Posted: 6/25/04
Franklin Graham's vision: a student
evangelist in every public school class
By Jennifer Davis Rash
The Alabama Baptist
INDIANAPOLIS–One child in every public school class witnessing for Jesus. That's the vision Franklin Graham shared during his address at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis.
Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said his organization has developed a witnessing program that children can complete over the Internet.
“When a child completes the program, we will send them a card with their name on it saying that they are a certified evangelist with the Billy Graham Association,” he explained.
“I want to see at least one child in every class in every public school in America who is trained as a witness for Jesus Christ.”
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| Franklin Graham |
In a veiled reference to a resolution rejected by the SBC Resolutions Committee that would have called for Christian parents to withdraw their children from public schools, Graham said: “Let's don't surrender public schools; let's take them back. … We are going to have witnesses in every class–a young kid who can stand up and share his faith in Jesus Christ.”
Graham said the children would learn Scripture they can use to share the gospel. The association also will host an Internet chat room where the young “evangelists” can talk to each other and post prayer requests.
Challenging all Southern Baptists to focus on witnessing, Graham said: “We don't have a lot of time. I believe the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is coming soon. Let's be ready for it. Let's start telling people about the Lord Jesus Christ.
“I don't want to go around kicking people in their shins or stomping on their toes. This is serious business.”
Preaching from Acts 1:8 and the first two chapters of Galatians, Graham said: “A witness has to tell the truth always, no matter what.
“We are to be witnesses to the truth” of Christ, he said. “We are to tell the truth always, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
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