He was probably 16 or 17. He had tattoos up and down his arms. Eyebrow was pierced with metal studs. He walked up to me at a convenience store like a lost kitten. His line--he needed some change to get gas to make his way home to his mother in Sherman, Texas. He was quick to add that he wasn't going to buy drugs or alcohol. He seemed genuine, but you never know from the outward appearance. What he was really going to do with the money didn't concern me, because my focus was on sharing the gospel with this young, divine encounter.
I told him I would be glad to give him all the spare cash I had. I also said I had something else for him far more important than that--an Obama Trillion Dollar Bill gospel tract.
I pointed out the Trillion Dollar question on the back--will you go to heaven when you die. He didn't know if he would or not. I told him the good news is that you can know your destiny with certainty. I asked him if he wanted to know. He said he did. I asked him how good a person has to be in order to go to heaven (a loaded question of course, since no one will enter heaven based on their own goodness). He wasn't sure but he felt that he was a pretty good person.
In the end, after going through the 10 Commandments and explaining to him why he had violated them all, just like the rest of humanity, he finally realized and understood that he would rightfully stand guilty before God on judgment, deserving of death. He sat down on the ground and listened intently as I explained to him the Richness of God's Mercy and the Good News of the Glorious Gospel of Salvation.
I asked him if he believed that Jesus is God who died on the Cross for his sins, so he doesn't have to and rose again the third day, proving He was indeed God. Nathan said he believed that. I told him that puts him on the same level as the demons, since James wrote that even the demons believe. I explained to him that since he believes, he must make a choice--will he repent--cry out to God for forgiveness of his sins and turn to follow Jesus? Jesus said "repent and believe" (Mk. 1:15). Paul said, "God commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:31). I asked him when he was going to repent. He didn't say, but he said I had given him a lot to think about and that he was grateful we had spoken. I urged him to repent and follow Jesus before it's too late, because he doesn't know when his last day will be.
He took a Gospel of John that I offered him and asked for more of the Trillion Dollar Bills to give to his friends and family. He acknowledged that he can't take anything to heaven with him but his friends and family.
I felt we had really connected in that brief conversation over the course of a few minutes. It blessed me to see how his heart had been pierced by the greatness of the gospel in view of what he really deserved. I pray Nathan repented and trusted Christ for salvation. I explained to him what Jesus said to do in order to be a true follower (John 8:31-32). I pray he's following today!
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