Billy Graham was a child during the "roaring twenties" and an adolescent in the depression of the early thirties. His parents were very strict, but did not overload him with rules that were too hard to live by, or respect. He learned to obey without questioning, and was taught that there was dignity and honour in labour. The family Bible was read in his home, and his parents made sure their children knew that this was not simply a ritual. Billy's parents relied on the wisdom, strength, and courage from God to live a Christ-like life. Billy Graham has never been a legalistic Christian, and found that the church he attended was too strict. In his autobiography, he states, "There was not much about Dr. Lindsay's church to make it lively for me, not even in the youth group. We sang only metrical psalms - that is to say, only hymns taken from the Book of Psalms - in the services on the Sabbath (we were too strict to say "Sunday")." (Just as I am,Graham, p.12). Around Mr. Graham's sixteenth birthday, a man by the name of Dr. Mordecai Fowler Ham was invited to preach in a 5 000 seat tabernacle in Charlotte, North Carolina. Billy attended many of the sermons spoken by Dr. Ham, and began to feel convicted. In Billy's church, his clergyman, Dr. Lindsay, had never mentioned Hell in any of his sermons. Dr. Ham, on the other hand, had many messages on sin, judgement and Hell, but never neglected or minimized the great love of God. Billy did not understand why he felt convicted while listening to Dr. Ham's message. "How could this evangelist be talking to me, of all people? I had been baptized as a baby, had learned the Shorter Catechism word perfect, and had been confirmed in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church with the full approval of the pastor and elders....I was even the vice president of my youth group in our church. (Just as I am, Graham, p. 27). Billy Graham did not understand why he would feel that he was missing something, when he had done many great things, that, he thought, would please God. Then he came to a realization. "What was slowly dawning on me was during those weeks [that Dr. Ham was preaching] was the miserable realization that I did not know Jesus Christ for myself. I could not depend on my parent's faith. Christian influence in the home could have a lasting impact on a child's life, but faith could not be passed on as an inheritance, like the family silver. It had to be expressed by each individual." (Just as I am,Graham, p. 28). Mr. Graham realized that he was spiritually dead, that all the rituals of going to church were meaningless without the forgiveness and grace of God. One night after Dr. Ham had finished preaching, he gave the invitation to accept Christ. He stated Romans 5:8 which reads, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (NLT). Billy responded to this. He realized that his life was meaningless without God in it. A friend of the family,  J.D Prevatt, explained God's plan for Billy's salvation in a simple way that he understood. He prayed for Billy, and helped guide Billy to pray. At this moment, Billy committed himself to Christ to rule in his life. He realized that he wanted to love God in return for His loving him.

This is really where the story begins. Billy Graham's first public proclamation of his faith was in a prison. He was visiting prisoners with an evangelist, Jimmie Johnson. Without any warning, Jimmie told a prisoner that Billy would tell him what it meant to be a Christian. Billy was afraid, and after that he, ironically, decided that he could never become a preacher. His feelings changed after attending the Florida Bible Institute, when Billy realized that God had a purpose and a call on his life. He found his true passion, to preach the Good News. He started preaching at College, and, in 1938, he preached his first revival at East Palatka Baptist Church. Billy Graham felt so compelled to share the Gospel, that he preached on the streets of Tampa, sometimes as many as five to six times a day. He was starting to become more and more well known, and was asked many times to speak at different places. In 1939, he began preaching evangelistic series for up to as long as two weeks. His messages on God's grace and forgiveness changed many lives, as many people gave their lives to Christ. As vice-president of the young people's ministry for the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) churches, Graham was invited to speak to the young people. Mr. Graham began to run a forty-five minute radio program called Songs in the Night, on Chicago's WCFL Radio. This led to station WMBI signing Billy to broadcast his regular Sunday morning service from the church during March and April of 1944. Just after World War II, Billy was chosen to be the preacher on a team that did a three-week tour of England, Scotland, and Ireland to establish Youth For Christ in Great Britain. Later, he went back to Britain, and preached with a friend, Cliff Barrows, for  six months. They spoke in twenty-seven different cities and towns. In 1949, Billy Graham began the "Los Angeles Crusade". This crusade is said to be Billy's most ambitious effort to date. These meetings continued night after night for eight weeks. Thousands of people came to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior at these events. In 1950, Mr. Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and also began his weekly radio program, The Hour Of Decision.This program is still being broadcasted to this day. Billy Graham also founded what is called "Billy Graham Crusades". In June, 1973, a recorded 1.1 million people made Yoido Plaza in Seoul, South Korea, Billy's largest meeting ever held anywhere in the world. He has also preached to overflowing crows at the Yankee Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (with 20 000 more outside), and so many more. Every he has preacehed, people have been eager to hear his messages. Mr. Graham does not take any credit for himself. 'I have had the privilege of preaching this Gospel on ever continent in most of the countries of the world. And I have found that when I present the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with authority, quoting the very Word of God - He takes that message and drives it supernaturally into the human heart.' -Billy Graham"(Billy Graham: God's Ambassador, Busby, p. 109). Mr. Graham feels he is simply obeying God, and in doing so, God is using him as a vessel to reach the world for Christ.

            On six different continents, in 84 countries of the world, and in all of America's fifty states, the Gospel has been preached to more than 100 million people by Billy Graham. His crusades across the world in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia and Africa have broken stadium attendance records. Billy has reached more than 2 billion people over radio, television and satellite broadcasts. Billy Graham, who is now in his mid-80s, continues in the ministry God has called him to. He believes that in preaching the Gospel he is giving people an opportunity to change their destiny for eternity.In this way, many people believe that Billy Graham, as an evangelist and as a follower of Christ, has the most important job in the world. The job of telling people about the love and forgiveness that can be found in Jesus Christ.

"My one purpose in life is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ." - Billy Graham (Billy Graham:God's  ambassador, Busby)