How To Choose The Right Team For Your Dream with Rick Warren

– I want to say hi to
all of our 20 campuses, including those of you watching online. If you’ll take out your message
notes inside your program, those of you online can download this, we’re continuing in our series called Choosing Your Future. To do what God has created you to do, you’re gonna need a team. A brain trust, a support group, a personal board of advisors. Success is never, never,
never a one-man show. You could be a solo Olympic athlete. You still need a team. You got to have a coach, doctor, support, and all kinds of other
people in your life. Success is never a
one-woman or a one-man show. You need other people in your life. Now what we’re gonna do today as we’re talking about your future, we’ve talked about
choosing the right values, choosing the right guide,
the Holy Spirit to lead you, and today we’re gonna look at
choosing your personal team, because it takes a team
to fulfill a dream. God has a dream for your life, but you cannot fulfill it on your own. In fact, the very first thing God said when he created man and woman was, “It is not good for man to be alone.” We were wired for relationships. We’re created for community. You need people in your life. You cannot fulfill God’s purpose
for your life by yourself. You need other people in
your life in different areas. And so we’re gonna look
at choosing the right team for your dream, and I want us to look at three different angles. The kinds of people you need on your team, some reasons you need a team, and specifically what to look for in building a personal board
of advisors in your life. Now let’s start with
first four kinds of people you’re gonna need to be all
that God wants you to be for the rest of your life. You may have five years
left or 50 years left, but you’re gonna need these
four people always in your life. You can write them down. I’ll cover them pretty quickly. They are models, mentors,
partners, and friends. First you need models in your life. You need a model of where you need to go. Where do you want to be in five years? Well, you need a model for that. Now, even if you intend
on surpassing that model, and that’s what we pray
for every generation to do, you still need a model to get started. Everything you learn in
life you learn by modeling. How to talk, how to walk, how to eat. You learned it by watching other people. You need models in your life. If you don’t have a model for where you want to be in five years, you’re not gonna get there. You need models. Second, you need mentors. Mentors are your coaches, and they help you get where
you need to go in life. Now, nobody can mentor you in every area, so you’re gonna need lots of
different kinds of mentors. In my life, I’ve had
nine different mentors. And each mentor taught
me something different. My first mentor is my own father. That was early on in life, but then I had different, and some were, nobody would know who they are. Some were pretty famous like Peter Drucker who was a mentor to me in
organization and management and how to lead. And he taught me about that, but he didn’t teach me how to preach. He didn’t teach me how to pray. He didn’t teach me a lot of other stuff. Billy Graham was a mentor
to me for 40 years. He died this last week, and I’ve been in kind of
a melancholy mood all week because the last of my
mentors is now in Heaven. So it’s an end of an
era in many ways for me, not just for the world. I met Billy Graham when
I was 20 years old. When I was 16, I went to a crusade. When I was, I think I
was in the sixth grade I read my first Billy Graham book, because growing up in a Baptist home Billy Graham was the Pope (laughs). (audience laughs) And it’s like he was our Pope. And when I was 16, I went to a crusade in Oakland, California, and it was packed out
where the Raiders play and standing-room only. And I watched him share the
good news of Jesus Christ. And God spoke to me in that meeting, and I go that’s what
God is calling me to do. To tell people about the Lord. That’s what I’m gonna do with my life. And so as a 16-year-old, I
was still in high school, I actually started
preaching on the weekends. Almost every weekend. In high school I was class president freshman, sophomore, junior
year and senior year, student body president of
a very large high school. But on the weekends I was
always preaching and teaching. As a young man, as a teenager. And by the time I was 20 years old, I had preached about 120
like harvest crusades, revivals, in cities and in churches up and down the West Coast. And somehow Billy Graham heard
about this young teenager who was already preaching as a kid, and I met him when I was 20. He took me under his wing, and that began 40 years
of him mentoring me. And so I went to his
funeral just this last week back in North Carolina. Now, you need mentors, you need models. Then you need partners. The third thing you need are partners. Partners are the people who
actually share your dream. They work with you on your dream. It’s a career dream, a vision dream. It’s a cause, it’s a purpose. It’s something that you say, “I want to really do this with my life.” And you need some other
people who share that dream and who work with you on it. They’re your partners. And then finally, you need friends. Now friends may not share your dream. They may not work on your dream with you, but they’re just good friends. They walk in when
everybody else walks out. And everybody needs friends. Now you don’t need a
lot of friends in life. You don’t need 100 friends. You only need three or
four really good ones. But good friends bring
out the best in you. Your best friends should
make you your best. If your friends don’t build
you up, they tear you down, they’re not your friends. And so you want to have people
around you who lift you up. Now if I’m standing here
on the edge of this stage, is it easier for me to lift
you up or you to pull me down? Easy, to pull me down. And so you don’t want friends
around you that pull you down. You may even know what God
wants you to do with your life. You may know your dream for life, but you’ll miss it if you
choose the wrong friends. Because the right friends will push you in the right direction, and the wrong friends will push
you in the wrong direction. So you need mentors, models,
partners, and friends, and these help form kind
of like your brain trust. Your personal support group. Your board of advisors for your life. The Bible says in First Corinthians 3:6 “We work together as
partners who belong to God.” Circle the word partners. I want to focus on this
third group of people. How do you build a team of partners? Now there’s an old phrase in Africa, an old proverb that says if you want to run fast, run by yourself. But if you want to run far,
do it with other people. I am personally interested
in your success, but I want your success to last. A lot of people are a flash in the pan. They fly up high and
then they go back down. I am committed to you
finishing your life well. I want you to have a life well-lived. I want you to end well. But the truth is for some of
you that’s not gonna happen. Just to be honest with you. Five years from today, some of you are gonna be
sidelined and in the ditch. You’ll be detoured, you’ll be sidelined. You won’t be even going
to church in five years. Some of you won’t even
be on the path at all. Why? Two reasons. Number one, you never intended
it in the first place. You weren’t serious about God’s plan. You kind of just wanted it a little bit. You didn’t want it more
than anything else in life. You wanted to do your plan. You wanted to have fun. You wanted to do whatever you did, but you weren’t fully committed to God’s purpose for your life. But the second reason is
you never built a team. And if you don’t build a team, when times get tough you’re
gonna get discouraged, you’re gonna flame out,
burn out, flash out, dry up or whatever. So what I’m talking to you about today is extremely important
to the rest of your life on how to build a team. Now, you say, “Rick, why do I need this? “Why can’t I just go
after my dream by myself?” If you have a dream that
you can fulfill by yourself, it isn’t from God. It’s not big enough. God’s dream for your life is
far bigger than your dream. Let me say that again. God’s dream for your life is far, far bigger than your dream. It is so big you can’t
fulfill it by yourself. It will take you having
other people in your life. Saddleback Church could
never become what it was if it was just me. No, no, you’re a part of a
team called Saddleback Church. And together thousands of people have made this church what it is today. It’s not one person’s idea. It’s our idea together. And so, God’s vision will be so big it’ll be involving other people. Let me give you what the
Bible says about teams. And it says that I need a team in my life and you need a team in your life, for the rest of your
life for five reasons. Number one, to make up for my weaknesses. I need a team of other people around me to make up, to compensate
