Knowing God without Knowing Jesus

On our first afternoon of door-to-door health screenings, the heat was relentless. It was the middle of a heat wave, and I could feel my energy fading fast. As Daniel and I made our way through the neighborhood, we came across three women sitting outside their home, enjoying the cool water gushing from an open fire hydrant – a common sight in Kensington summers, but something I’d never experienced in Long Island, New York.

I approached the first two women, but neither was interested in a health screening or a spiritual conversation. Discouraged, I nearly gave up hope that the third woman would want to talk at all.

But she did.

She wasn’t interested in a health screening, but she welcomed prayer. When I asked her name, she told me it was Lilly* (name changed). She shared that her friend was struggling after surgery and gratefully accepted prayer for her.

Before praying, I wanted to make sure we were talking about the same God. When I asked, she confidently said she knew God, adding in Spanish, “Él es más grande, yo le conozco” meaning “He’s the big guy, I know Him.” I was encouraged; it felt like we were on the same page.

Then I felt prompted to ask a follow-up question that shifted everything: Did she know Jesus? When she replied “No,” I was stunned. Here was a woman who knew of God but didn’t know Jesus…and in that moment, I realized I had an incredible opportunity to share the Gospel.

A wave of nerves hit me: I had never shared the story of Jesus entirely in Spanish. I whispered a quick prayer for help and began slowly, walking her through the story from creation to Jesus’ death and resurrection. I could sense God capturing her attention—she nodded along, and I gently asked her to repeat parts back to ensure she understood. When I finished, she said she believed every word. Together, we prayed a prayer of salvation. I was filled with hope—people were responding to Jesus in Kensington!

About twenty minutes later, I met her husband. He was explaining to me his pain from past experiences with the church. He admitted he didn’t want to attend church because it had never reflected God’s goodness to him. Then he added, “My wife goes every week though. You should talk to her.” He had no idea that I just spent the last 20 minutes on my knees on the front pathway.

I was stunned. She went to church every week—yet had just told me she didn’t know Jesus. My heart sank. Had she truly heard and understood the Gospel for the first time? Was this a new commitment, or had she rededicated her life? I longed for clarity but couldn’t find it at that moment. I left with a heavy heart, wishing I could know everything and continue walking with her.

But as I reflected, I was reminded of God’s sovereignty—that He alone draws people to Himself, that He alone sustains their faith. I had done my part as His ambassador, sharing the beautiful story of Jesus.
That evening, Dr. Rick Donlon shared something at dinner that I hope I will never forget.
“You cannot bear the weight of saving the world when Jesus already bears that.” This truth echoes Jesus’ words that I have known in my head but never connected to my heart.

John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,” reminding us that only God can truly change hearts. This truth is also affirmed in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” showing that while we are called to faithfully plant seeds, the ultimate work of salvation belongs to God alone. This truth freed me from the burden of feeling responsible for someone choosing to follow Jesus and allows us to love others without fear.

In addition, another truth hit me: many people in Kensington know of God, but they don’t truly know Him. To know God is to know Jesus, yet so many are nominal Christians who think of God only as “the big guy upstairs.” They’ve never heard or never understood the good news of His Son. We can’t afford to make the Gospel vague; we must be faithful in telling Jesus’ story, because to tell it is to know His story, and to know Him as a result. What would it look like if we stopped talking about God in vague terms and boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus?

I may never see Lilly again, but I know this: she has heard the Gospel. And I trust that the God who loves her will continue to walk with her faithfully, whether or not our paths cross again.