Reaching Your World with Luis Palau

When you say to someone, "If you really want to meet God, and you're sincere, lock the door, get on your knees and say 'God, I want to know you. Speak to my heart.'" And then you say to them, "begin to read the Bible starting with the gospel of John.'"  The person often comes back and says, "But, how can I trust the Bible?  How do I know it's the word of God?"  The answer to that is very simple.  You say, "Give it a try. Just get on your knees and say 'God, I'm going to read your book. My friends tell me that you speak through the book. Speak to me, Lord. Speak to my heart. Speak to my soul. Explain yourself to me.'"  And you know, when that person begins to read the holy Word of God, the Word of God has power."I am not ashamed of the Good News Gospel," St. Paul said, "because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."  If you can encourage your friend to simply open up the Holy Bible and read, beginning with the Gospel of John - I'm a great believer in the Gospel of John - then you can expect God to do a great thing in his life. So take that as a method of reaching friends - sincere people who have an open mind to meet God.

When you are trying to reach your world, haven't you found many people who say, "I don't know if there's a God.  How can I know?  How can I meet him?  Who has ever met him?"  How do you answer such a question?I think you have to go at it from several angles and here's one:  I would say these words from Jeremiah 29, "'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you' says the Lord."So, when a person says that they don't know if there's a God and how can they know if there is one, you've got to say, "Look, if you truly want to find Him, He will be found by you because He says 'Seek for me.  Seek for me with all your heart.'"  So, one suggestion I like to say to people when they ask "How can I know?", I say, "Look, if you really, really want to know Him, go to your bedroom or some private room, lock the door so nobody sees you but only God, get on your knees and say, 'God, I want to know you.  I want to experience you. Please speak to me.  Please reveal yourself to me.'"  And the Lord says in Jeremiah, "I will be found by you."  So say to the person, just ask God that, and then begin to read the Bible.  He will speak to your soul.  Try it!

Growing up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest gave my three brothers and me lots of opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.  One of the things I especially liked was fishing.  When I was younger, I thought all it took to be a good fisherman was getting to the river, at the right time, in the right season, and casting a line.  But, catching a fish is only the first step.As critical as catching a fish is being prepared to handle the fish afterward.  You need to know what you're going to do with the fish once it's caught.  Being unprepared to handle my catch didn't keep me from fishing, but it did make it much more difficult. The Bible says that Jesus will make us "fishers of men."  Just as it's important to "fish for men" it's also important to have a follow-up plan.  Get out there and "go fishing," for sure!  It's better to fish and be unprepared than not to fish at all.  But, even better yet is to pray and ask the Lord to show you how to disciple, come alongside, and encourage a new believer.  Today, let's get out there and be "fishers of men" but let's also be prepared to take care of and nurture our catch.

Somebody once asked me, "Do you think if Jesus were here He would be on television?"  Of course.  If Paul were here, would he have a press conference?  Definitely. He would do anything to get the attention of the city. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."  Through Paul's preaching, thousands committed their lives to Christ and the church in Corinth was established.  Why?  Because Paul actively proclaimed the Gospel using every available method. That's why my evangelistic team and I use radio and television, large festivals, and small group meetings to reach out with the Good News.  Any method is valid as long as it is ethical and moral.  So don't be afraid to try some new or different approach for reaching your friends and neighbors for Jesus Christ.  Just keep your message true to the Bible, and step out in faith!

What's the best method for evangelism?  You know, I've traveled around the world, proclaiming the Good News to thousands of people, but I still don't have an answer for that question.  Oh sure, there are techniques we can use and preparations we can do to make sure our message is reaching people who have never heard.  But, evangelism methods aren't sacred.  They are simply vehicles for proclaiming the Good News to the unsaved. In this age when millions don't believe in Jesus, we can't waste time arguing about which approach to evangelism is "best." It is through the power of the Holy Spirit and by God's grace--not our impressive techniques--that people are saved.  Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit' says the Lord Almighty." God does the work of evangelism through us, no matter what method we use.  Just use the style that fits your personality.  Then leave the results to God!

I heard a story about an old minister from the Church of Scotland who went to hear Billy Graham each evening during an evangelistic campaign.  Afterward, the minister told Billy, "Dr. Graham, I've heard you every night for six weeks, and you've preached the same sermon every time."  Except for the introductions and illustrations, this is still true of Dr. Graham's ministry.  His core message will never change because there is power in the unchanging Good News of Jesus Christ! But too often today the pure Good News is not being proclaimed.  Teaching about the family is good, but it's not the Good News. Calling for a return to values is important, but it's not the Good News.  We have to get back to the basics.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Let's take the time to share this simple, but powerful, message of truth.

