Billy Graham's Little Known Testimony

[Pariah]

I want to show the end result of Billy Graham's commitment to follow Christ:

MEET THE REAL REVERAND BILLY GRAHAM -- HE IS NOT THE PERSON WHOM YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW!

NEWS BRIEF: "Graham Worries Heaven Might Be Wrong Place For Him", January 2, 2000, Fox News Interview, reported in The Calvary Contender, Vol. XVII, January 15, 2000.

"In a Jan. 2 Fox News interview, Tony Snow asked Billy Graham: 'When you get to Heaven, who's going to speak first, you or God?' Graham replied: 'When I get there, I'm sure that Jesus is going to say that he will welcome me. But I think that he's going to say: 'Well done, our good and faithful servant.' Or he may say: 'You're in the wrong place'."

I was stunned to silence and even to a trembling of my soul when I read Billy Graham actually say that Jesus Christ may say to him, "You are in the wrong place"!! Of all the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives, assurance of Salvation is paramount. The Holy Spirit literally fills our hearts with the firm assurance that we are as assured of Heaven as if we are already there. Yet, here is the famous Evangelist, Billy Graham, saying he is not sure of his salvation? The reason he is unsure of his salvation becomes clearly evident in his response to Tony Snow's next question.

SNOW: "You really worry that you may be told you're in the wrong place? GRAHAM: Yes, because I have not - I'm not a righteous man. People put me up on a pedestal that I don't belong in my personal life. And they think that I'm better than I am. I'm not the good man that people think I am. Newspapers and magazines and television have made me out to be a saint. I'm not. I'm not a Mother Teresa. And I feel that very much."

CALVARY CONTENDER COMMENT: "The basis of getting to Heaven is muddled in this interview, and is manward instead of Godward. Earlier in the interview, Graham's testimony of salvation made no mention of the Gospel, but was about knowing Christ in his heart, and a big change. When I read this the tears came to my eyes. Here, in his own words, is evidence of that which we have been observing for some time now. He is "not a righteous man" because he has not been washed in Jesus' blood. Recently we considered his definition of "repentance" ...the "works" of changing and 'doing better' and 'being a better person'. Trying to do better 'from now on'. He doesn't understand repentance as being a "place" at the foot of Jesus' cross (without works), where he could then receive "the righteousness of God" (Rom1:17,3:5,3:21-22,Phil3:9) which is of faith "in Christ" (2Cor5:21, Jn1:12) It is a "gift". (Eph2:8)

Actual interview recorded here:

Tony Snow Interviews Billy Graham

Okay. Does everybody see what the commitment to follow Christ does to the man? It forces to make the believer look at himself and by that commitment is the knowledge of sin. If we seek to be identified by that commitment to follow Christ and some are doing it as the means to save themselves: how can anyone not doubt their salvation when time and time again, no matter how much their spirit is willing, their flesh is weak:

Therefore if anyone sought to be justified by the deeds of keeping that commitment to follow Him, they have fallen from grace. If it is not we who live but Christ Jesus that lives in us, then how can we bear testimony of ourselves by living that christian life by the flesh of keeping their commitment to follow Christ?

Tell me that you do not see why that man made bondage would make Billy see the "need to do better" and "looking to himself to do better..." otherwise where is His faith in Christ?

Now because a member is no longer here in regards to another heresey, I will mention a member here in regards to this one... hope he still is here... as he is having trouble with his walk with the Lord, doubting himself because he is still sinning.

Varlen the man aka "titus215" I think is his nickname.

He defended Promise Keepers and the commitment to follow Christ and had asked what I had meant about trusting Jesus to help him live as His by faith alone. I do not know what has transpired after that.

Robert Cragg is another fellow brother that is involved in Promise Keepers and defends it, but so far, he is not doubting his salvation or his sincerity in following Jesus yet.

I have seen alot of bad fruits coming out of this altar call as I have heard about those in Promise Keepers.

Now I know no one is perfect, but that is not the point. The point is how the commitment to follow Christ and the Promise Keepers program makes a believer looks at himself and not to Christ Jesus and all His promises to us to live that christian life.

I have lived that religious life. I was a yo yo. It is a miserable double-minded existence. There can be no partiality.

Varlen is in trouble and I have no doubts that Robert Cragg will follow.

Those that despise me in other forums would condemn Varlen as "not trying hard enough" or "he went forward with his fingers crossed". Those man made bondages will cause people to judge the other of their sincerity and even their salvation as being real christians. I would not.

