B.G.

On February 21, 2018, Billy Graham passed away at the age of 99. According to the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, he "preached the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories—through various meetings, including Mission World and Global Mission. Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film, and webcasts." There are not too many people in the world who have not heard of Billy Graham. In fact, you can still watch replays of his many crusades on television. Seeing hundreds of people answer his call for them to come to faith in Jesus Christ makes one wonder if that is what it looked like during the early days of the Church when thousands responded to the message of the Gospel being preached by the Apostles. In Acts 4:4, it reads, "But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand." It is the work of Billy Graham and the reminder of what happened in the first century that spurs on Christians to talk about the need for a "revival." There is nothing more important than for a person to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. However, there is something of vital importance that comes after a person is saved, but far too many Christians do not experience. That is understanding the fullness of the Gospel. By that, I mean your identity in Christ; who you are and what you have in the eyes of God. Back around the turn of the century, I had been a Christian for a few years at best. Like the baby in Christ, I was at the time, I was searching for answers to help me understand my faith. And just like a child, I was putting everything and anything in my "spiritual mouth." Some of it was good, but most of it bad. I didn't have any real direction at the time, including from the church I was attending. However, there was one day when I turned on Christian radio during my drive home from work. What I heard would change my life as a Christian. The host of a Christian counseling program was answering a question when he responded to the caller by saying, "Don't take my word for it, I could be lying to you." My ears perked up. In all my short time as a Christian and even in my life prior to becoming a Christian, when I was attending church, I had never heard anybody say something like that. While most teachers would encourage people to check out what they were saying against scripture, nobody ever said it like this. Who was this man? It wasn't Billy Graham. Nor was it some other famous Christian teacher; at least to my knowledge. No, it was another man with the same initials as Billy Graham. His name was Bob George.

Bob George, or as those who have come to benefit from his teaching affectionately call him, BG, was a pastor and counselor based in Texas. Over the next few years of listening to him, I came to understand the meaning of phrases like the "finality of the cross" and the "reality of the Resurrection." In basic terms, it meant I started to understand that because of the death of Jesus Christ I was completely forgiven of all my sins; past, present, and future. Over time I came to realize that religious practices like confession booths, saying repetitive prayers, answering altar calls, keeping short accounts or claiming 1 John 1:9 is for Christians were all unnecessary. God was no longer holding my sins against me. I also learned that salvation was God restoring His life, lost when Adam sinned in the Garden, to me as a free gift through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Putting God's forgiveness together with Him restoring His life to me, meant that I had eternal life and my sins would never again come between me and my God. But, it gets even better. Because of this truth, I could get to know my God and He would be able to get to know me! I believe that the second most important mission field is setting Christians free from the bondage of trying to live a life of obedience and repentance to rules designed to keep them trying to live a life they cannot live in order to please an already pleased God. It is pure insanity to try to obtain and maintain through works what you have already been freely given by God through faith in Jesus Christ. Bob George was the vessel God used to set me free from myself so I could approach God with confidence. He may not have reached 215 million people like Billy Graham. He may not have led 5,000 people to Christ in one day. But God only knows how many Christians he has set free in Christ through his radio ministry and best selling book, Classic Christianity. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).” God used Bob George to teach me the meaning of what it is to rest in Christ's finished work so I could learn from Him. I am eternally grateful for what Bob George has meant to me and my walk with the Lord. I would not be the Christian I am today without his influence on my life. On Friday, June 1, 2018, Bob George went home to be with the Lord at the age of 85. I can only imagine what must have gone through his mind to be in the presence of Jesus Christ and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23)." Perhaps, Bob and Billy are sitting with Jesus reminiscing about what the Lord did through them during their time on earth. Thank you, Jesus!