Billy Graham brought the gospel to millions upon millions of people around the world.
Now, evangelist and pastor Greg Laurie is sharing some of what he learned from this prayerful powerhouse and what the landscape of evangelism should look like in our world today.
In an interview with Christian Daily International, Laurie recounted his time learning from Graham, who he believes is “one of the greatest, if not the greatest evangelist[s] in human history, apart from the apostles.”
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During a lunch with the late Graham, Laurie asked him what he would’ve told a younger version of himself. “I would remind myself to preach more on the cross of Christ and the blood of Christ because that is where the power is,” Graham told Laurie.
This not only left a mark on Laurie, but Graham’s overall mission and ministry changed his perspective on the purpose of evangelism in our world today.
“I think Billy Graham was called to be Billy Graham. I think we’re all called to bring the gospel to our generation in our way,” says Laurie.
Distinguishing between evangelism and the office of an evangelist, Laurie says: “Now every Christian is called to evangelize because the Great Commission given to us is to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations…But then there are those that are specifically gifted by God as an evangelist.”
He also notes that evangelists don’t necessarily have to run large ministries, but rather can be “…everyday people who are gifted by God to share their faith.”
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Ultimately, Laurie believes that like Graham, God calls regular people to do incredible things they never could have done on their own.
“…it seems as though the Lord goes out of his way to choose ordinary people to do extraordinary things. And the apostle Paul says, God calls the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. So I think if you believe your call is to be an evangelist, then just go evangelize.”
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
