All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Ok.  So the lyricist in me just can't resist joining in.   Let me add my two cents in the form of a chorus:

'cause I'm leaving on the Lord's Plane

I know right when I'll be back again

O Lord, can't wait to go.

:mdrmdr:  You guys are a hoot!   Now I got to get out my John Denver CD ... you know what I’ll be listening to while driving to the bigger city today to do some shopping.  “Country roads take me home ... to the place where I belong ... West Virginia  HEAVEN ...” :whistle:

John Denver's Opportunity Lost?
Crosswalk.com
By Bill Fay Evangelist and Author of “Share Jesus without Fear”

Fort Myers, Fla. -- In the Scripture, God says He is always at work, and He expects us to be about His work daily, too.

One day in a frequent flyer room, I looked over and saw John Denver. It was pretty obvious with his distinct features and signature guitar that it was him.

I went over and said, "John!"

He jumped up, stuck out his hand and said, "I haven't seen you in a while."

I said, "No sir, we've never met. But I am a man who's prayed for you for over five years, and I have a message for you from your dead father, Dutch."

You see, years earlier, in the height of my pagan lifestyle, John Denver's father was the co-pilot on the Learjet that used to fly me around the country to do my illegal mob business.

His father -- whose hand I held when he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ -- made me promise that one day I would share with his son. I said, "Dutch, if God provides the moment, the privilege is mine."

Now it looked like the moment was going to come.

I met with John in a private room in the Denver airport for the better part of two hours. I took him line by line through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There wasn't a single verse of Scripture he did not understand -- nor was there a single verse of Scripture that he would accept.

Finally, I said, "John, when did you make up your mind Jesus Christ would never become your Lord and your Savior?"

He could remember the date, the time and the place. A godly Sunday School teacher, like some of you, said to him Jesus Christ was The Way, The Truth and The Life.

I left with a saddened heart, tears in my eyes.

I asked God, "Why did You go to all this trouble if John Denver was not going to accept You?" And a verse of Scripture came into my heart that took evangelism to another level for me. I hope it will for you. It comes out of 2 Corinthians 2:16, and it says, "To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life."

The word "death" in Scripture means eternal separation from God.

Wherever you go, to whomever you speak, wherever you stand, you represent life and you represent death -- for you and them it will be either an opportunity, or an opportunity lost.

- Fair Use -

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You know even though this evangelist gave a negative testimony ... I still feel we are going to be VERY surprised who makes heaven.  He wasn’t there the last seconds before John Denver’s plane went down ... for all we know everything could have flashed back to him and he could have cried out and received Jesus right then!  It’s not hopeless until the last breath we take. :yes:

Geri7 Said: I still feel we are going to be VERY surprised who makes heaven.

Agreed.  And, I would add, who does NOT make heaven.

I believe the Lord has shown me over the years some very well-known, "famous" professing Christians who, as I understood it, are not going to be in heaven.  Some of these folks are names whom the vast majority of Christendom would look at me as a heretic if I called them out.  (No point in identifying any specific names just for the sake of stirring up controversy.)  And of course, at the risk of acknowledging the obvious, my opinion means absolutely nothing about determining the true status of one's eternal destiny.

I just think as people we tend to look upon the outward appearance, while the Lord looks upon the heart, glimpses of which are sometimes afforded to those onlookers who have eyes of discernment from the Lord.  Thankfully, He will get it all sorted out with 100% accuracy and justice.  We just need to be prepared to say hello to some folks whom we may have thought we would never see again, as well as to not be able to find some whom we were just sure would be at the party.  (I will assume that our pride will finally be completely obliterated, so there will no questions like, "What are YOU doing here?"  Lol.)

Hopefully I'll be found with Him!  I agree, we shall all be surprised.

That said, it doesn't seem as simple as believing the right doctrinal teaching. Or simply calling Him Lord.

Truly a relationship that honors Him and a heart won by Him.

Once sealed always sealed, but who has been sealed?!  For none is deserving!

No doubt many have busied themselves with the work of the Lord.  Yet have lacked a daily and or growing relationship!

Not by knowledge, not works, not lifestyle, but by my Spirit sayeth the Lord!

TR

And yet many will hear:  get the from Me, I never knew you!

TR

Yes sir TR and —- Actually the whole first chapter is awesome!

Ephesians 1:3-8 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ... :prayer-hands:

God knows those that are sealed!

TR

I agree we are going to be so surprised who makes heaven and we will  be rejoicing with them that they did make it. :yes:

Back in the early 2000’s I used to listen to a Radio Bible Station while driving into work and the time slot was with a church out in Clifton Park, NY.  The pastor was talking about this same subject of being surprised by who makes heaven.  He gave an example with  movie star, Rock Hudson.  A lady in his church relocated from Southern California and she informed him she was assigned the task of being the home hospice care worker for ...  Rock Hudson.  She claims she witnessed to him and on his deathbed Rock repented of his gay lifestyle and accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.

Yet nothing is said of this in his bio from Wikipedia ... all it says is he flew to Paris hoping to be cured there, but it wasn’t anything they could do.  Then ...

“Hudson flew back to Los Angeles on July 30. He was so weak that he was removed by stretcher from the Air France Boeing 747 he had chartered, and on which he and his medical attendants were the only passengers. He was flown by helicopter to UCLA Medical Center, where he spent nearly a month undergoing further treatment. He was released from the hospital in late August 1985 and returned to his home, "The Castle", in Beverly Hills, California, for private hospice care.”

- Fair Use -

So it was during that home private hospice care time the Lord arranged for this faithful Born Again worker to be the one to share the Good News with him.  Isn’t that cool?

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Speaking about cool ... driving home from shopping I saw the most beautiful cloud formation in the sky.  It wasn’t just in one area but across the entire sky.  They looked like rapture clouds!  Unbelievable ... white puffy clouds (like cotton balls) against the robin blue sky.  I wish I had my ipad with me I would have pulled over to take a few incredible pictures.  I felt chills going down my spine just looking up at them.  I really thought this was it!   A few cars did pull over to take snap shots.   I am sooo hoping tomorrow, Father’s Day, will be our time to fly out of here!

:flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: