More than 6.000 people have attended a Gospel rally in Portugal’s second biggest city of Porto called The Celebration of Hope. It was hosted by Billy Graham’s evangelist grandson Will Graham who will hold a similar event on the Gold Coast next month.
Nearly 500 of those who attended the Porto outreach responded to an invitation to get to know Jesus personally, or to ask for prayer or ask further questions following the event which coincided with Portugal’s Freedom Day, marking 50 years since the country embraced democracy.
Will Graham preached a message using the example of King Manassah from 2 Kings 21. “He was one of the most wicked people, but he asked for forgiveness and God forgave him. He was a wicked king who came out of exile and ruled as a good king because God changed his heart. It doesn’t matter what you have done in life, God is always willing to give us a second chance. Manassah was one of the most wicked people who ever lived but he changed,” he told the crowd.
Christian Daily Europe reports his assessment of faith in Portugal is that the people are very religious with 80% of them Catholic, prompting the preacher to observe: “Sometimes people put their hope in religion instead of a personal relationship with God and think if they just go to church, whether that’s Catholic or Protestant, or Presbyterian, whatever it is, that that will get them to heaven.”
The evangelist cited: “A man in the Bible exemplifying that truth is Nicodemus in John 3.” He pointed out that this very religious, devout, sincere and faithful man needed to be born again as Jesus told him. “Nicodemus had a hard time understanding that and the Bible never says whether he did or didn’t get born again. But we see him later at the empty tomb and I believe that he did come to know Jesus personally,” Will Graham explained, adding: “I see the same thing in Portugal. It is very religious but putting hope and trust in religion is not the same as putting hope and trust personally in the person of Jesus Christ.”
He shared about his own faith journey telling how he religiously attended Sunday School as a boy: “My grandaddy was Billy Graham and I believed in God. But my dad Franklin explained to me when I was six years old that that was not enough. I had to ask Jesus Christ to come into my life.”
“I realised that I was a sinner and had done things that disappointed God and I had never asked God to forgive me. I believed in Him, but I had never asked Jesus to personally come into my life, and that’s the difference between religion and a personal relationship with God. What is required is for us to put our faith in Jesus Christ and surrender our lives to Him,” the evangelist declared.
He will host the Gold Coast Look Up Celebration with Will Graham on June 29. More than 120 people representing over 85 different churches from across Australia’s sixth biggest city gathered in February to officially launch the evangelistic outreach at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. As in Porto it will feature music from worship leader Taya and American rock band The Afters.
The evangelist said ahead of the event: “As we look at the world around us, many individuals are experiencing fear and anxiety. They are looking for meaning and purpose. People want to know they matter. The answer to all of these struggles can be found in Jesus Christ. I’m coming to the Gold Coast to share how we can find hope, peace and love, not just for today, but for eternity.”
The event represents a continuation of Will Graham’s commitment to Australia, where he has preached regularly since 2010. His ministry has included outreaches in Hobart, Launceston, Broken Hill, Alice Springs and Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Pastor Sue Baynes, Pastoral Adviser in the Office of the Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, said: “Just as Billy Graham changed the faith landscape over 60 years ago, so we say, ‘Yes Lord, do it again.’”
Photo: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
