#1: (Trying to study… distracted… looking around the room… taps pencil restlessly). Hey ____________, thanks for letting me study at your house.

#2: No problem… I kind of like having the company.

#1: (Still restless, sees a Bible on a table… picks it up, fans the pages as if to be reading, and puts it back on the table). Hey ____________, you go to church a lot, right?

#2: Well I try to go every week if I can… but sometimes I miss because of school stuff or youth group activities… (pause… thinking) Why do you ask?

#1: Well…. I was just wondering……. How does a person know if they're going to heaven?

#2: (Thinking) Hmmm…. The Bible says to confess with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe that God raised him from the dead. (Rom 10:9).

#1: That's it?

#2: Yep, That's it.

#1: That seems too easy! (Pauses… then grabs the Bible from the table and starts fanning the pages, shaking it by it's binding as if to be trying to make something to fall out, holding it up to the light… tapping it on the table…).

#2: (Pause… give this a chance to be funny.) What are you doing?

#1: I'm looking for the disclaimer.

#2: What disclaimer?

#1: You know… where it says "If your a really nice person you go to heaven. Or if your good deeds out way your bad deeds, …or if you respect the earth and mother nature, …or if you're reincarnated enough times, …or if you..."

#2: Wait a minute… I know that's what a lot of people think, but going to heaven is a gift from God. It's not something you can earn by doing good deeds (Rom 3:27). The Bible says we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), that we are not reincarnated but that we all die only once (Heb 9:27) (Luk 16:19-31), and that there's only one way to heaven, and that's through faith in Jesus Christ. (Joh 3:36).

#1: What about other religions?

#2: Well, I respect their traditions and their desire to know God, …and most of 'em teach good things… but the Bible says that there is salvation in no one else. "Under all heaven, there is no other name given among men which we can call upon to receive salvation" (Acts 4:11-12). If they've never heard the truth before, I believe God will see to it that they will have the opportunity to accept Jesus, but Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except though him (Joh 14:6).

#1: But that seems so harsh.

#2: Not once you get to know Him… He's firm but fair. Everyone gets the same chance. And he's so full of love, and goodness, that it fills you up with the same kind of spirit. So much so, that you actually want to tell others about him. You start to understand things, like sanctification, justification, reconciliation, and stewardship. But you don't have to know all that stuff to get saved.

#1: Saved!? Saved from what?

#2: (Deep sigh) …I hate to talk about it… it would be awful to die after receiving with understanding the knowledge that God sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us, and then to deny him or reject him in disbelief (Mat 10:32-33). Jesus paid our sin debt in full, and that insures forgiveness for the bad choices we make in life. You see, God created us with eternal spirits. And he gave us our own agency… our own free will, to choose right from wrong. And we get to choose whether we spend eternity in heaven, or separated forever from God and those we love (Luk 16:19-31). Personally, I just concentrate on God, and on his son, Jesus. It's the only way to be sure you're going to heaven (Joh 14:6) (Joh 3:36). I know that if I trust him to take me to heaven when I die, then that's where I will be, …with God, and Jesus, and the rest of my family and loved ones (Joh 14:1-3). And the best part is that once you're there, there's no more sadness, sorrow, or pain (Rev 21:4)… only peace, and joy, and happiness, and spiritual fellowship within a community of love.

#1: Sounds nice. But if God wants us to live forever without sadness, sorrow, or pain… why does he allow so much of it now?

#2: That's a question mankind has been struggling with since the beginning of time. I think the explanation lies between our own agency and the natural physical laws used when God created the universe. Even though we, as Christians, have received forgiveness for sin, there are still consequences in this life for the choices we make. But we are free to choose. And as we grow we learn of God's abiding love for us. He's always there to comfort us, and strengthen us, and mold us through adversity into someone able to help others in similar circumstances (Heb 13:5).

1#: Ok, so there's consequences to sin, but why do bad things happen to good people?

2#: That's where the laws of physics used by God to keep this universe functioning come in. God created opposition in all things to keep it all running smoothly. Viruses grow and spread due to changes in the environment, and the effect may be that people grow sick and die. Or a heavy snow fall on a mountain top followed by warm sunlight may cause an avalanche, but God doesn't halt the avalanche in mid-air because someone decided to be hiking there that day. But that doesn't mean God doesn't care. He feels our pain and always gives us the comfort and strength we need to grow and learn through times of trouble. Remember, God is eternal… he sees a much bigger picture, and he has asked us to be prepared to meet him (Mat 24:41-51). The main thing is this… without living through these kinds of experiences, we wouldn't recognize our need for God in our lives, and we wouldn't be able to appreciate the wonder and glory of heaven when we get there.

1#: Is all that in the Bible?

2#: Well I used my own words, but these are the beliefs that I have from reading the Bible, listening to my pastor, and praying about things to God.

1#: God talks to you?

2#: He finds ways to let me know how he feels about things that concern me. But he only does that if I take the time to listen, and watch for answers. You see, when I accepted Jesus as my personal savior, and asked him into my heart, he gave me the gift of eternal life… with him. (Joh 3:16). And that doesn't begin after I die, that begins the moment I ask him to come into my life. It's a wonderful feeling to know that I'm never alone… and that he's always there with me. It gives me a sense of peace that I try to share with others. Would you like me to help you ask Jesus into your life? That's all it takes.

#1: Ok. What do I do?

#2: Just repeat what I say and pray it to God.

#2: (With heads bowed…#1 repeats each phrase) Dear Lord… I'm sorry that I have sinned against you… but I do believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sins… and I accept you as my personal Savior… . I'm asking you now to come into my life… and to change my life… and change my heart… and make me the kind of person you want me to be... . Teach me to be your servant Lord… . I pray these things in your holy name… . Amen.

(Both stand, and have a brief hug, and then take your seats in the congregation.)