The Mustard Seed

The Mustard Seed Miracle - the Moving of Mokattam Mountain

 

'And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him.' Hebrews 11:6

Every year, on 27th November, the Coptic Church in Egypt celebrates the Mustard Seed Miracle - the moving of Mokattam Mountain. The miracle took place between 975 and 979 AD during the papacy of Pope Abram Ebn-Zaraa, the 62nd Patriarch of the Egyptian Coptic Church. Yaqub Ibn Yusuf Ibn Killis, a Muslim convert from Judaism went to the Caliph reminding him of what Jesus had said and recorded in Matthew 17:20 "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

They both contrived a plan to expose the church and find an excuse to persecute the Christians by challenging them to a test of their faith, to move Mokattam Mountain located at the outskirts of Cairo.

When the patriarch received the challenge, he conveyed the congregation to the Church of St Mary to prayer and fasting, supplicating God. On the third day, the virgin Mary appeared to Patriarch Abram and told him of a holy man named Simon the Tanner, at whose hands the miracle will be effected. The entourage led by Simon met with the Caliph El-Muizz and all the government officials and nobles at the foot of the mountain.

The Coptic Christians knelt to pray at the foot of the mountain. Every time the congregation said, 'Kyria-Layson' Lord have mercy and lifting up their bowed heads, the mountain would be lifted up. When they bowed down, the mountain was lowered down.

The Caliph and his men, stood in awe and trepidation at the sight. Finally he said, "Great is your God and blessed is His name. You have proved that your faith is the true and living faith." From then on the Coptic Christians were free to worship in Egypt and they built many churches. 

How many of us believed that the miracle did take place? Can a mountain be moved. Whatever we believe, the miracle ignited the faith of the Coptic Christians and they strived notwithstanding centuries of persecution.

This week the Coptic Church will be celebrating this miracle. Many of us are impressed, enamored, by spectacular miracles. BUT the central focus of Jesus' comment is not the miracle to move a mountain but the faith in Him, the faith that provided the miracle of salvation for those who believe. We should draw our attention not to quantity, amount or strength of faith but the object of our faith, the person of Jesus Christ. 

The Mustard Seed is only 1 to 2 mm in diameter. It should not have taken much faith to believe, yet it does even to doubting Thomas, who having lived with Jesus and heard all His teaching still insisted to verify the facts of Jesus' resurrection before he would believe. Thomas insisted on touching Jesus hands and sides, His wounds before he would believe. John 20:29 recorded Jesus remarks to doubting Thomas, "Because you have seen you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and believed."

So little faith is required, yet it is so hard for many to believe in Jesus.

What is faith? The Bible defines faith as

'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do  not see.' Hebrews 11:1

This was the lesson that Doubting Thomas learned as the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in that upper room. Even a mustard seed size of faith will do but Thomas did not even have that.

Jesus often chided the disciples for their lack of faith. Once a storm broke when they were in a boat. Jesus was asleep and the disciples were afraid that they would drown. They woke Jesus up and he quietened the waters of the Sea of Galilee. 

'A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" he got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:37-40

There will be times when our faith, yes even the foundation of our belief in Jesus Christ will be tested. We will come through these trials brilliantly by the faith of our beliefs. St Peter wrote from his experience,

'So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - although your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world ' 1 Peter 1:6-7

Our faith will anchor our salvation

'You love Him (Jesus) even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.' 1 Peter 1:8-9 

   

Indeed let us celebrate the joy of our salvation, there are '10000 reasons' to worship and rejoice with exceeding great joy. Bless the Lord O my soul.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

O my soul, worship His holy Name.

Sing like never before, O my soul.

I’ll worship Your holy Name.

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning;

It’s time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,

Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger,

Your Name is great and Your heart is kind;

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing,

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

And on that day when my strength is failing,

The end draws near and my time has come;

Still my soul sings Your praise unending,

Ten thousand years and then forevermore.

Bless the Lord O my soul.

Lionel

Ref 1: The Coptic Cross https://sawwaf.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-mokattam-mountain.html

Ref 2: https://contemplation-lionel.blogspot.com/2010/11/upon-this-rock.html A related article in Contemplation 

The Captain Of Our Salvation

Oberammagau Passion Play 4 Sep 2022

'All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.' Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)

On the 4 Sep 2022, 22 members and friends from Charis Methodist Church travelled to Germany to the Bavarian village of Oberammagau. Once every 10 years, the people of this village enact the Passion Play and several thousands from all over the world travelled there to watch the play, recounting from the Old Testament book of Isaiah and the New Testament's Gospels, the atoning work of Jesus Christ. 

750 years before the event, Isaiah prophesied the birth of Christ and wrote of the atoning work of the Saviour, 

'We despised Him and rejected Him; He endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him. But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that His suffering was a punishment sent by God.' Isaiah 53:3-4 (GNB) 

'But because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole by the many blows He received.'

Isaiah 53:5 (GNB)

'He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; He never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like as sheep about to be sheared, He never said a word. He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about His fate. He was put to death for the sins of our people.'

Isaiah 53:7-8 (GNB)

Both St Peter and St Paul wrote of this atonement, paid for, in Jesus Christ 

'He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.' 1 Peter 2:24

'For while we were still helpless, yet at the proper time Christ died for the ungodly. For only rarely will someone die on behalf of a righteous person (for on behalf of a good person possibly someone might even dare to die), but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' Romans 5:6-8

Henry Scougal (1650-1678) a Scottish theologian and minister, in his short classic 'The Life of God in the Soul of Man' (Ref 1) described Jesus Christ as the Captain of our Salvation. He wrote of the restored relationship that God had provided us through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. "He created us at first in a happy condition; but now that we have fallen from it, He has brought us help through the one who is mighty to save because He has committed the care of our souls to no lesser a person than the eternal Son, the Captain of our salvation." 

Writing of this restored relationship, Scougal wrote, "Happy are they whose souls are awakened to the divine life, and who are renewed in their inward spirits." He observed, "God has a tender regard for the souls of men and is infinitely willing to promote their welfare."

Jesus Christ, the Captain of our Salvation, secured our salvation. He paid the price for the penalty of our sins. What is the meaning of atonement? The original English word is derived from a combination of 'at onement.' It means to 'set as one' or to 'be reconciled.' It also means a restoration and restitution after a price is paid for a wrongdoing. 

This meaning of atonement is excellently conveyed by a song written by Don Moen. 'All We Like Sheep' reflects the core message of Jesus Christ, redeeming us from the penalty of sin, a merit we do not deserve. The song highlights the sinful nature of humanity, and like sheep we strayed from God's path. . 

It acknowledges, Romans 3:23, that we all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Yet it also conveys the hope of forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Interposed on the theme of waywardness of mankind, is a longing to return to God's presence. The song assures us that no matter how far we may have strayed, God's love and forgiveness are always available to us; such is the grace of God 

All we like sheep have gone astray

Each of us turning our own separate way

We have all sinned and

Fallen short of Your glory

But Your glory is what we desire to see

And in Your presence is where

We long to be

Oh Lord

Show us your mercy and grace

Take us to Your holy place

Forgive our sin and heal our land

We long to live

In Your presence once again

Taking our sickness, taking our pain

Jesus the sacrifice lamb has been slain

He was despised, 

Rejected by men he took our sins

Draw us near to You

Father through Jesus Your son

Let us worship before

You cleansed by Your Blood

Oh Lord

Show us your mercy and grace

Take us to Your holy place

Forgive our sin and heal our land

We long to live

In Your presence once again

Lionel

Ref 1 Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man. Crossway Short Classic, 2022

Don't Put God In The Box

'When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars that you set in place -  what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?' Psalm 8:3

Humanity limits Deity. We put God in a box, limiting his infinity to our finiteness. We perceive Him from our limited experiences, confine Him to our world views and expect Him to act within the scope of our personal preferences.

We experience God in the shallows and conceive of him with our shallow minds.  

The prophet Jonah is the Biblical example of such an attitude and behaviour. He first chose to run away from God's mission to preach to the people of Nineveh, a civilisation Jonah considered as evil and corrupt and undeserving of God's mercy and salvation. When that plan was thwarted by God's intervention, Jonah preached reluctantly but was surprised that the Ninevites repented and that God's stayed His hands at destroying the city. 

Jonah then had the audacity to complain about the mercy of God, became depressed and remorseful when his views were not considered. Even when God provide shade in his remorse, he felt that he had the right to complain and took issue with God removing the provided shade.

Jonah's attitude was an example of the pride of religious men who thought they knew better and could opined what God can and cannot do. We confine the Almighty into our own little huddle and box of limited understanding of God's universe. 

God is doing right only if He executed what we planned and conceived. Otherwise we feel that God has let us down. This was the example of the Prophet Elijah in the episodes at Mount Carmel and Mount Horeb (Sinai). 

Elijah had a spectacular, grandstanding show against the prophets of Baal. In dramatic fashion, he challenged them to a contest at Mount Carmel. With the prophets of Baal present, he asked God to bring fire from heaven to consume the altar of his sacrifice. The prophets of Baal called on their gods to do the same to no avail. But for Elijah, the Lord demonstrated His power in vivid drama, by fire which consumed Elijah's sacrifice.

