Reaching Your World with Luis Palau

There’s parenting, then there’s parenting God’s way. When my wife, Wendy, and I first became parents, we were given all sorts of advice from all sorts of people. And parents listening will understand that this is very common. Everyone has opinions on how to raise children, when to put them to bed, where to send them to school, what to feed them, and so on. But Jesus is a huge, pivotal factor in parenting that secular culture overlooks. Jesus changes our parenting because Jesus changes us. As followers of Jesus, part of our mission as parents is to be an example to our children, to live out the effects of the Good News that has penetrated our lives to change us. This will give the opportunity for our kids to witness what they might become, the people God wants them to be. If God is the center of your life, He will become the center of your parenting. The Bible’s wisdom tells us in Proverbs 22:6 to “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Make Jesus Christ the center of your life, your family, and start your children off on a path toward Him. This is Andrew Palau.

We live in an increasingly cynical, calloused society that affects all of us somewhat. That’s why I’m so thankful that we can raise tenderhearted children. We can raise such children by sponsoring needy children, discussing current world events, talking about world religions, inviting missionaries over for dinner, reading missionary biographies as a family, and sacrificing something so we can give toward the needs of others. Why should you and I feel embarrassed if our children cry over the sufferings of others? Instead, we should rejoice to see them growing in their care and concern for people. We must allow our hearts to be broken by the things that break God’s heart. Because Christ dwells in us and desires to work through us, we can become part of the answer to this world’s most urgent problems. Together with your children, discover anew that true happiness and joy are found as the apostle Paul says, in “not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” [Philippians 2:4] wherever they may live. This is Luis Palau.

Raising tenderhearted children in a tough world doesn’t come naturally. It requires constant nurturing. One way is to invite missionaries into your home and let your children take part in dinner table conversations. This is one of the best ways to get to know some of God’s great servants. When I was growing up we had many missionaries in our home. By talking about different people and customs, they made other parts of the world seem more real to me. Another way is to read the biographies of William Carey, Mary Slessor, Hudson Taylor, and other great missionaries in history. You and your children will find their stories fascinating. Children especially enjoy hearing about George Mueller, who took in thousands of orphans, providing the best of everything without asking for financial help. When they ran out of food, they set the table anyway and said grace. Once a cart laden with bread broke down nearby. The bread man came to their door saying, “I don’t know what to do with all this bread. Could you use it?” What a great example of Philippians 4:19, which says, “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” It’s still true today! This is Luis Palau.

Our responsibility as parents is to help our children become tenderhearted toward the less fortunate, especially those who don’t yet know Jesus Christ.One way to do this is to encourage your children to learn about cities affected by natural disasters and other tragedies. These current events remind your children that we live in a fallen, deeply hurting world. Then cross over to discuss what God is doing in that part of the world. It’s easy to shut off our minds to the needs of the poor by saying, “Well, they’ve lived like that all their lives. They’re used to it. They don’t notice how bad things really are.” But suffering is suffering. Every parent and child, no matter where they live, feels pain the same way you and I do. As well, inform your children about the world’s major religions. As parents we need to display respect and genuine love for people everywhere. By word and example we want to communicate to our children that “We don’t ridicule or make fun of people, even in private.” Instead, we gladly “walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us,” Ephesians 5:2. That’s what reaching your world is about. This is Luis Palau.

When our children were young my wife, Pat, used to quote the words of Jesus in Acts 20:35 and say to them, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive, isn’t it?” And they would almost always reply, half-jokingly, “No, it isn’t...getting is better!” Raising tenderhearted children in a tough world doesn’t come naturally. Learning to care for others is a spiritual discipline that requires constant nurturing. Our responsibility as parents is to help our children become tender toward the less fortunate, especially those who don’t yet know Jesus Christ.To start, sponsor a child, especially a needy boy or girl in another country. When we first thought about sponsoring a child, we discussed it with our sons and suggested “adopting“ a boy from Mexico. They thought that was a great idea because we used to live there. Over the next few years, we sponsored children through several organizations. One we highly recommend is Compassion International, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80997. Be willing to pitch in financially if your child reaches adolescence and shows a sensitivity and desire to sponsor a needy child of their own. This is Luis Palau.

