They made my head hurt! Their music wasn’t doing it for me. Rap music, even Christian rap music, has never inspired me. That night, it lived up to my expectations. It was loud and grating. Despite the discomfort it brought me, I was the one who invited them to lead our monthly youth night for the teens on the east side of Bridgeport, Connecticut. This event was our second youth night.

The first youth night was a resounding failure—totally my fault. The person I invited to sing was perfect. Tammy and I had heard her sing at a Christian coffeehouse in the suburbs. Her voice and music inspired me, lifting me to new heights in my devotion to God. I wanted to share her talent with the world.

I knew a lot of teens in the neighborhood. Many had eaten in our soup kitchen and attended our Saturday morning outreaches. Since we lived in the same neighborhood, some teens would come to our house after school, and Tammy would help them with their homework. Other kids belonged to gangs and were hanging on by a thread. For many of them, life was tough, a struggle for survival. Most of the kids had been written off by society, consigned to a future of dependency and failure.

I was very excited about the first concert. I knew my vocalist was going to be a big hit. How could she not be? I could listen to her all day long.

We had a pretty good crowd that night. You could sense the excitement in the air. When I got up to introduce the singer, the kids cheered and hooted with anticipation. There wasn’t much to do for young people on the east side of Bridgeport.

But as soon as she began to sing, the whole atmosphere changed. You could hear their groans of disappointment as she belted out her songs. As quickly as the place filled, it emptied. As you might imagine, the singer was discouraged by the kids’ reaction to her singing. I hope she recovered.

After the concert, one of the men in my addiction program, a former gang member, asked me if I would consider inviting a Christian rap group to perform at the next youth night. “Can you use the word Christian in the same sentence as rap group?” I asked. He told me I would have to hold their attention first if I wanted to reach the kids with the gospel. Rap music was their music. A Christian rap group would do rap with a Christian message.

I desperately wanted to reach those kids with the gospel. For some of them, the gospel could save their lives from the violence that was already a part of their lifestyles. For others, a new life in Christ would impact their destinies and even their families. I decided to give it a try.

The teens showed mercy on us and gave our youth night another chance. This time, things were different. The kids loved the music. Frankly, I didn’t like it at all. When it came to music, I was a snob and a bore. However, as I watched the kids’ reactions, I realized that I had placed my comfort and inspiration over the needs of the teenagers, young people for whom Christ had died. I felt ashamed of my selfishness.

That night, over twenty-five teens gave their lives to Christ. For some, that night began a new journey that ultimately transformed their futures, impacted their families, and touched many others who had lost their way.

If I had continued to host youth nights that played only my favorite music, who knows what might have happened to some of those kids?  I still am not fond of rap or some of the other genres of music, but I do care about the men, women, teens, and children who caused Jesus to die for them.  Some would say that by bringing rap music into our service, we brought in secular music.  Perhaps we did.  But we also brought in teens who couldn’t relate to my favorite music and desperately needed to know Christ.  One of those kids ended up becoming a minister.

It still makes my head hurt. But in one sense, I love Christian rap music or any other genre of music with Christian lyrics that affect the lives of others. I have learned that my comfort and preferences are not as important as reaching and discipling those for whom Christ died. The stakes are too great to put my comfort and desires above the needs of those who need Christ.

On the cross, Jesus prioritized our needs over his own. And you?