Saturday, May 14, 2011

Billy Graham Training

The Billy Graham team is holding training sessions for volunteer counselors in my town.
We're all preparing for the "Rock the Lakes" festival in August.

This is the second time I've attended the training, having volunteered at the mega-four day Cincinnati event in 2002.
Billy and his son Franklin actually broke attendance records for the new football stadium that year!

But the Billy Graham approach isn't about big numbers. They stress humility, gentleness and respect. And they start at the very basic elements of Christianity.
"Why believe?"

Here's how the training class prepares us with a simple acronym, PPRR.

Plan
God has a plan for your life, of love and peace.
"We have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ" Romans 5:1
"I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly" John 10:10

Problem
But we are initially separated from God's intended relationship by sin - things we do that displease God.
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Remedy
In His Love for us, God himself provides the solution to our problem.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
This is the beauty of Christianity, God is waiting for our humility, not our perfection.
"For we are saved by Grace, through faith - and this is not of yourselves, not by works, lest anyone boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Receive
Saying yes to Jesus is saying yes to God's plan for our eternal relationship with him.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to be children of God." John 1:12
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

This is the boldest statement of all for Christianity - you never have to wonder about life after death.
Jesus defeated death for all who believe - we can know we have eternal life in Christ.

I am so looking forward to the opportunity to share this good news with my neighbors at Rock the Lakes.
And with anyone else who asks the reason for my hope in God's plan.

What do you believe?