Who Have You Asked?

This article was originally published in the Franklin News-Post.

Just over three years ago, I returned to church.  I showed up at a church in Bassett on November 8th, 2015.  Why did I go to that church on that day?  The story is a compelling one, but the very simple answer is, because I was asked.  A transformation has continued within my life that did not exist prior.  Research shows an increase in the number of people who attend church during the Christmas and Easter holiday seasons.  This same research shows that this increased attendance is often correlated to an invitation.

The invitation that was extended to me had nothing to do with a holiday season.  With almost certainty, had I not been asked to attend, I would never have shown up when I did.

Too many of us approach our faith from a position of habit.  We go through the same routine on Sunday morning as we prepare to go.  We might say the same thing to our family members as we try to rally each person to the vehicle.  We travel the same route to the same church building.  We look for the same parking space where we like to park.  We share the same greeting upon entering the building and we look for our seat.  Many of us approach our Sunday morning visit to the church out of habit.  We enter His house, not with a spirit of expectation, but rather one of “Check the box.  I’m here.”

As we move fully into the 2018 holiday season, I want to encourage you to take a fresh perspective on your routines.  Approach your times of worship, service, study, and prayer from a perspective of purpose.  Come to the church building on Sunday with an attitude of expectation.  Purposely seek out someone to whom you have never spoken and have a conversation with them.  Sit in a different seat than you normally do.  Visit the altar during worship and invite the Holy Spirit to have His way.  Open your mind, heart, and spirit to truly hear what He has for you on this particular day.

And just as you approach your own experience differently, invite someone you know to join you.  Maybe the people you would invite have previously told you that they are not interested.  Invite them anyway.  Maybe the people you would invite have a different belief system than you do.  Invite them anyway.  Maybe the people you would invite live a different lifestyle than you do.  Invite them anyway.  Maybe the people you would invite are covered in tattoos, have unkempt hair, don’t have nice clothes to wear, invite them anyway.

A major force in my transformation from the way I used to be to the person I am becoming had to do with an invitation.  Over these last three years, a few myths about my beliefs of church have been debunked.  1) Previously, I viewed that everyone attending church was leaps and bounds ahead of where I was in my faith walk.  Not only did I discover that it isn’t true.  It doesn’t matter.  My faith journey is just that, my faith journey.  It’s personal!  It’s between me and my Redeemer.  2) God could not use me to impact the life of anyone who already attends church.  This turned out to be false.  God proved He could use me to help connect His message with another person at the church.  We were stronger because we came together.  And 3) I can have the same spiritual experience staying home, reading my bible, watching a service on television or Facebook.  While these are partially true, they are not absolute.  For those who cannot get to church, these avenues are all quite appropriate.  But, for those of us that are able to come together, we should do so.

Who will you invite to join you at church over the last six Sundays of 2018?  Your invitation could have eternal implications for someone.  I know the invitation I received had those very implications for me.  Let’s be about our Father’s business.

“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23 (KJV)