Reaching Your World with Luis Palau

When I’m at a barbeque and spot a bag of original Lay’s, I’m known to walk over, grab a couple, and remark, “I love potato chips!” When I’m at that same barbeque and spot my daughter, Sadie Anne, I’m known to run over, give her a hug, look straight into her eyes, and say, “I love you, Sadie Anne!” Like a potato chip? Of course not! The word “love” has an extremely wide spectrum of meanings. What is “love” according to the Bible? First, love is the greatest virtue [1 Cor. 12:31-13:13]....

Think about the friends that you spend the most time with. Now, how many of those people do not follow Jesus? Do you have any friends who are not Christ-followers? It is important to have close friends who share our faith. The Bible warns us against being “unequally yoked.” Christian friends can encourage us, challenge us, support us, and point us toward Jesus. But it is easy to get stuck in our own Christian bubbles, surrounding ourselves only with people who think and believe the same as...

American adults spend about one-third of their lives at work. That’s a lot of time! Our workplaces are part of the daily work of evangelism, where we display how God has changed our lives. We can have a good work ethic, treat others well, and engage with others honestly. We can also show everyone we work with what it looks like to “work for the Lord, not for men.” Also, because we spend so much time at work, we often get to know our co-workers well. I’ve developed great friendships with the...

One of my favorite things is being at home with my family around me: the grandkids hanging out, my children laughing and talking, lots of food. I am so grateful for a family that loves each other and loves the Lord. Growing a godly family can be difficult, though, and part of the daily work of evangelism is filling your home with the word of God. The outside world is often loud and scary, filled with broken and sad people. Our homes need to be filled with God’s joy and be secure in God’s...

When Jesus gave the Great Commission to His followers, He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Often, we focus on the “of all nations” part, and that part is really important. We do need to spread the Good News Gospel to the entire earth. But you know who else needs to know the Gospel? The person right next to you. Your co-worker, your...

Did you know that the Christmas promise—the promise of a coming Messiah—was first made thousands of years before Jesus Christ’s birth? If we miss this, we risk missing the whole point of Christmas. Christmas is about an incredible promise God made to Adam and Eve that took thousands of years to be fulfilled. It’s about that promise...and then waiting a very long time. Don’t get me wrong. At the right time, Jesus Christ was born. The Lord added scores of prophecies to His original one,...

Where is the Christ Child in your Christmas? If you’re not sure, please know that this can be the most wonderful holiday you have ever known. If you receive the greatest gift of God—Jesus Christ—this Christmas will have true meaning for you forever. You will have peace with God and peace in your heart, a peace unlike any the world can offer. The best way I know to put Christ back in your Christmas is to simply confess your sins to God, by faith trust that Jesus Christ’s death has paid for...

Did you know there are actually two Christmases? One is the Christmas of commercialism and overeating, overdrinking, and overspending. The other Christmas is one of love, joy, peace, and adoration of the One whose birthday we celebrate. The real Christmas is a vivid demonstration of God’s love. In 1 John 4:9-10, the Bible says: "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that...

With Christmas in the air, I wonder: Where is the Child whose birthday we celebrate? During the first Christmas, angels visited shepherds with their flocks at night. At their command, the shepherds hurried back to Bethlehem to see the newborn babe, the Christ child, “the Savior of the world.” [Luke 2:8-20] Today, if your friends and neighbors want to see Jesus, where would they find Him? Thankfully, there are a number of good answers. You can invite them over to your festively-decorated...

The Christmas season is wonderful. Whoever invented it deserves a crown in heaven! Some people argue Christmas is pagan, that we’re celebrating a holiday to some sun god or tree. I disagree. We’re celebrating the birth of the Son of God, no matter what others may have celebrated in ages past. I’m so glad for the opportunity Christmas gives us to speak openly about Jesus Christ and His purpose in coming to earth. Even those who have no love for Jesus Christ, who are enemies of the cross, are...

Every Christmas, my kids rush to unpack all the decorations. And while their primary focus is decorating the tree, I carefully unwrap the Nativity scene and put it in its spot right on the mantel. Did you know that you have a nativity too? Nativity simply means the time and place of one’s birth and as a Christian, you have both a place where you were born physically and a place where you were reborn into the family of God. In John chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus “Truly, truly, I say to you,...

How many of you parents have said to your kids, “Christmas isn’t about receiving, it’s about giving?” It can be hard, though, when everything on TV and the internet says, ask for more, more, more! Even adults get into this mindset. Christmas is all about us. We want to have the perfect storybook Christmas, where we make all of the cookies we love and do all of the events we want to do. Christmas becomes about us doing what we want, instead of remembering that Christ has always asked us to...

Christmas often means inviting people to your home, whether its family, neighbors, or co-workers. We often work hard to create the perfect holiday, making sure everyone is comfortable and welcome. But sometimes, sharing the true meaning of Christmas requires going outside of our comfy, warm houses and meeting people where they are. Sometimes we have to go to them. It can be so easy to sit in our own little bubble, assuming we are doing Christmas in the right way because we are showing people...

Where I live in Oregon doesn’t get much snow at Christmas time. It’s often grey and rainy. But I love looking at those beautiful images on Christmas cards, pictures of cozy houses with thatched roofs nestled in banks of white snow. The reason they look so inviting is that every window is bursting with light! You can just tell that the inside is warm and bright, even while the outside is cold and dark. The home just can’t contain its welcome. It shines out! Christmas is so much about...

I am always at home over Christmas, celebrating at the Palau Association Christmas party, attending events at my church, and enjoying my family. But it’s amazing how quickly “staying home for the holidays” can turn into “I’m never home during the holidays.” Christmas parties and church events start to multiply, as do Christmas programs, concerts, and open houses. Add to those wonderful things the baking, shopping, and planning holidays always seem to require, and “the most wonderful time of...

Have you ever thought about the fact that all good things, including Christmas, are mostly about waiting? The story of Christmas actually goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. The day Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God didn’t panic. Heaven didn’t go on red alert. God had seen this coming long before creation. The Lord found Adam and Eve, sacrificed a pair of animals to clothe them, and spoke of a coming Messiah who would bring...

Have you ever considered what life might be like if there was no Christmas? I mean, if Jesus had never been born? To start with, you and I would be responsible for paying for our own sins. Can you imagine that? Every time we mess up, we would be held liable. Every single time! Every bad thought we had, every action—big or small. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death”. I can’t even imagine living with that kind of pressure. Thankfully, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be...

So many people are surviving, but not really living. Christmas movies and TV shows depict the holidays as being about presents and Santa Claus. But the holiday is so much bigger than any of that. Jesus didn’t come to fill your empty stocking, He came to fill your empty life. And mine, too! Jesus came because He has a purpose and plan for each of us. He wants to give us life that is abundant, and filled with grace and love. Jesus wants to bring you joy and peace regardless of your...

A man once said to me, “Luis, how can I possibly be joyful at Christmas? I was unfaithful to my wife, and she left me years ago. Now, I’m alone, and filled with regret.” I told him that Jesus, our Savior, came to save us from our past sins. Even the worst of our sins. And this is all the reason we need to celebrate Him at Christmas. You know, so many people suffer with intense guilt over the bad things they may have done in the past. The enemy, Satan, likes to beat us down with shame and...

A few years ago, Think Finance, a provider of payday loans, did a survey of 1,000 Americans and found that 45% of them would prefer to skip Christmas. These folks were sick of spending too much money on gifts. And you know, I know a lot of people who feel stressed out at Christmastime. Whether it’s related to finances, traveling, or difficult family matters, studies show that rates of anxiety increase around the holiday season. But as you’re listening today, I have news for you. It doesn’t...