Billy Graham

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by houston

Louis who?

https://www.goodreads.com/series/42120-the-sacketts

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Amen.

In studying various saints of the Catholic church saints and mystics, the revisionism is clear. When alive, many were rejected, cursed, put into solitary confinement, their works burned. They would profess to know nothing but Christ, they lived repentant lives, the had unintelligible groanings in prayer, visions, dreams, etc. Some were even declared heretics and suffered persecution. Yet, today, the RCC praises then, venerates them, rewrote their writings to suite there own ends. Who's to say these aren't of us?

RCC is major salvation by works alone. Think about what it takes to get Sainthood. A miracle had of been performed.
Or martyrdom. Not obedience to the scripture. Maybe that’s where you guys got the “in God’s hands” salvation from. The RCC.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Aquila

I don't read that Aquila and Priscilla ever relegated Apollos to Hell because he didn't fully understand what they knew. In fact, they showed him the way "more perfectly", indicating that they built on the light he had, they didn't curse, berate, mock, call him a false prophet, or revile him. They used, wisdom.

They lovingly embraced him, and built on his current understanding.

Maybe I'm wrong, I'll read it again.

You must be use to dealing with people who know far less than you. Aquila and Priscilla reject Apollos? That like saying you never read where Paul lived on cigarettes, pizza, and beer. The point is that the couple got together with him to straighten him out in his error. Knowing ONLY the baptism of John.

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

Amen, whether they attribute to their fruit producing life, they see that as the reason God will grant them salvation. Not because they were baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues. Or any other points of the Apostolic teaching. Anytime we talk about Finney, Wesley, Seymour, Graham, Corrie Ten Boom, Padre Pio, Martin Luther whether King, or no King. First thing anyone brigs up is their WORKS. Doctrinally correct is on the low part of the spectrum. Look, Aquila points out John Newton and his hymn. As if due to his song he should be granted special entry? That is totally a salvation based on works.

None of these men would have pointed to their own works. They would have pointed to Calvary. WE point to the fruit of others as proof they are born from above. It's one thing to claim you are going to Heaven because you obeyed a certain formula to the letter. It's another to bear fruit of genuine conversion. Yes, we judge a tree by the fruit it bears.

[JamesGlen]

Is God no longer a rewarder of ALL them that diligently seek him?

Is God no longer to be found, when one seeks Him with all of their heart?


Under your interpretation of biblical salvation, D.B., either Gods word is no longer valid and God can NO LONGER be found by those that diligently seek Him with all their heart, or NOBODY AT ALL for nearly 2000 years has EVER diligently saught Him with all their heart, besides those having repented, baptized preceded by another person vocalizing the name of Jesus (other than the candidate them-self), and also speaking in another language(tongues).

NOBODY outside of your personal scriptural interpretation of salvation according to baptism and speaking in another language for 2000 years, has EVER diligently saught after Christ. NOBODY. Not a single person out of what, 150 billion people, give or take a few billion, over the last 2k years....

HOW has God rewarded His diligent seekers, that have not understood or grasped YOUR distinct understanding of Acts 2:38 salvation?

[peace]

I am raised from a village which is adopted by Dr. Billy graham when he visited in 1977 cyclone and great tidal wave which is caused for 30000 lives.. He visited village when i was 15y old.. He has constructed homes for villages near 260 homes... again in 2012 His ministry build the 300 strong homes again..

For me i am 15y old when He visited..1977
after 12 years ... God called me for ministry.. when i am working as school teacher in other village.. with many hard experiences God made me to stay strong to develop the ministry.. This ministry is developed to many villages.. God made to to work hard.. Now i am 56 years old..

God made me to work for remote villages which area is not my native place.. even though with the inspiration of Dr. Billy Graham i took some charge and i went to that grand parents village which is adopted by Dr. Billy Graham, i conducted gospel meetings for three days.. on Feb 14,15,16 we have finished gospel crusade with 1000 people and 15 other villagers are gathered..

When Dr. Billy Graham is passed away,, we have conducted an praise meet in that village... i sent mail to His son Franklin graham and others but i am failed to contact with them..

THIS TIME .. HERE I AM PRAISING GOD FOR THE LIFE OF Dr. Billy Graham life.. i am always glad to feel him as my mentor..
i took the responsibility to spread the gospel in India in my possible ways..
if any one knows Dr. Billy Graham family members .. pl tell them we love him.. and praying for His family..

Invitation : any one is with same vision to spread the gospel like Dr. Billy graham did in gospel fields.. we welcome them to india to conduct gospel crusades with 3000 to 10000 people.. pl pray for our mission. blessings to all

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

RCC is major salvation by works alone. Think about what it takes to get Sainthood. A miracle had of been performed.
Or martyrdom. Not obedience to the scripture. Maybe that’s where you guys got the “in God’s hands” salvation from. The RCC.

