Get links to my best stuff in your inbox

 

Home

Keep On Inviting, Inviting, Inviting, And Inviting

The story is told of a young girl by the name of Becky who, each Sunday morning and Wednesday night, would go next door to invite her good friend Denise to church services. Becky’s question was simple: “Can Denise come to church services with us today?” Most of the time the answer was, “Yes,” and so the visits and invitations continued.

However, the day came when something was different. Becky made her Sunday morning journey next door, but the answer was, “No.” However, the words that followed were music to her ears: “No,” the father answered, “Denise will be going with me and her mother this morning — We will see you at worship, Miss Becky.”

The family visited, studies followed, and Denise’s mother and father were baptized into Christ! (Gal. 3:27 – NKJV).

We might ask, “What is the magic, the mystery, the awe in this simple story?” The answer is, there is none! Just a sincere invitation given over and over and over again! Many times, we make things much too complicated and in doing so, achieve very little.

Some want sophisticated mail-outs to do the job of winning souls to Christ for us. Some believe that carefully designed programs will do it for us. Some want others to do it for us. Please understand this point: The benefits of mail-outs and other media avenues are wonderful when wisely used. But nothing dismisses our own personal responsibility to invite folks.

Who should we invite? Anyone we associate with on a daily basis — Our neighbor, postman, doctor, boss, banker, mechanic, coach, teacher, friend, relative, co-worker, and on and on we could go (cf. Matthew 22:9-10 – NKJV).

Remember the story about Jesus freeing the man who had legions of evil spirits? (Mark 5:1-20 – NKJV; Luke 8:26-39 – NKJV). He was grateful for Jesus’ compassion and wanted to go with Jesus (Mark 5:18 – NKJV). However, Jesus refused his request saying:

“Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you” (Mark 5:19 – NKJV).

Brethren, let’s go and do the exact same thing!