Billy Graham's Little Known Testimony

[Pariah]

Pariah you wouldnt be judging the man would you.? i don,t follow billy graham but i really find no merit in your post. i have read several things he has written i have read nothing false

Then take the matter to Jesus in prayer for wisdom and discernment because you are missing that which is not of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As far as judging the man, he is a brother that has gone astray: but still a brother and so in judging that he has gone astray... yes, I am judging him in that way, but no.. I am not judging him in the way as saying he was never saved because all those that believe in Jesus Christ are bought with a price and sealed as His... but as many are called, few are chosen as Billy Graham has fallen away from the faith as many others have in these latter days.

To judge a man and say he is not a christian is not the judging I would do.

To judge a man in saying he is a false prophet and what he is preaching is not the Gospel... we are to mark such a man.. not to condemn, but to be on alert... not just of the man... but what he is preaching so that we can be on guard against that which is not of faith nor of the Gospel of grace.

Since you are not seeing it nor the damage he has done, take it to Jesus in prayer for wisdom and discernment for I say this: it is his religious altar call that is making Billy and any believer doubt they would be so welcomed Home.

[forgiven]

POSt in audio forum his exact words then i will buy into it

[Pariah]

I am not trying to sell you anything.

If you are unaware of Billy Graham's religious altar call and you did not make a commitment to follow Christ as a means to save yourself in getting that assurance, you need not concern yourself with him.

We live by faith in Jesus Christ to follow Him; we do not live by confidence in ourselves by keeping our commitment to follow Him.

[Pariah]

For those that want proof:

Here at this link is a contact form:

BGEA: Contact BGEA

Ask this question:

"Did Billy Graham ever said this: If you are not sure you are saved, come forward and make a commitment to follow Christ" as an altar call?"

That way you get the answer straight from them through an e-mail from them instead of sifting through all that site trying to find it. It would be pointless for me to ask them and get the e-mail since you could say that I made it up. Better to get it straight from the horse's mouth.

[laterunner]

Hallo are you still there & going at each other???
or please

I've always thought since I sat with another Christian at Wemley; watching the ''Responders'' going forward, as the rain bounced off the deck & them soaked to the skin. The lightning shorted out the huge notice board hanging up at the front, & the thunder roared.

It had been a ''nothing Word'' in the worlds view but it was a move of Gods gracesness by His Holy Spirit, at work through Billy that changed lives.
I said to my collegue ''I want to go down as well as those others'' there must be more to be had.

[Pariah]

Hallo are you still there & going at each other???
or please

Originally Posted by laterunner
I've always thought since I sat with another Christian at Wemley; watching the ''Responders'' going forward, as the rain bounced off the deck & them soaked to the skin. The lightning shorted out the huge notice board hanging up at the front, & the thunder roared.

It had been a ''nothing Word'' in the worlds view but it was a move of Gods gracesness by His Holy Spirit, at work through Billy that changed lives.
I said to my collegue ''I want to go down as well as those others'' there must be more to be had.

It is the "more that must be had" that I am referring to as that "more" is being obtained by the making of that commitment as if that is what makes a believer a christian.

John 6:44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

In Acts 10:34-48 Peter spoke to a crowd and those were the actual words spoken. Nothing about the promise of the Holy Spirit for those that believe in Jesus to prepare them that He was coming by way of Jesus Christ nor was there an altar call where they came forward and took visual steps in being saved to show everybody that they were believers.

It happened while they were yet hearing those words spoken that they believed and then were baptised with the Holy Ghost by Jesus Christ as promised for believing in Him. They were even baptised with water yet, but afterwards, they were.

Billy Graham's wants to give the credit that this was all God's doing. He has to do that because he is rubberstamping every believer that comes to Him by having them come forward and making that commitment as if that is what it is that makes them christian.

What makes it worse is that he is also rubberstamping every believer that was already a believer before the response of coming forward to be a sincere believer by rededicating their lives to Christ by making that commitment to Christ.

So then Billy Graham is in a conundrum. He wants this to be seen as all God's doing, but because of his steps, they give him the credit for leading them to Christ when he had nothing to do with it whatsoever; the Father did. The commitment to Christ is akin to Billy Graham branding every believer as something he did and other believers do credit him for it.

If you ever hear that phrase again...."If you are not sure you are saved..."

May God help you to stand up and say, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you are saved!"

As it is, there are some that have walked away from Jesus because of that commitment in failing it, thus they see christianity as a religion that doesn't work because they did the best they could... and some do not come to Christ at all because they cannot see it in themselves to make that commitment to turn from their sins and yet that is one of the steps in being a believer or being saved.

A friend from high scholl had made that commitment and he walks no more after Jesus; nor does he believe in Him anymore.

Sinners will walk away because just by knowing how powerful sin is in their lives that they can never make that commitent to Christ. I came across a woman that believed she had to clean up her life first before coming to Christ. Tell me that making that commitment to Christ would give any sinner pause.

Granted some do come forward as BloodBought testified but not by responding to the religious altar call Billy Graham gives now or so she testified in her post, but we do not always see what that commitment to Christ does initially nor its end result... and apparently, it is hard to see the vainglorying in it being given towards Billy Graham.