Recently, my heart has been heavy because of everything I hear on the news. Like you, I’ve watched stories about innocent people whose lives have been taken. Hatred seems to be everywhere. The world seems more divided than ever before. And the question I am often asked is, “What’s the best response to all of this?” People ask me, “Should I be angry? Should I be scared?” As followers of Christ, we are called to model Jesus. And what that means is we must fight hatred with love. We must fight injustice with forgiveness. We must resist the desire to be apathetic and instead, show compassion for all people – even the ones who do not like us. Jesus loves unconditionally. He even loves the people who do not love Him. And we ought to try to do the same thing, while being vigilant for our safety, of course. The Bible says in Luke 6:27, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.” So, when you hear news stories about ongoing violence or tragedy, consider a response that is rooted in the Word and in Christ. Consider responding with love instead of hatred, with compassion instead of apathy, and with grace instead of condemnation. And remember, even on the earth’s darkest days, Jesus is the conquering King who will return again for His people. This is Andrew Palau.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to love one another. But do we truly understand what love is? Jesus Christ was the ultimate example of love in action. And He commanded us to love. But this commandment was nothing new. Back in the Old Testament, in Leviticus, the Lord commands the Israelites to “love your neighbors as yourself.” Jesus was the first who lived out the truth of this commandment. He showed us that love is action. Love is not just saying the right thing, or being kind to someone when they’re kind to you. Instead love is showing the truth by our actions all the time. This is hard to do when someone commits an offense against us. It is easy to get angry and bitter. But when we remember that Jesus loved us before we expressed love for Him, we can love others freely without expecting anything in return. The blessed Holy Spirit lives within us and He facilitates our love to others. In His life, Jesus was called names, spit at, and gossiped about. But still he loved those around him. He is the ultimate example for us to follow. Reach your world by actually loving as Christ first loved us. Talk or show love to people about this love today. This is Luis Palau.

As believers in Jesus, we know that we are called to love everyone. But the hard part is truly living out that love! In 1 Corinthians 4:5, God lays out what love is not by saying, “love does not envy or boast”. And you know, sometimes this is hard to fulfill. It is easy to look around on social media or in the newspaper and see people who have more than us. And we can fall into envying these people for having what we feel we lack. Perhaps you envy a neighbor whose home is larger than yours, or an athlete who can run faster than you, or someone who is married when you’re still single. Then, on other occasions, we can be the ones boasting about all of the things we have! But love is not either of these things. In God’s definition, love does not focus on personal desires. God’s type of love is selfless—not selfish.  This week, as you come into contact with people you’re tempted to envy, I encourage you to focus on expressing selflessness and love. And, instead of boasting about something you have, boast like Peter did—about all that God has done for you! By doing this, you will truly be able to reach and impact your world with the selfless love of Jesus Christ. This is Luis Palau.

Have you ever known someone who seems to make progress in a certain area of their life, only to fall back into old habits? A friend of mine named Ben was going through a tough season in His life. Ben had some bad habits that caused a lot of pain for those he loved. Then, he began to make progress… he started making better choices, only to eventually fall back into his old ways again. This pattern happens often with people, and as a friend or family member, it can be a difficult thing to watch. We want the best for those we love, and when we see people making poor choices, our first instinct can be to harshly call them out… but the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that “love is patient and kind”. So, since we are called to love others, we are called to practice patience and kindness towards them. Not always easy! But patience is a fruit of God’s Spirit living in us. I encourage you to practice patience towards someone in your life. Perhaps you have a friend or family member who is making poor choices. How might you treat them differently if you were filled with patience and kindness? Chances are, this person might realize that there’s something different about the way you are treating them. And this might open up an opportunity to talk to them about Jesus. This is Luis Palau.

Have you ever been part of a team or club? I’m from Argentina, and over there, soccer—or as we say, “football”—is the most popular team sport. People who play together on the same team wear matching jerseys so everyone knows what team they’re a part of. Like teams with matching uniforms, we as Christians can show people that we belong to Jesus’ team by following His commandments. In John 13, Jesus commands: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, my followers, if you love one another.” So, how can people tell that we are followers of Christ? Well, through our love for others.  When we truly love others, we don’t just love people who we’re friends with, but we love all people because all are made in God’s image. When we love people, we genuinely want the best for them. And there is no better way to assure the best for someone than with the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ. Don’t you agree with that? So, this week as you interact with people in your life, I encourage you to act and speak out of respect, out of love. Pray for the people you come into contact with, and lovingly find the way to talk to people about Jesus. This is Luis Palau.

