Posts

An Eternal Difference

/0 Comments/in /by

I met Miguel a few years ago. He asked me a very interesting question. “Luis,” he said, “What would happen if I chose one religion instead of another? Is it really going to make that much of a difference?”

“Oh yes,” I replied. “There is a big difference – an eternal difference. Jesus Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.”

I told Miguel that Jesus is the only way to know God personally, have your sins forgiven, and experience eternal life.

I also explained to Miguel that beyond the eternal ramifications, living without God through Jesus Christ makes for a very confusing life. Youre on your own. You have no sense of guidance, or purpose. One of the great things that Jesus Christ does, is He answers the questions, “Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I alive?”

Do you know someone like Miguel, who is questioning the relevancy of Christianity? You and I must tell these seekers that what they choose to believe will have eternal consequences. Challenge them to read the Bible, with an open mind.

In the book of Jeremiah, God promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” If your friend is truly searching for the Lord, He will be found.

Staring at Death

/0 Comments/in /by

Michael was HIV positive when I met him. He told me he was “looking for some guidance,” as he put it. He was 31 years old, and the AIDS virus was really ravaging his body. Michael didnt have much time left to live, and he was in deep despair. “Where do I go from here?” he asked me.

I was so glad that I had the opportunity to talk with Michael. After I shared the Good News Gospel with him, I sensed that he was truly repentant of his lifestyle, and ready to make a decision for Jesus Christ. “Michael,” I said, “Have you ever surrendered your life to the Lord?” “No,” he replied. “But Id like to. Id like to come to peace.” I was so thrilled that Michael was ready to know God! We prayed together and Michael opened his heart to receive Jesus Christ. He was so relieved to be free from the fear of death, and could look forward to Heaven.

Jesus Christ said in John chapter 10, “I give you eternal life. You will never perish, and no one can snatch you out of my hands.” Often, people become open to the Lord in difficult times. Thats why we need to be ready to lovingly share the message of salvation with them. The Good News is that the Lord loves unconditionally. He longs to forgive, and give them eternal life.

An Eternal Impact

/0 Comments/in /by

Raul Vargas pastors a church in Costa Rica that has more than 10,000 people in attendance each Sunday. His entire extended family also knows Jesus Christ – all 70 of them! But Rauls life wasnt always this way. When he was a child, his home was filled with poverty and pain. Raul says his parents fought continuously, and gave little attention to him and his siblings.

Then one day, when he was 21, Raul saw an advertisement for a festival my team and I were having in Costa Rica. Something in his heart told him he had to be there. So Raul came, and when he heard the Gospel message, he realized that what was missing from his life was a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today, 33 years later, Raul pastors the largest church in Costa Rica. He has reached tens of thousands with the Good News! Isnt it exciting to see how one life changed can impact so many more? Thats why evangelism is sustainable! The long-term spiritual impact goes much further than the one person you and I may reach.

So, share your faith today. You never know how many future pastors, missionaries, and evangelists are one step away from conversion!

From Death to Life

/0 Comments/in /by

Steve McQueen was a famous movie star in the 50s. He was also a crazy guy, a womanizer, a wild man in Hollywood. One day, years ago, Billy Graham told me that Steve McQueen called him up. He said, Mr. Graham, Im dying of cancer and I dont know God. Please come and talk with me. So Billy went to see him.

When Mr. Graham arrived, he said that Steve was just skin and bones. Steve told Billy, Ive had three wives and Ive fooled around with many women. Ive been unfaithful. Ive been a drunk. Can God forgive me?

Billy Graham explained Romans 10:9 to him: If you believe in your heart, and confess Jesus Christ with your lips, He comes into your life. Hell forgive you and give you eternal life. Then Mr. Graham led Steve in a prayer to open his heart to Jesus Christ. A few days later, Steve died.

What an impact his story must have had on the entertainment world! Im sure Steve McQueen is the last person many people imagined would convert to Christianity. But God is able to do “immeasurably more than anything we can ask or imagine.”

So dont give up on the person in your life who seems the furthest from the Lord. God can touch anyones heart, and He wants to use you and me in the process! Let God use you to win a soul for Him.

You Might Fail, but Jesus Never Will

/0 Comments/in /by

You know, trying to reach your world isnt always easy, is it? I mean even Ive been at it for over 50 years and sometimes I feel very nervous.

For instance, someone might say to you, “Im afraid that Im going to fail the Lord and therefore I cannot surrender to Him. I dont want to be a hypocrite and I dont want to fail God. Therefore, I will not surrender to Christ.” How do you answer that?

Well, I like the phrase from an old hymn, “Jesus never fails.” And in I Thessalonians 5 it says, “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faith and He will do it.”

What you need to say to a person when they say they are afraid they wont hang on and theyll stumble and fail and dishonor God is, “Yes, thats the way Ive always felt, but I dont rely on myself, it is God who is faithful and He is the one who will do it. I simply will receive Him into my heart, I will walk with Him, and He will come into my life and He will keep me faithful as I follow Him according to the Word of God.

Jesus Never Fails. Dont forget to share that with someone you are trying to lead to Christ.