Excerpts from international gathering of 10,000 evangelists
The Layman Online, August 4, 2000
The Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (USA) identifies the first of the Great Ends of the Church as “the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of humankind.”
That end, also known as the Great Commission, has been the theme of a massive international assembly of evangelists called Spiritual Life 2000 at Amsterdam. The gathering of 10,000 was organized by Dr. Billy Graham and his evangelistic association.
Hospitalized in Minnesota, Graham was unable to attend. He sent word to the delegates through his son Franklin. At last report, Graham did plan to address the closing of the conference on August 6.
Full reports on the conference are available through www.amsterdam2000.org and www.crossword.com. The reports include transcripts of some of the presentations. The following are excerpts from some of the transcripts.
Dr. Graham’s message to conference
Evangelist Billy Graham, a message delivered by his son Franklin Graham.
“The Gospel is not centered in our programs or our styles of worship or our denominational distinctives. The Gospel is centered in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins and rose again for our salvation. The Gospel tells us that our lives can be changed as we respond to Christ in repentance and faith and are born again by the Holy Spirit. Through the Gospel we are forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God, becoming part of His family forever. That is good news! As one contemporary statement of faith puts it, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is news, good news: the best and most important news that any human being ever hears” (The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration).
Prayer and fasting: Expect the unprecedented
Bill Bright, a Presbyterian layman and founder and director of Campus Crusade for Christ International, the world’s largest non-profit interdenominational organization that includes 60 separate ministries in 181 countries.
“One of the most exciting things [God] impressed upon me to do was to write a book on fasting, The Coming Revival: A Call to Fast and Pray for Revival. That book has now been distributed all over the world in many languages. Millions of people are praying and fasting for revival. He also impressed upon me to call Christian leaders together to fast and pray for revival and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Over 600 leaders came to Orlando, Florida, and God met with us in a remarkable way. Since 1994 the fasting and prayer movement has encircled the world.
“We have every reason to believe that millions of believers are fasting and praying, many of them for 40 days, that God will do something supernatural, something absolutely unprecedented in history. I would encourage you to prayerfully consider spending a protracted time with God, seeking His face. Don’t enter into fasting and prayer with the wrong motives. You are not to fast to earn favor with God. You already have His favor, but you are to seek His face with an humble, trusting spirit. The promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 given to King Solomon centuries ago is also valid for us, “If my people who are called by my name (as believers we are His people) will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin and heal their land” (NIV). To me, fasting with prayer is the most powerful Biblical discipline available to destroy the strongholds of the enemy, and it is available to all believers.”
Today’s struggle is over competing worldviews
Charles Colson is chairman of the board for Prison Fellowship, the author of 15 books, a syndicated columnist, an international speaker and a nationally syndicated radio commentator.
“What we are witnessing in the West today is a great struggle, not so much over the issues you and I read about – the family or abortion or gay rights or the AIDS epidemic or religious liberty – but over the most fundamental questions. It is a struggle between conflicting worldviews, that is, our understanding about how the world works and about life. On one side is the Biblical view that we are created by God with all that means; and on the other is the secular view, the belief that God is dead and that we humans are simply the product of chance. This is a conflict that affects every person on earth. You must understand it.
“But while it might appear that the secular view is dominant, I think this is changing – which is why I believe this is a moment of historic opportunity for the church. The reason for the change is that people – in the West, and, increasingly, around the world – are realizing that the secular worldview is flawed; it does not enable people to live rational, normal lives. In the 1960s, people were told that the object of life is personal autonomy, to be able to do one’s own thing, to be free of restraints, to chart one’s own course. But of course, that leads to something exactly like we read in the book of Judges: people do what is right in their own eyes and chaos results. And we are experiencing that chaos with random violence – parents afraid to send their kids to school for fear that they’ll be shot; with a degrading popular culture; and with the breakdown of community. So people are beginning to recognize that they cannot live with the consequences of the values they embraced in the ’60s. And they are looking for something better, something that will satisfy their deepest yearnings.”
Evangelists ‘set apart’ before their birth
Dr. Paul Finkenbinder ministers in 28 Spanish-speaking countries through radio, television, newspaper columns, pastors’ seminars and crusades.
“There can be no greater assurance of the evangelist’s position in God’s kingdom than the fact that he is specifically called of God. The reality of that call comes to us from the days of the apostles. I quote Acts 13:2: ‘While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”‘
“We, my colleagues, were ‘set apart’ by God Himself before we were born. From the earliest moment of our lives God had appointed us to be His ambassadors to the world. Nothing establishes more the sacredness of that divine call, and the responsibility that call involves, than the fact that God, in His foreknowledge, chose us to be ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ even before we were conceived.”
