Inviting Others

god bless you you can be seated tonight thankful for the word of the lord and its power and its potency and it is my sincere desire to present his word and the principles of his word tonight for each of us to to be stirred to be challenged to be changed to be inspired by that word and whether you leave having heard something that i have said a phrase or a quote or a paragraph of what i've said or if it's the spirit that is whispering to you while i am speaking i i'm okay with that i just want us to leave having heard his word and being having been attentive to his word and so with that in mind would you pray before we start as we uh open the word of the lord we also want to open our hearts to him and whatever he might say so in whatever way feels best to you would you just express that to him lord i thank you for your word and i thank you for this gathering this time that we have together and lord we dedicate this time unto you and we dedicate lord our efforts at hearing your word we dedicate all of that unto you to be closer to you we want to hear your word and be inspired and changed and challenged and directed by your word lord and i pray that you would help me as the speaker of your word lord to be used by the spirit to impart your word in jesus name in jesus name amen

well i'm going to be talking about invitations pastor de long has emphasized over the last several weeks in fact it's in every single church service schedule that i have seen so far this year is one bullet point on the end of the service schedule for the announcements is invite others it is an emphasis from our pastor of course it is an emphasis of the word of the lord for us to reach out to others and to invite them to be part of not just our functions and our events though we are inviting others for that purpose but also inviting them to a relationship with jesus christ inviting them to have their life changed to have their marriage restored to have their bodies healed an invitation to others and the thing about invitations is they are oftentimes personal and sent very directly to individuals i received on sunday an invitation to a wedding had my name on the front that's how i knew that i was invited and so i don't want this to sound um as if inviting others and we're just gonna you know throw a blanket and everybody that it touches is invited though that would be true of of our context because absolutely everyone is invited to have a relationship with jesus christ i mean you were invited and you accepted that invitation and thus you are here but those that are not here they're also invited and there's not anybody in your family tree there's not anybody in your uh loved ones list list of friends your your facebook followers your instagram followers and tick tock i don't even know how that works but i think you can have followers on that i don't know but no matter who is on your list of friends or family they are invited as well no matter how good they seem how put together they seem how positive they seem and no matter how negative the situation looks and how distorted and confused and disruptive their lives may be they're invited as well absolutely all are welcome to a relationship with jesus christ and we know this from multiple passages in scripture particularly acts 2 and verse 39 for the promise is unto you and to your children and to those that are far off even as many as the lord our god would call so just in case that list of you and your children and to all that are far off didn't make all the sense in the world peter expressed even as many as the lord our god shall call and i would posit to you tonight that the lord our god is calling absolutely everybody to be part of the body of christ he's calling those that live in the city and he's calling those that live in the county he's calling those that live in the u.s and he's calling those that live in the countries that these flags represent and globally that these continents represent he's calling absolutely everybody to be part of the body of christ and to be in relationship with him and i'm thankful because i'm one of them and i'm here and i'm thankful for that and so since all are welcome to a relationship with jesus how will all find out i mean there's what i don't even know at last count how many billions of people in the world how are they all gonna find out that they're welcome to a relationship that will absolutely revolutionize change make better their lives well god uses us to invite others he uses us he employs us in his mission and we see this in john chapter one there's a sequence of invitations that are made from which we can gain insight for inviting others to jesus the pattern we see is jesus makes an invitation to someone that someone decides to follow him and then that someone invites someone else it's a pattern we see throughout the gospels it's repeated in the book of acts and it's reflected in the epistles and so we can therefore assume that it is a pattern that we should also duplicate if for no other reason than the reason that this is how jesus worked he invited others to come close to him and to be in relationship with him in john chapter 1 verses 37 through 40 we read the story of of andrew and another disciple of john and andrew was also a disciple of john and he was so he was a believer to some degree already and when he asked jesus where are you dwelling or where are you living jesus understood that in that day and time to be a question as such that would say i want to follow you or i want to become your disciple or i want to go to where you are and learn from you and so jesus invites him with these three words come and see come and see where i live come and see what i do come and see what experiences you can experience with me and so from what we know andrew did and he had an experience with