To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Integrity, accountability, purity and humility

(Santa Ana, California)—The following is an excerpt from a lengthy ASSIST News interview with Cliff Barrows, who led singing and choirs around the world as Music and Program Director for the Billy Graham Team.

Asked about the secret of Billy Graham's longevity, Barrows told interviewer Dan Wooding: "The secret is the hand of God and God's choosing to bless Billy Graham and then men whose hearts were knit together with His for the calling of evangelism."

Continued Barrows: "In 1948, Billy Graham said to Grady Wilson and to Bev Shea and myself and my wife Billie at the time, 'Let's look at the pitfalls of evangelism.' It was in my hometown of Modesto, California, that we talked about them together and we prayed that the Lord would keep us from them. Well the next day, in our devotions, we shared our lists and there were four areas that were on all of our lists. One was integrity; honesty in dealing with the media; the second was accountability—being accountable to one another and to the local committees and also to our wives. We said that we had to be accountable, most of all, to the Lord; to the life He'd given us, to the call that He'd given us, being faithful to fulfill the mandate of the evangelist. The third was in the area of purity of life. We determined that we would never be alone with a woman other than our wife. If it could possibly help it, we'd never be alone with a secretary and it was determined that we would not ride in a car with a woman alone, or in a hotel room. We determined those things and we've kept that vow.

"The fourth area was humility; being willing to humble yourself; and prefer others and lift others up instead of yourself; and seeking to be sure that God got all the glory. And that's been uppermost desire of Bill's heart all these years, Dan. Those were the four areas: integrity, accountability, purity and humility. And because we were in Modesto, I said, 'Let's call it the Modesto Manifesto. And it's been that all these years. And because of these passions to walk humbly before God and to be faithful in proclaiming His Word and to ask God to lay a burden on our heart for the lost Billy said, 'I'll go anywhere, any time, any place, as long as God gives me strength to preach the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invite people to come to the Savior.

"That's the secret and we've been together 60 years; that's Bev Shea, Billy Graham and myself. There've been other people of course God has brought along, and the team to help carry on the work to help develop the crusades and plan and prepare them. But the hearts of the three of us that began together were united and I believe that as the ministry will continue if they'll still keep these same passions and this same goal of honoring the Lord and living a life of pure purity before Him and accountability with integrity and being humble in spirit and preaching the Word. Then, if they do that, God is going to continue to bless BGEA and any ministry that has carried on in His name."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Tens of Thousands Attend Jerusalem Annual Passover Priestly Blessing, Focus on Hostages, Families

Oregon Taps Out of Drug Decriminalization: Three Years after Voting to Make Drug Use Legal, the State Has Reversed Course

Pro-Life Democrat Runs 'Graphic' Abortion Ad during the 'Today' Show

Outrage Follows Biden's Abortion Blessing at a Recent Rally

Alberta Official Reveals 'Almost All' Wildfires in Province This Year Have Been Started by Humans, Not Climate Change

Biden's EPA Rolls Out Regulations Aimed at Killing the American Coal Industry

New York City Union Workers Backing Trump 3 to 1 Over Biden; Chant 'We Love Trump' during Impromptu Visit

8 GOP States (and Counting) Ban Biden's DOJ from 'Intimidating' Voters at 2024 Polls

Poll: A Majority of Americans Support Mass Deportation for Illegals, and Nearly Half of Latinos Agree

West Virginia Student Helps Pass Bill to Teach Intelligent Design: 'This Is a God-Fearing State'

Free Speech Resolution Allows Satanic Temple 'Invocation' Sparking Chaos at a Michigan Board Meeting

Paris Olympics Will Feature a 'Pride House' to 'Celebrate' Homosexual and Gender-Confused Athletes

Video Captures Drag Queen Indoctrinating Kids, Getting Them to Chant... 'Free Palestine'

Who's Funding the Anti-Israel, Pro-Palestine Protests?

More Lawfare: Former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows Indicted for Role in Alternate Electors Case

DEVELOPING: Harvey Weinstein Rape Conviction Overturned By New York Appellate Court

Supreme Court Puts Final Nail in Coffin of Effort to Block Trump from Ballot in Arizona

SCOTUS Begins Hearing Arguments on Presidential Immunity: Is This the Most Important Day for Donald Trump?

Courageous: Worship Leader Sean Feucht Prepares to Confront Anti-Israel Evil, Darkness, and Horror

'Australian Censorship Commissar' Orders X to Globally Remove Video of Islamic Terror Attack on Christian Bishop

Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner

Aimee Herd, Editor