Developing a heart of compassion for those around us begins with prayer, but we should also study what the Bible says about winning people to Christ. The Bible says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). Let’s look at this verse further. First of all, if we are righteous, if we are walking with God in the light of His presence, then we’re a tree of life. The fruit we bear demonstrates to others the message of eternal life. God cultivates His love in us; our job is to live righteously and trust that God will bring forth fruit.

Second, God says “And he (or she) who wins souls is wise.” God created humans, breathed into them, and they became living souls. We are living souls. Our bodies may fall apart and our minds may become less sharp, but our souls live forever. That is why the Bible says those who focus on the soul are wise. To be part of winning a soul for Christ? To introduce a weary, thirsty soul to the Living Water? What an honor and joy that is!

A godly life is both fruitful and wise, and it invites others into the same lifestyle. Can you imagine how the world will change as more and more people become trees of life to those around them? As they become winners of souls? The world will become a more joyful, fruitful, wise place. What a joy to participate in this important, life-changing work!

This is LP.

How do we cultivate a heart of compassion for those who do not know Christ? Well, we should always start with prayer. First, we should pray that God grows His heart of compassion in us. The more we are renewed by Christ, the more His love will flow out of us. Second, we should pray for those involved in ministry and missions around the world. As Matthew says, “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Third, we should also pray for those you know who have yet to trust Jesus as their Savior. Make a list of those around you who need to know Christ – family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and anyone else. Get on your knees and pray regularly for each person by name. Be persistent in your prayers. And think long-term. To God, no amount of time is too long to pray for someone. My wife and I knew an elderly woman who prayed for 68 years for her brother’s salvation. When he was 80 years old, shortly before he died, he finally received Jesus Christ. What joy that woman had in knowing her long wait and faithful prayer were rewarded.

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools a Christ-follower has. It connects us to Christ and keeps us centered on God’s will. Prayer prepares us to reach our world for Christ.                 

This is Luis Palau.

Sometimes people come to me and say, “Luis, I’m not a natural evangelist. I can’t bring others to Christ like you.” And I respond: "You don’t need to copy me. All you need is a genuine concern for the lives and hearts of those around you." The problem is that genuine concern for others doesn’t come naturally. Anyone who knows small children can speak to that. Many kids’ favorite word is “Mine!” Humans are naturally selfish, happy as long as we have our own little goodies.

Also, genuine concern for others can’t be taught. We can take as many training courses as our churches offer, but all that information can just go into our minds – and stay there. Without a love for those around us, the information will never affect our hearts and motivate us to action. We need the Holy Spirit to overflow in our lives. Then, we will see people in need of God’s love and naturally share the Good News of Jesus with them.

Jesus told His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” That’s exactly what happened to the disciples– and that will happen with you and me. As we get closer to Jesus, we’ll get closer to His heart and passion for the lost. Timid no longer, we’ll become bold and joyful witnesses to the work of Christ, reaching our world in the process.          

This is Luis Palau.

Not too long ago I met with a group of men. We regularly gather to discuss life and struggles and victories. During our conversation, I could sense that Sam felt unnerved and uncomfortable. We had discussed pornography for a few moments but then moved on to other topics. But I sensed that Sam was disappointed we had moved on so quickly. Though it’s a hard topic, and not a fun one to discuss, I think Sam recognized an opportunity to come clean. Something was weighing on him. Yet, the rest of us guys didn’t address it. We let the conversation progress and eventually went our separate ways.

As I drove home I wondered about Sam. I wondered about our discussion. Why don’t we talk about the things that really haunt us? Why do we encourage one another to keep sin in the closet by not bringing things out in the open? We keep darkness in our lives behind closed doors. It convicted me. The Bible tells us to walk in the light as Jesus is in the light. And yet we often keep things hidden in shadowy corners.

If we want to truly reach our world, we can’t have things hiding in the shadows. We need to bring light to all areas of our lives. Let’s make a resolution to not fail one another by allowing sin to lurk. 

This is Andrew Palau.

One of my very first experiences of public speaking was at a street meeting. Those types of meetings can fizzle fast if they’re not kept lively. I was nervous and had prepared for days. I was worried I would not be able to keep the crowd’s attention. A close friend and I really started enjoying these meetings, however. Although we saw few conversions, I began to learn the basics of evangelism. We ran into everything: laughter, scorn, questions that required quick answers, questions that required diplomacy, you name it. One thing our church elders burned into our minds was that we had the truth. Let people argue and heckle all they want. Truth is truth.

We stood on the truth just like Jesus. Jesus Himself was questioned frequently. In Matthew 19 it says, “Some Pharisees came to him to test him.” The religious leaders wanted to trick Him but Jesus knew the word of God better than they. He was able to see through their trickery. He answered them not only from the word of God but also with the living revelation He got from His Father.

