Billy Graham, Stephen Hawking and 'I Can Only Imagine' - AVA PENNINGTON CHARISMA NEWS

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Billy Graham, Stephen Hawking and 'I Can Only Imagine'

3/19/2018 AVA PENNINGTON  CHARISMA NEWS

Billy Graham died two weeks ago. Stephen Hawking died Wednesday. And this week, I Can Only Imagine releases in movie theaters.

What do these three events have in common?

Billy Graham was a well-known evangelist who spent his life sharing the gospel. His message was that God loves you and sent His Son to die for your sins to restore your relationship with Him. Rev. Graham was known as a gifted communicator, a "pastor to presidents" and a man of integrity. His biggest fear was that He would do something to bring disrepute to the gospel of Christ.

Stephen Hawking was a brilliant and well-known professor of theoretical physics. He spent his life studying the mysteries of the universe. His other claim to fame was being the longest survivor of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. A diagnosis of ALS generally leads to death within several years. But Professor Hawking defied conventional medical knowledge and lived with ALS for more than 50 years.

Though both these men were exceptional in their own ways, their most significant difference was in the area of faith. Rev. Graham knew beyond any doubt that he was a child of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ. As he approached death, he confidently expected to be ushered into the presence of the God of creation.

Dr. Hawking was equally certain that there is no God. Of course, no one can know another person's heart, but we do know what he said. In his words, "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

Which brings me to the movie releasing this week: I Can Only Imagine, a story of redemption, forgiveness and transformation. The movie's title, taken from the song written by Bart Millard (profiled in the film), refers to the anticipated response of believers when they stand before God in the afterlife.

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I can only imagine.

I can only imagine the joy Billy Graham experienced when he first stood before his heavenly Father and heard the words, "Well done, you good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21b).

And I can only imagine the horror Dr. Hawking experienced the moment he realized that, for all his brilliance, he got it wrong. There is an afterlife for both believers and unbelievers. And he will be face to face with the Creator of the universe as His enemy.

Because, you see, there is no neutral position before God. The Bible tells us "we were [God's] enemies" before we were reconciled to Him in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:10). And Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me" (Matt. 12:30).

Please, please, please don't fool yourself into thinking anyone can be neutral about their relationship with God. Choose Him and know a peace that passes all understanding now, and a certainty of eternity with Him later—a certainty you won't have to imagine. 

Ava Pennington is a writer, speaker and Bible teacher. She writes for nationally circulated magazines and is published in 32 anthologies, including 25 Chicken Soup for the Soul books. She also authored Daily Reflections on the Names of God: A Devotional, endorsed by Kay Arthur. Learn more at  AvaWrites.com.

This article originally appeared at avawrites.com.

Billy Graham and the Topsy-Turvy Holiday of Purim - Breaking Israel News

Billy Graham and the Topsy-Turvy Holiday of Purim By Tuly Weisz Graham’s role as an influential adviser who made an enormous impact on Israel is reminiscent of the story we read on Purim. The Purim Story Actually Explains the Solution for Social Division and Anti-Semitism By Dr. Michael Laitman A major aspect that needs to be understood about the meaning of Purim in order for us to understand its modern relevance is in relation to Haman: Who or what is Haman in our present times? That is, who or what is behind society’s increasing estrangement and polarization?   Read » Analyzing the Latest Round of Big Military Moves in the Middle East By Shoshana Bryen The question remains for all concerned: Will Iran be permitted to build the platform in Syria for Israel’s destruction? If not, who — in what combination — will stop them?   Read » Israel and the Abyss: Chaos as Source of National Security By Louis Rene Beres Although plainly counter-intuitive, Middle Eastern chaos could sometime prove an opportunity for Israel, rather than a liability. This is the case if Jerusalem were to understand regional “abyss” as an unlikely source of improved and more creative strategic thinking.   Read » Sponsored Content Anti-Semitism in Poland in Part of a Larger European Problem By Caroline Glick Poland’s anti-Semitism is a problem. But even with its extensive bigotry against Jews, Poland isn’t the worst country in Europe from a Jewish or an Israeli perspective, which just goes to show how hostile Europe is to Israel and to Jews.   Read » Iceland’s Declaration of War on Judaism By Michael Freund Indeed, the very idea of a European country, which ostensibly identifies with the Judeo-Christian heritage of the West, aiming to outlaw a foundational Jewish religious rite that has been performed for millennia is both hair-raising and heartbreaking and cannot be allowed to stand.   Read »

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Billy Graham Funeral Service - LIVE March 2, 2018

Watch here: Billy Graham Funeral Service - LIVE March 2, 2018

Rick Joyner ‒ Billy Graham Was A Man Deserving Of Lies In Honor At Capitol Rotunda

Rick Joyner ‒ Billy Graham Was A Man Deserving Of Lies In Honor At Capitol Rotunda

Manue Danko

Published on Mar 1, 2018

Rick Joyner "Billy Graham Was A Man Deserving Of Lies In Honor At Capitol Rotunda" www.morningstarministries.org

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Billy Graham's Last Crusade: 'The Greatest Tribute...Is to Do What Billy Did' - CBN News John Jessup

Billy Graham's Last Crusade: 'The Greatest Tribute...Is to Do What Billy Did'

03-02-2018

CBN News John Jessup

CHARLOTTE, NC – In a final farewell on Friday morning, the family of Billy Graham honors the man known as America's pastor. They're calling it the evangelist's last crusade.

After a week of reflecting in his home state of North Carolina and the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, family, friends, and fellow ministers of the gospel are in Charlotte to say goodbye to the Rev. Billy Graham.

On the grounds of his library, more than 2,000 guests will honor Graham in a service he helped plan himself, featuring songs from Michael W. Smith and the Gaither Vocal Band, tributes from his family, and a sermon from his son, Franklin.

