Yet another customer service opportunity…

I needed to call a bank today and order some checks. A routine phone call; I was on hold for a few minutes, and then a few minutes with the customer service rep. In fact, I spent more time answering security questions than I did actually ordering checks!

He concluded the main part of the phone call with the usual question: is there anything else I can do for you?

I said I was set, but that they must be quite busy this morning because I’d had to wait on hold a few minutes. He agreed, and said that their managers were offering them overtime opportunities – which he enjoyed.

I then said that, I didn’t want to take his time on a busy morning, but I did have one other question for him, but that it wasn’t related to banking. He said that wasn’t a problem at all, to take whatever time I wanted and go ahead. I asked if he had ever taken the good person test and he said that he hadn’t.

We then had a good time going through the test. He definitely considered himself to be a good person. He was familiar with the ten commandments, couldn’t name them all, but felt he had kept most of them. He admitted to lying, stealing, blasphemy, and anger (murder of the heart). He said that if he died, and God judged him based on those commandments, he would be guilty. Then, he acknowledged he would be headed for hell – and that it concerned him.

I was once again amazed that, in a few minutes, a banking phone call had turned to an opportunity to witness, and the young man I was speaking with had just acknowledged his guilt before God and the fact that he was headed for hell.

Turns out he has a Bible at home, and occasionally reads it. I didn’t ask if he attends church, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does. And yet, here is a nominally religious person that is headed for hell! What a travesty!

I wonder how many people read my blog that are in the exact same condition as that young man. Perhaps you also occasionally read your Bible. Perhaps you know a number of facts about God, and about Jesus. Facts will not save you. What you need is a Savior – and yet you must be willing to repent of your sins and believe (with all your heart) on Jesus. Then you must be willing to obey Him!

Repentance is a key aspect of salvation (not only feeling sorry about ones’ sins, but TURNING from them):

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …

Acts 17:30 … but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

(Keep in mind that baptism doesn’t save a person, but is something that a believer chooses to do after they are saved as a public demonstration of what has happened in their heart. For example, the thief on the cross wasn’t baptized, yet he went to heaven because he repented and trusted in Christ. Not only was the thief not baptized, but he didn’t take communion either!)

As I talked with the young man and encouraged him to get right with God, the idea of hypocritical Christians came up. I shared Matthew 7:21-23 with him (which says people that claim to be Christians but haven’t been saved by Jesus and don’t have a transformed life as a result – are headed for hell) and he agreed. Although he did say that he doesn’t follow anyone, but is his own person. I said that one of his biggest challenges in surrendering his life to Jesus would be that he would have to lay down his will. I said that if he were to study the times in Scripture when people came to Jesus, they always had to be willing to surrender what was most important in their lives. What was fascinating was that the young man agreed with me – but wasn’t ready to get right with God yet.

Since we had already discussed the gospel, the rest of the call we stayed focused on the importance of not delaying our salvation. We talked about trees (once they are bent, it is very difficult to straighten), and how a life that is lived in sin will result in a hard heart – a heart that may not be willing to repent at the end of one’s life (assuming one lives to an old age).

At the end of the call, when I said I hoped I hadn’t taken too much of his time, he said “not at all”, and thanked me for sharing with him.

I pray that he will surrender his life to Jesus before it is too late. If not, he’ll have an eternity in hell to think back to this conversation when he was given the gospel – and yet rejected it. (it’s an interesting study – and perhaps I’ll write about it later – but several Scriptures give an indication that people will have memory in hell and part of their torment will be recalling their life and the way they rejected Christ)