Proclaiming the Good News

Yesterday, Jonathan and I joined a few friends and thousands others at the Billy Graham Crusade at the Rose Bowl. It's an event I have looked forward to attending ever since the announcement was made that Billy Graham was coming back to Los Angeles. I have watched Billy preach on television many times, but being able to hear him preach in person would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We got to the Rose Bowl two hours before the 3:30pm start of the Crusade. Already, there were crowds of people gathered to get into the gates. We made our way to the third level where a friend had graciously arranged for us to sit in a suite. The huge choir started practicing during this time, and their voices were absolutely heavenly. The time flew as we ate and chatted, and before we knew it the Tommy Coomes band began warming up the crowd with a Spirit-filled rendition of the Newboys' song, "He Reigns."

The Jars of Clay led everyone in a few worship songs, then Marcos Witt took over the stage. He was anointed; the stadium rocked! Everyone's favorite songleader, Cliff Barrows, was next. He led the choir as well as the entire community of believers in attendance in singing timeless hymns.

Michael Reagan was the special guest speaker. The adopted son of Ronald Reagan spoke about his late father and the common faith they shared in Jesus Christ. He shared about the tragedies he experienced as a child, and how God eventually turned them into good in his life. When he was done, there were very few dry eyes left in the place.

One of the highlights of the evening was hearing 95-year-old (!!) George Beverly Shea belting out "To God Be the Glory." What a precious saint of God! It was especially poignant to hear Mr. Shea sing as he was recovering from a recent heart attack. He has been a faithful friend and ministry partner with Dr. Graham for over 60 years. May we be so blessed with such longtime friends.

A respectful hush fell over the stadium as Franklin Graham assisted his father, who was inching forward with a walker, onto the stage. When Billy made it to the podium everyone jumped to their feet for a standing ovation. He said, "People have wondered if this will be the last time I will be able to preach. I don't know; that's in God's hands. But George Beverly Shea is ten years older than me, and he's still singing!" The crowd went wild.



Then it was time to get down to business. Soul business.

Billy spoke about golfing with JFK once and about another time he had lunch with Ronald Reagan. Surprisingly, both men had asked him about the return of Jesus Christ. He spoke quietly and with measured words, and I sensed that nearly everyone else there must have been sitting on the edge of their seats as I was so that not a word would be missed.

About ten minutes or so into the message, he announced that he had to sit down. He sheepishly admitted that they had to build a special podium for him for this very reason. Someone came to help him, and then he said, "Now I need to drink some water." At this point, the crowd burst into applause once again for our dear 86-year-old Billy, to let him know that we loved him and admired his dedication to preach the gospel to the world.

Billy then spoke about the signs of the times and our similarities to Sodom and Gomorrah. He reminded us about the warning Jesus gave his disciples: Remember Lot's wife. Jonathan, remembering the story, whispered to me with a little giggle, "I don't know how anyone could turn into a pillar of salt!"

Billy laid out the Good News plainly--that Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we might be forgiven and inherit eternal life instead of judgment. He then invited people who wanted to follow Jesus to come down to the field. "When Jesus calls someone He calls them openly and publicly." He had not even finished extending the invitation when people started streaming onto the field. As the choir sang "Just As I Am" and people were going forward, Billy was obviously in deep prayer. It was a moment I will never forget. Here was a remarkable servant of God, who has dined with Presidents and powerful world leaders, and has preached to more people in our generation than any other person, humbly admitting his dependance on the Lord to do His work.



I have been to other evangelistic events before, but seeing others take the step of faith forward never gets old. Who knew when the moment of conversion had happened for each person? It might have been days or weeks before the event; it might have been during the worship music; or it might have been at the moment the invitation was given. Only God knew the exact moment when He had given each person the gift of faith to believe. But being able to witness someone's public declaration of faith is an incredible privilege, and it brought tears to my eyes.

It reminded me of the first time Jonathan saw an altar call at church. He watched as over fifty people went forward after our pastor had given an invitation. I leaned over and explained that these people wanted to ask Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of their lives. He watched again, this time more intently. When he looked up at me again, I noticed he had tears in his eyes. I asked him why he was crying. He replied, "Mommy, I'm just so happy."

Last night, Jonathan had that same happy face again as he witnessed not dozens but thousands of people enter into a new life with Christ. I knew exactly how he felt.

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30