jesus on a very deep level and so jesus had invited him andrew had responded and he had an experience and then andrew goes to his brother simon peter someone with whom he already had a relationship and andrew told simon about jesus he told him who he was that he claimed or that he believed andrew believed him to be the messiah and then he brought him to jesus scripture says so andrew had received an invitation and now he issued an invitation to peter and simon peter responded to that invitation and he also made a decision to follow jesus with all that that entails but it's not just that one couple verses later in verse 43 jesus invited philip with these words follow me and philip responded to that invitation he had an experience with jesus and then scripture says philip found nathanael a friend someone with whom he had formed a relationship and philip told nathanael about jesus about who he was and who he believed him to be but this time it wasn't quite as easy as it was with andrew and simon peter because nathanael was skeptical he wasn't fully convinced that jesus was who philip claimed him to be also at play in nathanael is a form of bias based on a currently held belief and we encounter people like nathanael and nathanael voiced that bias when he says can any good thing come out of nazareth kind of contemptuous but it was it was the thought process of that day nothing good comes out of nazareth there is no prophet from galilee which is where jesus was from and so he voiced that but philip then invited nathanael with these three words come and see just just come and meet him just come and experience him just be in his presence so that you can get to know him and then make your decision after that nathanael comes and he has his own experience and he makes a decision to follow jesus with all that that entails here's what we see happening an invitation is issued an experience is had and that experience then turns into an invitation for someone else someone tells you about jesus you have an experience with jesus and you enter into a relationship with him and then you tell someone else about jesus and about your experience with him and then they have an experience with jesus and enter into relationship with him and then that one tells someone else and the pattern continues and so what i what i take from this and how i feel it is instructive to me and to all of us in the body of christ is to take our experience and turn it into an invitation your experience becomes their invitation and then their experience becomes another's invitation and on and on it goes and it shows us not just the value of an experience because all of the experiences in the world would not do a lick of good for someone else if we don't turn that experience into an invitation and show them hey come and see what god has done in my life come and see what god can do in your life

but it's not just in john 1 in john chapter 4 is the samaritan woman at the well jesus meets her there at the well and during that encounter if you don't know the story i'll run through it very quickly he asks her for a drink of water and then he uses the water as an illustration of god's invitation to a relationship with him he then tells her to invite her husband to join them already knowing that she has had five husbands and is not married to the man she's currently living with and as he reveals that he knows those details of her life she recognizes that he is a prophet and then begins a conversation about their differing religious views she's impressed at his prophetic knowledge she raised the main question that divided the jews from the samaritans about where is the right place to worship god and then in john 4 25-30 the woman said i know the messiah is coming the one who is called christ and when he comes he will explain everything to us she had a measure of faith she already had a measure of belief about the messiah then jesus told her i am the messiah you are experiencing that right now and just then his disciples came back and they were shocked to find him talking to a woman but none of them had the nerve to ask what do you want with her or why are you talking to her the woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village telling everyone what was she telling them the next verse says come and see a man who told me everything i ever did could he possibly be the messiah so the people came streaming from the village to see him her invitation was to come and see what i have experienced what what's going on in my life she took her experience and she turned it into an invitation and the people responded came streaming from the village to see him then in john 4 39-42 the story continues many samaritans from the village believed in jesus because the woman had said he told me everything i did because of her experience because of her testimony scripture says many samaritans from the village believed in jesus verse 40 when they came out to see him they begged him to stay in their village so he stayed for two days long enough for many more to hear his message and belief long enough for many more to have an experience with him than just those that had responded to her invitation then they said to the woman now we believe not just because of what you told us but because we have heard him ourselves it's the pattern she had an experience she turned it into an invitation and then they had an experience beyond just knowing about him now they had an experience they had experienced him for themselves they had come in contact with him and they had become convinced and something had stirred in their heart when they had met him and when they had heard him speak and now they have their own experience her invitation to come and see perhaps created a space for just a light bulb moment to go off for those that she had invited

