'We Can't Say No'
Franklin Graham Will Share the Gospel in South Sudan Oct. 26-27
August 24, 2012 - The churches in South Sudan have asked that we come and hold an evangelistic Crusade so that people will hear the “hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23). They know this is the only message that can change lives for eternity and shape the course of their country’s future.
Go, stand and speak to the people ... the whole message of this Life. (NASB).
by Franklin Graham
In Acts chapter 8, verse 1, the Bible tells us, “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” (NKJV).
Today, 2,000 years later, the church is still under attack. Christians are still being scattered. In Iraq, Syria, Egypt—especially in the Islamic world—Christians are suffering and being forced to flee their homes.
In recent years, there is no place where the persecution has been greater than in Sudan, where 2 million people have been murdered over the last 20 years. Churches have been burned; pastors have been nailed to trees and their wives and daughters raped in front of their eyes by the soldiers of the Islamic Republic of Sudan. Thousands of refugees have fled across the border into South Sudan, many barely escaping with their lives.
South Sudan is a brand-new nation that just declared independence a year ago in June, and its capital, Juba, sits along the banks of the Nile River. The churches of this fledgling country have asked that we come and hold an evangelistic Crusade. They know that the only hope for their nation is the Lord Jesus Christ, and they want us to come and preach the “hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23). They know this is the only message that can change lives for eternity and shape the course of their country’s future.
We have accepted their urgent invitation to go, and we’ll be there in just a little more than two months, on October 26–27. We’re calling this Crusade “Hope for a New Nation.” This wasn’t something we had in our budget, but God had it in His plans. Yes, it will be hot and dusty, and the mosquitoes carry malaria—but what a privilege to stand with these pastors who have been persecuted so many years and to preach Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dead, buried, and risen to life.
In Acts 5:19–20 the Bible gives us the account of Peter and the apostles being thrown in jail for preaching. They were under severe persecution. During the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and set them free. Then immediately the angel gave them this command: “Go, stand and speak to the people ... the whole message of this Life.” (NASB). That’s the same message these churches in Sudan want as many people as possible to hear.
You, too, can stand with these pastors through your prayers and support. You can invest in this Crusade and help us go and proclaim the Gospel message to those who so desperately need to hear. Please pray about how the Lord would have you become involved. This is an immediate opportunity to make a real difference in thousands of lives in this dangerous and troubled area of the world.
Thank you and God bless you,
Franklin Graham
President
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