for my own weaknesses. Nobody has all of the talent. Nobody has all of the knowledge. Nobody has all of the time. Nobody has all of the strengths. We all have weaknesses. God intentionally did it that way so that we’re all shaped differently so that we need each
other to get the job done. As I said, if you can do
your dream by yourself, it isn’t a big enough dream. Romans 1:12 says “I want
us to help each other “with the faith that we have. “And your help, your faith will help me, “and my faith will help you.” In the early days of Saddleback Church, I put together a team that compensated for all of my weaknesses, and the stuff that I was good at I did, and the stuff I wasn’t
good at Glen Kruen did, Tom Holladay did, Rick
Muchow did, Doug Fields did, and a whole bunch of other people did because we were a team together. And at every stage of our
growth we build new teams. Number two, I need teams in my life to bring out the best in me. I need a team, not just to
compensate for my weaknesses, but to bring out the best in you. This is what coaches do. You may be the best singer in the world. You may be at the Metropolitan Opera, but you still need a vocal coach. And every pro needs a coach no matter how much of a pro they are. And you need people in your life who bring out the best in you. Proverbs 27:17: “Just
as iron sharpens iron, “friends sharpen and shape each other.” Circle that, sharpen and shape. That’s what you want
to look for in friends. Do they sharpen me and do they shape me? If they don’t sharpen you,
if they don’t shape you, they’re not your friends. They may be an acquaintance. You may be wasting time with them, but you should only have
as your closest friends people who sharpen you, make you better, and shape you to help you become
what you’re supposed to be. The third reason you need
a team is to get more done. That’s obvious. Two people can get more than one person. Three people can get more done than two. Four can get more done than three. The Bible in Ecclesiastes Chapter Four has a lot to say about
teams in verses nine to 12. Verse nine says, “Two people
are always better than one, “because they can accomplish
more by working together.” Duh, and so you need
other people in your life to get more done. Number four, the fourth reason you need a team for
your life and I need one is to help me get back up when I stumble. To help me get back up when I stumble. Now you may have God’s
dream for your life. It doesn’t mean you’re
gonna go directly there. No, you’re gonna make a lot of mistakes. You’re gonna fall. You’re gonna fumble. You’re gonna stumble. The Bible says in the Book of James, “We all stumble in many ways.” Well, so what? It doesn’t matter if you have a team to help you get back up. But if you don’t have
a team to get back up, you can stumble, fall off
in the ditch and stay there because there’s nobody. You don’t have a Life Alert that says, “Help me, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” (audience laughs) The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:10: “If you fall, a companion
can help you get up. “But if you fall by yourself
you’re in real trouble “because there’s no one to help
you,” obviously get back up. So you need a team around in your life to make up for your weaknesses, to bring out the best in
you, to get more done, to help you get back up when you stumble. Number five: I need a team in my life to resist attacks and criticism. You’re gonna need a team in your life to resist attacks and criticisms. Why? The moment you choose
a dream for your life, somebody’s not gonna like it. The moment hang out a
shingle with your name on it, someone is gonna start
throwing rocks at it. No matter who you are in life, you’re going to be criticized by somebody. You just have to decide who
do I want to be criticized by? I don’t want to be criticized
by small-minded thinkers. I don’t want to be criticized by people who don’t understand the kingdom of God. I want to be with people who do understand that people matter to God,
that Jesus is the way, and who are big thinkers. Those are the people I care about. You can’t care about everybody’s opinion. You can’t please everybody. You can’t even please yourself, much less everybody around you. Now the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:12: “By yourself you’re unprotected. “An enemy can attack and defeat you. “But two can stand
back-to-back and resist, “and a team of three is even better, “like a triple-braided rope
which does not break easily.” The more strands you have on a rope, obviously the tighter it is. The more people you have on your team, the stronger your team’s gonna be, and you’re gonna be less
likely to cave under attack. When you’re by yourself
and you get criticized and somebody attacks what you’re doing, you get hurt, you get
offended, you get discouraged, and you’re likely to give up if you don’t have the
right team around you. Now what I want to do this weekend is spend the rest of our time
looking at the kind of people you need to recruit to your personal team. Whether you’ve got five years left or 50 years left in your life, who are the kind of people
you want to have around you so you don’t waste this time. That you make the rest of your
life the best of your life. And the Bible says that
there are five things we need to look for in people
that we keep closest to us that become the team to
help us reach the dream. And as I said, last
week Billy Graham died. Billy Graham was the most influential and best-known Christian of
the 20th century, bar none. He died at 99 years of
age, almost 100 years. He oversaw an entire century,
much like Queen Victoria was the dominating factor
over the 19th century. Bill Graham spoke to more
people in history face-to-face than anybody ever in history. In his lifetime, he preached
to 215 million people face-to-face like I’m talking. I’m not talking about
the billions of people who saw him on TV or movies
or Internet or whatever. I’m talking of face-to-face in
stadiums all around the world over 215 million people. He influenced nations. He influenced every president from Truman to the current one. He had influence in an amazing way. And as I said, he was the
last of my mentors to die. What I want to tell you about is the lessons that I learned from him over 40 years about team building. Because when Billy Graham
started back in the 1940s, he didn’t just do it himself. He built a team. He built a team of five guys. Grady and T.W. Wilson, who were guys he went to high school with, a guy named George Beverly Shea, who was probably one of
the best-known singers in the 40s and 50s, and he
became Billy Graham’s singer, and Cliff Barrows, who
was the music director and the program director for
the Billy Graham Crusades. Those five guys met in
the 1940s, formed a team, and it’s a team that lasted 60 years. They were still together
in their 80s and their 90s. And that’s why they had an impact for almost an entire century. Now as I said earlier, I want you to last. I want you to make it to the finish line. I want you to finish well like the guys on the
Billy Graham team did. And so, what made them so effective? Well, in the first place,
Billy Graham chose wisely. And he used these five choices. And I’m gonna share them with you, and I’m also gonna show
you some clips of his life that illustrate what we’re talking about. So number one, when you’re gonna build the team for your life, your dream team, the first thing you need to choose if you need to choose people
who want to love and serve God. Obviously, that’s the bottom line. You want to use people who
are gonna be close to you who love and serve God. If people who are closest to you don’t love God and serve God, you’re certainly not gonna
go in the right direction. The Bible tells us in 2
Corinthians Verse Six, Chapter Six, Verse 14, “Don’t team up with those who reject God.” He’s talking about nonbelievers. He said you shouldn’t have a
partnership with a nonbeliever. “Don’t team up with those who reject God. “How can you make a partnership
out of right and wrong? “That’s not a partnership, that’s war! “Can light be best friends with darkness? “How can Christ and
Satan agree on anything?” How can there be any harmonies? I love the message. A paraphrase of this: You choose people who want
to love and serve God. The Bible says in 1
Corinthians 15, Verse 33, “Don’t be misled. “Bad company corrupts good character.” You can have good dreams and
you can have good character, but if you choose the wrong team, you go in the wrong direction. I want you to watch this first clip about Billy Graham’s life, ’cause the last part
of it’s about his team. (dramatic orchestral music) – [Narrator] Think about it. A man who brings the word
of God to more people than any other person in history. – The humble farmer’s son
who helped change the world is a spiritual gift to all of us. – [Announcer] Would you welcome, please, evangelist, author, educator– – [Announcer] One of
the most influential– – [Announcer] And here he is–
– Billy Graham. – Billy Graham.
