(CNN) Billy Graham was laid to rest Friday at a funeral that seemed like a continuation of his decades of evangelistic preaching, with his eldest son, Franklin Graham, issuing an explicit call for people watching the service to convert to Christianity.

"Just a few days ago, my father followed Jesus all the way to heaven," Franklin Graham said of his father, who died February 21. "How about you? If this were your funeral, would you be in heaven?"

The noontime service, in many ways Graham's final evangelical crusade, was streamed live online from Charlotte, North Carolina. Franklin Graham said there was "no better place" than at his father's funeral for viewers to convert to Christianity.

"The world with all of its political correctness would lead you to believe that many roads lead to God, but that's just not true. Jesus is the only way," he said.

More than 2,000 people attended the private service for Graham, who was 99 when he died last week at his home in Montreat, North Carolina. Among the guests were President Donald Trump, the first lady and Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen.

"Emotional and inspiring service for Reverend Billy Graham," Pence tweeted after the funeral. "He will be missed."

Emotional and inspiring service for Reverend Billy Graham. He will be missed. As @Franklin_Graham said, "I can only imagine what it was like for my father to step into heaven. And there was the Lord Jesus Christ there to say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'" — Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) March 2, 2018

Graham's sister, Jean Ford, spoke of their family's deeply religious upbringing.

"We learned hard work, we learned to love the Lord, we learned to pray, we learned to love the Scriptures, and that has never left any of us," Ford said.

Graham's longtime pastor, Donald J. Wilton of First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, spoke of Graham's deep belief in biblical truths.

"He loved the Bible," Wilton said. "It governed how he lived, and it governed how he died."

After the service at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, the globe-trotting preacher and spiritual confidant to American presidents was to be buried beside his wife, Ruth, at the foot of the cross-shaped brick walkway in the library's Prayer Garden.

"It was Mr. Graham's explicit intent that his funeral service reflect and reinforce the gospel message he preached for more than 60 years," said Mark DeMoss, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Evangelist Billy Graham, who reached millions of people through his Christian rallies and developed a relationship with every US president since Harry Truman, died Wednesday, February 21, at the age of 99. Hide Caption 1 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' A school portrait of Graham, age 17, in 1935. After high school, Graham moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Tennessee to enroll in the conservative Christian school Bob Jones College. He then transferred to the Florida Bible Institute. He was ordained a Southern Baptist minister in 1939 and quickly gained a reputation as an evangelical preacher. Hide Caption 2 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham preaches in the early 1950s. He said he became "born again" after hearing an evangelist at a tent meeting in 1934. Hide Caption 3 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham reads on an airplane during a "Pulpit in the Sky" trip in 1953. Hide Caption 4 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham addresses a crowd in London's Trafalgar Square in 1954. Graham's London crusade lasted 12 weeks and drew huge crowds. Hide Caption 5 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham speaks to soccer fans in London during halftime of a match between Chelsea and Newcastle United. Hide Caption 6 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' In the 1950s, Graham began a weekly Sunday night radio program, "The Hour of Decision." Hide Caption 7 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham embraces his family upon his return from his "Crusade for Christ" tour in the 1950s. With him from left are his wife, Ruth, and his daughters Anne, Virginia and Ruth (Bunny). Hide Caption 8 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' In 1957, Graham's crusade at New York's Madison Square Garden ran nightly for 16 weeks. Hide Caption 9 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' US President Dwight D. Eisenhower visits with Graham at the White House in 1957. Hide Caption 10 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Supporters greet Graham upon his arrival in New York in 1959. Graham and his wife were returning from a six-month speaking tour that included stops in Australia and the Soviet Union. Hide Caption 11 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' In 1960, Graham explains the Bible to Waarusha warriors in Tanzania. Hide Caption 12 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham visits with children during a trip to Ghana in 1960. Hide Caption 13 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham sits in a jungle clearing a few miles from Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1960. Hide Caption 14 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham sits with US President John F. Kennedy. Hide Caption 15 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham gets a kiss from his wife, Ruth, after they returned to the United States following a tour in Africa and the Middle East. Hide Caption 16 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham preached that racial segregation was unbiblical, but some civil rights rights leaders criticized him for not being more involved in the civil rights movement. Graham asked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to deliver a prayer at a Madison Square Garden crusade in New York in 1957. Hide Caption 17 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham dictates a synopsis of his evening sermon into a tape recorder in 1962. Secretaries would then type the synopsis for distribution to the press. Graham was conducting an eight-day crusade in Fresno, California. Hide Caption 18 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham appears in the 1963 documentary "The World's Greatest Showman: The Legend of Cecil B. DeMille." Hide Caption 19 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham addresses the congregation at the opening of a 32-day London crusade in 1966. Hide Caption 20 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham speaks to more than 5,000 US troops in Vietnam in 1966. Hide Caption 21 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham addresses an audience in 1967. He was frequently listed by Gallup as one of the "Ten Most Admired Men in the World." Hide Caption 22 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham is flanked by US President Richard Nixon, left, and Vice President Spiro Agnew as they bow their heads in prayer in 1969. Graham was speaking at Nixon's inauguration. Hide Caption 23 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham rides a donkey in Jerusalem while visiting the city in 1969. Hide Caption 24 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham speaks to a crowd of 18,000 on the closing night of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1974. Hide Caption 25 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham speaks at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1978. Inclement weather had forced the crusade to the nearby Mid-South Coliseum, but when the clouds lifted, Graham went to the stadium to speak to those who could not get into the smaller indoor arena. Hide Caption 26 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham and his wife visit her birthplace in Huaiyin, China, in 1988. They were married for 64 years until her death in 2007. Hide Caption 27 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham takes a boat ride with US President George H.W, Bush near Bush's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1989. Hide Caption 28 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham preaches in New York's Central Park in 1991. It was his first appearance in New York City since 1970. The crowd was estimated at 200,000. Hide Caption 29 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham stands next to singer Johnny Cash in New York's Central Park. Hide Caption 30 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Pope John Paul II meets with Graham at the Vatican in 1993. Graham had often been called the "Protestant Pope." Hide Caption 31 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' In 1996, House Speaker Newt Gingrich presents Graham with a Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Hide Caption 32 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham gestures as he speaks to a capacity crowd at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1996. Hide Caption 33 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' In 1997, Graham gave the invocation at the second inauguration of President Bill Clinton. Hide Caption 34 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham greets Chinese President Jiang Zemin at a California luncheon in 1997. Hide Caption 35 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Former first lady Nancy Reagan greets Graham at the gala dedication of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Hide Caption 36 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Presidential candidate George W. Bush meets with Graham in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2000. Years earlier, Bush said, a conversation with Graham had helped lead him to give up drinking. Hide Caption 37 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham speaks to a crowd at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2004. Over the course of his career, Graham preached to more than 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories. Hide Caption 38 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham leads his "last crusade" at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in New York in 2005. He spoke to more than 230,000 people. Hide Caption 39 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham sits in his mountain home in Montreat, North Carolina, in 2006. Hide Caption 40 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Graham and his son Franklin attend the Metro Maryland Festival in 2006. The three-day program was led by Franklin. Hide Caption 41 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' US President Barack Obama meets with Graham at his Montreat home in 2010. Hide Caption 42 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks with Graham and his son Franklin during a visit to Montreat in 2012. Hide Caption 43 of 44 Photos: Billy Graham: 'America's pastor' Well-wishers gather with Graham at his 95th birthday celebration in 2013. Hide Caption 44 of 44

