"I'm A Good Person"

I went out to the skate park yesterday armed with cases of bottled water and a fistful of tracts like I do on most Monday afternoons. I met two bikers whom I had not seen before at the park named Jared and JT. While most bikers ride around and do a trick here or there, these two were out in full force, doing stunts that I had not seen since 1986's Rad (once again showing how old I truly am). These guys were almost pros, had been to most parks throughout the state, and knew which ones were good and which were bad, even though they were both only 16 years old. They thought that Castle Rock was pretty decent.

As I began to share the Gospel with them, Jared said that he would go to Heaven because he's a good person, and had not done anything truly bad in life. When we started to go through the Ten Commandments, he realized how he had fallen short of God's standard. His language and speech changed the longer we spoke, with substituting in different words. He would say, "Because I am good," and then quickly correct himself and say, "Because I thought I was good," showing some of God's conviction on his heart.

Then, he revealed something. He was a Christian.

At least, he had thought that he was a Christian. Jared and JT had both been going to churches for most of their lives, were active in youth groups, read the Bible, prayed before bed, celebrated Christian holidays, prayed before meals, had families that spoke of Biblical things in their homes, and yet they had never heard the Gospel before.

I know his story all too well, because I lived it myself, even being baptized on my 18th birthday, but still living a private life of sin, destined for Hell. So many churches today never preach the simple Gospel message. So many Christians never address the matters of sin and judgment in sharing their faith. And so many people sit in pews and stadium seating every Sunday, believing themselves to be right with God, when they are putting their trust in their own works, and not in Christ.

When we were wrapping up our conversation, I asked them if they had ever heard the reason for Jesus Christ sacrificing Himself on the cross before like the way I presented it. Jared said he hadn't. He thought that his own goodness would get him into Heaven, but now he knows differently. I gave the two a number of tracts and told them that they should now use the experiences they had in their lives and go before God to ask for His mercy.

They said that they would use the knowledge that they had from their years of religion and, "get smarter." I told them that they should repent of their sins and ask God to make them wiser. "After all," I asked, "what is the beginning of wisdom?"

"Wis?" replied JT.

I have to admit, I had to laugh at that one.

Pray for Jared and JT.