– Billy Graham. (audience applauds and cheers) – [Narrator] Who was this man
who could preach like this? – I cannot save anybody. I’m just an ordinary messenger
of the kingdom of God. – He was a giant. You won’t see his likes again. (crowd cheers) – He was unparalleled in my judgment. I think presidents reached out to him because they wanted what he had. – None of us were in on
those one-on-one sessions. – The Bible says that everyone
of us are important to God. – Dr. Graham and Dr.
King on the same platform sent a very powerful message. – There is no excuse ever for bigotry. We are to love as God loves us! – It was a very tense time. He was really criticized, but
my father never backed down. He was always willing to take a risk when it was for the right reason. – Is there an answer? Yes, there is an answer! – [Brit] You always knew with Graham it was about the message
and not about the man. – Who is this unique person that comes across the pages of history? Jesus said, “Follow me. “Come and change the world with me.” (gentle orchestral music) (audience applauds) (dramatic orchestral music) All of your life you’ve been
searching for peace, joy, happiness. And some of you are searching for purpose and meaning in your life
and you haven’t found it. You can have the greatest hope and courage and joy and thrill that you’ve ever known if you just let Christ come in right now. Jesus Christ identifies with you, and he looks at you
tonight and he loves you. You start out with a little bit of faith. It may be a shaky, wobbly faith, but if it’s in the Lord Jesus Christ you don’t have to have faith
enough to hold onto Him. He’ll hold you. He gives you a joy and
a peace and a security and an assurance and a happiness and a sense of belonging and fulfillment. God is love. God so loves the world that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life. Whoever you are, whatever you
are, whatever you’ve done, God loves you. What Christ has done for this farm boy, Christ can do for you. – [Narrator] What began
with Billy Graham’s simple decision to follow Jesus Christ ultimately led to an
exciting journey of faith with international impact. – All over the world
people have a difference in the way they react and
respond, but not to the Gospel. When the gospel of Jesus
Christ is proclaimed, I just cannot see any difference, because man’s heart is written
the same the world over. The word gospel means good news. Good news that God loves man. God chose me, I think,
to be an evangelist, which really is a communicator
of one simple message that God loves you and
that Christ died for you. And my job is to go and
present Christ to those people whose hearts God has prepared. I’m looking forward to that day when I’ll see Christ face-to-face. Are you? Does he live in your heart now? (gentle orchestral music) – [Narrator] In the 1940s, as Billy Graham began his
evangelistic ministry, he recruited several
talented colleagues to help. No one was more valued than Ruth, who was rarely in public view but was an active advisor
to Billy behind the scenes. A team began forming, one
that proved to be inspired, as these men served together for decades. – He’d written me, asking me
to become his gospel singer, and I said to him, you know, the only gospel singer
I’ve ever known about would sing a verse or two
then stop and talk awhile. Would I have to do that? And he (laughs) chuckled
and he said, “I hope not.” – [Narrator] George Beverly Shea, a well-known musician
and radio personality, became the beloved
soloist for the crusades. As the music and program director, Cliff Barrows would also
host each Billy Graham event and program throughout the years. (choir singing) Friends from high school
and trusted colleagues Grady and T.W. Wilson
worked behind the scenes to organize the meetings. Long before they enjoyed
national prominence, these men held a somewhat
impromptu meeting in Modesto, California. It was 1949, just before one
of their early crusade events. – Bill mentioned to us, he said, “You know we know that
evangelists in the past “have run into difficulties. “Have gotten involved in
things that have brought “disrepute to the cause of Christ.” And he said, “Let’s ask God to guard us “from making those mistakes.” – [Narrator] The team decided
to hold each other accountable to four virtues: Financial
accountability, moral integrity, respect for the local
church and their pastors, and truth in publicity. It became known as the Modesto Manifesto, and it was through this team that the mission of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association came into focus. To proclaim the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ to all they could by every effective means available to them. It was the foundation of integrity that would serve the team well as the ministry expanded beyond
their wildest expectations. – So here’s the second thing that Billy Graham did
right in building a team. First, he got people who
loved and served the Lord. Second, you want to choose
people for your team who are committed to growing in character. Who are committed to growing in character. You want to have people around you who are interested in growing spiritually in their character. Talent will only take you so far. Character will take you
to the end of your life. There is a lot of talented people who flame out, end up in the ditch, don’t make it to the finish line in life. They got great talent. They have no character. And so Billy Graham and
this team, he chose good men who had good character, but
then they were committed to helping each other grow as strong men. And you need to have a team
that helps you grow and cares, particularly in the areas of integrity, humility, and generosity. I’ll come back to that in a second. But you heard on that tape that in 1949 the five guys of the Billy Graham team, which this team lasted 60 years, went and got into a hotel up in Modesto, this was before they became famous, and they said, “Let’s make
a list of all the things “that cause people to get tripped up “and they don’t make
it to the finish line.” And it came down to
pretty much sex, money, power, fame, you know, publicity, and distractions and things like that. And they made a list of things
called the Modesto Manifesto. A compact to help them grown in character. I took that idea when I
started Saddleback Church. I developed a covenant called the Saddleback Staff Commandments. And every staff member in this church has signed that covenant. And it’s a list of 10 things that have to do with moral integrity, financial accountability, truth, honesty, humility, things like this that have built Saddleback Church. And actually three or four of the things off the Modesto Covenant actually got in the Saddleback
Covenant, for instance. I have never in 40 years
ever been in a room with a woman who was not
my wife with a door closed. Ever in 40 years, except for
a nurse in a doctor’s office. (audience laughs) I never ever travel alone anywhere. I never stay in a hotel or
motel by myself at night. Nobody can say, “Well, was
he watching pornography “at that point in time,” ’cause there’s always
somebody in the room with me. And they always know where I’m accountable when I’m traveling
anywhere around the world. Where did I learn that? Billy Graham. You say, “Well, Rick, aren’t these rules, “aren’t you going a little overboard?” I’d rather go overboard
than be thrown overboard. (audience applauds) And I know a lot of people who, because they don’t set any
parameters in their life, “I just don’t do that,” given the right situation
I am capable of any sin and so are you. If you don’t believe that, you don’t understand how
deceptive your heart is. That you lie to yourself more
than you lie to anybody else. And so you need people in your life who help you grow in three areas. First, integrity. If you want God to bless your dream, you must live with integrity. Proverbs 10:9: “People with
integrity have a firm footing, “but those who follow crooked
paths will slip and fall.” Now integrity is not just
talking about honesty. It’s also dealing with keeping your focus and not getting distracted from what God has called you to do. Because Billy was so famous and so popular and had so much influence, he was constantly offered deals to do other things besides
teach and preach the gospel. Both the Republican and Democrat
