Rev. William Franklin Graham IV


      William Franklin Graham IV follows in the footsteps of a great legacy in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “I follow the footsteps God has laid down,” said Wil Graham, in an interview with The Christian View. 
      Graham pastored Wakefield Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina until leaving recently to assist his family with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. As a Pastor, he explained, one of the greatest blessings was that his congregation loved him because he was their Pastor and not because of the Graham name. “Having people love me in the sense that I’m their Pastor and people want to take care of their Pastor is one of the greatest desires,” he said, adding that he was blessed to have a church where people showed love to him and his family, in a spiritual way—not because he was Billy Graham’s grandson or Franklin Graham’s son, but because he was their Pastor. 
      In his new role as Assistant Director of the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove in Asheville, North Carolina, he explained that he would offer leadership in all aspects of ministry there, but that his interest is in programming seminars and other events offered at the Cove. “Since I’m a Pastor, my heartbeat is discipleship – Bible reading, Bible study, seminars, and concerts,” he said.
      Graham has led BGEA events since 2004 and has preached to thousands in Canada and India. His first ‘Celebration’ in America was held October 9-11, 2006 in Gastonia, North Carolina, where he preached to a crowd of 12,650 and was introduced by his father. It is evident that the young preacher of the Gospel is an influence and will continue to be an emerging influence for his and future generations. 
      Graham, himself, was influenced by all of his family, including both of his parents, Franklin and Jane Austin Graham, and both sets of grandparents, Rev. Billy and Ruth Bell Graham and Ned and Jane Cunningham. “All of them have been a huge influence in my life,” he said. “Family is important to us. My Dad and Mom have had a huge amount of influence in my life. I’m fortunate that I have four living grandparents who still have an influence in my life. They have been good to me and have taught me a lot of wisdom over the years.” 
      Graham’s maternal grandparents live in Smithfield, North Carolina, but have a summer home in Montreat, about a mile from his paternal grandparents’ home, in the mountains of western North Carolina. He joked that, as a child, he would sometimes be mischievous and pick on his younger brothers. “When one set of grandparents got mad at me and couldn’t stand me anymore, I ran to the other ones and stayed there for awhile,” he said. “When they got mad at me, I ran back to the others.” 
      He and his brothers, Roy and Edward, were ‘domestic terrorists’, he said, especially inside the only department store in their hometown of Boone. “Nobody would want to help the Grahams,” he said. “It wasn’t because my Mom wasn’t nice. It was because of her three sons. We destroyed everything in Belk’s. I promise you that there were times when my parents wished they could disown us.” 
      The once mischievous Graham sons today make their family proud. Twenty nine-year-old Roy works for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters in Charlotte. Twenty seven-year-old Edward serves in the United States military and is on his second tour of duty overseas. All three are model older brothers for their 20-year-old sister, Jane, whom they call ‘Cissie.’ 
      Wil recalled how he came to Christ at the early age of seven. “We were having communion at church,” he said. “I was hungry, and I wanted some. I saw that other kids my age were getting communion, but my parents wouldn’t let me. I didn’t know why. I thought that maybe I had misbehaved or that they thought I would spill. When we got home, my Dad took me to my room and explained why I couldn’t take communion yet. He explained to me the significance of communion and told me that I needed to ask Jesus to come into my life and that I needed to ask for forgiveness of my sins. In a roundabout way, Dad led me to the Lord through the communion experience. 
      “It was shortly after that, in second grade, probably 1982, when I first felt God leading me into ministry. The teacher asked everybody to draw a picture of what they wanted to do in life. All of the other boys were drawing pictures of footballs. They wanted to be Joe Montana. I drew two pictures—an open Bible and ‘David Clark’ aviation headsets. I wanted to be a pilot, like my dad, and go around telling people about Jesus. 
      “I always felt I had a calling to ministry, but it wasn’t until I was about 15 years old that I surrendered my life to ministry and said, ‘Lord, whatever You want me to do—if it’s flying airplanes, telling people in the jungles of Africa about Jesus—that’s fine. If You want me doing crusades, that’s fine. If You want me to be typing on the computer somewhere, I’m fine with that. Just use me for ministry.’ 
      “I always felt called to the ministry from an early age, but I thought it was going to be in missions, like my father, with Samaritan’s Purse. But in college, I started getting phone calls to speak, so I slowly began to take more of a public role. I still wanted to go into missions, but my speaking ministry began. I didn’t know this at the time, but it was how the Lord was preparing me for my future ministry of being a Pastor and leading a church and later helping my Dad, just as my Dad came along to help his Dad.” 
