wfn.org | Over 10,000 Accept Christ at 2008 Taipei Franklin Graham Festival

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>Taiwan Church News

>2958 Edition

>November 3~9, 2008

Over 10,000 Accept Christ at 2008 Taipei Franklin Graham Festival

>Reported by: Chiou Kuo-rong

>Written by: Lydia Ma

The 2008 Taipei Franklin Graham Festival (TFGF) was held at the Liberty  International Convention Center in Taipei from October 30~November 2.  Festival organizers estimate that over seven hundred churches and  180,000 participants attended the four-day event. Organizers also say  that over 10,000 individuals gave their lives to Christ. The last  session was held on a Sunday afternoon and many churches arranged tour  buses to transport guests from Taoyuan, Hsin-Chu, Tainan, I-Lan to the  venue in Taipei.

Approximately 1,000 believers from churches across Taiwan attended a  prayer meeting hosted by event organizers the night before the festival  began. The two-hour meeting was filled with prayers for the festival.  The two speakers at the prayer meeting were Pastor Chou Shen-chu  (chairman of TFGF and senior pastor of Bread of Life Church, Taipei) and  Pastor Andrew Chang (general secretary of the Presbyterian Church in  Taiwan). Pastor Chou spoke in Mandarin and Pastor Chang spoke in  Taiwanese. These two leaders represent very different denominations and  their joint-appearance projected a strong sense of unity among churches  as everyone worked hard to reach the lost through TFGF.

According to Pastor Chou, ecumenicalism and unity among churches is  crucial to spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth. He said,  “When we unite as one, the whole world will know that Jesus is the  One God has sent.” He also said that he had sensed church unity  through the prayer meeting and that unity created joy. Hence, there  would be a lot of joy and celebration at the venue during the TFGF.  “People will see joy and believe in Jesus!” he exulted.

Pastor Andrew Chang reminded Christians that they all had a role in  bringing God’s blessing to Taiwan. He encouraged people from all  denominations to give an offering and partner with the Holy Spirit  during the festival. God would surely bring peace and blessings to all  believers and people would be blessed through them. Chang also commented  that he was deeply disturbed that Taiwanese people had fought so hard  for their economy at the expense of their spirituality. Many people in  this land were empty inside; hence, he urged Christians to assume their  responsibility by partnering with God in blessing this land.

>Bringing God’s Word to the President

Three hours before events were set to begin on October 30th, Franklin  Graham, accompanied by BGEA Asia regional director Henry Holly, Taiwan  committee director Chad Hammond, Pastor Chou, Pastor Chang, TFGF  preparation committee executive director Rev. James C.C. Shia, and other  leaders of the TFGF visited President Ma Ying-jeou at the Presidential  Office in Taipei. Ma extended a warm welcome to Franklin Graham and  expressed confidence that the festival would restore hope and calmness  in the heart of the Taiwanese people affected by the global financial  crisis. He also invited Graham to visit Taiwan often and encourage  believers here.

In recent months, Ma’s public approval ratings have tumbled due to  his China-leaning policies and failed “633” campaign promises.  During his campaign, Ma had promised to achieve an economic growth of 6  percent per annum, a per-capital income of US$30,000, and an  unemployment rate below 3 percent during his first term. As these  promises grow further out of reach, the TFGF team chose Matthew 6:33 as  their gift for the president: “But seek first his kingdom and his  righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Unfortunately, the TFGF team ran out of time just as Franklin Graham was  preparing to read the verse aloud with the president.

>Festival Promotes Repentance and Rebirth

During this year’s festival, arts played a prominent role in  attracting people’s attention. Many Christian artists gave  presentations during the evening sessions. Franklin Graham first  directed his message to believers, urging them to be reborn. Graham said  that many believers were outwardly religious - loyal to their  denominations and performing their duties impeccably. However, these  acts could not save them and those who believed otherwise were  misguided. He emphasized that his altar call applied to believers too  and encouraged them to come forward and be reborn.

During his sermon, Franklin Graham emphasized that humans will  inevitably sin. Humans will lie, steal, commit adultery, worship idols,  or break their marital vows at one point or another in life. He also  admitted that his life used to be just as chaotic as everyone  else’s life and he also pondered on whether he would go to heaven  after death. The crowd gave Graham their undivided attention during his  30 minute sermon. His eyes shone as he wrapped up his sermon with an  altar call that captivated the crowd, “Jesus said, “I am the  way, the truth, and the life”. I want to invite you to come  forward. Tonight is your night to repent and turn to God. Jesus said,  “The old things are gone, everything is made new.” How is it  possible for old things to become new? The answer is God so loved the  world that He gave His only Son to die on the cross. Everything is  possible with God.” Graham concluded his message by asking those  who were not sure if they were saved to come forward so that people  could pray for them. He also offered them a booklet along with a Bible.

>Young People Respond to Graham’s Message

One of the four sessions at the festival was directed at youth. The  gathering on November 1st was designed with young people in mind.  Pastors who were in charge of counseling new believers commented that  young people were the easiest to reach because their hearts were pure  and they had courage to voice their doubts. In general, young people  also had fewer questions about putting their faith in Jesus.

A counselor at TFGF noted that even though the festival mainly targeted  non-believers, he counseled mostly church youths who had come forward  during the altar calls. Seeing so many of them come forward and commit  their lives to Christ was exhilarating nonetheless.

On an interesting note, many participants who were counseled were not  familiar with Christian rallies. When asked by reporters about their  feelings after receiving Christ, many youths replied “the rally was  fun” or “it was an interesting experience”. Some adults  and youths who had stepped forward during the altar call just smiled  back at reporters as they did not know how to respond when asked whether  they knew Jesus or believed He was their Savior. However, there were  also others who nodded their head and said “yes”.

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