Have you ever tasted a cool, refreshing Coca Cola? So have hundreds of millions of people around the world. Former president of the company, Robert Woodruff, had the boldness to state during World War II, “We will see every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents wherever he is and whatever it costs.” When the war ended, he went on to say that in his lifetime he wanted everyone in the world to have a taste of Coca-Cola. Talk about vision! Do you have a vision of how God could use you to influence your generation?  Don’t let opportunities to share hope with others pass you by. And don’t underestimate the big ways God wants to use you to bless others and change the world. God has given you unique skills, talents, and passions and now He’s asking you to dream big. Envision the billions of people in this generation who have not accepted Jesus. Many have never even heard the message of His love. What can you do about it? It may start small at first – an outreach or luncheon of some sort. Maybe you can support more missionaries or become one yourself. Remember that God wants to use you in a big way. God doesn’t have a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C to reach the world. He has one plan – that’s you and me. This is Andrew Palau.

Journalists love to ask my opinion about politics. I always decline to comment. I won’t even tell them how I’m registered to vote. The minute I align myself with a political party or politician, I’ve effectively alienated half of my listeners. In America, there is still a feeling that we are a Christian and even an evangelical Protestant nation. But the minute we get involved in party politics, others think we’re aligning God in heaven with this or that earthly power. That is misleading to some Christians, and a terrible witness to unbelievers. We vote – yes! As informed citizens who happen to be serious Christians. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 [NLT], the apostle Paul writes: “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” Like Paul, we need to see ourselves as ambassadors speaking for God—not self. I’m not here to advance my political opinions. Instead, we are here to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. On Christ’s behalf, you and I are here to plead, “Come back to God!” There is no greater calling, no greater purpose. Today, will you say yes? Will you gladly say yes to serving as an ambassador of Christ—as an ambassador of the King of kings and Lord of lords? I truly hope so. What could be better? This is Luis Palau.

When I’m interviewed by the media, they often ask about my opportunities to speak about the Good News of Jesus Christ with presidents, prime ministers, parliaments, and royalty. In my early years, I thought that if I could convert them, somehow we would change nations. But that’s not how the Good News works. Real change comes from the bottom up, not from the top down. The top has influence, but it’s never as powerful as you think. Real movements are people’s movements. I came to see that if I were given a chance to share the Good News with anyone—including heads of state—I had to honor that opportunity the same as I would honor an opportunity to share that Good News with anyone else, from the teller at my bank to a packed stadium in Hong Kong. It’s not about what I can do through those people—it’s about those people. The apostle Paul did the same thing. Listen to what he told King Agrippa in Acts 26:22: “God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest.” And that’s exactly what Paul did. And that’s exactly what I want to do until I go to be with the Lord. I hope you will do the same. Let’s reach our world daily! This is Luis Palau.

When it comes to God, the Bible, the Church, and the Good News of Jesus Christ, a lot of Christians talk nostalgically about the “good old days.” They idolize past generations as more faithful than ours. But you won’t hear me doing the same. I’ve spent a fair amount of time researching the history of Christian revivals. Other than the Great Awakenings, popular, heartfelt faith in Jesus Christ was rarely widespread. Believe me, the church in America throughout the 1800s was not a rosy place. Only about 25 percent of people even attended church in the 1880s. By the time evangelist D. L. Moody came on the scene, church life was low, and occultism and spiritism were ragingly popular. Maybe today America isn’t declining, but rather remaining what it has been for most of its history: nominally Christian on the surface. No matter the past, our calling remains unchanged. While many of the intellectual elite look down their noses at faith, there is a vast population of faithful and intellectual people dedicated to the Lord. They are quietly reaching others with the Good News of Jesus Christ. With the Bible firmly in hand, they’re changing lives for good, for God, and for eternity. This is Luis Palau.

Some people like to cite bad news headlines about the state of the Church and then ask if I’m wringing my hands these days. My honest answer is: I feel a great deal of hope. Every part of the world has its challenges, but God is faithful. In some ways we have more opportunities today than nearly any other time in history. As Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38, the fields are ripe for harvest. True, if the research is accurate, younger generations are not responding to what their parents or grandparents did. That upsets some people. But you won’t hear any alarmist rhetoric from me. In fact, some of the recent research is encouraging. America does not seem to be trending to become like Europe, which someone once called a continent of “baptized pagans.” While there’s still significant decline among mainstream denominations—and the need for us to get our house in order—people, including younger generations, are still flocking to churches that live with simplicity, conviction, and a commitment to God’s Word, the holy Bible. Instead of wringing our hands, let’s never lose hope in God, the Bible, the Church, and the Good News of Jesus Christ. There’s no better time for us to reach our world with that News. This is Luis Palau.