A tribute at the US Capitol

Trump and high-profile Washington leaders praised Graham this week at the US Capitol Rotunda. The influential minister became only the fourth person to lie in honor there.

A guiding light to generations of American evangelicals, Graham is said to have converted millions to Christianity. He evangelized to nearly 215 million people over six decades and prayed alongside US presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.

US leaders who relied on the spiritual counsel of the man some called the "Protestant pope" included Lyndon B. Johnson, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

News of Graham's February 21 death elicited remembrances from Trump, Pence, former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush and many others.

JUST WATCHED Graham: I was faithful to the message Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Graham: I was faithful to the message 05:31

Converting millions to Christianity

During his life, Graham reportedly persuaded more than 3 million people to commit their lives to Christianity. His preaching reached 185 of the world's 195 countries, according to his evangelistic association.

The preacher eventually took his crusades -- a mix of hymns, preaching and patriotic fervor -- to more than 80 countries, according to William Martin, a former sociologist at Rice University and the author of "A Prophet with Honor: The Billy Graham Story."

Graham also delivered his message via a weekly Sunday radio program called "The Hour of Decision" and wrote an advice column, "My Answer." In 1956, he founded the magazine Christianity Today, a leading evangelical publication.

Born into a farming life

William Franklin Graham Jr. was born November 7, 1918. He was raised on a dairy farm near Charlotte. He said he made a personal commitment to God in 1934 after hearing an evangelist preach.

The couple married in 1943 and later moved to Montreat, North Carolina. They had five children, all of whom spoke at Friday's funeral.

Anne Graham Lotz, one of his daughters, said she believed her father's death was a "shot across the bow from heaven."

"I believe God is saying: Wake up, church. Wake up, world. Wake up, Anne. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming,'" she said.

Ruth Graham, another of Graham's daughters, spoke movingly of troubled times in her life, saying that she feared her father's response. "You don't want to embarrass your father, but you really don't want to embarrass Billy Graham."

But when she approached her father's house, he welcomed her, Ruth Graham said, opening his arms to wrap her in a hug.

Franklin Graham, his father's successor at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, spoke for the longest time among the siblings on Friday, exhorting the audience several times to commit their lives to Christ.

"My father preached on heaven, taught millions how to find heaven, wrote a book on heaven and today he is in heaven," he said. "His journey is complete."