On a sweltering day at Chicago’s famous Soldier Field, Billy Graham preached about the crucial decision of whether to follow Christ. This was the last message of the 1962 Greater Chicago Crusade, and the heat caused Mr. Graham to cut his message short. The last six minutes of this video contain an improvised message preached by Mr. Graham after the crowds had left the stadium, when he learned his original message was too short to fill the television slot for the program.
I’m going to ask this vast audience if
you can sit patiently for just a few
more minutes be as quiet as you can
thousands of people have driven here for
many many miles in fact people have come
here from the west coast from the south
from the East Coast from all over
America to attend this service today and
I think that all of us should be quiet
no one moving sit where you are there’s
a wonderful breeze even though it’s hot
and it’s getting cooler all the time as
we go into the late afternoon what a
lovely day this is and I told a lot of
you to bring your umbrellas for rain but
I’m glad you brought them for the Sun
instead now today I want you to turn
with me for our last message to the 28th
verse of the 26th chapter of the book of
Acts the 26th chapter of Acts and the
28th verse if you have your Bibles and I
hope you brought your Bibles here’s a
very important passage in the book of
Acts then Agrippa said unto Paul almost
thou persuaded me to become a Christian
almost they’ll persuaded me to become a
Christian I want you to get the picture
in this passage of Scripture the Apostle
Paul is a prisoner he is a prisoner of
Rome and he is on trial for his very
life and the Apostle Paul had been
brought before King Agrippa and he had
been accused of various things and
increased infringement on the law at
this time of history Rome were his
beginning her decline as an empire in
1887 Edward Gibbon wrote the decline and
fall of the Roman Empire and Rome was
the striking parallel
to America today a leader in world
affairs but her leadership was
threatened rich and prosperous with an
economy that defied collapse her armies
were respected by the nations of the
world but Rome fell Boulton clever
sophisticated shrewd robe fell to the
barbarian hordes that had far less of
material things than Rome had these
pendants from the north were a dedicated
disciplined hard atheistic people and
the Romans used to laugh at their
ignorance superstition and lack of
military equipment and mr. Gibbons
proved that Rome did not fall because of
military superiority of the barbarians
it was internal decadence within the
Roman culture first he said the rapid
increase of divorce our nation never
fold until it starts to decay at the
center and the heart of any nation is
the home which is the core of society
and this infringed on the seventh
commandment which says thou shalt not
commit adultery and we in America have
gone on a sex binge that has no parallel
in history and we are guilty as Rome was
guilty our homes are breaking our
divorce rates are high secondly mr.
Gibbons said it was the high rate of
taxes spending public money for free
bread and circuses for the populace the
average American has no conception of
the disaster that lies ahead with our
continued deficit spending thirdly
there’s the mad craze for pleasure said
mr. Gibbon four times as much spent for
pleasure in America as for religious and
Welfare benevolence our annual tobacco
bill exceeds the amount of money spent
on education and rode on the decline
demanded more artificial stimulation
and more exciting and brutal sports just
as we are doing in the United States
today forcefully mr. Gibbins said the
decline of Rome was caused by the
building of gigantic armament now we
have to have armies we have to have a
defense program in the world in which we
live but we shouldn’t trust in it to say
this I tell you that our armaments alone
without faith in God will not save us no
matter how powerful they become and
fifthly mr. Gibbons said the decay of
religion to the rank and file religion
had faded into mere form it had lost its
relevance to life it held no central
legions to the people and today in
America we have millions going to church
but no deep commitment to Christ
no deep commitment to God no all-out for
Jesus Christ on the part of millions of
church members we play it religious we
serve God with our lips but our hearts
are far from him here we find the
Apostle Paul in the midst of a great
Empire preaching this new gospel of
Jesus Christ and in the midst of a
declining Empire an empire that is soon
to collapse poll is going from place to
place preaching Jesus Christ and him
crucified
coal said I’m determined to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ in him
crucified the Apostle Paul said there’s
only one hope for Rome there’s only one
hope for the world and that is Jesus
Christ dying on a cross but the people
of that day laughed they sneered they