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Often called "counselor to the presidents," Billy Graham was also a simple man with a family left to mourn his death.

Boz Tchividjian – one of Graham's grandchildren – called him "Daddy Bill."

"That's what we all called him, and we all called grandma "Tete" which means old woman in Chinese," he explained. 

As a teenager, Tchividjian says he learned about faith and humility when he found his grandfather alone in a New Orleans hotel room after praying at a political convention.

"I knocked on the door. Daddy Bill is in his pajamas, and I never will forget looking out of the corner of my eye on his bed and there you could tell he had been sitting and his Bible was open," he remembered.

He says that's just who his grandfather really was.

"It was a glimpse of the authentic Billy Graham, that when left alone, if he had the choice of spending time with Jesus or going out spending time with the influential politicians, he chose Jesus. And that memory has always stuck to me, because I left that night feeling a bit convicted but remember leaving going, 'Man, that's the real deal. Lord, help me to know and love you in that way,'" he said.

It's a quality also noted by scholars.

Prof. Anne Blue Wills of North Carolina's Davidson College said, "He wasn't in it for himself. He was in it to build Christ's kingdom."

Anne Blue Wills edited the book Billy Graham: American Pilgrim and points to his ministry's constant work with the local church.

"He did contribute to – and even create – modern evangelical Christianity in the US and contributed to this global Christian movement that we are seeing," she said.

He did it using media to promote the gospel while he also promoted others, like Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship.

"We became friends in the early 90s and I helped him with sermon prep," Laurie said. 

Pastor Laurie believes even as people say farewell and celebrate his homegoing, every Christian believer can honor the legacy of the greatest evangelist of our time.

"To me, the greatest tribute we could pay to Billy Graham is to do what Billy did. What did Billy do? Billy proclaimed the gospel," he said. "That's the greatest tribute we could give to a man who dedicated his entire life to doing that."

How Billy Graham Avoided Scandal His Entire Life - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA NEWS

Billy Graham (BGEA)

How Billy Graham Avoided Scandal His Entire Life

March 1, 2018  J. LEE GRADY  CHARISMA NEWS

Evangelist Billy Graham lived 99 years, wrote 30 books, met with 12 sitting American presidents and preached the gospel to millions. But when he is buried this Friday, March 2, in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, he will be remembered not only as a world-changing hero of faith but as a humble preacher whose personal integrity set the gold standard for every minister in this country.

Why was this man so respected? How was he able to keep his ministry free from scandal for more than 75 years?

In 1948, when Graham was just 30 years old, he and his small ministry team met for Bible study and prayer at a tiny motel in Modesto, California. The other men in that meeting including assistant evangelist Grady Wilson, singer George Beverly Shea and song leader Cliff Barrows. Graham challenged them to pray about what codes of behavior they needed to adopt in order to keep the ministry clean.

The results of that meeting were profoundly prophetic. The men outlined what would become "the Modesto Manifesto"—a list of core ministry values that became the guiding principles of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The BGEA was founded two years later, in 1950, just one year after media coverage of Graham's eight-week gospel campaign in Los Angeles made him a household word.

Here are the four key components of the Modesto Manifesto, along with notes that Cliff Barrows jotted down in their meeting:

1. Honesty: "It was resolved that all communications to media and to the church would not be inflated or exaggerated. The size of crowds and the number of inquirers would not be embellished for the sake of making BGEA look better."

2. Integrity: "It was resolved that financial matters would be submitted to a board of directors for review and facilitation of expenditures. Every local crusade would maintain a policy of 'open books' and publish a record of where and how monies were spent."

3. Purity: "It was resolved that members of the team would pay close attention to avoiding temptation—never being alone with another woman, remaining accountable to one another, etc. A practice of keeping wives informed of their activities on the road and helping them feel a part of any and all crusades they undertook would be encouraged."

4. Humility: "It was resolved that members of the team were never to speak badly of another Christian minister, regardless of his denominational affiliation or differing theological views and practices. The mission of evangelism includes strengthening the body of Christ as well as building it!"

Graham has always been a spiritual hero to me for this reason. Early in his ministry—in fact, before he ever became famous—he realized that his ministry was a stewardship from God and that he could not run it any way he wanted. He had to manage it according to clear biblical principles.

Graham never forgot his humble roots, and he never let popularity change him into an egotistical monster. Even though he was invited to dine with presidents, queens and celebrities, his passion was taking the message of Christ to the common person. And when an usher tried to segregate black and white sections of an auditorium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1953, Graham removed the barriers himself.

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"I am not a great preacher, and I don't claim to be a great preacher," he once said. "I've heard great preaching many times and wished I was one of these great preachers. I'm an ordinary preacher, just communicating the gospel in the best way I know how."

He also carried with him a healthy fear that he might try to touch God's glory or take credit for evangelistic results.

Graham said: "So many people think that somehow I carry a revival around in a suitcase, and they just announce me and something happens—but that's not true. This is the work of God, and the Bible warns that God will not share His glory with another. All the publicity that we receive sometimes frightens me because I feel that therein lies a great danger. If God should take His hand off me, I would have no more spiritual power. The whole secret of the success of our meetings is spiritual—it's God answering prayer. I cannot take credit for any of it."

So much of what we call ministry today has been compromised by ego, marketing and man-made agendas. Some of our own "Spirit-filled" preachers are happy to sell a healing or a financial miracle for $29.95. Others claim spiritual superiority because they have the largest following on social media or because so many lined up to attend their packed conferences.

We have exchanged honesty, integrity, purity and humility for hype, fake anointing, manipulated photos, inflated attendance reports, sensuality and boastful swagger. God forgive us.

Billy Graham raised the bar for all ministers. I pray we will never forget his legacy.

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.

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