He couldn’t be with them in person, so he improvised.
Tuesday night, Will Graham shared a live message of hope with Canadians and others around the world in a special online event.
The online Celebration with Will Graham was Plan B after this fall’s outreach events in Sudbury and London, Ontario, were postponed due to COVID-19 safety measures. Churches partnering with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) in both cities promoted the livestream.
>>Watch a replay of the Celebration livestream with Will Graham.
A thousand-plus miles away in a cozy brick warehouse in Gastonia, North Carolina, Graham encouraged viewers that they weren’t alone.
God is always there.
Decorative window frames suspended from the high ceilings filled the space above as The Afters performed. The Christian band frequently travels with Will Graham to lead worship during Celebrations.
After several songs, Will Graham preached from 2 Samuel, recounting the story of when King David’s son, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar. Out of anger, David’s other son, Absalom, murdered Amnon and fled to Jerusalem.
After three years of mourning, David’s heart softened, and he allowed Absalom back into the city.
“God didn’t want us to be separated from Him like David’s son was,” Will Graham said. He welcomes us back even though we’ve sinned.
“God is always trying to restore the people He loves to Himself,” Graham added. “That’s one thing I love about God. He always comes to rescue.”
This Gospel message of redemption reached nearly 30,000 people in 45 countries via livestream.
It couldn’t be more timely in 2020.
The Afters lead singer Josh Havens acknowledged this, telling online viewers, “Our world right now is a broken and hurting place. And all we need right now is the hope of Jesus.”
The Bible says in 2 Samuel 14:14 that God will make a way for us to find Him. He doesn’t leave us; we leave Him.
“God has devised a plan for you to come to Him so you can know for sure where you’ll spend eternity,” Graham assured.
Before wrapping up, he invited viewers to take that next step—to make a decision for Christ.
When we’ve had enough of trying to do life without Him, Graham said, “Christ will change our heart from the inside out.”
Are you feeling far from God? Come to Him.
