Effective Christians

Bob had been a pastor for a small church in New York City for most of his adult life. It had been hard work, but it was his calling, his devotion to God, his life. Then the day came when God finally called him home. At the gates of heaven Peter greeted him warmly. "Welcome, Pastor Bob! We've been looking forward to your arrival. Here's a map to your new home. It's a nice ranch-style house over in a nice part of town. Here are the keys to your very own Volkswagen to get around. Enjoy heaven, Pastor Bob."

Well, Bob found his house to his liking. Very nice. He puttered about for awhile and then, one day, started looking up at "the Heights". You know those. It's where the really rich people lived. Or, in the case of heaven, where the really godly people lived. He figured Peter and Paul and all of them would be up there in the big houses. Wouldn't it be fun to see them? So he hopped in his VW and drove up to do a little sightseeing. Sure enough, that house had John's name on it and that one over there was Luke's. And then he drove by one that made him slam on the brakes. That name ... that name was familiar. Who ... oh, wait! Suddenly he realized that it was the name of a cab driver that he had known in New York. Well, he was certainly curious now.

Bob drove down the the Pearly Gates and stopped to talk to Peter. "So," he said, "I really like my home and it's all very nice, so I'm asking this only because I'm curious. I was up on the hill today and recognized a guy who was a cab driver. Now, I spent my life in service of God and he ... well, he was a cab driver. So, purely out of curiosity, how did he end up on the hill?"

Peter smiled and answered. "Well, we tend to operate a little differently here. You see, we don't necessarily base the rewards on if you were a full-time pastor, but on your effectiveness."

"Um ... okay," the pastor hesitated.

"Look, Bob, we're in heaven now so I'm sure you'll tell me the truth. You were a pastor. How effective were you?"

"Well, yeah, it's true that I didn't have a large effect."

"And when you preached, how did that go?"

"Well, yeah, you're right there, too. When I preached they often fell asleep."

"Yes, exactly! But that cab driver was different. When he drove his cab, not only did his fares stay awake; they prayed."