Chuck Roots
26 February 2018
www.chuckroots.com
The Ripon Bulletin
Well Done, Billy
If ever there was a person to
emulate, it would have been Billy Graham. This past week, Reverend Graham
breathed his last on this side of heaven, leaving the cares of this mortal life
behind at age 99.
There are few names that are known
world-wide, but Billy Graham is among those few. His ministry has been, by any
measure, phenomenal. His compassionate delivery of the Gospel message of Jesus
Christ to millions around the globe through his crusades are the stuff of
legends.
Billy Graham was truly an
inspiration to those of us who lived through the many decades of his ministry.
Whether or not you believe in the Gospel which Billy Graham preached, it cannot
be denied that he faithfully proclaimed the Good News right to the end of his
life. There was nothing phony about him. He is the real deal.
How many people of every race,
tongue, and tribe around the world have accepted Jesus as their Savior because
of this man’s ministry? Year after year his Billy Graham Crusades filled
stadiums and arenas around the world. At the end of each sermon, an invitation
would be offered to anyone desiring to accept Jesus. Having attended a couple
of crusades, and even working in one in San Jose in the early 1980s, I was
impressed with the simplicity of his delivery, while at the same time the
winsomeness of Christ was unmistakable in his appeal to sinners.
We Christians often get excited
about what it will be like when we get to heaven. A verse from a song by a
Christian singer known as Honeytree several decades ago rings in my mind. She
wrote, “Heaven is a wonderful place,
filled with glory and grace! I wanna see my Savior’s face, ‘cause Heaven is a
wonderful place! I wanna go there!” Well, Billy Graham must have
experienced that wonderful reception when he stepped across that great divide
between here and eternity. I suspect that after he has seen Jesus face-to-face
for the first time, he will then begin the time of being greeted by those who accepted
Jesus at his crusades. He may be busy for a while!
I never had any personal contact
with Rev. Graham other than he walked within an arm’s length of where I was
serving in the San Jose Crusade. My mother attended the Oakland Crusade in 1972
where she committed her life to Jesus. The Lord must have been working on both
my mother and me at the same time. I was overseas then, totally unaware of my
mother’s decision. A few months later I gave my life to Christ at a Christian
Serviceman’s Center (the ministry known today as “Cadence”) in Yokosuka, Japan.
Over the years my wife, Isaura, has told
me how when she and her family immigrated to the United States from the Azores,
Portugal in 1966, she needed to learn to speak English so she could fit in in
this new language and culture. She studied hard, picking up on the language
quickly.
What amazed her was after only being
in America six months, listening to Billy Graham on the radio or television,
she found that his speech delivery was so basic that she could understand what
he was saying, bringing her great comfort and hope as she acclimated to her new
home in America.
Wanting to learn all I could about
living for Jesus, I naturally looked to Billy Graham shortly after receiving
Christ as my Savior. I learned some valuable lessons about his life which I
still adhere to to this day. One of those is Billy would never meet with a
woman who needed counseling with the door to his office closed. His secretary
could always look in through the partially open door to confirm nothing
untoward was taking place. This protected the reputations of both Mr. Graham
and the woman. I have held to the same practice throughout my years of pastoral
ministry and military chaplaincy.
Another stroke of wisdom which Billy
insisted upon was during his many travels, he would often be staying in hotels.
As he became increasingly popular world-wide the concern for someone wanting to
sully his reputation would increase. So, before he would walk into his hotel room,
his staff would check it out from top to bottom to ensure that there were no surprises
which could wind up on the front page of the tabloids.
When it came to Scripture he would
read through the Book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs, and the Four Gospels
each month. This way he covers the vast array of life experiences as portrayed
in the 150 Psalms; the wisdom found in the 31 chapters in Proverbs; and the
life, ministry and words of Jesus in the combined 89 chapters of Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John. I have found this practice to be immensely helpful in my own
life, and in ministering to others in their time of need.
And then there’s this final action he
insisted upon from the inception of his ministry in 1949. So as to be sure his ministry
could never be proven to have mishandled funds in any way, he had the IRS audit
the books of the Billy Graham Association every single year.
In my estimation, Billy Graham was without
peer. We’re not likely to see someone like him again for quite some time, if ever.
And now he has heard God say to him over
in glory, “Well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into your rest.”
Well done, indeed, Billy! Thank you for
your faithfulness. See you in glory!
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