mocked they made fun and when you preach
the gospel today people still say that
it’s impossible it cannot save the world
but I tell you the gospel of Jesus
Christ is our only hope at this hour and
on this occasion the Apostle Paul is
brought before King Agrippa and Paul was
pleading his case before the king the
King had come in and all the pomp and
splendour
all the people had gathered around the
offices the Admirals of the Navy the
generals of the army the officials of
State were there and here is this a
little man
Paul this great intellect that it sold
everything he had for Jesus Christ
stands in front of the king and the King
said Paul you may speak and when Paul
had finished his sermon that day the
King said oh oh most you persuade me to
commit my life to Jesus Christ and Paul
said I would bit not only bow but also
all that hear me this day where most as
I am all together you and I may revolt
against the Word of God we may challenge
the call to our conscience but sooner or
later the question of faith will be
demanded of us Paul said to Agrippa do
you believe believe is sow and Agrippa
said I almost believe I’ve almost
entered the kingdom of God and so we
find two men one the Apostle Paul who
says I know in whom I have believed and
here’s King Agrippa saying I’ve almost
believed I’m almost in the kingdom but
not quite what was it that almost
persuaded Agrippa that day here was
Agrippa on the thin edge of capitulation
it was only one step from one side to
the other the scales of decision were
almost even
why was the grip almost persuaded what
caused him to stop and think
first because the gripper
already believed in God there are
thousands of you here today that you
believe in God intellectually you say
there’s a God in your heart you know
there’s a God your conscience tells you
there’s a God but you’re not quite in
the kingdom of God you haven’t really
committed yourself to Christ
intellectually you say yes but you
haven’t committed everything you have to
Jesus Christ and you’re not in the
kingdom of God this is the tragedy of
this crusade there are thousands of
people all over Illinois and all over
the Midwest that believe in God but
that’s not enough you’ve never come to
the point in your life when you’ve
repented of your sins and receive Christ
you’re almost persuaded to believe but
not quite secondly Agrippa was almost
persuaded because he just heard the
gospel declared and that’s the fishing
reason for any man there hearing of the
gospel immediately constitutes a moral
obligation to the hearer when I go to a
university campus students are always
asking the question well what about the
heathen where did Cain get his wife
that’s none of my business that’s not
your business that’s God’s business but
let me tell you this your problem is far
more serious you’ve heard the gospel of
Jesus Christ proclaimed and preached and
you haven’t done anything about it and
your responsibility is ten thousand
times more than a man that lives in
Russia that has never heard the gospel
explain and God will hold you
responsible at the judgment for more
than a man living in the heart of China
who never heard Paul stood that day and
he said to King Agrippa King Agrippa
Jesus Christ died on the cross for your
sins O king majesty
in respect to you sir I say that you are
a sinner whether you’re a king of
whether you’re a Papa whether you’re
educated or uneducated you’ve sinned
against God you need to repent of your
sins and Jesus Christ died publicly and
openly on a cross for you and unless you
come to have an encounter with him you
will be lost
Oh King Agrippa I wish you would come
to Christ oh the courage of Paul the
fullness that the Holy Spirit gave Paul
that day too upon his finger at the king
and say come to God die stand here today
as a servant of the Living God not to
preach my message not to preach my
thoughts I’m praying even while I speak
to you that God will give me the words
to say to you that will cause you not
only to be almost in the kingdom of God
but will it cause you this day to decide
to cross over that thin line and say yes
to Jesus Christ and let him change and
transform your life and give you a new
dimension of living yes he heard the
gospel proclaimed and his responsibility
was tremendous thirdly he was almost
persuaded because he had the example of
Paul’s conversion he had a living
example of a change life paul used to
fight christ he used to persecute the
Christians he put them in jail he
murdered them he did all sorts of things
and one day he was going along the road
of Damascus and he struck down by a
blinding light and he said Lord who is
it
and he said I’m Jesus whom you persecute
and that day this brilliant intellectual
man was converted on a dusty road to
Damascus
I tell you conversion can take place in
a minute
conversion can take place right here and
now in your heart you don’t have to wait
till you get to church you don’t have to
wait and you get home it can take place
