June 29, 1998
Robbie and I are fresh back from a four day spiritually uplifting odyssey called the Billy Graham Crusade which took place in Ottawa Canada. It takes massive planning to put one of these on and the cooperation of all area churches. In this particular Crusade, over 470 churches in Ottawa, both Protestant and Roman Catholic worked together, representing 42 different denominations! The major work began more than a year ago. There is no charge to attend a crusade. All the seats are free. It was held on four consecutive nights in the Corel Centre arena, which was jammed to the rafters with 18,500 each night and they had additional seating outside for thousands with a giant screen projecting exactly what viewers on the inside were seeing. On the last two nights attendance records for the Corel Centre were shattered with 8,500 in the overflow on the Sunday.
I really didn't know what to expect, as I had never attended such an event before, but what impressed me was the attitude of the crowd. This frail, almost 80 year old little man had everyone's undivided attention. His body is failing him (he has Parkinson's disease), but his mind is as sharp as a tack. When he gets up to speak, after the thunderous standing ovations, you're struck with all his knowledge and wisdom and experience. He speaks from the gut with clarity and assurance and PASSION. The crowd was in awe.....electrified.
One night he spoke on Spiritual Warfare.....how there's a Battle of the Mind going on. It's a battle for our minds between the devil and God. "As a man thinks, so is he", Billy quotes from the Bible. And he tells us that we're all sinners and he's a sinner, too, speaking with complete confidence and candour rather than a thundering prophet....that anyone whose mind is harboring jealous or angry thoughts or complaints that everyone is wrong is letting the devil win the spiritual battle. Men are powerless without God and he speaks ever so reverently about the peace, joy and satisfaction that come to those who accept Jesus as their savior.
It was simple yet powerful. The carrot approach rather than the big stick. What a privilege it was for us to be there.....to hear this man of God who has preached to over 100 million people and who's won more hearts to Christ than any other human being. "Come to Jesus", he says, "and you will change your way of living as you follow Christ's way." Somehow, some way (I think the Holy Spirit has something to do with this!!), with no ego involved, Billy Graham draws people out of their seats and the tug of Christ in their hearts pulls them forward to accept Him as Lord and Savior.
It was a marvelous experience! No one else in our time has done it better.