Franklin Graham tried one more time to ask the question—one of the simplest yet profound questions you’ll ever encounter—but a continuous applause kept getting in the way.
Hundreds had already streamed down the aisles in response to the Gospel message, crowding the floor at the Bartow Arena.
This was youth night at the Greater Birmingham Festival of Hope, and each time a new wave of people came forward—a majority between 10 and 18—spontaneous cheering broke out from those left in the stands from many who had been praying for changed hearts and lives.
“Are you sure?” Franklin Graham asked, almost pleading with the audience to stress the severity of the moment. “Are you sure your sins are forgiven?”
Franklin Graham then stopped himself, telling a packed house of more than 8,000 it’s not enough to just “think” you’re sure.
“I’m not talking about thinking so,” Franklin Graham continued. “Are you absolutely 100 percent convinced your sins are forgiven?
“This is your life. This is your soul. This is your spirit. And it’s hanging in the balance. Make sure tonight, it’s in the hands of God.”
After more than 300 prayed to make decisions for Christ Saturday night, a thunderous standing ovation, celebrating the new believers, put an exclamation point on the evening.
“The Bible tells us that heaven rejoices if even one sinner repents,” Franklin Graham said. “All of heaven is rejoicing tonight.”
Add Katherine Whitley to that list.
The 24-year-old from Birmingham counseled a teenager, Constance, who traveled several hours with her youth group from Mississippi.
She told Katherine she drifted far from God the past few years but was starting to feel the Holy Spirit work on her heart over the last few months.
“She had been in a couple hard relationships,” Katherine said. “But she felt called to come back to God tonight.
“Everything that Franklin was saying it was like God was speaking to her.”
And the same Gospel message was resonating with an online audience of more than 14,000, leading to another 300-plus decisions for Christ. The Festival of Hope was seen in more than 100 countries and territories at BillyGraham.org/Live, spreading the hope of Christ to all corners of the globe.
Some of the comments included:
Jasmine, watching from France: “Thank you for this wonderful moment and for this powerful message.”
Jean Bell said: “I’m watching from the Island of Grenada in the Caribbean. That’s what I am talking about. No compromise. The pure and unchangeable Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Alice Henderson posted from Colorado Springs: “I grew up listening to Billy Graham. My parents took me when I was a few months old in L.A. Love what God is doing through Franklin and all these wonderful young people.”
Bill Newman added: “Count on our prayers here in Australia for Birmingham.”
Brian Lankard had been praying for a Franklin Graham Festival to come to the South for years. Then he heard the news that the Good News was coming to Birmingham.
Only problem: Lankard lives 180 miles away, north of Atlanta in Cumming, Georgia.
But that didn’t stop him from being involved. He not only took training to become a counselor, he distributed over 1,000 invites to restaurants and stores around Georgia.
“This is an answer to my prayer,” he said, beaming about Saturday’s advance of the Kingdom. “This response is awesome.”
The night was filled with high-energy music that engaged a mostly youthful crowd. Lacey, Flame, Dae-Lee and the Newsboys didn’t just bring their musical talents, but each spoke about the message of hope that carried the night.
“Love and love and love,” Newsboys’ Michael Tait told the crowd. “Then pray and pray and pray.”
