Midweek Meditation: "On Success" (Billy Graham)

Billy Graham passed away on Feb 21st, 2018. Our world is constantly infatuated with all things success. Learn from Graham as he offers a different take.

• "Where do we get the notion that our idea of success and God's are the same? You have written a book; you are a clever manager and promoter; you are a talented artist; you are independently wealthy; you have achieved fame and fortune. Without the gifts of intelligence, personality, and physical energy - which are all endowed by God - where would you be?"
• "Success stories may be great motivational material for sales seminars, but we are not always successful." 
• "Many of the wicked are receiving their wages now. Many Christians who may not be succeeding according to the world's standards now, will reap great rewards in heaven."
• "Our world is obsessed with success. But how does God define success? Success in God's eyes is faithfulness to His calling."
• "God measures people by the small dimensions of humility and not by the bigness of their capabilities."

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Midweek Meditation: "On Religion" (Billy Graham)

Billy Graham passed away on Feb 21st, 2018. He has seen many decades of cultural change. One of the most difficult is the postmodern period of skepticism and doubt. Hear what Graham has to say about religion.

• "Something distinguishes Christianity from all the religions of the world. Not only does it carry the truth of the redemption, by the death of our Savior for our sins on the cross, but it carries the fact that Christ rose again."
• "We see that humanism has become for many a polite name for a vocal, aggressive, influential crusade against religion in the name of social and moral advance. There is nothing new about humanism. It is the yielding to Satan's first temptation of Adam and Eve: 'Ye shall be as gods.' Genesis 3:5"
• "There are many bibles of different religions; there is the Mohammedan Koran, the Buddhist Canon of Sacred Scripture, the Zoroastrian ZendAvesta, and the Brahman Veda . . . they all began with some flashes of true light, and end in utter darkness. Even the most casual observer soon discovers that the Bible is radically different. It is the only Book that offers redemption to us and points the way out of our dilemma."
• "Nothing seems to satisfy. Not politics, not education, not material goods. Some who refuse to turn their hearts toward God have created the New Age movement, with all of its aberrations. This is actually not new but only the latest attempt by man to place something other than Christ inside himself in a futile attempt to satisfy spiritual longings."
• "Some Christian leaders . . are willing to give up some of the teachings of the Bible in order to harmonize Christianity with the other religions."

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Midweek Meditation: "On Prayer" (Billy Graham)

Billy Graham passed away on Feb 21st, 2018. At the heart of preaching the gospel is a heart of prayer. Learn from Graham about prayer.

• "Many times I have been driven to prayer. When I was in Bible school I didn't know what to do with my life. I used to walk the streets . . . and pray, sometimes for hours at a time. In His timing, God answered those prayers, and since then prayer has been an essential part of my life."
• "If there are any tears shed in heaven, they will be over the fact that we prayed so little."
• "Prayer is crucial in evangelism: Only God can change the heart of someone who is in rebellion against Him. No matter how logical our arguments or how fervent our appeals, our words will accomplish nothing unless God's Spirit prepares the way."
• "We should not pray for God to be on our side, but pray that we may be on God's side."
• "I believe we should pray that God will take possession of our lives totally and completely. We should pray that we will be emptied of self - self-love, self-will, self-ambition - and be placed completely at his disposal."

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Midweek Meditation: "On Faith" (Billy Graham)

Billy Graham passed away on Feb 21st, 2018. Preaching the gospel has been his conviction. Many came to faith. Reflect on Graham's words about the meaning of faith.

• "Your faith may be just a little thread. It may be small and weak, but act on that faith. It does not matter how big your faith is, but rather, where your faith is."
• "The Bible teaches that faith will manifest itself in three ways.
  It will manifest itself in doctrine - in what you believe.
  It will manifest itself in worship - your communion with God.
  It will manifest itself in morality - in the way you live and behave."
• "Our faith can stand up to any question, but sometimes people ask questions - and keep asking questions - just to avoid facing their own spiritual needs and acknowledging who Jesus really is."
• "Faith isn't pretending our problems don't exist, nor is it simply blind optimism. Faith points us beyond our problems to the hope we have in Christ."
• "Faith implies four things: self-renunciation, reliance with utter confidence on Christ, obedience, and a changed life."

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Midweek Meditation: "On the Cross" (Billy Graham)

Billy Graham passed away on Feb 21st, 2018. As this is Holy Week, it is most appropriate to reflect on some of his words about the Cross of Christ.