right now in the quietness of your heart
right where you sit you can say yes Lord
Jesus I receive you I trust you your
life will be changed your name will be
written on the book of life your sins
will be forgiven you can know that
you’re going to heaven
Agrippa so the change in Paul’s life her
grip I believed in God he heard the
gospel preached he saw the change in
Paul’s life and he was almost persuaded
to commit himself to Christ but he
didn’t do why did not Agrippa come to
Christ for the same reasons that many of
you don’t come to Christ first he might
have thought that his way was good
enough just like a lot of you the Bible
says there’s a way that seemeth right
unto man but the end thereof are the
ways of death
I had a man that said to me said well
I’m sincere and if I live a sincere life
that’s enough no it’s not enough I told
the folks the other night that I saw a
man pick up a football once and run 65
yards are various and see a man but he
ran the wrong way and lost the game you
can be sincere and be wrong many of you
say well I follow my conscience or you
say I live up to the Sermon on the Mount
or the golden rule is my religion but
you don’t live up to the golden rule the
Sermon on the Mount you don’t live up to
that you failed it you’ve sinned and
even if you lived up to it it wouldn’t
be enough Jesus turned to Nicodemus and
said you must be born again yes he might
have thought that his way was good
enough but in God’s sight it’s not good
enough the road to heaven is narrow the
Bible says the road to hell is broad and
Jesus said many there be that go there
in Agrippa might also a feared public
opinion he began to ask himself what
would Caesar say what would his sister
Bernice say what would his friend say
and he couldn’t pay the price he feared
the cynical criticizing tongue of man
more than he desired the approval of God
and that’s your trouble you’re afraid of
what people sitting next to you will
think if you get up out of your seat and
come and receive Christ today the fear
of man is a snare to you you’re afraid
to get up out of your seat and declare
yourself open there for Christ you’re
afraid of what people will say you’re
afraid to go back to your office
tomorrow morning and tell them that
you’ve become a Christian you’re afraid
to go back to your home and say to your
wife honey I’ve been wrong I’m sorry for
the things I’ve done to you I have
received Christ and I’m going to live a
different life
and thirdly he might have had sin that
he would not give up and that keeps many
people from Christ the sin of pride
maybe you don’t want to give up that
woman that you’ve been going to see
that’s not your wife maybe you don’t
want to give up that lust in your heart
maybe you don’t want to give up the
cheating and the lying that’s gaining
you some extra money maybe you don’t
want to give up some of those things
that you’ve been doing that are wrong
Agrippa was convicted of the fact that
he had sinned against God and he was
holding on to his sins he didn’t want to
give them up or he might have postponed
the decision he said I’m almost
persuaded Paul but some of the time
because that’s what Felix the governor
had said Felix the governor said in a
more convenient time I’ll call on you
Paul but he never called the Bible says
now is the day today is the day of
salvation
the Bible says come while you can you
may not have another moment like this
when will you ever see a crowd this
great gathered to hear the gospel when
will you ever have a moment like this to
come to Christ as you do at this hour
give your life to Christ while you can
the Bible says he that hardly this heart
being often reproved shall suddenly be
cut off and that without remedy the
Bible says my spirit will not always
strive with a man you can’t come to
Christ anytime you want to you can’t
just get up out of your seat anytime and
come you can only come when the Spirit
of God draws you you can only come to
Christ
I know moment when God has prepared your
heart and when the gospel has been
proclaimed and you receive him as your
Savior
yes our gripper decide to postpone but
Shakespeare said there’s a tide in the
affairs of men which taken at the flood
leads on to fortune they’re so tired in
the affairs of man I don’t believe many
of you came here today by accident I
believe every person that is here at
this hour was sent here but God it was
designed in heaven that you should be
here at this very hour sitting on this
hot day listening to the gospel and
having an opportunity to receive Christ
and enter the kingdom of heaven
and you may never have another hour like
this as long as you live this is your
moment with God I’m going to ask you to
come and receive him in a moment how
could of Agrippa entered the kingdom of
God first by repentance of sin either
choice you make
it’ll cost you something if you remain
almost persuaded it’ll be very costly
it’ll mean hell and judgment but if you
