Over the years I have learned that some of the people I would have thought would be the most closed-minded to the Gospel, often are the most receptive. I saw this over and over again in the old Soviet Union.

A Baptist pastor brought an acquaintance to one of our meetings in Moscow. The friend, head of an academic department at the university and a leading scientist, listened as I preached the Good News Gospel. Then, to the pastor’s surprise, this scientist prayed out loud to receive Jesus Christ as his Savior. And then, with tears, he came forward in front of everybody to confess Christ publicly.

The Russian pastor was astonished at his friend’s response to the Gospel. He was equally surprised by the phone call he received at 7:15 the next morning. “I would like to express my gratitude to you,” the scientist said. “You invited me to meet the Lord Jesus Christ. I didn’t sleep the whole night. I just prayed. I asked God whether He would pardon me.”

So the pastor asked, “Well, do you think God pardoned you?”  And his friend replied, “Yes, I’m absolutely sure that God accepts me as His prodigal son.”

Later the pastor told me, “I never thought a scientist in atheistic Russia would accept the Lord Jesus as Savior. But now I’ve seen it with my own eyes. What a great experience!” What a great experience, indeed!   

This is Luis Palau.