Elijah had the notion that he had clearly demonstrated God's greatness so much so that the people, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel would all repent. He strutted off to the capital city, Jazreel presumably to confront king and people. He was met with indifference, no repentance happened. Instead Jezebel threatened to kill him in 24 hours. This caused Elijah to flee to Mount Horeb not only for protection but to stave off his depression and demand an explanation from God as to why Elijah's grand design did not work. 

There, in a cave on the mountain God ministered to Elijah, gently helping him to recover. God showed Elijah, His presence, not in the hurricane, earthquake nor fire but with a gentle whisper, a still small voice. 

God dealt with Elijah as so often with us, in unexpected ways. In a message entitled the Still Small Voice on 1 Kings 18 and 19, Timothy Keller eloquently expounded on experiences on Mount Carmel and Mount Sinai which is worth listening to. Timothy Keller drew three lessons:

• Do not confine God to your world view.

• God works in all sort of places,  even those not on your map that is where you least expected.

• Don't put God in your box.

Timothy quoted Elizabeth Elliot from her book Through The Gates of Splendor, "God is God and if he is God there is no place except in His will and that will always be immeasurably, unspeakably and infinitely beyond any of your largest notion about what He is about to do."

It is laughable how some of us in our conceit can conceive God. We treat God like a 'Jack in the Box,' a toy some of us had as children. We try to demonstrate God the same way we open up that box, putting up a show to impress. This often can end up being clownish. 

We cannot show God. Only God will show us who He is. Elijah brought down fire from heaven but God comes in whisper.  

Jimmy Owens wrote a song, 'He Cares For Me' that speaks of the greatness of God and a most wonderful truth is that this Almighty God cares for us.

Our God is far greater

Than words can make known

Exalted and holy, He reigns on His throne

In infinite splendour He rules over all

Yet He feeds the poor sparrows

And He knows when they fall

His power is great and will ever endure

His wisdom is peaceable, gentle and pure

But greater than all these glories I see

Is the glorious promise that He cares for me

The earth and the heavens

Are the works of His hands

And billions of angels

Obey His commands

He guides the great galaxies, spinning through space

Yet He gave us His Son as a gift of His grace

He rides the wild heavens

He strides through the sea

The high mountains tremble

To hear His decrees

His voice with great thundering

Sounds from above

But to His own children

He whispers His love

Who are we to say who can or cannot be saved by God? Who are we to choose whom should God care?  God comes in a multiplicity of ways and in a word of grace.

Lionel

A New Day Dawning

A New Day with Vivid Colours

'Your new day is dawning. The glory of the Lord shines brightly on you. the earth and its people are covered with darkness, but the glory of the Lord is shining upon you. Nations and kings will come to the light of your new dawning day.' Isaiah 60:1-3 (Contemporary English Version)

Today, 1 Feb 2022 is the first day of the Chinese New Year. Following tradition most Chinese would wear new clothes, usually in red. We will give away as gifts 'Ang Pows' or red packets containing fresh new crisp dollar notes. The children are especially excited as they don their new Chinese-styled garments (most times only worn once), make their CNY greetings to receive the ang-pows.

Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, an excitement is in the air as in the rural farming area, the farmers eagerly wait for the Spring to sow and reap a bountiful harvest. It's a new cycle of new beginnings.

The same is true of Christianity. When we first become Christians, there is a crisp freshness to life. This is the sheer joy of being restored to a relationship with the creator God through Jesus Christ, His Son. It is very aptly expressed in this song, New! Ev'ry Morning It's New, which we sang in our youth fellowships 

New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The love of God to me is wonderfully new!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy of the Lord is wonderfully new!
Great is His faithfulness,
Constant is His love,
Great is His saving pow'r
Coming from above!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy of the Lord is wonderfully new!

New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The love of Calvary is wonderfully new!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy fresh outpoured is wonderfully new!
He is our daily strength,
He's our daily guide
If we will wait on Him
And in Him abide!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy of the Lord is wonderfully new!

Unfortunately I am unable to locate a video of this song on the Internet. But just looking at the lyrics with its many exclamation marks indicate the exuberance when we first received salvation. There is a freshness of spring and there is rejoicing every morning as the love and mercy of God flow towards us.

Kevin and Lynette Teo wrote in their article New Beginnings (Ref 1), there is a new road to travel.

'Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.'  Isaiah 43:19 

• A Restored Relationship.  'Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. ' Romans 5:1-2 (New Living Translation)

• A Renewed Vision. 'I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called - His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.' Ephesian 1:18 (NLT)

• A Revitalised Life - 'For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.' Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

The Apostle Paul declared

'Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.' 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Prophet Isaiah also spoke of this transformation as a new day dawns,

'Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth. Your righteousness will go before you, the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.' Isaiah 58:8 (Amplified Bible)

In the celebration of Chinese New Year, we recognise the dawning of a new day with the freshness of Spring. We celebrate the Chinese New Year with exuberance, with feasting and lion and dragon dances.

In that same way we can celebrate our new life in Christ! King Solomon declared  

'How pleasant to see a new day dawning' Ecclesiastes 11:7 (NLT)

Indeed enjoy this piano solo 'New Every Morning' composed by Cindy Berry and use it for your early morning reflections. 

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy New Year!

Lionel

Inspired by articles posted by Kevin and Lynette Passion with Purpose New Beginnings (A New Day Dawning) Jan 2022

I Found It - Discipleship

'Jesus said, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.' Luke 9:23

In 1976 the Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) launched a world evangelism campaign, 'I Found It.' CCC, Singapore, partnering 200 churches used this theme to bring the gospel to as many as 71,841 persons. Of these 36% indicated decisions for Christ and more than 5000 enrolled in follow-up classes. It was a very successful campaign perhaps the first of its kind to use the mass media extensively.

On 24 May 1738 an earlier I Found It moment occurred. John Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed and recorded in his journal, "I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins." The Methodist Church was born that day and today there are 40.5 million of 'the people who call themselves Methodist' in 138 countries.

Why the name Methodist? Bishop Solomon explained, 'the word "Method" comes from two Greek words - meta (after) and hodos (way). It means "following after a way." In this regard it is noted that in the Gospels, our Lord described Himself as 'the Way' (John 14:6).' Ref 1. Methodists, so to speak, have found found the Way, Jesus.

Finding Christ is not just a simple slogan of I Found It. Finding Jesus in Jesus' time meant to go with him, observe him, study him and follow him by imitation and obedience. My brother Quek Koh Eng, in contemplating Luke 9:23 wrote "the challenge is for all who are called by God to take their faith seriously, grow as disciples of Christ, and not be content to be merely pew warmers but true believers who know and serve the will of God." Like a true army Colonel, Koh Eng said "God’s order has always been that every believer should be a witness; "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

Of this John Wesley said “we are all at it and at it always.” It means having a desire and  making a decision to be a follower of Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book the cost of discipleship, pointed out that one cannot be a disciple of Christ without forfeiting things normally sought in human life. On the other hand, Dallas Willard wrote that the cost of non-discipleship will be much more than what a disciple might forfeit. Willard wrote, non-discipleship costs 

• abiding peace, 
• a life penetrated throughout by love, 
• faith that sees everything in the light of God's over-riding governance for good, 
• hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances
• power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil.

Willard wrote, "non-discipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10)." Ref 2

During the 'I Found It' campaign many found salvation in Jesus Christ but they stopped there. No doubt, it is a very important first step; the Chinese have a saying, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.' However there are innumerable more steps to take. The Christian journey will go on through eternity, so we cannot stop there, congratulating ourselves. The 'I Found It' campaign was not just to get people a ticket to heaven but to bring them to God.

Salvation alone does not define a Christ follower and does not lead to Christian witness and testimony. The last imperative Jesus gave whilst on earth, is recorded in Matthew 28:19 and 20 "Therefore go and make disciples....teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Being a disciple is a inner transformation of our core being in such a way that the we take on the character of Christ. This inner transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit aptly described by this hymn, Breathe on Me, Breath of God

1. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   Fill me with life anew,
   That I may love what Thou dost love,
   And do what Thou wouldst do.
2. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   Until my heart is pure,
   Until with Thee I will one will,
   To do and to endure.
3. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   Till I am wholly Thine,
   Until this earthly part of me
   Glows with Thy fire divine.
4. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   So shall I never die,
   But live with Thee the perfect life
   Of Thine eternity.

There is a the car decal that states, 'Don't Follow Me. I'm Lost.' This is terrible testimony but articulates the pathetic situation of the modern society. On the other hand, the transformed Christian disciple lives by the example of St Paul the apostle, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." 1 Cor 10:34. In other words, 'Follow me. I'm Found.'

