“Jesus is in the midst of his people as we pursue the mission on which he has sent us," Archbishop Raffel has told church leaders and evangelists from 57 countries and territories who gathered in Berlin last month.
Well-known speakers and pastors from the US, the UK, Africa and Europe gathered to focus on the theme of Romans 1:16 – being unashamed of the gospel of Christ. It was the first Billy Graham Congress on Evangelism since Amsterdam 2000.
Archbishop Raffel gave a Bible study from the Gospel of John titled, “The Authority in Evangelistic Proclamation” on the final day of the congress.
"We’ve been sent by the one who laid down his life for us and lives again and lives forever so, as we go, we are filled with joy!” the Archbishop said. "We are not sent to win arguments, but to love others; we are not sent to conquer with the sword, but to hold out the word of life; we are not sent to build our own empires, but to serve, so that Jesus may build his church as people put their trust in him."
Quotes from Christian leaders
“The church in Europe struggles with many things. The main problem is that we lose the centre of the message.”
Pastor Helge Dittmer, Kiel, Germany
"We are not content creators. We are content custodians. Evangelism is the announcement of a finished work: Christ died for our sins.”
Chris Sinkinson, associate pastor in Bournemouth, England
“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny him by their lifestyle. If we want to preach the gospel, we need to live the gospel.”
Daniele Pasquale – missionary and academic dean, Italian Evangelical Bible Institute in Rome, Italy
"We are now living at such a time where we have to defend freedom of faith and freedom of speech."
Päivi Räsänen, Member of Parliament, Finland
The congress included interviews with international Christian figures, including Päivi Räsänen (below), a Member of Parliament in Finland who is facing a third trial after being prosecuted for her public support of the biblical view of marriage and gender.
The final day of the congress, May 30, also featured the testimony of Josia, a young evangelist from Germany who spoke of the rejection he experienced as he took to the streets to share his faith.
“In Germany, most people think they are good people by themselves,” Josia said. He also spoke of a common problem in Europe, that churches no longer preached from God's word or talked about Jesus.
“Sometimes, the church is so boring – no joy, no vision, no hope for the future,” Josia said. “We need to stir it up and bring the gospel back. People want to follow a master who is worthy to die for.”
We give great thanks to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for quotes and pictures in this report.
