It's a Matter of Choice

Our church has been in revival this week, and it has been awesome, and that is minimizing it. Along with the evening services, our Evangelist, Tom Scarrella has been doing some teaching during the day on personal evangelism and how to win souls to Christ. It's a real stretching time for all of us, including me. If you know me at all, you know that I am really a very backward, shy person. It is really difficult for me to meet new people, but I am working at this. I've had chance encounters before were have met and led someone to Christ, but intentionally going out to find people, introduce myself and then endeavoring to lead them to Jesus, it is really stretching me... but I'm getting there and will keep at it until I become comfortable with this... and then watch out!

The interesting thing as I've gone out these first two days and tried this out, is that there are people who brazenly have said that they were going to hell and that they were fine with that. Literally. When I asked if they knew if they were to die today if they would go to heaven, I've had two people tell me that they were going to hell. One said he was fine with that and did not need some (blankity-blank) Christian trying to change things. Another said that he was going to hell and was proud of it. When I asked if he would like that destination, he said, "why the hell would I want to go to heaven."  I told him that I was not there to argue with him, but that I wandered if he realized what he was saying. He said, "F... yeah! I'm going to fry like bacon for eternity! I said, "well, sir, I just hope you know that it really is a matter of choice, and if that is what you choose, then I guess that is up to you, but you will remember those words throughout eternity." 

I have not been able to get my conversation out of my mind all day. I'm just stunned that someone with half a brain could say and mean something like that. But it is his choice. I was talking with a young woman today whose boyfriend is not a Christian and is constantly trying to tear down her faith. She said that she has tried to lead him to Jesus but he simply chooses not to accept him and wants her to give up her faith as well. She wanted to know what to do. I told her it was time to leave him, because he has made his choice. Something we all have to learn and accept, we can tell them and show them the love of God, but we cannot make the decision for them. As Tom reminded us all, when Jesus told the parable of the sower, only one of the four seeds fell on good ground.