Changed | Billy Graham TV Special I was always told that I would amount to nothing. If you tell a person that continually, that's what you believe, that you're worthless. The bullying was ((music playing)) very bad, and it was just beyond what I could handle. She just really just kind of shut down. ((music playing)) I had a lot of alcohol problems, anger and bitterness problems. Yeah, I could snap like that. We heard that Billy Graham was coming. >> ((music playing)) >> We hated Christianity, and he stood for what everything we hated. The only reason I went to that crusade was to kill Billy Graham. People want change, but what do you do if you can't get the change you need most? Down deep inside something was missing, but I didn't know the answers. If something ((music playing)) didn't change, I was headed for big trouble. Something's not right, and you know that deep down in your heart you've got to change. The human race has one shared problem. Uh we're all sinners before God. The Bible says all of us have sinned, every last one of us, and we've all come short of his glory. And the penalty of sin is death. We don't have the answer to the problem of ((music playing)) sin. Uh we cannot save ourselves. We need a redeemer, a rescuer, someone who can change us from the inside out. But just because we need something doesn't mean we want it. Sometimes we fight against the very thing we need the most. I was always told that I would amount to nothing, and that I'd end up on the streets. If you tell a person that continually, that's what you believe, that you're worthless, you're useless. >> ((music playing)) >> The story really starts when I was 7 and 1/2, when in 1949 my father died. He just finished planting 100 cherry trees, and then I had a heart attack and was taken to hospital. And I never forget when I was told that my dad had died, I just couldn't handle it. And I remember running up into the top paddock. I screamed at God, "God, I hate you. I hate you with all my heart. I hate you, and I will never love you." >> ((music playing)) >> Hatred, I found, is like a cancer. It doesn't ((music playing)) stay dormant, it grows. I was just so angry with God. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> I had a vile temper. I really did. If anyone did anything to me, I'd pick up a chisel and throw it. We had a a big gang fight. We captured the leader of the other gang, and we held his hand on the ground, and we ran a car backwards and forwards over his hand, and broke every bone in his hand. It's all I ever thought of was hurting people. We heard that Billy Graham was coming. He was a man that I hated. We hated Christianity, and he stood for what everything we hated. I do not believe that you have come here to hear a man. I believe you have come to hear a message. I want you to listen to this minute of what I'm going to say, because this is the most important thing I'll say. >> ((music playing)) >> You must be willing to repent of your sin. Billy Graham stood for everything that I detested. It was something that drove me and made me exist day by day. >> ((music playing)) >> The only reason the 10 of us went to that crusade was to ((music playing)) kill Billy Graham. I made up 10 zip guns, so each member had one of those. I said to the guys, "Come, we're going on the green." And we spaced ourselves so that we could see each other around where Billy Graham was preaching. We decided that we would leave it until the appeal time, not before, but during the appeal we would kill Billy Graham. There are thousands of you here today that have burdens that need to be lifted. My gun was under my jumper, and I'm standing there, and I looked around at this crowd, and I thought, "What the dickens are all these people doing here?" And I turned back around, and then suddenly a voice said to me, "What are you doing here, George?" And I quickly turned back around to have a look and see who was there, and nobody was there that I knew. And I got very uncomfortable about that, I can tell you, very uncomfortable. The spirit of God is speaking, and he's here tonight, and you know he's here, and there's a little voice down inside of you that says you need Christ. That is God speaking. Okay, I know this is you, God. You took my dad. You hurt me so much. Why should I love you? Why should I care about you? And God said to me, "George, I didn't take your dad to hurt you." And indeed he said, "I would never hurt you, full stop." >> ((music playing)) >> Well, by this time I'm starting to melt a bit. Now, remember that I hadn't cried since 7 and 1/2. I tell you before you leave this great stadium, you can find an answer to the dilemmas, the mysteries of life, if you will come and surrender yourself without reservation to Jesus Christ. I thought about it for a while, and then the appeal came. I suddenly began to weep. And I cried, ((music playing)) and I cried, and I cried. My zip gun was under my jumper, and I put it on the ground, and I ran to the front. >> ((music playing)) >> There may be many factors that led you to this moment, but there is a climactic moment when you give your life to Christ. And you do it by faith, faith in Christ. