Thousands Accept Jesus at Franklin Graham's Festival of Hope in Warsaw
Thousands came forward to accept Jesus in their lives at the Festival of Hope in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, on Sunday, as Franklin Graham shared the gospel and asked the crowd, "Will you accept His love?"
"God loves you. And God wants to give you everlasting life, but that only comes through faith in Jesus Christ," Franklin Graham told the crowd at the two-day convention at the Pepsi Arena, as quoted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which he leads. "Will you accept His love?"
Graham shared the message on Sunday, the last day of the Festival of Hope, from Mark 8:34-38, which asks, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?"
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"You could have all the iPhones in the world … control all of the armies of the earth. You could put all the euros and stack them in this arena," he said. "Your soul is still more valuable."
More than 30,000 people heard the gospel, according to BGEA, which said, "Looking out into the crowd, you couldn't help but be moved by the mix of people of all ages and backgrounds."
Comments poured in on Twitter and Facebook during and after the event Sunday night.
"My heritage, my ancestry...finally hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ...saves by grace through faith!" wrote a lady. "'For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.' Thank you God :)" read another comment.
"What an awesome night in Warsaw. And getting to experience it with my husband was icing on the cake," read a tweet. "This is beautiful. God is so good. #HopeForPoland," said another one.
The weekend event began with performances by popular Polish choir TGD, the Tommy Coomes Band and Dennis Agajanian. Michael W. Smith and Newsboys also performed.
Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait told the crowd, "For all the new believers out there who gave their life to Christ in Poland, this is what I want you to do. I want you to live your life with abandon."
Also on Sunday, local pastors and evangelical groups held the annual March for Jesus in Warsaw. The organizers of the march and the Festival of Hope mutually promoted and participated in the two events.
"I thought I would see an empty stadium and grass," Festival counselor Mariusz was quoted as saying. "But I'm really happy and excited I wasn't ashamed to come here. To walk the march and come here to talk to people."
"Some of us have been waiting for this moment for many years," Wladyslaw Dwulat, the Festival's executive chairman, said after Saturday night's event. "I'm hoping this will change the city and us."
"Tonight you can leave this stadium knowing your sins are forgiven and your soul is secure in the hands of God forever," Graham told the crowd Saturday night. "God loves you. He wants to forgive you. But you've got to be willing to repent of your sins."
