Reaching Your World with Luis Palau

I think the best thing we can do to reach our world is to try to become more like Jesus. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great German theologian who resisted Hitler, wrote in his book the Cost of Discipleship, “It is only because he became like us that we can become like him.” And you know, I find it so helpful to remember that. God really did become a man- He really did experience all that we experience. So when we seek to be more like Him, it’s actually possible, one day at a time. Jesus became a man- like you and me. In Romans, St. Paul writes that we are to clothe ourselves “with the Lord Jesus Christ.” Can you imagine how effectively we would reach our world if we all “put on” Jesus Christ every day? When people are asked their objections to Christianity, I’ve often heard the response, “I don’t have a problem with Jesus- just some of His followers.” And you know, Jesus’s followers will never be perfect- after all we are just human! But we can, by his indwelling power, consciously choose day by day to be more like Christ. And I know it will make a great impact if we do. Try it today, won’t you?

Today’s world is more connected than ever before. With all the new forms of media there are things possible today that no one could have dreamt 50 years ago! And you know, I think all these new developments make the ministry of serving Jesus Christ more exciting than ever. I love that God’s Word can be shared with thousands at once online. I love that I’m able to receive prayer requests, and answer questions, and listen to what people have to say, instantly. Globalization has made the world smaller and in some respects it has made it easier to reach out to new continents and people groups. I know a nation that’s tried to shut out the Good News Gospel of God’s love in Jesus Christ, but simply cannot shut it out any more.  Radio, Internet, Facebook, even Twitter, carry God’s Good News into secret places.  Thousands are giving their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.  So my wife and I help one such ministry financially because they have an international perspective. As believers in the Lord Jesus today, we all have the opportunity to reach our world in unprecedented ways. Jesus commanded us to go into all the world to make disciples of all nations. Make the most of it! Think of all the ways that you have and we have together to reach across the world today in our generation.

When you think of a Bible story, what scene comes to mind first? Is it young David picking up stones to kill Goliath? Or, maybe Noah building his ark? Or, Jesus feeding the 5,000? These stories are familiar if you’ve grown up in Sunday School or if you’ve attended church for some time. Today, I want to look at one of those stories: the feeding of the 5,000. When Jesus’ disciples came to Him and told Him that the crowd was hungry, Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” The disciples protested, saying, “but we don’t have enough.” Jesus then took the five loaves of bread and two fish that they did have and He blessed it and used it to feed the entire crowd. There were even leftovers! Notice this: sometimes when God calls his people, they feel ill-equipped. “But God, I don’t have enough” we say. Friends, God isn’t asking us for more than what we have. He’s asking that we trust Him to multiply our efforts. We don’t have to have “enough.” We need only to trust that He will provide. He’ll make a way. As we act in faith, our perceived inadequacies or shortcomings will not hinder God from reaching people. He’s bigger than that. He’s bigger than us. Just as He multiplied the five loaves and two fish, He will multiply our efforts to reach people with His Good News.

Are you dissatisfied with your life? Are you thinking of walking out on everything and trying to start over again? That option never has worked--and it never will.You may think, “If only I had this or I could do that, then I would be satisfied.” But even when people obtain all of their “if onlys,” they’re still troubled and unhappy. No person, possession, or experience can ever quench that thirst deep inside.Whether you realized it before or not, what you’re thirsting for is Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He is the only one who can fill the needs and longings in your life.It doesn’t matter what your story is. You don’t have to pay your way in. Jesus Christ says, “If you are thirsty, come to me. If you believe in me, living water will flow from within you.”If you want Jesus Christ to quench your thirsty soul and give you a new life, please ask Him into your heart today.

Someone has joked that anyone with normal blood pressure these days just isn’t paying attention!From drive-through’s to expressways to Internet highways, we’re bombarded by busyness on every side -- and there’s no relief in sight. Yet there is a way to cope with these high pressure times. “Don’t worry about anything,” the Bible says, “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace.... His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” [Philippians 4:6-7].If you want Jesus Christ to give you this peace, please pray with me right now. In your heart say, “Dear God, I want your peace. I know that I can receive your peace only by committing my life to Jesus Christ. So please come into my heart and help me to live like Jesus. Thank you that I can look forward to spending eternity with You in heaven. Amen.”  