Is it really Billy Graham's crusade or Jesus Christ's? Then why isn't His name being waved in that banner if Billy wants everyone to see it is all God's doing?

[forgiven]

ya know what you are nothing more than the accuser of the brethren--i happen to be a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ--there is a know so salvation --and if you are not sure you are saved chances are you aint! your accusation of the Altar call holds no merit period.is billy graham perfect? no can he say things that might not be the way we see it? yes (( If you ever hear that phrase again...."If you are not sure you are saved...")) i have used this in a altar call are you going to rebuke me accuse me of being a false prophet? you sir are out of line

[Onesiphorus]

dear Forgiven ,one question

Why as a minister do you make an Altar call ,and can you please show me in scripture where it tells you to do it

[Pariah]

ya know what you are nothing more than the accuser of the brethren--i happen to be a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ--there is a know so salvation --and if you are not sure you are saved chances are you aint! your accusation of the Altar call holds no merit period.

So you are aware of the altar call that I have stated Billy Graham was giving as being legit after all? There is no question to how Billy Graham gave it?

If you are already a believer, and you have doubts... does that mean you are not saved? Is that what you are really saying in defense of Billy Graham's altar call?

Let's be objective and not be so offended by this topic. As you are a minister, what would you really do when a believer that has been a member of your church for many years comes to you with doubts about being saved and about his sincerity in following Jesus because he just cannot find himself able to keep that commitment to follow Christ?

Would you be the accuser of the brethren by telling him that he is not trying hard enough?

Or would you just doubt that he ever did come to Jesus when he made that commitment to follow Him in the first place as in he was never saved and so instruct him to make a commitment to follow Christ and mean it this time?

I'm not trying to be sarcastic or anything like that. I have seen this occurred in other fourms when discussing this. One even accused the me of coming forward with my fingers crossed when I had done it. All of this postering in denouncing me and they cannot see how they are the ones being the accusers of the brethen.

One poster in another fourm stated in his own thread why he became an agnostic and then an athiest because of false witnesses of believers in the christian church he grew up in were claiming they have kept their commitments to follow Jesus when they did not while fingerpointing at others for committing the same sins and so those ones have to make a "recommitment" to follow Jesus.

It is a false witness wherein men can boast and they are boasting.

Jesus did not ask for a commitment from the believers because He had no confidence in man in being able to keep it in following Him. He wanted believers to trust Him that He will help them follow Him as covered in the New Covenant to us... and that is why the just shall live by faith.

But the law is not of faith... for by the deeds of the law is the knowledge of sin.

The same is said for...

But the commitment is not of faith... for by the deeds of the commitment is the knowledge of sin.

What speaks of man ... speaks of man. Commitment made by the believer speaks of man.

What speaks of the Lord is faith in Him and all His promises to us. That is how we become witnesses of Him when we decrease in speaking of ourselves and speak of Him and our hopes in Him.

is billy graham perfect? no can he say things that might not be the way we see it? yes (( If you ever hear that phrase again...."If you are not sure you are saved...")) i have used this in a altar call are you going to rebuke me accuse me of being a false prophet? you sir are out of line

Let's put it this way. If you are speaking to someone that is already a believer and you say.. "If you are not sure you are saved...." do you point to the faith in Christ? Do you point to the scriptures of the promises in the assurances of salvation, thus pointing still to the faith in Christ?

Or do you point away from Jesus to the believer to get that assurances by making a commitement to follow Him?

Is it any wonder why Billy Graham doubted where he would be when going to Heaven from that interview? That commitment to Christ alone would cause doubts and condemn any believer all by himself with no help from anyone else.

There is a double minded state that the Lord delivered me from.

That double-minded state is affecting one member now in this forum. titus2-5 aka Varlen the man. He defended Promise Keepers prgram and if I recall correctly... the commitment to follow Christ as well, and a mere short while ago, he began doubting his sincerity because he finds himself still sinning and unable to live the christian life.

I have not heard from himand I can only pray that my pointing to the faith and hopes inChrist will set him free from that double minded state that will only lead to self condemnation.... if not from others.

So do consider your choice of words in how you minister, brother. If a believer is doubting his salvation, you do not point to the commitment to follow Christ for assurances, but to the faith in Jesus Christ and the promises of God for assurances in His words.

Is Billy Graham a false prophet? Yes. Is he no longer my brother? Far from it because every believer has been bought with a price and sealed as His, but that altar call is leading many believers to labour in unbelief. Billy Graham is a brother, but a wayward one as he has changed his reconciled relationship and everyone that follows him into a religious one doomed to failure.

Whenever I hear that christianity doesn't work... that "it" did nothing for him... I know that he did not go to Jesus to rest in Him and His promises.

Keeping the faith is the good fight. Keeping the commitment is a losing fight.

One is of the Lord. The other is of man.

[canny]

I have not listened to Billy Graham, but I am pondering evangelism as a whole, I wonder just how many of us, standing in front of a crowd, whipped up with enthusiasm, would always say exactly the right thing

Here on a forum we can edit and edit and get it right, when we read it, we have time to digest and question.

If an evangelist starts the process, even if they dun get it out right, is this not a good thing ?