Dear First Pres,
One of the great Christian preachers of the 19th Century was D.L. Moody. There’s a well-circulated story about Moody that he had a list of 100 people – friends, family members, neighbors, etc. He prayed daily for these 100 to come to faith in Jesus. At the time of his death, in 1899, it is said that 96 of those folks had become followers of Jesus. Then, the last 4 came to faith at his memorial service. Praise be to God!
Who’s on your list?
Since hearing that story this fall, I’ve been praying daily for a group of folks to come to faith. I don’t have a list of 100 yet, but praying daily for the people on my list has been a wonderful discipline that stirs my thinking about how I can reach out, encourage, invite and share my faith in Jesus’ name. So, as we approach our Christmas Eve celebration, these are the people I’m thinking about for invitations.
In my experience, people seem more open to joining us on Christmas Eve than any of our other worship gatherings. And I’ve heard again and again, even though it may seem outlandish to us, there are non-church people who would gladly come to one of our worship gatherings if they were invited. Especially as our culture gets more disconnected from church attendance, folks don’t realize that they are welcome to simply show up for one of our services. Plus, the idea of just showing up at a place where you don’t really know anybody and you don’t really know what’s going to happen while you’re there is a significant obstacle to overcome for all of us.
So, let’s be people who invite. Let’s be people who remind others regularly that they are welcome to be part of our community.
Who’s on your list? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Lord used our celebration of Christ’s incarnation to draw them into our community of faith? Can you imagine their lives transformed by the Gospel? Imagine that and let that vision be the positive motivation you need to simply pray for them and invite them. Who knows, God might use your invitation to spark a spiritual conversation that opens the door for you to disciple that person toward Jesus.
So, today, in the midst of praying for my list of folks I long to see in Christ, I am also praying for you. May the Lord stir your heart for others to know the transforming power of the Gospel. May the Lord give you courage to pray regularly for your unbelieving neighbors, friends and family. May the Lord open the door for a friendly, humble invitation. And, when He does open that door, may He give you the Gospel confidence to step through it.
The results belong to Jesus, but what a privilege that the Lord invites us into the process of His work to build His Church.
Remember, Christmas Eve will include one regular morning service at 9 a.m. to celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent. Then our special Christmas Eve services will be at 4 and 6 p.m.
Blessings,
Jeremy
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