An Invitation to “My Hope”

 

“My Hope,” an evangelistic outreach sponsored by the Billy Graham organization, is coming to Porterville and cities and communities across the U.S in November. I am excited about “My Hope” because it will unite churches of all denominations with the goal of reaching out to people with the gospel. It also trains individuals to share their testimonies with those who don’t know Christ and connects people who make commitments or who recommit their lives with local churches.

       

The format is simple, with the first step being to pray faithfully for about seven specific people—neighbors, family and friends—that their hearts would be opened by the Holy Spirit to believe in and receive Christ. The next step is to invite those same people to come to your home one evening in November to watch a special “My Hope”  broadcast on television, DVD or on the internet. The message will be from Franklin and Billy Graham as well as testimonies from well-known athletes, musicians and entertainers.

      

 After the broadcast, there will be a time for you to share your own personal testimony and how your life has been changed since receiving Jesus into your heart. Dinner, dessert or snacks also can be served. The intent is that you would invite these same folks to attend your church, or one near you that is participating in “My Hope,” the following Sunday. Praying daily, inviting, hosting, sharing, then following up…sounds very easy doesn’t it?

     

 I will always be deeply indebted to Lena Hadidian, a friend of mine at Bakersfield Jr. College, who took a risk and invited me to a Christian group which met just across the street from the campus. Cal Myatt, the leader of that group, conducted the program that night.

      

 When Lena introduced me to Cal afterwards, he asked me if I had ever received Christ as my Lord and Savior. His question surprised me, because it was the first time I had ever really heard the good news about Jesus. My first response was “yes,” but later that night I realized that I had lied. I had only known about Jesus but hadn’t known Him personally. The Holy Spirit worked in my heart until I made a firm decision to surrender my life to Him.

       

About a year later, I invited my brother, who was a senior in high school, to the same group. Cal Myatt asked my brother the identical question and he prayed with Cal to receive Christ on the spot. Who would have known that a simple invitation would end in such a life-changing decision?

     

 Ten thousand people have already completed training for “My Hope.” In turn each of these has agreed to train leaders of four churches, which means thousands of churches will be participating. If you are interested in bringing this to your church or joining as an individual, go to: www.myhopewithbillygraham.org  Training sessions will be held in Bakersfield, Visalia and Fresno in August and September, with the actual outreach will be in November.

      

 May the Lord use this in a mighty way to bring hope to our neighbors and all across America.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Romans 1:16 NIV

(published on 8-3-13 in the Porterville Recorder)