Reaching Your World with Luis Palau

A young man called into a radio program and explained that a spiritual battle was waging war all around him. Through frustration and guilt of his past sins, he doubted God. But the feeling of conviction and guilt over our actions is actually a wonderful sign! This shows that the Lord Jesus Christ is working in us. Most people don’t care or understand the consequences of what we’ve done. Jesus foretold to his disciples of the Holy Spirit bringing conviction, “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” Conviction of sin (that is, evil behavior) comes from the Holy Spirit. If we feel conviction over something we’ve done that has disrupted our relationship with the Father, it’s a good thing. It drives you to confession with repentance. Conviction should lead us then to repentance and restoration of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Even in the small things, let’s let the Holy Spirit convict us and then repent, and receive God’s total forgiveness. Let’s not shy away from the Holy Spirit but embrace Him so we can reach our world with freedom of conscience, with joy, and with excitement.  The world needs to see Jesus in you and Jesus in me. 

When we walk with Christ, there is a daily battle to fight the temptations of the enemy. For in God’s word it says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I too, have to challenge my mind daily, in order to fight the battle. Our daily battle shouldn’t be looked upon as a burden or a failure on our part. Temptations still come even though we have been saved from the grips of sin, by Jesus Christ.  But we must be wise to eliminate things in our lives that make our situation difficult. There are books, friends, TV-shows, movies and music that can cause us to stumble. We should avoid them, shouldn’t we? Battle daily for the upper ground against the enemy’s schemes and encourage your friends to do likewise. Take on the battle together and act out this Bible verse, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” And you know, it’s in the mind that the battle is fought.  And by the reading of word of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we can overcome the temptations that come through our mind into our will.  Jesus gives us victory.

Each time I see a racing ambulance I am reminded that life is short. At any moment, any of us could take our last breath. It’s a sobering thought. Life is fragile. Every day 155,000 people die. But, for those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can take great comfort in the fact that God knows all these things. He is sovereign and has ultimate rule over our lives. As Psalm 139 says, “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Three years ago my family and I were in a horrible plane crash. Ever since then I’ve looked at each day determined to live life abundantly. Though there is comfort in knowing that God has a plan, that nothing catches Him off-guard, the uncertainty of tomorrow really should be a powerful motivator for today. Because we don’t know what tomorrow holds for us, or for others, we must make the most of every day, every interaction, and every conversation. Friend, there are too many people who still need to hear about Jesus Christ. We all have a story to share. Together, we should take advantage of every day we are alive. If God has placed someone on your heart, perhaps a family member or co-worker or neighbor, don’t delay. Pray for that person and pray for your own boldness and compassion. Then share with them the Good News of Jesus Christ. Now is the best time. It’s the time you have to reach your world.

In the Bible, the Apostle Peter says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” This Bible verse is often used in church benedictions, but sometimes the “after you have suffered a little while” is omitted. Suffering is not a popular subject. It’s one I would like to avoid myself. But you know, God has a way of using suffering to strengthen His people. My wife, Pat, suffered terribly during chemotherapy at age 44, yet her deep trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and the promises of God made her a hero in my eyes.  One of the songs she often sang was “Under His Wings I am Safely Abiding.”  She really has known Jesus since she was a girl, and it showed during her suffering.  I know many people who have come to know Jesus Christ by my telling her story of suffering and strength through Jesus Christ. Ask the Lord to help you draw near to Him in your suffering. He will use you to reach your world with your newly deepened faith. 

James Madison, the fourth president of the United States once said we should be wary of laws “so voluminous, that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.” I think the same warning should be heeded in our explanations of the Christian faith! I find one of the biggest hindrances for people in reaching their world is overcomplicating things. If we can’t even articulate what we believe, how do we expect anyone else to understand? We use all sorts of confusing terms, and complicated explanations, and sometimes I wonder if the whole point is missed entirely! Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”Make an effort to simplify your explanation of the Good News gospel. Make it so simple a six-year-old could grasp what you are saying. Remove all confusing terms and references, and get back to the basics. There’s always a simple word to replace a complicated word. When St. Paul addressed the jailor in Philippi he kept it very simple. He said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Whom can you share this beautifully simple and direct message with today?

