Reverend Billy Graham Essays Example

The Life and Times of Billy Graham

Billy Graham was born in 1918 to a family of five in Charlotte North California. Billy was brought up in a Christian family with both parents being dedicated to the Baptist church. The family’s occupation was farming, and Billy was a dedicated boy who frequented the farmyard to harvest and check the land. The spiritual life of Billy Graham was marred by controversies because he did not believe in the word of God and salvation. However, one day while attending a prayer rally where Mordecai Ham was the preacher, he gave his life to Christ.

Education

Billy Graham attended the Trinity Bible College, where he studied his theology in 1940. In 1943, Graham studied anthropology at the Wheaton College. Evangelist Billy Graham began his ministry when the Southern Baptist church ordained as one of the ministers of the word of God. Billy Graham began a program on the radio that exposed to the US audience effectively making him known as an apostle of the word. Graham married Ruth Bell and throughout the generations, they became synonymous with Billy Graham Evangelistic Ministries.

Billy Graham’s influence

Ronald Reagan said that the world had become a better place because of Evangelist Billy Graham (David, 2007). The preaching of the word of God Billy influenced challenged certain issues that were fundamentally evil of the international system. In the US, Billy was at the forefront in denouncing racial tendencies (David, 2007). In one of the prayer meetings, he invited Martin Luther King Junior to commence the service with a word of prayer. Moreover, Billy Graham was a spiritual leader to most of the presidents in the US and was often called upon to offer prayers at inauguration ceremonies to usher in new leaders in America. Pundits have commended Billy Graham for the tearing down of the iron curtain. In the cold war era, the communism was one of the tendencies that had divided the world. However, through his penetration to the East, he helped in liberating the minds of the people through salvation. Such are the issues that make Billy Graham a unique personality (David, 2007).

The main focus in ministry

The focus of Billy Graham’s ministry is salvation and hope for the sinners. Throughout his mission, Billy preached to oppressed populations in USSR, Korea, China and South Africa. One of the messages was that there was hope in the cross, and everyone had a chance to begin a new life through the salvation of Christ.

Use of technology

There is a particular instance that Billy Graham employed the use of technology during his mission throughout the world. While preaching at the Wembley stadium, there was a need to have the preaching reach as many people as possible in the US (David, 2007). A system was established where telephone lines were connected to the mine systems, making it possible for believers to listen to the preaching of Billy Graham. Billy also used radio through his program ‘’The Decision Hour’’ to reach audiences in the US.

Billy Graham’s Summon

In 1957, Billy Graham preached to a congregation of about twenty thousand people at the Madison Square (Graham, 1957). Billy Graham preached on ‘’How to Live a Christian Life’’. The sermon key points of the sermon included accepting Christ and walking in salvation as a way of life. Moreover, Billy intimated that the cross was the ultimate tool that guaranteed individuals a life that had a Christian orientation (Graham, 1957).

References

David, Aikman (2007). Billy Graham: His Life and Influence. Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Graham, Billy. (1957). How To Live The Christian Life. New York Crusade. Retrieved From: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApKocs2T3VI>