Billy Graham

Billy Graham devoted his life to spreading the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  Jesus died on the cross so that anyone who believes in Him will be forgiven their sins and inherit eternal life.  This is the gospel message.  No one communicated this message in clearer and simpler terms than did Billy Graham.   If I was Probably every adult in American and much of the world otherwise knows who Billy Graham was.  He took seriously the command capable I might write many books about Billy Graham but that would only be scratching the surface of what could be said about him and his remarkable life.  There is much about him in books, on the internet and you can listen to some of his sermons on YouTube.   My purpose in this post in not to go too deeply into his life but to recognize the simple message he delivered many thousands of times.

Billy would open with the fact that God loves you.  He would point out that we are dead to sin and are separated from God.    Next, he would explain that God the Father sent his only begotten Son to die for our sins, Jesus Christ.  Then, he would say that if you repented for your sins and asked Jesus into your heart and believed that Jesus would forgive your sins you would be born again and come into a personal relationship with Him where you would experience love, peace and joy and gain eternal life.   There is much more to learn after that from reading the bible, prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit.  It’s a simple message and it is completely true.  Both of my parents were greatly influenced to accept Christ as their Savior by Billy Graham.   My fathers mother had everyone eat dinner while watching Billy Grahams crusades on television.  My father gives Billy Graham the credit for leading him to Jesus Christ.

Billy Graham went to heaven to be with Jesus on February 21, 2018.  Millions of people have been blessed because he passed this way.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born in 1910.  She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta India in 1950.  The Missionaries of Charity to care of those with diseases, those on poverty, orphans and dying.

Mother Teresa had a strong personal relationship with Jesus and because of this she realized the positive value of a personal relationship with everyone she cared for.  These people were often the outcasts of society with little or no relationships with others.  She gave generously of her self and time by nurturing each person with a very personal relationship.  This inspired hope and security and often led to conversions and healings from the sufferings of those in her care.  She spent 45 years of her life ministering in Calcutta and lived the same impoverished life of those she helped.  Mother Teresa is one of the great examples of Christian love.

JOHN WESLEY

John Wesley was born in Lincolnshire England in 1703.  His father was a member of the clergy of the Church of England.  This religious upbringing greatly influenced his life.  As a young man he became a strong preacher in the Anglican faith.  Early in his career he was influenced by the Evangelist George Whitefield who reached  people in his preaching  who were excluded from attending a traditional church.  Following Whitefield's example he began preaching outdoor sermons going from place to place.  His focus was to reach those who were not being exposed to the gospel by the traditional churches.  Wesley spent much of his life traveling and preaching the gospel.  He wrote, "I look at all the world as my parish".

Wesley believed, "love is the fulfillment of the law.  It is not only the first and great command but all the commandments in one".  He believed that anyone could directly experience Gods love through a personal relationship with Him.  He also firmly believed God loved everyone and wanted everyone to be saved.  Because of this he opposed the Calvinist doctrine of predestination.  During his travels Wesley build many small chapels and ordained ministers to preach in them.  He believed scripture gave him this authority. He established a strong body of believers over a large geographic area.   In doing so John Wesley established Methodism.  His teachings greatly influenced the protestant evangelical movement.

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce was born on August 24^th in Yorkshire England into a family of wealthy merchants.   He was influenced by relatives as a young child to become an Evangelical which his mother disapproved of being a member of the church of England.  This influence lasted for the rest of his life.  At the age of 21 he ran for a seat in Parliament and won.  Uncompromising in his convictions he was an independent who sometimes had conflicts with both the Whigs and Tory’s.  He was committed to voting his conscience on all issues.  Sometime in 1795 Wilberforce converted to Evangelism and went from a worldlier lifestyle to one of total commitment to God.  For this he considered moral behavior as an expression of his Christian dedication.  In 1787 he became involved with a group of anti-slave trade activists.  He became convinced that God had called him to lead in the effort to abolish slavery.  From then on until his death in 1833 he was a major leader in the movement to abolish the slave trade and used his seat in Parliament to further this and other causes he associated with his relationship with God.   He actively fought for a greater sense of morality and for the rights of animals believing they were also Gods creatures.  His efforts of many years led to the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 just three days before his death.  His story is particularly inspiring because his love for God led him to dedicate himself for nearly half a century to fight for a cause he eventually won.  His efforts also influenced the rise of abolitionist sentiment in the United States and other nations.

