Call to evangelise .... ???

SteveWR

New Member
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him also had been dead for years.

He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like Mother of Pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveller asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there". The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveller gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl right beside it.

The traveller filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them. "What do you call this place?" the traveller asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveller said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who are willing to leave their best friends behind."

------

Not that we need to take a friend to "get in" but it makes you think ....
 

Toneboy

Administrator
Staff member
I don't know about anyone else, but I feel quite convicted reading that.

Good analogy Steve, I'm glad you posted that.
 

SteveWR

New Member
You know its funny but that came from a non-christian source and the tag lines that the sender added were nothing to do with the Christian faith, his line was all about friendship. Obviously I read it differently.

This came along and just talks to what I think needs to be spoken out and taken on board.

I am going to post a thread on the theology section about it.
 

SteveWR

New Member
what do you mean ouch :) did that sound a bit confrontational, wasn't meant to be ... it's something I am wrestling with really and want to bounce the idea off other believers to get some feedback, more like I see it like this, what do you think ... anyway its the "one word" thread in theology.
 

lawrensons

CoffE Moderator
Staff member
ouch - I mean .... how many of my friends am I actively evangelising? The answer .... not enough
 

Chaya

New Member
I really liked that Steve. Do you have the link? May I repost it? I felt it was talking more about friendship than about evangelism. In cults, including bible-based cults, people are required to leave their true friends behind for what appears to be heaven, but things are not as they appear, and heaven is on the road they began on when they saw got sidetracked by that glowing golden edifice made of fool's gold.
 

SteveWR

New Member
Hi Chaya, hope California is treating you kindly, Essex (UK) is a bit damp and cold as we approach winter.

I am sorry I can't give you a link as the story came in a junk email. I am on someones email list and I get jokes and the like sent into my inbox. You know the kind of stuff that circulates on the net.

This had a footnote saying "never forget your friends". I suppose I saw a Christian message (it spoke to where I am) in that I believe if we do truely believe what we believe then its like this.

Our best friend is standing in the middle of the road, drunk, with a big truck heading for them. We are safe on the pavement (sidewalk). Do we look at the danger they are in, consider the risk that we would encounter trying to save them, and then what, stay on the sidewalk? No we would scream like mad, dash with all our might into the road and shove them to safety. If we were lucky we would also get out of the trucks way as well.

So if we believe what we believe our friends are drunk on the world and blinded to the truth, do we stay safe and comfortable in that friendship and say nothing, or do we risk the friendship and risk loss for the sake of their safety.

It is about friendship. It is also about our calling. It is very certainly about the depth of our friendships and the depth of our faith in God and and acceptance of our commission.

We are called to be separate from the world, but that is acceptance of Jesus and his will for our lives, we are not called to be removed from the world.
 
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