come totally to Christ
it’ll cost you your sin you’re going to
have to pay a price whatever your
decision today every one of you that I
hear have a decision to make before you
leave here
it’ll be yes I know if it’s yes
it’ll cost you your sins because you
have to change your way of living if
it’s no it’ll cost you peace of heart
peace of mind forgiveness of sin heaven
either way you have to pay a price which
decision is yours yes or no oh I know
that many of you at church members maybe
most of you but you’ve never really come
to Christ I was a member of a church for
four years before I ever really came to
Christ I’m asking you today to commit
and surrender your life in your heart to
him as you’ve never done before in your
life not only did he have to repent of
sin but Agrippa would have had to turn
to God it is not so much how shall I
find God but where God is to be found in
a certain direction and Agrippa was told
to turn in that direction God is in the
opposite direction from which mankind is
moving conversion isn’t about faith it’s
going in the opposite direction the
world today is eating and drinking and
making merry the Bible says you will
have to come out of the world the Bible
says you’ll have to turn and go the
opposite direction and when you go home
and go back to your office and go back
to your work it’s going to be difficult
they’ll be frictions and problem
and difficulties of a thousand sorts but
the Bible says Christ will be with you
the Holy Spirit will live within and He
will give you power and produce in your
life the fruit of the Spirit which is
love joy and peace you can have dominion
over sin you can have a new power that
you’ve never known you can look sin in
the face and say sin you shall no longer
conquer me by giving your life to Christ
but you will have to repent of sin and
turn to God and that can happen right
here today what did it cost Agrippa to
remain almost persuaded it cost him
pardon of his sins it cost him peace of
heart it cost the life of what it calls
him the prospect of heaven did it pay
Agrippa to remain almost no where is
almost Agrippa today we hardly ever hear
it where is all together polled the man
that said I’m all together for Christ
Paul’s name is mentioned wherever
Christians gather anywhere in the world
and someday we shall see him in heaven
Agrippa said almost now persuade us me
to be a Christian and there are
thousands of you here this afternoon
that are almost in the kingdom of God
almost persuaded just about ready to
step over the line but not quite I’m
going to ask you to step over the line
this past week our Minister this city
came to see me he said Mr Graham he said
I am a I believe I’m a Christian I’m a
graduate of one of the finest
theological schools in the world I’m the
pastor of a great Church in Chicago
Betty said I’ve been sitting here night
after night and he said the Holy Spirit
has made me so miserable because he said
I really am not sure that I’ve had an
encounter with Christ I’ve known for
years that I was preaching beyond my
experience and he said I want you to
know I want to know if you were bow and
pray with me and let me call this the
moment of my conversion I want a date I
want a moment when I can say this was
the moment I crossed over the line we
got on our knees and he got up from his
knees a smile on his face tears running
down his cheeks he said next Sunday
morning the congregation will have a new
minister jesus said to Nicodemus a
professor theology you must be born
again
today in a church in this town
an invitation was given this morning
down the aisle warped a gangster in this
city he fell in the front and he said
God have mercy upon me when he left here
today to come out to the meeting he had
a smile on his face and he said for the
first time in years I have peace in my
heart I believe God is forgiving my sin
the other night down the aisle at
McCormick Place there came a young
fellow that’s a head of a gang in this
city and he handed to one of our men his
pistol his knife and his racer and he
said I’m changing my life I give my life
to Christ from this hour on I want to
trust him the other day one of the
leading socialites of the North Shore in
the Chicago area got up out of his seat
at McCormick Place and came forward that
night he went home he said to his wife
honey you’ve got a new hearse
I wonder if you’ll pray with me she
nearly fainted she thought he was drunk
they got out the Bible he read the Bible
and then he got on his knees he didn’t
know how to pray but he prayed and she
said we have a new home the other night
at McCormick Place down the aisle came a
husband on the other side came a woman
they had been divorced two years ago
neither of them knew that the other one
was there they met in the front we’ve
seen that happen in several campaigns
they met in the front they received
Christ together and they’re getting
remarried that’s what Christ can do I’ve
seen young people who are valedictorians