so when we're considering inviting others to come and see it really assumes that you've got something to show and you do did anybody in school show up for show and tell without anything to show or anything to tell anybody ever have that experience aaron bachman brother bowie you have that experience too oh i forgot it was showing so you're like searching your pockets you're like what can i possibly your book bag you're like oh i have this piece of trash that's been in there for weeks i could say that it's something special you're like scrambling to have something to show and tell when it comes to inviting others when it comes to our invitation to others to come and see we don't have to scramble for something to show and tell and if we do i would just encourage us just simply think of the things god's done for you that's what you show that's what you tell that's what you invite them to to come and see it doesn't have to be as spectacular as somebody else's it doesn't have to sound like somebody else's testimony no it's your personal testimony it's your personal invitation come and see what god has done in my life and so it assumes that you've got something to show and you do and it's a story that should be told psalm 107 and verse 2 in the niv says this let the redeemed of the lord tell their story we know it better maybe in the king james version let the redeemed of the lord say so but here in the end of niv it kind of just makes it a little bit more plain let the redeemed of the lord tell their story well god i don't feel like i have a story you know maybe raised in church all my life or you know i raised around the church i didn't really or i don't really want to tell my story my story is a little messed up a little a private little personal and that's okay but you can find a way to share your story of how far god has brought you or how messed up that situation was and now how restored and renewed that situation is so whatever end of the spectrum you find yourself on scripture tells us let the redeemed of the lord tell their story those that he redeemed from the hand of the foe anybody been redeemed by the blood of the lamb anybody been saved or or healed that's right we ought to praise him scripture says that we should show forth the praises of him that's called us out of darkness into marvelous light god we remember your goodness our story we thank you jesus in the new living translation psalm 107 has our theme in it so i'm going to read that one has the lord redeemed you okay all right just making sure i was in the right church i know i am you just proved it has the lord redeemed you then speak out tell others that he has redeemed you from your enemies tell others what he has done how he healed your body you know that that song we used to sing i love the church used to go crazy with it look what the lord has done oh man you want to have a sunday night service you get that song going you get just to reaver sister bratty on that ham and b3 and it's over not because of sister river sister bratty on the hammond b3 but because when we get to looking at what the lord has done and saying so and telling that story we emphasize him and we point to what he can do and he can do above what we can think and above what we can ask so scripture commands us tell others your story and i recorded it first peter 2 9 a chosen generation royal priesthood holy nation peculiar people why that you should show forth the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light the new living translation says it like this you're a chosen people you are royal priests a holy nation god's very own possession as a result you can show others the goodness of god because he called you out of darkness into his wonderful light this is scripture reiterating that pattern turn your experience into an invitation we didn't he didn't just save us so that we could go to heaven and so that we could feel good and so we could feel positive all the days of our life no he saved us and gave us the ministry of reconciliation so that we could turn around and take that experience and turn it into an invitation for somebody else who has a perhaps similar story or a very different story than we have but we've got examples all around this room of people that god can save of situations that god can save people out of circumstances and lives that god can change one of the most beautiful things i get to take pictures when we do our baptisms i have absolutely loved when people come up out of the water lift up their hands the water's flowing over it makes them nice and shiny but i see tattoos and i love it because that shows me that god is no respecter of persons and whatever's been in your past it doesn't matter because now it's under the blood of jesus christ and there's been an invitation that's been issued to that individual no matter how far it may seem they have gone and how messed up it may seem their life was and so we take our experience and we turn it into an invitation and we invite others come and see

