The Everyday Club

11/10/09 Mitchell, Matthew, Kevin

On my way home after work I stopped to go for a walk, pray and hopefully start a conversation. Three brothers were hanging out on their front porch. They hadn't thought much about spiritual things, but Mitchell, 18, believed that God and the devil would basically argue over the his fate on judgment day and that his good intentions would allow him into heaven. I explained that the Bible teaches that hell was created by God as a place of punishment for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), so the judgment belongs to God alone. "If God created heaven and hell, then He decides who goes where and must judge us by some standard. Wouldn't it be good to know about that standard ahead of time, before its too late?" They agreed and listened attentively as I explained about their guilt in breaking God's commandments and God's grace in allowing His Son to take the punishment we deserve. They ignored outside distractions and cell phone calls, listening attentively to the end. I think it was a lot for them to wrap their minds around, beginning with me as an adult appearing out of the blue to talk about such things, so I kept it short, simple, and logical. If they are like me when I was their age, they might not remember all or even much of what I said, but they'll remember that it made sense and that an adult cared enough to stop and explain it to them. I think God may use our conversation as one step in their journey.