Franklin Graham Tells 90,000 In Peru: Jesus ‘Created You – He Loves You’
Evangelist Franklin Graham preached a clear, urgent gospel to nearly 90,000 people at Lima’s National Stadium, calling them to trust Jesus alone for life and hope. The messages were plain, biblical and aimed at cutting through religious ritual to the heart of salvation. Many in the crowd responded on the spot.
The two-night campaign, Esperanza Lima, drew roughly 41,000 on Saturday and about 48,500 on Sunday, filling a venue best known for soccer and big concerts. That kind of turnout made the stadium feel less like an arena and more like a vast house of worship. Leaders described the scene as a mass invitation to life and repentance.
What usually hosts pop stars and sporting events became a pulpit for the gospel, with music, testimonies and a single, uncompromising message: Jesus saves. The tone was pastoral but urgent, aiming to move people from ritual into relationship. For many, the event was the first clear presentation of the cross they had heard in years.
This weekend, though, it was a place of worship and proclamation.
“God made you. He created you. He loves you – but our sins separate us from God,” Graham told the crowd through a translator.
“Jesus Christ came from heaven to this earth to save you. He took your sins to the cross and died and shed His blood on a cross for you – and then He took your sins to the grave. He was buried in the tomb.
“But on the third day, God raised His Son to life. He’s not dead. He’s alive.”
“He’s here in Lima tonight,” Graham added to applause. “He’s here for you.”
He pressed attendees to move beyond labels and trust Christ alone, refusing to let cultural religion stand between people and the Savior. “The Catholic Church cannot save you. Being a Baptist cannot save you. Being a Pentecostal cannot save you,” he declared plainly to the crowd.
“There’s nothing you can do to save yourself. There’s no one who can save you – only Jesus Christ.”
The nights mixed preaching with worship, featuring live sets from The Afters, Charity Gayle, Christine D’Clario, and Jahaziel Band, creating momentum that drove people forward. Music and testimony set the stage for the altar calls that followed. The atmosphere was intentional and hopeful.
As the service drew to a close each night, thousands walked down to the field to commit their lives to Christ and start fresh. One man, Oscar Nuñez, captured what many felt when he said, “I’m looking for you.”
Oscar was blunt about his past and candid about the change he now claims. “I used to drink a lot; I used to sleep around; I lied a lot,” he said.
“God’s been working wonderfully in my life. I don’t drink anymore. I have a good life with my wife.”
“I try to be on good terms with my family.” He and his wife prayed together to receive Christ and begin a new path. Their story joined hundreds of others that night who walked onto the field determined to follow Jesus.
Karina Nuñez spoke for many when she said, “I feel like God has heard all of my prayers,” Karina Nuñez said.
“I used to think that He didn’t forgive me, but today the message has been clear. [Jesus] is my Savior.”
Organizers said the outreach was held in partnership with local churches that will now follow up those who came forward with discipleship and practical care. The aim is not a single moment but a movement of gospel-shaped discipleship across communities. For many in Lima, the message landed like a bright, dangerous hope.