Invitation

Have you ever attended a church that did not have a time at the end of the service for anyone who wants to come to the front of the church and pray at the altar, talk to someone about something, or get saved?

Maybe your church has never done this, I have known churches that do not. I was very surprised over the summer as I visited churches I would expect to have this as part of their service and they did not anymore. Maybe this was just the churches I was visiting or my experience, but it seems this part of the church service, usually referred to as the “invitation” has taken a back seat or has been replaced by time for praise and worship music, or more preaching/teaching time.

I personally find this interesting and disturbing, considering the invitation should be the focal point of the service. The word “invitation” is not used in the Bible, however, there are many verses that prove we as a church gather together for a specific purpose.

I am going to discuss these verses and compare them to how it seems many church services are being conducted. I read an article yesterday about the decline of Americans going to church or affiliating with a specific religion. The article interested me, so I searched the web for similar articles and found many. From the Washington Post to Huffington Post discussions. I found articles dating back a couple years detailing the large decline in church attendance, especially among the millennials.

However, I read that many studies show there are a larger number of the population that state they believe in God, and follow the Christian faith, however, they did not go to church anymore. I have had friends who read their Bible every day and had a daily walk with God, but would not go to church.

I don’t know what the correct course of action is to fix this problem, but I do know that a church who is doing what it should according to the Bible, would be attractive to anyone who is a believer. Not having an invitation, the time when believers can come to the altar of God in the presence of the Holy Spirit and get things right with him, pray for others, pray for themselves and non-believers, can be guided to salvation and the way ahead afterward, does not seem like an appropriate action.

I personally think a big problem is that even churches that have an invitation, the altars are empty. This leads me into what I mentioned in my Silence II post about the great invitation I was blessed to be a part of. What is interesting is it was not at a church. It was basically at a rock concert. For anyone reading this who listens to contemporary Christian music, you may know the name of the band “Seventh Day Slumber”.

I attended one of their concerts this summer with my son. It was outdoors and toward the end of the concert, the lead singer stated they had time for a couple more songs, but he thought this was more important and proceeded to give his testimony, which I had known, and is very powerful. He was a drug addict and attempted suicide and was at rock bottom with no hope, until he came to know our Lord as his personal Saviour. His life changed and he devoted his life to singing songs that praise God.

I know not everyone would agree with his style music as it is rock style, but you could tell the emotion on his face and how sincere he was, then he went into if anyone in the audience was going through these issues, he was there for them and wanted to help. He then had everyone close their eyes, bow their heads and gave an emotional (I have been there) speech. He then asked if anyone had issues with drug abuse and asked to have hands raised for prayer for them.

I know there are those out there that peek during an invitation, but I am not one, I had it drilled into me at an early age not to peek, and as much as I wanted to, I did not, but many hands went up. He then asked who had contemplated suicide and needed prayer, again many hands went up. He then had everyone clear the entire front of the stage and the band played while he asked those who needed prayer to come forward. He also gave a great salvation description, and even went through an example prayer to pray. He then asked anyone who had prayed for salvation to come forward.

I then raised my head and looked after the invite up to the front of the stage, and I think myself and my son were part of a few people left in the audience. Almost the entire group watching the concert was up front, and brothers and sisters were encouraging one another, and helping people find a church near them. It was an amazing experience, why can we not have that experience every Sunday at church?

I felt God’s presence there at that rock concert more than I have in many of the churches I have attended. Then we see the stats that Christians are not going to church buildings anymore. I ask a question of anyone who attends church, what is more important, the music in church, the teaching, the preaching, the fellowship, or leading the lost to salvation, and the hurting people to healing?

They are all good things to do during a church service, but there was one “Great Commission” by our Lord and Saviour, was it to sing praises to him, to teach, to fellowship, or preach a college taught sermon on how knowledgeable you are as the pastor (Sat through more than one of these sermons). There is also one “Great Commandment” to Love God (Mark 12: 29-31). Many believe the church service should be centered on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. I would concur with that, and part of this is to allow people to come forward at the end of the service to pray and seek salvation and help.

I will quote it from the Bible “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matt 28:18-20). The commission is also mentioned in the following verses: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16), another verse “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8).

These verses sum up what we are called to do as the New Testament Church, basically we are to be witnesses, preach and teach the Love, Compassion, and Sacrifice our Lord and Saviour demonstrated to us, so others will believe on Him. Outwardly show our belief and commitment to him by being baptized, and then teaching them to observe all things whatsoever our Lord commanded us in His life on earth.

So then, we do that by having a college taught sermon and then announcing the events for the week and going home after church. Or, do we preach and teach Holy Spirit inspired sermons and lectures, and then provide a time for the Holy Spirit to work on the hearts and lives of the people gathered together so we can fulfill the Great Commission and bring sinners to salvation and healing to the hurting.

I will end this post with a quote from a sermon of Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon, who is known as the “Prince of Preachers”, it is from his sermon “Awake! Awake!” and applies today as it did in his time. “There is the precious gospel; you do not go and put it to the lips of a sinner. There is the all-precious blood of Christ; you never go to tell the dying what they must do to be saved. The world is perishing with worse than plague: and you are idle! And you are a minister of the gospel”

This sermon if you have never read it, please find it and do, It is amazing. This goes on to basically reprimand ministers for being idle and content with their Sunday sermons and their internal church group instead of bringing in the mass of sinners in the community to hear the gospel. After all is that not the Great Commission, and I do not see how it is completed without the offer and opportunity of sinners to find salvation in our Lord and Saviour.

May we all focus on the priorities provided to us by our Saviour in the scriptures. I personally believe it is difficult for the Holy Spirit to work in lives, if we do not guide them to the Him and allow Him to work. In Christ.