so what are the elements of a come and see story how do we share our story i submit to you three words before how after talk about what your life was like before christ talk about how you met him how he changed your life and then talk about what your life is like now it's really as simple as that i will warn you it will take some reflection just kind of probe your mind and probe your thoughts probe your history a little bit what was my life like before i met jesus before i got into a relationship with him and fully submitted and surrendered my life to him how did i meet him what was that like what was it like for me to surrender to him and begin to obey him what were the steps that i took and were there any scriptures that i followed and explicitly read during that time and what's my life like now how how is it different from how it used to be what what are my pursuits like now what am i chasing after now that i wasn't chasing after before or what am i no longer chasing after that i was chasing after before and these things require reflection and so because i always give you homework that's your homework is to develop your story to think about your before to think about your how and to think about your after and when you do that you're turning your experience into an invitation to somebody else and for those who have been christians since childhood perhaps your before may seem a little small anemic whatever but i would encourage you that you you have i have a before so that would require us to be vulnerable about our struggles as a growing christian because here's the reality we are all in some stage of invitation we're all in in some some level we are all still in a before because we're all in a process of transformation none of us are perfect none of us have arrived just yet and so we're all at some level and in some areas of our life we are still at the before and god is working on that how and he's drawing us and he's issuing invitations he's speaking to us through his word and through messages that come across this pulpit and others maybe you watch on youtube like i do and so he's issuing these invitations to us and he's working on that how and i still haven't gotten to the after because i still haven't conquered the how and i haven't maybe conquered my flesh but you know what i'm learning you know what's gonna be part of my after story god never gave up on me he had grace on me he he gave me the grace that i needed to face my current circumstances to face the current condition of my life and so that's going to be part of my after story because it's part of the how that's taking place right now and so even those of us who have been in the church for a number of years we still have a before because it can apply to our struggles as a growing and developing and transforming christian

and so what are some principles for sharing our come and see story i've told you the elements the before the how and the after but now some principles to sharing our before how and after story first of all i would say keep the other person in mind others right it's our theme and it's more than just a theme it is a way of thinking that god is inviting us drawing us into keep the other person in mind as you share your story an example of this is paul before agrippa in acts 26. paul was familiar with what agrippa knew and he used it to his advantage when he was sharing the story of his personal salvation in acts 26 and verse 3 he said for i know paul speaking i know you are an expert on all jewish customs and controversies now please listen to me patiently paul is standing before king agrippa and he says i know that you're an expert and so i know that i'm not going to have to explain all of my words to you or all of these concepts i know that we're coming to this conversation this invitation i know that we're coming with some some like language we already speak the same language if you will and then at the end in verse 27 he reiterates this he said king agrippa do you believe the prophets i know you do it's like he asked the question but he already knew i know that you believe in the promise i know that you understand and so paul here is he's he's showing us he's keeping the other person in mind he's paying attention to to details that he may need to explain because not everybody speaks christianese okay you go out you talk about pleading the blood people are just gonna look at you like okay and not that we should shy away from saying that but we should know how to explain what we mean when we say that we talk about death on a cross a lot in this church probably something that we should explain and and and have verbiage for a spirit-led life what what does that even mean so again make sure you're speaking the same language keep the other person in mind know where they're coming from know their background and what they uh what they understand and try not to use language that might not be familiar to that person and so before you think that i came up with the before how and after breakdown i did not paul uses it in acts chapter 26 and this is uh homework b okay go home and read acts 26 and pick out the before how and after in verses 4 through 11 he shows what his life was like before in verses 12 through 20 he shows how god got his attention and then in verses 23 21 through 23 he shows what his like life is like after this is a pattern in scripture it's a template if you will in scripture that we can use and so keeping the other person in mind what their background where are they coming from what do they understand to this point that requires then secondly that we engage them that we ask them questions and we let them ask us questions we seek to understand where they are and their religious background i would say don't assume they know everything but also don't assume that they don't know anything so be curious how do we get around that we be curious we ask questions we ask them what they know what their experience has been like what their understanding of god is or what their concept of the church or salvation or eternal life or whatever vein that you're flowing in asking of them not assuming but asking questions is a great way to show an interest or take an interest and show that you care about them and not just about sharing your own story and so you can ask questions like what is your religious background what have you tried on your spiritual journey where are you now on your spiritual journey and where do you want to be on your spiritual journey again engaging them asking questions seeking to have a conversation and an understanding of where they are so that your invitation hits the mark it makes an impact and it has influence and so asking questions and so when you're hearing the response to those questions that is where you're hearing there before story that's where they are right at this moment that's their before and then we can help take them from point a to point b with our invitation kind of an unorthodox scripture to use at this point but

