Dear First Pres
There is a wonderfully simple but powerful moment in John 1:39. Here’s the setup: John the Baptist was with two of his disciples. When John saw Jesus he said, “Look, the lamb of God!” He had done the same thing the day before. This time the two disciples with John approached Jesus and asked Him, “Where are you staying?” So, Jesus responded, “Come, and you will see” (John 1:39). After spending the day with Jesus, Andrew, one of the two disciples who approached Jesus, was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. It was a simple invitation from Jesus, but it changed Andrew’s life forever. As you may remember, the very next verse tells of Andrew going to his brother, Simon Peter, telling him about Jesus and bringing him to meet Jesus for himself. Then Simon Peter’s life was forever changed.
There is power in a simple invitation. Have you ever considered that our faith in Christ today is the result of those simple invitations in John 1? At some point, every single one of us who has submitted our life to Christ Jesus was stirred by the Holy Spirit to heed an invitation from Jesus or His ambassador to “Come and see.” One of the joys for me is knowing so many of the stories of invitation that changed your lives forever.
So, have you considered who it is that you might invite to our Christmas Eve services this year? On December 24th at 4:30 and 6:00 pm in our Sanctuary we’ll celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus while proclaiming the “good news of great joy.” Who could you invite to come and see? We never know how the Holy Spirit will work through those invitations
So, Beloved, don’t be afraid to invite. Many will say, “No thanks.” But some will likely say, “Okay.” God is in charge of changing lives, but He uses us in the process. Maybe this will be the year that the Holy Spirit uses your invitation to change a life forever. So, invite, invite, invite, and trust God with the results.
Blessings,
Jeremy
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