More than 34,000 people packed the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C., this past weekend to hear evangelist Franklin Graham preach the Good News.
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(Photo: BGEA)More than 34,000 people packed the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 19-21, 2008 to hear evangelist Franklin Graham preach the Good News. -
(Photo: BGEA)Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, speaks to a crowd of more than 34,000 people at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C on Sept. 19-21, 2008. -
(Photo: BGEA)Popular Christian bands performed at the Lowcountry Franklin Graham Festival in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 19-21, 2008.
“In this election season it’s popular right now to talk about religion,” said Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, according to BGEA.
“But religion can’t save you,” he declared. “It’s only through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we can spend eternity with God.”
The Lowcountry Franklin Graham Festival on Sept. 19-21, was the largest evangelistic event in the city’s history and the first time Franklin Graham or his father, the renowned evangelist Billy Graham, had ever held a BGEA event of this kind in the city.
Graham preached each evening and challenged the audience to accept God’s unconditional love, grace and forgiveness.
By the end of the three days, 1,296 people had responded to the invitation to commit their lives to Jesus Christ.
The festival also included music by popular Christian bands including Israel and New Breed, TobyMac, Newsboys, Casting Crows, Group 1 Crew, and gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
Other event highlights included a special message from Mel Graham, Billy Graham’s nephew, a musical performance by the world’s fastest flat-picker Dennis Agajanian, and by Irish composers Keith and Kristyn Getty.
In addition to the adult-oriented events, there was also a “KidzFest” Saturday morning featuring God Rocks and Dennis Lee & Friends. After the presentation, 256 children responded to the invitation to commit their lives to Christ.
While in town, Graham visited Charleston Southern University where he challenged hundreds of students to make their life count and to seize every moment they have on earth.
The Charleston festival was organized by more than 330 churches, and was the fifth Graham festival this year. Graham's final festival in 2008 will be in Taipei, Taiwan, on Oct. 30-Nov. 2.
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It is time for young evangelists to dedicate their lives to preach to the world. Travelling out of the US is risky evangelism, but that is the basic qualification of following in HIS footsteps. Mark 8:34-38
Be brave witnesses for the LORD. I have seen the faith of the people in INDIA, who are persecuted on a daily basis for their love of JESUS. It is, as we say in the materialistic world of identifying ourselves as a boy or a man. Prayer without works is not good enough.
Pfsif, I'll give you a brief reply (maybe someone else can pitch in to clarify).
What is the Church? It is God's people. Those who refuse to be with God's people is not one of God's people.
The Lord calls us to relationship (with the Lord), holiness, and communion (having meals with one another, worshiping with one another, getting into each other's lives, etc.) with the saints.
According to the Biblical standard, the Lord never has told us just to go home, when we don't feel like being with our brothers and sisters, turn on Satan's Vision (TV) and simply give up on being a part of Christ's church. That's not Christian - that's Heathen.
I hope you will see this, and change your mind.
Matthew
What's interesting is that religion comes from the Latin word religare, which means relationship. I wonder how many of those who chant this mantra even know this.
elusive, not if those 1295 leave thinking they have made a genuine profession of faith when they have not and are still lost and separated from God.
Jesus spoke of the mustard plant becoming a huge monstrous tree with the evil workers making their nest in the branches. When men bring men into the "church" they are doing no one any favors. ONLY Christ by himself calls people out of this world, men call the world into the church.
It's certainly good to be aware of the dangers of pressure to conform, but even if 1,295 of those people didn't receive genuine salvation, then by goodness it was TOTALLY worth it just for that 1,296th person!
Additionally, at least a seed of Truth has been sown into everyone's lives who was there. Whether the seed finds good soil or bad, it's still there, and may yet come to a ripe harvest in the future.
heaven, outstanding point and I think that is why so many of our churches are anemic at best, because too many of their members have never had a genuine conversion experience.
Making a public profession of faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord is also making a commitment to become a disciple who will carry the "good news" to the ends of the earth. Many people accept the truth of who Jesus is. Guess what. The demons know the truth of who Jesus is, and they tremble because of the coming Judgment. To know Jesus and not 'obey all that He has commanded' is to live a form of on-going blasphemy. Jesus is either Lord of ALL or not Lord AT ALL. The fields in these last days are indeed white unto harvest. Let's pray to the Lord of the harvest that many will accept His call to share the Gospel and make many others ready for the soon reappearance of the Lord Jesus. He is coming very, very soon. Are you ready? Are you helping others to be ready? Are you a disciple of Jesus?
Many people respond to the invitation. Many people feel the pressure to respond. Many people do what everyone else in their row did - come forward. But how many were truly awakened by the Spirit of God and wonderfully saved from their sins through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ? How many in one month's time will wonder why the happy feeling they received left almost as quickly as it came?
Only genuine conversions to God will equip a person for heaven. Everything else will let them down. Pray that no one will rely on their experience at an altar because relying on an experience is not good enough. Relying on Christ alone will take a person to Heaven.
Peter Ramsay
www.heaven4sure.com