There have been thousands of evangelists during the past few hundred years.  Just think of Moody, Wesley, Luther, Spurgeon, Corrie ten Boom, and Billy Graham, to name a few!  The question is: What made them great evangelists? I have found the answer to this question has little to do with their methods or techniques.  No, it wasn't their method, but their message--and their passion for souls-- that drew people to the Savior.  Now, you may not be an evangelist, but sharing the Gospel should be your mission as well.  The Bible tells us we are Christ's ambassadors and God has "committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5:19-20)  You can start by praying for just one person this week.  Ask God to give you the words and opportunity to share the pure Gospel message.  You'll be amazed by what God will do with your heart-felt prayers for the lost!  

There's a great song that came out several years ago with simple but powerful lyrics.  The chorus says, "He is the answer to the question, He is the cure for the infection, He is all He says He is.  He is the ultimate reflection of holiness and true perfection. He is all He says He is."  I love this song because it emphasizes that Jesus really is the answer! I've found it strange that Christians talk with condescension about the so-called Sunday School Answer.  People talk like it's absurd to answer something with the theological acumen of a child.  And yet, didn't Jesus tell us that we are supposed to have faith "like little children"? It seems the Sunday Schoolers have something to teach us. If the Sunday School Answer is Jesus, then the Sunday School answer is always, 100%, in every situation, the correct answer.  Jesus is the answer to every question. The only way.  The only peace.  The only hope. The only love.  The only joy. We tend to over-complicate things and get sidetracked on secondary issues- when Jesus is the only thing we need to be sharing.  Will you share THE answer with someone today? 

You know, of course, that the world is full of wandering lost teenage boys and girls.  Sometimes it's because of abuse in the home.  Sometimes because of rebellion.  Sometimes because of drugs or drinking.  Sometime because of sheer stupidity.  But, there they are, wandering and victims of abusers.  I have a little poem that I read once before, let me read you the last verse of this poem.  It says:  Go for my wandering boy tonight.  Go search for him where you will.  But, bring him to me with all his blight and tell him I love him still.  Oh where is my boy tonight?  Oh where is my boy tonight?  My heart overflows for I love him, he knows.  Oh where is my boy tonight?And, you know, when you think of downtown any city, wherever you live, it's full of wandering teenagers.  Poor guys and girls who, for whatever reason, are the victim of the violence of the streets.  Some go into drugs and destroy their lives.  But, basically, inside they long for success.  They long for happiness.  They long for victory.  They want to live but they're almost dead while still alive.Like Jesus, the good shepherd that goes looking for the lost sheep, you and I can go and look for them.  Do it.  You'll never regret it.

Would you let me ask you a very very deep question?  Are you a wandering boy or a wandering girl today?  Have you walked away from your family?  Have you walked away from your church, if I may put it that way?  Have you walked away from God?  Are you wandering in the world?  There is a poem that I hope I can finish because I usually cry when I read it.  You see, one of my four sons wandered away for 17 years and, finally, he came back to God and to the family.  This is the first verse of this poem:  Where is my wandering boy tonight?  The boy of my tenderest care.  The boy that was once my joy and light.  The child of my love and prayer.  Oh where is my boy tonight?  Oh where is my boy tonight?  My heart overflows for I love him, he knows.  Oh where is my boy tonight?  You know, that's the cry of a parent whose children have walked away from them or from God or from Jesus Christ.  If you're wandering away from God today, I beg you in the name of Jesus Christ, be reconciled to God.  Ask him to forgive you and come into your heart.  And then go home and ask forgiveness from your parents and begin to walk a new life.  You'll never regret it. 