party at different times tried to run him for president. He said, “I’m not a politician.” Back in the early 40s, Cecil B. DeMille offered him a million dollar-plus contract to be the star in The Ten Commandments, which Charlton Heston eventually did. He said, “I’m not a star. “I am a preacher of the gospel.” He new what he was called to do. You have to have rock-ribbed integrity if you’re gonna make
it to the end in life, otherwise you’re on shaky sands. The second thing you need is humility. Now the Bible says this in Proverbs 3:34: “God has no use for conceited people.” God hates arrogance and pride. “God has no use for conceited people, “but He shows favor to
those who are humble.” If you want God’s favor on your life, on your dream, on your
business, on your blessing, then you need to walk with humility. Billy Graham was the most humble person I ever met in my life, bar none. Nobody even comes close. And with all of the
accolades that he was given, he was a very humble man. He lived in a humble house. It was a log cabin built on
the backside of a mountain. Very simple home. He could have had a palace. He spent 60 years
traveling around the world. Never bought a jet. He said, “I just don’t want to like I’m, “you know, that I’m some
kind of rich person.” If anybody could justify owning a jet, it would be Billy Graham. But he didn’t, and he lived a very simple, a very humble life. Now I’ve said to you before that humility is not
thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less. The humble person
doesn’t go around saying, “Oh, I’m no good, I’m
junk, I’m worthless.” That’s not humility. That’s false humility. The humble person just doesn’t
think about themselves. When they walk into the
room, they’re not going, “Does everybody think I’m great?” They walk in the room saying,
“How can I help that person?” They’re always thinking about you. As I’ve traveled around the
world to many, many countries, I’ve met some of the truly
great people on this planet. I’ve also met a lot of people who think they’re great and aren’t. And let me tell you the difference. Great people aren’t
impressed with themselves. The truly great people are
focused on you, not themselves. That’s what make them great. Great people make people feel great. Little people belittle people. Any time you see a leader or a politician or anybody who’s always
putting down other people, you know that they’re
insecure in their heart. Little people belittle people. They have a little heart, a tiny heart, and because they don’t
feel good about themselves, they have to make everybody
else feel bad about themselves so they can feel better. Great people make people feel great. They’re truly humble, and they can pass on
that joy to other people. So there’s humility, there’s integrity, and the third thing you look for in a team ’cause you want this in your own life, you want this in your life, is generosity. Proverbs 22, Verse Nine: “Generous people will be blessed.” There are more promises in
the Bible about generosity than any other promise. And if you want to have
God bless your project, your dream, your goal, then you need to become a generous person and you need to surround yourself with a team of generous people. Now I’m not just talking about money. I’m talking about time,
attention, compliments, praise, affirmations, being generous
in every area of life, being will to help other people. Billy Graham was one of the
most generous people I knew. In 1983, for instance, in 1986
and again in the year 2000 he personally paid for a
conference in Amsterdam where he paid for 13,000
leaders, evangelists, to come to Amsterdam
for 10 days of training. Most of these were poor
from all around the world. Little village pastors and
preachers and things like that, and he paid the entire thing himself. He paid for all their
airfare, for all their meals, for their lodging, for
all of the equipment and all of the resources they gave. And he did it all himself just because he wanted
to help other people. The reason I know this
is because I was there. I was one of those people invited. When I was a young man, when I was in high school
I wrote my first book. It was called Warren’s
Bible Study Methods. I had no confidence at all
in my ability to write. I had never written anything, and I didn’t think I was a
particularly good writer. But I wrote this book
called Bible Study Methods. ‘Cause I didn’t think it was
that good, I self-published it. I didn’t even go to a publisher
and ask them to publish it. I just published it myself. And I printed 2,000 copies, quickly ran out of those 2,000 copies, and then printed another 2,000 and quickly sold out of those. And then a small Christian
publisher picked up the book. When Bill Graham planned those
big conferences in Amsterdam, one day he calls me. He says, “Rick, I like your
book on Bible study methods. “I’ve ordered 13,000 copies of it “in 17 languages to give to everybody. “We’re gonna put it in everybody’s bag, “and I want you to come
and teach these 13,000 “leaders from around the world
on how to study the Bible.” I was in my 20s! (audience laughs) That’s the kind of generous spirit he had. He was giving a platform
to the next generation. Nobody knew who I was. I wasn’t even 30 years of
age, and I wasn’t known. But Billy said, “I believe in that.” And, you know, later I thought well, shoot if Billy Graham likes my
writing it may be okay (laughs). (audience laughs) And the truth is I may have never written any of those other books like Daniel Plan and Purpose Drive Life and
Church and all the others that sold tens of millions of copies, never would have sold them,
never would have written them, if Billy Graham hadn’t encouraged
me when I was in my 20s, and I didn’t have enough confidence to even go to a publisher over it. That is a person of integrity
and humility and generosity. You need to be generous with your praise. The more praise and the more compliments you can give to other people, the more God will bless your dream. Some of the most valued
possessions that I own are the cards and the letters and the notes and the things
that Billy had sent to me over 40 years of being my mentor to just encourage me. I remember one time. I think it was the first time I was interviewed on Larry King. So I was maybe 30, 31 years old. And I remember getting a letter. This letter, if you want to see it, is at the Ministry
Center in my back office between a letter from
Dr. Martin Luther King and a letter from Mother Teresa. And it’s a letter from Billy
Graham and it says this, “Dear Rick, last night I watched
Larry King interview you. “It was the absolute finest
presentation of the gospel “I’ve ever heard or seen
on the media bar none.” Now that was a lie. It couldn’t be possibly true. Okay.
(audience laughs) He was being effusive in his praise. He was being, you know, over the top. But that was classic Billy Graham, encouraging a nobody. Encouraging people who
couldn’t help him back. I was just a young man, and
he was effusive in his praise. That’s the generosity of spirit. Another time in the early days when fax machines
started to become popular in the early 80s and I
think maybe 10 people in the world had a fax machine. And we’ve always tried
to jump on technology. Saddleback was the first
church on the internet in 1992. And so many other technologies we’ve tried to use
early on, early adapter, and when the fax came out
I started writing a weekly information devotional for
businessmen and businesswomen and I called it The Fax of Life. (audience laughs) And we had a fax machine, and we would fax it to
these major corporations that asked for it. You know, Hobby Lobby,
Chick-fil-A, Disney, Ford Motor, whatever, IBM, and we
would fax them one copy. Then they would fax it
to their down links. And it was going to hundreds of thousands of businessmen every week. That little fax machine
sat over in the corner at Saddleback Church going 24
hours a day seven days a week. And one day all of a sudden the phone started ringing off the wall and people were calling me saying, “Rick, “Billy on his daily broadcast today “is talking about ‘There’s a
young man out in California “‘who started a thing called Fax of Life “‘using the fax machine, and
we should all be doing this “‘to get the gospel out.'” He was just an encourager. And he lived his life with integrity, humility, and generosity. Now that’s called godliness. Now look at this next verse,