Lionel        

  

Ref 1: Robert M Solomon. Following Jesus in a Fallen World. Chapter 20, Beyond Method; Rediscovering the Heart of Methodism. Genesis Book 2009

Ref 2: Dallas Willard. The Great Omission- Reclaiming Jesus' Essential Teachings on Discipleship. Chapter 1, Discipleship, For Super Christians only? HarperOne, 2006

He Touched Me

'For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.'John 3:16 

He Touched Me. The first time I heard this song was in 1982, twenty years after it was first written. I was sitting on the floor of the Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is a very famous place to listen to Jazz music for free, a small crowded shop house near Bourbon Street where jazz musicians would gather each night to play. A tall bearded Negro stood up and with his banjo played this song. I sat there enrapt by its plain lyrics and simple rhythm. It became my favourite Christian song. 

This is a song about salvation. Salvation is the greatest event in the Christian life; it marks the start of it. I was saved in 1967. I distinctly remembered that day after school, I attended a Youth for Christ meeting at Wesley Methodist Church. I had been searching for a belief in a God whom I could relate to. Before this time I had either been exposed to ancestral worship at home or brought in front of idols in Chinese temples. I did not find any meaning in that kind of worship or belief. 

At the end of the YFC meeting, a person named Charlie Tan whom I have not met again since, introduced me to Jesus Christ, telling me that through Christ, I can be saved from my sins. More importantly, I could be restored into a rightful relationship with Christ. That day, I accepted Christ as my personal Saviour and have not looked back since; for the rest of my life, which is now going on towards 70 years and beyond. That day Jesus touched me. 

I did not know it then but this song, He Touched Me, encapsulates the experience of my Christian life:

Shackled by a heavy burden,

'Neath a load of guilt and shame.

Then the hand of Jesus touched me,

And now I am no longer the same.

He touched me, Oh He touched me,

And oh the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened and now I know,

He touched me and made me whole.

Since I met this blessed Saviour,

Since He cleansed and made me whole,

I will never cease to praise Him,

I'll shout it while eternity rolls.

He touched me.......

The touch of Jesus put me on the path of developing a relationship with God. Up to that time, original sin and my own sins got me shackled and imprisoned. Oscar Wilde (Ref 1) wrote: 

... And thus we rust Life's iron chain

Degraded and alone:

And some men cursed and some men weep,

And some men make no moan

But God's eternal Laws are kind

And breaks the heart of stone.

And every human heart that breaks,

In prison cell or yard,

Is as that broken box that gave

Its treasure to the Lord,

And filled the unclean leper's house

With the scent of the costliest nard.

Ah! happy those whose hearts can break

And peace of pardon win!

How else may man make straight his plan

And cleanse his soul from Sin?

How else but through a broken heart

May Lord Christ enter in?

We speak of the salvation we received as a touch from the Lord but we should not presume that it was so simple nor cheap. Salvation is free to us but it is costly to God. It costs God his only begotten Son.

The late Rev Billy Graham was the most effective evangelist that ever lived. He preached salvation. But he did not make it sound easy even though miracles happen when he gave the invitation to receive Christ as millions came forward. He preached God's plan for all of us to be saved and pointed out what needed to happen:

1. All are sinners and stand under the judgement of God. 'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.' Romans 3:23. Graham said that we might believe that we are good enough to win God's favour or that we can perform certain religious acts to counterbalance our bad deeds but 'There is no one righteous, not even one.' Romans 3:10

2. We need to understand what Christ has done to make our salvation possible. Christ died on the cross as the complete sacrifice for our sins. He took upon Himself the judgement that we deserve.

3. We must repent of our sins. Graham said repentance carries with it the idea of confession, sorrow, turning and changing, God's gift of eternal life becomes ours only when we take it. We must turn from our practice of sin as best we know how and turn by faith to Christ.

4. There is a cost of coming to Christ and following Christ. A person must determine to leave his sins behind and turn from them. Jesus declared, "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23. Graham preached, it costs to follow Christ but it also costs not to follow Christ.

5. Salvation is intimately linked to the cross. Graham asked, "Why was Calvary's cross so special, so different from hundreds of other crosses used for Roman execution?" It was because on that cross, Jesus suffered the punishment for sin that we all deserve. He was our Substitute. He suffered the judgment and condemnation of death that our sinful nature and deeds rightfully deserve.

6. Faith is essential for salvation. We must be absolutely clear on what we mean when we speak of 'salvation by faith.' Faith means more than intellectual belief. It involves trust and commitment in which we commit our lives to Jesus and trust Him alone as our Saviour and Lord.

After Billy Graham preached millions came forward singing the song, 'Just as I am' which means asking Jesus to receive them, heal them of their sins and lead them to everlasting life. Perhaps many were just overcame by the emotions of the moment but many others knew not only in their minds but in their hearts and spirits what they were doing. They were determining their fates from that day forward. That was when Jesus touched our lives and we never looked back since. 

Lionel

Ref 1: Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol. 1868