      Graham graduated from Liberty University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Religion and from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2001 with a Master of Divinity degree. “Those are two wonderful institutions, and I love them both,” he said. “They were both good to me and let me develop what God had planned for me.” 
      He met his wife, Kendra, when both were students at Liberty University. “I like to tell the story, but my wife doesn’t,” he said, with a smile. “Her old boyfriend introduced us, so I guess it was the worst thing, for him, that he ever did. 
      “We dated for awhile,” he continued. “We weren’t very serious and kind of went our own ways. The following year, we realized that something was different and that God was working in our lives. Even before I had asked her out again, the Lord made it known to me that this was the girl I was going to marry. She’s been my wife since 1998.” 
      The Grahams have three children, daughter Christine Jane, whom they call C.J., born in 2001, daughter Rachel Austin, born in 2003, and son William Franklin V, born in 2005. “We call him Quinn, Quinn meaning five,” he said. “We ran out of nicknames. A lot of people don’t realize that my grandfather, Billy, is actually a junior. His father was a farmer in Charlotte. My Dad is the third, I’m the fourth, and my son is the fifth.” 
      In addition to those in his own family, Graham has also found mentors in the faith outside of his family. Dr. Ron Rowe, Pastor of Bayleaf Baptist Church, which planted Wakefield Baptist Church, mentored Graham in being a Pastor. “Dr. Rowe is celebrating 30 years this year at the same church, and, when it comes to pastoring a church, he has given me tons of knowledge,” Graham said. Another mentor has been Ross Rhoads, associate evangelist for the BGEA, whom Graham consulted before conducting his first funeral. “I’ve got something on my Granddaddy and my Dad,” Graham added. “I had a funeral at Arlington Cemetery one time. They’ve never done a funeral at Arlington.” 
      Graham is in the process of writing a devotional book, a collection of his sermons. His favorite verse of Scripture, he said, is John 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease. “Those are the words of John the Baptist, talking about Christ,” said Graham. “Christ must increase in my life, and I must decrease. Those are very true words, especially in the world we live in today, where the focus is on ourselves. I use that verse when I sign my name.” 
      His name, he said, is something that is very dear to him. 
      He recalled a recent telephone conversation with a woman who called to tell him of an old record she had in her possession, a record from one of his grandfather’s crusades which also featured George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows. The Lord had laid it on her heart, she said, to give it to him. “I said, ‘That’s real nice. I appreciate that,’” he recalled. “She asked, ‘How much are you going to give me for it?’ I said, ‘You said that it had $3.95 on the tag.’ She said, ‘I’ve got to have a lot more.’ I said, ‘I thought the Lord wanted you to give this to me.’ She said, ‘But I’ve got to have a lot more.’ I said, ‘Ma’am, I’m not going to pay for it.’ She said, ‘Don’t you understand? This record represents your heritage, your family.’ I said, ‘Ma’am, you don’t understand. That record is just a piece of plastic. I’ve eaten with Billy Graham. I’ve got his big nose. I’ve got his big ears. I’ve got all of his sermons already on DVD. I’ve got all of the movies. More importantly, what is more precious to me, I have his name. My family heritage is that I am a son and I am a grandson. I don’t have a relationship with my grandfather because of a record. That record is not a representation of my family or my family history. It’s a piece of plastic. I don’t need a record to tell me I’m his grandson. I’ve got his ears.” 
      Another all-important relationship is the relationship between a saved child of God and his heavenly Father, said Graham, referring to Romans 8:14-17: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 
      “We are His children, His sons and daughters,” he said. “Because of that relationship, we have certain privileges. Verse 14 says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are sons of God. The word ‘led’ means ‘to carry’, ‘to bear someone else’s burdens.’ It means to finish the course. As Christians, we know that we have the Spirit of God to lead us. The Spirit prepares the heart to lead us before we speak. The spirit leads us on a path of righteousness and truth. It literally means that the Spirit blazes a trail, prepares the way and leads us.” 
      Graham grew up on a farm, which he said he loved. “We had everything,” he said. “We had pigs, cows, horses, roosters, ducks, an ‘attack’ goose, a raccoon, plenty of dogs, and 21 cats. We even had an ‘attack’ horse. His name was King Henry, and he would bite you.” 
