You've been thinking about that co-worker's spiritual condition for weeks, maybe months, but every time you get the golden opportunity to tell them you're a follower of Jesus, your hands go sweaty, your heart begins to pound wildly, and you feel like you're going to faint. Have no fear, someone says, "Just invite them to church!"
Before you act on such advice, read these excerpts by Art Rogers:
Most of the people who are adamantly in favor of inviting the lost to church—“I know that they’ll hear the Gospel preached…”—betray a worldview that is rooted firmly in the churched culture of years gone by.
It makes no sense to invite people to a place that is completely foreign to them in order that they should hear the Gospel.
You don’t have to come to culture—even church culture—to come to Jesus.
Why is it that we can’t have a conversation with them about God right there? Why must they come to church to hear the Gospel. Why can’t the church come to them?
Since it is foreign to almost all of the upcoming generation, they are not likely to be interested, they don’t need to be there to hear the Gospel since you can share it with them, but, finally, the lost are incapable of worshiping God or enjoying the fellowship that the body has with itself, since they aren’t part of the body.
Maybe you're interested in reading the entire three-part series, "Inviting the Lost to Church." If so, go here for part one, then click here for part two, and here for part three. Be sure to read the comments, since the author incorporates those into the series as he goes. Very challenging and insightful reading!
Absolutely! For years I have tried to reform the mindset of church members from this attitude of “getting them to come to church.” This phenomenon places all of the responsibility of preaching upon the pastor of the church. I found that whenever I preached messages that were more “church-centric”, there was disappointment on the part of these folks who were hoping that I preached a “gospel message.”
I have 2 thoughts about this issue. The first is that every message is a gospel message. I remember one particular woman who came to Christ after hearing a sermon on pastoral authority! We should never try to micromanage God’s mysterious working. We have all sat in church hoping that the music, praying, and sermon be “just right” without knowing what “just right” is for our unbelieving friend.
The second thought is that the Gospel needs to be proclaimed day in and day out instead of trying a “bait and switch” on our acquaintances. We play up the music, the programs and the friendships (the bait) and hope that the preacher gives them the gospel once they are in the seats (the switch). We spend all of our time creating “relationships” that never usually get around to including a clear and direct presentation of the Gospel. Is the power of the gospel in our relationship with a person or in the power of God?
Now I realize that at this point many will bring up how important it is that we as Christians display Christ in our lives, but when all is said and done, a person’s eternal destiny does not hinge on how faithful and Christ-like I am personally. For this I PRAISE GOD! There will be many people on the day of judgment who will point to some minister or Christian who was a hypocrite and the Lord will have none of it!
I will be sure to follow the links above and see what they say about this topic!!!!
You and I see eye to eye on this topic (as well as countless others). I really appreciate you saying what I’ve been thinking all these years. It truly ministers to me knowing that I’m not the only one thinking this stuff.
I would like to cast a vote for a world-wide moratorium on “weekly church attendance” for the entire year 2008, with gatherings of Christians limited to no more than twenty-five persons. Once the shock waves subside, perhaps God’s people could begin to figure out how to BE the church in this world and quit substituting their “churchy” activities for living for Jesus and pulling their weight in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Bill,
Thanks for the gracious words and the encouragement.
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