The Power of an Invitation
“Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.” (Psalm 66:5)
The statistic below is both discouraging and encouraging. It’s discouraging because 57% of Americans don’t attend church, and we want as many people as possible to find redemption in Christ and fellowship in a local church. It’s encouraging because 82% said they would considering going to church if someone actually invited them. That’s a huge opportunity!
Now we need to recognize that evangelism is more than just inviting someone to church. It can be easy to invite someone to come hear “the preacher” share the gospel, while it’s hard to actually share the gospel with the person ourselves. But this isn’t an either/or, it’s a both/and! Yes, evangelism is more than an invitation, but it isn’t less than that!
It’s powerful when an unbeliever gets to hear the gospel one-on-one from someone they know. And it’s also powerful when they get to experience the gathered community of Christ’s disciples coming together to celebrate the glory of Jesus Christ!
Think about the power of Phillip’s invitation to Nathaniel in John 1:45-46: “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.””
I would encourage you to pray and ask the Lord to show you someone you could invite to church. Think through the people the Lord has placed in your life. I don’t know if it’s original to him, but I first heard the term “FRANgelism” from Alistair Begg. That is, think through how to reach out to these four categories of people (using the acronym “FRAN”):
Friends
Relationships
Associates
Neighbors
So this week, who could you invite? Especially with Easter Sunday coming up, is there someone you could go to and say, “Come and see”?
(Here’s a quick video invite you can share for Easter!)
And not only to the Sunday morning gathering, but who could you invite to growth group? Bible study? Dinner? Coffee?
Your one small step of obedience can impact eternity for lost souls in our community. May the Lord use our simple invitations to advance his kingdom!
“Philip said to him, “Come and see.”” (John 1:46)
Resources:
Maundy Thursday Service (Event)
Pastor Chris at River Oaks and Pastor Mitchell at Clover Hill have recently formed a friendship with Pastor Chandler at First Baptist Alcoa, and he has graciously invited our two churches to participate in their Maundy Thursday service (a time during Holy Week to reflect specifically on the final night before Christ's crucifixion). So plan on joining us as three churches come together for an evening spent in Word and Sacrament. The service will take place from 6:30-7:30pm on 3/28 at First Baptist Alcoa (819 Gilbert St, Alcoa).
Date Night (Event)
We’re excited to announce our very first Date Night! This is an opportunity to help couples grow in their marriages with Christ at the center. We’ll have some teaching on marriage, small group discussion, and then each couple will go out to dinner…and we’ll watch your kids! Whether you’ve been married for 30 years, 3 months, or you’re engaged/seriously dating, this is a great opportunity! The Date Night will take place on Saturday 4/20 from 4:00-8:00pm. (A signup with more details will come out soon)
The Mission of Saint Patrick - David Mathis (Article)
In light of the recent celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, this is a good article that shows us the importance of Patrick’s missional heart!
“While the day has become a celebration of all things Irish, the original feast was about gospel advance. It was not about parades, but pioneering the church among an unreached people. It was not about lifting Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking, but bringing God’s amazing grace to a pagan nation.”