You Can Go to Heaven: a testimony

Last night was a great time at Friday Church!

We had some wonderful testimonies about how God extravagantly provides. He is so wonderful.

But I have to tell you about Ashley.

Ashley is six and she comes (without her mom) because her mom “thinks it’s good for me.“

She generally has something cute to say and at times you just think, “Flesh and blood has not revealed that to you but the Father in Heaven.” Matthew 16:17

Last night, as usual, we gather together for worship and also have a time of sharing and testimonies as well as go over the memory verse for this week and the previous week. Then the children and adults go their separate ways for the teaching: adults with Wyatt, children with me and Mercier.

After some amazing testimonies, Ashley raised her hand and Wyatt called on her:

“If you believe in God,” she began to evangelize, “and, well, you’re going to die anyway, so when you do die, if you believe in God, you will go to a better, peaceful place. There is no more arguing, or worring, or fighting. It’s Heaven.”

WOW! I wanted to jump and shout. What insight! What truth. As it says:

Psalm 8:2 (New Living Translation)

You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength,^[a]

silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.

But wait there’s more.

Then we left the adults and went to our class.

We have started teaching the children the Romans’ Road (Rom 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, and 10:9) and by way of introduction I told them that I’ve been the only Christian in my family and have been praying for the last 16 years. I go on, etc. And who raises her hand, but Ashley!

“Miss Bridget,” she says in her soft, quiet, yet appropriately high-pitched voice, “I have been the only one [remember that she is six years old] who has prayed every morning [and emphasizing] and every night for the past [you have to know her emphatic tone here] F I V E years.” “Five years, Miss Bridget. Five years.”

So I told her that the Bible tells us to “Pray and never give up” Luke 18:1. And she said she wouldn’t give up.

You just have to love teaching children at that point. And, when I feel that perhaps I should turn my in gloves, metaphorically speaking, the Lord always encourages me with something exactly like this that reminds me of the Hope of my calling and the irrevocability of it.

Romans 11:29

Amplified Bible

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]

Miss Bridget

3/29/08