Billy Graham the Mission Behind the Man

One would have to be a hermit or living in the most remote part of the earth not to have heard of one of the greatest evangelists of the modern day, the Reverend Billy Graham.

As a preacher of the gospel Mr. Graham has stayed faithful to his Lord with the message of salvation. Nearing the end of his 70 plus years in ministry, the Reverend was compelled to finish his race with a word of hope for the lost.

Although there were thousands of areas this minister could have taught on throughout the course of the years, his main focus has always been that of the saving of souls by leading others to Jesus.

The ministry of the cross that Jesus Christ carried out for the redemption of souls from sin is the hope that is conveyed in Billy's new book, The Reason for My Hope. What is that reason for hoping? His salvation from hell.

There are many reasons why we have faith for something hoping that it will come to pass. Some are based on material things like hoping for a new job, a home of our own or even having a family. Hope in God is a different matter and one that is spiritual. Without Christ, there is no hope of ever seeing God or Heaven.

The entire life of Billy Graham is centered around the fact that he has hope in one day living his eternity in Heaven with the One who died on the cross to save him from his earthly sins. You may think how can a man of God of this nature have any sin? Truth being, all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. This means no one is sinless, and no one comes close to God who has ever sinned. So then how can we have a chance to be with God if everyone has committed sins against Him? The only hope that anyone has is if they repent of their sin and believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ to save them or redeem them of that sin.

To redeem someone is to pay in full the balance of what is owed by the debtor. Jesus paid our debt of sin with His life by dying on the cross for our sins. Anyone who believes that Jesus did this for them has the hope of Heaven in their eternity. For those who reject Jesus and don't believe He died for sinners, they have no hope of going to Heaven. The unbeliever will spend eternity in hell with satan, because they chose not to believe God, His Son Jesus, the Bible or anyone who tells them the truth about the cross.

People like Evangelist Graham share the message that he preaches. As an evangelist preacher, my hope too is that one day every soul will be saved. It was the prayer of Jesus that everyone go to Heaven and none perish, but not everyone will listen or believe this hope Billy spoke of in all his sermons.

If there was ever a need for the message of hope to be expressed it is now. Reverend Graham's latest book isn't about his journey, his accomplishments or dreams. It's about what he has come to know through his relationship with the Lord.

I remember hearing an interview with the Evangelist and that he had this response to a question about what he would change if he could do it over in his life. "I would spend more time in the Word of God." For a man of this caliber, doesn't that sound a bit strange? If anyone spent time with God and the reading of His word, it had to be Billy. Yet, he confessed that the more he learned about God and walked with Him, the more he yearned for his Savior.

If you haven't been to the cross, you aren't saved is the message Billy preaches. His hope is Heaven because of Christ and the grace if God. Come to the cross and find salvation, peace, hope and grace.

Why would Billy want to write a book on what he has been preaching for so many years? What is so vital that he needed to be sure all his preaching wasn't in vain? Is this a book with last attempts to reach the masses from an elder in the Body of Christ? Only God and the Reverend really know, but we can be sure this preacher will keep pressing forward in whatever manner he could so that the hope of Heaven through Christ isn't forgotten.

Although Billy hasn't openly preached to the multitudes since July 7th, 2006 in Maryland, he continues bringing words of wisdom, compassion and hope through his writing.

We live in a world that wants to continually change things in their lives. God is the only One who can change us. Change comes from within us and in our hearts. Superficial things cannot change the heart. Only God can change us if we let Him. Call on Jesus and be changed through salvation.

In his last public message Billy explains the reason Jesus came to earth. The message of hope for all to believe on Him for their salvation.

As we read about the hope we can have through salvation, Mr. Graham has discussed the elements of God's grace in eight chapters. He begins by telling the reader that we are all born with a purpose and are part of God's plan.

We have a reason for being here on earth and were rescued for a reason. God desired a family that loved Him. For this reason He sent His Son Jesus to earth with the plan that He would die for sinners. Jesus took our place on the cross so that one day we could spent eternity in Heaven with God. Only the Son of God could do this, because He is the only one without sin. If we accept Jesus as our Savior from sin, we will be united with God one day when we leave this earth.

In chapters three through six, the Evangelist shows us how the world is now accepting sin and living without any remorse. We are residing in an age where sin has become the normal, and a life without Christ is highlighted by worldly activity.

The reader is asked to take stock in their life and imagine what it would be like if they were to live forever in hell, because they chose to reject Jesus when they were on earth. Salvation is once more the focus of Mr. Graham's thoughts as he beckons each of us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Repent meaning being sorry enough to quit sinning and really make a change toward living for God. Scriptures tell us to turn from our sin and stop going against God.

Not only are we to repent, but are to believe that Jesus is God's Son who came to earth for the remission of sins. The only way we can do this is by faith. The book of Ephesian's teaches that it is by grace through faith we come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that salvation is God's gift to us. There is nothing we can do to earn this grace, it is a gift.

There is coming a time when Jesus will return for His church. Final words of hope are revealed as the reverend discussed the vision of Heaven as our eternal destination. For those who have believed our hope in salvation will have been fulfilled. True Christians understand that hope is a gift from God and it is for everyone who will believe Him. Sadly, not all will believe and there will be citizens in hell for all eternity because of that unbelief.

What Billy wishes is that every reader will come away from this book understanding the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Salvation is the only hope, and it is free to anyone.

If Billy was with you right now he would ask you to make this commitment to God by faith and believe on His Son for salvation. You can know that you will go to Heaven by saying the sinners prayer. God will forgive you from all your sin, but you have to be willing to turn from your old ways and confess that you have sinned against God. All you have to do is say,

"Dear God, I'm sorry for my sins and ask that you forgive me. I believe you are the Son of God. Jesus come into my heart right now and save me from hell. Take control of my life and I will live for You. In Your Name I pray. Amen."

You can select from many formats for this book: hardcover, paperback, audio, kindle and MP3. In book form it's 224 pages.

An outreach ministry of Shield of Faith Family & Youth Ministries, Inc. Copyright SOFFY Ministries/Pastor Cher. #63 Created/Published December 19th, 2013. Do Not Copy.

Photos are property of Pastor Cher except where noted as Amazon or Google royalty free images. Scripture from the KJV or NKJV Bible Gateway

Trust in Jesus and be saved. He is the truth, and the only way to eternal life. He can set you free from all sin. He is your only hope. He is your salvation and is ready to save you now.

Testimonies of how Jesus changed their lives is revealed in this celebration for Billy Graham.

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Done/FTL 8/15