Inviting

In Matthew chapter 9, we find Jesus hard at work, sharing about the Kingdom of God and ministering to the needs of people. We can read:
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

The Bible shows us how we are to carry on as citizens of the Kingdom of God, as believers who have been entrusted with the life-giving message of salvation through Christ.  We are called to possess compassion, which comes from having Him living in our hearts.  There are many who do not know Jesus, including those who claim to believe in God, but do not practice the Christian faith.  We can be dedicated as instruments in His hand, in order to powerfully testify to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord.

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In Romans chapter 10, we read about how a person enters into salvation through Christ and the
responsibility that believers in Him have to share that message:
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Yesterday on The Meeting House, author of the best-selling book Don Piper talked about his forthcoming book, which is entitled: People I Met at the Gates of Heaven: Who's Going to Be There Because of You?  If you're familiar with Don's story, he is someone who was declared to be dead, yet returned from the dead with a story of having traveled to heaven.  In this latest book, he relates that he saw people who had an impact on his life.  But, he challenges Christians to impact the lives of others and to share what it takes to get to heaven.

There's a LifeWay Research study that has been released that explores the concept of inviting people to come to church, where hopefully they will hear that life-giving message of Christ and experience His love in the local church.  A Baptist Press story states:

Nearly two-thirds of Protestant churchgoers say they've invited at least one person to visit their church in the past six months, according to a new LifeWay Research study.

"It's a fairly easy thing for churchgoers to do," said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, based in Nashville. "In any six-month stretch, there are major Christian holidays and often other special events that are perfect occasions for churchgoers to invite friends and acquaintances."

With regard to the frequency of invitation, the article says: "Seventeen percent said they extended an invitation. Twenty-one percent extended two invitations, while 25 percent extended three or more. Nine percent said they didn't know how many invitations they extended."

There was also a question about why respondents did not invite people.  The story states:

Thirty-one percent said "I don't know why" when asked why they didn't invite more people. Twenty percent said people have refused their invitation. Seventeen percent said they didn't know anyone to invite, while 11 percent said they weren't comfortable asking people to come to church.

Only 4 percent said inviting people isn't their job.

We can certainly think about the priority of sharing our faith.  And, that can include inviting someone to come to church - someone who is unsaved and/or unchurched.  People need to hear the life-giving message of Christ, and we are the ones who have been commissioned to share Christ's love and communicate His message.  Simply inviting someone to church can be an important step in what God wants to do in a person's life.

There was an effort organized ten years ago that is pertinent to this discussion.  It's called Back to Church Sunday and it is celebrated on the third Sunday in September - this year, it's September 16.  Its website has these statistics from the past ten years:

• 5,296,234 – Invitations Sent for Back to Church Sunday
• 13,399,472 people reached
• 38 Videos created
• Over 120 different denominations and affiliations have participated since its beginning in 2009
• The average church sees a 25% increase in attendance on Back to Church Sunday – even small churches

You can learn more at BackToChurch.com.  The concept of going "back to church" implies that a person or family had attended church in the first place.  Perhaps someone needs a nudge in the right direction to experience that dynamic of the local church in his or her life again.

We can also develop a passion for sharing Christ's love.  As we grow in our love for Him, we can be so filled with adoration for our Savior that it overflows, that it spills out or radiates to the people with whom we interact.  We can be challenged to fall in love with Him to the degree that He walks with us and through us to touch the lives of other people; people who need to see and experience the hope of the gospel.