 
Inviting
Invite: to request the presence
or participation of another person
LEVEL1 -- Movies, dinner, lunch, weddings, birthday parties, etc.
We invite people all the time. It’s part of living with others. We
invite people to share a meal with us or come for a visit. We invite
them to see a new movie or go to eat. We invite for a variety of
reasons. Nothing to it.
We invite! What invitations are
easy to extend?
LEVEL 2 --Church Activities
Inviting people to a church activity can be more challenging for us.
Why do you think this may be true? Don’t we think the church
activity will be a blessing to that person’s life? Perhaps we fear
we might impinge on that individual’s private faith-life. To a
certain degree, this is true, but in a positive way. God blesses
people. Hopefully, others might be blessed by the fellowship found
at church.
Not everyone is ready to attend a service of worship every Sunday,
but inviting someone to one service with special music, children’s
choir, or drama might be a start. Or, what about extending an
invitation to a church potluck dinner? People love good food.
Inviting someone to a church activity doesn’t have to be hard. It
does involve some risk, but the potential of blessing for that
person is significant.
Who in your life would you like
to invite to a church activity?
Which activities would that person particularly enjoy?
LEVEL 3 – Faith in Jesus Christ
Our world is full of people hungry for meaning. Many long for
someone to help us make sense of the complex puzzle of life. Luther
put it something like this, “We are hungry beggars showing other
beggars where to find food.” Thus, how can we not share our faith
and hope in Jesus Christ? There are people who desperately need some
good news in their lives.
Let us pray for God to empower us to be clear witnesses to the love
of God made known in Christ. May God open our hearts, eyes and
mouths to the opportunities to bear witness to Christ. Let us pray
for courage to invite, invite and invite.
Who is God bringing to mind for
you to witness to God’s love?
How might you share the joy and love of Christ?
Writer: Robin McCullough-Bade
Copyright © 2004 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
May be reproduced for local, non-sale use provided the above
copyright notice is included.
E-Tips, Division for Congregational Ministries - Evangelism.
www.elca.org/dcm/evangelism
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