This past Wednesday I was privileged to go to a very cool event in Toronto, the launch of the 'Festival of Hope'. This will be a three day event at the Air Canada Centre, September 12-14, where Franklin Graham will preach the gospel message. His father did it in 1995, now he's doing it. His father brought DC Talk and Michael W. Smith. Franklin is bringing Lecrae, the Newsboys, Michael W. Smith (for round 2!), Kari Jobe, Thousand Foot Krutch, and the City Harmonic.
There are three different reactions I think we can have as Christians.
The first is that I'm sure many of us will feel a draw to attend - after all, it's Franklin Graham and a bunch of fantastic Christian artists! But we have to remember the biggest thing - this event is not for us. It is for us to bring our friends, family, neighbours, co-workers, hockey buddies, etc... It is an opportunity for them to hear the gospel message in a clear and unintimidating way (it's at the ACC, not at a church). If we show up as Christians without bringing someone who needs to hear the gospel message, then we're just taking up a valuable seat.
On other other end of the spectrum are those who will be cynical. For a lot of Christians, myself included, it can be easy to think of this as 'one of those cheesy televangelist/crusade events that don't work anymore". But that's not the case. First off, it's not just a weekend event. There is a whole slew of events and activities planned for the months leading up to the September weekend. You can find it all at www.festivalofhope.ca. The goal is to get as many churches as possible to be active in this, to reach out to their individual communities, and to work together...and that's a pretty great way to spread the gospel!
Secondly, it's Franklin Graham, with the Billy Graham name behind him. It's not about him of course, because it's God that will change people. But let's be honest, a name garners attention, and the bigger the name, the more interest it generates - for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Thirdly, I loved what Franklin shared. His father Billy always says that there are three keys to any major event like this - prayer, prayer, and prayer. This event is being doused in prayer from thousands of people across the GTA, for months.
The third reaction would be the perfect one - we're excited about the event, and we're already thinking and praying about who we can invite. If you fall into this category, NICE! Inspire others to follow your lead!
This is going to be huge, with lives won for Christ. I'm excited. It's great to see churches coming together to work on a huge initiative like this. It's great to see so much prayer happening for the lost. It's great to see Christians excited about possibilities. It's great to see a big scale event that you know will have a wow-factor happening at the ACC. And I encourage you and your church to get involved and pray. Check out the Festival of Hope website.
One last thing, a sidenote. I arrived early on Wednesday for a press conference. As we were sitting waiting, a gentleman walked in and started shaking everyone's hand and getting their names. I was sitting closest to the door so I was first. As I looked up at the man, I thought, "This looks a lot like Franklin Graham...but it couldn't be...could it?" I was just so surprised that he stopped and chatted with each one of us instead of going straight for the mics to make his big announcement...especially as he was SO busy that day. That's something that will stick with me for a long time, and it says a lot about Franklin's character.
There are three different reactions I think we can have as Christians.
The first is that I'm sure many of us will feel a draw to attend - after all, it's Franklin Graham and a bunch of fantastic Christian artists! But we have to remember the biggest thing - this event is not for us. It is for us to bring our friends, family, neighbours, co-workers, hockey buddies, etc... It is an opportunity for them to hear the gospel message in a clear and unintimidating way (it's at the ACC, not at a church). If we show up as Christians without bringing someone who needs to hear the gospel message, then we're just taking up a valuable seat.
Secondly, it's Franklin Graham, with the Billy Graham name behind him. It's not about him of course, because it's God that will change people. But let's be honest, a name garners attention, and the bigger the name, the more interest it generates - for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Thirdly, I loved what Franklin shared. His father Billy always says that there are three keys to any major event like this - prayer, prayer, and prayer. This event is being doused in prayer from thousands of people across the GTA, for months.
The third reaction would be the perfect one - we're excited about the event, and we're already thinking and praying about who we can invite. If you fall into this category, NICE! Inspire others to follow your lead!
This is going to be huge, with lives won for Christ. I'm excited. It's great to see churches coming together to work on a huge initiative like this. It's great to see so much prayer happening for the lost. It's great to see Christians excited about possibilities. It's great to see a big scale event that you know will have a wow-factor happening at the ACC. And I encourage you and your church to get involved and pray. Check out the Festival of Hope website.
One last thing, a sidenote. I arrived early on Wednesday for a press conference. As we were sitting waiting, a gentleman walked in and started shaking everyone's hand and getting their names. I was sitting closest to the door so I was first. As I looked up at the man, I thought, "This looks a lot like Franklin Graham...but it couldn't be...could it?" I was just so surprised that he stopped and chatted with each one of us instead of going straight for the mics to make his big announcement...especially as he was SO busy that day. That's something that will stick with me for a long time, and it says a lot about Franklin's character.
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