Just a few days ago I was reminiscing about a missions trip that Lianne and I went on to Bulgaria in the summer of 1996. It was an incredible adventure, but the thing that stands out the most in my mind isn’t the hundreds of people who were ministered to, or the orphanage we visited, or the healing services. No, the thing I remember most is a young man named Anton who simply said “No” when asked if he wanted to be saved.
That may seem like an odd thing to remember about a missions trip, after all, the goal is to get people to say “Yes”. For me, however, it was a profound moment in time. The missions trip leader, James Lee, was your typical on-fire evangelist. His goal was to zoom in, get people all riled up, and get them saved. This particular ministry time took place in a large gathering room in a local believer’s house. Our team of young christians was spending time in prayer and we ended up praying for each other. There were a few local guys hanging around, one of whom was Anton. He was having a conversation/debate with one of the other group leaders about christianity. They called over James and he gave Anton a real simple salvation message. He then asked Anton if he wanted to accept Jesus as his savior. I remember Anton bobbing his head slightly and saying “No”. Undeterred, James asked Anton to repeat after him as he started the sinner’s prayer. Anton still refused to be manipulated into becoming a christian. James ended up praying for him and moving on. My brother and I went up to Anton and told him that we respected his decision. I think his conviction and strength had an impact on both of us, and now, more than then, I understand why.
There was a profound Truth at work in that room. Anton had exercised his free will. He wasn’t going to make a committment to something that he didn’t really believe. He was willing to stand up to what everyone around him was telling him and come to his own conclusion about the Truth, regardless of the risks or the circumstances. So many christians are unwilling to do this. Today’s mainstream christians either blindly accept what is told to them and live their lives selfishly supporting wars and corruption, or they are apathetic to the Truth and live their lives in a perpetual state of ignorance. I’d rather have a little bit of Anton in me, an understanding that I should believe what I commit my heart and mind to. I want to seek the Truth, without preconceptions about what that Truth is, and then follow that road wherever it takes me.