $$$ and continuation of their employment, and not about saving souls. They don't know how to do that.

 

[atpollard]

Yes, it's about $$$ and continuation of their employment, and not about saving souls. They don't know how to do that.

To be fair, most "Organizations" survive the passing of their founder, but few "works of God" are passed down as an ongoing anointing. The Salvation Army (for all its good) is not what God anointed William Booth to do when he was alive.

Heck, which of our local churches really looks more like the Book of Acts than the Medieval Church? [If we are willing to be honest with ourselves ... and I am a Baptist (Independent Local Churches).]

 

[Pathfinder7]

most "Organizations" survive the passing of their founder, but few "works of God" are passed down as an ongoing anointing. The Salvation Army (for all its good) is not what God anointed William Booth to do when he was alive.

Good point.
- I agree.
----
After the first generation, it changes..
- from original vision/focus, fervor & commitment..

 

[DJT_47]

To be fair, most "Organizations" survive the passing of their founder, but few "works of God" are passed down as an ongoing anointing. The Salvation Army (for all its good) is not what God anointed William Booth to do when he was alive.

Heck, which of our local churches really looks more like the Book of Acts than the Medieval Church? [If we are willing to be honest with ourselves ... and I am a Baptist (Independent Local Churches).]

Thanks for the note back. We try very hard to model ourselves after the church of thd bible in all respects brjng a member of a local, autonomous, church of Christ. I personally believe that the church of the bible can be replicated quite easily if sincere and if following what we can glean from the word of God.

It's simple as it should be and as God intended.
Acts 2:38-47 tells you how one is saved by remission of sins verse 38. Verse 41 of Acts 2 says they that gladly received his (Peter's) word were baptized abd about 3000 souls were added. Verse 47 of Acts 2 tells you that the Lord adds you to the church.
So, that's the principle for conversion and being added to the body of Christ which is his church.
If then, those added to the body in any given area congregate together, they then are a local congregation such as they were in Jerusalem. Same today for starting the church atca new locale, hence, missionary work.
And in Acts 14, you follow Paul's missionary work in Lystra, Antioch, and Liconium, and the scripture says in verse 23 they ordained elders in every church.
Then if you look at 1 Tim 3 it sites the qualifications for bishops (elders) and deacons.
Then if you look at theTitus letter, Paul's instructions to him were to ordain elders in every city, and elders were later referred to as bishops interchangeably.
That's it according to the inspired scriptures. No further organizational structure found in the scriptures, no central church, no overall head over all the churches, no other titles of hierarchy, just those, and ministers, preachers, teachers, with the local bodies head being the Lord.

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

 

[atpollard]

We try very hard to model ourselves after the church of the bible in all respects being a member of a local, autonomous, church if Christ. I personally believe that the church of the bible can be replicated quite easily if sincere and if following what we can glean from the word of God.

[First a quick aside, as a Baptist I agree with EVERYTHING that you wrote about Local Church autonomy and the Biblical Offices and the headship of Christ ... so it is not quoted because we are in complete agreement and there is nothing to discuss.]


Since we are drifting away from the subject of Billy Graham, let me offer one rhetorical question for consideration and then leave you with the last word on how well YOUR Local Church follows the example of Acts.

In Acts, the people shared in each other's lives and met the needs of all in the congregation. It is now late in the year, so how many "widows" in your church have entered the "doughnut hole" and are paying out-of-pocket for their medications? I am not even asking if the "local body" is doing anything about it ... I am only asking if the "local body" even knows which widows are struggling from now until December 31?​

Like I said, I don't want an answer. It is none of my business. It is a rhetorical question for you to measure how involved you'all are in one another's lives. I know I fail the test and the Church in Acts would not have failed it. Make of that what you will.

 

[DJT_47]

I've not heard of that specific issue in our congregation nor anyone in our group in such dire straights. We're fairly small as are most coC that are not in the bible belt with maybe 130 or so members and have declined since I've been a member for almost 50yrs, so the elders pretty much know what's going on. Right now we're taking up special collections for the holidays to help non church people in our area.