I didn't make it...but Wayne did

Strange title and a great sermon this past Sunday. The pastor had a wonderful illustration for the whole congregation. I am going to try to relay what happened but it was definitely a service that was better witnessed first hand. It started out simple enough. We were all handed a card when we entered the sanctuary with 3 questions for salvation

Do you admit that you are a sinner and that you can not save yourself?
Do you believe Jesus Christ died for you sins?
Do you confess your sins now to him and declare him to be your Lord and Savior?

On the other side of this card was a number. So he starts off by having 6 staff members come forward and he asked them these 3 simple questions for which they answer yes to, and he says...now they are saved. Then he asked those same people to pick up props that were sticks with churches on them and he said each of these people represent a church. Then he had 6 volunteers who were the congregation of those prop churches and he told the our congregation that if the prop churches' congregation approached them and asked them those 3 questions then we were to get up and go to the nearest church and stand and follow the rules of that church. So off they went asking several people in the church, Wayne was one of the first and so he got up and went and stood at the nearest church. Then the pastor asked them to stop asking people and watch the big screen. On the screen was a scene of a plane crash that goes up in flames. He said, if you were asked by one of prop churches those questions and you are number 1, then you can make your way to heaven (the stage). If you have a number 1 and no one asked you, please get up and head to the back of the church where the last three rows have been designated as hell. Then he told the churches to continue asking...some churches did, some churches just stood there and talked among themselves but it wasn't long until again they were asked to stop and again...watch the big screen. This time it was an earthquake that had taken the lives of people. The pastor said...if you are a number 2 and someone asked you then make your way to heaven and those who are 2's and didn't get asked head to hell. This went on until the church was divided in half...I was unfortunately a number 4 who never got asked. It was weird...I wanted someone to ask. Wayne could have told me but he had went to a "fellowship" church and they were not allowed to ask anyone they were just there to socialize and have fun with each other, no need to witness. There were tears throughout the church as each person realized that a mother, a father, a son or a daughter had not made it to heaven He then asked everyone to take a seat and then asked if anyone wanted to share their impression. Many of all ages stood to share their heartache as they watched those they love not get asked by anyone. Some shared the joy as they saw their family in heaven. One man in particular said that he was one of the first people who made it to heaven and he had to watch as his family sat and didn't get asked by anyone. He said he ran out of time to ask them himself and he was hoping as he watched from the stage that someone would ask them. It is exactly how I have been feeling for years about my great grandparents as they watch from heaven. Are they thinking...if only I had talked to them more then maybe or are the looking with joy in their eyes as they see each of us come to Christ? So I ask myself am I running out of time on witnessing to anyone and everyone I know about this wonderfully simple message of Christ. Am I relying on someone else to ask?
It struck me that he used the numbers as a way of dividing the church because it is often said...you never know when your number is up.