Lessons from My Father: The Preacher (Billy Graham)

By the Reverend Franklin Graham,



Interview by Amy Levin-Epstein, Best Life


My father became very close with the Nixons. He was fairly close with John F. Kennedy. After the Watergate era, however, he said, “I’m not going to say anything to a politician again unless it’s of a spiritual nature. I’m not going to talk with them about political issues, about international issues. I’m just going to keep my mouth shut and speak to them about things that affect their hearts.” I’ve watched him my whole life. He is my example. My father doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. If someone hurts him or disappoints him, my father just forgives the person and moves on. I think that’s what love is all about.

There’s no book to teach you. My father told me you learn how to preach by preaching. The only way you’re going to learn it is to go out there and do it and learn from your mistakes. And he’s right.

I saw that he was wary of politicians. They thought, If we get close to Billy Graham, that will influence votes. My father tries to use his position in a spiritual context.

He taught me that there is a devil in this world. There are spiritual powers at work against God. Why do we have bars on the windows? Why do we have to have police forces? Why do we have a judicial system? It’s because of the evil in this world. Everything he taught, he taught us through the Scripture.

I never saw my parents fight. Never really saw them argue. My mother was a soul mate to him. They did everything together. My father treated my mother with the utmost respect. He honored her. I have a friend–we’re about the same age–who loses his temper and yells at his wife, and he cusses at her from time to time, and guess what? His children do exactly the same thing.

My father is careful with women. He would not even ride in the same car with a woman other than my mother. I remember in Little Rock, Hillary Clinton, when she was the wife of Governor Clinton, wanted to meet my father for lunch. She wanted to have a private conversation. Daddy said, “I’d be glad to meet you, but we’ll meet in a public place.” My father told me, “I’m going to be above reproach and not allow myself ever to be accused of something that wasn’t morally right.”

He was gone for a long time when I was young. One time, he was gone for about six months. My father started his ministry right after World War II, when men had been gone for four or five years to defend the freedom of this nation. He felt, Should I do less for the sake of the cross? He later told me, “Son, if I had to do this over again, I wouldn’t have been gone that long.” When I’m through with my work, I go back home.


Life is a circle. When you are small, your relationship with your parents is one thing, and then you get to be an adult and they start treating you like an adult. And then when you are older, the roles reverse. Instead of the parents providing for the children, now we as children are helping to provide for our parents.


God did not give us religion. Religion is man’s attempt to reach a holy God.

He knows how to stay on message. All these years, he has been faithful to what he feels God called him to do, and that is to preach this wonderful good news, this Gospel, that Jesus Christ died for our sins, that He rose again, and if we would confess our sins to God and ask for His forgiveness and turn from those sins and invite Christ by faith into our hearts and into our lives, that God would forgive us.

The Reverend Franklin Graham, 56, runs the organization his father founded. The fourth of five children born to evangelist Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth Bell Graham, Franklin has been a Christian evangelist and missionary from the age of 23. Since 2000, he has served as CEO, and since 2002 as president, of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His father, one of most celebrated and well-loved preachers in American history, has counseled U.S. presidents from Harry Truman to George W. Bush.


From msn fathers day special  http://specials.msn.com/Network/fathersday08.aspx?GT1=34008

Honouring the Lord

While we do honour the Lord in giving our tithes and offerings there are many other ways in which we can honour the Lord. One of such includes the way in which we bring up our children.


We honour the Lord and His Word when we instruct and teach our children the ways of the Lord.


Lessons from Eli

Reading the account in 1 Samuel 2:22 to 1 Samuel 4: 22 many lessons can be learned. This article will highlight a few of them.


1 Samuel 2: 22 – 25

Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.


Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress.


If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.


According to verse 25, his Sons did not obey the voice of their father.



Lets see the Lords opinion to Elis approach in correcting his children.


1 Samuel 3: 13


13For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.


The bible says that Eli did not restrain his children. It takes more than a voice to discipline and train children.

To restrain is an active word, which just a voice will not do.

Just Imagine a large block about to fall on the head of your child. Will you just say ‘ Jack’ can you leave that place please? Of course no, you will go and physically pull the child away.


It takes more than a voice to restrain children from evil. It takes


Discipline


Rod of correction


Chastisement

I Samuel 2: 29 says Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?


Eli did not honour the Lord in doing everything he could to ensure his children obey God.

We honour the Lord when we respect and put His Word first before the disobedience of our children. We need to be bold to correct them and stand our ground on what Gods Words says. This is honouring the Lord . Not giving in to their disobedience.


1 Samuel 2: 30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.


Eli paid a very costly price for this. 1 Samuel 3: 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.


I think this is a very sober lesson. The Lord loves us so much however we do have a responsibility to train up our children.


Lets honour the Lord in doing this right.



Bisi Oladipupo