Evangelist Franklin Graham traveled to Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday and delivered the Gospel on the 50th anniversary of when his father, the late evangelist Billy Graham, carried out evangelistic outreach in Seoul.
“Korea has changed so much in 50 years. The world has changed, but God’s love for you has not changed,” Franklin Graham told the crowd of about 70,000 people at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
“God made you, He created you, and He loves you. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to save you from your sins,” he continued. “If you’re willing to accept that by faith, believe in His name, and turn from your sins, your soul will be safe and secure in His hands for eternity.”
Graham’s message comes 50 years after 1.1 million people attended an event during a Billy Graham crusade at Yoida Plaza on June 3, 1973. The event is the largest of the late evangelist’s crusades.
According to The Christian Post, Dr. Billy Kim, the pastor who translated for Billy Graham during the original 1973 outreach, and Korean churches invited Franklin Graham for last weekend’s occasion.
“The last time my father saw Dr. Billy Kim, he told him, ‘Let’s have one more crusade in Korea,’” Graham told the crowd on Saturday.
“I love the people of Korea. This is a strong and beautiful country, and the people are so sincere and generous,” the evangelist continued. “They have always made me feel right at home, and I am looking forward to being with the people of this nation. I’m coming to Seoul at a time that has been difficult for many people. The pandemic was very challenging. People need to know there is hope. So many are anxious about the future and don’t know where to turn. I want them to know that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives.”
“There’s no nation in the world quite like Korea, but all the money and all the technology doesn’t fill the vacuum in the human heart. People want to know, ‘Who am I? Why am I here? What’s the purpose and the meaning for my life?’ People are searching, and they don’t even know what they’re searching for, but something is missing,” Graham asserted. “Only God can fill that vacuum. I’ve come to preach a simple message of God’s love for the Korean people, and I want everyone to know how they can have a personal relationship with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.”
According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, thousands of people made professions of faith following Franklin Graham’s message of hope.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Pool
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.