I remember a letter I received years ago from a man named Jim. He wrote, “A few years ago, I was diagnosed as having melanoma cancer and had it removed. A year later, the cancer returned and again, surgery was required. Then recently, another malignancy was found.” Jim admitted that until his battle with cancer, he was a self-reliant man. But faced with his own mortality, Jim said, “I realized that help was needed, but I wasn’t sure where to go.”

Fortunately, Jim had a Christian friend who had walked with him through all of those uncertain times with his cancer. This friend invited Jim to hear me speak at a festival my team was putting on in his city. Jim and his wife both came, and both of them accepted the invitation to commit their lives to Jesus Christ.

Jim’s journey to Christ began because a relationship had been established between him and his Christian friend. So when his friend invited Jim to an evangelistic outreach, Jim agreed, and now his life is forever changed. The point is, it’s through relationships that most people hear about and respond to the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you establish authentic friendships with non-Christians, they will be much more likely to respond to the call of Jesus Christ.                 

This is Luis Palau.