German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “the aim of friendship is exclusively determined by what God’s will is for the other person.” That’s really true, isn’t it? You know, I believe friendship to be one of God’s greatest gifts in this life. We are told in Proverbs that a friend “loves at all times.” Christian friendship is different than your average friendship. Two people can share common interests, or a similar sense of humor. But Christian friendship goes deeper. Christian friendship aims to point each other to God and to help each other spiritually grow in their knowledge and understanding of Him. I’ve got several great friends from my teenage years in Argentina.  Terrific guys.  We don’t often see each other, but when we do it’s like we chatted a week ago.  They love jesus Christ just like I do.  Often we serve Him together around the world.  On the other hand, like the songs says, “The best friend to have is Jesus.” It is important to consider the kinds of friends you have in your life. If you want to reach your world, the right friends can help you do it! And the wrong friends could keep you from doing it. Ask the Lord to bring you friends who will work with you to reach your world- it will make all the difference.

A radio ad for a seminar sounded interesting. The announcer said, “You can beat death- for good, I’ll show you how.” That’s quite a claim, isn’t it? I’m sure many would be interested to attend a seminar on that subject. But you know, it turns out the announcer actually said “debt,” not “death.” That made much more sense! But it got me thinking- Jesus beat death, by paying our debt. Isn’t that amazing? We all owe a debt for our sin. But Jesus paid it through His death on the cross. And so Jesus is the only one who can truly say He has beaten death! And through Jesus, we too can experience life eternal. It’s one of the most amazing truths of the Christian faith. In First Corinthians St Paul says, “O death, where is your sting?” Paul continues in Second Corinthians saying, “the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Beating death is possible, but only through Jesus Christ. Whom will you share this incredible news with today?

Pick up a magazine or turn on the television. Walk down an aisle of a store or notice a billboard. There’s a common theme. The American dream is one of making our lives “better” – more enjoyable, more comfortable, and more restful. There are layers to that word “rest.” There is the rest I feel when we go to Jamaica each Christmas to visit my wife’s family there. There is the rest we enjoy when we get a good night of sleep. There is rest when we have a day away from buzzing noise, pressure at work, or kids needing attention. Sometimes just need a nap! But there is something deeper. Every human being in the history of the world has a desire for real peace and rest. But, the answer for finding true rest for your soul isn’t in any of our modern conveniences. It’s only in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 6 Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is the answer to the chaos of this world. He is the answer for the stressed heart and discouraged soul. Jesus offers true peace and true rest. Share this reminder today with a tired friend. Go to someone searching for peace and tell them this good news: That in Jesus Christ, there is true and lasting rest and peace. 

George Washington, the first president of the United States, set an important precedent for this country. After his heroic leadership during the revolution, many Americans wanted Washington to be King. A new King for the new country, America. But he refused. He would serve the nation as president. Can you imagine how different America would be today if he had chosen to be king instead of president? In the same way, what we do today sets a precedent for the future. For future generations- in our families, in the church, and the world. Will we set a precedent of loving God and reaching our world? Jesus Christ, “the author and perfector of our faith” set the ultimate precedent of service in laying down His life for us. And all of us who call Him Lord can follow in His footsteps by serving others. Whom can you tell about our Servant Savior today? If you do it, let me know! I love to hear how you are reaching your world. Email me at stories@palau.org. I can’t wait to hear how God is using you!

An American Chemistry teacher from Texas, Ronnie Smith, decided to travel to the middle east to serve the people in a certain country as a teacher at the International School. On December 5th, 2013, Ronnie went for a jog, and was gunned down by unidentified assailants driving in a Jeep. After her husband’s murder, his wife Anita, said, “I just envision the black Jeep driving up to him and I don't know their faces. I just want them to know that God loves them and can forgive them for this… I don't know them. That's how I honestly feel. It may sound crazy. It's God's spirit that's putting this inside me… I just really want them to know that I do love them and I forgive them, and Ronnie would want this, and I hope and pray that our son, Hosea, would believe this…” What a tragedy to have lost her husband and the father of her child, but what an example she is setting of forgiveness! You know, Jesus calls us to forgive even our enemies.  Romans chapter 12 says, “Bless and do not curse.” We can all learn from Anita’s forgiveness of her husband’s killers. Whom do you need to forgive today? Perhaps God will use your forgiveness and faith to reach your world in ways you never imagined.