Psalm 92, Verse 12 and 14. You want to be godly and you want the people
around you to be godly. “Godly people,” they have character, “will grow and flourish like palm trees.” So I want you to grow and
flourish the rest of your life. “Even in old age they
will still bear fruit, “and they will stay fresh and green!” Now I hate to tell you this,
but you’re getting older. So you might circle that
phrase “Even in old age.” ‘Cause this is gonna refer
to you at some point. And if anybody was still
fresh and green in old age, it was that Billy Graham team. I was with them in
their last two crusades, Los Angeles and New York City. In fact, I invited him. I convinced Billy to
come back to L.A. in 2003 where he had had first crusade in 1949 that broke wide open and went eight weeks and made him a national name. And each night… Kay went with me one night. Each night I would go. He was in a wheelchair by this time, and he’s speaking in the Rose Bowl. 110,000 people packed out. And every night I would go
and I would pray for him and lay hands on him and pray for him. Right before he would go, an elevator would lift
that thing up to the stage and he’d go out and preach. And I remember sitting there
with the Billy Graham team, and they’re all in their 80s or 90s. And I remember Franklin, Billy’s son, was sitting right behind Billy. And I was sitting right
behind George Beverly Shea, who was the oldest guy on the team. I think he lived 103, 104. And he’s sitting there, and I could just tell
that even though he’d sung in front of hundreds of millions
of people in his lifetime that they hadn’t done it in awhile. He was an older man. He was a little nervous,
and God just led me to reach up and put my
hands on his shoulder and to gently pray for
him and to say, you know, George, you’ve done
this thousands of times and you can do it again and God’s gonna use what you have to sing. He later told me, he said,
“Rick, I just felt the fear “drain out of me when that happened.” But I sat there watching these guys who were in their 80s or 90s and they’re still bearing fruit. Still bearing fruit. That’s because they were
people of character. Now watch this second clip about Billy and the Billy Graham team. – Reverend William Billy
Graham’s untiring evangelism has spread the word of God
to every corner of the globe and made him one of the most inspirational spiritual leaders of the 20th century. – [Narrator] The international attention would also bring him
before American presidents and world leaders. Beginning with President Truman, Billy’s spiritual counsel was welcomed by every subsequent president in the nation’s highest office. – I think it’s through
him that I found myself praying even more than a daily basis. – [Narrator] He would be consulted
by men and women of power in many countries on matters of faith. A trusted confidant behind
the closed doors of leaders. – His reputation is above
reproach all suspicion. He’s been a Christ-like figure. – People see him as the great evangelist, but there’s a warm personal side to him that we Bush’s have
been privileged to see. – He was a highly intelligent,
highly articulate, highly charismatic, man of profound faith who was nevertheless a man. – He set for himself the
highest possible standards. He has epitomized absolute integrity from the public ministry. – You’re made in the image of God. You were made to glorify God. – He’s one of the great evangelists
of our nation’s history. His crusades are legendary. The size of his crowds were magnificent throughout the years because of the message. – And without God, there’s
an empty place in your life that could be filled
tonight, right tonight, by a simple surrender to Jesus Christ. I consider the call to the ministry the highest and most marvelous
calling in the world, because it’s an eternal calling. And I wouldn’t trade places
with any president or any king. There is no excuse ever for hatred. There is no excuse ever for bigotry and intolerance and prejudice. We are to love as God loves us! – [Narrator] Crossing into
unchartered territory, Billy refused to allow intense criticism to keep him from sharing
the good news with everyone, regardless of race. – But when God looks at you, he doesn’t look on the outward appearance. – [Narrator] His decision
to confront racism and injustice in America
and other parts of the world raised the respect of many and the ire of others. – This is the way, the
truth and the light. (man speaking in foreign language) – [Narrator] Billy had
received invitations to preach in South Africa,
but refused to do so until he could preach to
a non-segregated audience openly challenging apartheid. – Christianity is not
a white man’s religion, and don’t let anybody ever tell you that it’s white or black. Christ belongs to all people. He belongs to the whole world. – And he said to the thousands
there, apartheid is sin. It’s wrong. It’s not right with God. And the papers carried it. – I know that God has
sent me out as a warrior to preach the gospel and I must continue until He gives the
signal that I am to stop. – Billy Graham and his
team were not afraid to face hard subjects
and to do the right thing even when it was hard. For instance, the example of segregation. When Billy Graham was doing
the crusades across the South in the 40s and the 50s and the early 60s, most public meetings
were still segregated. And yet, Billy insisted that all of his crusades be integrated. And he wouldn’t even go to a
city unless they would do that. In fact, most of the Billy Graham Crusades were the very first
publicly integrated meetings since the Civil War in the South. He broke that barrier. I remember one time he told me about being in a southern state and he walked in and he
was sitting on the stage and he noticed these ropes
on different sections in the stadium and he
said, “What is that?” And they said, “Well, they
have sectioned it off. “This is the black section,
and this is the white section.” And he goes, “Well,
that isn’t gonna happen “in our crusades. “We’re not gonna
segregate in our crusade.” He gets up, walks off the stage, walks down to the head usher, which was an elderly white guy, and he says, “I want you to take these “ropes down because we’re gonna integrate. “We’re gonna have integrated seating. “Will you do that?” And the head usher refused. So Billy Graham walked over and personally pulled those
cords all down himself, and that man resigned and walked away and started a campaign against him. (audience applauds) He was not afraid to do the right thing. You need people in your
life who will support you when you are not afraid to
do the right thing at work or anywhere else where you
are on your way to your dream. So write this down. Number three, you want to find people who do what’s right even when it’s hard. You want people in your life
who will do the right thing, what’s justice, what’s
righteousness, what’s goodness, what’s godliness, even when it’s hard. If you want God’s blessing on your life, this is a prerequisite. Deuteronomy 12, Verse 28 says this: “If you are careful to
obey whatever God commands, “then you will be doing what is right “and good in God’s eyes. “Then He will help you and your
children to be successful.” That’s a promise of success from God. But He says you’ve got to be
willing to do the right thing. Psalm 34:19 says: “People
who do what is right “may have many problems, but
the Lord will solve them all.” Now, notice that verse. God does not promise that if you do the right
thing it will be easy. It won’t. It says you will have problems
if you do the right thing. But it says God will solve your problems. God has not promised a problem-free life. In fact, if you do the right thing you may have more problems
than if you do the wrong thing, which is the easy thing to do. And if you go to your office and say, “I’m a Christian, I can’t do that. “I have certain ethical standards,” and your boss asks you to
do something dishonest, you might get fired. That’s a problem. But it says God will solve your problem. He takes care of those. You’re gonna have problems. If you say, “Seek first the kingdom of God “as my number one priority in life,” don’t be surprised when people who aren’t seeking first the
