Ideas

Hiding What They Seek

Columnist

In my desire to be ‘seeker-friendly,’ I’m often guilty of concealing Jesus.

A friend was involved for years in a weekly service intended to reach out to inner-city kids, the majority of whom had little church experience and no acknowledged relationship with Jesus.

If it had been up to me, I would have made those events “seeker-friendly.” I’d have focused on building relationships, avoiding anything too religious or high pressure. But my friend went a different way. Every week, he led worship, one song after another, always unabashedly about—or to—Jesus.

I’m sure some of the kids walked away and never looked back. But hundreds stayed. Many made decisions to follow Christ.

Some ministry leaders were concerned that teens who didn’t know Jesus were being asked to participate in worship. My friend would reply, “How else are they supposed to get to know him?”

It’s a good question. People come to the Christian faith via many different highways, but the eventual crossroad is always an encounter with Jesus. I wonder if my attempts to keep my witness nonthreatening and accessible sometimes end up shielding the unchurched people around me from their own crossroad. Jesus can certainly meet them without my assistance. But I would rather be a help than a hindrance.

I was definitely a hindrance in Mexico. My husband, Mark, is a public high school counselor. A few years ago, a group of 11th graders asked him to coordinate a humanitarian trip. He contacted one of our favorite Christian organizations, and they agreed to facilitate an excursion to Mexico to build a playground in an impoverished area. Mark was careful to explain that the students participating were unchurched; should there be even a whiff of proselytizing, parents—and the school board—would feel betrayed.

There were 24 students and 4 teachers; my kids and I tagged along. Upon arrival, we discovered that the arranged accommodations at a local Rotary Club house had fallen through. Instead, we would be sleeping on the cement floor of a church basement in downtown Juârez, one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico. Mark could already imagine the parent phone calls he’d receive when word trickled home. Weary from a long day of travel, we set up sleeping bags and tried to ignore the exposed wiring, hole-ridden walls, and scurry of cockroaches.

In the morning, we drove to the site of our project. Jaws dropped and eyes welled as we observed the abject poverty around us. But we also experienced the sweet rush of doing something worthwhile. At the end of the day, we returned to our cement floor feeling good.

All was well until the nausea hit. Sometime around 3 A.M., the first wave of students became ill; by morning, there were clusters of miserable people draped on every available garbage can. Mark held his head and imagined a new wave of parent phone calls. Mostly he threw up.

Around 9 A.M., the two local women who were preparing our food arrived on the scene and surveyed the carnage. Despite the language barrier, their distress and concern were unmistakable. They had followed all the guidelines for cooking for foreigners, and we were still sick. Eventually, one of the women approached the only teacher who could speak Spanish and asked for permission to pray for us. Too ill to object, the teacher nodded yes.

As soon as the woman began to pray, I knew we were in trouble. I thought, Maybe everyone is so ill they won’t mind the praying. But my hopes for a low-impact prayer faded quickly as the woman became increasingly emotional. She prayed for five minutes. Ten. Maybe more.

Gracias Padre, Gracias Jesús, Gracias Espíritu Santo, she wept, over and over. I began a prayer of my own. Please make her stop. I don’t want Mark to get fired. I don’t want these kids to be put off of religion.

When she was finally done, I took a deep breath and forced myself to raise my flushed face, dreading the reactions I knew were inevitable.

Things were not as I expected.

There was not a dry eye in the room. Students were hushed, visibly moved. “That was beautiful,” whispered one teacher. Several people nodded. To them, the prayer had been not unwelcome proselytizing, but a heart cry—passionate, desperate, and utterly authentic.

I was ashamed, of course, and humbled. The Holy Spirit had been moving, and I, one of the few mature believers in the room, had missed it.

I wish I had prayed different prayers in Mexico. These days, in increasing measure, I do. When faced with potential encounters with the living God, even among the uninitiated, I am learning to pray Yes and Thank you rather than Stop. After all, how else are any of us supposed to get to know him?

Copyright © 2009 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Other articles on spirituality and prayer are available on our site.

There Goes the Neighborhood | Do I have to love my neighbor if he breaks the law? (January 21, 2009)

Our Shalom Vocation | Peacemaking is more than not making waves. (November 10, 2008)

Theology in Aisle 7 | Trying to organize a God who transcends. (September 22, 2008)

Here’s to All the Losers | Why defeat at the hands of God is magnificent. (July 16, 2008)

The Grace of Wrath | Is there any story about God that isn’t a love story? (May 12, 2008)

Carbonated Holiness | Laughter is serious business. (April 1, 2008)

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

The Depression Epidemic

Cartoon

Cartoon of the Month

Editorial

Year of the Study Bible

Books Uncommon and Offbeat

Review

Looking Evil in the Face

Review

Hints of the Trinity

News

Making the Local Church a Hero

My Top 5 Resources for Lent

Standing with the Desolate

News

Devilish and Divine

Review

Knowing Your Place

The Other Side of Church Growth

News

IrishWatch

Staring into the Abyss

The Great Passing On

Editorial

Reducing Abortion for Real

News

Long Live the Law

News

The Radical Conservative

News

Praying for 'Our Daily Bread'

Connecting to Hope

When You're Depressed

My Life with Antidepressants

Light When All Is Dark

News

A Dream That Won't Die

News

Go Figure

News

News Briefs: March 01, 2009

Readers Write

News

You've Got Jail

News

Passages

News

Conscience Clashes

News

Quieter Killings

News

Saving Souls for Less

News

Capital Closures in Myanmar

News

Quotation Marks

News

God in Gaza

View issue

Our Latest

News

Gaza War Strains Bible Scholarsโ€™ Model of Christian Conversation

How Hamasโ€™ October 7 terror attack and Israelโ€™s response exhausted a group of evangelical Bible professors pursuing unity on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Being Human

The Four Spaces of Anxiety with Lisa Cuss

Learning to identify reactivity in ourselves and others.

News

Gordon Students Count Cells, Hoping to Unlock Cancer Mysteries

Cutting-edge microscopy research could explain why some get sick while others donโ€™t.

News

Chinese Christians Push to Adopt Children with Disabilities

After China banned international adoptions, some believers want the Chinese church to step up.

News

Global Methodist Bishops to Dance

The new denomination tussles over its authority structureโ€”but also finds surprising points of unity.ย 

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube