This is a long blog entry, but I think it is the most important one I have ever written. Please take the time to read it and join us in prayer. We need your help.
I want to share something with you today that I consider our greatest challenge in our ministry here in Guatemala. But before I do, I want to make it clear that I am not trying to generalize any group of people or any faith. I have met many wonderful people of deep and person faith from both the evangelical and catholic communities, so I don’t want to paint with too broad of a brush. However, I do want to let you know about our over-arching experiences to help you understand our need for prayer.
Our greatest challenge (perhaps I should call it an adversary) is religion. You see, almost everyone here believes in Jesus. His name is everywhere, including on tuk tuks, chicken buses, and tiendas. According to Operation World, over 96% of the country considers itself Christian. The prevalent influence here is Catholicism (representing about 75% of the Christian community), and most towns and villages are built around the local Catholic church. And nowhere is that more true than in the Mayan communities, which is the case for our town, San Antonio Aguas Calientes. However, even when you are not in Mayan areas the influence of the Vatican is great. The processions in the streets, the prominence of the churches, and the frequent Catholic festivals all testify to this truth.
But in the midst of this are the evangelicals, representing the other 25% of professing believers. We often hear their preaching being amplified from churches or from street preachers on the corner. With a passion for God they seek to proclaim the gospel to unbelievers.
We have found that, for the most part, Catholics and evangelicals do not intermingle. In fact, the evangelical community works hard to distinguish themselves from the Catholics, renouncing many of their traditions lest others confuse them as being Catholic.
So, on both sides there are people who believe in Jesus. However, all too seldom is there evidence of true faith in either group outside of their religious traditions. Let me give you a couple of examples, beginning with the evangelicals:
The majority of evangelical churches in Guatemala that I have experienced seem to lean toward legalism and are peppered with the “prosperity gospel”. For example, several of our local churches teach very strongly that playing card or dice games, going to movies, dancing, drinking any form of alcohol, decorating for Christmas or setting up a Nativity scene is sinful. At the same time, they teach people that if they will come to church, have faith in God, and give to the church that God will prosper them with material possessions. But in these same churches I know of several situations in which the Pastor or church leaders are involved in open sexual sin, cheating on their spouses or living with a member of the opposite sex outside of marriage. (Talk about straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.) Stealing and lying is commonplace among their members, as is arguing, gossip and violence. But they view the Catholic church as liberal and will not, as a practice, associate with those of that faith or even reach out to them.
On the other side are the Catholics who tend to be very religious in their services, practices and traditions. They take these things seriously and pray the rosary, participate in the festivals and processions and give faithfully. Yet alcoholism and sexual sin is rampant in their community. As in the evangelical community, stealing, lying and gossip is commonplace. The desire for discipleship and obedience is often not present at all, so teenage pregnancy, cohabitation, lying and stealing are often regular occurrences, even among the faithful. One Catholic-run barber shop I visited once has a very nice picture of Jesus on the wall surrounded by very skimpily dressed models wearing bikinis and lingerie. You will often ride in a chicken bus that will have images of Mary and Jesus but also have profane music playing through the stereo.
On both sides it seems, all too often, that there is belief without practice, theology without love, religion without relationship. Once again, to be clear, let me say that this is not the case for all Catholics or all evangelicals. However, it is a prominent condition within both groups.
And in between both groups sits our family and Hogar de la Esperanza. We just don’t seem to fit in either group. We play card and dice games (having a particular affinity for SkipBo, Uno, Farkle and Yatzee). We decorate for Christmas and set up a Nativity scene. We will go to the very occasional movie. We think drunkenness is a sin, but not drinking alcohol. And I have even been know to bust an awesome move (and my back) on the dance floor with my wife or daughters. And, worst of all, we are willing to hang out with the Catholics and even help them. So, many of the evangelicals don’t believe we are really Christians.
At the same time, we avoid processions like the plague, don’t go or give to the Catholic church, and never burn incense in our courtyard. So, the Catholics know that we aren’t one of them. So, as we come to their door in order to help their children with special needs, they don’t know what to think about us or our faith.
You should know by now that our number one focus is not wheelchairs, food, medicine or therapy. Our focus is on glorifying Jesus Christ and bringing people to a real and personal relationship with Him. But, as we talk to people from both sides we find them simply nodding their heads and saying, “Yes, I believe in Jesus!” They have their religion and so they are confident in their salvation, even if there is no evidence in their life as is necessary according to James 2:26 (“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”) and 1 John 1:6 (“If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth”). There seems to be a wall of religion that exists around most people’s hearts, and breaking through that wall is very, very difficult.
On Friday, Gerardo, Brittney, Teisha, Taryn and I were in Las Palmas visiting with families. This month, we are taking Christmas cookies to all of the families with which we work along with a Bible. We went to visit Reina in her house and gave her our gifts. She and her family are evangelicals, and when I handed her the Bible she lit up and told me how thankful she was because they did not have a Bible. She then looked over and saw the Bible and cookies we had carried in for her neighbors who lived across the street from them. She asked us who they were for, and I told her that we were taking them to Pedro and Victoria. When she heard this, she said, “Bah, the won’t read that Bible! They are Catholic. They believe in witchcraft!” She then went on to explain that some time ago they believed that they had an evil spirit in their home, so they called some people from the Catholic church to come and cast out the demons. The people came and told them that they needed to take their possessions and cleanse them and bring them back later. They never brought those things back. Reina wanted to know why we would help people who believe such bad and foolish things.
I spent time explaining that I used to believe bad and foolish things myself. I told her that I did a lot of bad things that dishonored God because I did not know Him. I then explained that some Christians who loved Jesus also loved me and patiently showed me who God really was. I shared scripture with her that shows that Jesus was a friend of sinners because he came to reach and save them. And, as I spoke with her I could tell she had never heard those things before. I ended by asking her if she would be willing to help me reach her neighbors and help them know Jesus. She gave me a very hesitant, “Yes.”
We then went across the street and greeted Pedro and Victoria. When I handed Pedro the Bible he carefully opened it and paged through it. He then closed it and clutched it to his chest, where he held it the entire time. And, as always, we ender our visit with a time of prayer. This sweet, elderly couple is alone and scared. They don’t know what they believe, but they need answers. They have religion in their lives, but they don’t seem to really know Jesus. I truly want to tear down the religious wall that traps them and so many others and show them freedom in Christ.
Recently, as I was praying about this issue, God showed me clearly that we cannot break through this wall by our own strength. This is not an issue of our approach or finding the right words to say to them. Only God can bring down this wall. And that makes me think of the story of Jericho from the book of Joshua. Those walls did not fall due to the strategy of Joshua and his men, but by the power of God and the faith of God’s people. The same is true of the walls we are facing. So, I am asking for your help.
Will you please pray that God will shatter the wall of religion that surrounds people’s hearts? Would even a handful of you commit to pray daily with us that Jesus will use us and our ministry or events in lives to show people that they are broken, sinful and need a savior and that religion will not suffice? We desperately need your help in this matter.
There is so much more that I would like to share with you, but I will save it for another blog, so as not to dilute the message of this one. I pray you and your family are having a wonderful Christmas season!
Daryl (Wanda and the Crew)