Russians show proper respect for Bible
The Rev. Delanyo Adadevoh is a vice president with Campus Crusade for Christ International. He is responsible for overseeing the ministry’s work in evangelism and discipleship in Africa and other regions.
“The people of Israel did not read or listen to the Word of God casually. This reminds me of an experience I had in Manila, Philippines, during Lausanne II in 1989. When a speaker opened the Bible and was going to read it, the Russian Christians present stood up as the Bible was read. They sat down later and listened to the speaker’s exposition. For the Russian Christians, the Bible could not be read like any other book. It is the Word of God. When the Bible was being read, God was speaking to His people. It was, therefore, appropriate that when the majestic God was speaking, His people would listen with reverential attitude.
“Most of the remaining participants were probably too familiar with the Bible. They had different versions at home. This ‘over familiarity’ can lead to the eroding of our high regard for the Word of God. The point here is not to make a sweeping claim that postures say everything. There could have been Russian Christians standing who were doing so without an inner reverence for God’s Word. Equally, I believe many participants seated had tremendous reverence for the Word of God. My observation here is rather general, but the point I am making is still valid. The action of the Russians, which most likely was a reflection of their attitude towards the Word of God, has left a powerful impression on me.”
Time of unsound doctrine, reverse values is now
Dr. Gerry Gallimore began evangelistic preaching at the age of 17 . He is an ordained minister of the Southern Baptist Convention and is the pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church of Miami, Florida.
“The time of unsound doctrine and reverse values is not out there in some distant far off future. It is now! People are turning from the truth and are embracing myths. Even as we meet here this morning, the devil has an army of influencers on the airwaves, in the classrooms, in the print media, on the Internet, in the cinemas and elsewhere, promoting unbiblical falsehood. Against this background our Lord and Savior this morning lays upon those of us in this room the same compelling, authoritative marching orders he gave to the eleven evangelists just before he left for glory, “All authority in Heaven and in earth is mine, He says, ‘therefore go, go! go! into all the world and preach the Gospel.” (Matt. 28:18; Mk.16:15) He sends us today, as He sent them back then, to counter the deception and the falsehood by telling men the good news of the Gospel …”
Gospel as ‘therapy’ is idolatry
The Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Dr. George Carey, 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury.
“Our society is fascinated with the healing of the body and mind. Its unspoken assumption is that if we can but keep in tune with the wellbeing of our inner selves, all will be well. Of course, there is nothing wrong with many therapeutic techniques but when they are seen as the total answer to humanity’s deepest needs and longings, another idolatry is introduced.
“And that idolatry reveals itself when it replaces the Gospel by focusing solely on satisfying ‘my happiness, my needs, and my desires.’ Christ the ‘Saviour’ is then replaced by Christ the ‘counselor.’ Listen to many sermons today and this therapeutic approach is uppermost; missing is the appeal to a holy God and his call to us to turn to him in repentance and faith. Missing also is a true appreciation of the depth and reality of sin, and our – and the world’s – need for salvation.”
A vision for slaking the world’s thirst
Dr. Billy Kim serves as senior pastor of the 13,000-member Suwon Central Baptist Church in Suwon, Korea. He was recently elected to serve a five-year term as president of the Baptist World Alliance.
“One of the greatest companies in the world is the Coca-Cola Company. They sell at least 800 million cokes a day. The Coca-Cola Company has a great vision, a real goal, a strategy and a motto! The vision is; ‘We see six billion points of light in a thirsty world. Six billion consumers in the world all being refreshed by Coca-Cola!’ They wanted to let everyone have a taste of Coca-Cola by the year 2000.
“A soft drink company with that determination and that vision puts Christians to shame. Out of a world population of six billion people only 1.95 billion are Christians.
“Yet we do not have a vision or a strategy to let everybody in this world taste the living water of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said in John 4:14 ‘But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.'”
Fresh vision begins with repentance
Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Billy Graham.
“Do you need a fresh vision of Jesus? Do you need a fresh touch from God? Would you repent of your sin, specific sins as God brings them to mind? Pride. Selfishness. Self-promotion. Jealousy. Resentment. Bitterness. Anger. Whatever the sin is in your life, would you repent – and stop it? Would you return to the cross today? Don’t leave this great conference without experiencing the cleansing blood of Jesus to wash away your sin. And then would you recommit yourself to the call of God in your life?”