Someone has accurately compared our modern way of life to “a short and fevered rehearsal for a concert we cannot stay to give.... There is simply not enough time to think...” No wonder so many of us feel exhausted and bewildered. With all the pressures of work, family, and every day tasks, it’s easy to miss the simple joy of life. The Bible is honest to life when it says we are “like a flower of the field; the wind blows it over and it is gone” [Psalm 103:15]. Here today; gone tomorrow.But is that all? Jesus Christ said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” [John 10:10]. Only when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ can we truly experience the fullness of life. And when we make that commitment, we can look forward to spending eternity with Jesus in heaven. Have you committed your life to Jesus Christ? If not, I encourage you to make that decision today.

Everyone has his or her reasons for doubting God. Jenny, a skeptical young woman living in London, was one such woman.Jenny had lived a life many would envy: working in TV, mixing with the rich and famous, enjoying a bachelorette lifestyle. Yet, inside, Jenny felt hollow.So, when Jenny attended a London festival and heard me speak about Jesus Christ, she went home to write me a letter. She said:“I began to set out all my arguments as to why I didn’t believe in Jesus Christ until, halfway through writing, I realized what I had written wasn’t true. I did believe. So today I sit writing a very different letter. You introduced me to Jesus and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”Are you still struggling with doubting God? He isn’t surprised when we struggle with unbelief. So don’t be afraid to consider the possibility of embracing a relationship with Him.

A friend recently asked me how he could touch a life for eternity. It was an honest question and I want to share my answer to him with you. The first thing you need to do is consider who in your world doesn’t know Jesus Christ. If someone has been on your heart then God probably put you in that person’s life for a purpose. He wants you to reach them. Start with prayer. Bring your friend before the Lord and ask God to move in a mighty way in his or her life. Ask God to orchestrate the events in your friend’s life so that they would come to that place where they can truly hear and respond to the Gospel. Then prayerfully chose a day. Look at your calendar and ask God to direct you to the perfect moment of His timing. Choose a day to intentionally let yourself be used by God. Finally, pray for the courage to walk through the open door He will provide. And, do it! 2 Timothy 4:2 says “be ready in and out of season.”  When you prepare like this, you’re looking for an in-season king of moment.Regardless of how your friend responds, don’t leave them. Continue to invest in a relationship with them. Don’t disappear if the going gets rough. Your friend’s response is not up to you. Results are in the Lord’s hands. What is up to you is your willingness to be present in their life and bold in sharing the Good News. Do that and God will orchestrate the rest in His timing.

You have probably heard of the black boxes on commercial airliners. They are specially made to withstand extreme temperatures and to remain intact even underwater. They are also equipped with beacons to help investigators locate them after a crash. These boxes are essential because they record all the conversations of the flight crew with the air traffic controllers, as well as the condition and performance of the aircraft. Safety experts rely on these boxes to learn from mistakes so they can avoid them in the future. As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s important that we learn from past mistakes as well! In Corinthians, the apostle Paul talks about what we can learn from the Israelites in the wilderness, and he says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us…” There’s no need to feel stuck in your past or to feel shame. But learning from the past will help you to have a brighter future. And you will be able to reach your world in new ways as you seek to live more fully for Jesus Christ.  And the lessons of the Old Testament saints and the lessons of the New Testament and the lessons that you find all over the Bible are a guidance a leading for us to know how to walk with God every day.

I really do believe in the power of prayer. Have you ever had a friend who faithfully prays for you? It can be easy to tell someone “I’ll pray for you” – but to actually do it, is another thing entirely. And you know, I’ve been so blessed through the years to have faithful friends not just say they’ll pray, but actually do it. One of them is Robert Levy, a businessman related to one of my boys by marriage, in Jamaica.  One day he said, “Let’s evangelize the whole nation in celebration of 50 years of our company.”  We talked about the cost of it.  He said the Lord will provide.  It turned out to be very expensive.  We prayed and the Lord answered, and all of Jamaica can be said to have heard the voice of God.  It was so exciting! One incredible way to reach your world is to be that kind of friend to other people! Ask people how you can pray for them, and then actually do it! Write down what they say. Put a date next to it. Bring those requests to the Lord. And then check back with your friend and ask how they’re doing in each of those specific areas they shared with you. The Psalmist writes, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Call on the Lord today, and watch as He uses you to reach your world through prayer!

