Evangelist Franklin Graham issued a major warning about persecution against Christians in America. It came during his keynote address at the opening session of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention being held through Thursday in Orlando, Florida.
Graham warned the audience of Christian media organizations and ministry professionals to be prepared for the "coming storm" against Christians.
"I believe there is a coming storm that we all need to be ready for," he said. "The world has deteriorated so quickly. It seems like every demon in Hell has been turned loose. We cannot be deceived and we can't be fooled. We need to get ready and be prepared."
Graham, 70, serves as president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief and evangelism organization that he has helmed since 1979. He also heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a position he has held since 2001.
During his speech, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham encouraged the audience to stand firm on the Gospel and refuse to compromise on the Bible's teachings.
"We are living in a cancel culture that wants to destroy Christian organizations. They want us to shut our mouths. They don't want to hear from us," Graham warned.
The evangelist urged Christian organizations to prepare to defend themselves against the growing cancel culture in business, insurance, banking, and technology. He challenged them to continue sharing the hope of Jesus Christ in the face of increasingly difficult circumstances.
Graham said any organization sharing the Christian message could be targeted and canceled by financial institutions and big tech. As CBN News has reported, there have already been multiple cases of banks ousting Christian ministries or big-tech de-platforming Christians.
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"Now, if you don't preach the Gospel, you don't have anything to worry about," he said. "If you're not going to talk about sin, you don't have anything to worry about. But if you're going to try to preach and proclaim the Gospel, they're going to try to shut you up."
But he said Christian communicators are called by God to keep telling the Gospel message "the way it is" no matter what may happen.
"When you try to tell a person they are a sinner, it's offensive. When you tell someone that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life, and there is no way to heaven or God except through Him, you offend people," Graham continued. "Just tell it the way it is."
"Preach—don't back up. Don't make excuses," he said. "We cannot back up. We can't retreat. Don't apologize for the Gospel—just declare it, just preach it."
The CEO of the BGEA reminded the audience to be prepared for what's coming next. Graham recalled the New Testament's John 15:18-19, where Jesus says, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you."
"Just don't sit there on your hands and let the storm hit. And then have this look on your face like I didn't know that was coming. I didn't see that coming. You'd better see it coming. The world hates us, and Jesus told us the world hated me first and they're going to hate you," he noted. "If you stand for Christ, the world hates you.
Graham just completed a six-city preaching tour in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Beginning June 3, he will preach in Seoul, South Korea, on the 50th anniversary of his father Billy Graham's historic outreach which more than one million people attended.
The NRB is a nonpartisan, international association of Christian communicators whose member organizations represent millions of listeners, viewers, and readers. The next convention will be held February 20-23, 2024, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, TN. Click here for more information.
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