In historic Harringay Arena in London, Billy began his sermon with: “We’ve not come here to the city of London to save England. We have not come here with any great ideas that we are going to tell you how to do it. We haven’t come here to try to reform you.We have come here at the invitation of these churches to help lead you in a Crusade to win men to Jesus Christ and help promote the kingdom of God in Britain.”
More than 2 million people attended that historic 3-month Crusade, with nearly 40,000 commitments to Christ.
“If our 1949 Crusade in Los Angeles marked a decisive watershed for our ministry in the United States, the London Crusade in 1954 did the same thing for us internationally,” writes Billy Graham in his autobiography.
There was another important product of the 1954 London Crusade…
Tom Phillips, former Vice President of Crusades for BGEA and current Vice President of The Billy Graham Library reminds us that“it was during the 1954 London Crusade that former Director of Counseling and Follow-up, Charlie Riggs (who passed away in 2008), developed four remarkable steps and titled them “Steps to Peace With God.” Since that time, and in various printed and electronic forms, this succinct and clear presentation of how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and experience peace with God has been translated into dozens of languages and shared with millions of people.”
The “Steps to Peace With God” are the basis for the online evangelism efforts of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association today, through which millions are being exposed to the Gospel online.
It’s also this simple explanation of the Gospel that permeates The Billy Graham Library. Make plans to visit us…and bring your friends and neighbors who need to hear this life-changing message.