In 2002, the Oakland Athletics baseball team needed a turnaround. They didn’t have the funds to sign any stars, so they developed an unorthodox plan. Using often-overlooked statistics, they recruited a variety of players who many other teams would not have considered. The unusual strategy worked, and the ragtag team had a 20-game winning streak! And you know, this story reminds me of Jesus’ strategy for picking his “team”. If ever there was a ragtag team, it was Jesus’ 12 disciples. Rough fishermen, despised tax collectors – Jesus did not exactly choose the well-respected, well-educated, players. He did not pick the strongest or the most popular. No recruiting firm today would have ever picked Jesus’ team. In 1 Corinthians St Paul tells us, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” That’s exactly what He did through those first 12 disciples. And it’s what He continues to do today through us! God’s ways are different than our own! Never underestimate what God can accomplish through ordinary people with extraordinary faith. Are you one of those people?  The Holy Spirit wants to use you.  If you are available to God, He will use you with mighty power. 

William Carey once said, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” And you know, his life was truly an example of this saying. He began his life as a hardworking shoemaker. But during his days crafting shoes, he read the journals of explorers and studied theology. Through his studies, God called him to go to India to reach his world! Carey would change history as an evangelist, and a Bible translator. A man, who many may have considered quite ordinary, accomplished extraordinary things for God. And he did it by simple faith and obedience to the command of Jesus Christ in the Bible. In the book of Hebrews we read about all that men and women of God have accomplished because of faith. We read that by faith, these great saints, “conquered kingdoms, administered justice… shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword…” The heroes of the faith we read about in the book of Hebrews are an inspiration for all of us trying to reach our world! And you know, I believe that list of heroes is always growing and you could be next! As you expect great things from God, and step out in faith, you will reach your world!

What do you think of when you hear the word “trap?” Maybe you think of a trap door or a hidden pit. Yes these are traps and there are also more subtle and dangerous traps. Each of us face temptations that are traps. Before I gave my life to Jesus Christ, alcohol was a trap for me – so was my desire to maintain my reputation. At first it seemed harmless and fun, but it became a trap that wouldn’t let me go. For others, intellectualism can be a trap – or money, or fame, or sports, or relationships, or a lucrative career. Anything that replaces finding our identity in Jesus Christ is a trap. Anything that becomes an obsession is a trap. Proverbs 14 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Most traps appear to be right at first. Otherwise we would not fall into them. Right? Most things that distract us from what really matters are fun in the beginning. But when they consume us, when they hinder us from doing God’s will, they become dangerous. Have you fallen into a trap? Is there something in your life that keeps you from a close relationship with Jesus Christ? If so, ask the Lord to set you free. He’ll do it! Then, you are free to rescue others who have also fallen into a trap. You can reach your world. Tell them of the freedom found in Jesus Christ.  

A troubled woman struggling with the doubt of God’s love called me while I was doing a recent radio program. My encouragement to her was to find a community of believers with whom she could gain support. I also recommended she avoid spending idle time with people who are struggling with the same kind of sin she was, as they would just reinforce her frustration. We all need each other in the body of Christ to support and strengthen us. Even more so when life seems to be difficult.  It says in the Bible, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” Good and faithful community may be hard to come by. But seek the Lord and He will provide the best possible group of people for any situation. I’ve been in a group like that for 25 years with 8 other men and we meet on Wednesday mornings. You can build a community of believers, support one another and walk in faithfulness with Jesus Christ.  We need each other. Our Father created us to be in community. Go out and reach your world in numbers greater than one.

Prayer is a wonderful weapon against temptation. We often forget we are supposed to be on the offensive side in the battle against temptations. All will face temptation but Jesus told his disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We may feel like we are always weak and not strong when it comes to temptation but Jesus says the Spirit is willing. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” We can find the strength to overcome temptation because Jesus Christ lives in us. The Holy Spirit dwells inside us and brings self-control, patience, love, joy and peace. When we cultivate this in our lives we start an offensive attack on the enemy’s plans. This week let’s pray so that we might not fall into temptation. Encourage your world to pray too as temptation comes upon us quickly and before we’ve quite seen it we have slipped. Keep watch and cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit which will bring peace, love and joy, and victory and usefulness in the kingdom of God.