: Confident, bold, direct, skips small talk (likes to get right to the point), has strong opinions and convictions
Mr. Graham has 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.
Since the 1949 Los Angeles crusade vaulted Mr. Graham into the public eye, he has led millions of individuals to make personal decisions to live for Christ, which is the main thrust of his ministry.
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr., (born November 7, 1918), is an American evangelist and an Evangelical Christian. He has been a spiritual adviser to multiple United States presidents and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for the 21st century. He is a Southern Baptist. He rose to celebrity status due to his sermons being broadcast on radio and television.
Graham has preached in person to more people around the world than any other Protestant in history. According to his staff, as of 1993 more than 2.5 million people had "stepped forward at his crusades to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior". As of 2008, Graham's lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion.
Chuck Colson
Charles "Chuck" Wendell Colson (born October 16, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts) was the Special Counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973. He was commonly named as one of the Watergate Seven, but was never charged with, or prosecuted for, any crime related to the Watergate break-in or its cover-up, although he did plead guilty to obstruction of justice in another case.
After extensively investigating Colson's activities relating to Watergate, Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski attempted to make a deal with Colson in which Colson would agree to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge relating to Watergate, in exchange for which Jaworski agreed to recommend that he not be sentenced to prison. Colson felt doing so would be pleading guilty to a crime he did not commit. Instead, Colson counter-offered. Colson told Jaworski that he would agree to plead guilty to the crime of obstruction of justice, not in relation to Watergate, but in relation to having attempted to smear Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg and damage his chances for a fair trial. Colson insisted also that Jaworski would not be constrained to recommend no prison time. At the sentencing, Judge Gerhard Gesell sentenced Colson to the maximum prison term permitted under federal law.
Colson's later life has been spent working with his non-profit organization devoted to prison ministry called "Prison Fellowship." Colson is also a public speaker and author. He is founder and chairman of the Wilberforce Forum, which is the "Christian worldview thinking, teaching, and advocacy arm of" Prison Fellowship, and includes Colson's daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint, now heard on a thousand outlets. The ministry conducts justice reform efforts through Justice Fellowship. Colson has received 15 honorary doctorates and in 1993 was awarded the Templeton Prize, an annual which is given each year to the one person in the world who has done the most to advance the cause of religion. It is the world's largest annual financial prize given for merit (over $1 million). He donated this prize to further the work of Prison Fellowship, as he does all his speaking fees and royalties.
INTELLECTUAL STYLE
Biblical example : Paul in Acts 17
Characteristics : Analytical, logical, inquisitive, likes to debate, more concerned with what people think than what they feel
Cautions :
1. Avoid getting stuck on academic points, arguments, and evidence. These are mainly to clear the way back to the central Gospel message.
2. Remember that attitude is as important as information. 1 Peter 3:15 says to have "gentleness and respect."
3. Avoid becoming argumentative.Contemporary examples:
Josh McDowell
Joslin "Josh" McDowell is a Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer.
He is within the Evangelical tradition of Protestant Christianity, and is the author or co-author of some 77 books. His most well known is the apologetic book Evidence That Demands a Verdict, which was ranked 13th in Christianity Today's list of most influential evangelical books since 1945. Other well known titles are More Than a Carpenter, A Ready Defense and Right from Wrong.
D James Kennedy
Dennis James Kennedy, (November 3, 1930 - September 5, 2007), better known as D. James Kennedy, was an American televangelist, megachurch pastor, and founder of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was senior pastor from 1960 until his death in 2007. Kennedy also founded the Westminster Academy in Ft. Lauderdale, the Knox Theological Seminary, and the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, a now defunct socially conservative political group.
He began Coral Ridge Ministries in 1974, which produced his weekly religious television program, The Coral Ridge Hour, carried on various networks and syndicated on numerous other stations with a peak audience of three million viewers in 200 countries.[1] A daily radio program, Truths That Transform, was heard on radio stations in the United States and archived versions are available as a podcast on the program's website. During his lifetime, Coral Ridge Ministries grew to a US$37-million-a-year non-profit corporation with an audience of 3.5 million.
In 2006, the National Religious Broadcasters association inducted Kennedy into its Hall of Fame. As a result of a heart attack from which he never fully recovered, Kennedy last preached at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church later that year, on December 24, 2006. His retirement was officially announced at the church on August 26, 2007, and he died in his home ten days later.
TESTIMONIAL STYLE
Biblical example : The Blind Man in John 9
Characteristics : Clear communicator, good listener, vulnerable about personal life, its ups and downs, overwhelmed by the account of how God reached them, sees links between their own experience and that of other people's
Cautions :1. Be sure to relate your experience to the life of your listener. This requires first hearing enough about your friend's life to know how to relate your story to their situation.
2. Do not stop with merely telling your story. Challenge them to consider how what you learned might apply to their life.
