All of humanity has one thing in common: an expiration date. Each of us will step into eternity, but no one knows when it will happen. Millions of believers have realized this and prepared themselves by putting their trust in Christ, but most of the world has not. If you’re like me, I want to do something about this gap in humanity, as many others have.
Recently, two events have taken place in the Body of Christ that every believer needs to take note of. The two most significant evangelists that ever lived went home to be with the Lord within two years of each other: Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke. These men burned with the heart of God for the world to hear the gospel.
Billy Graham 1918-2018
Billy Graham’s life and messages impacted everyone from presidents to children. Beginning with Youth for Christ, Reverend Graham later moved to huge tent meetings, stadiums and massive outdoor events all over the world.
Reverend Graham was known for a life of integrity, prayer, commitment to scripture and a conviction to proclaim the unchanging message of Christ—inviting people to accept the free gift of salvation through faith in Christ alone.
Reinhard Bonnke 1940-2019
Reverend Bonnke and his wife Annie followed God to Africa, where he had a recurring dream in which he saw a map of Africa being washed in the blood of Jesus, and heard a thundering voice say, “Africa shall be saved!” Rev. Bonnke focused the rest of his life on this dream the Lord gave him—and saw the largest crowds in the history of the world gather to hear the gospel. These crusades were marked by signs, wonders, and miracles.
In total, he ended up leading over 79,000,000 souls to Christ!
Bonnke didn’t start with a crowd of a million. In his early years he would travel just to talk to five people. Everyone starts somewhere. We are not in control of the size of the crowd, only the depth of our obedience.
Jesus said, “Go” and that is what they did. The same Holy Spirit that was on Jesus to set captives free was on them and will be on us as we obey the Lord.
In Luke 22:29 Jesus said, “and I bestow a upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me.”
In Acts 1:8 Jesus’ final command to his disciples was, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Here are 7 timeless keys we can learn from the legacy of Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke.
1. They carried a mantle to reach the lost
Both of these men burned to reach souls more than anything else. They didn’t want monuments to their names, they wanted to see a movement carry on after them.
The mantle of these men has been passed to whoever will say “yes” to carrying it. It doesn’t matter what your background is or the family you’ve come from, saying “yes” to Jesus is what will propel your life to bring people to Christ just as they did. Now is the time for our “yes” to increase because the harvest is bigger than ever.
Neither of these men started in massive stadiums, but with the people standing in front of them.
2. They had a conviction for scripture
Both Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke believed that scripture was the inherent Word of God. They had great authority and power when they preached, not because of who they were but the Word they had submitted to.
We are living in a day where many believers treat the Bible like a buffet—they’ll take some cheesecake, but no vegetables. Paul the Apostle warned us of this day in 2 Timothy 4:4 saying, “They will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” The Bible will remain the most significant, important book in the history of the world. The harvest we see today is connected to the quality and size of the message.
3. They reached the next generation
Both Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke had a significant impact on young people. Every time I stand before a church and ask, “How many of you received Christ before you turned eighteen years old?” At a minimum, 85%-90% of the crowd raises their hands.
If you’re wondering how to reach the world for Christ—think about young people. When you lead an 80-year-old to the Lord, you save a life, praise God! But, when you lead a 15-year-old to the Lord, you save a life and a life that can be lived out for the Lord.
Reaching young people is costly at first, but will yield the biggest return on investment for your time, energy and resources. Churches that don’t prioritize reaching kids are not only missing the heart of God but are hurting the future of their movement.
4. Christ was their message
“He preached Jesus” is written on Reinhard Bonnke’s tombstone, and Billy Graham exalted Christ in every message he preached. For both of them, Jesus wasn’t a point in their message, He was the message! There was no question after hearing them that faith in Christ was the only way to heaven. People encountered God and were born again because the Holy Spirit moved with the preaching of Jesus.
5. They lived lives of integrity
Billy Graham once said,” Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together.”
Integrity means to be the same person in private that you are in public. At Rev. Bonnke’s memorial, Peter Vanderburg said, “If you wish you knew Reinhard, and you’ve seen him preach, then you knew Reinhard. There weren’t two different versions of him, he was the same on and off stage.” Peter had known him for over 40 years!
6. They had a raw gift of faith that released the power of God
Rev. Bonnke would often say, “Faith is the power switch.” At Reinhard’s crusades, blind eyes were opened, the deaf were healed, the lame walked and the lost were saved.
A friend once asked him, “What is the key to God using you to reach millions for Christ?”
His answer was one word, “Faith.”
Billy Graham’s message annihilated self-righteousness, directing sinners to trust Christ alone for salvation, and would release power for a heart to be transformed by grace!
Both men had a bedrock faith in the God of the impossible.
7. They were faithful to the end
There was never a scandal or any double-life for the history books. These men were faithful to their families, their wives, and the call of God without veering off course.
They lived to hear these words from Jesus, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
My Hope for you
Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke were ordinary men who yielded themselves to an extraordinary God. Regardless of your background, status or even your age, your “yes” is what qualifies you to be used by God. My hope for you is that you would grab a hold of these truths and begin to see God move through you in similar ways today!