MANILA – He stood at the podium just as his father and his grandfather had done years ago and proclaimed that “Salvation is not a deed, a ritual or a church. Salvation is a Person, and His name is Jesus. Salvation is not based on good works. There’s nothing you can do to save yourself. Salvation comes by faith in Christ alone.” His name is Will Graham. He is the son of Franklin Graham and the grandson of Billy Graham. He has been preaching the Gospel to great crowds in the Philippines during the past two weeks, culminating in the Metro Manila Celebration that began today.

Billy Graham held a crusade in Manila in 1977 during which he preached to more than 412,000 people. Twenty-nine years later, in 2006, Franklin Graham returned to share the Good News with over 317,000 at the Metro Manila Festival.

Just the week prior to the Metro Manila Festival, nearly 8,000 people responded to Will Graham’s call for them to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. During the two-day Greater Pangasinan Celebration, his invitation was critical for a crowd that could be described as ‘religious’ but without Christ.

Between the Celebrations, Graham shared the Gospel at several other events with groups ranging from youth groups to businessmen and women to government and military leaders, challenging each to face the need to make their own personal decision to follow Jesus Christ.

The opening night of the Metro Manila Celebration was attended by thousands of people, hundreds of whom made the decision to follow Christ.

The purpose of the Celebration is,

“To mobilize Metro/Mega Manila churches (and) Christians so that the greatest number of people will hear the gospel and be invited to respond to that Gospel, to be counseled by a trained counselor “coach” and integrated in the local participating churches for nurture and follow-up (discipleship) and to worship and serve the Lord.”

Will Graham, who graduated from Liberty University in 1997 and received a Master of Divinity Degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said,

“I’m not trying to be the next Billy Graham. I’m just Will Graham. I have a burden in my heart to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If that’s to an arena full of people or one person on the street, I will do whatever God is calling me to do.”

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