The Everyday Club

10/9/10     Arturo       32
I've found that I can usually flag down an oncoming bicyclist on the sidewalk with a smile, confident eye contact, and a loud "Excuse me, I have a question". Today Arturo stopped and, in answer to my questions about eternity, told me he believes he will go to heaven "because I believe in Jesus and I'm a good person". I asked more about this and he said "Well, I don't think I could just say I believe in Jesus and go to heaven if I was a murderer or a rapist, but I'm a pretty good person." I explained that he really doesn't trust in Jesus alone if he is required to add his own goodness, and told him about the complete trust one of the criminals on the cross next to Jesus had in Him, who believed and Jesus assured him "today you will be with me in paradise" We went on to a good conversation in which I was able to help Arturo personalize his sin and better understand his complete need for Jesus. He asked about the Catholic practice of confession and I explained it by comparing it to marriage: "Just because a man is legally married doesn't mean he has a close trusting relationship with his wife. He has to work at it and part of that means confessing your faults often. Confession helps maintain a daily relationship with God, but only if that relationship is made legally right in the first place through faith in Jesus" This all made a lot of sense to Arturo, and after we talked some more he was glad to get more info to read later.