Billy Graham's Early Ministry and 7 Powerful Sermons

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Wednesday, February 21, 2018

New York City in 1957

Considered his longest and largest series of revival meetings, at least in the United States, the New York Crusade lasted 16 weeks and recorded approximately 2.3 million attendees.

"On what was planned to be the final night of the Crusade (July 20, 1957), 100,000 people jammed Yankee Stadium to hear Billy Graham preach. At that time, it was the largest crowd in the stadium's history," explained the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

"Because of popularity, the New York Crusade was extended to Sept. 1, 1957. Nearly 2.4 million people attended the meetings and more than 61,000 made decisions for Christ."

For the July 20 sermon, Graham preached from the books of Exodus and Joshua, specifically the passages where the Hebrews were told to choose between serving God and serving idols.

"Tonight, I want to tell you before you leave Yankee stadium, you too shall have to choose, because there is no neutral ground concerning Jesus Christ," preached Graham.