Billy Graham’s Early Ministry and 7 Powerful Sermons

During his decades-long public career as a preacher, the Rev. Billy Graham held approximately 400 crusades and is believed to have preached at a total of 215 million people.

Locations for his revivals have included major sports stadiums, large open tents, college campuses, and grand cathedrals.

Here are seven noteworthy sermons that Graham gave during his evangelistic crusades. They include the revival that first gave him national fame, an overseas speech that drew 1.1 million in a single day, and even a TED Talk.

Los Angeles in 1949

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Said to be the crusade that launched Billy Graham into national notoriety, the 1949 Los Angeles Crusade lasted eight weeks and drew approximately 350,000 people.

Speaking at a large outdoor tent called the “canvas cathedral” that could seat about 6,500 people at a time, Graham declared, “I do not believe that any man, that any man can solve the problems of life without Jesus Christ.”

“There are tremendous marital problems, there are physical problems, there are financial problems, there are problems of sin and habit that cannot be solved outside…