indulge me i was reading it was actually february 14th my journal told me that i read the account in matthew chapter 28 where jesus had risen from the dead and the angel is standing there at the tomb when some arrived looking for jesus and the angel said we quit this a lot at easter he is not here he has risen just as he said come and see the place where he lay and so the angel the sent messenger pointed the way to jesus to those who came looking in the wrong place the messenger pointed them in the right direction he gave invitation and instruction to find what they were searching for and as i read that it struck me and here's what i wrote in my journal and may i do the same for all i encounter attempting to find life fulfillment peace hope and freedom in all of the wrong places because i too am god's sent messenger he has given me the word of reconciliation and the ministry of inviting others to be reconciled to him and so for those searching for god in wrong places we can invite them come and see what god can do come and see that that god is a god of hope and that god is a god of love and he's a god of peace and they may be looking for peace in all of the wrong places and they're looking for fulfillment and satisfaction and purpose in life in all of the wrong places but like the angel on the day of jesus resurrection no he's not there but come and see where he is come and see that he can do what you need him to do in your life and finally principle sharing our story is to focus on god the story should highlight him it happened to us but it's not our story i'm not the main character of the story of my life god is the main character of the story of our lives and so our story should focus on him it should tell his story it should tell his power it should tell what he can do in a life and we know this from psalm 66 and verse five come and see the works of god he is awesome in his doing toward the sons of men and in the new living it says it this way come and see what our god has done of course psalm 66 it shares israel's history well it shares the faithfulness of god using israel's history to showcase the power of god so the story isn't about israel it's about god and your story isn't about you it's all about him and we can show them who he is to us personally your personal testimony what he's done for you maybe it's your salvation story that you want to share that you want to work up the before how and after about maybe it's a story of healing that you want to share or a story of provision or restoration of peace or a marriage or purpose in your life but i encourage you reflect and consider what was your life before that happened like and what is it like now and show the difference that god can make pointing to him always and inviting others to that same experience because he wants them to have it

i'm going to invite you to stand and i want us to pray together brother river did this as we open service but we prayed over all of the events that of the month of june that we have and we certainly have a lot of events that we can invite others to it is an experience for them certainly invite your friends your neighbors to our community kickball it's going to be a great way people just to realize we're not always weird and crazy you know we we do have fun we have some summer connect groups that are starting up in june and there's a flyer out in the lobby i'll just take a moment to plug summer connect groups we got four right now we're gonna have some more but we've got four for right now so you can take a look at those and invite friends and neighbors to those things as well we've got pentecost sunday coming up and pastor brad were here he would tell us invite others on sunday people that need the gift of the holy ghost people that you've been praying for know that in your life that need the gift of the holy ghost invite them and so we're going to pray tonight we're going to pray that we'll be able to put into action what he has commissioned and what he has called and invited us to do so let's do that right now lord i thank you i thank you for what you've done in my life and i thank you god i know that you've done a work in each and every life that's here watching online that you are in process of a work in their life and i thank you for it and i want to turn my experience into an invitation to help somebody else know that you love them help somebody else know that you can see them through dark times of their lives and you can bring clarity and wisdom and direction to their lives you can bring hope and you can bring peace and so i pray tonight that you would help us stir our hearts lord unto how to give our before how and after story our invitation to others to come and see and then i pray that you give us boldness direction and wisdom as we invite others to be part of the community soft our kickball as we invite others to be part of connect groups and of course our pentecost sunday service on sunday lord we thank you for what you're going to do and we look with faith and expectation knowing that you are going to change lives that you're going to continue to baptize tattooed individuals that you're gonna continue to change hearts and change lives and we give you praise would you offer praise to him right now whatever seems best a clapped hand a lifted hand a raised voice god we praise you we thank you lord we know that you're at work and we want to employ we be employed in that work with you in jesus name in jesus name amen