D.L. Moody

D.L. Moody was an American preacher who was born in Massachusetts in 1837.  Moody was a believer in the holiness movement attributed to John Wesley.  This belief is known as the second work of grace.  After the initial regeneration of salvation believers are led by grace to a state of holiness where they are less likely to sin.  His message was very popular in the 19^th century.  Abraham Lincoln and many others including Union Generals attended his services.  He visited many civil war battlefields to share the gospel.  One of his significant viewpoints was to treat Jesus Christ as a personal friend.  He did not see Jesus as a creed or doctrine but as the answer Himself through us having a personal relationship with Him.

Teresa of Avila

Teresa of Avila was a mystic and Carmelite nun.  She also was a friend of St. John of the Cross and shared many of his insights on inner life and contemplative prayer.  She believed in regularly, throughout every day, being alone with God.  Contemplative prayer meant nothing more than being alone with friends.  This very special personal relationship with God led to her having many, many visions.  She articulated her experiences as consisting of four stages for the ascent of the soul with God.  She referred to each stage as a devotion.

The first is the devotion of the heart.  This requires mental prayer that is both devout and contemplative.

The second devotion is the devotion of peace.  This involves surrendering ones will to God.    In this state your memory, will and reason can still be distracted.

The third is the devotion of union.  This state is the absorption of self to God.  This leads to a state of ecstasy and absorption of reason in God.  The memory and imagination can still be distracting.

The fourth is the devotion of ecstasy.  In this state consciousness of one being in the body ends.  All sense activity ceases including memory and imagination.  This is the highest level of mystical experience.

THOMAS MERTON

Thomas Merton was a Catholic Priest and mystic.  He greatly inspired both Catholic and Protestants alike.  He wrote more than 70 books most of which are available to read today.  He was influenced by Meister Eckhart realizing the necessity of inner stillness as a means of letting God in.  He also practiced spiritual contemplation and meditation.

Merton believed the was to God and self-realization was to be yourself.   In this he felt that to know God you had to know yourself.  Being yourself was understanding that you are love by God and are love yourself in God.

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Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon was born in Essex England in 1844.  He became one of the pastors at New Park Street Chapel in Southwark England at the young age of 19.  Within a few short year Spurgeon was the most sought after and well known preacher in England.  He took every opportunity to preach and the messages in his sermons focused on the Gospel message and the absolute necessity of regular prayer.  He especially emphasized praying for one specific issue at a time rather than several things at one.  He taught a commitment to seeking the person of God with singleness of mind.  Believing you already received what you were praying for in faith was key to having prayers fully answered.  Spurgeon left behind over a 5000 volume library and thousands of handwritten sermons.  His sermons still inspire Christians today and his is known as the "Prince of Preachers".

Meister Eckhart

Meister Eckhart was born in 1260 near what today is Gotha Germany.  He was a theologian, scholar and mystic.  He was  Dominican monk and his sermons were directed to those under his pastoral care as well as fellow Dominicans and nuns.  His sermons were notable for dealing with mans inner life and mystical relationship with God.  His focus was generally on the creative power of disinterest and detachment and the importance of inner stillness.  He was inwardly enlightened and experienced union with God and the soul.  As a preacher his efforts were designed to lead others to the same state of mind and soul.   Eckhart preached inner stillness as the vehicle give yourself over to God.  He thought that the path to God required singleness of mind.  This could only be accomplished by inner silence and stillness without which our  minds are bound to wander, totally beyond our control..  By focusing on God with inner stillness we could let God in.

Dag Hammarskjold

 Dag Hammarskjold was a Swedish diplomat whose family lineage had served the Swedish Monarchy since the 17^th century.  His father had served as the Prime Minister of Sweden.  He had spent his life in public service and believed there was no worthier way than to spend one’s life in the service of God and humanity.  Although he came from a privileged class he spent his life in humility and service. 

In 1953 during a radio interview soon after being Appointed Secretary General of the United Nation Dag Hammarskjold made the following statement: “ "But the explanation of how man should live a life of active social service in full harmony with himself as a member of the community of spirit, I found in the writings of those great medieval mystics [Meister Eckhart and Saint John of the Cross for whom 'self-surrender' had been the way to self-realization, and who in 'singleness of mind' and 'inwardness' had found strength to say yes to every demand which the needs of their neighbors made them face, and to say yes also to every fate life had in store for them when they followed the call of duty as they understood it."

Dag Hammarskjold was a mountain climber and compared his Christian walk to mountain climbing.  He kept a diary of what he called, “A sort of white book concerning my negotiations with myself and God”.  After his death his writings were turned into a book titled Markings.  Markings is full of spiritual wisdom and provides inspiration in overcoming the many difficulties we face throughout our lives.

Markings is available from a link on my “books” page.

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