Own merits

I met Jose at a children’s playground, as we watched our kids run around.

Started the conversation with the natural: her daughters, his job, etc; and then handed out an Obama Million.

Suddenly his daughters came to him and said trey wanted to leave because they were hungry. Timing?

So I quickly swang to the spiritual… “This is the million dollar question,” I said, “what will happen after we die?”

The question was interesting for him, he stopped grabbing the jackets and preparing to leave to answer back. He said there is a Heaven and that he was a Christian. He had been going to an evangelical church for a while.

He then explained that he hoped to go to Heaven, since he was doing merits. But his wife was better, he said, she is much more into church things.

I took the time to calmly explain the message of the gospel, that apparently hasn’t been preached from his church’s pulpit. He listened as I explained that no merits can purchase our salvation, that we stand condemned as guilty criminals unless Someone intervenes with the Judge. I encouraged him to reflect in our conversation and share it with his wife (who was working at that moment).

“By grace you have been saved through faith… “I was saying when he interrupted me by quoting the rest of the verse. “So that is what it means!”

He knew the verse but didn’t know grace.

His eyes brightened.

Amazing how many church goers don’t fully understand God’s grace in Jesus sacrificial death and resurrection. How many sit and fill up churches without knowing the true gospel message. How many have the hope of gaining Heaven… (Mat 7:22)

Please pray for Jose, as well as for many other church goers, that they will be soon exposed to the real gospel.

Thanks for reading.