Let me ask you a question... is evil a matter that science has to resolve or does it have a deeper root that only God can resolve?  I think scientists have every right, and even duty, to study the problem of evil.  It's been discussed since the beginning of creation.  But, on the other hand, evil is a spiritual issue and a moral issue.  Therefore, we have to listen to God.When people ask, "Why does God allow evil in the world?" you have to say "you cannot blame God for evil, you have to blame the person who commits the evil for evil."  It's all too easy to shove the responsibility on someone else, even our Creator, who is love, who is good, and who is perfect.  But evil is a fact we have to deal with, don't we?  Every one of us, in our hearts.  Sometimes we go to bed and think "What a cruel thing I said. What a wrong thought I allowed."  Evil can only be dealt with deeply by the Lord Jesus Christ and that's what we have to tell people when we're trying to reach our world.  You know, "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," says the prophet Jeremiah.  "Who can understand it?"  And, it's true.  "I, the Lord, know the heart."  God reveals what we're like.  That's why the reading of the Bible, especially the New Testament, is a key point in reaching your world.  Encourage people to read the New Testament. 

We were in Florida when the newspaper that morning told this story:  "As the freight train grew closer, 15-year-old Brittany and 16-year-old Shawn stepped onto the track, kissed each other in a tight embrace.  The conductor tried to stop the train but it was too late."Why would these two teenagers, 15 and 16, take their lives?  They had lost hope.  They're parents opposed their going out together.  And, consequently, the only way to prove that they really loved each other, they said, "we are like Romeo and Juliet and if we cannot live together they we are going to die together" and they took their lives.  My dear friends, do you know that there are thousands of teenagers in America who take their life every year?  Why?  Because they are hopeless.  They need friends who will tell them that there is hope.  They feel there is no way out.  In this case, because their parents opposed them.  But, there is always a way out.  The way out is no one less than Jesus Christ.  Remember what he said in the famous John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." So, you gotta' tell teenagers if they talk about suicide "There is a way.  There is a way out.  There is a beautiful way and it's the way of Jesus."  So, show them how to receive Jesus and walk with Him.  Help teenagers who are in despair.  They are looking for help.

The other day I spent several hours talking to an acquaintance of mine.   For him, the conversation only focused on the hurt that the church had caused him years and years ago.  He couldn't get over that.  I tried to encourage him not to focus on imperfect people, but to focus on the perfect Savior who would never hurt him - Jesus Christ. Hurt is legitimate and real and something that needs to be worked through.  And as followers of Jesus, we should be aware that the way we treat others can and actually does hinder people coming to faith. The words of Jesus in John 14:6 are so important- Jesus says, "I am the way the truth and the life, nobody comes to the father except through me."  When sharing our faith, we must center every conversation on Jesus - not ministry, or church, or missions, or anything else.  Jesus and Jesus alone.  When you come across people who have a roadblock to coming to the Lord, keep bringing it back to Jesus and what He says and what He has done for them and is doing. Jesus is everything and will never disappoint.  Share Him with the people you love.

Many people rightly feel awkward when they want to start to reach their world, giving them the Good News of Jesus Christ.  This is understandable.  It happened to me.  You may not think so, but it's true!  When I was a teenager I wanted to reach my world down in South America.  It was very hard but the first step that I took, the elders of my church were wise enough to say "start working with the children."  So, they gave me a class of about 8 or 10 boys in Sunday school.  I took it gladly.  I was about 18 and a half.  I'd just been baptized.  And, it was a fabulous experience.The first boy that I led to Jesus died only a few weeks later.  He was run over by a street car.  I thought, "Wow, if I hadn't led him to Christ what would have happened to this boy?"  I think his name was Marcos.  You know, Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me because such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Don't stand in their way.  Woe to the man who causes a little child to stumble.  Little children are so open.  They believe the Word of God.  When they hear the truth the Holy Spirit resonates in their hearts.  When a child is converted, their whole life will be directed better than if you're converted at age 47 or 50 or 56.So, reach the little children because Jesus loves the little children.

I've told you about my British friend, David Pickford who died just recently.  What a brilliant man he was.  How he loved young people - teenagers, children.  He worked in the Boys Brigade, a British organization, but he also worked with some of the highest people in the realm.  One of the princesses of the royal family and her husband came to know Jesus Christ because he was unashamed of Jesus.Jesus said, "If anyone is ashamed of me, in this sinful and adulterous generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes into glory with the holy angels."  David was never ashamed of Jesus Christ.  He was a terrifically brilliant man - successful, very wealthy, gave away tons of money for the kingdom of God.  He spoke so lovingly, so humbly, so cheerfully, so kindly to people that people from the top levels of the government and business to the humblest and poorest in London loved David Pickford.Are you that kind of person?  Am I that kind of person?  I always ask myself... do I love the children like Jesus loves the children?  David Pickford was an example to me of a wealthy successful man who loved the children of the world.