You'll never know unless you ask

I woke this morning to a major shock. I live in a very small southern town where bad news spreads like wild fire in July. So it was only minutes after sitting down with my coffee that I got news of the passing of a close family friend. It is with great sadness and shame that I have to confess... I have known the man for 28 years and not one single time have I ever asked him if he knew Christ. I never took the time to ask him if he was saved. For fear of rejection or that I might offend or anger him, I didn't ask. I didn't approach the subject, even when given opportunities at work or in the community.

He was a good man. He worked hard. He was involved in the community and the schools. He loved his kids with a fierce passion that you don't see from dads as much these days. If he considered you his friend there was nothing he wouldn't do for you. You could call him any time for any thing. I called him once at 11 at night to come and get a tiny little garden snake out of my house because I was too afraid to touch it. He came without hesitation. He was a good man.

But being a good man doesn't get you to Heaven. You can not enter the kingdom on works alone. God can not look upon sin, he can not be in the presence of sin. That is why Jesus Christ came to Earth, the son of God and the son of Man, and lived a perfect life in order to be a perfect sacrifice for us. None of us is able to live a perfect, sin free life. None of us is worthy of spending eternity in the presence of God. But Jesus was and is perfect, Jesus is worthy of eternity seated at the right hand of God. So it is only through Christ's redeeming blood that we are saved.

When you accept that good and perfect gift, that sacrifice that Jesus made for you on the cross, it is like putting on one of those silly tee shirts that says "I'm with him". When you get to the gates of Heaven and the book of life is opened it's like the VIP list at a black tie event, your name is on the list. Before you accept Christ your name is on the 'do not admit' list. The very moment that you accept Christ and are washed in His blood you're a VIP guest in Heaven for all eternity. You get you're "I'm with Jesus" shirt. There is nothing else that will get you in. NOTHING. No good works, no being a "good" person, no amount of volunteer hours or good Samaritan acts will get you there. ONLY Christ's blood will cover your sins so that you can stand before God and enter into His kingdom.

So today I don't know if my friend is in Heaven or not. There is no way of me knowing for sure what was in his heart. So I won't know until I get there myself. But my question to you today is, will you go to Heaven? If you pass today, as unexpected as my friend, will you enter the Kingdom? What about the people around you? Your loved ones? Friends? Family? Co-workers? Even your fellow church members, just because they are in the pew every Sunday doesn't mean they have accepted Christ. I spent years in those same pews with only a head knowledge of God's love for me. Are the people around you saved? If you don't know the answer go today, right now, and ask them. It might be a little scary, it might be uncomfortable, it might even start some very hard conversations, but their salvation is at stake here. Don't let another day go by without asking them.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all, that you might find the courage to do what I never did for my friend.