There is power in an invitation. Think about it. So many of the momentous things that have happened in your life began with an invitation:
- A first date that turned into a marriage.
- A job offer that turned into a career.
- A play date that turned into a lifelong friend
All of these life shaping things began with an invitation. We all have felt the power of invitations in our lives, yet we still minimize the effect the invitations we EXTEND could have in the lives of others. It seems minor to invite another family over for dinner, to invite a friend to church, or to invite someone to join you in serving the needs of others . . . but you have no idea what lies on the other side of that invitation. For all you know, the person you are inviting to dinner may be to their wits end and just need to know that someone out there still cares. The friend you invite to church might trust Christ this weekend, changing not only their weekend — but their eternity. The person you ask to help teach the 4 year old Sunday school class with you may go on to impact hundreds through serving in that venue or another area. You just never know what hangs in the balance of that invite.
Want a real life example? There once was a guy named Andrew who decided to invite his brother Simon to meet his new friend . . . Jesus Christ. Andrew’s brother Simon would be given a new name (Peter) by Jesus and would go on to be one of the pillars of the early church and the author of portions of the New Testament. I don’t think there is any way Andrew knew what hung in the balance of his decision to invite Simon to follow Jesus . . . but we ALL can agree there was tremendous power in that invitation!
This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:15, 9:30, and 11:00 worship services, I will be preaching through John 1:35-42 as we look together at the power of an invitation in part 3 of our “Share” sermon series. Join us on Sunday! Accept this invite because you never know what hangs in the balance.