Luis Palau
February 2, 1999
7:15 pm
Message Summary
Luis Palau has long been an admirer of missionaries, including the likes of D.L. Moody, because of their passion for souls. He stated that God calls all of us to glorify Him in our hearts, and "everyone of us can be used by God... the Lord wants to give us all a passion for souls, and the Lord wants to give us all [their] souls." He stressed the importance of Luke 19:10, that God wants all to be saved, to come to know the truth.
Palau stressed three points vital for a Christian who wants a passion for the lost. First, you must find the present state and the future destiny of those without Christ. Next, you must believe what the Word of God says about the present state and future destiny of those without Christ, and finally, if in your soul, you long for the fire to burn again, you have to pray with the intention of obedience and recommitment to Christ. He gave the example of a rich businessman who truly saw the power of God move mountains.
He continued telling how the past one hundred years has been a "century of bloodshed and violence," but "in spite of all of this God still wants people to come to know the truth." Across the globe, there are believers spreading the word. In fact, the "gospel is in every nation because people with a passion insisted on going [and bringing the gospel]." He called the men and women that love souls "inspirational" and said when these people let God into their lives, He revolutionized it. Palau said, "when you have a passion for souls you are never bored, you may be tired, but you are never bored, when you have a passion for souls you forget your aches and pains because people have it far worse than you have it... when you have a passion for souls... there is an inexplicable joy in your heart."
Student Response
Palau spoke with a candor and humor that truly warms the audience to his passion for lost souls. It is difficult not to listen to his cries for a revolution of desire and not be impacted for missions, whether local or global. Palau concluded that a South American missionary's gravestone reads "when he came there was no light, when he left there was no darkness." It should truly be our mission to bring light to the darkness as Palau persuaded.
—Sarah E. Moore, Freshman, Communications major