of their high school classes I’ve seen
college students come here by the
hundreds to receive Jesus Christ as
their Savior and have their lives
transformed I’m asking you today to
surrender your heart and your life to
Jesus Christ and say today I want my
life change
I want my sins forgiven but some of you
will remain almost like agrippa and
you’ll never come in fact you’re closer
to the kingdom of God today then you’ll
ever be in your whole life you’ll never
have an hour like this again in your
entire life this is it
and if you don’t come today you may
never come I’m asking you right now to
come because the Bible says that in the
day of judgment God did not spare the
Angels that sinned and God loved the
Angels he made the angels but he didn’t
spare them and God did not spare Israel
when Israel sinned and God did not even
spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
when they sinned God did not spare the
ancient world and when Christ was on the
cross God could have rescued him
but he didn’t do it he was dying in your
place in my place shedding his blood for
us and the Bible says God spared not his
own son and at the day of judgment if
you reject Christ this day I declare
unto you unless you come to a point of
repentance and faith he will not spare
you
he loves you he offers you forgiveness
he offers you grace but if you reject it
if you spurn it there is no other way
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead he
is a living Savior I offer you a living
Christ who wants to walk into your life
and take control it’s like a an airliner
that is flying up in the skies we’ve
seen several fly over this afternoon the
pilot is out of control and a captain
who knows the plane comes and takes over
he wants to be the pilot of your boat he
wants to take you through the shows he
wants to take you through the storms of
life and guide indirect you and you stay
well I’m almost ready but not quite our
gripper was almost whole said I’m all
together I want to ask you today to be
all together all out 100% for Christ and
here’s what I’m going to ask you to do
I’m going to ask that not a person leave
please not at this very important moment
and I’m going to ask hundreds of you to
get up out of your seat right now just
get up out of your seat and I want you
to go forward down the steps and stand
on the track in front of where you are
now seated
don’t come here but just on the track in
front of where you’re seated you won’t
be far from your friends or your
relatives or whoever you’re with I want
you to get up and these people that are
down here in front you get up and come
right here in front of the platform and
say today I want to declare myself for
Christ I want to open acknowledging I
want him to forgive my sins I want a new
life
I want to receive him as my savior I
want you to get up all over the place
for the hundred men women young people
now I’m going to ask you to get up right
now
and come and stand you say why is this
so important Jesus could have said to
the man with the withered arm be healed
but he didn’t do it he said stretch it
forth he wanted the man to do something
as evidence of his faith I’m going to
ask you to do something stretch forth
your life right now to Christ and
receive him I know it’s hot but I’m
going to ask you to come right now if
you’re not willing to confess him
publicly he will not confess you before
his father which is in heaven now I’m
going to ask the audience to bow their
head just get up out of your seat and
come right down on the track right now I
know it’ll take a couple moments to do
it but don’t you let anything keep you
from Christ don’t you leave here almost
but not quite you come right down on the
track people are already coming from
everywhere now you come the choir will
sing softly nobody leaving please
because you’ll fill the aisles if you
start leaving and people cannot come and
you should not be a hindrance to people
who want to cover Christians I want you
to pray you can bring people with you
bring somebody to Christ today what a
wave to help win someone husband and
wife can join hand and come together
whole families can come right now you
come as thousands bow their head all
over the place and pray and the choir
sings softly you may be a member the
church you may not be a member of any
church but you need to make sure you
want Christ in your heart you come right
now
[Music]
[Music]
just come and stand right in front of
where you are
[Music]
mr. Pyatt informs me that they had
prepared to have all of you come here in
front of the platform and if you would
like to come and stand here in front of
the platform with these many that are
coming you get up and come and join them
here at the platform there’ll be plenty
of time for you to go back and join your
friends but you come either in front
where you are in front of the steps
there or down here one of the two but
come and counselors you can go back if
