Reaching Your World with Luis Palau

When Esau and Jacob were born, Esau came first. They named him after his red, hairy skin. Jacob came second. His hand was grabbing his brother's heel, so they called him Jacob, which means "Grabber." Both of these guys from the Old Testament lived up to their names: Esau with his wild, hairy, mountain-man attitude, and Jacob with his cutthroat desire to climb to the top. He went after his brother's birthright, and he got it. Later, of course, he was on the run, hiding from his brother who wanted to kill him.  Although Jacob was deceitful and sly at first, God had a wonderful plan for his life. The Lord worked on him and changed him over many years. Beyond Jacob's faults we see God's character as He reveals Himself in the life of a man. God reveals Himself in your life and through your life, too. Paul's letter to the Philippians says, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Let the Lord speak through your life to others. Just be obedient and faithful, and let God's character shine through you!  That, my friend, is influence!

Do you remember Jacob? His story is recorded in Genesis. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah.  After being childless for years, Rebekah finally became pregnant.  The Bible says she felt like there were two babies fighting inside of her. And sure enough, God told her that her twin sons would become rival nations. Two sons, unborn, and God is declaring what will happen with their lives! That's God's brilliance in action. He knows the end from the beginning. He saw those two sons of Rebekah and Isaac when they were conceived and He determined how they were going to be used by God. God knew you before you were born. Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." What a fantastic verse! While you were still inside your mother, God set a plan for using your life. And He continues to work out His purposes in your life year after year. Encourage those around you today with this amazing truth: God made you and has a fabulous divine plan for your life. 

In today's world, we all know that people are looking for hope.  Politicians run entire campaigns recognizing that hope is a need of man.  People are searching. They wonder. And they often, sadly, look in the wrong places. Where does hope come from?  We can offer true hope, not just political hope or surface-level hope, but real hope. We can offer this real hope to people desperate for good news.  We can be the evidence that hope is available as we sacrificially serve.  Hold out the evidence that the presence of God is true hope in our lives. The Bible says in the Psalms, "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him." "The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love." Our hope does come from the Lord- will you share this hope with someone today? I know that there are people in your life, just as there are in mine, who need to hear the Good News. As followers-of-Jesus, it's our joy and honor to tell others of Him. Will you do it today? Sharing the hope of God with a hurting friend or family member is what Christ-followers were made to do.

The rules of any game are used to create boundaries to make a fair playing field for each team.  These rules are enforced by a referee or umpire and compiled in an official book of regulations for that sport.  The life we live can easily be compared to a game and the boundaries we live by, God's rules, serve as guidance for how to play on God's team.So what are the rules we are called to follow as we try to reach our world for God's team?  Rule Number 1: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Rule Number 2: Love your neighbor as yourself.Are we following these rules daily?  Are we caring for our neighbors when they are in need?  Are we showing love to our co-workers despite a difficult project or deadline?  Remembering God's Word, His rules set forth for us, can guide our steps, our words, as we reach out to those around us.  And, the better we know God, the more we'll realize that these rules bring freedom and confidence.  These rules don't tie us down, but rather set us free to live life as He intended.  As we do, we'll be more and more excited to share God's Good News with our world.

Many members make up a team. And, each has a specific role that contributes to the outcome.  The success of a team is not only the success of an individual, but the team's successes combined.In the same way, our efforts to reach our world are not a game of solitaire.  Each follower of Jesus is part of the body of Christ, as described in the Bible in 1 Corinthians.  Each serves a purpose in bringing those around them to the Savior. Your position on the team may be to plant the seed - to be the first one to tell another about Jesus Christ and His love for us.  Or, your job may be to water the seed - to encourage others in their spiritual life. The end goal, lives surrendered to Jesus Christ, is met when each part of the team, each part of the Body of Christ, participates in reaching their world.Be faithful to your role in the body of Christ. Encourage your fellow believers to share their faith and share your own with boldness, knowing that you are communicating a message of Good News and great hope to a hurting world. Imagine if each of us in the body of Christ worked diligently to tell those in our world of God's son. What a difference that would make!