3. Avoid downplaying the value of your story because it seems too ordinary. The ordinary story is the kind that relates best to ordinary people!
Contemporary examples:
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia Johanna Arnolda ten Boom, generally known as Corrie ten Boom, (April 15 1892 – April 15 1983) was a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. Ten Boom co-wrote her autobiography, The Hiding Place, which was later made into a movie of the same name. In December, 1967, Ten Boom was honored as one of the Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel.
Joni Erickson Tada
Joni Eareckson Tada is an evangelical Christian author, radio host, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community." A diving accident in 1967 left Tada hospitalized and paralyzed (as a quadriplegic; unable to use her hands or legs.) After two years of rehabilitation and in a wheelchair, Tada began working to help others in similar situations.
INTERPERSONAL STYLE
Biblical example : Matthew in Luke 5
Characteristics :
Conversational, compassionate, sensitive, friendship-oriented, focuses on people and their needs
Cautions :1. Beware of valuing friendship over truth. Telling them they are sinners in need of a saviour will test the relationship.
2. Do not get so involved in the process of building friendships that you forget the ultimate goal: bringing people to know Christ as forgiver and leader.
3. Do not get overwhelmed with the amount of needs your friends might have - do what you can and leave the rest to God.
Contemporary examples:
Becky Pippert
Recognized internationally as a prominent authority in the area of evangelism, founder of Salt Shaker Ministries, Rebecca Pippert is author of several books that include the modern classic, Out of the Salt Shaker, which was recently selected by Christianity Today as one of the books that has most influenced evangelical thought in the past 50 years. She is also author of the award winning 4 volume set, Salt Shaker Resources: An Evangelism Tool Kit. Her books have been translated in more than 25 languages.
Joe Aldrich
He wrote more than a dozen books, including "Lifestyle Evangelism: Learning to Open Your Life to Those Around You," which was controversial in some Christian circles and a classic in others. In it, he argued that one of the most effective ways to demonstrate one's faith was by actions, rather than solely by words.
INVITATIONAL STYLE
Biblical example : Matthew in Luke 5
Characteristics :
Hospitable, persuasive, enjoys meeting new people, committed (believes in the things in which he or she is involved), sees outreach events as unique opportunities
Cautions :1. Do not let others do all the talking for you, Your friends and acquaintances need to hear how Christ has influenced your own life. In addition, your friends have questions you could answer concerning the implications of the Gospel in their own lives.
2. Carefully and prayerfully consider which events or church services you take people to. Look for ones that are truly sensitive to spiritual seekers that will help them in their journey toward Christ.
3. Do not get discouraged if people refuse your invitation. Their refusal could be an opportunity for a spiritual conversation. Also, their "no" today may be a "yes" tomorrow.
Contemporary examples:
Ruth Graham
Ruth Bell Graham (June 10, 1920 – June 14, 2007), wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, was born at Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China as Ruth McCue Bell, the second of five children.
Ruth Graham was always a vital part of Billy Graham’s evangelistic career, and he turned to her for advice and input about many ministry decisions. One of the early uses of media by the BGEA was the “Hour of Decision” radio program begun in 1950, which she named. After her upbringing in China and high school experience in Korea, she continued to have compassion for the people of Asia. She encouraged her husband to visit and later accompanied him during his historic visits to the People's Republic of China.
SERVING STYLE
Biblical example : Dorcas in Acts 9
Characteristics :
Patient, others-centered, sees needs and finds joy in meeting them, shows love through action more than words, attaches value to even menial tasks
Cautions :1. Remember that although "words are no substitute for actions," "actions are no substitute for words." In Romans 10:14 Paul says that we must verbally tell people about Christ. You can do this in many ways as you point to Him as the central motivation for your acts of service.
2. Do not underestimate the value of your service. It is your style that will reach those persons who are the most negative and hardened toward God. Acts of loving service are hard to resist and difficult to argue with.
3. Be discerning as to how much you can do realistically, without depriving yourself or your family of needed care and attention.
Contemporary examples:
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997) was an Albanian Roman Catholic nun with Indian citizenship who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata (Calcutta), India in 1950. For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries.
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office.
After leaving office, Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded The Carter Center in 1982, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that works to advance human rights. He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, observe elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. Carter is a key figure in the Habitat for Humanity project, and also remains particularly vocal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Taken from Becoming A Contagious Christian by Mark Mittelberg, Lee Strobel & Bill Hybels
Hey youths! It is often contended that people who lived during biblical times were more simpleminded and superstitious than modern man, and could be tricked into believing the miraculous stories contained in the Bible.
Doubting Thomas said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25, RSV). He refused to accept the testimony of the unbelievable event of the resurrection, but changed his mind when confronted face-to-face with the resurrected Christ. Thus we are not expected to believe the ridiculous, and neither were the people of biblical times.
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