I said I was going to post when I witnessed to people. I have several drafts going back over the last couple months and there have been a bunch that haven’t even made it to draft mode. Sorry about that. But here’s one from a couple hours ago.
I stopped by Kroger and was asked by a college girl if I could take a minute and a half for a survey.. I took her short survey and asked her if I could give her a survey of my own. So I asked her a bit about her spiritual background (she’s baptist) and whether she considered herself a good person. She did, “for the most part”. She agreed to measure that goodness with a little test. I asked if she had heard about the 10 commandments. She had. I asked if she thought she had kept them. You could see her go through a couple in her mind and then sigh. She said, we’ll sure I’ve lied. (She was getting ahead of me :)) I asked what that made her. She gave me the typical “huh?” I said, “If you tell lies.. what do you call someone who tells lies?” “Oh a liar,” she says. Ever taken anything that didn’t belong to you? She said, “Yes, little stuff, some clothes from family too, but I know – that counts too.” What does that make you? “A thief.” I asked if she had lusted before. She had. I explained that Christ taught that lust was adultery to a Holy and perfect God.
Now, this all sound harsh when you read it, but it was done in a very loving manner. More on that in a min.
So I asked her if, on judgement day, God judged her based on His law – on the 10 commandments – if she’d be guilty or innocent. She thought for a bit.. And I said, “remember you by your own admission you are lying, theiving, adulterer at heart.” This is where I wish it was on camera. Because the shock of it made her laugh, and then quickly you see the reality click in. Then the pause and the distant look. Where in her mind, she does stand before God and sees helpless before Him.
This followed by a quick attempt at justification. “I think God will look at my life and see that basically I’ve been good…. etc.” I explained that God’s not going to judge her based on what others have done. He’s going to be fair and treat you based on His standard alone. “Then, I’ll be guilty,” she concluded. “And do you think you’ll go to Heaven or Hell then?” I asked. At this point, she wants to say Heaven, but really isn’t sure. I further explained God must punish sin and that Bible teaches He will. Liars have a place in the “lake of fire”, No adulterer, fornicator, etc will inherit the kingdom of God. Soberly, she looks straight at me and says, “I know.”
Then in a funny moment. I had meant to say, you seem nice, I like you and I don’t want you to go to Hell. But it came out “Look, I don’t like you.. uh I mean.. ” Anyway, that made me laugh and kept it all pretty light, but serious. I then said, let me give you an analogy that really helped me understand all this. I used a variation of the courtroom example, Ray Comfort gives in Hells Best Kept Secret. You stole a car, a really fast expensive car. You got in a dangerous chase with the cops, nearly killing some folks, they run you down, and you are busted. There’s no deneying this. You did it, and everyone knows it. The fine is 250,000 or jail. It’s a fine you can’t pay so even though you are feeling better because the judge is an old family friend and he loves you like a daughter, He’s a good judge. He can’t wink at you and say – “Hey get outta here – I won’t tell”. Because then he’s no longer a good judge. A good judge must follow the law. So there you are, with a a fine you couldn’t pay and about to be hauled off to jail, when the judge is handed a note and then says, “wait a min, Cassie. That guy in the back has paid your fine. You can go.”
Well Cassie is smart and says, “that’s Jesus! Oh that is a good analogy.”
I also said, you know we are taught in church today to never question our salvation… she interrupts me and says, “yeah, but I do sometimes do you?” Only last week, I reply. 😉 The Bible says, to test ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Cor 13:5). We are supposed to look inside and see if we are indeed saved.
We talked more about how to be saved, the plan God had to make her righteous before Him. We talked about how much she read the bible and I gave her another analogy about what if she had written dozes of letters then one day she finds this box with her letters in them. Most have never been opened. Others have been glanced at once or twice. And when she asks him about them, he says “oh I know you love me, I dont have to read all that”. She said “Oh I’d be sooo mad” Sure and hurt, and you should be, I said. You love him and want him to know all about you and how much you love him. You want him to know the little stuff and the big stuff – because you love him…
“Wow, that is another good one. Thank you.” I explained it wasn’t original with me. Told her about the livingwaters.com website and HBKS and she shook my hand and said again, “really thank you for talking to me about this. I think you are a gift from God today. I really needed to hear all this today. Thank you.”
And away I went.
I tell you all this, not for my own pat on the back, but for God’s glory and to encourage you to take a few extra minutes. I don’t know where Cassie was in her relationship with the Lord. But she wasn’t offended by my questions and she now has a little better understanding of what Christ for her did and why He died in the first place.
If you haven’t listened to Hells Best Kept Secret. Please do so right now. Then go try it out. I think you’ll be surprised at a couple things. One, people are rarely offended unless you grab them and say “Hey liar, you know you are going to Hell?” (it’s a bit strong and not really what’s going on here). Two, people are actually grateful to have a better understanding of what it means to be a Christian.
God go with you and please let em know how it goes.