you like to all of these places around
so that we have counselors all the way
around but you come from the stands and
everywhere hundreds of people are coming
this is your moment in your hour with
God don’t you miss it this is a historic
Island Chicago and you come
it’s been about three hours since the
benediction was pronounced and I’ve come
back here to Soldier Field to talk to
you when the appeal was given about
2,000 people came forward to receive
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior
now the stadium is empty the breeze is
blowing I think this afternoon was the
hottest that I have ever preached in the
sense of temperature because the
temperature in the stadium was just
about a hundred and I don’t think I ever
came and in Europe passing out during a
sermon I remember I sort of almost held
onto the pulpit one time and found
myself quoting a verse of scripture I
don’t know whether you could sense that
when you were watching on your screen
but that didn’t do away with the burden
upon our hearts for the people here in
Chicago and now we come to the end of
this great crusade we’ve come to the end
of these five telecast across America
these telecasts have been carried on
over a hundred and sixty stations more
than we have ever carried before we took
this as a gigantic step of faith we are
depending on your support and your
prayers I hope you write to us and let
us know that you’re standing with us but
more important is your own personal
relationship to Jesus Christ this
afternoon I talked on agrippa almost
being persuaded to follow Christ some of
you during this week have almost been
persuaded to give your life to Jesus
Christ but you haven’t done it you’re
sitting down the quietness of your home
you may be in a bar you may be in some
unique place that I don’t even know
about watching right now and God has
spoken to you as you’ve seen the great
crowd and as you heard the sermon and
heard the singing the Spirit of God
spoke to your heart the Bible teaches
that we have two sets of ears you have
physical is but you also have ears in
your soul and while I was speaking here
this afternoon God was speaking to your
soul and as this stadium is empty now
your own heart is empty and yet Christ
is willing to come in and fill it to
bring you a pig
a joy and a satisfaction that you’ve
never known before
but more than that to adopt you into his
family you become a child of God the
Bible teaches that history is going to a
definite objective and that objective is
the reign of Jesus Christ his kingdom is
ultimately going to triumph as I talked
about the other night and you can be a
part of it and the decision the stepping
over the line can be right now as you
give your heart in your life to Jesus
Christ
but just as Agrippa neglected or refused
to repent and turn to God so many of you
are in danger of doing the same but I’m
going to ask you right now to do it you
don’t have to be here in this big
stadium there’s nothing about the
mechanics of coming forward that saves
anybody so coming forward is an open
acknowledgement and a testimony of an
inward experience that you have with
Christ but this inward experience with
Christ this encounter is the most
important thing and that could happen to
you right now wherever you are whatever
your condition whatever your
circumstances oh but you say Billy I’m
really too great a sinner I I’ve just
been too bad I’ve done too many things
I’m too big a hypocrite
no you’re not too much a sinner there’s
no sin too bad but what Christ can
forgive when he died on that cross he
was dying for you he took your place
your sins were put on him not just the
sins of this big crowd that we had today
at Soldier Field but your sin your own
sins were placed on him and now if by
faith you will receive him into your
heart he will forgive them sins and then
you can know something of the power of
his own resurrection the same power that
raised up Jesus Christ from the dead is
available to you right now to help you
live a new life if you will put your
confidence and your faith in him and as
you saw these people come forward
afternoon so in your heart you can come
forward right now you don’t have to be
in a church or a stadium just now you
can make you a commitment to Christ I
remember when I came forward to receive
Christ
I remember that the newspaper the next
day said that not very much it happened
perhaps an emotional experience but did
you know from that one group of people
that came forward that night
I know 11 men in the ministry right now
we never know what happens to one person
coming to Jesus Christ your life can be
transformed and changed perhaps you
won’t sense this change so much until
the next year or two years but as you
read your Bible and pray and witness for
Christ and get into the church you will
be able to sense a tremendous
transformation and if you make you a
decision now go talk to your minister
goodbye and may the Lord bless you
you