• "The cross has become a symbol in much of the Western world, misused by many rock stars and others who do not comprehend its significance."
• "The cross shows the seriousness of our sin - but it also shows the immeasurable love of God."
• "The law enables us to see ourselves as morally dirty and in need of cleansing. But it also points us to the place of cleansing: The Cross of Christ."
• "God undertook the most dramatic rescue operation in cosmic history. He determined to save the human race from self-destruction, and He sent His Son Jesus Christ to salvage and redeem them. The work of man's redemption was accomplished at the Cross."
• "To take up your cross means to associate yourself with Christ and to share His rejection. It means you take a stand for Christ even though people make fun of you, persecute you, - or even kill you."

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Midweek Meditation: "On Evangelism" (Billy Graham)

Billy Graham passed away on Feb 21st, 2018. He is also referred to an evangelist. Let's us reflect on his sayings about evangelism.

• "During all my years as an evangelist, my message has always been the Gospel of Christ. It is not a Western religion, nor is it a message of one culture or political system. . . . it is a message of life and hope for all the world."
• "The evangelist cannot bring conviction of sin, righteousness, or judgment; that is the Spirit's work. They cannot convert anyone; that is the Spirit's work."
• "Evangelism is not a calling reserved exclusively for the clergy. I believe one of the greatest priorities of the church today is to mobilize the laity to do the work of evangelism."
• "The great crowds themselves are meaningless. The thing that counts is what happens in the hearts of the people. The evangelist sows the seed, and much inevitably falls upon stony ground and bears no fruit. But only if a few seeds flourish, the results are manifold."
• "Evangelism is more than simply encouraging decisions for Christ. It is urging people to become disciples - followers - of Jesus Christ. As such, the evangelist has a responsibility to make growth in discipleship possible for those who come to faith under his ministry."

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Midweek Meditation: "On the Church" (Billy Graham)

Billy Graham passed away on Feb 21st, 2018. His life is filled with powerful testimonies of the good news of Christ. These are some of his sayings about the Church.

• "I am convinced if the Church went back to the main task of proclaiming the Gospel, it would see people being converted to Christ, and it would have far greater impact on the social, moral, and psychological needs of people than anything else it could possibly do."
• "Thousands of people have entered churches without discovering a vital experience with Jesus Christ. The substitutes have been handed them in the guise of religious rituals, good works, community effort, or social reform. . . none of which can gain a person a right relationship with God."
• "The Church isn't just a particular building or congregation but the spiritual fellowship of all who belong to Jesus Christ. If we belong to Christ, we also belong to each other."
• "The Church should not reflect pop culture but portray godly attributes. The Church should not seek pleasures but seek after God."
• "The Church should not be pampered but rather prepare for, and expect, persecution - for it is Christ's body on earth."

Midweek Meditation: "On the Bible" (Billy Graham)

What has Billy Graham to say about the Bible? Lots.

• "Let the study of the Bible become central in your life - not just so you will know it, but that you will obey it."
• "It is man and not the Bible that needs correcting. Greater and more careful scholarship has shown that apparent contradictions were caused by incorrect translations, rather than divine inconsistencies."
• "The sword of the Spirit - the Bible - is the weapon God has provided for us to use in this battle between truth and deception. Make it a priority to wield that sword skillfully."
• "When we approach the Bible as history and biography, we approach the Bible in the wrong spirit. We must read the Bible, not primarily as historians seeking information, but as men and women seeking God."
• "Man is precisely what the Bible says he is. Human nature is behaving exactly as the Bible said it would. The course of human history is flowing just as Christ predicted."

Midweek Meditation: "On Addiction" (Billy Graham)

In memory of the late Billy Graham, for the next two months, each Wednesday weekly will contain quotes from the famous evangelist.

• "Every generation becomes more addicted to the sedatives of life, to dull the pain of living."
• "Many people turn to alcohol to try to drown the cries and longings of the soul. Others attempt to quiet the longings of their souls in other ways. Nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul is made for God."
• "Drinking has become one of the most serious social problems. It is basically the result of an attempt to escape from the responsibilities and realities of life."
• "This self-confident generation has produced more alcoholics, more drug addicts, more criminals, more wars, more broken homes, more assaults, more embezzlements, more murders, and more suicides, . . . . . it is time that we place less confidence in ourselves and more trust and faith in God."
• One of the characteristics of some drugs (such as cocaine) is that they make a person feel strong and alert - when in fact the opposite is the case. Don't allow yourself to be deceived."