Nicest Guy in Hell

          Gary was always known as the good kid and the nice guy. He didn’t do any of the big sins. He knew right from wrong. As a young adult he started drinking and partying, but never thought he did anything that bad.

         His brother, Robert, became a Christian, and wanted Gary to have a relationship with Jesus as well.  He tried to get Gary to go to church with him. Gary told him no. He thought being a good person was good enough. Like so many people he thought as long as he didn’t kill anybody or do anything really bad, that being a good person would get him into Heaven. His brother finally said, “It’s not about being a good person. It is about having a relationship with Christ.” Then he said something Gary would never forget.

“Gary, you are going to be the nicest guy in Hell.”

         Many years later, after he was married and had a teenage son, his co-worker, Kristi, invited him to church. He and his wife had some problems and they had problems with their son. They went with Kristi to a mid-week service called Living Free. They connected there and knew that was something they needed.

         Gary says, “Kristi invited us to try the Sagebrush Church close to our house. We met her there and she introduced us to Pastor Vince. I hit it off with him right away. My family life was not going well. My wife had her own struggles, and my son was getting into trouble. Pastor Vince asked me to meet him for coffee. I poured out my troubles to him and told him how bad things were.

         Pastor Vince said, “Gary, you can’t fix your family until you fix yourself. Until you are right with God, you won’t be able to lead your family.” He asked if I had considered asking Christ into my life. I said no, and he asked if I wanted to.

         So, right there in the middle of Flying Star Café, in front of the whole restaurant, I prayed and gave my life to Christ.

         Pastor Vince asked if I felt any different. At first I didn’t, but about an hour later, when I got back to the office, it hit me. I was overwhelmed with knowing how much God loved and forgave me. I called Pastor Vince and told him, “I felt it and I got it.”

         After that, everything changed in my life. Everything was better with my wife and son. I finally understood that Christianity was not about being a good person, it was about what Jesus did for me and how He wanted to have a relationship with me. My life isn’t perfect, and my family isn’t perfect, but things are much better. I am a different person and my wife is too. I am grateful for my brother, who still sends me scriptures everyday, for Kristi for inviting me to church and for Pastor Vince for leading me into a real relationship with Jesus Christ."

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. Titus 3:5

 

Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Have you heard someone say they think they are going to heaven because they are a good person?

                  (If you would like to read more stories of Changed Lives, click here.)