kingdom of God don’t like it. They’re gonna fight it. They’re gonna go against it. But you’ve got to say, “I’m
willing to do the right thing.” And God says, “I will take
care of what needs to be done.” Now for instance today, we don’t have segregation
anymore in America. It’s against the law. But we still have racism. We still have prejudice. In fact, we’re right now in a big anti-immigrant culture right now. Well, I just want you to know that in a church where
we speak 67 languages, we’re pro-immigrant. Okay, we’re pro-immigrant here. And I tell you why, because the Bible, (audience applauds)
the Bible over 200 times says take care of the
foreigners in your land. Over and over. Not once, not twice,
over and over and over. Now, the government has
the right to make laws. Decides who gets in, gets out. I don’t have a problem with that. And the government has
a right to enforce it, but you, if you call yourself Christian, it is your job to love everybody. Everybody, that’s your job. It’s not your job to say
who’s in or who’s out. Your job, you’re commanded
by God to love everybody, and if you don’t stop
calling yourself Christian. Jesus told the story of
the great good Samaritan who was the racially different person. And the Jews hated Samaritans. And he says if you go and you find a guy on the side of the road
and he’s bleeding to death, you don’t look over and say,
“Are you here illegally?” You just help the guy. You just help him if he’s bleeding. And if you find somebody
on the side of the road who’s dying of AIDS or
alcoholism or anything else, you don’t say, “Was it your fault?” You just help the guy. It is not your job to judge. It is your job to love. And that’s what it means
to do the right thing even when it’s politically
incorrect or unpopular. And if it’s incorrect, so let it be. You don’t like that? Go find another church, really, because we’re gonna do
what the Bible says to do. Now, a third area that Billy Graham… (audience applauds) I’m much more interested in God’s approval than some political approval, okay? I’m just not. And one other thing about Billy Graham is he just would not be compromised. He worked with everybody of
every political background. The third thing Billy
Graham did is he never let anything stop him from
getting the good news out. He never let any barriers. And so one of the things
he’d always want to do was go to Russia and preach the gospel in communist Russia in the
middle of the Cold War. He started going to places
like Hungary and Romania and the Eastern block, but he’d never been invited into Russia. And he was praying for it, and then finally one day an
invitation came in about 1992, but it was a very
controversial invitation, ’cause it wasn’t an invitation to preach. That actually came as a result of this, but it opened the door for it. But it was an invitation to come to a nuclear disarmament talk, which was a clear propaganda thing. Watch what happens here in this clip. – In 1982 that invitation came, but it was not an easy invitation. – [Narrator] Billy Graham
was asked to address an international religious
leadership conference on the perils of nuclear war, but it was common
knowledge that these events were planned for propaganda purposes to benefit the Soviet Union
and vilify the United States. – I had already been
to communist countries, but to go to Russia to
address a peace conference, which in those days looked like a betrayal of all that we stood for in America. (gentle music)
(papers shuffling) – The anti-communist wave
in America was enormous. – The world always seemed
to be kind of poised on the knife edge between
peace and nuclear annihilation. – The tension between the
American and the Soviet block was as tense as you could get
without a bomb being dropped. – [Narrator] When Billy arrived in Moscow, he would soon be the
first Western evangelist ever to be received by a member of the Communist Politburo. Still, speculation and political questions dominated the headlines. But when Billy stood to speak before the audience of 600 delegates, his purpose for being
there was abundantly clear. – I speak to you today as
a follower of Jesus Christ. Declaring that everything I have ever been or am or ever hope to be in
this life or the future life I owe to the Lord Jesus Christ. – He was fearless, he was bold, he was always willing to take a risk when it was for the right reason. – [Billy] Let us all dimensions
of the world to repentance. – [Woman Voiceover] To be honest, I don’t think the communists
knew what to do with him. – The Bible teaches that Jesus
Christ was God’s unique son, set into the world to take away our sins by His death on the cross, therefore making it possible
for us to be at peace with God. – [Male Voiceover] Dr. Graham
was the only evangelical that was part of that scenario, and the local believers
realized, “Look at that, “it’s one of us.” (gentle orchestral music) – We were flying back
from the Soviet Union after that first trip,
and I remember him saying, “This may be the end of my ministry, “but I believe in my heart
this was where God wanted us. “We’ll leave the future in God’s hands.” – Now, if you’re gonna go after
God’s dream for your life, somebody’s gonna criticize it. So the next thing you need
to do in building your team, write this down, number four, is you need to recruit some people who handle criticism by focusing on God. They don’t retaliate. They don’t go tit for tat. They don’t try to get back
at the people who criticize. They just handle it by focusing on God. You will be criticized by somebody, and so you need to know how you’re going to handle
criticism in your life. Jesus said this in Matthew
Chapter Five, Verse 10 to 12: “You should be happy when
you’re attacked and persecuted “for doing what God has told you to do. “It shows that you belong
to the kingdom of God. “And God will bless you
when people insult you, “or hurt you, or say all
kinds of evil about you, “because of me. “Be happy and be glad,
because you will be given “a great reward in Heaven! “People did these exact same
things to God’s prophets “who lived long ago. “You are the salt of the earth!” Billy Graham and his
team were more interested in bringing nonbelievers to Christ than they were in the
criticism of other people. And most of that criticism
came from other Christians who actually put politics
ahead of the Great Commission. And when Billy Graham went to Russia, he was as ruthlessly criticized. They said, “You are playing
up to the communists. “You’re gonna be used
as a tool of propaganda. “They’re gonna use you.” And Billy Graham, I
remember telling me said, “But I was gonna use them, too.” And he said, “I had more
confidence in the gospel “than in communism,” and which
is still around now today. Communism has fallen in that country, and the gospel is spread all over, but he said, “I’m gonna put
bringing people to Jesus “above political correctness.” And he was criticized ruthlessly for it. I’ve been criticized, you know this. Some of you remember 10
years ago I went to Syria. I met personally with Bashar
al-Assad, the dictator, the tyrant dictator. Met with him. I met with the Grand Mufti,
the leader of Islam, in Syria. Why? For political reasons? Of course not. But because I was trying
to open up the Middle East to the gospel where in
many of those countries it’s still a crime to convert
and become a Christian. It’s against the law. You can be killed for
converting from Islam to become a Christian. And so I was using my
influence to go in there. And people who only see politics
thought it was a dumb idea. They didn’t know why. It’s the same reason why when
China wanted to honor me… The communist government
of China wanted to honor me with a state dinner because
of what the peace plan had done in China, and I’ve
actually had two dinners, state dinners in China in
People’s Hall in Tiananmen Square. Many of you remember this,
and I was invited there and we had a good meeting. In fact, I invited the
Politburo to come here, and 17 leaders from China
came, sat in the service, and afterwards I took them to my house and served them barbecue
that I cooked (laughs). (audience laughs) Now we didn’t make a big deal about it. We didn’t tell the government. We didn’t tell the media. I didn’t even tell the church about it. But it was to get that door opened, and as a result of that
they sent me a note and they said, “We’re gonna
give you carte blanche in China. “We’ve only given this to one
other person, Billy Graham. “You can go anywhere you want. “You can say anything you want to say. “Your books are now approved to be sold “in bookstores all over China.” (audience applauds) That is worth the criticism of
people who don’t understand. Does that make sense? So the Bible says this in Hebrews 10:35: “Do not lose your courage, “because it brings a great reward!” We want everybody to
come to know the Lord, and so we’ll do whatever… We’re not gonna do what’s
politically correct. We’re gonna do what brings the
most people to Jesus Christ. One of the things Billy Graham taught me is you gotta run your race and ignore what the crowd has said. In the crowd when you’re
running your race, there will be people cheering you and there will be people jeering you. People are gonna give
you strokes and pokes, compliments and criticisms,
cheers and jeers. And you got to ignore them all or you get tripped up in life. You got to keep your eye on the goal. What is the dream, what
does God want you to do? I’ll say that compliments
and criticism are like gum. You chew on it a little bit,
but you never swallow them. You spit it out. ‘Cause there’s no nutritional
value in either of them. You know, Billy Graham
had an amazing ability to minister to politicians
without becoming political. And he administered to both sides. He’s the only guy, well besides me, who prayed for both Republican
and Democrat presidents. He prayed at nine
presidential inaugurations. And Billy Graham used to say, you know, “I’ve got friends who are Democrats, “I’ve got friends who are Republicans, “and I’m for my friends.” And when I got invited to pray for first President Bush’s inauguration, at the opening of his
inauguration week I called Billy. Obviously, he knew what
he was doing about this. And I refused to get co-opted. People would say, “Rick, are you left-wing,
or are you right-wing?” I’d say I’m for the whole bird. (audience laughs) I’m for America, okay? Have you ever seen a one-wing bird? It flies around in a circle. We actually need both wings, because nobody gets it right all the time. Sometimes those guys get it right, sometimes those guys get it right, sometimes neither of them get it right and it’s pox on both of your houses. And you have to stay in the middle. Actually when you’re trying to minister to both sides at the same time, you actually get more criticism. It’s easier to be a radical. If you’re an extremist,
only one side points at you. But if you’re actually saying, you know, we’re trying to help these people, trying to help these people, and trying to minister
everybody in Jesus’ name, both sides will attack you. But I remember when I
prayed at President Bush’s inauguration at his celebration of freedom and that opening prayer,
it was so stinking cold. That was outside, you know,
the inauguration is outside, and it was freezing cold and I told Kay if we ever do this again
I got to get a hat, ’cause my head is cold. The snow was coming down. So four years later I’m sitting on a plane and President-elect Obama calls. He says, “Rick, I want you to
do the inauguration prayer. “The invocation for my inauguration.” I said it would be an honor. Now I have turned down praying
at the Republican Convention and the Democratic Convention every year about every four years
for a couple decades. Why? ‘Cause those are partisan meetings. But an inauguration of a
president is a historical event. It’s different and
everybody’s invited to it. And so I said yes. So then I said I got to get a hat. So where you gonna get a hat? So they said well, you got to go up to Mad Hatter’s in West L.A. So I drive up to this hat
store called Mad Hatter’s and I walk in and the owner
looks like Carlos Santana. (audience laughs) And I walk in and I go
hey, oye como va (laughs)! And then he goes, “I
get that all the time.” He said, “I am not Carlos Santana.” And so he helped me pick out a big hat. So I had this hat and I’m gonna take it to the inauguration to wear. And while I was up there in the L.A. area I was staying in a hotel,
I was speaking at a place, and I get a call saying,
a pastoral call that said, “Pastor, you need to come over
to UCLA Hospital real quick.” And so I leave everything
in the hotel room and I go over to UCLA and I deal with that pastoral situation. And when I finish I go back, and the hat had been stolen. (audience moans) Now, everything else was there. All of my clothes, they
weren’t worth stealing. (audience laughs) But the hat had been stolen. And so I still don’t know
how my mentor found out, because I didn’t tell him. But about 10 days later I get this, right before the election, I get this box in the
mail and I open it up and there’s this beautiful
homburg hat, very expensive hat, and there’s a handwritten note. And it said, “Dear Rick, “I wore this hat to nine inaugurations. (audience moans) “I love you like a son in the ministry. “It’s your time. “You’re the man now, wear the hat. “Love, Billy.” (audience moans) (audience applauds) Then I have to say oh, God, please don’t make my head be
too big for Billy Graham’s hat! (audience laughs) ‘Cause I could not handle the shame. Warren has such an ego that he can’t even wear
Billy Graham’s hat. So I quietly, secretly
without anybody looking took the hat into the restroom and kind of put it on and it fit. (audience laughs)
So I wore it. That hat has now been to 10 inaugurations. That hat, nine times on
Billy’s head and once on mine. Now, here’s the funny part of that story. There’s a million people
at this inauguration. It’s just jam-packed. And on the stage, on the capitol steps, the front row is President
Bush’s family here and President Obama’s family here. The two families are on the front row. The second row is all
the former presidents. Carters, Clintons, Bush, all of the former presidents still alive. President and wives on that row. The third row sitting here
is Chief Justice Roberts, who’s going to administer the oath, me, who’s gonna do the prayer, Kay, and the rest of the row is
all Secret Service people watching the front two rows. (audience laughs)
Okay? Now, sitting right behind me, right literally directly behind me, is Aretha Franklin who’s gonna
sing the National Anthem. Now I knew Aretha was gonna sing, so I thought I’d do my homework and I did a little studying up on her. And so I turned around
and I said Aretha… And now she’s all bundled up. Aretha’s freezing, and she’s sick. She had a bad cold. She said, “Rick, Pastor Rick,
I need you to pray for me, “’cause I don’t even know
if I can get the voice out.” And I said I will. And so I turned around. I said Aretha, I happen
to know that your daddy was a civil rights leader
who marched with Dr. King. He was a very famous pastor in Detroit and was a very big civil
rights leader in the 60s. So I said what are you feeling? I mean I’d just like to know
your opinion as a black woman and the first African American president, what are you feeling right now? What do you feel inside? And she goes, “Rick,” she pauses, “I’m cold.”
(audience laughs) “I’m cold.” Now, Aretha is wearing a
hat that’s about this tall. It looks like Marge Simpson’s hair. (audience laughs) It goes straight up. Okay, she’s wearing this big cool hat. Well, because this was a
historic event, a million people, they took the first 360 degree picture for the official photograph, which is a picture of what one million people look
like at 360 degrees. And evidently when the camera came around to take the picture of me, I leaned down to pick
up Billy Graham’s hat. (audience laughs) Because in the official
inauguration photo, it’s got Chief Justice
Roberts on one side, Kay on another side, my body, and on my neck is Aretha Franklin’s hat. (audience laughs) So I can’t actually prove that
I was at that inauguration, ’cause the official photo is kind of… Why I told you that story I don’t know. (audience laughs) About a couple months later
down at Legoland in Carlsbad they did an exact replica of Legos of everybody on that stage and it was there for about six months. And I told my grandkids go
down there and take a picture of Papaw and Grammy ’cause that’s all the
moment we’re gonna have. The official photo is
me as a Lego (laughs) for every person there. I shouldn’t have told you that. All right (laughs).