As we follow Christ’s footsteps and share the Good News, let’s be prepared to answer questions. Let’s have answers ready for the questions people will ask. But more importantly let’s be guided by the Holy Spirit as we answer their questions patiently and lovingly.

This is Luis Palau.

I heard of a small group that would practice leading each other to Christ. Everyone in the group was well along in their walks with Christ. But they recognized the difficulty in starting a conversation with people, especially strangers. So they decided to practice on themselves. Someone in the group would be the person sharing Christ and another would listen and ask questions. They would practice starting conversations and leading people through a prayer of salvation. This exercise helped the group feel better prepared to go out and share.

Jesus modeled evangelism to His disciples and then sent them out. He knew how to lead conversations. I remember the story of Zacchaeus climbing a tree to see Jesus when He visited. Jesus looked up and called Zacchaeus out, telling him He would be going to his house that day.

If Jesus can start a conversation with a strange man in a tree I think we can start them with the people in our world. Practice what you might say in a conversation about Christ and be prepared to lead someone into a relationship with the Lord Jesus. If you need more help, let us know.  We’ll send you basic, simple, biblical material to do it.

This is Luis Palau.

When I first started evangelizing through television, it was exhausting and invigorating. Answering callers' questions live over television required the ability to think biblically under pressure. Thankfully the Lord graciously gave me the gift to think fast on my feet. But this also required me to rapidly recall scriptures. I always enjoyed studying the Bible, but now I was forced to go at it with a vengeance. I had to store up God’s revealed answers in the Bible for the many problems represented by callers from all walks of life.

Leading people into a relationship with Jesus Christ requires knowledge of scripture whether you are on television or not. Jesus says, “I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” As Jesus shared words from His Father, so we too need to share scripture from our heavenly Father.

We can prepare to reach people in our world by studying and memorizing the scriptures that answer their questions. A great way to start is by studying the book of John. Knowing many passages in the word of God by heart gives us a tool – God’s tool - to use as we share the good news. Jesus shared God’s words when reaching those in His world; let’s do the same in ours.

This is Luis Palau.

The Lord placed a desire in my heart when I was young to reach the masses with the Good News and I deeply dreamt of it. The Lord’s heart pulsed through my veins for all the people I wanted to reach during my first campaign. I knew it was on His heart and thus it was also on mine. Christ’s passion to see people come to know Him was being developed through me and it was so exciting.

We need to listen and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in reaching our world.  The Bible says, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways…” This Psalm of David – number 51 - is a perfect example of asking for God’s heart in reaching those in our world.

If we have not developed a heart to see others come to know Christ but would like to have this passion, let’s ask Christ for it. Let’s pray that Christ gives us a clear vision of the person we should share our faith with. And then pray that we will have the courage and desire to lead them to Jesus Christ.

This is Luis Palau.

Most Christians don’t spend a lot of time in temples. Most of us worship Christ in buildings called churches, though some of us worship in cathedrals, living rooms, old movie theatres, or even taverns. Christians believe we can worship Christ anywhere. Wherever two or more Christians are gathered, Christ is also there; we don’t need anything fancy.

In Jesus’ time that was not the case. The temple was the place where God resided. Very few people could enter into the holy places. But when Jesus came and died, everything changed. The Holy Spirit came upon those who believed in Christ. This meant the temple’s purpose changed. No longer did we have to go to the temple to meet God; instead, God was with us. Among us.

In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” We are not our own, for we were bought with a price. So, we should glorify God in our bodies. We don’t need to go to a specific building to meet God; the Holy Spirit is within us. That means our bodies belong to Christ. We need to respect our bodies, treating them as we would a temple in which God dwells. We need to recognize that what our bodies can do is a gift from God that we can use to honor Him. Our bodies are moving temples that spread the good news of God wherever we go. What a privilege! 

This is Andrew Palau.

We sometimes forget that first-century Christians lived in a culture of terrible social evils. Among other horrific things, the Roman Empire practiced infanticide. In that setting, the apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, chose their focus. They did not insult the Roman authorities. They did not try to overturn Roman laws and customs. They did not self-righteously point a finger at the worst of the worst.

Instead, John, Peter, Paul and the other apostles chose to live and proclaim the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ. Until we make this focus our own again, we risk losing our nation. We’re losing because too many among us have shelved the basic Gospel message in favor of angry denunciation, disassociated from a redemptive core message. We are at risk of suggesting that certain party politics, rather than Christian conversions, will turn America around. Some have allowed their bitterness to smother their evangelistic zeal. Remember, we are the Good News team, not the bad news guys.

Let’s never forget what it means to live by biblical principles based on the Lord’s greatest commandment. In a word, let us return to loving God and loving our neighbors.

This is Luis Palau.