Did you know that the Bible has been the best-selling book of all time for years and years? I’m always encouraged when I think about that. You know, I believe that deep down, people are still hungry for God’s Word, even if they don’t know it.. St. Paul says in Romans, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” If we are going to reach our world, we need to give people what they’re truly hungry for- God’s Word! And if we are going to share God’s Word with others, that means we have to know it ourselves. I start every day with God personally, reading the Bible, meditating, praying over His word.  This year, I’m following the Bible reading we at the LPA – the Luis Palau Association – recommend.  We call if “Your Daily Bible Study” and it helps me to focus on the Lord, to pray, to meditate and to sing. God’s Word is living and active, Hebrews 4 tells us, and I believe it’s the most powerful tool for reaching your world. So open your Bible today! There’s always more to learn.

When St. Paul said to put on the “helmet of salvation” in his letter to the Ephesians, the Ephesians would have immediately thought of a Roman legionnaire. Roman soldiers were heavily armored and their helmet was a symbol of their rank. A Roman officer would have a tall crest of horsehair, to show who he was. This was meant to be seen by his men in battle and to serve as a banner for them to gather around. I think this is a good example of how our helmet of salvation should be! We should proudly wear our salvation just like a Roman soldier wore his rank on his helmet. When people see you, do they see your salvation? Do they see Jesus?Jesus told us, "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” Do you acknowledge Jesus openly? Does your life demonstrate your faith in Him, and do your words point to Him? Let us all put on the helmet of salvation and ask God to use us to draw others to Himself. Nothing’s more important and there’s no greater joy in this life than helping others find faith in Jesus Christ.       

Though Haiti has experienced devastation, it is an amazing country that does have reason to be hopeful. Yet, while I was there, a man said to me, “Haiti is a disaster. There is no hope for Haiti. We sold our soul to the devil and now we are paying for it. There is no hope.” Wow! My immediate response was, “No! You are wrong. There is hope and also you can’t sell your soul to Satan because there is only one person in the history of the world who can purchase a soul. There is only one person who has ever had the capacity to pay for it and that person is Jesus Christ.” Satan wanted this man to feel as though there was no hope -- that, because of his sin, he was lost. Sadly, the man believed these lies and lived in defeat. Many people are in the same situation – living without hope, certain that they are “too bad” to be forgiven and loved. As followers of Jesus Christ, it is our job to reach out to those believing these lies. To those who feel worthless, to those who feel defined by their sin, it is up to us to say, “Jesus Christ has the right and ability to forgive you and make you a new creation.” The Bible says that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” He paid the price so we can have hope. Find a hurting soul. Reach into your world and find someone who feels unlovable and share with them this amazing news. 

Do you remember a time when someone said, “I forgive you” when you did something wrong? Do you remember how relieved and overjoyed you felt? When you confess to God, you are forgiven and you can start all over again. There’s no need to look back on what you’ve done! God promises to never give up on you. He said He started a good work in you and will carry it on to the day of completion. Until we meet Him again in heaven, He will stick with us and continue to make us more and more like Him. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t consequences for our actions in this world. Sometime we hurt people with the choices we make. Sometimes we break relationships, or cause people to lose faith in us. Just because we are forgiven by God doesn’t mean that we don’t have to deal with the results of our actions.The good thing is that we are never alone. God will continue to stick by us as He helps us continue to fix the mistakes we made in the past. We need to confess to Him, and we need to confess to others from time to time. It’s only then that we can start over as new creations and be used by God to reach our world! That is a fabulous experience and I recommend it to you.

An important part of confessing our sins to God is taking responsibility for our actions. The first step is to acknowledge that we know our sins and not try to explain them away. David does this when he prays, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”Many people blame others for their actions. Maybe you came from a difficult home, where you never experienced love so you say that’s why I’m not a kind person. Maybe your father was an alcoholic, so you blame your addictive behavior on your father. Sometimes things happen to us that are painful and wrong. They should have never happened, but you are still responsible for the choices you make. So when we do fall into sin, we must repent of our own decisions. In true confession, we acknowledge that the mistakes we made were our fault and we want to fix them. We want to come back to a true relationship with God. Only after being honest about our actions will we be able to move forward and come into God’s presence. Then God can not only forgive us, but start His healing work in us and help us to be more like Jesus Christ.