RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Pastor, evangelist, and nationally syndicated radio host Greg Laurie issues the following statement in honor of Billy Graham’s passing:
“After 99 years of life, my friend and one of the world’s truly great men, Rev. Billy Graham has gone home to be with Jesus. I had the great honor of getting to know Billy since 1985 and later becoming friends and then serving on the board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for 20 years now.
“In many ways Billy’s passing is the end of an era. He has been the face of American Christianity for decades, and in many ways our nation’s spiritual leader as well, counseling every president going back to Truman and advising and praying with world leaders and celebrities from Muhammad Ali to Steve McQueen. People ask, what was Billy Graham really like? There was not two Billy Grahams. He was the same publicly and privately. From the pulpit of course, he was without peer, bold as a lion, preaching the Gospel with fervor and passion. Privately, Billy Graham was the most Christ-like man I have ever met. He was kind and gentle, interested in hearing what you had to say and he listened well. He was an absolute joy to be around.
“I once asked Billy, if he could, what would his older self tell his younger self? His answer was simple: ‘to preach more about the cross of Christ and the blood of Christ, because that’s where the power is.’ The best way we can pay tribute to Billy Graham is to believe in the one he dedicated his life to, Jesus Christ. While I already miss him, I thank God for giving us all such a wonderful representative of the Christian faith. In his passing, may we all be inspired to walk as closely with the Lord as he did.”
Pastor Greg Laurie has also posted a video reflecting on his experiences with Billy Graham available on his Facebook page and blog.
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Pastor Greg Laurie serves as the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, one of the largest churches in America; is the author of more than 70 books; is the creator of 3 feature films; hosts the nationally syndicated radio broadcast, A New Beginning; and is the founder of Harvest Crusades, a large-scale evangelistic ministry attended by more than 7.6 million people worldwide, both in stadiums, arenas and at live-streaming locations across the world. Laurie will host Harvest America 2018 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX on June 10, 2018.
Website | www.Harvest.org Twitter | @greglaurie
