I love my church! Do you love your church? Easter season is coming up and at MCC, we have provided special invitation cards for you to invite people. Think about who you’re giving your invitation to.
Have you ever gone to an event where there was an exclusive invitation list? You have to be "someone" to be invited, or you have to attend with someone who is "someone". At a function like that, there’s power in who you are with. I was nearly turned away at an event like that once but, the person who invited me saw I had arrived and began introducing me to people around the room. Because of the person I was with, I belonged. This is the power of Invitation.
Invitations come in many forms - formal, informal, intimate, public, corporate, private. Regardless of how the invitation comes, it means you’re wanted. You belong. People want you included, to join them on an important day.
Did you know an invitation can change your life? At the beginning of every job, I have always looked for a person to minister to. At one job, I met an atheist at the very beginning of my time there. I committed to building relationship and poured my life into him. Finally after many invitations from me, he came to church one day on Easter. That day, the church conducted a survey that asked people where they stood in their belief in Jesus. My friend answered that he didn’t believe and never planned on believing. I continued to declare salvation for him and to pray for him. Finally, there came a day when he realized his need for God. Those invitations I had extended were invitations that changed his life and his family's life. You can change the world with an invite.
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples. Invitation is wrapped up in this command. Where does most discipleship happen? Discipleship happens in the church. Where did you get saved? Most people get saved in the church. People get saved and discipled more so in the church than any other organization, anywhere, for all time.
With invitation to church in mind, how should you invite someone? It’s so easy. Here’s what you say, “You should come to church with me this Sunday.” Look for the conversational trigger. Listen for statements like “Things are not going well,” or “I’m not prepared for this” (whether they’re talking about a test or a surgery). How about, “I’m not from around here” or “I’m new in town.” We can pack out church by issuing invitations to those who give us an open door in normal conversation.
In Matthew 4:18-22 Jesus called Andrew and Simon, James and John to become fishers of men. Jesus was the best “inviter”. He was intentional, he was an “includer” motivated by love and compassion. At one point, he told his disciples he needed to go through Samaria (to a population that was considered “less than”). It was a place you would not dare to go. But his confidence was in God and he knew he had God’s strength working in and through him. We have power to be the church in the world, in those places we would not otherwise be inclined to go. In Samaria, Jesus reached out to a woman who was the lowest of the low, rejected and ridiculed. She was a person who chose extreme discomfort in order to avoid others, coming to draw water in the heat of the day. Jesus offered living water to her and she was transformed into the greatest evangelist of that time and place. One invitation changed hundreds of lives.
Jesus set this expectation with his disciples and he sets it for you. He didn’t just call you to attend church and enjoy worship and a good word every week. He called you to become a fisher of men. Find those who are far from God so they can hear the name by which they can be saved and invite them. Where can they find freedom? Church! There is a place for them. There’s a place for everyone in the kingdom of God.
You have a unique calling. God chose you. In his divine, perfect will, he provided for you to be where you are in this season, in this place. God created you intentionally, wonderfully and carefully. Fish for those around you. Make a difference. You may ask “What can I do?” Pray and seek God's face. Then invite people to “Come and see”. Say it with me, “You should come to church with me this Sunday.”
Anyone can catch fish. Be intentional when you fish. Fishing requires patience. Sometimes the fish aren’t biting. Don’t stop inviting. Don’t stop praying. Praise the Lord and ask for laborers. Say, “That’s me!!” He’s called me to be a laborer. Jesus says, “You’ve seen me do it. Now you do it.” Let’s do it together with Him. Compel them to come. Easter is the perfect time to Bring Your Peeps.
