October 21, 2002
Four-day Billy Graham mission begins
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___DALLAS—Billy Graham began what may be his last major evangelistic mission with the same message he has proclaimed around the world for nearly 60 years.
___ "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," Graham said, quoting from a familiar New Testament passage, John 3:16.
___ "Don’t e
ver forget that God loves you," he told an audience of about 37,000 during the first session of the four-day Metroplex Mission at Texas Stadium in Dallas Oct. 17.
___ Traffic snarled every major freeway leading to the Dallas Cowboy’s football stadium, and tight security at the stadium gates delayed the entry of thousands.
___ But the stands continued to fill as musical guests CeCe Winans, Caedmon’s Call and George Beverly Shea sang, prior to the appearance of the evangelist on the endzone speaker’s platform. The crowd greeted Graham with a sustained standing ovation.
___ Franklin Graham, son of the 83-year-old evangelist, helped his father to the lectern. The son stood ready to preach if his father, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, was unable to complete his message.
___ The elder Graham gripped the speaker’s stand for a few minutes as he welcomed the crowd, speaking in a weak, cracking voice. But once he began his sermon, Graham stood erect, gestured boldly and spoke clearly for more than a half-hour.
___ "Our world is in turmoil," Graham said, mentioning war between Israelis and Palestinians, the threat of war with Iraq, a recent bombing in Indonesia and sniper attacks in Washington, D.C.
___ "Look at the world today and you can see that something is wrong with human nature. … Man needs to be set right, and only God can do it," he said.
___ God has the answer to the world’s turmoil, and that answer is found in the salvation that only Jesus Christ can provide, Graham said.
___ "You can start over, right here tonight," he said, promising that God could forgive every sin and "wipe the slate clean."
___ As Cliff Barrows, Graham’s longtime music director, led a 5,000-member choir from churches throughout North Texas in singing "Just As I Am," more than 2,000 people responded to the evangelist’s invitation to make a commitment to Christ.
___ "Tonight you’ve come, not to Billy Graham, but you’ve come to Christ," Graham told them.
___ They were joined on the tarp-covered football field by an equal number of counselors who provided them with booklets on Christian discipleship and a copy of the Gospel according to John.
___ Former President George Bush introduced the internationally renowned evangelist as "the personal pastor to America’s first family."
___Bush—whose appearance as a part of the Metroplex Mission was not announced in advance—pointed out Graham’s ministry to both Republican and Democratic presidents dating back to Dwight Eisenhower.
___ "A lot of wonderful things happen to you when you become a former president. And for me, today is one of the nicest," Bush said, introducing a man he described as a "dear friend of all the Bush family" and "a genuine American hero."
___ Bush told how Graham spent the night at the White House at the first family’s request when the United States entered Operation Desert Storm. "He prayed with us. We prayed that our coalition soldiers would be spared. We prayed that innocent Iraqi lives would be spared."
___ Metroplex Mission continues through Sunday, Oct. 20. Musical guests include Jaci Velasquez, Randy Travis, Michael W. Smith and the Gaither Vocal Band, as well as a Saturday night youth concert featuring dc Talk, Kirk Franklin and Jars of Clay.
The Baptist Standard
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