When it comes to reaching our world, it is often easy to be critical of ourselves.  As part of God's team, we are asked to share our faith with others, but we can easily become discouraged if an effort isn't successful.  So what can we do to remain encouraged? One thing I like to do is compare it to sports. Just because a play doesn't work the first time, doesn't mean it won't work the second. When a soccer or football team runs a play, it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Just because a play doesn't work, doesn't mean the approach wasn't valid; it just means they have to try it again. In the same way, if you are trying to reach out to a co-worker but they don't seem to be responding, try again. Keep sharing. Don't give up. You are planting seeds in their life and, eventually, will likely reap the reward you seek. Remember, as the Word of God says, "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or discouraged."  As you try again, talk to our heavenly "coach" through prayer, and resolve to be determined, you will be a powerful player for God's team - His Kingdom. Reaching your world is challenging.  Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't see immediate results. Just keep on being faithful.

Often when our extended family gets together, there is a sports game. We seem to have just as much fun cheering for our favorite team from the couch as we do from the stadium. After a touchdown, or a successful sprint, a final inning, or the game-winning goal, there are wild celebrations. Sports victories are great, but there is a greater team and greater victory yet.As followers of Jesus, we're on a team too.  It's called the Body of Christ. And, in God's strength, we can be victorious.  In Paul's Letter to the Philippians he says "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." As part of God's team, we are winners, but not because of what we do, not by our own strength.  We are winners, we are successful, because of God's forgiveness, God's love, and God's grace.In what ways can we celebrate what God has done in our lives to make us winners?  One of the main ways, I think, is to share our faith.  When we tell others what God has done in our lives, we are giving Him credit and honor. By sharing our stories, and reaching out to others, we are celebrating that it is He who gives us strength. Today, let's give God the glory and be an active participant on His team by telling another of His love.

Is there someone in your life who seems far from God? We all know people who don't walk with the Lord. But, is there a person in your life who has purposefully turned their back on Him? Someone you love deeply, whose poor decisions are painful to watch... Guess what? I was that person. I was that person to my parents. For twenty-seven years my mom and dad watched me make poor choices, turn my back on the Lord, and live a life that was destructive. But, you know, they didn't give up. They continued to pray for me each day of those long twenty-seven years. The Bible says that God wants all people to come to him. Your loved one is no exception. God wants to save them too. So, don't give up. Believe that God wants to reach those in your life that you feel are hopeless. Continue to love them and pray for them. Ask God to bring your loved one to Him. When you feel discouraged, or disheartened, remember that God brought you to Him and wants to do the same thing for your loved one. It is not too late. Keep praying and believe that God will work a miracle. He has done it thousands of times and wants to do it again.

When we are looking to strategize in reaching our world, I think the best place to start, is the life of Christ. How did Jesus prioritize His life? What did He spend His time doing? Where did He go? Who did He spend time with? What did He say? A careful study of Jesus' life will uncover many important truths that we can incorporate as we strive to reach our world. Jesus preached, performed miracles, and confronted religious hypocrisy. But, He also spent much time with his small group of disciples. This group of fishermen and the like were called by Jesus to follow Him, and they did. He poured Himself into their lives, teaching and training this group of twelve. He knew that the impact of those relationships would change history! Think of all that those twelve did for the Kingdom...Paul wrote to Timothy in Corinthians, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." Who in your life can follow your example? Whose example are you following? That sort of relationship can have a tremendous impact! Look for ways to invest in others and share what God is teaching you. Relationships matter to God, hence they should matter to us. Spend time this week investing in relationships. Most often, it's through relationships that people come to know Jesus Christ.

We live in a very busy, hurried society. Why all of this busyness? Many people find their value and worth in how full their schedule is and how many tasks and to-dos they're juggling. But I would challenge you, just what are you busy about? Your schedule reflects your priorities. Are you busy loving God, serving others, and reaching your world? Or are you busy doing trivial things? I've heard it said that there are very few roles in our life where we are irreplaceable. What are some of those essential roles? Well, I'll tell you. Friend, only you can be a father or mother to your children. Only you can be a loving spouse to your husband or wife. Only you can spend time at the feet of Jesus to get His wisdom and direct guidance for you personally. Often it seems that clubs or jobs or meetings take up our time making it difficult to focus on what really matters. What are our priorities? Do we reflect things of eternal value? Things God has uniquely planned for us? Or are we neglecting the things that really matter? Let's not allow the everyday tasks to crowd out our calling. The Bible says in Ephesians, "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." How can we re-prioritize this week?

