As we go about our week we often run into people in our community who are not believers and are not connected to any church. During the course of small talk, the topic of church is broached and we then ask our new acquaintance if they go to church anywhere. They say, “No, my wife (or husband) and I have been looking around for years now and nothing has clicked.” We then tell this person that they should come to church with us and provide them some information about where we meet and when. We may even offer to meet them when they arrive to make everything smooth.
This is a great effort by God’s people to reach those around them and it should not be downplayed. And yet, I think there are at least two things we should consider/do differently in this interaction that will help fuel our efforts to reach those around us.
1. Don’t rely on inviting someone to church so they can hear the preacher share the Gospel in a sermon. Rather, share it with them yourself when they express interest in attending church.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this point is that it stretches our own discipleship when we share the Gospel. It is pretty easy to invite someone to church. But it stretches our faith when we step out and share with someone on the spot. We should share the message clearly and ask the person if they want to learn more about following Christ or if they would like to make a decision right there. The church is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12) not do the ministry for them. What better way to live out your life as a disciple then to be personally sharing? We are all called to do it. And we need to do it as we go out on the highways and byways, not just by inviting people to church.
2. Inviting people to church often confuses the most important issue. The most important issue is whether or not someone has received Christ in repentance and faith.
When someone comes to church via our invitation to them, this can often become the victory itself rather than true saving faith in Christ. This typically happens when someone accepts the invitation to church and the proceeds to attend for a long period of time. Often times we celebrate, “Mike has been coming to church for over a year now since Jenny invited him. That is so great.” Is it good that Mike is able to hear the Gospel each week? Certainly. But going to church doesn’t earn any points with God. We should certainly celebrate the little steps on the way toward saving faith but we can’t confuse those little steps with saving faith itself. Our aim is to see people come to a saving knowledge of Christ, not just to get into a church. While those who do come to faith in Christ should certainly get into church (Heb. 10:25); those who get into church won’t necessarily come to faith in Christ.
Our aim as disciples must be to see people reached with the good news, not simply an increased church attendance from previously unchurched people. They are not one in the same. Let us fix our eyes on that lost sheep and do all that we can to find it (Luke 15).
Conclusion
While inviting someone to church is a good step as we seek to reach our communities around us, we should consider the call of Christ (Matt. 28:19) and the example of the disciples (Matt 10:15). In this we see that we are called to go to the lost world and share with them where they are, not invite them to where we are. As people come to faith in Christ, they will join us in church but prior to that, as saints, we should be the ones going out to share.
And the fuel to share comes from an unshaken conviction that belief in the only Son of God will be sufficient to rescue a soul from eternal death, not mere church attendance.
With that, let us be deliberate to share with our neighbors in the coming month rather than just inviting them to church.
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