A Tour of Heaven, Stop 4.

Eli: Uh, Baxter? You okay down there?

Baxter: You tell this story. I'll be under here.

Pastor Rick: Fine, I'll tell it.

Pastor Rick: It had rained for two weeks straight. And Baxter HATES going out in the rain.

SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH

Pastor Rick: So at three in the morning, I let him out.

Pastor Rick: He finally came back in. I walked back to bed in the dark, in my socks.

SQUISH.

Pastor Rick: BAXTER!

Pastor Rick: I scrubbed my foot in the shower. Joy cleaned the carpet. It was a bad night.

Eli: HE STEPPED IN IT!

Baxter: It was RAINING. A dog has his limits.

Pastor Rick: Two days later, at the gym, I saw something on the floor that looked EXACTLY like Baxter's little surprise.

Pastor Rick: If that's what I think it is, I'm getting a new gym.

Manager: Relax. It's not poop. It's got grass in it. It's just mud.

Pastor Rick: Once I decided it really was mud, everything changed. I stayed.

What I believed was true changed what I did.

Stop 1: IF or SINCE?

Pastor Rick: Some people say, "IF the Bible is true, maybe I'll follow Jesus."

They're still wondering. Others say, "SINCE the Bible is true, I'm going to follow Jesus." They've decided.

Pastor Rick: Jesus said a life built on his words is like a house built on solid rock. When the storms come, it stands.

Maya: What if you're still at IF?

Pastor Rick: That's okay. Keep asking questions. God loves honest questions. But I hope you'll get to SINCE. Because the Bible really is true.

Stop 2: Two Men, Two Gates.

Pastor Rick: Jesus told a story about two men. One was very rich. He wore expensive purple clothes and threw a feast every day. His life was all about him.

Pastor Rick: The other man was named Lazarus. He was poor and sick. Someone had left him right outside the rich man's gate.

Pastor Rick: Every single day, the rich man walked past him. And every single day, he did nothing.

Pastor Rick: Then both men died. Angels carried Lazarus to be with Abraham in paradise. He was comforted at last.

Pastor Rick: The rich man went to a place called Hades, a place of punishment for people who turn away from God. He was in pain, and he was sad.

Pastor Rick: He begged for help. But there was a huge canyon between them, and nobody could cross it.

Sam: That's really sad.

Pastor Rick: It is. Jesus told this story because he loves us and doesn't want anyone separated from God. Here's the saddest part: the rich man could have walked through his own gate to help Lazarus anytime. He never did.

Stop 3: There's Still Time.

Rich Man: Please! Send Lazarus to warn my five brothers! I don't want them to come here too!

Abraham: They have God's Word. They should listen to it.

Rich Man: But if someone came back from the dead, they'd listen!

Abraham: If they won't listen to God's Word, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.

Eli: Wait. Somebody DID come back from the dead!

Maya: Jesus!

Pastor Rick: Exactly. And here's the most important part: the rich man's brothers still had time to choose. And so do you. What decides forever isn't being rich or poor, or good or bad. It's what you decide about Jesus.

"I tell you, now is the time God shows his favor. Now is the day he saves." 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NIrV)

Stop 4: Who's at Your Gate?

Pastor Rick: Jesus also wanted us to look around. Is there someone at YOUR gate?

Sofia: There's a new girl at my school. She always eats by herself.

Pastor Rick: You can be the one who stops. The one who helps. The one who tells them about Jesus.

Baxter: Remember the A-B-C from our first stop? Admit. Believe. Choose. You can do it anytime. And now is a really good time.