(audience laughs) Just watch this last clip. – [Narrator] Followed,
Billy spent less time in the public eye and more time writing (audience cheers) until his last crusade in New York in 2005 drawing almost 200,000 people. – “I’ll go to prepare a
place for you,” said Jesus. “And where I am, there you can be also.” (gentle orchestral music) – [Narrator] Throughout his ministry, Ruth had been Billy’s constant companion even when they were far apart. They shared their later years
together in love and prayer in the home she had built for them, until her passing in June of 2007. – [Billy] I love her very much, and I thank God for such
a wonderful Christian wife who stood by me all these
years as I’ve traveled all over the world proclaiming the gospel. – So it hasn’t been all that hard sticking beside him (laughs). It’s been nothing but pure joy. Most of the time it’s
been pure joy (laughs). I’d say 98% of the time. – There’s 2% she’s not sure about. I’ll try to find out what that is. – The 2% make it interesting. (Billy laughs) (gentle orchestral music) – There’s hope, there’s joy, there’s purpose, there’s meaning. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. I’ve become an old man now, and I’ve preached all over the world. And the older I get, the
more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago. And I have confidence as I
stand before God at this moment that there’s nothing
between me and the Savior, because Christ has forgiven my sins. And it brings a great joy
and a great peace to me, because I know where I’ve come from. I know why I’m here, I
know where I’m going, and I don’t have any doubts about it. Wherever you are, whoever you are, rich, poor, black, white, whatever your color, race, or creed, you can say yes to Jesus Christ. You, and you alone in the
quiet arena of your heart will have to make that decision. I’m looking forward to going to Heaven. That’s gonna be a great occasion, and I’m looking forward to
seeing Christ face-to-face and seeing old friends
again and living the likes that the Bible described so beautifully. God loves you. I’m asking you tonight to commit
your life to Jesus Christ. You can have joy and peace and happiness in your life such as you’ve never known. I would like to be considered
a person who had integrity and who was faithful to his calling and who loved God with all
his heart, mind, and soul. – [Narrator] Beginning
with a simple expression of faith at age 15, speaking around the world
with clarity and conviction, Billy Graham’s ministry
has delivered the message of hope and Jesus Christ
throughout the world for over 80 years. Now through the millions whose
lives were changed by Christ, that ministry lives on. (gentle orchestral music) – Now I’m going to live a billion years, and I’ll only have begun. (audience cheers and applauds) – That man was my mentor
for 40 years and I miss him. The last thing that Billy did
right, his team did right, and you’re gonna need to do right is this. You need to look and
choose people for your team who take bold risks in faith. Billy took bold risks, but he only did it because he had a team that
was willing to take bold risks in faith, too. And God has a plan and
a purpose for your life, just like he had for Billy’s life. And God’s purpose for your life is as important as His
purpose for his life and God’s purpose for Rick Warren’s life. God purpose and plan for your life, but to do it you’re gonna have to take some bold risks in faith. The Bible says this in Acts 15:26: “Along with Paul and Barnabas, “we’re sending some men,
we’re sending some men “who have risked their lives “for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.” My prayer is that Saddleback Church will be filled with men who risk their lives for
the Lord Jesus Christ. And will be filled with women who risk their lives for
the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s the only thing worth
risking your life for. The problem that we have today is that we are now in a culture where we are giving first-class allegiance to second-class causes, and
those causes have betrayed us. Materialism, hedonism, secularism. They don’t work. They’re dead-ends. They’re dead-ends. The sexual revolution
movement is a dead-end. It leads to emptiness. And today we have people
climbing the ladder of success, and when they get to the
top they realize too late it’s leaning against the wrong wall. You need to take risks, but you need to take risks
that are for the glory of God. That are for God’s purpose
and plan for your life. Now if you’re gonna fulfill
the purpose that God made you, one of the things you’re gonna have to do is stop being what everybody
else wants you to be. God did not create you for you to be what your parents want you to be. God did not create you to be what your boyfriend wants you to be. God did not create you to be what your spouse wants you to be. God did not create you to be what culture tries to pressure you into being. He made you to be you. If you’re gonna be what
God wants you to be, at some point you’re gonna
have to stop apologizing for being a Christian. And you’re gonna have to
say at work, “There is me. “I am a follower of Jesus Christ. “I’m not ashamed of it. “This is me.” You gotta stop being ashamed
of being a Christian. Everybody else is coming
out of the closet. Why not Christians? (audience applauds and cheers) Everybody else in society is saying, “I’m a this, and I’m a
this, and I’m a this.” And only Christians have Arctic River disease,
frozen at the mouth. As your pastor who loves you, I am begging you do not waste one more day of your life on petty decisions, things that aren’t gonna last, that aren’t gonna matter in
five years, much for eternity. Do not waste your life! Billy Graham did not. He finished at 99. I am not wasting my life. I have every intention of finishing well. I want you to finish well. And that means you’ve got
to stop caring what people who are going the wrong
direction think about you. You have to stop letting
them determine your life. It’s either your life or it’s not. My life verse is Acts 13:36. It could be well-said of Billy Graham. It says this on the screen. “David served God’s purpose “in his generation, then he died.” I can’t think of a more succinct statement of a life well-lived. To serve God’s purpose in
your generation, then you die. David served God’s purpose. That means he did that
which never changes, but he did it in a world
that is constantly changing. He did the timeless, God’s purpose, in a timely way in his generation. He did that which is eternal in a relevant way that
people can understand. He served God’s purpose
which is gonna last forever and ever and ever, but he
did it in his generation. You cannot serve God in
somebody else’s generation. Either you do it now or you don’t. The death of Billy Graham
is the end of an era. Moses is dead. It’s the end of an era, 99 years. The most dominating
Christian on the planet. But in every generation,
God raises up women and men to be the Joshua’s. And they’re the people
that take children of God into the Promised Land. Will you be that woman? Will you be that man? Will you serve God’s
purpose in your generation? Are you gonna waste your life? The time for half-heartedness is over. Either this generation will step up and say the rest of my life
is the best of my life, or we kick the can down the road and hope somebody else picks it up. Stop wasting your time,
your money, your effort. Say, “I’m all in.” This series that I’m doing right now is just the preliminary for the big one. It starts on Easter called
The Doors to Your Destiny. And we’re gonna go eight weeks into that, and I am going to force you to make something of
the rest of your life. (audience cheers and applauds) So I’m coming after you. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says this: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro “throughout the whole Earth
to show Himself strong “in the behalf of those whose
hearts are perfect art Him.” You don’t have to be
perfect to be used by God, but you do have to have a perfect heart. What does that mean? It’s turned toward God. You don’t have to be sinless, but you do have to have your heart turned in the right direction. And you say to God, “God, I’m all in. “I want you to use me.” And God will use you. The last verse on your outline, it’s on the screen, says this. 1 John 5, four and five. It says, “Every child of
God can defeat the world.” Not just Billy Graham, you. “Every child of God can defeat the world, “and our faith is what
gives us this victory! “No one can defeat the
world without having faith “in Jesus as the Son of God.” So it starts with you saying to the Lord no more messing around. The rest of my life is yours, God. Let’s bow our heads. This is your moment of decision. A thousand years before you were born, God knew you would be here today so he could say this to you. I want to use you. I have a dream, a purpose,
a plan for your life. You may have missed it up to this point, or you may have dabbled in it, but it’s nothing compared
to what God wants to do. And it starts with a decision then next building a team. And Saddleback Church will help be part of that team for you. So just pray this prayer in your heart. God, I’m all in. I don’t want to waste my life pleasing people who don’t care about you. I want to please you. I want your favor. I want to live a life of integrity and humility and generosity. And I want to surround my life with people who are committed to
doing the right thing, even if it’s hard, and don’t get caught up in
being critical and complaining, but a positive in this face of criticism. I want to live a life with people who love you and serve you. Who are growing and learning
and becoming better every day. I want to be a part of
this Saddleback family, and I want you to use me,
give me the right team, and use our church family together to make an impact for as long as we live. I want to be a part of that group that serves your purpose in my generation. Jesus Christ, I invite you take
over every area of my life, and I ask you to accept
me into your family and one day into Heaven. In your name I pray, Amen. – Thanks for checking out
this message on YouTube. My name is Jay and I’m
Saddleback’s online campus pastor, and I would love to invite you
to join our online community. Here are three ways you
can take a next step. First, learn more about
belonging to our church family by completing Class 101 online. Second, don’t do life alone anymore by getting into an online-only small group that meets on platforms like Skype, or learn more about hosting a group with your friends in your home. Third, join our global Facebook community to connect with others
with the online community and be more engaged in the day-to-day. To take any of those next steps, visit saddleback.com/online or email [email protected] Hope to hear from you soon. (gentle music)

Written by Raul Dinwiddie

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