Showing posts with label Billy Graham Evangelical Association. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Billy Graham Evangelical Association. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Franklin Graham: Praying for the Next Great Awakening

Franklin Graham: Praying for the Next Great Awakening



Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham (ABC News)





Hardly a day passes that I don't hear someone say, "We are losing our country; we are losing our churches."
While doomsday appears to be knocking at our door, let me take you back to the early 1800s. Many think of it as "the good old days," but history tells us that society, even then, was as bad as it could get at that time. John Marshall, chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, wrote to President James Madison and said, "The church is too far gone ever to be redeemed." When we examine why, we find that preachers had stopped preaching the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the people were not hearing God's Word.
What changed? Christians began to diligently pray for revival—and the result was the Second Great Awakening. When people's prayers stormed the heavens, and when the Bible was opened in the pulpits and the Word of God proclaimed by passionate preachers, the church was awakened from slumber by the Holy Spirit, who moved in hearts, spreading revival throughout the heartland of America.
There have been several Great Awakenings in our nation's history. When I read about them, I always go back to the Old Testament, to a time in which Israel had once again turned its back on God. When its people came to their senses, they gathered and asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Word of the Lord to them. The Bible tells us that Ezra stood upon a pulpit of wood, and he opened the book in the sight of all the people (see Nehemiah 8).
Our hope and desire—and our prayer—here at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is to stir up followers of Jesus Christ to pray and ask for a great awakening of the church. Through the My Hope America outreach, we have already seen the results of what happens when God's truth is proclaimed. Just last year, multiplied thousands of souls were won to Jesus Christ, and Christians across the country have asked us to continue providing more My Hope evangelistic programming and resources.
This year, as part of My Hope 2014, we are preparing a brand-new film, including a never-before-released message from my father. While he is no longer able to stand in the pulpit to proclaim the Word of God, we have captured on video God's Word that burns in his heart. Last summer as he was taping his message on The Cross, which was released on his 95th birthday in November, he also shared his thoughts on Heaven, and we are excited about bringing it to you this fall. We had no idea at that time how God would direct us to use this message on Heaven, but it is now being developed into a powerful new program that also includes compelling testimonies of changed lives. Please pray with us that the Holy Spirit will use it to transform the hearts and lives of countless people who will realize the hope of eternity in Heaven.
The new 30-minute film will be made available, at no charge, to churches for use across the country as we did last year. Please encourage your church to get involved in praying and planning so that this message can be used effectively in your community. The program will also be televised as well as available for download via the Internet.
We plan to do a new evangelistic My Hope film every year for the next several years and make it available for churches and individuals to use to win souls.
Prayer is the key to reaching lost people for Christ, and I hope you will begin praying now for neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior. Make a point to pray for your church and other churches in your community, asking God to stir up an ever-increasing urgency for evangelism.

This article originally appeared on Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

World Vision Reverses Policy on Hiring Gays - CBNNEWS

World Vision Reverses Policy on Hiring Gays

Christian charity World Vision has reversed its policy change on hiring applicants in same-sex marriage, just days after announcing they would accept them.

Organization board leaders said in a letter to supporters Wednesday that they had made a mistake by changing its policy.

"We are brokenhearted over the pain and confusion we have caused many of our friends who saw this decision as a reversal of our strong commitment to biblical authority," the board said in the letter.

Church leaders were quick to denounce the charity's decision to hire applicants in same-sex marriages. World Vision President Richard Stearns had said the move was not "symbolic not of compromise but of [Christian] unity."

But faith leaders like Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, dismissed Stearn's reasoning.

"World Vision maintains their decision is based on unifying the church -- which I find offensive -- as if supporting sin and sinful behavior can unite the Church," Franklin wrote on his Facebook page.

In addition, the Assemblies of God had called for its members to shift their support to other charities.

Stearns said the board of the non-profit had been praying about the decision for years. But in the letter to supporters Wednesday leaders admitted they had not sought enough counsel from their Christian partners.

"As a result, we made a change to our conduct policy that was not consistent with our Statement of Faith and our commitment to the sanctity of marriage," they said.

"While World Vision U.S. stands firmly on the biblical view of marriage, we strongly affirm that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, are created by God and are to be loved and treated with dignity and respect," they said.

A fifth of the World Vision funding comes from the federal government.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Graham on World Vision: Sin Can't Unite Church - CBN NEWS


Church leaders are denouncing a decision by World Vision, one of the country's top Christian charities, to hire applicants in same-sex marriages.
The organization's president, Richard Stearns, announced the new policy in a letter to staff on Monday.
He said the move was not "symbolic not of compromise but of [Christian] unity," adding that the new policy defers to the authority of local churches on the issue.
"This is not an endorsement of same-sex marriage," Newsmax quoted Stearns. "We have decided we are not going to get into that debate. Nor is this a rejection of traditional marriage, which we affirm and support."
But faith leaders like Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, dismissed Stearn's claims.
"World Vision maintains their decision is based on unifying the church -- which I find offensive -- as if supporting sin and sinful behavior can unite the Church," Franklin wrote on his Facebook page.
In addition, the Assemblies of God is calling for its members to shift their support to other charities.
Even so, Stearns said the board of the non-profit had been praying about the decision for years, and they hoped the change would keep the focus on their outreach to the poor and avoid controversy.
A fifth of the World Vision funding comes from the federal government.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Franklin Graham: 'Duck Dynasty' and the Ducking Church


Franklin Graham: 'Duck Dynasty' and the Ducking Church

Phil Robertson
Phil Robertson
I appreciate the Robertson family’s strong commitment to biblical principles and their refusal to back down under intense media pressure over Phil Robertson’s comments in a recent interview. As the Robertson controversy winds down—at least for now—I have been amazed at how many churches have apparently “ducked” out on the issue (sin). Some were even quick to condemn Phil Robertson.
If we Christians banded together and took a stand, perhaps we wouldn’t be losing so much ground in what the media is calling the “cultural war.” However, it is not a cultural war—it is a religious war against Christians and the biblical truths we stand for. Some churches have fallen into the trap of being politically correct, under the disguise of tolerance.
God is not “politically correct,” and He is certainly not tolerant of sin. The Bible tells us that He is going to judge all sin one day; and anyone who is not found under the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, will face an eternity in hell separated from God.
Scripture says, “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:49-50). But today God is willing to forgive anyone who truly repents (is willing to turn from their sin), asks for His forgiveness, and believes on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” Romans 10:13).
Franklin Grahamson of evangelist Billy Graham, is the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse.