The Everyday Club

11/8/10   Abraham, about 40
I've been doing some traveling away from Chicago and was on a sidewalk in downtown Minneapolis, praying that I could be a blessing to someone, when I met an African immigrant from Somalia named Abraham. I had used a million dollar bill gospel tract (MDB) as a conversation starter and he said that he grew up in the "Optic" church in Somalia, (not "Coptic" as I was familiar with) and occasionally attends church now that he lives in Minneapolis. He said he believes he will go to heaven because he is a good person, but I'm learning that not everyone who says this only have that misled trust in their good works for salvation. My further questions to Abraham indicated that he knows he could never be good enough, that faith in Christ is his only hope and that his good works are only a result of that faith. He seemed to me to be a true believer who confuses the "cause and effects" of salvation and good works. This is a shame because, while people like this may already be saved, they can be very confusing to other people whom they try to explain the gospel to. We continued to talk and I advised him to regularly attend church, that not only is he missing out on the fellowship God intends for him but he is denying others of the same. I encouraged him to read his Bible daily, that as our spiritual food its best to partake a little every day rather than a lot all at once. He received my admonishments gladly and thankfully, and we both believed God may have orchestrated what may appear to some to be a random conversation on the sidewalk.