Day 13: The Power Of The Invitation

Do you ever wonder what it was like to be in the presence of Jesus while he lived on earth?

Have you ever read some of the events recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and wondered what was going on in the minds of the disciples and others who were in Christ’s presence?

I do. But I probably don’t have a sufficient imagination to get close to what they thought and felt.

But I still wonder.

One of the early events where my imagination goes into overdrive is when Jesus calls the first disciples to follow him. Matthew’s record of it is succinct, leaving a lot to the imagination. Jesus first called Peter and Andrew: “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ And they left their nets at once and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20). What was going on in their minds when they heard that call? I wonder how well they really knew Jesus. I wonder what made them give up their livelihood immediately and follow him.

Jesus invited them to follow him. With a simple sentence of invitation, Jesus persuaded them to change their lives radically.

“A little farther up the shore” (Matthew 4:21), Jesus sees two more brothers. This time it is James and John. They are repairing their nets with their father, Zebedee. Jesus calls to them. And like Peter and Andrew, James and John drop everything and follow immediately.

I really wonder about all four of these early followers of Christ. In the second invitation, I wonder what poor Zebedee thought and did. He was likely depending on his sons to carry on the family business. They not only left their dad; they left him immediately. There was no discussion of succession or hiring someone to take their place. It was just, “We’re out of here, Dad!” In my imagination, I see Zebedee holding a fishing net in his hand with his mouth agape.

In quick order, Jesus offered two powerful invitations. Those invitations were life-altering. Even more, they shaped the eternal destinies of these early followers of his.

As a believer, you have responded to an invitation from Jesus. Though you did not see him visibly, you knew he was calling you to follow him. You may have been a young child. You may have followed him in your adult years. But your life was radically changed when you accepted his invitation. Your eternal destiny became heaven because you decided to follow him.

It is the power of the invitation.

NOW IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO INVITE

Jesus established a pattern for us to follow. We are to invite people into our lives. On this thirteenth day of the thirty-day challenge, you will be inviting people to church.

Why is the act of inviting so powerful? First, when you invite someone into your life or to your church, you are telling them that you care about them. Jesus invited Peter, Andrew, James, and John because he cared for them. He wanted them to experience the fullness of life that he offered. He wanted them to change the world with him.

We may assume that the natural default for those who are not believers or those not in church will be to say no to any invitation to church. That is simply not the case. Many years ago, I assembled a research team to investigate the attitudes of unchurched people in America (see my book The Unchurched Next Door). An amazing discovery we made was the high receptivity unchurched persons have to an invitation to church. In fact, three out of four indicated they would be receptive to an invitation to church.

Amazingly, the team found that only one out of twenty unchurched persons has an antagonistic attitude toward Christians and churches. Most people were not boycotting church because they didn’t like Christians. They simply weren’t going to church because they had never been invited.

Jesus talked about the reality of reaching people. He made it clear that the problem was not the availability of people to reach; it was the scarcity of those willing to reach them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields” (Matthew 9:37-38).

Second, inviting someone to church is a Great Commission activity. Those you invite will likely hear the gospel or they will see the gospel in action among the church members. When you invite someone, you are inviting them to both a church service and an opportunity to hear and see the gospel.

Third, when you invite someone, you are taking the first step, or another step, toward befriending them. You are letting them know they matter to you.

I am challenging you to invite someone to church. Indeed, by the time you get to Day 30, I will have challenged you to invite eight different people to church. If you have any doubts or anxiety about this challenge, you can relax. We have seen thousands of church members take this challenge. They have all seen great results when they’ve taken three key steps.

THE THREE STEPS OF AN EFFECTIVE CHURCH INVITATION

At the risk of stating the obvious, step one is taking the initiative. You first have to ask someone to join you at church. The invitation may take place in the office, at school, where a merchant works (I just invited my barber to my church), or in your neighborhood. The invitation may be extended by phone, by email, or in person. But you must actually invite someone.

Second, if you want to increase the chances that the person will accept your invitation, offer to walk into the church building together. Many people have a level of anxiety about entering a new place, especially a church. Your offer could go a long way toward relieving much of that anxiety.

Third, if you want the greatest probability of a positive response, invite the person to also go with you for a meal after the service. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, they are very likely to say yes.

Start thinking about the most natural and comfortable way for you to invite someone to church. Make a commitment to invite your first person before the week is over. You will have two more people to invite before the thirty-day challenge is over, so don’t put it off more than a few days.

As always, pray for a name to come to your mind if you have not already done so. Once you have the name, pray for the person, couple, or family to be receptive to your invitation. After you have prayed, give yourself a deadline to make the invitation. Make certain the deadline is just a few days away.

By the way, the challenge for today is simply inviting someone to church. It does not necessarily mean the person will say yes. I pray they will, but your role is obedience. Your role is inviting someone.

Leave the results up to God.