I would say that they have been bought with a price and sealed as His and the moment they acknowledge that they cannot keep that commitment and those promises that only God can keep and finish, then they can rest in Jesus to finish it then, trusting Him at His Word to help them live the christian life since that power in doing so can only come from God, not from the deeds of the law.

May God help Varlen know that he cannot overcome the flesh by the religious flesh. May God help Robert Cragg see the end of the road he is on by the way others are falling to the side of the road defeated and condemned.

May God help them to see that Peter meant what he had said that he would not deny Jesus three times, but Peter had to come to the end of himself to see his need for God not just for salvation, but to live as His: and if salvation can only be achieved by faith in Christ Jesus; then the same has to be said for living the christian life by faith in Christ Jesus as well. Anything else, resorting to our own power or will... then we are not living by faith in the Son of God and without faith... it is impossible to please God... and thus wind up labouring in unbelief.

Good intentions and a good heart does not a christian make for we are His workmanship and until we cease from our own works, no one will see that faith in the Son of God of Whom we are called to be witnesses of.. and not of ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:5-7

Yes... I really care about Varlen and Robert Cragg. I am no better than they are cause I need Jesus just the same, but I know that as long as they are identified by the deeds of the law wherein men can boast, in vain they do worship Him, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men as I was.

Now I thank Him for keeping His promises to me in helping me to live as His whereby He gets all the glory and why no flesh shall glory in His presence and why no men shall glory in men as Promise Keepers nor Commitment Keepers either. Psalm 100:3 Psalm 118:8

[marcelle19]

I would want some corroborating evidence for the article, since it is so easy to slander and misrepresent people in all media - and such constantly goes on - and we must be discerning concerning these things.

Since I never heard of this before, and have read things by Billy Graham that are absolutely the opposite of it, and have heard him preach a salvation message, I opt on the side of judging with the mercy and grace and love of Christ.

Back some decades ago, John MacArthur was slandered for a few things - one of them was His book, "The Gospel According to Jesus," which teaches that He must be your Lord if He is your Savior - which is completely biblical.

I don't recall everything about the other slander, but he has never replied with anything but grace and love to those who say things against him, not rendering evil for evil, but blessing and loving those who persecute him, as we are told to do.

I see a concentration on the opposite here - a readiness to be judgmental, a readiness to not show Christ's love to the world by loving one another, a readiness to promote our own views over what God says of Himself, people saved and unsaved, and all things He has create for the express purpose of glorifying Himself, which we benefit by His great love coming from the greatest single act of that Self-glorification ever performed by Him - Christ dying on the cross and rising again, which gives us eternal life when we believe in our hearts and confess with our lips that He is Lord - notice it says "Lord," not Savior - reading through the entire New Testament, one does not find a separation of the two without taxing proper division of the word of truth to the point of breaking.

This article is answered in the reply quite in keeping with a reputation that has been built on preaching the gospel with no frills, but straightforwardly, that Christ is the only way to see the kingdom of heaven, enter it, and get to be with the Son and the Father in His eternal glory, though absolutely no merit of our own.

I would do careful research before believing something like that about one we are to call a brother, and if one decides not to call him that, they had better have a good reason when our Lord asks them on that great day, since we are given strict commandments - which we only keep by the power of God, in love - to not even call one who acts like the world a non-believer, but to treat them as one, if they pursue the world's pleasures - which goes on more and more these days - yet admonish them as one who has professed the name of Christ.

I really fail to even see the point in posting this before doing exhaustive research, and to compare our brother Billy Graham with Rick Warren, as in another post, is even going further.

Be that as it may, one is able to express their opinion, whether it is according to "speaking the truth in love" and "forgiving one another even as Christ forgave you - you must" - or not.

This has been my opinion, and it is "speaking the truth in love."

God bless,

Bill

[ByHisGrace]

I agree with Marcelle.......although it's now 54 years ago I still remember Billy Graham preaching in Glasgow..... that night I was in no doubt that he said I was a sinner and in need of a Saviour.......that night God spoke to me so clearly and I accepted His offer of salvation .......... So Billy Graham was the earthen vessel used by God to bring me to Him.

[smellycat]

how can man know,thats upto God.

[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.

[marcelle19]

how can man know,thats upto God.

Because man doesn't know that, smelly...he is so ready to take the place of His Creator, the only righteous Judge:

James 4:11-12:
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

But man's twists God's admonishments and warning of false teachers to promote his own status in seeming to be doing that which appears as God's will, when it is not, it is the very opposite.

So many sit in judgment of their brethren in Christ today, following the very pattern of false teaching they denounce.

They forget the primary way Christ said the world would know we are His - by His divine love in us radiating His light to the world - and show instead this judgmentalism, offering up peons of Scriptures where it tells us to look out for the real false teachers.

I have seen this so much - it is the result of man placing himself in the role only God occupies. It stems from the teaching of self-determinism, and one wrong view of God leads to much wrong practice of behavior, and more and more error abounds.

God always glorifies Himself, not man. When man began - way back in the time of the apostles, and actually, before, if we look at the history of Israel - to think that he helped God to save him, that is when these doctrines began to creep into the church, and they are rampant today - and look at the churches!

There are few that teach the word of God in recognition of the glory that is His alone, which He will not share with another, and by which His grace reaches into us, changes us, and we believe and are saved.

Watch - there will most likely be replies to this post that condemn what I just said, but I don't care, because what I said is what the Word of God plainly teaches, to all who look at it with eyes of faith.

God bless and keep you, my brother.

Bill

[Pariah]

I would want some corroborating evidence for the article, since it is so easy to slander and misrepresent people in all media - and such constantly goes on - and we must be discerning concerning these things.

Since I never heard of this before, and have read things by Billy Graham that are absolutely the opposite of it, and have heard him preach a salvation message, I opt on the side of judging with the mercy and grace and love of Christ.

Google it then.

I have heard him preach the Gospel message: but the altar call is not the Gospel message. Billy Graham is not fully preaching the Gospel.

"If you are not sure you are saved, come forward and make a commitment to follow Christ."

How does that not include going to church every Sunday or trying to keep the Ten Commandments and more since the standard of Jesus is higher than the works of the law? And yet, Billy Graham just got through saying.. "It is not going to church every Sunday that is going to save you. It is not trying to keep the Ten Commandments that is going to save you. It is all those that call upon the name of the Lord that shall be saved."

So then it is trying to keep your commitment to follow Jesus that is going to save you.

Many will protest that it is not what is being said: but that is what they are responding to at that altar call... and that is why believers are condemning others as well as themselves because they are looking to man in living the christian life by keeping that commitment of the flesh to do so when everybody should be looking to the Son of God to not only having saved them, but to help them live as His.

Then I see the connection to the article as the fruit of that bad tree as you can plainly see that fruit is occurring in Varlen the man aka titus215.

The religious commitment to follow Christ in order to save yourself is not the Gospel.

Having gone through the wringer... I can testify that Billy Graham is a false prophet and the world speaking well of him is not only proof but should have given every believer pause in discerning why to avoid going through the double-minded state I was in. It was a miserable existence.

So, I am going to stand up and declare it to wake everybody up. I pray it is in time for the Lord to restore Varlen to rest in Him to help him live as His by the grace of God and not by the deeds of the law wherein men can boast.

[Pariah]

I agree with Marcelle.......although it's now 54 years ago I still remember Billy Graham preaching in Glasgow..... that night I was in no doubt that he said I was a sinner and in need of a Saviour.......that night God spoke to me so clearly and I accepted His offer of salvation .......... So Billy Graham was the earthen vessel used by God to bring me to Him.

If you recall the event well enough, then can you recall the altar call then?

And is he using that same altar call before he had left?

Is it the same altar call that Franklin is carrying on with in the crusades?

The one I heard.. the one Franklin is carrying over .. is this one...

"If you are not sure you are saved... come forward and make a commitment to follow Christ."

Is that the one you responded to many years ago? If not, then know that is not the altar call he had left with as Franklin is issuing that same altar call now.

[Pariah]

how can man know,thats upto God.

Matthew 12:33Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Are you trying to save yourself by keeping your commitment to follow Christ or are you now saved as He helps you live as His by faith in Him alone?

Matthew 7:18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

John 7: 18He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 19Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?

No one will glory in men for keeping their commitments to follow Christ because they will be judged by it in order to be known by it... and they will all be condemned if they seek to have their righteousness known by keeping their commitment to follow Jesus.

The just shall live by faith in the Son of God... not just for eternal life, but for living the christian life as well. When we stand in His Presence, no flesh shall glory in themselves nor in men... for all shall glory in the Lord for bringing us Home.

[Pariah]

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.

And the more to be had is not the full Gospel.

Billy Graham's altar call for the assurance of salvation by making a commitment to follow Christ is tantamount to rallying every believer to finish by the flesh what He began by the Spirit.

Galatians 3:1O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 5He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ephesians 1: 12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 15Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

Therefore Billy Graham's altar call is overlooking God's workmanship.

John 1: 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

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.

Therefore we are called to preach the Good News... not take credit for leading anyone to Christ... and Billy Graham is being creditted way too much. And why not? He led them to make a commitment to follow Christ for salvation so therefore he is not fully preaching the Gospel.