While what you've said is true... you really didn't address the substance of my post:

In studying various saints of the Catholic church saints and mystics, the revisionism is clear. When alive, many were rejected, cursed, put into solitary confinement, their works burned. They would profess to know nothing but Christ, they lived repentant lives, the had unintelligible groanings in prayer, visions, dreams, etc. Some were even declared heretics and suffered persecution. Yet, today, the RCC praises then, venerates them, rewrote their writings to suite there own ends. Who's to say these aren't of us?

I'm not saying that the RCC church might be of us.

I'm asking if you think it is possible that many of those that they've chosen to venerate might have actually been Holy Spirit filled men and women?

What the RCC tells us about them has been seriously revised to "Catholicize" these saints. When they were alive, the RCC couldn't stand them. Their visions, dreams, angelic visitations, etc. actually challenged some of the conventional Catholic points of view and authority. While yes, these were what we'd call theologically rough around the edges, they were living under a rather oppressive regime that kept the Bible chained. What they had was what little of the Scriptures they understood from homilies and icons, along with the Spirit's leading. I think it is important to consider that everyone was considered Catholic in many regions, regardless of whether they truly were in heart or not. And many considered themselves "Catholic", because being Catholic was the only option available.

We often judge ancient Christians as though everyone had a pocket New Testament or a King James Bible they could just turn to and read for truth. They didn't have these things. In fact, many couldn't even read. It wasn't like it is today where people can just open a Bible and challenge the religious system they are in. Most of the Reformers were priests who read the Bible and felt that the RCC was so far off the mark they couldn't serve as clergy under that system any longer. The RCC saw to it that people were illiterate, poor, subservient, and fearful. It was tyranny.

How would God judge sincere souls who were hungry for truth and crying out to Christ in a day and hour like that? No Bibles, record illiteracy, tyrannical church oppression... all were a part of that hour. If God truly is sovereign, I believe He could have mercy on those souls. And yes, only HE knows the thoughts and intents of the heart, and so, only HE would be qualified to make such a judgment.

I pray I've clarified my thoughts.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

You must be use to dealing with people who know far less than you. Aquila and Priscilla reject Apollos? That like saying you never read where Paul lived on cigarettes, pizza, and beer. The point is that the couple got together with him to straighten him out in his error. Knowing ONLY the baptism of John.

No. The point is... they deal with Apollos the way you would have dealt with Apollos.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

You must be use to dealing with people who know far less than you. Aquila and Priscilla reject Apollos? That like saying you never read where Paul lived on cigarettes, pizza, and beer. The point is that the couple got together with him to straighten him out in his error. Knowing ONLY the baptism of John.

We read...

Acts 18:24-26 King James Version (KJV)
24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

The Baptism of John was unto repentance. After John baptized Jesus, John began pointing people to Christ. And so by the time Apollos was on the scene, John's baptism had become a baptism of repentance and faith in Christ. He "taught diligently the things of the Lord (meaning, Jesus)". This man was preaching repentance and faith in the Messiah. He spoke this boldly in the synagogues, no doubt ruffling some feathers. But when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they befriended him and began to share greater understanding.

We also see Paul in Ephesus preaching the fullness of the Gospel to a small community who, like Apollos, only knew the baptism of John. It appears that in some regions the news of Jesus, repentance, and a simple faith in Him was spreading faster than the Apostles anticipated.

We're in a similar position. Once the Bible was put to press and people began reading about Jesus and rediscovering the truths of Scripture it took off. People were hiving off and forming churches around rediscovered truths all over the place. And there wasn't a church formed that didn't carry over some bad theology from Catholicism. But Christianity has spread so fast with so many different churches forming. By the time the fullness of truth was rediscovered among the early 20th Century Pentecostals, all these incomplete churches had advanced the knowledge of Jesus and repentance around the globe. Now, we're seeing countless millions of Apolloses, and millions more have even received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, though they are under various theologies.

Now, we can curse and denounce them... or we can try to maintain a relationship with that that would allow us to show them the way more perfectly. But it might take a generation or two of this dialogue to see any fruit from it.

[Aquila]

Everyone, read the post presented by, peace.

As we can see, many people from many different experiences who apparently loved Billy Graham are reading this thread.

EB, Esaias, if your mission was to turn these people off from the truth... how would you do it? I submit to you that all you'd have to do is continue doing what you're doing.

I'm not Graham's judge. Certainly, we don't agree with Billy Graham on many things. However, I pray that God has mercy on his soul.

Now, we can move on and preach the fullness of Acts 2:38!