I Want to be Remembered by the Gospel I Preached
At this, which may be Dr. Graham's final crusade,
we pause and reflect on the effects of his gospel message
When
Billy Graham received his star on the Hollywood sidewalk in
1989, he expressed his hope that it would identify him with
the gospel he preaches. Certainly his fame has surpassed most
of those whose stars adorn that sidewalk, and his name has
become almost synonymous with the Christian message of salvation.
At this which may well be his last crusade, surely tens of
thousands will be added to the millions who have come forward
at his crusades to make decisions for Christ.
If only
a handful of disciples
in the first century
were said to have “turned
the world upside down,”[1]
what could we expect
to be the impact of such
a vast army
of disciples? What would
we hope to be the legacy
that Dr. Graham leaves
to this hurting world?
Would that it be the
“light to the nations” that
causes salvation to
reach the ends of the
earth, as Isaiah prophesied![2]
Would
that it be a people who
have “one heart
and one way”
as the prophet Jeremiah
prophesied![3] Would
that it be a people 
who
love one another just
as Christ loved them![4]
Oh, that their
unity would be corporeal,[5]
not ethereal,[6] that
the world could actually
see it and believe that
the Father sent the
Son, as the Lord Himself
prayed before He was
crucified![7]
But will those who respond to Dr. Graham’s
message be content to be nominal Christians, or will they
actually persevere in their search until they find the abundant
life the Scriptures promise? This paper is written in the
hopes of helping those sincere ones who are willing to do
God’s will to actually do it. Our desire is that all
who are called would also prove to be among the chosen and
faithful unto death, so as to receive the crown of life.[8]
[1] Acts 17:6
[2] Isaiah 49:6
[3] Jeremiah 32:39
[4] John 13:34-35
[5] corporeal — having material or physical form or substance
[6] ethereal — characterized by insubstantiality;
as impalpable or intangible as air.
[8] Revelation 17:14; 2:10; James 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:8
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Stirring of the Heart
