The Incredible Story Of Mr. Goodfellow

Once upon a time there was a young man who was well known and very much respected throughout his community, as he was active in civic affairs and had done many good deeds. He went to church regularly and lived a good clean life. One night, at the early age of 42, he was stricken with a fatal heart attack and within minutes he passed into eternity. The town folk were shocked at the sudden death, and they all agreed that he had been such a good man – he surely would be missed. They were sure in their hearts that he must be going to that wonderful place which God had prepared for all the good people.
Three days later the funeral took place and the body of Mr. Goodfellow was placed beneath the earth. His soul and spirit, however, went on to await the great day of judgment.
Now, let’s take a peek into the future to see what happens when our good friend Mr. Goodfellow stands before the judgment seat of Christ. The Bible tells us that we all will, you know. We see the Lord take out that big scroll on which He has kept track of each and every sin that Mr. Goodfellow ever committed. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. When the Lord sees all these un-forgiven sins, He orders our friend into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is prepared for Satan and his angels – where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth – into everlasting punishment. Wow! This comes as somewhat of a shock to us, to say the least, not to mention the jolt that our good friend endures. When he gathers his composure enough to speak he asks the Lord, “How come? I was baptized when I was a child!” The Lord answers him, “But in my Word it says that ye must repent of your sins and be converted.” “But Lord, nobody told me that.” “Yes, but you had the Bible available to you all your life; you even carried it to church on occasion. The plan of salvation was plainly stated, so that everyone could understand it.” Mr. Goodfellow goes on, “But Lord, I’ve always lived a good life and did what I could to help others,” “Yes,” Jesus answers, “but you could have seen very clearly in the Bible that it says, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” “But Lord, I went all the way through confirmation classes and was confirmed!” “Yes, in confirmation you admitted that you believed in me, but that is not enough. In the Word it tells you that even the demons believe, and shudder. It is also clearly stated in your Bible that, “As many as receive Him (Jesus Christ), to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” You see, it is very clear that it takes an act of receiving Me as your Lord and Savior. He then, that has a Lord or Master, will want to follow His commandments and do whatever his Master wants him to do. You went to church one hour a week all right, but the rest of the week you just lived for yourself. I have also stated in my Word, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hears my voice and opens the door I will come in to him.” You see, I was knocking at the door of your heart all your life, but you never asked me to come in.” Our friend weeps bitterly and cries out again, “I was a good church member and went to church almost every Sunday!” Jesus looks at him sadly and answers, “Nowhere in your Bible does it say that belonging to a church would usher you into eternal life; but it specifically commands to repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Mr. Goodfellow makes one last desperate attempt, “My last minister told me that our God was a God of love and that He would not punish anyone, and there really was no hell other than that which we created for ourselves while on earth!” “Yes, you were warned in the Bible, which you always had right there in your living room, that the time would come when people would not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they would accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and would turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.” Mr. Goodfellow, now grieving as never before, pleads, “But can’t I have just one more chance?” “No, it is clearly stated that you will be judged according to what you would do in the body, and your sins were never covered by the blood shed on Calvary. That is sad, when the Word was left for you, that, ‘If you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.’ You must go that way now to where you will spend all eternity”.
As Mr. Goodfellow starts for that place of darkness where he will be eternally separated from God and will be with Satan and all the evil spirits, he sees one of his former pastors standing on the other side of the Great Judge. He is going to spend his eternity in heaven. Seeing him, our friend is crushed even more and cries out, “Why didn’t you tell me?” Then he notices his friend, who used to go to that little church down the street. He is also with the minister and again Mr. Goodfellow frantically calls back, “Jim, why didn’t you tell me you knew God’s plan of salvation?! Why didn’t you tell me-e-e-e-e?” Then all we can hear are his frightening screams as he approaches that place of eternal torment. Poor Mr. Goodfellow!
Are you going to spend your eternity where Mr. Goodfellow is spending his? You don’t have to. It will take a total commitment of your will. You must be willing to turn your entire life over to Jesus Christ. You have to change your life style in the areas He requires you to. Just get on your knees right now and have a very serious talk with the Lord – say something like this: Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner, and I am sorry about it. (Repent specifically for as many areas that you know about where you have been sinning.) I am asking you to forgive me for all of my sins. I ask you to come into my heart, into my life, to be my Lord and my Savior. Please help me to be the kind of person you want me to be. Thank you, thank you for hearing this prayer and forgiving my sins as you have promised.
If you have meant this prayer with your whole heart you can now expect to experience the more abundant life Jesus promises. However, just as a mother feeds her new baby, that it might survive and grow, so you as a new spiritual babe will need spiritual food and fellowship to grow spiritually. Christianity is a way of life not a one time experience. Find an active, spirit-filled, Bible believing church to get this feeding.