I find the advice we get from our cultural "experts" very interesting. Some of it is helpful, and some of it isn't. Some of it has wisdom, but some of it is horrible advice. Open a magazine, read an article online, or watch a morning talk show, and you'll hear some consistent themes. One of them is the theme of "putting yourself first." Culture sometimes talks about people who spend their time serving others as if it's a bad thing. You'll actually see wonderful Moms and Dads admonished for spending so much time on their children or their spouse. One article recently said the best way to help your marriage is to "spend time apart and focus on yourself." This focus on fulfilling our selfish desires isn't a good idea to me. So I have a challenge for you. Don't listen to that advice. Rather, take your advice from God and His Word. St. Paul writes in Philippians, "...in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Pour yourself out in the service of others, and God will fill you up in ways that "me time" never could. Serve others. Love others. Care for others before yourself and you will be following in Jesus' footsteps. And did you know, that following in Jesus' footsteps is the best way to reach your world?

Statistically, many of you listening grew up without your Dad as an active part of your life. Even if your Dad was around, you probably know someone who's Dad wasn't. There is a growing epidemic of fatherlessness and a rising number of Christ-followers trying to figure out what to do about it. Many are jumping in to mentor fatherless children so that they have a positive adult in their life. I think that's great. Mentoring is a great thing and a great way to reach your world.But, do you know the ultimate mentor? It's Jesus Christ Himself. A mentor is supposed to be a friend, give you guidance and direction, and help set you on a good, positive course for life. Jesus does all those things. If you're a mentor to others, that's great. But, make sure that you are introducing people to the ultimate mentor. It's easy to spout off answers to questions but are we pointing people to the one who can answer absolutely every question? Life with Jesus provides the Father figure that so many of us are missing. He is a father to the fatherless. Life with Jesus provides wisdom, direction and life in abundance. Jesus promises to be "with us always."  He will never walk out on you, or disappoint you. Turn to Jesus and find the mentor you're looking for - and the Savior you need.

My wife and I have been counseling a young woman who has been struggling with sin and temptation. She's so frustrated with this battle that she sometimes becomes angry with God. We can all relate to this frustration in some way or another. But, how we handle it is critical. Many of us often cover up our struggles because we feel as though we're the only one going through it. Consider the words of Psalm 139:13: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." God created each of us to be unique. To get angry with God is to presume that he made a mistake in how he made you. But he did not. And He will not forsake you. Even as we battle sin, God is always faithful and will find us a way out.  In this light, our problems and frustrations become a powerful part of our testimony. As God guides us to overcome these struggles, we become equipped to reach out to others in similar situations. Realize that even our faults can be used in the process of leading another to Jesus Christ. Nothing is "off limits." God uses both the good times and the bad times for his glory. Never be ashamed to tell the entire story of what he has done in your life. 

Have you ever felt personally called by God? An ophthalmologist from New York did, but for years he ignored that call. But, that's not the end of the story. As long as we are on this earth, we have a second chance. Even if we've messed up the first time, God can definitely give us another opportunity to reach the world around us. Even though the ophthalmologist didn't respond to God's call at first, later he ended up excitedly going to Afghanistan with his wife. Towards the end of his life, I had the privilege of seeing him one more time before he went to be with the Lord. His body had grown so weak that he couldn't stand anymore. But, on the inside he was very much alive. He had peace because he had been obedient. As we respond and act on God's calling in our lives, we will experience a satisfaction that only a life devoted to the Lord can bring.The Lord promises in His word, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Do not be afraid that the Lord will not guide you because you've messed up. Rather, let's be thankful for the mercy He shows us even when we don't respond immediately and be quick to act on the second chance we receive.

A man from New York once told me that he felt called to be an ophthalmologist in the Middle East. Unfortunately, he didn't end up responding to the call. He told me, "when graduation came, I married and my friends and relatives began to warn me about the dangers of living in the Middle East, the sacrifices a missionary must make, and about foolishly wasting my education. They said, 'Don't do it.' And the pride of life got a hold of me and I never did go to the mission field."This man's decision to ignore God's call ate away at his peace. He always wondered what his life would have been like if he had been obedient. He told me, "I haven't had one day of peace in 42 years." I felt so bad for him. No one wants to end up living without peace. His story reminds me to always, always, always respond when God asks us to do something. 1 John 2:3 says, "We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands." Therefore, I encourage you to not only follow the dictates of the Gospel but to also follow Christ's unique calling on your life. How is He compelling you to be a light to your world? Friend, let's respond to His call today.