Those were the exact words a man asked me one day as we both were waiting to get radiation for cancer at a local hospital. What a question! I never had a chance to answer it as he was whisked out of the room by a nurse for his treatment. Our conversation had started very casually. He had the same name as an NBA basketball star so I asked him jokingly if he was that player. Funny, because he was only about 5’6!

I wanted to get a conversation going as it was obvious his health was even more precarious than mine. Normally, we waited in a little ante room for about 5 minutes before they took us back for treatment. Consequently, that day I spoke to him very briefly about his relationship to God and having assurance that his sins were forgiven. It was just at that moment the nurse came and got him!

I prayed I would be able to answer his question and that God would give us some extra time! I didn’t know if I would even see him again. I started praying and others did too. I soon saw him and guess what? We had 25 minutes alone rather than the usual 5! There had been a disruption in the schedule and so for the ONLY time since I had been going there, they were delayed and we we alone, one on one! No one else was there!

That’s when I get to the really cool part! I was able to tell him the incredible good news that, with apologies to the church he mentioned, salvation is not based on joining a church, baptism, keeping a list of rules or “trying to turn over a new leaf”! It is about the incredible good news that Jesus died for our sins and offers us salvation through grace alone when we put our trust in what He did for us on the cross! What a message! It’s a message that works in the hospital, on a battlefield, in a living room, ANYWHERE! A message of hope for lost hurting sinners!

Tim (last name withheld) put his trust in The Lord that very day and told me as the nurse was taking him out of the room, “Terry, if I never see you again here, I’ll see you in heaven”. I believe he will!

Friends! We have such good news to share! It is this! “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!” 1Timothy 1:10 Look for opportunities! We are surrounded by people who need to hear the good news! Most of them, like me, were raised in churches that teaches a moralistic set of ethics as the way for mankind to get right with God. That’s not good news, because “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23 Don’t worry, it’s not up to you, if the Holy Spirit is working, you just have to be a road sign !

You know, I didn’t feel so bad about getting radiation that day after all.

Terry