Building a House on THE Rock

Tonight Lisa and I set off to observe one aspect of Teen Challenge ministry here in Lisbon. For those of you who are like me and not aware of the exactly what the organization called Teen Challenge does, let me share with you what I have learned so far.

Teen Challenge has been around for close to 50 years. They ministry primarily to people who suffer from addictive problems, such as, drug addicts and alcholics. They setup their own rehab centers and programs. Through volunteers and staff they also reach out into the drug communitites and shelters to invite them to a "coffe house." Seeking to lead them to Christ, get them into rehab, and eventually help them to transition back into family and society. That is the goal. Teen Challenge has 5 of these rehab centers in the greater Lisbon area and seems to have a great ministry setup here in Portugal.

So let me share with you a little about tonight. We met up with 4 other people and drove to what was at one time the worst drug Gehtto in Lisbon. Our group was made up of: Rhicardo (former addict, now a staff counselor at one of the rehab centers), Pedro & another man (nearing the completion of their rehab program), Cynthia (never an addict but touched by the addiction of someone very close to her), Lisa & I. I think a motley crew at best.

As we are driving I am told that we will pull up by an area where addicts hang out to sell and do drugs, that we will pull up and they will just start coming to the van. Well, that's just the way it happened. Truly no sooner had we stopped then people were standing around the van. Teen Challenge realizes that as Christ taught us through His life and ministry, often we must first meet a felt need before we can meet a spiritual one. In that spirit we had brought sandwiches, soup and tea for these people and they came out of the woodwork to receive it. Yes many of them ate and then left quickly, but they did not go far. Standing by the van we saw deals going down across the street. I stood there so sad that "nothing was being done about this," yet that's exactly what we were doing...trying to DO something about it. We had met their felt need and were trying to invite them to the coffee house in hopes that we might be able to meet their spiritual need.

Cynthia had told us on the way that there was a young man that was supposed to come back to the coffee house with us. He had told her he would previously, she was just praying that he would keep his word. The time then came for us to back up and head to the coffee house. No one had agreed to come with us, this man Cynthia had told us about had come for food earlier but then disappeared. We waited, we looked for him, we waited some more. Finally sadly we piled into the van and started to drive away, suddenly this man was running down the sidewalk, flagging us down. We stopped and picked him up, then headed to the coffee house.

Enroute to the coffee house we cruised a section of the city that a group on foot was to have traveled. This area was known for as a high prostitution area, driving by we could see them standing alone the road and down side roads - my heart ached for them, caught in a world so difficult to be freed from. Continuing on we stopped at the coffee house, as we entered it seemed quite full. Lisa and I sat down at a table with two ladies and were observers the remainder of the night.

At the coffee house they sing a couple of worship songs and have a message as well as having counselors stationed at every table. As we sat there the place began to fill, by the time worship was starting there must have been over 30 people. People invited off the street and people from a local shelter as well as staff and volunteers.

Tonight's message was about the two men that built their houses, one on the rock and one on the sand. I listened as Cynthia translated for me to a man who had been freed from an 11 year drug addiction and was now preaching to these people. His message was simple but truth and the way that he challenges the listeners was great. I sat there both excited to hear him at work and wondering how effective is something like this. Well at the end 2 people prayed to follow Christ, one of them was the man we had brought that almost missed the van.

Many times we sit and play the what if game. What if this had been different, I never would have made that mistake. As I think back over tonight I am playing the What if game, but from the opposite point of view. What if we hadn't waited, what if he had missed the van...I really don't want to answer those questions, and I really don't know if he will seek help for his addiction. I don't really know what will happen with him in the future, but what I do know is that instead of playing the what if game maybe we should all try to seize every moment, serve others felt needs, following Christ's example and pray that others with see Christ through our lives, our love, our actions and then maybe one day they will begin to build their house on the ROCK.

Tonight I was touched, I was convicted. I pray that going forward I will seize each moment, each opportunity to point people to the ROCK knowing that He is our only good foundation.