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> The amazing thing was that nine out of the 10 of us got converted that night. >> ((music playing)) >> Then we were all a blubbering mess. We really were. And we talked about, you know, how wrong we were, and the things we'd done, and all this. It was quite a night, let me tell you, quite a night. >> ((music playing)) >> God took this person that hated him with >> ((music playing)) >> every part of his being. Yet God took him and loved him. It's amazing how God can take a situation like like we were in, and he can change your life completely. And I thank him every day for that. I really do. >> ((music playing)) >> We live in a world of change. Every day we're confronted with new things that promise to improve our lives. People want change for the better. Self-help programs, methods to lose weight, reduce anxiety, get rich. But what do you do if you can't get the change you need most? I had problems in my life that nobody else knew about. Down deep inside there was something that was missing. But God almighty will come in, and he will change your life from the inside out. I knew that something big was happening in me. >> ((music playing)) >> My mom was homeless on the streets in Sydney. She struggled with mental illness as far as I'm aware. I never got to meet my biological mom. I was put into an orphanage for the first 4 months of my life. As I grew into my early 20s, I was liked by a lot of people. But even when there was people around me, I still felt lonely. I had a lot of alcohol problems, uh a lot of anger and bitterness problems. Yeah, I could snap like that. I knew it was a problem, but I didn't know the answers. I was going out with a girl. Her mom asked her to go to this event. And it was a Christian event, and I just wasn't into that. And she said, "It won't hurt you." I said, "How do you know that?" >> [applause and music] >> So, I went along because my girlfriend asked me to go along. >> [music and applause] >> And I heard preachers preaching that God loves me. God loves you, and God is willing to forgive you. He's willing to cancel your debt and set you free. And I was like, ((music playing)) "Love?" People say they love you, but their actions ((music playing)) don't back it up. But Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanse us from all sin. By his blood, you can have a new life, a new start. But you've got to be willing to come to God through Jesus Christ. When Franklin Graham said, "Today is the day of salvation. One day you're going to take your last breath. Whether you like it or not, it's going to happen. And today is the day you can be forgiven for everything you thought, said, or done. So, I want you to run to the ((music playing)) front if you want that peace." That's what I did. I got up, and I ran ((music playing)) to the front. I remember meeting my wife. We shared about at what point ((music playing)) did I come to salvation. She said, "My mom and dad and family, we were there." I just remember this guy just racing to the front. >> ((music playing)) >> I said, "No way, that wasn't you." Unbeknownst to me, my future wife was up in the grandstands praying for me. There is no way man can organize that. ((music playing)) It's called a miracle. We thank you, Lord, for the opportunity that you give us to go down there and love our community and to be representatives of you, Lord Father. Love in action! >> ((music playing)) >> We provide food, we have haircuts, we have showers, free clothing, chaplains, and volunteers that come together each Thursday night to serve our community. You got it. Yeah, mate. Yeah. Excellent. Do you want a meal in a cup? Coffee, six sugars? People in the world uh >> ((music playing)) >> not really wanting anything to do with God because they're hurt by people who say that they're a follower of Christ, >> ((music playing)) >> but they don't have the action of it. And love is not easy. That's okay. >> ((music playing)) >> When you get a plate full of food thrown in your face, when you get threatened with iron bars, when you get spat on, and you just want to love them. Can I get everybody's attention, please? So, God has a purpose for us being here. That's to tell you about God's one and only son, Jesus Christ. That's what God asked us to do is to ((music playing)) go out and share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ cuz that is where hope ((music playing)) is. You heard me speak over the last couple of weeks regarding the Will Graham Look Up Celebration on the Gold Coast on Saturday. We've got a 53-seater bus coming here to the Beenleigh train station. The Will Graham Look Up Celebration is exciting because it creates the environment where people can have a conversation around God with their neighbors. Good to see you, brother. Good to see you, mate. >> ((music playing)) >> We can allow God to use Will Graham and the team to save our friends. Will be the last one? No, you're not. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. >> ((music playing)) >> We're excited about what God's going to do in their lives tonight. >> ((cheering)) ((music playing)) ((applause)) >> Jesus Christ died on the cross in my place, and then I asked for his forgiveness, and he said, "I'm trading places with you. I'm going to die, and you're going to live." That's what Jesus did. So, I get to go to heaven >> ((applause)) >> not because anything that Will Graham did. I'm going to heaven because Jesus stood in my place. And tonight, my friends, Jesus wants to come into your life and forgive you of your sin. All you have to do is to receive it as a gift. There's so many of you here today, your life can change forever by making this one decision ((music playing)) to follow Jesus Christ. This is why we're here right now. >> ((music playing)) >> This is your chance. Are you willing to do it? >> ((music playing)) >> I'm going to ask you to get out of your seat and just come and stand right down here. You come. >> ((music playing)) >> When I saw some of those people come running down, it reminded me of how urgent that is. Dear Lord Jesus, I am sorry for my sins. I want to trust and follow you. >> ((music playing)) >> Thank you for giving me a second chance. Amen. >> ((music playing)) >> I'm excited about the ripple effect, how it's going to affect them, their family, ((music playing)) their friends, and this nation. God loves U-turns. >> ((music playing)) ((applause)) >> Question I'm often asked, does the change of heart last? Do people that make decisions at these evangelistic events really last? I don't believe that everyone who comes forward is coming for the same reasons. And some do fall ((music playing)) away. Jesus described that. But there are people that come forward that are sincerely ((music playing)) repenting of their sins and putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And I believe those salvations last for eternity. Over the years, we have seen the stories of tens of thousands of people whose lives have been dramatically changed. Louis Zamperini was a Olympic hero who went to the war in during World War II, captured by the Japanese, and spent the war in a Japanese concentration camp. Zamperini, who was featured in the book Unbroken and the movie Unbroken, I went forward in my father's meeting 1949 in Los Angeles. And here's an example of a life that is changed. He went home that night, he took his pornography, threw it in the trash, >> ((music playing)) >> uh he took his whiskey, he dumped it down the sink. He went and found a Bible that had been given to him when he was in the service, and he started reading God's word that night, and he never looked back one time. The Bible says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new." God is in the business of changing lives, and it can happen in an instant. If something didn't change, I was headed for big trouble. >> ((music playing)) >> In like sixth grade, the bullying was like very bad, and it was just beyond what I could handle. >> ((music playing)) >> Molly is not your typical teenage girl. She's a pretty um active um outdoorsy type of a girl. She'll go hunting with her father and shooting, ((music playing)) and she definitely felt like she didn't fit in. I heard that a lot from her. Kids called me names, and >> ((music playing)) >> they would tease me a lot. >> ((music playing)) >> It made me feel worthless and lowered my self-confidence. When you're going to school and you're being picked on ((music playing)) every single day, you kind of fear for your life a little bit. It makes you scared, and you don't want to go. She was ((music playing)) throwing up every day. She just really just kind of shut down and didn't want to go to school, didn't want to see people, didn't want to do anything. >> ((music playing)) >> We were really concerned of of Molly and how she was feeling inside. I >> ((music playing)) >> didn't really tell anybody, but I wasn't sure I wanted to live anymore. >> ((music playing)) >> I just wanted to leave ((music playing)) and just go away. I didn't feel like I should live. I eventually changed schools. I started going to a Christian school. There was an announcement about going to a Franklin Graham event ((music playing)) and a group of four of us decided to go. >> ((applause)) >> Remember this. Can't remember anything else, remember this. God loves you. He loves you. >> ((applause)) >> When I saw all these people at the rally, I knew it ((music playing)) was where I needed to be and it felt really good. Everyone has a decision to make concerning life and death. He talked about like making a decision so you would know where you would go. The decision is between two futures. It's either heaven with almighty God or it's hell separated from God for eternity. Repent of your sin. And by faith believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and trust him as your savior. >> ((music playing)) >> Jesus Christ took our sins because he loves you. This is God's great love. He's offering salvation. He's offering forgiveness. He's offering cleansing. But you've got to be willing to accept it. >> ((music playing)) >> What Franklin said at the rally really gave me hope. I really understood Jesus has died on the cross so he could take our sins away and so ((music playing)) I decided to pray the prayer along with them. Dear God, I'm a sinner. I'm sorry for my sins. Forgive me. >> ((cheering)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) >> Since I've made that decision, I found a church family and a wonderful youth group ((music playing)) and I've decided to get baptized this summer. >> [music and singing] >> She came back a changed individual and she had a ripple effect on ((music playing)) on us. We've all made the decision as family to commit ((music playing)) to follow Christ and to be baptized. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((cheering)) >> You can leave tonight forgiven, changed with a brand new heart, a new life, a new beginning. You can start over, but you've got to be willing ((music playing)) to take this step of faith. >> ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) >> You say to Franklin, I don't have the power in me to change. But tonight you surrender your life to Christ. With Christ living in your heart, he will have the power to change you. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) [singing] ((music playing)) [singing] >> People see me now and they look at me and they're like, are you the same kid, you know, are you the same person? Amalia, you can come right in. We'll just come in on that ((music playing)) instead of playing >> Over the last four years, I've been involved in different things at the church. >> [singing] ((music playing)) [singing] >> Sharing the hope that I have with all my friends is definitely an important thing to me. >> ((music playing)) >> I want to share the love and hope that Christ has given me with them. >> ((music playing)) >> Looking back, I felt worthless and done. And I see other people looking like that now and I want them to feel what I feel now. I want them to feel ((music playing)) worthy and loved and worth it. >> ((music playing)) >> Maybe as you've been watching changed and you've seen the stories, heard the testimonies, and you say to yourself, I want this. You can have it right now. Our God will change you right now in an instant. But you've got to come to him his way and that's through faith in ((music playing)) his son Jesus Christ. If you're willing to turn from your sins and believe on the name of Jesus Christ, you'll be saved, forgiven, changed for eternity. And if you'd like to experience that, ((music playing)) just pray this prayer with me. Do it right now. Just say, "Dear God, I'm a sinner. I'm sorry for my sins. Forgive me. I believe Jesus Christ is your son. I believe that he died for my sins, that you raised him from the grave, and I want to invite him to come into my heart to live and to reign from this day forward forevermore. >> ((music playing)) >> And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. >> ((music playing)) >> Here at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and we just thank you for partnering with ((music playing)) us and standing beside us as we take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Partner ((music playing)) with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in this mission of proclaiming the gospel through every means ((music playing)) available. With internet evangelism, we reach the world with the good news 24 ((music playing)) hours a day. Our rapid response chaplains step into the midst of ((music playing)) tragedy to offer hope to the hurting. And we continue to share God's love to those who need Jesus Christ through Franklin Graham festivals and Will Graham ((music playing)) celebrations. Partner with us through your prayers and financial ((music playing)) support. Visit billygraham.tv or call 877-567-8989. >> ((music playing)) >> As a thank you, we'll send you a special gift from the Billy Graham Library selection featuring titles from this series of inspiring ((music playing)) authors. Partner with us by calling now or go to billygraham.tv. >> ((music playing)) >> Hi, I'm Cissie Graham ((music playing)) Lynch. Step into the extraordinary story of my grandfather Billy Graham and experience first hand the life changing power of his message. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should In spite of our sin, God said, "I love you." >> ((music playing)) >> This journey offers inspiration and excitement for everyone in your family, even the kids. >> ((music playing)) >> I'm on the ambassador to proclaim As our guest, you'll see how God worked through a humble farm boy >> ((music playing)) >> to share his message of love to people around the world. There's hope. There's joy. There's purpose. There's meaning. State of the art technology ((music playing)) brings you a glimpse of the people he met and the places he reached with the good news of Jesus Christ. Browse through ((music playing)) Christ-centered gifts and Ruth's Attic Bookstore and enjoy a meal or specialty ((music playing)) coffee at the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar. You can tour the Graham family homeplace and then ((music playing)) spend time reflecting in the Memorial Prayer Garden where my grandparents Billy and Ruth Graham are laid to rest. I was in love, not only in love, something Admission is free. Come and be refreshed ((music playing)) by one man's remarkable journey of faith and see what God may ((music playing)) have in store for you at the Billy Graham Library.