Country music sensation John Rich celebrated his birthday with an appeal to Christian humility and gratitude, sharing a powerful clip of the legendary Reverend Billy Graham reciting the sinner’s prayer. Rich, though he could certainly afford a materialistic birthday, instead wanted something more meaningful and eternal.
Writing on his large X account on January 7th, the outspoken Christian conservative singer and songwriter penned a request that his followers would be open to changing their lives forever. “My only birthday wish is for you to repost this. If you pray this prayer, and MEAN it, your life will forever change. Jesus is the only way to eternal life. Pray the sinner’s prayer with Billy Graham right now, and give your life to Jesus today,” the award-winning country star wrote.
In the video clip, footage of Graham praying is seen amidst a serene backdrop of visuals and overlaid audio. In the Christian tradition, the late Reverend acknowledges all of mankind’s sin and asks for forgiveness before thanking Jesus for dying for those sins. It is this humble petition to the Lord that one must accept; there can be no happiness or fulfillment in life without gratitude. And Christians display ultimate gratitude when they thank their Creator for dying for them.
“I’m going to ask you to pray this prayer, sentence by sentence after me, Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you’ve died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins. I repent of my sins. I invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior in Jesus, name Amen,” the prayer begins and ends.
Watch Graham’s prayer below:
Comments on Rich’s account were full of their own appreciation for sharing the video and offered their own takes on the content. “Happy Birthday, John, and thank you for not being ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was born to save,” one user wrote.
“I listen to Billy graham sermons on my way to and from church on sundays. There will never be another. I truly believe he was anointed or a prophet or something because his sermons from any era are every bit as relevant today ! Miss him,” said another.
“Happy Birthday John! It’s my son’s birthday today as well. He is 28 today and is a Christian.
I pray every person who reads your post who is not a believer will be moved by the Holy Spirit to give their life to Christ,” said a third.
While John Rich has long spoken out about his faith and values while decrying the presence of what he has deemed satanic principles in the corporatized music industry, one of his more recent hits explicitly called it out. He spoke about his hit song “Revelations” with Tucker Carlson upon its release, saying how the Book of Revelations offered inspiration.
He says he was motivated to combat the rise in satanic content in the entertainment industry that contradicts Biblical values taught by Christ. Not unrelated, he also spoke about how he felt modern churches neglected to shared the powerful messages from the final book of the Bible.
“I was at home in Nashville, not even thinking about writing a song, when suddenly it felt like a hammer hit me in the back of the head,” the singer said, detailing the instant he felt inspired to write the song. “When the Lord slaps you upside the head with something, you have a physical reaction to it,” he stated. “The message I felt coming back to me was, ‘Take it all the way to the mat.’”
Rich blasted the overtly anti-Christian behavior that can be observed throughout the music industry, asserting that they place satanic imagery virtually everywhere. “They are practicing witchcraft on the stage right in front of you. You’re watching a football game or an award show with your kids, and now evil is coming straight at you. We’ve all seen this. Somebody has to counter that,” he added.