Representing a new effort to reach the next generation, an innovative Christian web resource, Ransom, is now up and running to introduce young people to Jesus Christ.

A project of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), Ransom features compelling music videos and interviews with Christian artists, athletes and other personalities, all designed to connect with youth [...]]]>

Representing a new effort to reach the next generation, an innovative Christian web resource, Ransom, is now up and running to introduce young people to Jesus Christ.

A project of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), Ransom features compelling music videos and interviews with Christian artists, athletes and other personalities, all designed to connect with youth and young adults and present the life-changing message of the Gospel.

“Young people are facing tremendous pressures from the world, and many are searching for the answers to life’s toughest questions,” said Ken Barun, senior vice president of communications, BGEA.

“Ransom allows us to meet them where they are, speak their language and let them know there’s a God who loves them. It’s the same message Billy Graham has always preached – this time in Web 2.0.”

The site Ransom.tv is loaded with videos of artists relaying everything from their personal testimony of faith in Jesus Christ to their thoughts on what Christmas means to them. In honour of the Christmas season, included on the site is a brand-new video of “Little Drummer Boy”, by the rock band The Almost.

More than a site, Ransom is an online experience, BGEA says, featuring videos, culturally relevant articles, testimonials and a simple, compelling presentation of the Gospel to which users can respond using social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

New videos and other pieces will be added regularly to keep the content fresh and encourage visitors to return. Ransom also has a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a YouTube channel.

The ministry derives its name from Jesus’ words in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ransom is in part a continuation of the popular 2009 Rock the River Tour, a youth-focused concert series that travelled up the Mississippi River last summer with soul-stirring music from bands like Flyleaf and challenging messages from Franklin Graham. The site is a place for these youth and young adults and others to visit and grow in their spiritual walk.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) proclaims the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world through large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; Dare to Be a Daniel, a youth evangelism training project; My Hope World Evangelism Through Television; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet.

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The inspirational speaker and daughter of Billy Graham, who’s been Anne Graham Lotz proclaiming God’s [...]]]>
As the UK faces the credit crunch as well as a government in crisis with several resignations over expenses scandals, Anne Graham Lotz shared a message of having more of Jesus last week at the Elim Bible Week in Prestatyn, North Wales.

The inspirational speaker and daughter of Billy Graham, who’s been
Anne Graham Lotz proclaiming God’s Word around the world for over 30 years, told me how she spoke at the Elim Bible Week from the perspective of a world-wide crisis: “The UK is in just as bad a state as America. The whole world right now seems to be having common problems with the economic situation and some of the threats from rogue nations are common to most of us and I believe our hope is in Jesus.

“So the message has been easy as far as what I’ve been sharing. I’ve taken the messages from the Gospel of John, the teaching portions that Jesus poured into His disciples when they were getting ready to take on His ministry in His visible absence and they did it in a Roman empire that would be equivalent in many respects to our world today.

“They had to establish the church from scratch and so they were in the midst of a secular pagan world. The things that Jesus poured into them, I feel these are things that we need poured into us to equip us also to take on His ministry in His visible absence.”

From her time at the Elim Bible Week I asked her how she felt Christians were responding to the challenges in the UK: “It’s been very special meeting the people and seeing their hearts for Jesus, their hearts for a lost world, a love for God’s word and I’ve felt very at home.”

“Christians here at the conference seem to have a wonderful world view. They have a heart to reach their communities and the people in their vicinity for Christ and they love His word. They’ve been very receptive to what I’ve had to share. So if the church in the UK is anything like Elim then I think it’s in pretty good shape.”

Challenge to preach Christ despite persecution Anne believes Christians in the UK should persevere in sharing their faith despite these difficult times: “I think it’s the challenge that Jesus gave us and that is to expect persecution, to expect that people aren’t going to necessarily receive our message. But that doesn’t keep us from sharing it. To give out the Gospel, to share the love of God in a lost world is a privilege.

“It’s our responsibility, it’s our commission. The response of people to that message is God’s responsibility. We don’t have to bring people to Christ. All we have to do is share the Gospel and the love of Christ with them. I believe when Jesus fills our hearts, when we’re overflowing with our love for him, it’s going to come out from our lips. We will just talk about the things that we care most about.”

The Magnificent Obsession Over the next few months Anne, who’s also a best-selling author has a busy schedule, including the launch of her latest book: “I have a new book coming out, which is called The Magnificent Obsession. It’s taken me 33 years to write. It’s on the life of Abraham, experiencing the God-filled life.

“Abraham was a very ordinary man who became extraordinary because he followed God one step at a time in a life of obedient faith. At the end of his life he had nothing to show for it, one son and a cave in which to bury his wife. So I wondered was it worth it for him to give up everything in order to pursue God and I thought at the end of his life he had a relationship with God, that God described as a friendship. Three times God described Abraham as His friend and I decided 33 years ago that would be my life’s goal. It would be to know God in a relationship that one day He would acknowledge as a friendship.

“Finally this past year He allowed me to write down this pursuit of Him that I’ve taken from Abraham’s life. Abraham has been my model and mentor. So this summer that book will be coming out. So we’ll be involved in promoting that and getting the word out.

“Then I do Just Give Me Jesus revivals for women. I’ve got one coming up in Waco, Texas and then in upstate South Carolina. So we’re busy in many areas, but we do believe it’s a very strategic time, that the night is coming when we’re not going to have these opportunities and we need to seize this moment.”

Pray for Billy Graham to stay faithful and focused Finally I asked Anne how people could be praying both for her ministry and her father:
“For my father I just pray that God would keep him faithful and focused until the day he moves to our Father’s house and on that day when you hear that Billy Graham has gone to heaven then I pray every single person who calls himself a Christian will share the Gospel with somebody else. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the whole world to hear the Gospel one last time.

“For us that we would be faithful that we would say no to the things that are not on God’s calendar for us and yes to the things that are. Pray that He would give us strength and courage and wisdom for presenting His word and His Gospel to a world that I think is increasingly has a spirit of anti-Christ. But that doesn’t affect our message. We just want to be bold in presenting it.”

To find out more go to: www.annegrahamlotz.com

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Peter Wooding is a freelance TV, radio and print journalist and media consultant. He is married to Sharon and they live in North Wales, UK with their three children. He has traveled extensively reporting from countries including Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Dubai, South Korea, Zambia, Gambia, Mozambique, Croatia, Israel and India. He was news editor for UCB radio in the UK for more than 10 years. Having previously been a missionary for five years with Youth With A Mission, Peter still has a real heart for missions work and in the past few years has led short-term mission trips to Zambia, Beslan, Russia and Ukraine. He is also the director of ASSIST Europe which is involved in helping children’s projects in Eastern Europe including the Hearts of Love Centre in Konotop, Ukraine. Peter is available for freelance and media consultancy work. To contact him email: woodingpeter@hotmail.com, tel. +44 1244 549167/+44 7500 903067.

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