      Graham grew up with a love for riding motorcycles on their farm. “I’m a lot like my father,” he said. “We’d get on motorcycles and ‘fly’ everywhere.” With a chainsaw, his father would cut through the trees and brush and would clear a trail for him and his brothers to ride up to the top of the mountain. “He would blaze a trail before us, so that we could follow after him, and he would lead the way,” said Graham. “That’s the idea of the Spirit leading and going before us and preparing the place. Often, when I do public speaking, I will pray for the Lord to prepare the hearts of the individuals before I even get there.” 
      The word ‘led’ also means ‘to carry,’ or ‘to bear.’ “The Spirit of God carries the believer through the trials of life,” he said. “Isn’t it wonderful to know that God sends His Spirit to help carry our burden, because we’re His children.” 
      The word also means ‘to direct’. “The Spirit not only guides and carries, but He actually brings us to the finish line. Isn’t it wonderful to know that, when we get into trouble, the Holy Spirit doesn’t drop us in the middle of it, but He carries us to the finish line, because we’re His children.” 
      Graham said that proof that a person has placed his faith in God and is a child of God is evident by whether or not that person is led by the Spirit—if his choices are determined by his job, what will bring more money, what he thinks will bring more happiness, or if that person’s choices are determined by the Spirit of God. 
      The Spirit not only leads the believer, but adopts the believer, said Graham, citing verse 15. “We are adopted into His family,” he said. “This is important because, when this was written by Paul, under Roman law, an adopted son got an equal inheritance, as if he were a natural son. He received the inheritance and blessing and was part of the family, but there was one major difference—if a son was adopted, it could never be undone. His father could never disown him. A father could disown his natural son. But if a father chose to adopt a child, he could never undo it. 
      “And what are we called? Adopted. In other words, it can never be undone. For those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, who have their sins forgiven by the blood of the cross, we are His children, adopted by God. 
      “God chooses to love us, and that means He’s going to love us forever. Even when we do things we regret, and we know that we have disappointed God, God still chooses to love us, because He has adopted us as His own children. 
      “Adoption brings certain privileges of son-ship. We now have access to our heavenly Father. We have access to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We have total access and can go before the Creator of the universe, because now we are His children. We cry out, ‘Abba’, which really means ‘Dad’. 
      “I don’t call my father ‘Franklin’. I call him Dad.” He recalled a plaque that Franklin Graham received for Father’s Day years ago from his young sons. “The plaque says, ‘Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.’ 
      “When you say that word, it implies closeness. That’s what the word ‘Abba’ means. We have closeness with God. We have closeness with the King of kings and Lord of lords. We have a special relationship and full access to the Father. 
      “I know that, when I call my father, I can have direct access to him. My Dad has always said to his staff, ‘If my family ever calls, they can interrupt any meeting I’m in.’ Why can I interrupt? Because I’m his son. 
      “And I’m a son of God and have direct access. We can call out to God anytime, if we’re a child of God. We’re identified as His sons. We are adopted as His sons. And we are treated like God’s sons.
       “We are heirs of God,” he continued, referring to verse 17. “Why are we heirs of God? Because we are His children. And what do we inherit? We are heirs of salvation, heirs of righteousness. Even when we were not perfect, Christ died for us. Even while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us, because He loved us so much.” 
      Graham said that he was once asked by one of his college professors, ‘How good do you have to be to get into heaven?’ The answer: ‘You have to be as good as God to get into heaven.’ 
      “He’s absolutely right,” said Graham. “We have to be as good as God. But we have a problem, because we’re not as good as God. Man’s spiritual dilemma is that we have to be perfect to get to God. How does man become perfect in the sight of God? We needed a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who was perfect, a perfect man who died a perfect death. He died in our place. He took our sins, and, in return, He gave us His righteousness, His perfection. 
      “Now, when we stand before God the Father in heaven, He doesn’t see our sin. He sees the blood of His own Son. He sees His own Son’s righteousness. And that’s why we can get into heaven—not because of anything we’ve done, but because of what Christ did on that cross. It’s so important for us to realize that we cannot save ourselves. We have to totally rely on Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for our sins. And we have hope in this world, having our sins forgiven through the cross of Christ.” 
      As Christians, Graham said, our greatest responsibility in life is not to make our dreams come true, but to tell others about Christ, so that they can become children of God and inherit all of the blessings of God the Father. “That is what we call ‘The Good News’ – that we don’t have to die and be separated from God,” he said. The message of Christianity, he said, is that it is about a relationship with God. “It’s not about religion. It’s about a relationship with our Creator, a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. That is the Good News. There is no greater joy than the joy I receive from Jesus Christ. No satisfaction can be found on this earth that is greater than knowing the King of kings and the Lord of lords.”





      Link: www.thecove.org