Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And all that is within me,   
bless His holy name.   
Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And forget none of His benefits.   
- Psalms 103:1-2   
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The Power Of An Invitation

There is something about an invitation. An invitation makes us feel special, and feel wanted and accepted. An invitation is a powerful way to reach out to others. For example a business person invites a client out for lunch, a housewife invites a friend over for coffee, a family invites another family to supper. Invitations are important in the Bible as well.  Both God and Jesus extended invitations.

God invited sinners. "Come now, and let us reason together" - Isa 1:18-19 Offering forgiveness of sins to those willing to obey. He invited the destitute, everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat..." - Isa 55:1-3 Offering those willing to hear that which truly satisfies

 

Jesus invites the weary and heavy laden. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden" - Mt 11:28-30Offering spiritual rest for those willing to become His disciples

 

We see that God's message is often in the form of an invitation. The servants of God often reach out to the lost with an invitation.

 

In prophecy.

"Many people shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...'" - Isa 2:1-3As foreseen by Isaiah, many would invite their friends to learn about God.

 

As practiced.

By Andrew, who invited Peter to meet Jesus - Jn 1:40-42

By Philip, who invited Nathaniel to meet Jesus - Jn 1:43-46

By the Samaritan woman, who invited her neighbors - Jn 4:28-30

By Matthew (Levi), who gave a feast to introduce Jesus - Lk 5:27-29

By Cornelius, who invited his family and friends to hear Peter- Ac 10:24,33

Many came to know Jesus by way of an invitation.  And so it can be today! 

 

There is power in an invitation.

 

God and Jesus extended their invitation, and souls were saved. The disciples extended invitations, and won souls to Christ. Most people today have been saved by receiving an invitation.

We should also put it to work.

Invite people to services of the church. "Come, and let us go." - Isa 2:3    "Come and see..." - Jn 1:46

Invite people to study the Bible. "Come now, and let us reason together" - Isa 1:18. "Come...He will teach us His ways..." - Isa 2:3

 

Invite people to obey the gospel of Christ. "Come...all you who labor and are heavy laden" - Mt 11:28. "And now why are you waiting?  Arise and bebaptized..." - Ac 22:16

We should never give up extending invitations. People will often make excuses - cf. Lk 14:16-20. When they do, extend the invitation to others. -  Lk 14:21

 

Have we made evangelism more difficult that it really is? It can be as simple as extending an invitation. Should someone decline an invitation, we are free to offer it to someone else.

Never underestimate the power of a simple invitation.  God and Jesus invite us to believe and obey the wonderful gospel of Christ.

 

- Dewey Stidham, Jr.



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